Goals, Cards and Drama!

Hello you lovely lot and welcome to a Monday night Strike, well what a weekend of football that was! So much to talk about from the thriller on Saturday where Norwich and Liverpool played out a goal fest, Man United just cannot score at home, Dele Alli's wonder goal and a fiery game at The Emirates.


Late Lallana adds to the Drama

On Saturday morning when I saw that Norwich were playing Liverpool, it didn't fill me with much hope of a goal fest, how wrong was I?! Liverpool got an early goal from Firmino and should have made it two when James Milner was one on one with the keeper but he took too long and it could have bit Liverpool on the backside. Norwich to their credit fought back and got back into the game with a clever back heeled finished by Mbobkani and then Steven Naismith scored his first goal for his new club. The second half started with an early penalty to The Canaries after some awful defending from Alberto Moreno who I really have no idea what he was doing. So 3-1 to Norwich was a shock but the last half hour was complete madness. Jordon Henderson got one back with a cracking finish and then a few minutes Firmino scored another one to make it 3-3! Norwich didn't help themselves and the goal that put Liverpool back in front was simple awful defending from Jonny Howson who tried to knock it back to his keeper but there was nowhere near enough pace on it and James Milner made up for his earlier miss with a cool finish and this mental game was 3-4 to The Reds. With the game heading into injury time, surely there couldn't be anymore drama? The 4th official indicated there would be 5 minutes of time added on which frustrated Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and when Sebastian Bassong piledrived the ball into the bottom corner it only annoyed the German more. So 4-4 with 1 minute to go of injury time, surely now this game would be a draw and both sides would have earned a very hard fought point but no, Adam Lallana reacted quickest to head tennis in the Norwich penalty area and hit the ball on the half volley into the top corner which lead to some incredible scenes with Klopp celebrating like a madman and losing his glasses. What an unbelievable game of football where the standard was pretty average and the defending was just plain awful.



Saints down sinner Van Gaal

Man United went into this weekend on a high after beating Liverpool last week and so a home game against side who aren't in exactly great form should be a relatively easy one. However this one didn't go to a plan at all and it is now 11 home games in a row that Man United have failed to score a goal in the first half. That stat is shocking because this is United, a Premier League giant who used to rip teams apart and a lot of the time, won the game before a ball was kicked. This Man United side are beyond poor and they just don't look like beating anyone with ease and the fans aren't silly, they want a team who hits teams with pace and skill but Marouane Felliani has all the skill of an ostrich on Rollerblades and he is truly woeful and should have been sent off for a blatant elbow. Louis Van Gaal is under massive pressure now and there are reports that Ed Woodward has spoken to some of the key players to find out what they need in this transfer window. Would you trust LVG with anymore money? He has spent over £250 million and are now worse than when David Moyes was there. They head to Derby in the Cup this weekend and if they get knocked out then I really think it could be the final nail in the coffin.


Dele Alli

A quick mention to the Spurs midfielder who for me scored probably the goal of the season against Crystal Palace which reminded me of Gazza in Euro 96, an absolute corker of a volley. He has a very bright future and he has to go to the Euro's because he is young and will have no fear. Spurs are looking very good this year and they title contenders because at the moment, it is so tight at the top.


Arsenal's Chelsea jinx continues

Arsenal will never get a better chance to beat a Chelsea side who despite have improved under Guus Hiddink are still way down the table and are beatable. I am going to try my best not to lose my rag over Diego Costa's antics. I don't blame Mark Clattenburg for showing Per Mertesacker off because it was stupid lunge and from where the ref was, it looked like he had taken him clean out but when you have the advantage of replays then you will see there was no contact between the Germans legs and the Strikers foot. I am not going to lie and say I am not biased about my club and football is an emotional game so when I saw the dive, I was enraged. I just can't work out why he went down when he wasn't touched, he could have gone to have a one on one with Petr Cech but he decided to fall over and roll about 6 times. Hate is a very strong word but it is very fitting for Diego Costa, there is another word I could use but I will leave that to imagination. I felt for Oliver Giroud when was hooked off because he hadn't done anything wrong and the Arsenal fans were gobsmacked. I can see why Wenger done it but when your one nil down and have a golden chance to grab an equalizer, Mathieu Flamini isn't really the man you want it to fall too. It was a massive blow to lose because a win really would have made us big favourites for the title but I am sure there will be other bumps in the road.



Well that is it for now! I will be back on Wednesday!

TEAM OF THE YEAR SO FAR!!!

Hello you lovely lot and welcome to a brand new Strike, it has been a while but I am back! There have been some surprises this year in terms of players who have really impressed this season. My team of the year is not biased at all.

So let's crack on with my team!


Petr Cech - This choice was a very difficult as Hugo Lloris has been sensational this season but I couldn't ignore this man because he is the reason that Arsenal are flying high in the league at the moment. A lot was made of Arsenal not signing an outfield player in the summer but I think this was probably signing of the summer. There was another Keeper who has been brilliant this year and that is Jack Butland, who for me will be a massive star in the future.


Hector Bellerin - Again not a biased choice, for me he is the best right back in the league at the moment. He is brilliant going forward, good at defending and his pace is unbelievable. This was the easiest position to choose for me.


Toby Alderweireld - There is no doubt this boy can defend and he is class. Spurs have been brilliant this year and he is one of the reasons why they have been so hard to beat. I was a massive fan of his when he was at Southampton and he has made the step up and will be one of the Defenders in Europe for a long time.



Chris Smalling - While I haven't been impressed with Man United in the slightest, Smalling has been sensational at the back in a very average team. There is no doubt he should be in the starting 11 for England at the Euro's in the summer. The only positive thing that LVG has done is bring the best out of Chris Smalling.



Aaron Cresswell - He has been absolutely brilliant for The Hammers this year, he has a lot of pace and is dangerous going forward but is also a very good defender. I think he could be in with a shout of getting a call up for the summer. A real talent and deserves a chance in my opinion.




Riyad Mahrez - I have really enjoyed watching Leicester this season and this man has been class. It took him a while to settle into the Premier League after a quieter first season but he has been just incredible and I do wonder if he will be still at The King Power in the Summer.



Mesut Ozil -  He is just class, the way he can see a pass when it seems it is impossible but he could pass a ball through a cheese grater without touching the sides. One of the best midfielders in Europe at the moment. He is a joy to watch and as an Arsenal fan, I feel very lucky to have him.




Deli Alli - The boy came with a lot of promise from MK Dons but he is class, the way he runs with the ball and the confidence is staggering from a kid so young, has a massive England future and I think he should be one of the first picks for France.



Kevin De Bruyne - It never really worked out for him at Chelsea for whatever reason and I had my doubts when Man City paid a shed load of money but he hasn't disappointed. Very good on the ball and has an eye for goal. There were a couple of players who could been picked instead like Payet from West Ham, who has been simply brilliant but KDB just about gets the nod.



Romelu Lukaku - This man is a beast and he cannot stop scoring goals and I can't imagine any defender who looks forward to playing against him. He scores goals and creates all sorts of problems for defenders. Massive player with a huge future.


Odion Ighalo - Maybe a surprise but his record speaks for himself, scores goals and the step up from Championship to Premier league hasn't fazed him at all. I have been very impressed with Watford and he has been key as has Troy Deeney.


So there you go, that is my team of the year so far! I am sure it will all change by the time May comes but I would love to see this squad play together.