Let's see how the remaining clubs have fared
Manchester City
Disregarding their poor away form,we can possibly say that the noisy neighbors have been brilliant.The signing of Alvaro Negredo has proved out to be vital for them and Fernandinho,who wasn't expected to play much role in City's title challenge,has proved his mettle this season.They have managed to convincingly outclass the likes of United,Spurs ,Arsenal and Liverpool but have been rubbish against sides like Sunderland,Villa and Cardiff.They have some problems at the back,especially when Kompany and Nastasic are absent but the presences of Sergio Aguero and Toure have managed to successfully hide the hurting absences of the star Central defenders.Manuel Pellegrini has done exceedingly well in stepping into Roberto Mancini's boots to guide his side to a title challenge.
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| Give him a dead ball and you'll see... |
They have begun to show some signs of consistency after delivering some rock solid performances both at home and away. They have somewhat,failed to defend swift counter attacks properly and these counter attacks have contributed to the slip-ups.They have transformed into a side which is capable of achieving wonders anywhere and have quite rightly shown,that they're not "just Noisy Neighbours,they're shattering windows".But,if not for those poor results,City would have easily topped the table.
After being handed a mixed bag kind of group in the Champions League,the Citizens finished second in their group by conceding defeat only to Champions Bayern Munich,who were beaten at home by the Sky Blues.But,the Round of 16 surely guarantees a historic battle for them,as they will turn up against Barcelona,who have faced them quite rarely.
Ratings-9.0
Manchester United
Replacing someone like Sir Alex is never meant to be easy for anybody and David Moyes has proved everybody right after his side slumped to see the worst start to United's season .The Reds browsed through the transfer market in search of a quality creative midfielder and did register solemn interests in the likes of Cesc Fabregas,Sami Khedira,Ander Herrera,Daniele de Rossi and Javier Pastore but managed to secure the signature of Marouane Fellaini at the eleventh hour.But Fellaini's poor and injury plagued display ensured that United needed another quality playmaker who can hold up the play well and can make surging runs into the box.Moreover,the below par performances of other players have ensured that United remain at the 7th spot,with Wayne Rooney being the hardest worker on the pitch.Darren Fletcher's return to action is set to affect United and what is more concerning is that the Reds have been dealing with serious injury issues.The list has become a long one and includes the likes of Wayne Rooney,Nani,Fellaini,Ashley Young and van Persie.But the lads who have impressed me the most(excluding Rooney) are Adnan Januzaj and Jonny Evans.
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| Next -gen Ronaldo? |
Some rival fans would have quoted that "it would've been cherry on cake if United play poorly in the Champions League",but at least for the sake of pride and respect,Moyes has not let the fans down on the European stage.They finished off their group on the top after being unbeaten and registered a huge 5-0 victory at the Bay Arena against Bayer Leverkusen.
They have managed to make it to the semi-finals of the League cup,but the biggest disappointment came when Swansea knocked United out of the Fa Cup in the early stages of the cup.And this,quite appropriately serves as a real wake up call for the Red Devils,who enjoyed winning some games convincingly but slumped back again.
Rating-6.5
Tottenham Hotspur
They and United became the laughing stocks of the Premier League some weeks ago but since AVB's sacking,Spurs have begun to set themselves apart from the laughing stocks.They were the spend-thrifts in the summer transfer window after successfully attracting the likes of Christian Eriksen,Erik Lamela,Nacer Chadli,Etienne Capoue ,Roberto Soldado and Vlad Chiriches ,but the new signings could never find their feet at White Hart Lane under AVB's reign.But,interim manager Tim Sherwood has literally rejuvenated the glorious but forgotten career of Emmanuel Adebayor,and his decision is quite evidently,paying off.Spurs were left in tatters after being mauled by Manchester City and Liverpool ,and Roberto Soldado's inability to move forward swiftly was the mastermind reason for that. While,Christian Eriksen has turned out to be a vital signing for the Londoners,who have given the fans something to cheer about.He has that slickness and flair which nearly every side requires and Paulinho has combined well with the Dane upfront.
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| The epitome of flair |
Spurs were quite rightly,witty in axing Vilas Boas but their decision of appointing Tim Sherwood did create waves in the football world.It was somewhat awkward,and that being because they had the option of exploring about other formidable managers like Frank de Boer and Jurgen Klopp.His inexperience as a coach has compelled Tottenham to exit the FA cup and the League cup but fans have adored the fact that he's giving some consideration to Emmanuel Adebayor.
They enjoyed record breaking success in the Europa League after being handed a petty easy task of facing Sherrif ,Tromso and Anzhi in the early stages.In my opinion,Sherwood must carry on with his tradition of playing both Adebayor and Soldado as the Togolese is very quick and agile and tends to lie deeper,while the other is a Javier Hernandez type forward who makes unstoppable runs off the ball and hides behind opposition defenses.
Rating-7.5
The "former" Italian giants have managed to claim the 10th spot in the Serie A due to Kaka's heroics.but it's been disappointing for them really.Max Allegri has confirmed that declared that he'll leave the club once the season ends and rightly so,it's been nothing short of a disaster.Maybe,New Bosman signing Keisuke Honda can upturn their fortunes but the Champions League qualification for them looks unlikely.Kaka's role has been crucial for them and its due to these below par results,Milan are looking into the possibility of selling off star men Mario Balotelli and winger Stephan El-Sharaawy,who's a potential target for Manchester City and Real Madrid.They have lost consistently against the likes of Parma,Florentina,Juventus and San Siro neighbours Inter Milan.
They enjoyed record breaking success in the Europa League after being handed a petty easy task of facing Sherrif ,Tromso and Anzhi in the early stages.In my opinion,Sherwood must carry on with his tradition of playing both Adebayor and Soldado as the Togolese is very quick and agile and tends to lie deeper,while the other is a Javier Hernandez type forward who makes unstoppable runs off the ball and hides behind opposition defenses.
Rating-7.5
Italy
Ac Milan
Allegri's men made their mark in the Italian Tim Cup and Champions League,after being placed in a rather tough group which included Celtics,Ajax and Spanish giants Barcelona.They scraped through into the round of 16 after holding Dutch giants Ajax to a 0-0 draw but their performances were not quite impressive against the 3 batters.
Mario Balotelli,to me has not yet found his rhythm at the Rossoneiri and his disturbing form has committed disasters on the pitch.Kaka has been able to hold the team together and utility youngster Kevin Constant has also been a bright spot for Milan,who certainly are a club in serious decline.
Rating-7.0
827
Mario Balotelli,to me has not yet found his rhythm at the Rossoneiri and his disturbing form has committed disasters on the pitch.Kaka has been able to hold the team together and utility youngster Kevin Constant has also been a bright spot for Milan,who certainly are a club in serious decline.
Rating-7.0
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