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EXCLUSIVE: John Barnes On Arsenal, Robinho & Liverpool
Liverpool and England legend John Barnes gives Goal.com his take on some of the key talking-points in the Premier League this week...
The New Football Pools pundit discusses his old club's prospects, this weekend's Manchester derby, and firstly the situation at Arsenal - who take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a crucial encounter for the Gunners...
On The Arsenal Woes
Arsenal face a real tough test this weekend as they travel to Stamford Bridge to face League leaders Chelsea with their title hopes already hanging by a thread, and we are not even into December yet. If they are beaten, as I think they will be, then I can’t see them winning the title this season - not because they don’t have the quality, as they are on a par with the fellow big four in that respect, but because their confidence has taken a battering.
They will be suffering after a horrific 3-0 defeat at Eastlands which illustrated that the Arsenal camp is not a happy one at the moment. The comments of William Gallas have compelled the situation at the Emirates as they’ve shown divisions in the side and ruined any togetherness the players may have had. Quite simply his comments were unacceptable.
Of course, Gallas is not the only player who has done a similar thing, and nor will he be the last; but that doesn’t make it right.
Gallas may have returned for Arsenal in midweek against Dynamo Kiev but already we know he won’t be captaining the side from now on with young Cesc Fabregas taking over the role. As long as the French defender is not a disruptive influence if he plays then I can understand why he has been brought in as he’s still a very good player. Arsene has made his point by stripping him of the captaincy, so as long as his head is right for the game then why not play him? In terms of Fabregas taking over the armband it’s not a massive surprise as you look around the side and there are few other candidates with that much experience.
On Manchester City’s Derby Chances And Robinho
Manchester City take on their rivals United this weekend hoping to build on their emphatic win over the Gunners. Can they beat Sir Alex’s side? Well you only have to look at the results at the weekend to know that anything can happen in any Premier League game. City haven’t been that strong defensively this season so they may fear United’s array of attacking talent but as Villa showed, they can be stopped. The win over Arsenal will give the team so much confidence going into this derby that this will be a very tough game for United whose away form has been slightly suspect.
One player who is making an even bigger name for himself at Eastlands is Robinho who once again scored at the weekend. The little Brazilian has now scored 8 goals in 11 league appearances which is a great record. However, for me his form has still mirrored Manchester City’s which is basically inconsistent. The team has the ability to be fantastic on
occasions but then completely average the following week so like every team in the Premier League needs to strive for consistency. That’s the name of the game at this level, you don’t have to be brilliant every week but you do need to grind out results regularly.
Individually, Robinho’s scored a few goals but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has performed that well. It may be the case that he is not putting the work in defensively to help out his team-mates - generally known in the game as ‘cheating’. In the Premier League every player has to learn to fulfil some defensive duties so I wouldn’t necessarily say because the Brazilian has scored a few goals he’s been a success, as City finishing mid-table yet Robinho scoring lots of goals means something isn’t right.
On Liverpool And The Rising Standard Of The Premier League
It was a strange week with none of the big four winning or scoring a goal, though it did mean that the current top three sides remained in the same situation as they were prior to the weekend. This means that my old club Liverpool remain neck-and-neck at the top of the League with Chelsea despite surprisingly drawing a blank at home to Fulham. There’s no doubt the Reds can win the title this season but I still would make them third favourites behind both Chelsea and United to do so. There’s a long way to go and with the Premier League more competitive than ever, teams will continue to drop points.
After a number of shock results many experts have suggested the standard of the Premier League has dropped this season but that’s utter rubbish. If anything the standard has gone far higher. Therefore, if Liverpool can maintain their consistency they have a chance, as every team will drop points before the season is out.
John Barnes for Goal.com
John Barnes is a pundit for the New Football Pools. To challenge John's prediction prowess or to hear his weekly football podcast, visit www.footballpools.com
Liverpool and England legend John Barnes gives Goal.com his take on some of the key talking-points in the Premier League this week...
The New Football Pools pundit discusses his old club's prospects, this weekend's Manchester derby, and firstly the situation at Arsenal - who take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a crucial encounter for the Gunners...
On The Arsenal Woes
Arsenal face a real tough test this weekend as they travel to Stamford Bridge to face League leaders Chelsea with their title hopes already hanging by a thread, and we are not even into December yet. If they are beaten, as I think they will be, then I can’t see them winning the title this season - not because they don’t have the quality, as they are on a par with the fellow big four in that respect, but because their confidence has taken a battering.
They will be suffering after a horrific 3-0 defeat at Eastlands which illustrated that the Arsenal camp is not a happy one at the moment. The comments of William Gallas have compelled the situation at the Emirates as they’ve shown divisions in the side and ruined any togetherness the players may have had. Quite simply his comments were unacceptable.
Of course, Gallas is not the only player who has done a similar thing, and nor will he be the last; but that doesn’t make it right.
Gallas may have returned for Arsenal in midweek against Dynamo Kiev but already we know he won’t be captaining the side from now on with young Cesc Fabregas taking over the role. As long as the French defender is not a disruptive influence if he plays then I can understand why he has been brought in as he’s still a very good player. Arsene has made his point by stripping him of the captaincy, so as long as his head is right for the game then why not play him? In terms of Fabregas taking over the armband it’s not a massive surprise as you look around the side and there are few other candidates with that much experience.
On Manchester City’s Derby Chances And Robinho
Manchester City take on their rivals United this weekend hoping to build on their emphatic win over the Gunners. Can they beat Sir Alex’s side? Well you only have to look at the results at the weekend to know that anything can happen in any Premier League game. City haven’t been that strong defensively this season so they may fear United’s array of attacking talent but as Villa showed, they can be stopped. The win over Arsenal will give the team so much confidence going into this derby that this will be a very tough game for United whose away form has been slightly suspect.
One player who is making an even bigger name for himself at Eastlands is Robinho who once again scored at the weekend. The little Brazilian has now scored 8 goals in 11 league appearances which is a great record. However, for me his form has still mirrored Manchester City’s which is basically inconsistent. The team has the ability to be fantastic on
occasions but then completely average the following week so like every team in the Premier League needs to strive for consistency. That’s the name of the game at this level, you don’t have to be brilliant every week but you do need to grind out results regularly.
Individually, Robinho’s scored a few goals but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has performed that well. It may be the case that he is not putting the work in defensively to help out his team-mates - generally known in the game as ‘cheating’. In the Premier League every player has to learn to fulfil some defensive duties so I wouldn’t necessarily say because the Brazilian has scored a few goals he’s been a success, as City finishing mid-table yet Robinho scoring lots of goals means something isn’t right.
On Liverpool And The Rising Standard Of The Premier League
It was a strange week with none of the big four winning or scoring a goal, though it did mean that the current top three sides remained in the same situation as they were prior to the weekend. This means that my old club Liverpool remain neck-and-neck at the top of the League with Chelsea despite surprisingly drawing a blank at home to Fulham. There’s no doubt the Reds can win the title this season but I still would make them third favourites behind both Chelsea and United to do so. There’s a long way to go and with the Premier League more competitive than ever, teams will continue to drop points.
After a number of shock results many experts have suggested the standard of the Premier League has dropped this season but that’s utter rubbish. If anything the standard has gone far higher. Therefore, if Liverpool can maintain their consistency they have a chance, as every team will drop points before the season is out.
John Barnes for Goal.com
John Barnes is a pundit for the New Football Pools. To challenge John's prediction prowess or to hear his weekly football podcast, visit www.footballpools.com
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