Championship play-offs

By David Lee Wheatley

One from four - who will hit the jackpot?

Watford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Leicester City ended the regular season in the Championship play-off positions, giving them all hope of achieving promotion to the promised land of the Premier League.

Watford had to better Hull City's result to go up automatically to the top-flight, but they unexpectedly lost 2-1 at home to Leeds United. Up at the KC Stadium, Hull grabbed a 2-2 draw that was just enough to see them grab second spot behind their opponents on the day, Cardiff City.

Gianfranco Zola's men will have to pick themselves up again as they face Leicester City, Nigel Pearson's charges having sneaked past Bolton and Forest with a 3-2 victory at the City Ground on a tense final day of the league season.

Leicester's players will be buzzing after that result at the home of their local rivals and will look to capitalise on Watford's disappointment at missing out on automatic promotion.

Watford have played some sublime football this season and have already beaten Leicester twice during the regular campaign, but the players will have refocus after their loss to Leeds and will also have to do the job without the suspended Troy Deeney. Leicester could just hold the momentum going into this tie and Zola will have his work cut out to stop it.

The other two teams in promotion contention both had a say in the fight to avoid the drop this past weekend, with Brighton executing a 3-2 win over relegated Wolves and Palace consigning Peterborough to the dreaded drop with victory by the same score.

Now, they must face-off against one another in an encounter that looks closely-matched and very tough to call.

Palace have stuttered their way to the play-offs, having looked strong contenders for the top two spots earlier in the season. But, their win over Posh will have lifted their spirits no end.

Gus Poyet has led the Seagulls to a fantastic fourth place and they're looking good going into their clash with bitter rivals Palace. The south coast side have played some wonderfully attractive football in securing a play-off shot and they appear favourites to make the final at Wembley.

Veteran striker Kevin Phillips will something to say on the matter, as the 39-year-old seeks a Palace promotion for what could be a career swansong. The one-time European Golden Boot winner was on the scoresheet at the weekend and will be determined to fire Ian Holloway's boys back to the big-time.

It's all shaping up to be an exciting end to the Championship season, as four top sides compete for elevation to the rich pickings of the Premier League.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Devaluation of the Europa League or justified increase in quality?

By David Lee Wheatley

Champions League drop-outs meet in final

Chelsea and Benfica sealed their place in the Amsterdam final of the UEFA Europa League last night by knocking out Basel and Fenerbahce respectively in two pulsating two-legged encounters.

Both sides clambered down from the top table of European football having finished third in their groups, but they’ve since rejuvenated their European campaigns by reaching the showpiece event in UEFA’s second-string competition.

It’s led to suggestions that allowing the Champions League failures to compete in the Europa League devalues the tournament and is unfair to the clubs that started out in the former UEFA Cup to begin with.

I do have some sympathy with the lesser lights that may feel the obstacles put in their way by the big boys coming to play are hindering their chances of winning a trophy. There is absolutely no doubt that seeing the likes of Chelsea, Dynamo Kiev, Zenit, Ajax and Benfica enter the competition would dishearten many of the clubs already engrossed in the Europa League.

Basel and Fener are two such clubs that started out in the Europa League groups, made it all the way to the semis, before meeting their end against former Champions League participants. It may well be that the Swiss and Turkish sides in question feel aggrieved by losing out to those opponents, when they could feel they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. My argument against that would be that whatever competition you enter, the rules are known from the outset and all clubs must abide by and respect them.

For neutrals and fans of those clubs that are granted a second chance, it most definitely increases the quality on show in the tournament; whether or not the sides from the Champions League deserve another opportunity.  It’s only possible to make the Europa League a better tournament and more competitive field by introducing the aforementioned teams. It’s led to a final that could grace the Champions League stage between two top sides; one the reigning Champions of Europe (for a little while longer at least!) and the other leaders of the Portuguese Liga.

After highly disappointing exits from the Champions League, both Chelsea and Benfica have shown great resolve and a will-to-win in forcing their way to the May 15 finale. Whoever eventually lifts the trophy will fully deserve the accolades afforded to them.


Twitter: @davewh1980

Benitez in hunt for more silverware

By David Lee Wheatley

Benitez CV set for boost

Despite howls of derision from a large proportion of Chelsea fans on Rafa Benitez’s appointment as ‘interim’ manager in November, the Blues stand on the cusp of another European trophy. Standing between them and a place in the final are Swiss side Basel, whom Chelsea beat 2-1 in the first leg at St. Jakob-Park last week.

Chelsea controlled the first encounter with a professional and compact approach, but it almost backfired due to a bout of appalling officiating allowing Basel to draw level at 1-1 with a penalty kick, before last season’s European Champions League winners struck a late winner through David Luiz.

The Stamford Bridge second leg now looks a more straightforward task for a side that dropped out of the Champions League at the group stage in a frankly poor attempt to retain the trophy. That disappointing exit was almost confirmed at the time Benitez took charge, but he has since managed to instil a level of organisation and no little confidence in his players since taking the reins.

Basel are still a threat and will give Chelsea plenty to think about as they search for a way back into the semi-final tie, with the carat of a finale against either Fenerbahce or Benfica at the Amsterdam ArenA awaiting the victors.

The likes of Philipp Degen, Stocker and Streller provided plenty of evidence of their ability in the first meeting and they’ll be looking to attack and put the home defence under as much pressure as they can. It will not go unnoticed to Benitez and his staff that Spurs fell by the wayside against the Swiss in the last round, proving beyond doubt that Chelsea have a tough task on their hands this evening.

Against all odds, the former Liverpool and Valencia boss Benitez has put his temporary charges in a great position to qualify for the 2013/14 Champions League, sitting in third a point ahead of Arsenal and three clear of Spurs.  Players such as Juan Mata, Lampard, Hazard and David Luiz have all flourished under the Spaniard’s leadership in spite of several off-field issues surrounding his arrival; it appears that Rafa will only come out of this with credit.

If he should lead Chelsea to the top four in the Premier League come the league season’s end, perhaps alongside the Europa League trophy, his already impressive CV will be updated with a highly commendable achievement to add to the Spanish League (twice), UEFA Cup, Champions League and FA Cup that he has won during a glittering coaching career to date.

He may not be completely unscathed by the experience, but Rafa’s stint in west London will have done him much more good than harm.

 

Twitter: @davewh1980 

United in the market for new blood

By David Lee Wheatley

Champions set to spend

Manchester United, fresh from securing the league title, are looking ahead to this summer determined to make a significant splash in the transfer market.

Having beaten off competition from local rivals and last year’s league winners Manchester City, Sir Alex Ferguson is now set to integrate several new signings into the squad in a bid not only to keep City at bay, but also to add fresh impetus to the club’s attempts to regain the Champions League trophy they last won in 2008.

The United manager recently made it clear that the preparations for the summer have been underway for three or four months now and there’s a list choc-full of star names being bandied around in regards to which players Ferguson may have his eye on.

Strikers appear a priority for the Scot and speculation suggests his two top targets in that position are Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid’s Colombian forward Radamel Falcao. The Pole Lewandowski put himself prominently on the radar of top European clubs by banging four goals past Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg, an effort that ultimately led to the Spanish side’s downfall in the tie. Falcao, meanwhile, has long been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, but it’s Manchester United who’ve stolen a march on their rivals in the pursuit for the former Porto man, according to varied sources.

Crystal Palace whizz-kid Wilfried Zaha was bagged in January, though he was left to play for the Championship club until the end of the season. Great hopes rest on the shoulders of the young winger/striker and Ferguson will see the dynamic forward as a key component in the long-term future of the club.

With ageing defender Rio Ferdinand needing a little more time on the sidelines these days whilst managing his fitness levels, Ferguson may also be in the market for a top-class centre-back; a commanding presence at the back would be most welcome.

The emphasis will be on youth as Sir Alex tries to install a team capable of growing into a real force to be reckoned with for the next 5 or 10 years. He will look to the window as a chance to piece together a lasting legacy of trophy success long after he’s retired.

Alongside that, the plan will include bringing through any promising youngsters from the famed United academy that have the potential to make it to supplement any new signings that may step through the doors of Old Trafford this summer.

 

You can follow me on Twitter: @davewh1980