Titles will be decided by external forces, but not empowered fans

This coming Sunday we could see both the Serie A and the English Premier League all but decided. In England Liverpool host Chelsea in the early Sunday kick off, Chelsea need to win to stay ahead of Manchester Utd who go to Sunderland in the later kick off. Conversely in Italy, Roma play first, on Saturday evening they travel to mid table Parma. Then Lazio host Inter in the customary Sunday evening kick off.

If Liverpool beat or draw with Chelsea and Manchester United defeat Sunderland, the reds will be in pole position to finish the season on top. Taking their total league victories to 19 making them the most successful team in the country. Liverpool need to win to have any hope of finishing in the final Champions League qualifying position but if Spurs win on Saturday the gap will be 5 points with 2 games left to play and basically insurmountable.

Similarly in Italy if Roma win and Inter lose it is very likely that the run ins will be a formality and Roma will take the scudetto. If this is the case it will break Inter’s monopoly on the title which stretches back to the 2005-06 title they were awarded following the Calciopoli corruption case. Lazio also need points, they need just one more win to guarantee safety and another season in Serie A. However if results go their way earlier on in the day then they will not need anything from the game. Atalanta play Bologna and need to win to have any realistic chance of surviving, whereas Siena host Palermo and also need to win to survive.

Having fierce rivals influence each others’ seasons indirectly certainly gets the fans talking. Liverpool fans have been debating how enthusiastically they will be cheering their team on, given the apparent “magnitude” of the result. Likewise Lazio Ultras forums have been calling for the team to throw the game, to ensure that their fierce rivals don’t notch up yet another title.

Ultimately it is the attitude of the players that will decide which way the title fortunes will swing, they are more likely to be moved by the psychological effects of on-pitch causes than a bit of fan banter. However I wouldn’t want to be on the end of an attack from the Irriducibili, the Lazio ultras.

English Premier League – Worst Signing 2008/09 season

With the season drawing to a close now awards have been handed out for player of the season etc. It is worth considering the players who have been all but disappointing this year.

5. Deco (Barcelona – Chelsea, £8m). 
The ageing flair midfielder heralded by many as the man to ‘complete’ the Chelsea midfield got off to a flyer under Scolari, providing some quality in the opening day demolition of a Portsmouth side depleted over the summer. However since the departure of Big Phil he has found it difficult to get a place in the starting XI. This may possibly be a case of taking a season to adjust to the English style but it remains to be seen where he will figure in the plans of the next Chelsea manager.

4. Jo (CSKA Moscow – Manchester City, £19m).
An almost extortionate price tag for a player who played very few games in sky blue despite a decent showing at the Olympics. Has had far more success since going on loan to Everton however David Moyes has made it clear that the Toffees cannot afford to meet the valuation of the player. The Brazilian is likely to have an uncertain few months ahead of him, though the same might be said of the whole Manchester establishment.

3. David Bentley (Blackburn – Tottenham, £15m).
Seen as an unnecessary addition by many Spurs fans and has not lived up to the hype that followed his arrival to White Hart Lane, nor his price tag (Blackburn I’m sure are very pleased though). Other than a few decent crosses and a flailing but well weighted shot against Arsenal he has been very quiet in any games he has played in. Another player who faces a somewhat uncertain future under a manager who did not buy him.

2. Robbie Keane (Tottenham – Liverpool – Tottenham, £TILT).
Almost certainly the worst piece of footballing business since anybody set eyes on either Jordan Stewart or Stephen Bywater. Coveted for so long by Rafa Benitez to do nothing but play out of position in a system to which he did not fit. Perhaps the Liverpool boss is missing a few pages from his FA Formations coaching manual. His insistence to play 4-2-3-1 has meant Keane spent much of his time at Liverpool being utterly frustrated and frustrating the Kop faithful. Seems to be happier back at Spurs and probably won’t find himself stranded on the left wing too often.

1. Jimmy Bullard (Fulham – Hull, £5m).
After an injury-free first half to the season, Jimmy ‘My knee is a complete and utter liability and Bupa are having none of it’ Bullard decided that he wasn’t happy with having “only” 18 months on his contract and wanted more more more from a Fulham side who are living within their means. It is very likely that Roy Hodgson is breathing an enormous sigh of relief after flogging the whinging midfielder to Hull for their club record in the £5m region and Jimmy injured himself after just 30 minutes playing time. Without a doubt the worst value for money this season.