Top 3 & Worst 3 Performers of the Week and Goal of the Week: EPL 14/15 Week 6

Week 6 has just passed and here The Writer offers his view on the key performers and performances of the week that are worth mentioned. The award goes to...

Top 3 Performers of the Week

Gold Medal (1st): Yannick Bolasie

Whoever is yet to know Yannick Bolasie, sure have to do it now. He is better than Wilfried Zaha, definitely. Manchester United should actually buy him rather than Zaha last year. Bolasie is as quick as Zaha but his style and skills are a way above Zaha. In the match against Leicester, he showed those speed, style, and skills in abundance. Even in front of Leicester’s goal post. He got composure too. Opposition defenders were tricked by his movement all day and he was the main reason why Leicester cannot continue their impressive winning form.

Silver Medal (2nd): Willian

Much has been said about Diego Costa’s 8^th goal of the season against Aston Villa. But the one who’s star shined the most in that match was Willian the Brazilian. He showed in this match on why Mourinho always love him rather than Mo Salah. Willian is a not typical flashy Brazilian but he worked hard for the team. Nevertheless, he can attack brilliantly too. He scored a goal and got an assist in a game where Chelsea dominated for majority of the time.  

Bronze Medal (3rd): Mario Balotelli

This choice is surely not other people’s preference. But The Writer cannot resist to pick Balotelli. Yes he did not score any goal. However his game play was absolute class. He also was very willing to chase the ball all over the pitch and he was the cause of Gerrard getting a free-kick to score. People should be more relax on him on this evidence. He is improving and he also slowly changes his attitude. Brendan Rodgers should actually not risking Balotelli in a tense derby game like this, but Balotelli manage to control his temper admirably. At least for the time being.

  

Worst 3 Performers of the Week

Rubbish (1st): Wayne Rooney

Player who got a red card will always be considered to receive the worst performer of the week award. And Rooney more than deserved this rubbish award. How can you kick someone and then declared it as an overacted foot trip? He deserved his 3 match ban too.

Scrapped Paper (2nd): Eliaquim Mangala

Mangala should know by now that there is never an easy game in the English Premier League. A top class performance last week against Chelsea was followed by this bad one against Hull City. Maybe he forgot to train as hard as he did last week. An own goal and a foul for opposition penalty was too bad for a player of his potential.

Reject Paper (3rd): Sean Dyche

This is a surprise choice. For the first time, a manager is on the list of worst performer. But Sean Dyche cannot feel sorry for himself. His Burnley was beaten comfortably by West Brom and they still have not managed a win for the new season. Worst part is they have the most difficult barren spell of scoring goals. Dyche needs to pressure his strikers to start scoring. If not, Burnley will go down relegated easily.

Goal of the Week

The best goal of this week 6 goes to Charlie Austin. And also Graziano Pelle. Yes, we have two winners for this week. Both goals were beautiful and they were both made in the same match. It is very difficult for The Writer to choose which is better. The goal scored by Austin was absolute high in technicality. The way he quickly took 2 steps in just a short time to shoot the ball was brilliant, and the ball was not even dropped to the floor. It was a striker’s dream goal. The goal scored by Pelle was also good in term of technicality. Whoever can score a bicycle kick goal can be considered a good striker. It was a difficult goal but striker like Pelle made it so simple. And yet so beautiful.   

Bojan 'Once A Wonderkid' Krkic

The next Lionel Messi? Forget it. Now he is stuck in the English Premier League. But not at the glamorous clubs who sit among top of the table as he was destined to be, in the early stage of his career. Bojan is now at a club who is facing wet and cold climate in England and style that’s perceived as a non-flashy and old school. That is Stoke City. Yes, Stoke. Many will not believe it if someone has said the name Stoke, 5 years ago. That shows how far Bojan has gone or in a better word, how far Bojan has been slipping away from football greatness. From 6 EPL matches with Stoke so far this 2014/2015 season, there is nothing special or even good that came from Bojan. He looked just like an ordinary player. Never a sight of a boy wonder who was touted to be the next superstar at Barcelona several years ago. The Writer has long been wondering of how Bojan never fulfilled his true potential. He never got the proper chance to shine at Barca as Lionel Messi is the undisputed number one. Bojan was not able to perform from the wing as he was often being asked to play at. And the presence of other stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Villa, and Samuel Eto’o further pushed him away from the first team. Then he went to Ajax, AC Milan, and AS Roma. Things still not changed. He is still the Bojan an ordinary player. His football development has stopped now, it seems. Is it because he is just ever good at this current level? Will he ever improve further from his current ability? Is it because of his attitude that he never improve himself? Not so long ago he was the most prolific youngster in Barcelona youth academy and in Spain overall. He is a type of striker who loves to score goals. Putting him on the wing never do him any good. He has to be the main man. The striker who club adores and is willing to support him in every sense of the world. Hopefully he will get that chance he deserves. Be it at Stoke or any other clubs in the world. It is so pity to see such an outrageous talent slipping away silently from the football map. Please help him...

Abou Diaby is Arsene Wenger's Favorite Player

The Arsenal player that is most loved by Arsene Wenger is not Thierry Henry, or Patrick Vieira, or Robert Pires, and not even Lauren it seems. The Writer thinks Arsene Wenger has the highest affection for his current player, Abou Diaby. It is simply because The Writer has long been wondering of why Wenger decides to keep Diaby at the club for so long even after a series of long lay-off in the treatment room. Diaby's long injury lay-off were always a 3/4 of the season long. How can Wenger still stood by Diaby? Another thing that makes The Writer wonder is, how long is actually Diaby's contract at Arsenal? How can someone who was injured for a long time and for such a numerous times, be able to get any contract extension? There are rumors that say Diaby didn't take any payment while he was injured as he is a very devout Muslim. The extent of the truth is still questionable. However, besides all of the above, The Writer still thinks that Abou Diaby is decent footballer. He is a type more to Yaya Toure than to Patrick Vieira. Because Diaby is a lanky player but having a more preference towards attacking. There are also rumors saying that Wenger wants to convert Diaby into a Defensive Midfielder in these coming months. It looks like Wenger's love for Diaby grow even more as he reject the chance to sign any of Sami Khedira and Sven Bender during the recent transfer window. That proves his utter belief in Diaby's ability. Arsene Wenger also decides to still give Diaby the new jersey number of 24 from the previous number 2, as the number 2 is being occupied by other new player. Whatever it is Abou Diaby has a lot to repay Arsene Wenger's faith in him and he also needs to answer The Writer's questions as the above. The only way to answer them is showing his real potential. Even at this late age of 28 and a series of injury lay-off that have hampered his progress... 

What is Malaysian National Football Team's Real Problem?

From The Writer's humble point of view, the main problem in the Malaysian national football team is lack of discipline. If money is the issue, other European footballers are also actually money oriented but they just perform on the pitch whatever their income. If Malaysian's physical size is the issue, Lionel Messi is also small in stature. But it cannot be like all Malaysian footballers have to be injected with the same hormone like Messi in order to perform, or at least say to be 10% like him. If talent is the issue, other Asian teams often able to perform to their best and even they able to excel at the the World Cup. Not to say that Malaysia have to enter the World Cup to really see their true talent but every players in the world regardless of their nationality, races, colour of skin and culture are blessed with their unique abilities and god-giving talents. If passion and spirit are the issues, it is impossible to say that the Malaysian players are not having goosebumps every time the holy sound of the national anthem 'Negaraku' being played before games. They are all surely having the will and guts to do the best for their beloved country. The Malaysian national squad should call coaches from other countries who have vast amount of experiences in the big competition. Be it from the World Cup, be it from the European competitions, be it from the Asian competitions or at least be it from any other bigger competitions than the south east Asia's standard. However The Writer is not in the favor of dismissing the importance of Malaysian local coaches. Never. But the coaches from outside surely have the extra edge, extra knowledge and extra experiences in the major competitions which is seen to be able to improve the Malaysian national squad in terms of tactical knowledge and discipline. If let say, it is proved to be difficult to have coaches from bigger and major countries, let just hire coaches from Japan for example, or New Zealand, or even South Africa. The countries who have the experiences in big competitions. The main thing is the improvement in Malaysian footballers' discipline. The discipline includes discipline in time management, discipline in diet, and discipline in daily training and exercises. Resting time have to be observed with strict care and the sleeping routine needs to be followed. What the players eat everyday need to be suitable and idle to their body's needs. Different players react to different diets. The ideal weight of players also need to be closely monitored. Training and exercises are common thing which most people have already knew about. But nevertheless, need to be done in an appropriate way. And no cheating whatsoever. Footballers need to sacrifice a lot to have an excellent career. If they cannot do all those things mentioned above and often choose to live like most of ordinary person out there, they cannot dare to dream to be a superstar or at least be the country's football legend many will want them to be. Malaysia needs their football heroes to perform and fast. Discipline is key to that at this point of time...        

Steven Gerrard's True Heir?

In the beginning, The Writer already have had a feeling that Liverpool new signing, Alberto Moreno just look almost the same as the club's skipper, Steven Gerrard. Then, the internet went out with the same thought. Even some sections said that Alberto Moreno is a hybrid of Steven Gerrard and Liverpool's former midfielder Xabi Alonso. Whatever it is, Liverpool fans may not be missing Gerrard's presence too much once he decides to retire for good in the future. At least not in the facial presence. But only provided that Moreno last long enough at Liverpool. After 6 games for Liverpool now, Moreno looks like a real deal at left back. Kudos to him. #YNWA!

Wednesday’s Special: Meet Andriy Shevchenko

In this eighth episode of Wednesday’s Special, The Writer will bring readers into the life and brief story of a weekly selected footballer. Today, readers will have the chance to meet former holder of the 2004 Ballon d'Or, Andriy Shevchenko; albeit in words only.

Andriy Shevchenko is former Ukrainian football superstar and now is aged 37 years old. His nickname is as simple as 'Sheva'. Sheva started his career at Dynamo Kyiv. In 1994, he made his senior debut for Kyiv against Shakhtar Donetsk. He spent 5 seasons at Dynamo Kyiv and won the Ukrainian league titles in all of those seasons. During those years, he already showed his predatory instinct by scoring 60 goals in 117 appearances for Dynamo Kyiv. 

In 1999, Sheva joined Italian club AC Milan for a then-record transfer fee of $25 million. He made his league debut on 28 August 1999 against Lecce. Being such a clinical striker, Sheva scored 24 goals in 32 appearances in his first season with AC Milan. That was the start of an era where Sheva began his adventure to be AC Milan's most prolific striker in the modern era. Overall he scored 175 goals in 296 appearances for the club in 7-years duration. Sheva was the first Ukrainian player to win the UEFA Champions League when he helped AC Milan won the cup in 2002/2003 season against Juventus. He also won the Italian Serie A, UEFA Super Cup, and Supercoppa Italiana during his time at Italy. The icing on the cake was his proud achievement of winning the 2004 FIFA Ballon d'Or and being included in the FIFA 100 Best of All Time. He was at the peak of his power at AC Milan and The Writer never forget him scoring goals with ease at AC Milan. He was then considered as a legend at AC Milan. The most memorable match he had been involved was against Fenerbahce in 2005 where he scored all four goals in the famous 4-0 win.  

On 28 May 2006, Sheva left AC Milan to join Chelsea for £30.8 million, topping Michael Essien's transfer fee from the previous year and also breaking the record for a player signed by an English club. The record has already been broken in 2014 recently.  He cited that the persistence of Roman Abramovich was a key factor in his move as he decided to reject AC Milan's offer of 6 years contract extension to join Chelsea. Turned out that his move to Chelsea was an unsuccessful journey. He didn't manage to really make an impact at Chelsea and English football as a whole. A persistent hernia injury and operations also hindered his progress at Chelsea. Besides, Chelsea often changed managers at that time and this made Sheva's status as the main striker at the club being jeopardized. He was widely considered as an expensive flop by all corners of the football world, especially in England. It was really sad to see such a great striker unable to enjoy his football in England and his legendary status as a prolific striker had been a little bit tarnished.  Overall Sheva only scored 8 goals in just 49 games for Chelsea. His failure also marked the end of Jose Mourinho's tenure at Chelsea. Roman Abramovich blamed Mourinho for his inability to get the best out of Sheva.

Sheva was loaned back to his old club, AC Milan for the 2008/2009 season as he was deemed surplus to requirements with the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new Chelsea manager. However Sheva's second spell at AC Milan was also considered unsuccessful, as he failed to score any league goals and only scored two goals overall in 26 appearances. His situation became from bad to worse and he was at the lowest stage of his eventful career. He returned to Chelsea to finish his balanced of contract after that.

Then on 28 August 2009, Sheva signed a two-year deal at his former first club Dynamo Kyiv. He was mostly used as a left winger, and was unexpectedly named the selected left winger in the Ukrainian league 2009 team of the season. He had a decent return to Ukraine and was at least enjoying his football once more at Dynamo Kyiv. Later on 28 July 2012, Sheva announced that he was quitting football forever and surprisingly decided to join politics. He was standing for election to the Ukrainian Parliament in the October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election. But his party failed to win parliamentary representation.

It is also worth mentioned that Sheva has had a great career in international football. Sheva achieved 111 caps and scored 48 goals for the Ukrainian national team, whom he represented at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2012. He earned his first cap in 1995 and scored his first international goal in May 1996 in a friendly against Turkey. Besides, Sheva was also the captain of Ukraine national team. He was a great role model to his fellow countrymen in helping them to achieve respectable position in international football. Sheva announced his retirement from international football in 2012 after representing Ukraine in EURO 2012, having been Ukraine's youngest and oldest goalscorer and record marksman in his overall career with the Ukrainian national team.

In all, Sheva was still a legend in the heart of The Writer and all of football fans. His legacy at AC Milan was undoubtedly the best memory of this great finisher of the game. He would certainly walk into any team in this world which shows his undoubted talent. Although his career was in downfall after leaving AC Milan for the first time, he still showed some of his brilliance finishing in some memorable games later in his career. If there is a chance to show young kids on how to be a good striker, look no further than the video of Andriy Shevchenko as a guidance. Those kids would be in awe. Definitely...