Scolari out, Hiddink in

The job to manage the Chelsea team is not for the faint-hearted. Avram Grant got the boot last season after guiding the team to 2nd place in the League along with runner-up positions in the Champions League and Carling Cup. So it was not totally unexpected when Phil Scolari was shown the door after his team was held by Hull at Stamford Bridge, increasing the gap between them and leaders Manchester United to 7 points. What is however disturbing is the shrinking tolerance of club owners and the fans. Scolari was given only 7 months to prove his worth in what is probably the toughest league in Europe and being still involved in three competitions was definitely not enough for Abramovich. Scolari’s exit opened the doors for former PSV manager Guus Hiddink, who is currently in-charge of the Russian national team. Hiddink, who is said to have cordial relations with Abramovich has been given the task of handling this multi-star team with large melon-sized egos till the end of the season. With not much time on his side, Hiddink will have to weave his magical touch on the team straight away as Aston Villa wait for them on Saturday. As for Scolari, the one who led Brazil towards the greatest cup there is to win, things should get better soon and there are definitely a number of top teams eager to avail his services. Hopefully a team that is willing to give the manager some time to settle!

Coming to the on-pitch events. Manchester United and Liverpool continued their impressive performances with away wins keeping the gap between the two at 2 points, though ManU have played a game less. In Italy, Juventus took back the second spot though Inter Milan continue their strong showing with 3-0 away win at Leece. Spanish leaders Barcelona refuse to give an inch to the other teams and continue to lead the table by 12 points as Real Madrid valiantly push forward. Three straight defeats for Sevilla has almost pulled them out of the race though they still are hanging on to the third spot. In Germany, giants Bayern Munich have pulled to within a point of Hoffenhiem who managed to earn a 1-1 draw against M’gladbach with a late goal from Wellington. Lyon have put some breathing space between them and Bordeaux after the former lost their last league game against Marseille.

Another weekend awaits as the anticipation of the Champions League too rises. Time for the men to be separated from the boys!

Chelsea falter as Liverpool surge

Chelsea once again failed to convince their critics of their title credentials. With losses against Arsenal and Liverpool in the past, another defeat at Liverpool would have been a kick in the teeth and that is what they got. A remarkable performance from Liverpool with two late Fernando Torres goals coupled with the controversial sending-off of Frank Lampard brought Liverpool within two points of leaders Manchester United. Chelsea, on the other hand, will have to dig much deeper to mount any serious threat to the defending champions. Manchester United continue their march forward in style with a 5-0 thumping of West Brom in mid-week followed by a tight 1-0 victory against Everton.

In Italy, Inter Milan failed to capitalize on Juventus’ 2-3 defeat against Cagliari on Saturday. A 1-1 draw against Torino puts some daylight between them and Juventus but it is now their derby rivals AC Milan who have climbed into the second spot with a convincing 3-0 victory away at Lazio. Genoa continue to impress the pundits with a late 1-0 home win that keeps them in the final Champions League spot. The Spanish Primera Liga witnessed a memorable night for the Real Madrid faithful when Raul netted the opening goal against Numanica in the 48th minute, thus tying him with the former legend Di Stefano as the leading goal scorer for Madrid. A special night for Raul and Madrid as the defending champions won comfortably 2-0 closing the gap on leaders Barcelona, though only temporarily. The Catalan giants staged yet another comeback on Sunday against Santander with a 2-1 win thanks to a brace from Messi, but also witnessed two late red cards for Barcelona defenders, Pique and Marquez. Barcelona however continue to maintain their stunning 12 point lead at the top and have now won their last 9 games in a row.

In Germany, Hoffenheim have a 2 point lead at the top but the top 5 teams in the Bundesliga are within 5 points of each other leaving no room for errors for anyone. In France, the league is even tighter with the top 6 points separated by just 5 points, though Lyon maintain a single point lead over Bordeaux despite a 1-1 draw at home against St Etienne. No room to breathe around! In the Scottish League, a draw for Celtic has brought Rangers within two points of the Champions with Dundee United a distant third, 17 points behind the leaders.

And finally much more drama off the field to catch up with. In a sensational move, Robbie Keane seems to be making a comeback at Spurs after his 20.3 million pound move in the transfer to Liverpool seems to have totally backfired, both for the club and the player. In another highly anticipated transfer, Russian playmaker Ashravin seems to be in the final stages of talks with Arsenal. Much more saga could unfold as the final hour approaches. Wait and watch!

Games of the weekend:
Numanica 0 – 2 Real Madrid
Lazio 0 – 3 AC Milan
Liverpool 2 – 0 Chelsea