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Duncan Ferguson gives Toffee's fighting spirit
With the amount of money involved within the Premier League, sometimes it is easy to lose sight and focus on what makes football magic enough to reach down and touch your heart, and make you think of what Sir Alex Ferguson once infamously said, "football, bloody hell". However that was the feeling of most fans when Everton caretaker manager and club legend Duncan Ferguson ran down the touchline like he was Everton's biggest fan when the club scored at Goodison Park against Chelsea at the weekend. It meant so much to him that for that moment in time we were not looking at a 47 year old man in a suit - we were looking at a child like kid in a suit gloriously waving his hands around with a beaming smile wider than the Merseyside as he embraced not one but two ball boys who went home that night with a memory that will never leave them.
Everton went onto win the game 3-1 and Ferguson simply could not resist to smile even in the post match interviews. He knew that it was a massive win after Marco Silva had been sacked and Everton had fallen into the relegation zone. Ferguson was asked if he would want the job full time but he has always been a honest man and said straight away that the club would need a world class proven manager to come in, before admitting that people shouldn't get carried away after one game. Just how far Ferguson could take Everton is certainly questionable but sometimes when you have someone who shows such passion and obviously loves the club he is managing you have to wonder if you do have the right person in charge, and has always been under your nose?
Football is ever changing and ever moving. Ferguson will always remain the hero to the Goodison faithful, less so to the media, in one week out the next. For now he is the media darling and that is a rare thought given all of the negative press he received as a player that, to put it mildly you wouldn't want to mess with.
Next Everton full time manager odds: David Moyes 5/4, Carlo Ancelotti 6/5, Duncan Ferguson 6/1
Is City's title challenge over?
Manchester City are a fantastic side and are the best team in the world according to Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer whose side stunned the champions with a 2-1 victory at the weekend. It was arguably United's best performance since the Norwegian took charge and United looked ruthless, quick and brilliant as they charged into a 2-0 lead. Striker Marcus Rashford is becoming hot property and if former United manager Louis van Gaal only did one positive thing in his time in charge it was promoting Rashford to the squad.
With victory in the Manchester derby United are suddenly in the mix and have a chance to finish in the top 4 as Chelsea's poor form continues. United are just five points adrift of the Blues and are odds of 5.00 to do so. Chelsea are 1.57. As for Manchester City surely their title chances are all but over now? They sit in 3rd place with 32 points and are a massive 14 points behind Liverpool. That's five games behind and although we know City can show the consistency required as they proved last season, the club look a shadow of that side now. To win the league City are priced up at 9.00.
Gunners win first League away game since August
Arsenal finally won a game- their first in 10 matches as they came from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 in a largely poor game of football. The Gunners were losing 1-0 and this match felt like a clash of two teams who are severely lacking confidence. It was caretaker manager Freddie Ljungberg's first win with Arsenal after Unai Emery's sacking but Arsenal still look like a club who could lose to any team in the league. They have a very important Europa League game later this week where they could stil be knocked out of the competition and that is followed up by a mouth watering clash against Manchester City at the weekend. Arsenal are only 6.00 to finish in the bottom half of the table which would have been unthinkable even at the beginning of the season. With so many games taking place this month and difficult ones for Arsenal the next few weeks could be telling.
European Roundup
In Europe Inter Milan charged to the top of Serie A. Juventus who have dominated in Italy for most of the decade finally lost their first game of the season going down 3-1 to Lazio give Inter some space at the top. Inter have not won the league since the days of Jose Mourinho going back to 2010 and they are 3.00 to win. Juventus remain the favourites at 1.50.
The good times seemed to have returned to PSG who are winning freely again and playing great football. Is most of this down to Neymar? The Brazilian who will always divide opinions has come back from injury and started scoring goals for fun once again and there does seem to be a feel good factor at the club after a very slow start from the champions. Finally in Spain Barcelona and Real Madrid are all set for an epic tussle at the top. Both sides have 34 points after 15 games and are starting to break away. Lionel Messi scored a hat trick at the weekend to celebrate a great few weeks for the player who was also named the Balon D'Or winner for 2019.
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