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A manager is often only as good as his players. Xabi Alonso Real Madrid Jersey . A Liverpool team played to great acclaim a season ago. Luis Suarez was a top-three player in the world, alongside an in-form Daniel Sturridge (who managed to stay healthy), and an up-and-coming prodigy Raheem Sterling that made for the most daunting attack in all of Great Britain. It was enough for Champions League qualification. It was enough for Brendan Rodgers to win Manager of the Year. It wasnt quite enough for a long-waited Premier League title. But it was a start of something. What that something turns out to be remains to be seen. The expectation was Liverpool was a team on the rise. Shortcomings were ignored. Perhaps passionate Liverpool support forgot how hard it was to balance a domestic and Champions League campaign. Perhaps it was overlooked by all just how difficult it is to maintain top form and place, year after year, in the most balanced and competitive football league in the world. Perhaps it was understated how important Suarez was to the overall team success. And perhaps we all conveniently ignored the evident weakness of Steven Gerrard as an everyday player as Father Time continues to slow the inspiration captain. Liverpool does not have a win in the month of November, not even a draw. The Anfield club sits 12th in the table on 14 points through 12 matches. The form has been erratic and the play all over the place. They hardly look the impressive outfit of a season ago. The system is off and the players largely look clueless. To say these are trying times for Rodgers is to put it mildly. As Rodgers tries to sort out his squad, find a proper formation to please this unit, and find a way to rid the damning mistakes that keep plaguing this group, calls for his job have crept into the conversation. Manager-facing-the-sack is a side-storyline that all too often grabs ahold of the main narrative and becomes all encompassing in the everyday life at a club. Every match becomes a must-win for the manager. Collars are tightened. Every decision and performance is run through with a fine-toothed comb. Its hardly fair on Rodgers. From the penthouse to the doghouse in four months hardly makes sense. Exceptional performance brings heightened expectations. Sturridge and Suarez combined for 52 goals last season. SAS were the main catalysts for success. Yet soccer types like yours truly praised superior team movement on and off the ball, tactical flexibility and formational depth set by the manager, and emerging young talent as reason for belief superior results would continue. While those assessments arent entirely off base, they are trumped by flash points; the big moments that inevitably decide a match. Finishing. Defensive intervention. Big saves. Central midfield dominance. And referee decisions. These count. These matter. These defining moments have ended poorly for Liverpool this season. SAS would simply outscore Liverpools mistakes. Teams would be forced to play differently against Liverpool, fully understanding taking risk wasnt in the cards or they would be punished by the strike duo. Liverpool would take advantage of superior possession numbers as teams sat back to guard against SAS. That simply isnt the case anymore. Rickie Lamberts goal was the first by a striker not named Sturridge this season. And Sturridge only scored once before falling into his old ways as an injury-plagued, maddeningly frustrating enigma. Rodgers isnt managing any differently. But the way we look at him has changed. If anything, Rodgers can be blamed for spending big money on the wrong players to replace Suarez. Liverpool spent ￡113 million this summer in attempt to fill the hole left by Suarez and strengthen the squad. His signings have left much to be desired. Three Southampton players, young and unproven, and a wild card in Mario Balotelli should never have been deemed good enough for Liverpool to take the next step. Quality was replaced with quantity. Failing to find value in the market for a team with financial pressures without a new, modern stadium is a massive issue. And Rodgers eye for talent in the market should be questioned as the list of bad signings continues to grow. If you spend more than ￡100million, you expect to be challenging for the league. Rodgers flippant remark last season about Tottenhams struggles a season ago may come back to haunt him. Spurs had all kinds of problems replacing Gareth Bale. Spending, according to Rodgers, should have been enough. Now he finds himself in a similar predicament. Andre Villas-Boas lost his job at Spurs for failure to launch. Its incredible to think Rodgers may be facing the same. That comment may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Rodgers shouldnt be fired. But with sky-high expectations and a lack of patience in modern day football, Rodgers has set himself up for the worst. Bad signings, controversial decision-making and poor form does nothing for job security. United in the Top Four It should have been predictable no matter who van Gaal sent out for an injury-depleted Manchester United, they would fare well against fragile Arsenal. A 2-1 win at the Emirates had more to do with Arsenals failures than anything United showed during the cagey victory. Recent years havent been kind on the Arsenal-United rivalry. Its been entirely one-sided, with United posting an impressive 11-2-3 record in all competitions since the beginning of the 2008-09 season. Arsenals inability to push back is a massive concern in North London, as is Arsenals porous record against top teams in recent seasons. The vintage performances of a decade ago between these two teams are no more. The competitive, no-love-lost engagement is seldom evident. Even worse, the quality of play has dramatically declined. Arsenal and United both have top players. Its undeniable. But the standard of play has dropped as team form has dipped. The sheer inability to finish and lack of quality in the final third continues to plague Arsenal. The Gunners should have been up at least two through the first 15 minutes if Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck had any kind of nose for goal. Likewise, poor defending also remains an Achilles heel. The forced reliance to play the average Nacho Monreal and centre-back speaks to the lack of reinforcements at Arsene Wengers disposal. There are clear and present holes across the park, notable in the defensive midfield position where average players are expected to perform extraordinarily. Its naive of Wenger to think his squad is anywhere near complete. Instead, decent ball movement with little cutting edge is what goes for good football at Arsenal these days. Its an absolute drop in the acceptable standard at the club. United is not free of criticism, despite victory. The current injury crisis demands players to play out of position or beyond their experience/level. Forty injuries and 31 different players contributing speaks volumes about the overall team approach. Its fair to question however how many in this United squad are of genuine United quality? A club like Manchester United is used to the best and can afford top talent others cannot dream of. Yet many who are playing significant roles fit the bill as good, not great players. It all starts in the midfield, where balance has not been achieved and remains a position that has lacked a true top player for years on end. United are left with the likes Marouane Fellaini, who as a good friend explains plays the role of disruptive midfielder - he disrupts the play of all 21 other players when on the field. The overall quality of the match between two Premier League giants was poor. It was scrappy, mistake-ridden, and hardly eye-pleasing for the casual. Top football is expected and demanded from teams like these. Its an overall poor reflection of the Premier League when the so-called best play such substandard football. Through it all, somehow, some way, United sits in fourth in the table. United incredibly ended the game with three 19-year-olds on the field, and it would have been four if Luke Shaw had not gone off injured. The team is far from a finished product and there remains imbalance across the park. Yet, the players, young and old, continue to show remarkable composure. Amidst mistakes, there is confidence in the process. Its an intangible you cannot quantify. Although these are trying times at a moment of change, the stature of the club has not changed. The approach bodes well for the future of this group. The quality of play is what need come next. Wenger Out? The Wenger Out campaign again gains in number and volume. Arsenal is not a title contender, rendered again to the battle for the top four. What else is new? Thats the crux of it all, and Wenger mindlessly continues to play into the madness of the masses. He is his own worst enemy, teasing fans with moronic comments like Arsenal could have had Lionel Messi, while the likes of Welbeck, Arteta, and Flamini are being rolled out as key players week after week. Its comical stuff from the manager and a club that refuses to spend to their capacity. Criticism from shareholder Alisher Usmanov hits home. The billionaire is not wrong; Arsenal need better players across the pitch. Yet Wenger remains defiant, loyal to his model that perennially fails to reach the summit of the Premier League. This is the worst start to the season for Arsenal since 82-83. But all is not lost. Yet. They are ahead of Everton, Liverpool and Spurs in the standings and only two points behind Manchester United. They are on pace to advance from the group stage in the Champions League and Arsenal is coming off an FA Cup victory. The argument of new vision and leadership at Arsenal is well taken. Wengers due date may have come and gone. Eighteen years at one club will do that. New ideas are welcome, and frankly needed at the Emirates. But now, in the middle of the season, is no time to make such a move. Wenger cannot and should not be sacked. The three-time Premier League winner deserves to go out on amicable terms. He has earned the trust of the club and its fans to see out this season. He is the best man for it. Any change should happen in the off-season. It would be apropos for Wenger to go out after another top four finish. @WheelerTSN gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Jose Gimenez Jersey . Notable pairings include Weyburn, Saskatchewans Graham DeLaet with Trevor Immelman and Oliver Goss at 12:31pm et on Thursday, and 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ontario with Matt Every and Roberto Castro at 9:02am et. Raphael Varane Real Madrid Jersey . -- Colorado Avalanche forward P.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - David Pastrnak scored the first two goals of his career to lead the Boston Bruins in a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Chris Kelly had the other goal and Tuukka Rask stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who have won their past three. Claude Giroux scored the only goal of the game for the Flyers, who had won their previous two. Steve Mason started the game in net for Philadelphia, but left seven minutes into the first period with a right leg injury. He stopped all five shots he faced while Ray Emery allowed three goals on 13 shots in relief. Final Score: Nashville 3, Minnesota 1 St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Pekka Rinne came up with 36 saves while Calle Jarnkrok and Colin Wilson scored in the third period and Nashville took out Minnesota by a 3-1 count at Xcel Energy Center. Mike Fisher added an early score for the Predators, who reclaimed the top spot in the Western Conference with 60 points, two ahead of idle Anaheim. Charlie Coyle potted the lone goal for the Wild, who have dropped four in a row and three straight on home ice. Niklas Backstrom made 24 stops in the loss. Final Score: Colorado 4, Dallas 3 Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Duchene picked up the deciding goal early in the third period and added an assist, as Colorado escaped with a 4-3 victory over Dallas at Pepsi Center. Erik Johnson, John Mitchell and Nathan MacKinnon lit the lamp in the second period for the Avalanche, who have won three in a row and seven of 10 overall. Semyon Varlamov snagged the win thanks to a 37-save performance. Brett Ritchie, Colton Sceviour and Ales Hemsky scored for the Stars, losers of four straight since winning four in a row. Kari Lehtonen stopped 26 shots in defeat. Final Score: Pittsburgh 2, Montreal 1 (OT) Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Sidney Crosby capped two shifts of pressure with the game-winner on a power play with 1:19 remaining in overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed a 2-1 decision over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Crosby had two separate chances to win it earlier as the clock ticked down to two minutes remaining in the extra session. Habs goaltender Carey Price flashed his right pad on the first chance and seconds later, Crosby actually beat Price through the pads from in close, but Montreals Alexei Emelin came to the rescue and swept the puck out of danger. The hosts were hit with a bench minor penalty with 1:51 left in OT, and Evgeni Malkin slipped a pass into the right circle for Crosbys successful one-timer which ended the contest. Malkin provided the other tally for the Penguins, who snapped a two-game skid and remained a point behind the first- place Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. New York maintained the top spot with a 4-1 win in Columbus earlier in the evening. Final Score: Washington 3, Detroit 1 Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Capitals got goals from Troy Brouwer, John Carlson and Joel Ward in a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Braden Holtby made 26 saves in his 18th consecutive start for the Capitals, who extended their point streak to seven games (5-0-2). Jonathan Ericsson scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Detroit lost goaltender Jimmy Howard to a groin injury just 1:53 into the game. With the Red Wings killing a penalty, Howard left the puck behind the net for his defense to play. Instead, Brouwer got the puck and quickly scored on a wraparound as Howard scrambled to get back into position. Howard hurt his groin while extending his left leg awkwardly trying to cover the post. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Prior to the game, Howard was named to the 2015 NHL All-Star game. Petr Mrazek stopped 12-of-14 shots in relief. Final Score: NY Islanders 5, Columbus 2 Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Martin, Anders Lee and Brian Strait all had second-period goals to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Strait added an assist on Kyle Okposos marker in the third period, with Nikolay Kulemin also lighting the lamp to help the Islanders improve to 4-2-0 on their current seven-game road trip. New York outshot the Blue Jackets by a 40-18 margin, with Chad Johnson needing to record just 16 saves to collect the victory. As a result, the Isles stayed a point up on Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropoliitan Division, after the Pens nipped the Habs in OT. Arda Turan Jersey. Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves in Columbus second 5-2 setback in as many nights, having fallen to Toronto by the same score on Friday. Jack Johnson and Nick Foligno each registered goals in defeat. Final Score: Ottawa 5, Arizona 1 Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Craig Anderson made 31 saves, and the Ottawa Senators scored five unanswered goals to top the Arizona Coyotes, 5-1, on Saturday. After Mikkel Boedker put the Coyotes on top early in the game, Milan Michalek and Clarke MacArthur scored first-period goals to give the Senators the lead. Ottawa also got goals from Mike Hoffman, Cody Ceci and David Legwand to end its three-game losing streak. Mike Smith allowed all five Senators goals on 33 shots as the Coyotes lost for the second time in three games. Final Score: St. Louis 5, Carolina 4 (SO) St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - T.J. Oshie scored the lone goal in the shootout to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Oshie, the Blues first shooter, patiently skated through the slot, got Cam Ward to bite on a fake and lifted a shot into the top of the net. Jake Allen made Oshies effort stand as he stopped all three shooters, including a slick glove save on Alexander Semin to end the game. Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund all scored in regulation for the Blues, who won their fourth straight game. Allen stopped 19-of-20 shots in relief of Brian Elliott, who allowed three goals on 10 shots during the first period. Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask each tallied a goal and an assist, while Eric Staal and Riley Nash also lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who were coming off a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Thursday. Ward allowed four goals on 35 shots in defeat. Final Score: Calgary 1, Vancouver 0 Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Joni Ortios first start of the season was a memorable one, as the 23-year-old netminder shut out the Vancouver Canucks and carried the Calgary Flames to a 1-0 victory -- the clubs first over its Pacific Division rival in nearly two years. Ortio was recalled from Adirondack of the AHL on Friday and gave Jonas Hiller the night off. He was peppered with 36 shots and, with the help of the post on several occasions, denied every one of them. Mikael Backlund provided the game-winning goal on Calgarys first shot. The Flames, who came in 0-3-0 in the new year, had dropped nine straight against the Canucks, their previous win coming on Mar. 3, 2013. Eddie Lack saved all but one of the 23 shots he faced in the loss. Final Score: Winnipeg 5, Los Angeles 4 (SO) Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Bryan Little had the lone shootout goal to boost the Winnipeg Jets to a wild 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. The Jets scored three goals on their first three shots of the night, all within the first 6:39 of the contest, but couldnt sustain the lead, yet snapped a two-game skid. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made an incredible sprawling save, falling backward with his left hand stopping a shot from Mathieu Perreault in the second round of the shootout. In the fourth round, Littles wrist shot found the right side of the net. Mike Richards missed the net on his attempt to extend the shootout. Little also scored in regulation, as did Blake Wheeler, Zach Bogosian and Perreault. Michael Hutchinson made 25 saves. Quick stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who got goals from Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Kyle Clifford and Justin Williams. The Kings suffered their third straight loss. Final Score: NY Rangers 3, San Jose 1 San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash also lit the lamp, Derek Stepan supplied two assists and Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves for the Rangers, who started the trip out with a 4-1 win over Anaheim on Wednesday and topped the Kings 4-3 in a Stanley Cup rematch on Thursday. New York has won five straight games and 13 of its last 14 games. It is the teams best 14-game stretch since Jan. 7 to Feb. 10, 1973 (14-0-1). Melker Karlsson supplied San Joses lone marker to extend his goal streak to five games and Antti Niemi allowed two goals on 31 shots in defeat. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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