2010 Football, it has never been this promising!

EPL has never been this interesting. It has NEVER been this tight. Especially in the past 3 years where MU and Chelsea has been so dominant. Now, almost ALL teams are equal.

If there’s 1 person that’s responsible for this revolution, it’s Ronaldo. Thank you for moving out from EPL. Your absence has balanced-out the power across all 20 teams on the table. The world is now at Yin-Yang.

Now, almost every team has a star equal to other team’s star. While I always think Chelsea will probably win the EPL this season with Drogba being a dominant force, the African cup will again balance things up.

But, other than Ronaldo’s absence, why are all the other team doing well? Why is Heskey playing like he’s 5 years younger? Or Rooney like he’s 5 years older? I think there are a few other reasons.

One key influencing factor is 2010’s World Cup. Everybody wants a go at it. So, everyone is playing doubly hard.

Another factor is, the past 3-5 years were development years for the smaller teams. Yes, the past 3-5 years has been nothing but Chelsea and MU punching and kicking the smaller teams. So, within their small little training camps, while wealthy investors pouring in the juices, they've been learning new karate moves. So, now - it's time to show what they've learnt.

But, let’s be real. Chelsea is already there. They have the belief, hunger and maturity. It’s only for them to lose. MU will shadow them as they cope life without Ronaldo. Arsenal, the team who never lies down dead, will also be there. That’s top 3.

Let’s talk a bit about Arsenal. Player by player, it’s like looking at your hometown U-21 team. I seriously can’t get into Wenger’s mind on this. Averagely, they are short too. But these boys have been sending out powerful messages. Always looking like a trophy winner of tomorrow, but sadly, never today. For the past 3 years, I dub Arsenal as the miracle team. Notice that without Bendtner, they can’t play long balls? And without Clichy, we can’t attack from left wing? So flawed, yet so entertaining. And their win-lose ratio is right up there with the big boys. They don’t buy stars. They create stars. Marvel stuff.

Anyway, 2010 is an interesting year for football. EPL is like never before. Champions League is heating up. And World Cup is coming up. Will we see another ‘head-butting’ action? I sure hope so.

Arsenal 1, Chelsea 4

A home defeat. A heavy one too. Pah.

I love watching football. And so, I love the EPL. I used to be a Liverpool fan ever since in Standard 1. But since 2000, I kind of steered more to Arsenal. I love their style of play. I love their flair. It's almost like watching the Globe Trotters playing football.

Playing beautiful attacking football guarantees a place in a fan's heart. But, unfortunately, it does not guarantee victory. It has been 4 years since Arsenal won a trophy. But I doubt that the seats at Emirates will decline. The ability to play beautiful football is, in a way, the best win for a fan. It might sound overly philosophical but it works for the millions of Arsenal fans across the world.

Right now, there's not much to do other than to look at the next season. The boss and the players would have to think very hard. In all fairness, that's the hardest thing to do. Because in a way, while they need to 'change', it is their football style that has been winning the fans.