Archive for November 2009
Barca regain top spot after Real victory
Barca were on top until the last round when a draw meant that Real overtook them but with the win over Real Barca now has a two point advantage.
With both Sevilla and Valencia drawing their matches Barca has now increased its lead its on the two teams to four and five points respectively.
Sevilla drew its home match against Malaga and it had to come from behind to snatch that point in a 2-all draw.
Also Valencia were held one all at home by Mallorca to record its fourth draw at home.
On the other end of the table, Xerez lost 5-1 away to Getafe to remain bottom of the table.
With Barca winning at home this week and maintaining its 100% home record, I will take a look at the home ladder which compares teams only on the matches played at home.
After the next round I will take a look at the La Liga away ladder
So here is the home ladder so far this season:
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 15 | 18 |
| Real Madrid | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 18 |
| Mallorca | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 18 |
| Sevilla | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 14 |
| Sporting Gijon | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 14 |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| Getafe | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| Villarreal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 11 |
| Valencia | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Zaragoza | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Tenerife | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 10 |
| Atletico | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 9 |
| Osasuna | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Almeria | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 8 |
| Espanyol | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 |
| Valladolid | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| Xerez | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 5 |
| Málaga | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 4 |
| R Santander | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 | -10 | 1 |
So Real Santander is the only team without a home win so far this season.
Barcelona, Real Madrid, Mallorca, Sevilla, Sporting Gijon and Valencia are still to lose at home but Valencia has just had two wins at home and hence its lower down on this ladder.
delicious
digg
Chelsea cruise past Arsenal
That was the Gunners first loss at home this season and also for the first time this season the Gunners were kept goalless in front of their own supporters.
The Gunners slipped to fourth place on the ladder with Tottenham Hotspurs taking their place in third position following a one-all draw at Villa Park.
Defending champions Manchester United maintained second place after overcoming Portsmouth 4-1 at Fratton Park.
In the Merseyside derby, Liverpool got the bragging rights after downing Everton 2-nil at Goodison Park.
Also in another derby in the Midlands, Birmingham got the better of Wolverhampton Wanderers after an early goal was enough to take all three points.
Elsewhere Manchester City had their seventh draw in a row when they were held one-all at home by Hull City. Before this chain of draws started, Manchester City had not drawn a match in the league.
So this week I will take a look at the draws ladder as see how other teams trail Manchester City as they make draws their specialty:
| Team | Played | Goals For | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Aston Villa | 14 | 5 | 5 |
| Stoke City | 14 | 4 | 5 |
| West Ham | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Fulham | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| Hull City | 15 | 5 | 4 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14 | 5 | 4 |
| Birmingham City | 14 | 2 | 3 |
| Bolton | 13 | 4 | 3 |
| Everton | 14 | 3 | 3 |
| Blackburn | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| Burnley | 14 | 4 | 2 |
| Liverpool | 14 | 4 | 2 |
| Sunderland | 14 | 4 | 2 |
| Tottenham | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| Wigan | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| Arsenal | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| Manchester United | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| Portsmouth | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| Chelsea | 14 | 0 | 0 |
So Aston Villa, West Ham and Stoke City are a close second to Man City with five draws each and Chelsea remains the only team yet to draw a match.
Adelaide drop to bottom
The other teams in the the bottom three teams at the start of the round all won and this pushed Adelaide to the bottom of the ladder on goal difference.
Round 16 also saw a historic win for Newcastle Jets as they beat Sydney FC for the first time in the league in their own backyard. That win moved the Jets one place up the ladder.
That win for the Jets was also their first away win this season.
After losing their last home game 4-nil, Melbourne Victory this time turned the tables around winning 4-nil against the Gold Coast United.
The loss meant that the Gold Coast team dropped one place into fourth place and were replaced by the Central Coast Mariners despite the Mariners being held at home by Perth Glory.
The Mariners scored nine goals in their last two matches both away from home but they could not find the net in front of their own home supporters.
So after taking a look at the home ladder after the last round, this time I will take a look at the away ladder and here it is:
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Victory | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 18 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 13 |
| Gold Coast | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 18 | -9 | 11 |
| NQ Fury | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 10 |
| Brisbane Roar | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| Perth Glory | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 8 |
| Sydney | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 7 |
| Newcastle Jets | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 7 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 15 | -7 | 7 |
| Adelaide Utd | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 5 |
Not very surprising to see Victory of this ladder after an impressive away form but Adelaide also anchor this ladder.
2010 World Cup draw nears
This will be the first time that the World Cup has been held in Africa and also it will be the first time for the continent to have six representatives in the tournament.
After the World Cup draw has been conducted the fixture list for the group stages will be released and teams can start preparing their way out of the group stage.
TipsChallenge will have the fixtures on the site for the World Cup tipping competition.
Grant takes over at Pompey
Grant takes over from Paul Hart who left the club early this week and he takes over a club currently rooted at the bottom of the ladder.
Pompey has only won two matches and drawn one and Grant's job immediate takes I assume would be to get the the team winning again and up the ladder.
Pompey's next three league matches are against champions Manchester United, Burnley and Sunderland. There is also a Carling Cup match against Aston Villa before the Burnley game.
Real, Barca fight for top spot
The La Liga positions are determined using the head-to-head considerations and so this match is very important for both teams as they will all be vying for a win in case points are tied at the end of the season.
Barca are still to lose a match in the league so far this season whilst Real has lost once but its the three draws that have made sure that Barca trail their major rivals by a point at this stage.
So here are a few of the stats for the two teams going into this clash of the giants match:
| Real Madrid | Barcelona | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | 1 | 2 |
| Played | 11 | 11 |
| Points | 28 | 27 |
| Drawn | 1 | 3 |
| Won | 9 | 8 |
| Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 19 | 21 |
| Clean sheets | 7 | 5 |
| Failed to score | 1 | 1 |
| Goals scored | 27 | 29 |
| Goals conceded | 8 | 8 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Biggest win | Real Madrid 5 - 0 Xerez | Barcelona 6 - 1 Zaragoza |
| Biggest loss | Sevilla 2 - 1 Real Madrid | No loss |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 5 |
| Points | 18 | 15 |
| Drawn | 0 | 0 |
| Won | 6 | 5 |
| Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 14 | 14 |
| Goals scored | 18 | 19 |
| Goals conceded | 4 | 5 |
| Ave. goals scored | 3.0 | 3.8 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 10 | 12 |
| Drawn | 1 | 3 |
| Won | 3 | 3 |
| Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 5 | 7 |
| Goals scored | 9 | 10 |
| Goals conceded | 4 | 3 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.8 | 0.5 |
London derby : Arsenal vs Chelsea
Arsenal has conceded four goals at home and like Chelsea are still to lose or draw at home.
The Blues have managed to score in every match so far and have scored 3 or more goals in seven matches.
Chelsea currently top the ladder and their London rivals dropped to third only after that loss to the Black Cats.
A win for Chelsea will extend its lead over the Gunners to 11 points whilst a win for the Gunners will help narrow that gap to five points.
Briefly here are the stats for the two teams so far in the league:
| Chelsea | Arsenal | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | 1 | 3 |
| Played | 13 | 12 |
| Points | 33 | 25 |
| Drawn | 0 | 1 |
| Won | 11 | 8 |
| Lost | 2 | 3 |
| Goal difference | 25 | 21 |
| Clean sheets | 8 | 3 |
| Failed to score | 0 | 1 |
| Goals scored | 33 | 36 |
| Goals conceded | 8 | 15 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.6 | 1.3 |
| Biggest win | Chelsea 5 - 0 Blackburn | Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal |
| Biggest loss | Wigan 3 - 1 Chelsea | Man City 4 - 2 Arsenal |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 7 | 5 |
| Points | 21 | 15 |
| Drawn | 0 | 0 |
| Won | 7 | 5 |
| Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 19 | 16 |
| Goals scored | 20 | 20 |
| Goals conceded | 1 | 4 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.9 | 4.0 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 7 |
| Points | 12 | 10 |
| Drawn | 0 | 1 |
| Won | 4 | 3 |
| Lost | 2 | 3 |
| Goal difference | 6 | 5 |
| Goals scored | 13 | 16 |
| Goals conceded | 7 | 11 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.2 | 1.6 |
Bordeaux, Chelsea win groups
In Chelsea's group D, Porto and Chelsea were already guaranteed of reaching the next stage before the match and so it was a matter of fighting to top the group and be seeded for the knockout phase.
Juventus will play Bayern in their last match needing to avoid defeat to proceed to the next stage. Bayern are currently third whilst Maccabi Haifa with no win yet are last.
In Group C three teams Real Madrid, AC Milan and Marseille can all reach the next round after Real won but the other two drew their match. Marseille hosts eal Real the last match whilst Milan will be away to Zurich.
No groups winners yet in Group B after Besiktas win over Manchester United. That was Besiktas first win of the competition this season.
The team to join Man United in the knockout will be decided in the last match after CSKA Moscow beat Wolfsburg at home 2-1.
So far 72.5% of the matches have ended in a result with the remainder finishing as draws and so this week I will take a look at both the winning and drawing trends.
First a look at the 58 matches that ended in a result in the Champions League so far this season:
| Trend | Frequency | Percentage(%) |
|---|---|---|
| Home team leading at half time, home team winning at full time | 16 | 27.6 |
| Away team leading at half time, away team winning at full time | 14 | 24.1 |
| Home team trailing at half time, home team winning at full time | 2 | 3.4 |
| Away team trailing at half time, away team winning at full time | 4 | 6.9 |
| Draw at half time, home team winning at full time | 14 | 24.1 |
| Draw at half time, away team winning at full time | 8 | 13.8 |
| Matches ending in result | 58 | 72.5 |
and for the 22 matches that finished in a draw:
| Trend | Frequency | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Draw at half time, draw at full time | 15 | 68.2 |
| Home team leading at half time, draw at full time | 3 | 13.6 |
| Away team leading at half time, draw at full time | 4 | 18.2 |
| Drawn matches | 22 | 27.5 |
Etihad clash : Victory vs Gold Coast
This will be the first time for the two teams to meet at the stadium and in their first match at Skilled Stadium Victory came out tops.
In round 15 Victory won away at Brisbane Roar whilst Gold Coast were held by Adelaide United.
In its last home match Victory lost 4-nil to the Central Coast Mariners and so it will be interesting to see if Victory can tighten its defences this time around.
Here are the head to head starts for the two teams so far:
| Melbourne Victory | Gold Coast | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 1 | 3 |
| Played | 15 | 15 |
| Points | 27 | 24 |
| Drawn | 3 | 3 |
| Won | 8 | 7 |
| Lost | 4 | 5 |
| Goal difference | 1 | 0 |
| Clean sheets | 3 | 5 |
| Failed to score | 3 | 5 |
| Goals scored | 23 | 21 |
| Goals conceded | 22 | 21 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Biggest win | Adelaide Utd 0 - 2 Melbourne Victory Newcastle Jets 1 - 3 Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory 3 - 1 Adelaide Utd | Gold Coast 5 - 0 NQ Fury |
| Biggest loss | Melbourne Victory 0 - 4 Central Coast Mariners | Wellington Phoenix 6 - 0 Gold Coast |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 8 | 7 |
| Points | 9 | 13 |
| Drawn | 3 | 1 |
| Won | 2 | 4 |
| Lost | 3 | 2 |
| Goal difference | -6 | 5 |
| Goals scored | 10 | 12 |
| Goals conceded | 16 | 7 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 7 | 8 |
| Points | 18 | 11 |
| Drawn | 0 | 2 |
| Won | 6 | 3 |
| Lost | 1 | 3 |
| Goal difference | 7 | -5 |
| Goals scored | 13 | 9 |
| Goals conceded | 6 | 14 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.9 | 1.8 |
Liverpool drop to Europa League
Liverpool won its match 1-nil against Debrecen but it needed Fiorentina not to win against Lyon. Fiorentina won its match 1-nil.
The result means that Liverpool can only finish with ten points but even if Lyon were to lose their last match, the French team has a superior head to head record against Liverpool.
In other groups, Rangers are out Europe altogether after losing 2-nil at home to Stuttgart. The Scottish champions has only collected two points from five matches.
In Group H, Arsenal has progressed to the group stages of the competition after a 2-nil win over Standard Liege. Olympiacos will need at least a draw against Arsenal in match day 6 to reach the knockout phase.
The tightest group remains Group F and Barcelona has taken pole position after beating Inter Milan 2-nil.
The La Liga champions still needs a point to reach the knockout phase in its last match against Dynamo Kiev.
Inter will host Rubin Kazan in match day 6 and a draw in that match will see Rubin Kazan drop out of the Champions League.
Hart, Pompey part company
Pompey has won just two matches and drawn one for its seven points and currently anchor the ladder.
In Hart's last match in charge, the team lost to 1-nil to Stoke and this was after a missed penalty in the first half.
Hart becomes the first Premiership manager to lose his job this season.
So here is some of the stats for Pompey after 13 round in the English Premiership:
| Hart's Portsmouth | |
|---|---|
| Team | Portsmouth |
| Played | 13 |
| Points | 7 |
| Won | 2 |
| Drawn | 1 |
| Lost | 10 |
| Goal difference | -9 |
| Clean sheets | 3 |
| Failed to score | 7 |
| Goals scored | 10 |
| Goals conceded | 19 |
| Ave. goals scored | 0.8 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.5 |
| Biggest win | Portsmouth 4 - 0 Wigan |
| Biggest loss | Arsenal 4 - 1 Portsmouth |
| Home matches | |
| Played | 6 |
| Points | 3 |
| Won | 1 |
| Drawn | 0 |
| Lost | 5 |
| Goal difference | -1 |
| Goals scored | 7 |
| Goals conceded | 8 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.2 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.3 |
| Away matches | |
| Played | 7 |
| Points | 4 |
| Won | 1 |
| Drawn | 1 |
| Lost | 5 |
| Goal difference | -8 |
| Goals scored | 3 |
| Goals conceded | 11 |
| Ave. goals scored | 0.4 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.6 |
Real reclaim top spot after Barca draw
Real's 1-nil win over Real Santander was enough to secure top spot going into the top of the table clash at Nou Camp in round 12.
Sevilla and Valencia are not far off in third and fourth places respectively after wins in their respective matches.
Sevilla won 2-1 away to Tenerife whilst Valencia won 3-1 away to Osasuna in the last match of the round 11.
There has been 27 drawn matches after 11 rounds and so this week I will take a look at the draws table:
| Team | Played | Goals For | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting Gijon | 11 | 4 | 5 |
| Atletico Madrid | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Espanyol | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| Racing Santander | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Valladolid | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| Xerez | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| Almeria | 11 | 4 | 3 |
| Barcelona | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| Málaga | 11 | 4 | 3 |
| Osasuna | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| Real Zaragoza | 11 | 4 | 3 |
| Valencia | 11 | 4 | 3 |
| Villarreal | 11 | 4 | 3 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| Mallorca | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Real Madrid | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| Sevilla | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| Tenerife | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| Getafe | 11 | 0 | 0 |
So Sporting Gijon has had the highest number of draws with 5 and Getafe is still to have a drawn match.
Spurs on the rampage against Wigan
This is Spurs biggest victory in the English Premiership and its only the second time that a team has scored nine goals in an English Premiership match.
The only other team to have scored nine goals is Manchester United in a 9-nil victory over Ipswich in 1995.
The result means that the Spurs has now scored 32 goals this season and are now in third place in terms of goal scoring behind London rivals Arsenal with 36 and Chelsea with 33 goals.
Elsewhere Liverpool and Manchester City drew resulting in Liverpool having the second consecutive 2-all draw at home.
It was also City's sixth successive draw and City becomes the first team to have drawn six matches in a row this season.
Chelsea maintained its first position on the ladder whilst Arsenal's loss to Sunderland meant that the Gunners slip down to third.
Sunderland are now in eighth place on the table with the same points as Liverpool but have an inferior goal difference.
So this week I will take a look at the away ladder and see which teams have the best away performance:
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 12 |
| Arsenal | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 10 |
| Man City | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Tottenham | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| Man United | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Aston Villa | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| West Ham | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 6 |
| Fulham | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 6 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 6 |
| Bolton | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 6 |
| Everton | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 6 |
| Stoke | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 6 |
| Wigan | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 22 | -14 | 6 |
| Wolves | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 5 |
| Bham City | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 4 |
| Sunderland | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 4 |
| Portsmouth | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 4 |
| Blackburn | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 3 |
| Hull | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 17 | -13 | 1 |
| Burnley | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 1 |
So Burnley has the worst away record having collected only one point in a match against Man City.
Chelsea still maintain the best away form despite both their losses coming away from home.
Mariners march continues
In the last round the Mariners beat champions Melbourne Victory 4-nil and so they have now scored a total of nine goals and conceding just one in the process.
Victory secured a narrow 1-nil win over Brisbane Roar to secure top spot on the table after Sydney FC went down 2-nil away to Perth Glory.
Wellington won for the first time this season after beating Newcastle Jets 1-nil. It means that the Jets are now the only team without an away win so far this season.
So in this week's post I will take a look at the home ladder for the A-League so far and next week I will take a look at the away one.
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 18 |
| Perth Glory | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 13 |
| Gold Coast | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| Newcastle Jets | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 12 |
| Adelaide Utd | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 12 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Melbourne Victory | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 | -6 | 9 |
| Brisbane Roar | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 8 |
| NQ Fury | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 5 |
So Sydney FC has the best home form with 18 points picked up from home.
On the other hand the Fury has only picked up five points at home - one win and two draws.
Ghana paired with Ivory Coast
The other two teams in the same group are Togo and Burkina Faso. This group B is the only group with two 2010 World Cup bound teams.
Group A will comprise of hosts Angola plus Mali, Algeria and Malawi.
Nigeria has been drawn in Group C alongside Egypt, Benin and Mozambique. Egypt are the defending champions.
The last group comprises Cameroon, Tunisia, Zambia and Gabon.
The group A match between Angola and Mali will kickoff the tournament in Luanda.
The 2010 World Cup teams
For the first time Africa will have six teams in the tournament because South Africa is hosting.
The 32 teams are listed below classified in their regions:
Africa: South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria
Asia: Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea
Europe: Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland
North, Central America : Honduras, Mexico, United States
Oceania: New Zealand
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
TipsChallenge will be running a 2010 World Cup Tipping competition and the fixtures will be available on the site once the drawn has been made in December.
Africa Nations cup teams decided
Angola will host the tournament in January 2010.
The remaining fifteen teams who qualified are Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Togo, Tunisia and Zambia.
TipsChallenge will once again be running a tipping competition for the Nations Cup and the fixtures will be available once the draw has been made.
La Liga round 11 : Villarreal vs Valladolid
Currently the two teams lie in the bottom half of the ladder with Valladolid in 14th place and Villareal two positions further down.
Villareal is coming off a loss after the team lost to high flying Sevilla.
Valladolid on the other hand is coming off a draw against Xerez.
So below is some of the stats going into this crucial La Liga match.
| Villareal | Valladolid | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 16 | 14 |
| Played | 10 | 10 |
| Points | 9 | 10 |
| Drawn | 3 | 4 |
| Won | 2 | 2 |
| Lost | 5 | 4 |
| Goal difference | 0 | -3 |
| Clean sheets | 1 | 4 |
| Failed to score | 2 | 4 |
| Goals scored | 16 | 12 |
| Goals conceded | 16 | 15 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Biggest win | Villarreal 5 - 0 Tenerife | Valladolid 4 - 0 Deportivo La Coruña |
| Biggest loss | Villarreal 0 - 2 Real Madrid | Mallorca 3 - 0 Valladolid |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 5 | 5 |
| Points | 8 | 5 |
| Drawn | 2 | 2 |
| Won | 2 | 1 |
| Lost | 1 | 2 |
| Goal difference | 4 | 1 |
| Goals scored | 10 | 7 |
| Goals conceded | 6 | 6 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 5 | 5 |
| Points | 1 | 5 |
| Drawn | 1 | 2 |
| Won | 0 | 1 |
| Lost | 4 | 2 |
| Goal difference | -4 | -4 |
| Goals scored | 6 | 5 |
| Goals conceded | 10 | 9 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 2.0 | 1.8 |
Liverpool face Man City challenge
Both teams are coming off draws at home and if the match is a draw then it will be City's sixth draw in a row.
Man City hasn't lost in the last six matches in the league but it has only won once.
On the other hand the Anfield based outfit has lost three matches in the last six and won just two.
I think whichever team loses this fixture it will be a very significant loss.
Here is the rest of the stats after 12 rounds:
| Liverpool | Man City | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | 7 | 6 |
| Played | 12 | 11 |
| Points | 19 | 20 |
| Drawn | 1 | 5 |
| Won | 6 | 5 |
| Lost | 5 | 1 |
| Goal difference | 9 | 7 |
| Clean sheets | 3 | 4 |
| Failed to score | 2 | 1 |
| Goals scored | 27 | 21 |
| Goals conceded | 18 | 14 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Biggest win | Liverpool 6 - 1 Hull | Blackburn 0 - 2 Man City Man City 4 - 2 Arsenal Man City 3 - 1 West Ham |
| Biggest loss | Liverpool 1 - 3 Aston Villa Chelsea 2 - 0 Liverpool Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool | Man United 4 - 3 Man City |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 5 |
| Points | 13 | 11 |
| Drawn | 1 | 2 |
| Won | 4 | 3 |
| Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 13 | 5 |
| Goals scored | 19 | 13 |
| Goals conceded | 6 | 8 |
| Ave. goals scored | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 6 |
| Points | 6 | 9 |
| Drawn | 0 | 3 |
| Won | 2 | 2 |
| Lost | 4 | 1 |
| Goal difference | -4 | 2 |
| Goals scored | 8 | 8 |
| Goals conceded | 12 | 6 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 2.0 | 1.0 |
Fury face buoyant Mariners
The win over Victory was their biggest win so far this season and they face a Fury side coming from a defeat against Newcastle Jets.
After that defeat the Fury went back to the bottom of the table whilst Mariners currently sit in fourth.
Below is the rest of the stats so far this season:
| Central Coast Mariners | NQ Fury | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 4 | 10 |
| Played | 14 | 14 |
| Points | 20 | 15 |
| Drawn | 5 | 6 |
| Won | 5 | 3 |
| Lost | 4 | 5 |
| Goal difference | 9 | -7 |
| Clean sheets | 7 | 2 |
| Failed to score | 6 | 4 |
| Goals scored | 17 | 15 |
| Goals conceded | 8 | 22 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Biggest win | Melbourne Victory 0 - 4 Central Coast Mariners | Gold Coast 0 - 2 NQ Fury |
| Biggest loss | Brisbane Roar 1 - 0 Central Coast Mariners Adelaide Utd 1 - 0 Central Coast Mariners Sydney 1 - 0 Central Coast Mariners Newcastle Jets 2 - 1 Central Coast Mariners | Gold Coast 5 - 0 NQ Fury |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 6 |
| Points | 10 | 5 |
| Drawn | 4 | 2 |
| Won | 2 | 1 |
| Lost | 0 | 3 |
| Goal difference | 4 | -3 |
| Goals scored | 7 | 6 |
| Goals conceded | 3 | 9 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 8 | 8 |
| Points | 10 | 10 |
| Drawn | 1 | 4 |
| Won | 3 | 2 |
| Lost | 4 | 2 |
| Goal difference | 5 | -4 |
| Goals scored | 10 | 9 |
| Goals conceded | 5 | 13 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.6 | 1.6 |
Heart goes for Olsen, Milicic
The pair will assist John van't Schip who was appointed earlier this year.
All the three coaches have some experience in the Dutch League but Milicic also has the experience of playing in the A-League having played for Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar.
Liverpool snatch draw against Brum
Liverpool had gone into half-time trailing the visitors 1-2 but a second half penalty ensured the sided shared the spoils.
The draw means that the Anfield outfit stays in seventh position on the ladder whilst Birmingham is just three places above the relegation places.
Also in round 12, league leaders Chelsea extended their lead at the top to five points after beating Manchester United by 1-nil.
That loss for Manchester United coupled by Arsenal's win over Wolverhampton Wanderers means that the Gunners leapfrogged them into second position with the defending champions in third place on goal difference.
Burnley drew with Manchester City and following Liverpool's draw, Chelsea is the only team in the league not to have drawn at this stage of the season.
This week I will take a look at the home ladder and in the next post on the English premiership I will take a look at the away ladder.
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 18 |
| Man United | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| Arsenal | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 15 |
| Burnley | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 13 |
| Aston Villa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 13 |
| Sunderland | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 13 |
| Blackburn | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 13 |
| Tottenham | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Man City | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| Stoke | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| Hull | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 10 |
| Fulham | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Everton | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 9 |
| Bham City | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Wigan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 8 |
| West Ham | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 5 |
| Bolton | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 5 |
| Wolves | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 5 |
| Portsmouth | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 3 |
So not surprising Chelsea top the home ladder with a perfect record and only one goal conceded.
Portsmouth anchor the ladder after their poor start to the season.
Real edge out Atletico
At one time Real were three goals up but Atletico scored two late goals to bring upon some decency on the scoreline in front of their home fans.
Barcelona were the only team to score more than three goals in this round winning 4-2 against Mallorca.
Sevilla and Valencia also scored three goals in their matches to win against Villareal and Real Zaragoza respectively.
I think its a good time now to look at the La Liga form ladder and see which teams are hot and which ones are not.
Below is the Spanish Primera division form ladder based on the results of the last six matches:
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | A | GD | Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 14 | WWDWDW |
| Valencia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 14 | DWDWWW |
| Real Madrid | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | WLWDWW |
| Sevilla | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 13 | WWLDWW |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | WWWLDW |
| Sporting Gijon | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 11 | LWWDDW |
| Mallorca | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 10 | WLWDWL |
| Osasuna | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 | WLWDDL |
| Villarreal | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 7 | LDLWWL |
| Espanyol | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | DDWDDL |
| Almeria | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 7 | DLWLLW |
| Zaragoza | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 7 | WLDLWL |
| Athletic Bilbao | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 7 | LDLLWW |
| Valladolid | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 6 | LDLWDD |
| Xerez | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 6 | DDWLLD |
| Getafe | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 6 | LWLWLL |
| Atletico | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 5 | DWLDLL |
| Tenerife | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 4 | LLLWLD |
| R Santander | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 3 | DLDDLL |
| Málaga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 2 | LDLLLD |
So Barca and Valencia are tied on 14 points whilst Malaga is at the bottom having collected just two points from the last six matches.
Mariners humble Victory
This is Victory's worst home defeat and it comes soon after another big defeat at home when the Victory 3-nil at home to Sydney FC.
Another team to lose at home was Adelaide United who lost to Brisbane Roar 2-nil.
Gold Coast went back to winning ways overcoming league leader Sydney FC with a lone strike in the first half.
Elsewhere there was a draw for the Wellington Phoenix against Perth Glory whilst Newcastle Jets won against the North Queensland Fury.
This week I will take a look at the second half ladder which only considers results from the second half of a match.
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Victory | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 25 |
| NQ Fury | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 24 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 19 |
| Sydney | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 19 |
| Gold Coast | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 18 |
| Perth Glory | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 18 |
| Brisbane Roar | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 16 |
| Newcastle Jets | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 13 |
| Adelaide Utd | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 11 |
So Melbourne Victory leads this table having won 7 second halves whilst Adelaide anchor it with only two wins.
Atletico face Real in Madrid derby
Atletico finished last season in the Champions League places but this season has started badly and the team is in the relegation zone with just seven points to its name.
On the other hand Real is in second position trailing leaders Barcelona by just one point.
So the match would look like a no contest but this is a derby match and it could be a very interesting result.
So here are some of the stats for the two teams so far in the league:
| Real Madrid | Atletico Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | 1 | 18 |
| Played | 9 | 9 |
| Points | 22 | 7 |
| Drawn | 1 | 4 |
| Won | 7 | 1 |
| Lost | 1 | 4 |
| Goal difference | 17 | -9 |
| Clean sheets | 6 | 0 |
| Failed to score | 1 | 3 |
| Goals scored | 23 | 10 |
| Goals conceded | 6 | 19 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.6 | 1.1 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.7 | 2.1 |
| Biggest win | Real Madrid 5 - 0 Xerez | Atletico 2 - 1 Zaragoza |
| Biggest loss | Sevilla 2 - 1 Real Madrid | Málaga 3 - 0 Atletico Barcelona 5 - 2 Atletico Osasuna 3 - 0 Atletico |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 5 | 4 |
| Points | 15 | 6 |
| Drawn | 0 | 3 |
| Won | 5 | 1 |
| Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 13 | 1 |
| Goals scored | 17 | 6 |
| Goals conceded | 4 | 5 |
| Ave. goals scored | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 4 | 5 |
| Points | 7 | 1 |
| Drawn | 1 | 1 |
| Won | 2 | 0 |
| Lost | 1 | 4 |
| Goal difference | 4 | -10 |
| Goals scored | 6 | 4 |
| Goals conceded | 2 | 14 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.5 | 2.8 |
Chelsea face Man Utd challenge
Man Utd lost its last away match 2-nil to title challengers Liverpool and will now face another title challenge away from home.
The two teams are separated by just two points and a win for the home team would open that gap to five points.
Here is some of the stats for the two teams after 11 matches in the league:
| Chelsea | Man United | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | 1 | 2 |
| Played | 11 | 11 |
| Points | 27 | 25 |
| Drawn | 0 | 1 |
| Won | 9 | 8 |
| Lost | 2 | 2 |
| Goal difference | 20 | 12 |
| Clean sheets | 6 | 4 |
| Failed to score | 0 | 2 |
| Goals scored | 28 | 23 |
| Goals conceded | 8 | 11 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Biggest win | Chelsea 5 - 0 Blackburn | Wigan 0 - 5 Man United |
| Biggest loss | Wigan 3 - 1 Chelsea | Liverpool 2 - 0 Man United |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 15 | 16 |
| Drawn | 0 | 1 |
| Won | 5 | 5 |
| Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 14 | 6 |
| Goals scored | 15 | 13 |
| Goals conceded | 1 | 7 |
| Ave. goals scored | 3.0 | 2.2 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 5 |
| Points | 12 | 9 |
| Drawn | 0 | 0 |
| Won | 4 | 3 |
| Lost | 2 | 2 |
| Goal difference | 6 | 6 |
| Goals scored | 13 | 10 |
| Goals conceded | 7 | 4 |
| Ave. goals scored | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.2 | 0.8 |
Glory to test Phoenix
Phoenix beat Gold Coast 6-nil and then in their next home match beat Newcastle Jets 3-nil and therefore I think the Glory must be hoping to stop that trend and at least score against them.
The Glory has lost the last the three matches and are beginning to slide down the ladder and are currently in fifth place.
Here is the rest of the stats so far:
| Perth Glory | Wellington Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 5 | 6 |
| Played | 13 | 13 |
| Points | 17 | 16 |
| Drawn | 2 | 7 |
| Won | 5 | 3 |
| Lost | 6 | 3 |
| Goal difference | 1 | 5 |
| Clean sheets | 3 | 4 |
| Failed to score | 1 | 3 |
| Goals scored | 18 | 19 |
| Goals conceded | 17 | 14 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Biggest win | Perth Glory 2 - 0 Newcastle Jets Brisbane Roar 2 - 4 Perth Glory | Wellington Phoenix 6 - 0 Gold Coast |
| Biggest loss | Adelaide Utd 1 - 0 Perth Glory Wellington Phoenix 2 - 1 Perth Glory Central Coast Mariners 2 - 1 Perth Glory Gold Coast 2 - 1 Perth Glory NQ Fury 2 - 1 Perth Glory Perth Glory 1 - 2 Melbourne Victory | Sydney 2 - 0 Wellington Phoenix Sydney 3 - 1 Wellington Phoenix |
| Home matches | ||
| Played | 6 | 6 |
| Points | 11 | 12 |
| Drawn | 2 | 3 |
| Won | 3 | 3 |
| Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Goal difference | 3 | 10 |
| Goals scored | 9 | 13 |
| Goals conceded | 6 | 3 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Away matches | ||
| Played | 7 | 7 |
| Points | 6 | 4 |
| Drawn | 0 | 4 |
| Won | 2 | 0 |
| Lost | 5 | 3 |
| Goal difference | -2 | -5 |
| Goals scored | 9 | 6 |
| Goals conceded | 11 | 11 |
| Ave. goals scored | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Ave. goals conceded | 1.6 | 1.6 |
Sevilla, Lyon go through
They were the only two teams to seal their places in the last sixteen from match day two of round four and will now play to top their groups in the remaining two fixtures.
Fiorentina were the highest scorers of the day winning 5-2 against Debrecen and team is now very near to getting into the last sixteen.
In Group F Rubin Kazan held defending champions Barcelona to a goalless draw and the next match for Barca will be against Inter Milan. Inter Milan edged out Dynamo Kiev to top the group.
Maybe this is the right time to look at the scorelines after four round of matches as shown below:
| Scoreline | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 0 - 0 | 5 |
| 0 - 1 | 7 |
| 0 - 2 | 1 |
| 0 - 3 | 2 |
| 0 - 4 | 1 |
| 1 - 0 | 6 |
| 1 - 1 | 10 |
| 1 - 2 | 4 |
| 1 - 3 | 1 |
| 1 - 4 | 2 |
| 2 - 0 | 6 |
| 2 - 1 | 5 |
| 2 - 2 | 2 |
| 2 - 3 | 2 |
| 2 - 5 | 1 |
| 3 - 0 | 1 |
| 3 - 1 | 2 |
| 3 - 3 | 1 |
| 3 - 4 | 1 |
| 4 - 0 | 1 |
| 4 - 1 | 1 |
| 5 - 2 | 1 |
| 6 - 1 | 1 |
The most popular scoreline at this stage is the 1-all draw with 10 occurrences.
Marseille humble FC Zurich
This is the first time in the competition this year that a team has won with a 5 goal margin and also the first time that a team has scored six goals in a match.
The result also means that FC Zurich has conceded the most goals with 12 conceded so far after also losing 5-2 to Real Madrid in round 1.
Elsewhere Manchester United, Chelsea, Bordeaux and FC Porto booked their places in the last 16 with two matches to spare.
For Bordeaux its the first time the team has qualified for the knockout stages and that will mean that either Bayern Munich or Juventus will miss out.
Villareal tame Tenerife
This is Villareal's second win of the season after winning its first match in the last round. Villareal had failed to register a win in the first seven rounds of the season.
Barcelona drew away and its lead at the top has now been reduced to just one point.
Barca looked set to grab all three points but Osasuna scored in the last minute of the match.
Real Madrid has now closed the gap at the top to just one point after winning its match against Getafe 2-nil.
Mallorca continues to impress with another win and this time a 1-nil win over Racing Santander to keep fifth place.
After taking a look at the first half table last week, this week lets take a look at the second half table. This just considers the result for the last 45 minutes of the match and here it is:
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | A gainst | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 19 |
| Barcelona | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| Mallorca | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | |
| Sevilla | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Villarreal | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Valencia | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Sporting Gijon | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Valladolid | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Getafe | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 9 | - 2 | 12 |
| R Santander | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| Zaragoza | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 11 |
| Espanyol | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 10 |
| Atletico | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 10 |
| Tenerife | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 9 |
| Osasuna | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 8 | - 2 | 8 |
| Málaga | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8 | - 3 | 8 |
| Almeria | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | - 4 | 8 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 6 |
| Xerez | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 11 | - 9 | 6 |
So here Real Madrid leads and in third place not surprising is Mallorca.
Big win for Pompey
This is hardly surprising to be their biggest win as this was only the team's second win so far and suddenly things are beginning to look up at Fratton Park.
However, this win was not enough to lift the team from the bottom of the table but they are tied on points with West Ham and poor goal difference sees them anchor the table.
After beating Manchester United in the previous round at home, Liverpool lost its third consecutive away match after losing 1-3 to Fulham.
The top three teams all won and there is so after round 11 there is no change at the top.
So this week I take a look at the form table looking at the last six matches only:
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | A | GD | Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 16 | WWWWDW |
| Man United | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 13 | WWDWLW |
| Chelsea | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 12 | WLWLWW |
| Liverpool | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 9 | WWLLWL |
| Everton | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 9 | WWDDLD |
| Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 9 | WLDWDD |
| Stoke | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | DLDWWD |
| Burnley | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 9 | WLWLLW |
| Fulham | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 8 | LLDWDW |
| Sunderland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 8 | LWDWLD |
| Bolton | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 8 | DWDLWL |
| Man City | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 7 | LWDDDD |
| Portsmouth | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 7 | LLWLDW |
| Tottenham | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 7 | LWDWLL |
| Bham City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 | WLLLWD |
| Wigan | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 | LWLDWL |
| Wolves | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 6 | WLLDDD |
| Blackburn | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 6 | LWLWLL |
| Hull | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 4 | LLWLDL |
| West Ham | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 3 | LLDLDD |
Its not surprising Arsenal are the form team having not lost in their last six matches.
Fury in back to back wins
The win lifted Fury from the bottom of the ladder three steps up to seventh position.
They were replaced at the bottom by Newcastle Jets who managed a draw away to Brisbane Roar. However, the Jets have a game in hand to be played during the week.
Sydney maintained its top position after beating the Wellington Phoenix 3-1. All three Sydney goals came in the first half and the Phoenix scored towards the end of the match.
So this week I will take a look at the first half ladder. In next week's post on the A-League I will take a look at the second half ladder.
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Coast | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 21 |
| Sydney | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| Perth Glory | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| Newcastle Jets | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| Adelaide Utd | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Melbourne Victory | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 17 |
| Brisbane Roar | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 16 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 16 |
| NQ Fury | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 7 |
So the Gold Coast is the team that has gone into half time leading more than any other team in the league so far.
