Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend
Fabio Capello should not delete Bobby Zamora's number, United need a new midfield and Luis Súarez could win more penalties
Fulham have lost only one game in which Bobby Zamora has started this season. Fabio Capello take note. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images
1) Capello should not forget about Zamora
When Bobby Zamora was called up by Fabio Capello at the start of this season (by text message), he immediately called the Football Association to check that it wasn't a hoax. "I'm all right at pretty much most things," was the striker's self-deprecating assessment of his own abilities back in August, before he made his senior international debut, at the age of 29, in the home game against Hungary. The following month he broke his leg, ruling him out for five months, and only now is he returning to full fitness. How much Fulham have missed him was clear on Saturday, when he impressed
in the convincing victory over Sunderland, creating two of his side's three goals and playing a significant role in the other, with a perfectly judged through-ball to release Steve Sidwell, whose cut-back was converted by Simon Davies. Fulham certainly seem to benefit from his presence: of the eight games he has started for the club this season, only one has been lost – and that was at Old Trafford. When he broke his leg Fulham, after four league games, were fourth. Without him they won just one further game before Christmas, by which time they were 18th. Just last week Mark Hughes spoke about Zamora's importance to his team. "I am convinced we would be in the top 10 of the table if Bobby was fit this season," he said.
This morning they are ninth, and Zamora is looking more than ever an international.
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2) United need a new midfield, whether they win the league or not
It seems like a preposterous thing to say about a team that is still likely to win its 19th title this month
despite defeat to Arsenal yesterday, but a glance at Manchester United's starters in central midfield at various points this season shows how uncertain Sir Alex Ferguson has been about his preferred pairing. Fletcher-Carrick, Fletcher-Scholes, Scholes-Giggs, Carrick-Scholes, Gibson-Carrick, Anderson-Carrick, Gibson-Anderson and Gibson-Scholes have all been used together with varying success. Darren Fletcher's ongoing battle to overcome a virus for the best part of six months has not helped, and had it not been for Ferguson's shrewd use of his wide players with United often bypassing the central areas with razor-sharp attacks down the flanks, it could be that United's title hopes are no longer in their own hands.
The news that Cesc Fábregas was missing for Arsenal should have given United a boost, but with Anderson – who is supposed to provide the industry – and Carrick unable to cope with Song's physicality and Wilshere and Ramsey's movement, it didn't matter a jot. United have come unstuck against energetic midfields more often than in previous seasons, when they would not have got away with nine draws and four defeats on the road.
United play Chelsea at home next week, where in familiar surroundings they have been able to set the tempo. If they win it doesn't negate the fact that they still need a player who will hunt the ball down and win it back with the tenacity of a dog after its favourite toy. Ferguson knows full well too. His willingness to give Owen Hargreaves every opportunity to come back, despite all scientific evidence suggesting he's bound for football's glue factory, proves this. If United pip Liverpool to Standard Liège's Steven Defour this may give United a pair of hard-running sturdy boots in midfield, but with the ageing Scholes likely to retire and Carrick unable to offer comfort game-in game-out, Ferguson may need a new pair of slippers too.
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3) How often we'll see Bernie Ecclestone at matches next season
Queens Park Rangers were finally promoted after their 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday, and will be in the
Premier League next season (unless the
Alejandro Faurlín decision goes very badly for them). Also on Saturday their owner, Bernie Ecclestone,
revealed to the Mail his finest thoughts about the beautiful game. Highlights included his Sven-Göran Eriksson-shaming match-departing habits: "When I do go to football, I leave at half-time," he said. "By then you can see which way it's going. And they close the roads and all that business. I don't want to be delayed for an hour afterwards. I don't stay to have a drink with other directors. I've got nothing to say to them." But Ecclestone didn't leave Vicarage Road at half-time, because at all of 12.173 miles from Loftus Road as the crow flies it was too far for him to bother going at all. "I only go when we are playing locally," he said, adding that he "wouldn't go to Watford to see the World Cup final".
Finally, Ecclestone's guide to this year's promotion-winning team: "Actually if you ask me to name five of our team, I couldn't. There's that guy who scores goals for us – Taarabt. Routledge I've heard of. They're all bloody nice guys, but I don't mix with them so I don't know them well." Welcome to the top flight, Bernie. With all the goings-on at the top of the division at the moment (and we won't go into all the Chelsea v Tottenham shenanigans because most of us probably knew about the need for goal-line technology, and the fact that Chelsea look better when Didier Drogba's on his own up front, before this weekend), it might take the Formula One-controlling maestro a while to get used to a competition where the leader might actually get overtaken.
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4) Suárez could win more penalties
In the 58th minute of Liverpool's game against Newcastle, Luis Suárez nicked the ball off Mike Williamson, scampered in front of him and then collapsed into the penalty area, having felt the very slightest pressure on his shoulders. The only remarkable aspect of this scene was that, barely three minutes earlier, the very same Uruguayan forward had skipped into the very same Newcastle penalty area, where Fabio Colloccini had stuck out a leg, missed the ball and caught his opponent. This was a much clearer penalty than the one that was awarded shortly afterwards, but on this occasion Suárez absolutely refused to go to ground. I cannot have been the only person to turn to a neighbour after the first incident to praise the forward's diehard honesty only to be forced to eat my words before they had even left my mouth, and thus assume that these two events were deliberately planned to make thousands of kind-hearted football folk look silly.
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5) How desperate commentators were to mention the royal wedding
"On a weekend of celebration in London, John Terry makes his 500th Chelsea appearance." Are you sure you want to say that, Motty? ARE YOU SURE?
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