Wednesday Recap

I'm not sure if the EPL results today and their contrast with my picks has more to do with the fact that I am by no means an expert or the fact that it's just a competitive, unpredictable league. Probably both. I only got one right and that was a predictable win at Newcastle by Manchester United. At least I managed some decent pre-match analysis as the Magpies took an early lead and played hard only to be finally outclassed and defeated thanks to goals from Rooney and Berbatov on either side of the break.

West Ham keep chugging towards Europe with a 1-0 win at Wigan (I didn't get that one too wrong). Carlton Cole scored the winner before being sent off for getting two yellows.

A poor match by most accounts saw Blackburn hold Everton to 0-0 at home. A better result for Rovers than I predicted but not enough to keep them from sliding back into the bottom 3.

I should have had more respect for Stoke City's home form as they produced another fine win at the Britannia Stadium with Bolton the unlucky victims. 2-0 to Stoke with one goal provided by James Beattie who has been an important acquisition for the Potters.

Middlesbrough couldn't gain any momentum from their upset of Liverpool and got thumped by Tottenham 4-0 at White Hart Lane. Aaron Lennon, with a brace, joined Keane and Pavlyuchenko on the score sheet.

Hull City earned a dramatic win, and a vital 3 points, with a 1-0 scoreline against Fulham.

The only game I got to watch was Manchester City v. Aston Villa, a game I predicted would end in a draw. Manchester City definitely came out with more purpose with good chances by Stephen Ireland, who has had a great season, Felipe Caicedo, who is a bull of a man, and Shaun Wright-Phillips all going begging. They should have been up more but Elano converted a definite penalty after Wright-Phillips was taken down. It could have been closer to the draw I predicted after the break if Villa had taken their chances but like many of City's they went by the wayside. Good goalkeeping by Bran Friedel kept Villa in the game before Wright-Phillips made sure of maximum points for the home team late on. 2-0 to Manchester City.

Having picked these games kind of made it more interesting to follow them throughout the day (when I should have been working), and I'm excited that this makeshift pseudo-journalism will add another dimension to my love for soccer.

A bit of Italian action and my thoughts on my other favorite team's manager are up next.