Onion Bag: Berbatov Redux, Messi Injured, Coventry Sign Sex Offender

Berbatov has scored six goals in his five appearances, including a stupendous hat-trick for Man U against Liverpool, their first against them since 1946. With Wayne Rooney as unglued as his marriage, he has, almost singlehandedly, kept the Premier League title within reach.

Typical Arsenal: The Gunners gave credence to two truisms last week. They eviscerated Braga 6-0 showing that, when a less talented team tries to pass and play with them, they can be stupendous. Their 1-1 draw with Sunderland showed how woefully unprepared they are to handle any other type of team. They are spectacular with the ball. When they don’t have it they’re a disorganized mess.

Arsene Wenger is a trained economist. He’s the soccer equivalent of a stat-geek. Every move makes sense in theory. He gets maximal value from minimal expenditure. His brand of soccer, with ball-playing athletes at every position, is the future of the sport. Goalkeepers exert so little influence on the game it’s folly to spend heavily on one. English transfer targets are tremendously overvalued (James Milner cost twice as much as Real Madrid paid for Mesut Ozil).

Unfortunately, Arsenal don’t play in theory. They play in England. Points are awarded for winning, not for winning on a budget. Arsenal have never adjusted to the balance of power shift created initially by Chelsea’s spending and exacerbated by Manchester City’s. The young generation has become progressively less suited to deal with England’s physical style. It has been five seasons without a trophy and a sixth looks more than probable.

Down to Earth: Atletico Madrid started off perfect as Barcelona and Real Madrid slipped. The team that finished 52 points off the pace last year began to believe, foolishly. Barcelona hammered them. The score was 2-1, but only the play of Atletico’s young goalkeeper kept it close. The emphatic win came with a casualty, though. Leo Messi had to be carted from the field after a gruesome tackle by Tomas Ujfalusi injured his ankle. Reports indicate the ligaments were sprained (not ruptured as feared) so Messi is expected to miss only two games.

Forgiveness: When you have athletic talent all may be forgiven. Anglo-Jamaican striker Marlon King will sign a deal to join Championship side Coventry City. King, 30, had his contract with Wigan Athletic terminated when he was convicted of sexual assault and assault causing bodily harm after punching a 20-year-old woman in the face. He served nine months of an 18-month prison sentence. This was King’s 14th appearance in court, third incident of violence against women and second period of incarceration since becoming a professional footballer. Ridiculous.

Goal of the Weekend: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) vs. Panathinaikos

[Photo via Getty]