Coronation Street

Seven games into the newest Barclays Premiership season and its hard not to announce the coronation of Chelsea in the defence of their league title. Todays London derby was a smashing affair from front to finale and despite the obvious skill put forth by the Gunners, the quality of the Blues was simply too much. Drogba continues to be the biggest beast in English football with a touch I imagine exists only in the bedroom of Kiera Knightly and a sense of occasion matched only by John F Kennedy. While Wenger's side pressed on throughout the second half with their unique and fluid attack, one couldnt help but sense that the Chelsea counter would respond, with an arrogant formation of leaving Anelka, Drogba and Malouda forward. On que, Alex's otherwordly strike from a free kick sliced the hearts of the Arsenal faithful (aided in no small part to a sly play on the wall by Malouda). A great game soaked in big moments and all the proof this guy needs that this season is Chelsea's to lose.

Wenger's laundry list of excuses aside, they continue to be incapable of rising above the likes of Chelsea and United. Nothing suggests that will change with this squad. While United continue to assert their place at the summit of club football, their inability to close on the road is evident of a side still in transition. Much like the side that went on to 3 straight English titles a few years back, Sir Alex's club is stacked with rising talent that will no doubt have its day, but my boyish fandomonium aside, I just dont see this being the year for the Red Devils. Spurs have been leaking oil since the start of the season, and commitments in Europe may prove once again too much for the boys at White Hart Lane. That said Gareth Bale's ascension to the ranks of world class fullback along with Harry's transfer heist of Rafael Van Der Vaart should keep them competetive in the top of table. Manchester City, mark my words, have finally arrived 2 years after the billions of dollars in Arab oil money was dumped into the Eastlands outfit. Their endless shopping spree is finally giving fruit as the assembled stars finally begin to gel as a team. This in spite of a manager in Mancini that I believe is fully incapable of steering a side of this quality to the promised land. In spite of their boss, the likes of Tevez, Johnson et al will make their mark & here at the international break, they stand behind only the Chelsea juggernaut in the infant title race.

Which leaves my favorite story of this new season, the nightmarish turn in fortunes of Liverpool FC. Today's famous home loss to Premier League virgins, Blackpool leaves the legendary Merseyside outfit in the relegation zone with only 1 win in 7 games. The collapse of arguably England's greatest team has a place alongside Tiger Woods, OJ Simpson & Julius Ceasar. With fan revolts taking to the streets in protest to the ownersip debacle, Carling Cup extinction to the hands of 2nd division zero's from Northampton, and their worst start to a campaign in the modern era, things continue to spiral toward depths that would make Ahab's whale cringe. At this rate its not at all unreasonable to suspect the like of Gerrard & Torres could be gone by Christmas. Its the kind of turn in fortune that only fans of Leeds United can truly fathom, and that disaster has taken over a decade to recover from. My support of Man U is rivaled only by the vitriol of my loathing of Liverpool FC, yet even I cant help but be stunned by this epic fail at Anfield. Its as if I awoke to a naked Zoey Deschannel asleep on my chest while my flatmate John Lennon was busy preparing roast duck & porkbelly Eggs Benedict in the kitchen (which by the way overlooked the rugged hills of my Priorat wine estate). Yet somehow my dream come true tastes a bit stale. Rivalries of the tallest order survive not on the utter defeat of your enemies, rather the constant and ethereal struggle against them. While the suffering of Anfield scum arrived in my cellar with all the exhuberant gusto of an '82 Margeaux, I fear now the bottle may turn out to be the victim of corkage.

Fans of food & wine content rest assured there is more to come as I put the finishing touches on "A Horse is a Course (Of Horse)" and "Tasting Notes: Rhone Valley".

Glory Glory Man United!