Even if we discount the fact that they have now named their stadium after a company that their owner runs, throwing almost 120 years of history into the gutter, Newcastle United have been hitting the headlines a lot more than usual this season.

After 11 games they sit third in the table, just a point behind Manchester United and three points ahead of Chelsea in fourth. This is a position which not even the most seasoned and cynical pundit would have predicted.

However they undoubtedly deserve a lot of credit for the start of the season, But the fact is they have only picked up two points in games against the so called Big Six. Drawing 2-2 with Tottenham on October 16th and 0-0 with Arsenal way back on the first day of the season when the Gunners began that abysmal run of form.

Though those results deserve some credit, until they start winning those sorts of matches the Magpies will not become genuine top six contenders.

As heartening as it is to see another team up there mixing it with the big boys, I feel that by Christmas Newcastle will have run out of steam and dropped back down into a top ten place which realistically is their best hope for this season.

When you look at their next three fixtures, they have Manchester City away, Manchester United away and then Chelsea at home on December 3rd, even the most ardent Newcastle fan wont be expecting much more than to maybe mirror their earlier results against top London sides and take a point off Chelsea at the start of December.

To be honest, as much as I would love to see the big Manchester clubs inflicted with a bloody nose by the lads from the North East, the amount of talent from both clubs should produce an easy home win on both occasions.

Chelsea at home is a different matter entirely. With the crowd behind them and Demba Ba on form, it’s not entirely unrealistic that Newcastle could snatch something from the game.

The squad the Magpies have to pick from isn’t without talent, but it lacks the depth of a top six side. Ba is in great form, but the injury prone front man doesn’t yet have the credibility of a goal scorer like Torres, van Persie or Rooney.

Leon Best has a lot of potential and at 25 he still has some years to mature and Shola Ameobi is only a player of average calibre. Peter Lovenkrands shone for Rangers but he is 31 now and past his prime. Danny Guthrie is an excellent young midfielder and Argentinean Jonas Gutierrez has produced flashes of brilliance but has lacked consistency.

All in all, as sad as it may be, I firmly believe Newcastle’s great start to the season will falter and they will fall away from their current lofty perch and drift back into mid table mediocrity, starting with defeats against Man City, Man United and in all probability Chelsea.

Maybe it’s a bit premature to talk about must-win games and the possibilities of a top four finish when we are only in November, but it’s certainly true to say that the next three games could define Liverpool’s season. It could either rendering the Reds under-achievers for yet another year, or embodying hope for Reds fans that this could be the year they venture back into Europe.

About the game against Swansea at the weekend, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said “We were poor in most aspects If not every aspect of the game.”

Liverpool’s home form has been patchy at best having failed to win any of their last three home games. They peppered Norwich’s goal with 25 shots but only managed 1 goal, couldn’t put to bed an under strength United side, and against Swansea they didn’t manage to score at Anfield for the first time this season.

In a weekend where both Chelsea and Manchester United scraped 1-0 wins with under par performances, it speak volumes for Liverpool’s European hopes that they couldn’t do the same.

A squad with the goalscoring talents of Luis Suarez, who had 11 shots against Norwich without scoring a goal, and £35 million powerhouse Andy Carroll whose form has been patchy at best along with veteran Welshman Craig Bellamy should never be short of goals, but this season the Reds are  struggling to find the net. The chances are coming but the side isn’t converting enough of those chances.

Suarez has been on sparkling form creatively but has been lacking accuracy finishing. As former Liverpool striker John Alridge said, ‘[Suarez] is a scorer of great goals, not a great goal scorer.”

Provided Liverpool’s strike force hit a run of form, the midfielders look capable of taking the side forward. Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam has impressed the Anfield faithful in his maiden season. Lucas Leiva has grown tremendously over the last 18 months. Combine that with the undoubted potential of youngster Jordan Henderson, then contrary to the lackluster home form of late, things are looking up for the Merseyside club.

When you consider full back Glen Johnson has returned from injury and Spanish left back José Enrique has slotted seamlessly into the side, added to Daniel Agger’s successful return, defensively the Reds look solid.

If they can keep players fit and healthy during the international break — which is by no means as simple as it sounds — then they have a chance of going to Stamford Bridge and getting a result

Manchester  City visit Anfield on November 27 and even the most optimistic fan would have to think twice about predicting a home victory with the form the Citizens are in. Then just two days later, Liverpool play Chelsea in the Carling Cup — a tough turnaround for any side. So Liverpool may have it all do come December.

The prognosis? Liverpool have the squad to finish well, but in this day and age that just isn’t enough. Realistically Spurs and even Arsenal will probably outbid them in the fight for a European place.

The Golden ball has released their shortlist of players of which one will be chosen as the undisputed best player for this past year. Yet, as it’s been the case for a couple of years now, the shortlist raised more questions than provided answers.

The list, which is chosen by France Football Magazine, has always had its critics although as of late, it has attracted more widespread criticism than ever before. Many people believed that last year’s edition should’ve been awarded to Wesley Sneijder who not only won the Champions League, but also made it to the World Cup final being the competition’s top scorer with five goals, only to miss out on this glorious feat by Andreas Iniesta’s goal.

To make things a bit worse, not only was he not included in the 23-list, he was not beaten to this award by one of his Spanish counterparts. Rather, it was Lionel Messi who –arguably- undeservedly won that award. For a player who didn’t win a major silverware in that particular season – La Liga apart- it came as an eyebrow-raising shock to see him among the final three nominees for the award, let alone ending up as the sole winner.

In a World Cup year, the tradition has been to award this trophy to a player who dazzled fans and opponents in that particular tournament as it’s considered the biggest stages of all. We’ve seen players like Ronaldinho in the past – who won all he could on a club level in 2006 – being beaten by a Fabio Cannavaro who did nothing but step it up on the biggest stages of all; the World Cup.

Well, that’s all in the past now. But one thing France Football could’ve done this year to redeem itself was launch the 23 player list based on merit, and once again, it failed miserably.

There seems to be some kind of a bias towards La Liga and in its players. No one argues against Messi deserving this year’s award –leading his Barcelona team to Champions League glory- or Spain’s players being the best in the world having been crowned with almost all silverware available for them, collectively at least. Individually, it’s been a completely different case however.

Starting with Cesc Fabregas who not only was injured for the most part of this year, but couldn’t lead his arsenal team to a simple Carling Cup victory has questioned the credibility of this award, raising questions on the basis for which players are selected. Players like Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema, and Sergio Aguero, who have not had any silverware attached to their names, have arguably taken the place of other winners that simply can’t but wonder what more could they do to get selected. Ibrahimovic has aided his Milan team to their first league title since 2004 in his first year in black and red, while Falcão led his Porto team to Europa League glory beating the record of most goals scored in a single season -since Klinsmann held the honor- scoring 17 goals on his way to glory.

Edison Cavani and the under-rated Toto Di Natale have both –unexpectedly- fired their teams in the Champions League, ripping Italy’s nets consistently only for their efforts to go unnoticed. Bundesliga winners Borussia Dortmund haven’t been represented by a single player, while household names like Ribery and Robben –although expectedly- didn’t find space either. Mario Gomez’s consistency both with Germany and Bayern Munich have also been overlooked, along with the 16 goals he’s banged this season.

Turning our attention to the EPL, two players in the form of Tevez and Van Persie have undeservedly missed out. The former who topped the scoring charts in league action with 20 goals, also led his Manchester City team to their first silverware in 35 years, in the form of the FA Cup. Van Persie on the other hand, has scored 28 goals in his last 27 League matches to lift his Arsenal side among all the darkness that surrounded his club in the aftermath of selling Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

One could argue that the list can’t be compromised of attackers alone, yet when we fully analyze the list we find that defenders like Tiago Silva – Serie A’s best defender of late- and Vincent Kompany who has steadied Man City’s backline have been ignored in favor of Dani Alvez and Eric Abidal; two players who have added very little to a team composed of champions like Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta.

Whichever way you look at it, France Football and Fifa have a lot of justifying to do. Having overlooked players time and time again, it’s time for them to clarify the basis on which their lists are chosen or the Golden Ball continues its decline and its incredibility in the eyes of the football world as a whole.

Fans and media alike have been reveling in the praise of the new-look Juventus, and one must tribute the hard work done by Antonio Conte.

For a couple of years now, there seemed to be a perpetual state of skepticism surrounding the Juve Camp. Transfer market after transfer market, the Bianconeri were still seen lugging the burden of underachievement. Judging by recent events, one finds a new breeze of fresh air sweeping by Turin.

Boosted by both, a new stadium of the their own, and a couple of major deals involving the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, the Bianconeri have upped their game this year and are slowly by surely wiping out this influx of negativity. The Juventus Stadium has surely helped the cause being a major contributor to their recent success, yet most of the credit for their revival has to be attributed to one man; Antonio Conte.

For two consecutive years, the Bianconeri have finished in 7th place which did not suit their history or their fans. There was an appalling lack of consistency that saw Luigi Del Neri’s team last term struggle until the very last month of the season to get three consecutive wins. Results like the 2-0 loss to Lecce right after beating their arch-rivals Inter 1-0 at home signified a major default in their mentality.

Rather than seeing Juve falter every handful of games, there seems to be a new arsenal under Juve’s sleeves as Conte has instilled all the mental attributes that made him the great captain he was. We’ve seen the enthusiasm against Parma, the resilience against Siena, the will and hunger against Bologna, and most importantly a never give-up attitude against Milan that has been dreadfully missed in the past.

Tactically speaking, Juve’s revival has seen them enforce their game upon their opponents. Conte has adopted a new possession-based, high-tempo game of short passing accompanied by a whole-field pressing system that sees even their wingers draw backwards to help cover up and close down spaces. In other words, Conte has made his players play for the good of the team, not to mention that he’s been the only coach in recent years to make the ‘whole’ more than the ‘sum of its parts’.

Now this is a cause of concern as much as it’s a cause of enthusiasm for all-involved. Conte has been able to mask and disguise Juve’s problems up until now but that does not mean that he’s solved them. Ever since Pavel Nedved’s retirement there hasn’t been any adequate replacement to fill in the shoes of one of Juve’s greatest wingers ever.

To make things worse, there is now a void on the right flank ever since Mauro Camoranesi left the club. Even though Krasic started his Juve career brightly with comparisons to Nedved, it was apparent right from the beginning that he was never going to fulfill such a promise.

Just like Juve’s new -yet to be fully tested- signing, Eljero Elia, Krasic’s main quality is beating his opponent in one-to-one situations. Yet, there seems to be a lack of an end-product in terms of crossing, finishing, and even passing or assist making.

Simone Pepe has been one of the more impressive wingers, along with Giaccherini they seem to be well composed and willing to abide by the leader’s commands. In terms of crossing they seem to be plagued by the same inability as their fellow wingers.

Now for a 4-4-2 system that relies heavily on the wings this could prove to be a worrying trend indeed, especially when you consider that the Bianconeri do not posses much strength in their wide full-back positions. Even though Lichtsteiner has been impressive so far, a team of Juve’s caliber can’t count on one full back to solve their problems out wide.

Shifting Chiellini to the left, like Conte did against Milan, might provide more solidity and stability to their left wing but it might decrease the efficiency of their back-line as a result. Just like Claudio Gentile recently mentioned, placing Chiellini on the left permanently depends on the performances of Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci; an under-developed partnership that needs time to gel and muster.

At this point in time, there doesn’t seem to be a ‘perfect’ team in Calcio. Napoli have impressed the most but some argue that it’s too soon for them to win the league. The Milanese clubs have under-achieved and are having problems of their own, while the unrest in Lazio and the gradual development of the Roma project are potential obstacles in seeing any of them win the league this year.

Juventus too have problems of their own but Conte has done his best to hide them for now. Yet, the true challenge lies in overcoming those obstacles on the long run.

Whichever way you put it, the signs of the new Juve project are encouraging indeed. Given time, patience, and the ability to deploy his own ideas and mentality Conte is surely the right person to guide Juventus to glory, but one must wonder, can he do so immediately?