After two successive cup games, Liverpool return to league action this Saturday with a home fixture against Stoke City. The Reds have already met Tony Pulis` men on two occasions this season, suffering a contentious 1-0 defeat at the Britannia in September before gaining a degree of revenge a month later with a 2-1 victory in the Carling Cup.

Dalglish’s side have been far too inconsistent at home this season. While they are unbeaten in 10 league matches at Anfield, they have drawn four of them. However, since the return of Steven Gerrard, Liverpool’s frail look since Suarez’s absence, not to forget Lucas’, who was outstanding for the Reds, has suddenly disappeared. Gerrard has led from the front since his return, and after seizing an important advantage in their attempt to reach Wembley for the first time since 1996, Liverpool will be hoping to continue their impressive recent run of form.

A clash with Tony Pulis’ Stoke is the first of three very winnable games for Liverpool, with meetings against Bolton and Wolves to follow. Liverpool will host Tottenham and travel to Old Trafford for a clash with Manchester United after those first outings. Stoke have been on a rise of their own however, and are not to be underestimated. Recent progress in the FA Cup following a 1-3 away victory against League Two side Gillingham and entering the round of 32 in the Europa League is indeed worth the praise. Also, with the Potters being the current incumbents of the eighth spot in the League, it is safe to say that all is well at the Britannia. But, Anfield is a very hard place for them to go on Saturday and Matthew Etherington and Jonathan Walters, who have both laid on five assists this campaign, will need to produce their best if Stoke are to come away with anything.

Liverpool will be brimming with confidence after recent results and I expect them to come away with a comfortable three points. The Reds will be without Lucas and Suarez, with Spearing ‘touch and go’ according to Dalglish. Henderson will be the player to watch this weekend after his impressive, energy-sapping performance vs Manchester City, and along with Downing, Adam and Bellamy will provide a strong source of pace and creativity behind Gerrard, who could start just behind Carroll. Former Red Peter Crouch will lead the attack for Stoke and will be trying to score his first goal against them in his ninth attempt.

Stoke have scored just eight goals away from home so far this season. Only Fulham have a worse record having netted just six times on their travels. Equally worrying for the Potters is the fact that Liverpool have conceded just eight times at home in the league, a statistic bettered only by Arsenal and Manchester City.

The pressure is mounting on Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas after his side were downed 2-1 by Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League Wednesday night. After losing three out of their last four games in the Premier League it was hoped the Blues would be able to put in a performance to get themselves back on track. However, after taking the lead through Drogba and flirting with qualification for large parts of the game, they were beaten by a Bayer Leverkusen side inspired by their old-boy Michael Ballack. The German side, who are now guaranteed a place in the last 16 of the competition, leapfrogged the Londoners courtesy of Manuel Friedrich’s header from Gonzalo Castro’s 91st-minute corner, leaving André Villas-Boas’s side requiring a clean sheet or a victory against Valencia in next month’s showdown at Stamford Bridge to qualify.

Chelsea do not usually find themselves needing to get a result from the last game of the group stages to qualify. It emphasizes the truth that they really are going through a mini crisis. Once again, the defending was all over the place, and Villas-Boas’ team were far too attacking. However, Chelsea will be deeply frustrated to come away with a loss. They let it slip, and these lapses are becoming too much of a habit.

Chelsea arrived with more bad news when it emerged that Ashley Cole, who had started all of their Barclays Premier League and European games this season, had been struck down by an ankle injury. Jose Bosingwa was recalled as an emergency left-back, while Raul Meireles and Daniel Sturridge came into the side beaten by Liverpool on Sunday — but there was still no place for Fernando Torres. Ballack, the 35-year-old midfielder, was playing his 100th game in Europe and inspired Leverkusen to dominate possession. Chelsea were pegged back. Villas-Boas had shifted the formation before kick-off and played Frank Lampard in a more attacking role to support Drogba, who had the first shot for Chelsea, dragging the ball wide of the post. However, Chelsea were playing dangerously when Gonzalo Castro won a corner which was met by Ballack whose header struck the cross-bar only to be hacked away by Ramires.

Chelsea then began to threaten and when Mata was brought into the game, they looked like even more like scoring. Daniel Sturridge, who rose above the general mediocrity, played an inch-perfect through-ball and Drogba rounded Bernd Leno before lashing wildly into the side-netting from a tight angle. Leverkusen began to lose their discipline, as Ballack became the third Leverkusen player to be booked. Mata then had a volley that was saved by Leno, after more fantastic work from Sturridge, and Chelsea went into half-time in control of the game.

Chelsea picked up where they had left off and were in front inside three minutes of the restart. Sturridge floated another fabulous ball in to Drogba, who brilliantly held off Friedrich before turning and rifling left-footed into the bottom corner for only his second goal of the season. Chelsea stepped up their momentum and had more chances to put the game to bed, including when Leno, the young goalkeeper, fantastically denied substitute Florent Malouda who had forced his way into the area and pushed his shot goalwards. However nerves began to creep into Chelsea’s game and Leverkusen, and Ballack, were twice denied by Petr Cech, first from an overhead kick and then from point blank range in a goal mouth scramble, but finally, after 73 minutes, the German side were able to equalize. Gonzalo Castro’s low cross was dummied by substitute Eren Derdiyok and Sidney Sam, through on goal, fooled the Chelsea defense by lofting a ball to the back post for Swiss striker Derdiyok to head home.

A draw was a reasonable result for Chelsea, but they were desperate for victory and Drogba was unfortunate not to win a penalty. Drogba then had another chance to score, but volleyed wide, and it proved costly. With the final whistle looming, Leverkusen snatched victory, Friedrich leaping superbly to power Castro’s corner in off the crossbar. Bayer Leverkusen now top Group E going into the last round of fixtures with nine points and Chelsea sit second, level on points with their next opponents Valencia, leaving their hopes of qualifying hanging in the balance.

After returning to the Tottenham bench Monday night, Harry Redknapp now believes Tottenham Hotspur can win the Premier League this season, if they keep their form up. Spurs have dropped only two points in their last nine games and they were scintillating at times Monday as they dismissed Aston Villa 2-0.

It is very hard to imagine Tottenham Hotspur sitting at the top of the table at the end of the season, but they are only four points off Manchester United, with a game in hand. They still languish behind the high-flying Manchester City, but Monday night Redknapp and his men in white demonstrated their upward mobility and their performance was brimming with speed and style. It has been 51 years since Spurs won the league title but Tottenham now appear as well equipped as any of the chasing pack to bridge the gap and even snatch the title from Manchester.

Rarely does a Premier League side have almost 70% of possession in a game. However against Villa, Tottenham really gave their fans reason to believe. They brushed past Aston Villa with so much authority and style, with all of their players performing to the highest standards. The football that has been played by Tottenham over the past few weeks has been elegant and demonstrates the sheer class that the side have. Adebayor is clearly loving life at the Lane, and can very easily fill the void of a consistent match-winning goalscorer; the midfield quartet are a blend of pace, invention, energy and efficiency, while the defense never fail to perform and are constantly in control. There are players at Tottenham that have so much potential. Walker is just one example. He is consistent, and one of the country’s most exciting prospects.

Eight wins in nine is an emphatic response to the humiliation they suffered when they played Manchester City at the beginning of the season. However where that takes them depends on their consistency and the performances of the clubs around them. Liverpool confirmed their status as top-four contenders with victory at Stamford Bridge while Arsenal have recovered from a disastrous start in an impressive fashion and in Robin van Persie, they boast the deadliest striker in the League by a distance. But, Tottenham seemed to rise to third place in an effortless way and with Redknapp being a master at what he does, why shouldn’t they have a shot at the biggest domestic prize of all?

Manchester United may have recorded five successive wins but still appear haunted by their derby day mauling by the league leaders, and Chelsea are clearly in a degree of disarray having lost three of their past four games. The only other club in the league performing to a higher standard than Tottenham is Manchester City, and although they are brimming with confidence and resilience, they are yet to prove they can go the distance. City’s next four League matches include clashes against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal when their mettle will be tested and Spurs should be waiting to take advantage. Tottenham’s next big game is the visit of Chelsea on December 22, and that will really show whether Redknapp is serious about challenging for the title. But for now, looking at their performances, no other team is improving and becoming stronger every week like Tottenham are, and maybe that league title will be returning to London much sooner than anyone expected.

Photo by Gilyo

Chelsea’s defeat by Liverpool has left them 12 points off the pace after just 12 matches, and this is their worst start to a Premier League season since 1995-6. Many are actually rather surprised that Abramovich hasn’t had enough of Andre Villas-Boas already. The problem with Chelsea this season has been that they simply haven’t learnt their lessons.

It’s almost as if Villas-Boas has decided to ignore every problem that has been glaringly obvious for the last few weeks. By not changing his tactics, Villas-Boas and Chelsea have certainly suffered. The defending has been dreadful, and this has inevitably caused confidence to sap across the pitch, because everything starts at the back, and by not sorting their problems out, the defense may also have cost Chelsea the title this season. For the first time in Abramovich’s time, his team have posted back-to-back league defeats and Manchester City really do see like a million miles away in the heavily competitive and strong Premier League. Is it time for Abramovich to continue his consistent form of impatience and call time on Villas-Boas’ very short tenure?

At any other club in the Premier League, if not the world, it would be outrageous to even suggest that Villas-Boas, regarded as one of Europe’s finest young coaches after winning the Portuguese title and Europa League at Porto last season, is under serious threat so early into his Chelsea career. But at Chelsea, it is not outrageous. To sack Villa-Boas, though, would be ludicrous and Abramovich should stick with him. Every new manager needs time to settle into their new job, especially this one because he is so young. It also helps that Villas-Boas himself believes, contrary to some fairly recent evidence, that he is a Chelsea manager in it for the long haul. However, after the performance against Liverpool on Sunday, it may need to be a very lengthy journey if Villas-Boas is going to lead Chelsea to any success. He has to put Chelsea back on track immediately and change his game plan because Abramovich is not going to hang around with him.

The ability of Liverpool, as well as QPR and Arsenal, to trouble Chelsea in recent weeks underlined one of the club’s primary problems. Chelsea’s key players that have brought them so much success in recent years are finally starting to stumble. John Terry and Ashley Cole have been extremely inconsistent this season, and Cech’s rare mistakes are now appearing with increasing regularity. Lampard, although still a strong influence, was kept very quiet yesterday and Drogba is not even close to the player he was last season. Villas-Boas has to transfer his faith into different players and make Chelsea his own team. Fernando Torres is looking lost at Chelsea, while David Luiz is impetuous in defense, getting caught out of position all the time and is incapable of defending in a flat back four. Most are bemused by the absence of Alex who surely should be the player alongside John Terry every time. However, Terry shouldn’t escape any scrutiny. He is no longer the same player, whether that is because of age or off-field distractions, and when you put this together with his lack of understanding with Luiz, the result is catastrophic.

Villas-Boas has tried to impose a more attacking style, but by doing this, the basics have been neglected. He has a lot of work to do, and the pressure is really building on him. However, if he gets the basic problems right – sorting out the defense and building a more diverse team, then Chelsea could return to the heavyweights of Europe. But at the moment, the current team is not going to get Roman Abramovich his Champions League title or his fourth Premier League crown. Villas-Boas wasn’t appointed as an experiment. He is an extremely young and therefore, inexperienced manager, but possesses huge potential. Given the time, he can be successful at Chelsea, but the process of improving and becoming comfortable with the team, has to speed up.

He is the man on everybody’s lips at the moment and has almost single-handedly lifted Arsenal out of their early-season crisis. Van Persie has been phenomenal since the beginning of the calendar year and is essential to Arsenal, but at the moment, they need him starting all of their games. Last night, Wenger showed everyone the dilemma he has when his captain is not available for selection. It was not a disastrous performance, but it was one that contained too many aspects of the old Arsenal. There were too many chances wasted and the tendency of letting the game slip away from them crept back into their game.

It was all underpinned by Wenger’s decision to leave Robin van Persie on the bench, which he later admitted had been a mistake. The Premier League’s leading goalscorer was finally summoned from his seat on 62 minutes and didn’t have a profound effect, mainly because his team-mates had lost their momentum, and it was clear that he was needed from the start. But if Arsenal seriously wish to enter the highly competitive top four this season, they simply cannot rely on Van Persie to rescue them in every game.

The Dutchman’s injury record suggests that it would be foolish to start him in every game, however, after he’d just scored a hatrick against Chelsea, it was a big mistake to not start him, and Wenger will be disappointed to let an easy chance of qualification for the Champions League slip. Nevertheless, Wenger’s men are going to have to learn to cope without him because Van Persie is so injury prone, and last night showed us that they have a lot to learn. They lacked flair and a general understanding amongst the team, which is always present with their captain. Marseille are only ninth in Ligue 1 but last night they dominated central midfield for long periods and had the better of most of the game. There was a promising first half from Aaron Ramsey who ran out of steam later on, and Santos is no doubt a promising player but is too prone to inexperienced runs and too often the cause of gaping holes on the left side of Arsenal’s defence.

So what will happen when Van Persie is rested, or injured, which he will undoubtedly need to be? Surely Wenger cannot let his team be as mediocre and slow as they were against Marseille, because that really will get them nowhere. Van Persie is the club’s most influential figure, behind Wenger, and in the absence of Jack Wilshere, carries the hopes of the club, but somehow they must assemble their team to be just as good without him. Arshavin’s rapid decline as a forward and Marouane Chamakh’s recent dire performances make it much harder in the striking front, but with a strong goalkeeper in Scezney, a defence that has much potential, and exciting attacking players such as Ramsey and Walcott, it is very possible that Arsenal can carry on their positive performances, should Van Persie not be involved.

Arsenal supporters are understandably frustrated at their side’s performance, and it is a worry for Wenger looking at them perform without Van Persie, because Arsenal were poor. He is pivotal to the club and yes, Arsenal do have enough potential to perform as well as they are at the moment without him, but this needs a lot of work, and in reality, Van Persie is the man they need to keep fit.

Two second half goals in the space of two minutes were enough for Arsenal to seal their place in the Carling Cup’s final eight against a wasteful Bolton side. This was Arsenal’s seventh win in eight games – a stat that may surprise many, but shows that Arsenal are on the road to recovery. Although for Wenger, the Carling Cup is all about giving the youth players a chance, Arsenal still needed the experienced Arshavin to send them through to the quarter finals. He produced a fine performance last night, his best for a long time in an Arsenal shirt. It was his two moments of class that made the difference in this game as his club continued to build momentum.

Having Thomas Vermaelen back in the starting line up was a boost for Arsenal and their fans, and Yossi Benayoun, Sebastien Squillaci and Andrey Arshavin were the other regular starters to give a guiding hand to the likes of debutant Nico Yennaris and teenagers Francis Coquelin, Ignasi Miquel, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Emmanuel Frimpong. Arsenal began with purpose, but the side’s in-experience was evident. Oxlade-Chamberlain was eager to build on his previous performance’s for the club, but he was not at his best on Tuesday night, and despite his enthusiasm, was clearly exposed, which may now quieten those who were calling for him to start ahead of Walcott.

It was a slow first half for Arsenal, with their only real chance of note coming when Benayoun teed up skipper Thomas Vermaelen from a free kick and his powerful strike from 25 yards was beaten out by Bogdan. Bolton however, had settled into the game well and began to threaten. Darren Pratley hit a 25 yard pile driver that stung the palms of Fabianski. The Chelsea loanee Gael Kakuta, playing on the right, then twisted an angle when faced with Ignasi Miquel and hit a low shot which Fabianski got down smartly to save. When half time came, most were distinctly underwhelmed by the game, and it was difficult to see where Arsenal’s breakthrough would come from.

Ten minutes into the second half, and Arsenal’s home Carling Cup record was under serious threat. Frimpong was caught in possession on the edge of the area by his academy predecessor Fabrice Muamba. He fed Ivan Klasnic into left of the area, who in turn, cut the ball back for Muamba who poked the ball into the roof of the net. But this was when Arshavin took the game into his own hands, and inspired the comeback. The Russian revelled in the central role and six minutes after Bolton’s goal, he showed his skill when carrying the ball into the opposition’s penalty area. With Knight and Davies declining, he shot low into the net and equalised for Arsenal. His determination continued and three minutes later he helped put Arsenal in front, waiting intelligently before slipping the ball through to Park, who scored his first goal since his summer move from Monaco with a curled finish from 10 yards.

The hosts had to hang on to keep their lead and were extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty after Cahill was felled by Frimpong. Owen Coyle rightly said after the game that ‘you will not see a clearer penalty’. Bolton upped the intensity which the Arsenal players were not used to. Fabianski made a strong save late on to deny Klasnic from close range after the striker had brushed past Squillaci. Klasnic should then have equalised two minutes from time, after he scooped the ball over the bar from seven yards. Wenger admitted after the match: “We were tested and the more experienced players took charge of the game, especially Arshavin, Park and [Yossi] Benayoun. They made the difference.”

Although there is a lot room for improvement in Arsenal’s young players, there were many plus points to take away from their performance. Arshavin headlined the evening and his talent was what won the game for Arsenal. Bolton and Owen Coyle will be disappointed, as they could and should have dispatched one of their many chances to earn a replay. Wenger will be pleased and Arsenal, who are improving in every match, will be wanting to win the Carling Cup after the drama of last season’s final.

Harry Redknapp probably has his best side to date at Tottenham Hotspur, much more superior than the team that took them into the Champions League two seasons ago anyway. Spurs are flying, having won four out of their last five Premier League games – including a 4-0 win over Liverpool and a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the north London derby. They sit in sixth place in the table, with a game in hand, and could easily mount a serious challenge for fourth place, if not higher. This is an unprecedented and exciting era for the club and their fans, so does their manager really want to leave his job and take up the role of England manager, the hardest job in the country? If he does go for it, and gets it wrong, it will be very tough for him to get back to the top, as McClaren and Eriksson have shown.

The general consensus is that Redknapp is the overwhelming favourite to take over from Fabio Capello when he steps down after the Euro’s next summer. Arsène Wenger, Alan Shearer and Alan Pardew are just some of the top names that have backed him, as well various high-ranking FA officials making it no secret of the fact they want to appoint an English manager. Redknapp is undoubtedly a fantastic manager. Spurs have consistently improved with him in charge and securing qualification for the Champions League two seasons ago was a massive achievement for the club. Furthermore, his progression up the managerial ladder from humble beginnings at Bournemouth means he is not an ex-pro who was automatically given a high-profile job to start his career. He has proved that he has raw talent as a manager, spending seven years at West Ham and taking the reins at Portsmouth, twice, and Southampton.

However, Redknapp’s managerial career has been solely club-based. A job in international management is a big change from the fast-paced domestic scene where he has been based for the past thirty years. Would he want to leave his club, who are looking more and more dangerous in the Premier League and rapidly becoming one of the top clubs in Europe? Redknapp must feel as if there is still a lot more he can do at Tottenham. He could bring much more success to Spurs with time. If Tottenham continue to improve, Redknapp wouldn’t want to swap his current job, for the slower-paced role of England manager, watching the Premier League from the stands. I just don’t see it happening. He is a manager that thrives off week-in week-out competition. England fans and the media have such high expectations from the national side, and I don’t think Redknapp would want to put himself in the firing line.

The current Tottenham manager has established himself as one of the country’s greatest managers, but he is yet to get to the top of his managerial career. He has the potential to win trophies at Spurs, especially with the current team he has there. Redknapp is yet to finish his job at the north London club. There are still challenges awaiting him and it will take more than a year to complete them, which he will want to do. How Tottenham get on this season – combined with England’s performance at Euro 2012 – will be what determines Redknapp’s decision, but we may well see a surprise face at the end of next summer taking over from Fabio Capello.

Phil Jones looks certain to play at the highest level for Manchester United and England for years to come. England need a fresher, more energetic and more youthful look next summer, and they will get that through Jones. He is full of confidence and brimming with talent, and at just 19 years of age, he will be a key player for both club and country, and a possible future captain. He is a footballer of boundless promise. No teenage Englishman (not even Jack Wilshere) has been spoken of in such eulogistic terms by Fabio Capello. At Old Trafford he has offered an instant solution to the physical decline of Ferdinand, who is slowing in thought and fitness in every game he plays.

However, he is the second United defender to be given his debut in an unfamiliar position by Capello in England’s past three matches after Smalling won his first cap at right back in Bulgaria. And this showed on Friday night. He was superb in his opponents half, but when it came to defending against Montenegro, he was often out of position and didn’t show the maturity that he has shown for the current champions of England this season. As much as he has impressed for United, his defensive instincts were not like that of John Terry, or even Rio Ferdinand when he is fully fit.

The Times summed his performance up perfectly, saying “Jones looked precisely what he is: a promising centre back being played out of position”. Now, I agree and believe that this is mainly because he wasn’t playing in his usual position. But either way, Jones’ defensive abilities will improve considerably with the experience he will get this season at his club. The lesson Capello needs to learn though, is to keep Phil Jones as a centre back. He is not good enough yet to command a place by playing out of position at right back, but assuming that Ferdinand’s injury problems have finally become too much, especially for England, he is a definite option for the role of centre back.

Phil Jones will have many more searching tests, especially in the Champions League, where the world’s best strikers will look to exploit his enthusiasm and catch him out of position. He is only 19, so of course he is not going to be faultless. But Jones looks the type to learn. Ferdinand and Vidic were the last hall-of-fame central defensive partnership in these positions at Manchester United and I expect we will see Jones moving into Ferdinand’s shoes, through his own talent and self-assurance, maybe even accompanying Chris Smalling in a new-look defensive partnership. Whatever happens, Sir Alex Ferguson can turn promise into greatness very easily, and he has got himself a classy centre back in Phil Jones.

Jones has played at right back for Manchester United, but he often finds himself having to make retrieving runs, missing tackles and therefore, not performing to his high standards. He looks so much more comfortable in the centre of defence. United have a couple of very talented defenders coming through, but Phil Jones seems to be the one who stands out. He can’t let one nervy night, on his England debut, cutback his audacious and exciting style of playing football. Capello just needs to learn that Jones is not a right back, but instead the optimum partner for John Terry at centre back. 

England have qualified. I suppose, that is the main thing. However, they qualified with the same typical tendencies that usually send us out of these major competitions. Firstly, Wayne Rooney, and his red card. He is under a barrage of criticism from the tabloids and rightly so. Some of the headlines include: ‘“We will Roo this moment,” “Roo Fool!” and “An Idiot Abroad”. Rooney can’t hide from what he did in his moment of madness. It was completely and utterly unnecessary and immature. He’s shown so much maturity of late. He has been on ruthless form for Manchester United, scoring nine goals from the opening seven games, not only presenting himself as a leader but showing off the raw talent that he possesses. But the tackle on Friday night showed he hasn’t quite grown up.

Rooney is blessed with an unpredictable and spontaneous nature, and it’s this that makes him the fantastic player he is, but he has to learn to control his erratic temper that often has consequences for others. In this case, it’s England. They need their finest player starting all of their games, they cannot live without him, and it will be a huge disadvantage for Fabio Capello going into the tournament next summer without their main man. We still don’t know if he’ll be suspended for more than one game but, it is not like this hasn’t happened before. Mr Rooney and major tournaments do not get on. He was sent off for kicking Portugal’s Ricardo Carvalho in a losing quarter-final in 2006. In South Africa last summer, out of form and crushed by boredom, Rooney was almost a passenger at the World Cup. Nonetheless, if Rooney can shake off his temper that occasionally tends to creeps into his game, he’ll be unstoppable.

Secondly, England were leading by two goals against Montenegro, cruising, and heading towards Euro 2012 in style. Would Spain have suddenly conceded a stupid goal and consequently ended up drawing the game? Germany? I doubt it. If we forget the idiotic sending off for a moment, just how far away are England from being able to compete against Europe’s heavyweights? England have some superb individual players in the potential starting eleven. Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Frank Lampard, Ashley Young, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Joe Hart. Those footballers are quite easily some of the best in the world. But Capello has a big job on his hands, to make sure his team stop giving away easy points and clumsy goals.

It looked great, as Capello said “for 35 minutes” in Montenegro. Then the red mist took over again, and most of it is self-inflicted. There are still some big issues for Fabio to sort out, and the friendly against Spain at Wembley on November 12th will be huge. It’ll show exactly what England still have to do. They need to treat it as a cup final, not a friendly. Yes, England do have a long way to go, but if they can pull everything together and play as a complete team, ridding themselves of mistakes that usually lead to their downfall and manage to sort out their leading striker, who knows what could happen in Ukraine and Poland. We may get a surprise.

Illustration by giveawayboy

Has Carlos Tevez gone on strike? Or is he suspended? I would say both. Either way, he is not going to be playing in a sky blue shirt again, and rightly so.

Tevez was selfish and spoilt on Wednesday night. He signed with a contract reportedly worth £250,000 a week, and the very least City should expect from the Argentinean is an agreement to play for the team and their supporters when requested by the manager. It is such a basic responsibility for any footballer. The fact that he refused to play is just disrespectful to all involved with the club and even disrespectful to the game itself. So, now what? Well, Mancini said to the press after the game that Carlos has no future at Manchester City. Tevez the next morning said it was all ‘a misunderstanding’. And of course, now he has said that, his team-mates that sat along side him will surely back him up. However, this ‘misunderstanding’ appears to be at odds to the interview he gave to Sky Sports immediately after the match.

Here is what he said:

“I was not feeling good mentally or physically so I told the manager.”

Of course, that interview is open to interpretation but I think it is pretty clear that Carlos did not misunderstand his manager. Now he finds himself not playing football, and he can’t be sold to another Premier League club until January.

In the view of many fans and pundits, Tevez should be dropped to the reserves, made to sit on the bench, fined two weeks wages – if not more, and sold in January. That is the most pragmatic option especially after his disgraceful actions. But whether that will happen is a different matter. There could be a temptation to simply sack the player and end all relations with him. For that to happen though, there would need to be an internal investigation followed by a proper disciplinary process. It would also probably write off the best part of £40 million that they could potentially still receive for him. Now although City can afford to do that, they want to try and run their club in the best possible way, and aren’t like that.

There are only a couple of other options:

One, he could go and play in the second tier of football. Perhaps it would teach him a few lessons. However, it is difficult to see this happening. Already, West Ham United have said they are interested in taking him back to Upton Park and Football League rules allow him to sign for a Championship club on loan, even though the transfer window has closed. Although Manchester City has rebuffed this offer, this could have worked very well, for Manchester City and Tevez. It would have allowed him to keep playing football, could have got him out of the spotlight for a couple of months, and who knows, maybe he’d realise what he’d done. Anyway, any club not in the Premier League could do this, and, at the end of his loan spell, Mancini could sell him and adiós it would be.

Two, although I doubt a top European club would gamble on buying a star who keeps on wanting to go back home. Dubai could be tricky, but Brazil and Argentina are possibilities for him.

Whatever happens, City will survive without him. They have a club brimming with fantastic players, and more will be coming in. They have a brilliant manager and an intelligent owner and accompanied with a dedicated set of fans. Don’t get me wrong, Tevez is one of the world’s best players when he is at his best. Nobody can take away from him how well he has played for City and how far he has taken the club. He has had a profound effect on them. But that is not the point. He has done something that a footballer just does not do. He’s acted in an arrogant and narrow-minded way, and he cannot play for Manchester City again. One, he doesn’t want to, and two, they just can’t let him.

Photo by Kenwyne Jones

What a storming start to the season Stoke City has had. The club sits in seventh place in the Premier League, having had probably the most testing start of all the teams. Tony Pulis’ men have quietly managed to grab five points from Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. And despite one slip up at The Stadium of Light, is a leading example to others coming up from The Championship to follow, especially given their success in the top tier over the last three seasons.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this beautiful game is how different styles work for different teams. Stoke doesn’t play football in the way Barcelona or Manchester United do, but the club plays with a sense of togetherness and intelligence, thriving off certain aspects, such as Rory Delap’s throw-ins, and this allows them to take on the very best. Stoke is moving from strength to strength and Sir Alex Ferguson should be very happy with his point at The Britannia Stadium.

Stoke City is often compared as brutish, aggressive, clumsy, old-fashioned and even morally objectionable. But this is ridiculous. The club simply doesn’t play football that can be worshipped, but that is no concern to Tony Pulis. Stoke has the motivation and desire, and it is these two factors that have propelled them into the top-half of the table and the side looks set to stay there. Pulis has a purpose in the game and injects this into his club. He is a master at tactical organisation, as we have seen from the performances against the country’s heavyweights. Stoke is often at the end of a lot of criticism from pundits and football fans who do not respect their style of play. But why play in a way which the club is not suited to?

Stoke has continued to progress, reaching the FA Cup final last season and as a result winning a place in the Europa League. So far, the side has been magnificent in Europe and by spending £20 million on transfer deadline day last month, bringing in England striker Peter Crouch among others, who knows how far the side could go? This scenario was improbable at best not so long ago, but Stoke has proved that it is very possible for a less fashionable club to break into the elite. The manager’s system is praised by all and City’s supporters are impressive. They never get on their players’ back and the sense of togetherness that I was talking about earlier is noticeable amongst the fans as well. A cauldron of noise and sheer enthusiasm is evident at all games; They’re a classic example of the crowd being a 12th man on the pitch.

The ambition that the club possesses is brilliant. Stoke is rapidly becoming a side that can beat anyone at home, and their next task is to become dangerous away from home and with Tony Pulis in charge, that is not far off. Stoke is improving all the time, in all areas, on and off the pitch. The club deserves a huge amount of credit and it’ll be interesting watching them continue this season. The Premier League has always needed clubs to break through into the established teams, and we may just have our first.