The Referee, as well as Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky, are under suspicion.

Breaking: France State TV is reporting that Interpol, the International Police Agency, are investigating the Arsenal/Newcastle draw from the weekend, centering in on odd betting patterns. The alleged investigation includes Arsenal winger Tomas Rosicky, whose foul was allegedly the cause of the second Newcastle penalty. Also under investigation is referee Phil Dowd. Arsenal will allegedly make a statement on this tomorrow. For more info, see the original French report ( http://tele.premiere.fr/Zapster/Un-incroyable-match-de-foot-plonge-au-coeur-d-une-enquete-judiciaire). Also, Gabriele Marcotti’s twitter feed has more information on this breaking story. (@Marcotti on Twitter).

UPDATE: Interpol has denied this report. It seems this that report was totally bunk. For more, see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8308192/Interpol-deny-investigation-into-Newcastle-Arsenal-game.html

Round 23 Saturday Live Blog

Chelsea v. Blackburn (3pm UK/10 am ET, ESPN2, ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes): Will Blackburn kill off another manager, after successfully punching Roy Hodgson’s pink slip at Anfield? What about Chelsea, who battered Ipswich last weekend 7-0 in the FA Cup? Are they “back,” or was that the last, desperate fight from a dying giant? I lean toward the latter. Chelsea desperately need to buy if they’re going to have a fighting chance at making the Champions League, and Steve Kean’s Blackburn are not the side you’d want to see right now if you were Chelsea. Prediction: Draw, 2-2.

Boring, Boring Manchester City v. Wolves (3pm UK/10 am ET, Fox Soccer Channel). Hopefully in this match we can see what City can do, unlike their embarrassing performance vs. Arsenal. They are also coming off a 2-2 draw against Leicester City in the FA Cup. Prediction: City, 2-0.

West Ham United v. Arsenal, (12:30 PM ET, Fox Soccer Channel). Not a great week to be an Arsenal fan. First, the near-disaster at home against Leeds last weekend, with only Cesc Fabregas’ late penalty keeping Arsenal in the Cup. Then, an awful performance against Ipswich, in which Arsenal, clear favorites to win the League Cup, were incredibly lethargic, and players like Nicklas Bendtner and Andrei Arshavin continued their poor form in the league. Meanwhile, for Avram Grant’s West Ham, their cup form is a bizarro world of sorts from their league form, where the Hammers are still threatened with relegation, despite a sudden improvement in their form lately (nevermind the 5-0 spanking by Newcastle). They remain, however, just a point from safety. And the Hammers have been a bit of a bogey team for Arsenal, and were actually the first team to beat Arsenal at the Emirates. Can Avram Grant keep it up, and save his job for another week? Prediction: Arsenal, 2-1.
Other games:

Stoke v. Bolton (Fox Soccer Plus, 10 am).

West Brom v. Blackpool (Foxsoccer.tv, 10 am).

Wigan v. Fulham (Foxsoccer.tv, 10 am).

I can't help it. Sorry, Chelsea fans.

Hello all. Join me again tomorrow for a liveblog of Chelsea and Spurs, from 10:30 am ET (3:30 PM UK Time). We will discuss the Chelsea-Spurs game as it happens, and look forward to the big Monday night game, Manchester United v. Arsenal. Meanwhile, let’s look at the teams for tomorrow, shall we?

Chelsea are 4th, with 30 points, and will go top of the league with a win over Spurs. Current league leaders Arsenal and Manchester City have 32 points. Meanwhile, Tottenham is in 5th, with 26 points. However, the points don’t tell the full story for each team, as the Blues have struggled the last few weeks, losing 3 out of their last six. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has been put under huge pressure leading into this game. Chelsea may get Frank Lampard back from injury, as well.

For Spurs, the loss of Rafa van der Vaart will be huge, as he will likely be replaced in the lineup by Luka Modric. Spurs will also likely go with Defoe and Crouch up front. This is probably the strongest Spurs side in a long time, and they’re meeting Chelsea at just the right time, with the West Londoners really struggling right now.

Prediction: Spurs 2, Chelsea 1.

Sunday Liveblog: Tottenham v. Chelsea

Hello All. Please join me back here Saturday from 9:30 am ET/ 2:30 pm UK for a live blog of all the English Premier League games this weekend, including Everton v. Chelsea (10 AM, ESPN2), Arsenal v. Fulham (10 AM, FSC) and Blackpool v. Manchester United (12:30 PM, FSC). Provided, of course, that the snow in England doesn’t have something to say about that.

UPDATE: The snow will have an impact after all. Blackpool’s official website is reporting that the game against United will be postponed. Fox Soccer Channel will be showing Birmingham v. Tottenham at Noon ET. The Blackpool v. United match will likely be the only Barclays Premier League game postponed, though the Scottish Premier League and the Championship have had nearly all matches postponed, including matches at Doncaster, Hull, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and Sheffield United. To Join the liveblog, click where it says “click here!”

Saturday Live Blog

We’ll of course be focusing in on the biggest match of the day, the Manchester Derby, where United fans will, non-ironically, accuse City of attempting to buy the league, while City fans will of course wonder where in Manchester the United fans come from. And then there’s the football–a (literally) sick Manchester United side–here’s hoping they don’t have the same chef as Tottenham–comes into the Derby as the underdog to a City team led by Carlos Tevez. Tevez’s work rate, as well as his exceptional talent, has made him a bit of a folk hero in the blue half of Manchester. The fact that he’s a former United player, and has been a thorn in the side of United since his West Ham days certainly adds to his appeal. Also, Mario Balotelli will miss this match for City, as he picked up two yellow cards in last weekend’s match.

Key to the game: Tevez v. the United back four: While United’s back four, including Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Patrice Evra have been hit with injuries/illness, it’s important that they control Tevez if they plan on leaving the City of Manchester Stadium with all three points.

Prediction: Draw, 2-2. (ESPN2 (HD) , 2:45 ET)

Other big matchups:

Chelsea v. Fulham. FSC, 2:45 ET: The West London Derby features American Clint Dempsey for Fulham, who are coming off a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. The league leaders Chelsea feature Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, though it appears that Lampard may miss this match because of a nagging injury. Michael Essien is also expected to be in the lineup, having recovered from an injury as well. Prediction: Chelsea, 3-1.

Wolves v. Arsenal. ESPN3.com, 2:45 ET: The Gunners enter Molineux suffering two defeats in the last week. Could Arsenal be out of contention for the league by Christmas? A loss here puts into question their ability to compete in the harsh realities of the Premier League. For the sake of their fragile young keeper, Lukas Fabianski, this game is crucial. Arsenal won’t keep a clean sheet, but they will find a way to get it done against Mick McCarthy’s Wolves. Prediction: Arsenal 2, Wolves 1.

Other Games We’ll Be Following

2:45 ET:
-Newcastle v Blackburn, FoxSoccer.tv and FoxSoccer iPhone app
-West Ham v West Brom, FoxSoccer.tv and FoxSoccer iPhone app
-Aston Villa v Blackpool, ESPN3.com
-Everton v Bolton, ESPN3.com

3:00 ET:
-Wigan v Liverpool, Fox Soccer Plus and FoxSoccer.tv and FoxSoccer iPhone app

Please join me beginning at 2:15 PM ET right here.

Big Wednesday Live Blog

Please come join me beginning around 3:15 PM ET/19:15 GMT as we live blog during two crucial Champions League matches.

PREVIEW:

Tottenham v. Inter Milan:

After giving up a 4-0 lead at the San Siro against Inter, Spurs rebounded with a Gareth Bale hat trick in the second half, leading many Spurs fans to believe that they could easily get revenge against Rafa Benitez’s crew when they came to White Hart Lane. In what shapes up to be a crucial match for qualification to the next round of the Champions League, the newcomers to the competition desperately need to get a result at home against Spurs. But…they are Spurs, so they will find a way to blow this.  Meanwhile, on the other side, is it just a matter of time before Inter bid on Gareth Bale? The Welsh winger has been incredible this season, demolishing all opposition (though his tracking back has still been a bit suspect). Also, Inter will hope upon hope that Maicon doesn’t have as disastrous of a performance as he did in the second half.
Key to the game: Spurs need to settle in early. Finding themselves down early again would be the worst possible thing for them. A loss in this match might find them on the outside looking in of the knockout stage, with the upcoming game with Bremen looming large.

Prediction: Spurs, 3-1.

Bursaspor v. Manchester United.
Preview: The other important game today involves Manchester United playing at the Turkish Champions. The Turks dropped their appearance at Old Trafford, 1-0. However, this game was shortly after the news that Wayne Rooney decided he wanted to leave Man U dropped. The only strike in that game came from Nani. Meanwhile, Manchester United could win their their group today, but a trip to Turkey is never easy, especially when players like Rio Ferdinand don’t make the trip, and Bursaspor will be looking to get a result at home.

Prediction: Draw, 1-1.

Up until 3:15, please enter your thoughts/predictions/comments in the comments section. And, of course enter Live Blog here at that time.

Champions League Live Blog

Quick, easy question: Who’s the best player currently on Aston Villa?

Ashley Young is probably the first name that pops to mind. Maybe you’d say youngster Marc Albrighton. You’d be laughed at but Emile Heskey is proving, yes, there’s still some worth in his 32-year-old carcass.

If the world of FIFA 11 is to be believed, the answer to said question is Welsh defender James Collins, who the game rates as an 81 overall, one whole rating point ahead of Young, as well as other Villa standouts like Brad Friedel, Richard Dunne, Stewart Downing, Stephen Ireland, Stylian Petrov and Gabby Agbonlahor.

Therein lays the tricky spot FIFA 11 finds itself.

It’s the best-playing soccer game on the market, yet it falls wide of the target when it comes to creating an authentic footballing experience inside a video game console. Still, it’s miles ahead of its only other competitive – Pro Evolution Soccer – which despite adding the Champions League and Copa Libertadores licenses lacks many national league licenses, notably the Premier League.

Part of my long-ranging personal problem with the “FIFA” series is it tries to appeal to a worldwide collection of soccer fans, yet in the end leaves everyone feeling a little empty. Nothing against these leagues, but how many gamers are actually use the Polish, Czech or Irish Leagues or the various other secondary or tertiary leagues? Hate to say it, but also how many global gamers are every going to queue up a FC Dallas/Colorado Rapids match?

As it is already, it seems 95 percent of online players always select Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United, to begin with.

It’s nice to have nearly 30 leagues to select from, but in the end, aside from the club colors and badges, there’s not a lot to separate a team from the Danish Superliga from the Swiss Super League.

On the plus side, EA finally added the Russian Premier League to the next-gen consoles adding appealing teams like Zenit, Rubin Kazan, Dinamo Moscow and CSKA into the mix, although its “Rest of the World” option remains bare bones, with glaring omissions like any of the top Ukrainian, Romanian or even an choice from the Asian Champions League sorely lacking.

EA might be better served to beef up the presentation for the big leagues, such as the EPL, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga, to create a more accurate game experience. Add some more unique stadiums instead of the generic Ivy Lanes of the world. Render a few more faces to make players look like they really do, not just the superstars. Any good reason Clint Dempsey once again gets a generic digital avatar? Both ?ukasz Fabia?ski and Vito Mannone get unique renderings. So at least Arsene Wenger has one less thing to complain about.

To its credit, the EA’s other flagship — “Madden NFL” — makes you feel like you’re inside an actual NFL game when you play it. Same thing for Visual Concepts “NBA 2K11” which take realism to another level. Granted this is much more difficult when you’re dealing with around 30 different leagues, there’s only so much memory space on the disc itself.

That said, this year’s FIFA does add a full-blown creation center via its website for folks who used to go crazy with the old PES “edit” file. You’re able to import custom songs and chants to trigger during introductions and goals. So yeah, that’s pretty cool to play against Manchester City and hear “Blue Moon” when your players walk onto the field, assuming you have that much free time on your hands to actually put it into the game. Hey, adding “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to digital Anfield might be the only way to cheer up some Liverpool fans at this point.

Single player in FIFA 11 remains hit-or-miss. The computer AI is now a little less generic, with teams playing slightly differently and they’ll even pull off skill moves, which is a nice wrinkle. Yet at higher levels the computer rarely makes a wrong pass or moves a player out of position, making it a challenge, albeit not a very exciting one as most games play out like late 1990s Serie A games. EA is touting it’s “Personality Plus” system so players play like their real-life equivalents, but it’s hardly noticeable as a team like Grimsby Town still doesn’t play all that differently than Real Madrid.

Career mode has once again been tweaked by EA allowing you to play as a single player, coach or player-manager. The developers apparently have heard the outcry from fans, so the fixture list is a little more realistic — I even saw an early season mid-week Championship game with my Portsmouth career pushed back to January because of a clash with a Carling Cup match. Transfers, too, have been tweaked to be more accurate, so you’ll no longer see Manchester United selling off Wayne Rooney to Palmeiras.

In short, career mode isn’t all that compressive or engrossing as it could be, since in the end playing upwards of 50 to 100 matches vs. the computer AI gets boring.

Now you’re probably thinking by this point, this guy must hate FIFA 11. Well, that’s not the case at all.

For everything it lacks in making you feel like you’re in an authentic soccer experience, the game makes up for in sterling game play and variety.

Ever since FIFA 09, EA appears to have found a fluid game engine, an almost eerie precision. Take a guy with enough skill, say a Cristiano Ronaldo, and you can basically do whatever you want on the field. The game does a great job getting the “feel” of its controls right. Power up a shot to the upper corner from the right distance and watch it fly. There’s just a sense of knowing you hit it right, albeit in videogame form, that’s very satisfying.

If there’s a change from last season, it’s that FIFA 11 feels much looser than last year. You’re no longer able to ping-pong one-touch passes across the field like a fleet of Xavi’s.

The biggest gimmick EA added to this year’s game is the “Be a Goalkeeper” mode. For a couple years now you’ve been able to create a digital version of yourself and suit up anywhere on the field, except in goal. Now you can and it’s surprisingly a whole lot of fun. You’ll definitely gain a new appreciation for goalies learning the right angles once you step into their shoes.

Through it all, the core of the game, for me at least, is online play whether it be as my virtual pro in a match alongside 11 other players or in a 1-v-1 scenario against another gamer. In this area FIFA 11 belts another cracker, even if the EA servers have been a little touch-and-go through the first week. Aside from the fact almost everyone seems to use the same five-star teams, there’s few better tests of skill in sports gaming. It gets even better playing alongside a friend on the same side and taking down the opposition.

Is FIFA 11 perfect? Not really.

Does it make you feel like you’re walking out of the tunnel and onto an EPL pitch? Nah.

But is it the most fun to play sports game currently on the market? You bet.

Call it the Tottenham of video games. Flawed and inconsistent, but thoroughly entertaining.

Editor’s note: You can read more of Mike Cardillo’s articles on his blog, That’s On Point. Plus, you can follow Mike on Twitter @thatsonpoint

Theo Walcott’s hat-trick against Blackpool on Saturday assured that the young winger would grab the majority of the headlines, and rightly so, but Arsenal’s demolition of Blackpool was far from a one-man show.

Pulling the strings quietly and with an elegance and vision which seemed to had vanished last season after 18 months robbed to injury was Tomas Rosicky, or ‘Little Mozart’ as he is affectionately known in his native Czech Republic.

Rosicky’s link play with Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott was a joy to behold and, regardless of the quality of opposition, the Arsenal number 7 gave a masterclass in the ability to find pockets of space between the midfield and defence.

Arsenal seem to have gathered a plethora of diminutive playmakers all wanting to play in the ‘hole’ behind a target man. It is a position Cesc Fabregas often finds himself pushed into as the season progresses, Arshavin would ideally love to play there, but Wenger prefers to use him on the left, and it is also the position Samir Nasri feels is his most natural.

Nasri auditioned well for the role at Anfield last weekend but the Frenchmen seemed to hold onto the ball for too long at times and, while his constant movement caused Liverpool problems, he often left Marouane Chamakh isolated against Jaime Carragher and Martin Skrtel.

Where Rosicky excelled on Saturday was in his ability to always receive the ball on the half-turn, ready to move the ball forward and always aware of his options. He also kept the play ticking over when he needed to and was efficient in his time on the ball, refusing to over-elaborate. With the likes of Rosicky, Nasri, Fabregas and Arshavin at the club, there is certainly no better place for Jack Wilshere to learn the trade.

Rosicky has endured a difficult time since signing for Arsenal in 2006 to replace Robert Pires, who departed for Villarreal. With Arsenal playing a 4-4-2 formation, it meant that, instead of playing in a attacking central role, Rosicky had to adapt his game to play on the left side of midfield and contribute defensively as well as going forward. Replacing Pires was always going to be a difficult task and adapting to a new league and new position at the same time affected the Czech captain’s form.

There were glimpses of his potential during his first season including a 30 yard screamer against Hamburg and two excellent strikes against Liverpool in the FA Cup at Anfield. The first half of the 2007/2008 season saw the former Dortmund captain start to flourish in an Arsenal shirt and playing alongside his best friends at the club, Fabregas, Alex Hleb and Mathieu Flamini, the ‘Four Musketeers’ helped Arsenal make a real fight for the title.

However, Rosicky came off injured against Newcastle United in January 2008 with what seemed a routine hamstring injury and was left sidelined for the next 18 months. The injury was complex and at more than one point it seemed his career was on the line. After finally getting fit last season, Rosicky made 33 appearances for Arsenal and made a return to the Czech national team, however his form was erratic and it was rumoured he could be heading out of the Emirates this summer, despite signing a two year extension to his contract in January.

A full pre-season has given Rosicky a solid base to build from and it seems he is reaping the rewards. It may be premature to say he his back to his best but he was Arsenal’s best player at Anfield after coming off the bench in last weekend’s 1-1 draw and his performance against Blackpool will give Wenger a selection headache now that Fabregas has returned to fitness. That the Arsenal captain will come straight into the side is in no doubt, but Wenger may now be more inclined to play Fabregas in the deeper midfield role currently occupied by Wilshere, rather than ousting Rosicky.

Whatever Wenger decides to do, it is great to see Rosicky back fit and playing something like the kind of football which made him one of the best midfielders in Europe not so long ago.

It probably doesn’t matter that Clint Dempsey’s now-famous daisy-cutter turned poor, hapless Robert Green into the best football punchline since Titus Bramble.

See, even in the wake of the U.S.’s 1-1 draw vs. England at the 2010 World Cup, one of the few solaces English fans probably still have is looking down their noses at the “Colonies” and sneering at the Yankee approach to the game. English fans in need of a pick-me-up can just dial up three letters — MLS — and console themselves.

For all their insecurities and self-doubt produced by the continued failures of the Three Lions at big tournaments, English fans will always have Americans to kick around. At least for the time being.

One easy way for Americans to get even with the English — cut them down to the core, in fact — is to call out their decades long quest toward producing the first major trophy for England since 1966.

The latest cure-all for England’s international woes is “youth development” as if this blanket term will lead England to soccer’s Holy Grail.

Since the turn-of-the-century a chorus in England has grown louder-and-louder that Premier League clubs need to start developing their own young players, as opposed to spending major money on foreign imports. The England FA has looked at models in Holland, Spain, France and around almost all of Europe — it’s got to be the system, not the players themselves. (Remember England fans either a) think the team should win every game it plays or b) think they’ll never win another game they play.)

It’s a noble intention that’s almost taken on a life of it’s own. Yet to think a foreigner-heavy Premier League and lack of youth development is the sole reason England has flopped on the International stage is beyond myopic. Remember Middlesbrough publicly committed to building through its academy and was eventually relegated in 2008-09.

Finally in May, under pressure from Michel Platini’s UEFA “home grown” campaign, Richard Scudamore and the rest of executives at the Premier League acquiesced and accepted some change was necessary.

Beginning with the 2010-11 Premier League season, clubs must have at least eight “home grown” players. In short, players under the age of 21 who’ve been registered with the club at least three years.

All-and-all, not a terrible idea.

Will it eventually increase the number of Englishmen in the Premier League? Probably.

Is this necessarily a good thing? Hard to say.

Will it ever lead England to Euro or World Cup glory? We’ll see.

What’s most interesting about this development isn’t the home grown portion of the rule. It’s that Premier League clubs are only allowed a squad of 25 players from the start of September, which cannot be changed until the January transfer window. Players under the age of 21 don’t count toward the cap.

Can’t you imagine that someone during the Premier League’s executive meeting — looking something like the fictitious Sterling-Cooper boardroom from “Mad Men” — just before the meeting adjourned and as everyone began to step away from the conference table someone sounding like Bert Cooper let slip, ” … and oh by the way, gentlemen, we’re setting the squad limit at 25.”

It’s hard to look at this any differently than a rider tacked on and attached under pages of other ideas. At the time the Premier League announced the “homegrown” amendment, the roster cap was certainly buried under the bigger news and forgotten.

Perhaps it’s true the only way clubs will actually be forced to play these home grown players was under a roster cap. It wouldn’t have been hard for the big teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, the Manchester duo, etc. to fill their quota of eight players, keep them with the reserves and continue doing business as usual.

That said, tying home grown players to roster caps seems doesn’t seem like the most well-thought out idea in the history of English soccer, which is saying something. Tying it to the noble intention of local level, youth development is one of those proverbial, “robbing Peter to pay Paul” scenarios.

The new found roster cap rule came to a head over the weekend when numerous stories were filed during Manchester City’s summer tour that the club would have to release, transfer or loan out at least 20 senior side members.

As it stands today, Roberto Mancini’s club is at 37 senior players. That’s peanuts compared to Liverpool, where Roy Hodgson walked into Rafa Benitez’s free-spending, mass transfer policy, left the club with nearly 45 player under contract. Rules or not, is there any good reason for the Reds to have six goalies on the books at Anfield?

Think this is only a problem for the “big” teams with deep cash reserves? Wolves, a modest club by most accounts, has nearly 40 players in the squad.

And what of all the players deemed surplus parts? Will they be loaned or farmed out to the Championship? Kept around for training sessions?

It’s not only player numbers and movement that’s puzzling on the roster restrictions.

As we know, players end up injured in the Premier League at a rather alarming rate. Will there be an injured reserve list, like we see in American sports? Simply plugging in a raw 21-year-old reserve player, which is allowed without counting toward the 25-man cap, doesn’t seem like the best solution. Eventually, yes, maybe when club’s devote more time to their academies, but right now?

Will we end up with a situation where clubs are forced to keep players around almost exclusively for European or Cup duty, where the restrictions aren’t in place. Sure you could argue Arsene Wenger already does this at Arsenal, but that’s usually to give his younger players first team minutes, not by necessity.

Granted, these are arguments that might cause managers to whine about, but since all 20 clubs are playing under the same rules are fair.

Last season, looking at the top seven clubs from the 2009-10 table, the restrictions might not be a huge issue. Arsenal had 21 players make over double-digit appearances (including subs), while Aston Villa only had 14.

What the roster limits are more likely to do is force managers to axe any players with lingering injuries or take less gambles on foreign players who may or may not adjust to life in English football. Clubs won’t be able to afford carrying dead weight like they have in the past, so there’s nothing necessarily wrong with curbing that.

In the long term this might help level the playing field, or at least clubs with smaller, cohesive squads who have to battle with teams with seemingly unlimited funds for backups and part-timers. The trouble will likely arise in the big clubs playing concurrently in Europe as they juggle their rosters over the crowded fixture lists.

No matter how it breaks, can’t you already picture an angry Sir Alex Ferguson sometime in November, sarcastically talking about the rule while his club battles with would-be injuries to key performers? He’s gone his whole adult coaching life at Old Trafford with a squad however big he deems fit, not some arbitrary rule.

Overall the Premier League’s new rules to develop and play more homegrown talent is, at it’s core, a noble if not jingoistic idea. In the long term it’ll likely help curb club spending and end the death spiral of debt that is eventually going to catch up with the league.

Yet tying it together with an arbitrary roster limit doesn’t seem all that well thought out and will certainly have clubs and managing screaming bloody murder by the crowded Boxing Day fixtures if not sooner.

In fact, to the horror of English purist, the move to limit rosters is if anything — an American professional sports idea.

Editor’s note: You can read more of Mike Cardillo’s articles on his blog, That’s On Point. Plus, you can follow Mike on Twitter @thatsonpoint

If England could pass the ball they would be dangerous. Not for the first time under Fabio Capello, or any other manager for that fact, England were outclassed by a so-called “lesser” nation, only to come through with a scoreline that would suggest a comfortable victory. This was anything but convincing and the 88,000 who were present for England’s final warm up game on home soil will have every reason for concern.

The final 3-1 scoreline flattered England and was a harsh reflection on a Mexican side, whose Spain-lite passing and movement was of the fluid variety so often the undoing of England in recent years. With Gerardo Torrado dictating play from the centre of the vast Wembley turf, the Mexicans made a mockery of all the fuss made over the state of the pitch.

For some players you often get the feeling that the chance to impress in an England friendly is more of a hinderance than an opportunity. That could definitely be said for Michael Carrick, whose every pass seemed to edge him closer to spending the summer on the beach. His central midfield partner James Milner didn’t fare much better and looked out of depth in his new central midfield role.

Despite the impressive qualifying campaign under the Italian, Capello still seems intent on continuing the age-old tradition of England managers trying to fit square pegs in round holes. To see Milner start through the middle and Steven Gerrard on the left, leaves you to wonder the exact moment when Gerrard stopped being a central midfielder. Whether through his managers desire or his own ego refusing to do the dog work required, he is on the verge of becoming postion-less. When Capello switched the two in the second half England looked a far better side.

Twice in the first half Robert Green thwarted Arsenal’s Carlos Vela when through on goal and the West Ham goalkeeper was left motionless when Carlos Salcido’s curling shot from the edge of the area clipped the outside of his left-hand post.

The pace and movement of Mexico’s two wide men, Vela and Giovani Dos Santos, was causing all kinds of trouble and Ledley King was given a torrid time in his first international appearance for three years. However, as is so often the case, England went 2-0 up with two goals from set-pieces. For all their impressive play with the ball on the floor, Javier Aguirre’s side were horribly exposed by two excellent crosses from Steven Gerrard. Ledley King got the first, after heading in Crouch’s centre, and the Tottenham striker got the second when he followed up after Wayne Rooney’s header hit the bar.

Franco got a deserved goal for Mexico just before half-time but any hopes of a second half come-back were dashed straight after the restart. Theo Walcott did well on the right before the ball fell to Glen Johnson, who charged inside three players and curled the ball into the top corner with his left foot.

There were some bright points for England in the second half but they still had to be content to let Mexico dictate the tempo of the game. Glen Johnson impressed at right back, Robert Green looks to have cemented his place in goal and hopefully the Chelsea trio of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole will bring their double winning form into the side for the opening game against USA in 19 days time.

England under Capello have delivered when it mattered but tournament football is a different beast and, if anything, tonight’s victory has, once again, provided more questions than answers.

The rise and rise of James Milner has been one of the great domestic stories in recent years and, with Manchester City loitering outside Villa Park with a rumoured £24 million, it seems that the Leeds-born midfielder could be set to renew acquaintances with Wayne Rooney in Manchester, eight years after they first took the Premier League by storm.

Milner burst onto the scene in 2002 when he became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history with a goal against Sunderland in a 2-1 victory for Leeds. That goal broke a record set a couple of months previous by Wayne Rooney, then at Everton, and Milner and Rooney became great English hopes for the future.

Milner’s progress since seems laboured in comparison to Rooney’s but the Manchester United striker is a one in a million. A player who at 16 was physically, mentally and technically superior than anything seen in England for a long, long time.

After being initially used as a striker in his first appearances with Leeds, before settling as a winger at Newcastle, it has been Milner’s performances alongside Stiliyan Petrov at the heart of Villa’s midfield that have caught the eye of many, including that of England coach Fabio Capello.

However, joining the blue half of Manchester would be a mistake for both parties involved. It is hard to see where both his playing side and personality would fit in amongst the potential glitz and glamour that Sheikh Mansour hopes to bring to the Eastlands and, if anything, Man City require creativity. Also, at this stage in his development it would suit Milner to stay at Aston Villa. It’s a club that has stability, is ambitious and has a core of young English players all looking to achieve something together.

City are at a pivotal point in their project to break into the top four and start to challenge for major honours, but the lack of Champions League football means that, for at least one more year, the likes of Kaka are out of reach. But it is not crazy to assume that Roberto Mancini could put together a team capable of actually winning the league next season and despite Chelsea’s impressive goal tally, this has definitely been a year where the so-called ‘Top Four’ have regressed.

A move to the red half of Manchester would surely be a more sensible option. Sir Alex Ferguson is said to be a fan and Milner’s energy and versatility would inject some much needed life into a midfield that has faded in the last year and is in desperate need of a revamp.

What also does this say for Aston Villa? Martin O’Neil put to bed the rumours he was leaving this summer but its no secret that he is dismayed at owner Randy Learner’s decision to tighten the purse strings and, after Gareth Barry moved to Man City last year, the former Celtic boss will not relish the thought of losing a star midfield for a second summer running.

If Barcelona are only willing to depart with £30m for Cesc Fabregas, then £24m for James Milner seems a tad steep. But given his age and his ability adapt to each level as he encounters it, if Milner does end up in Manchester this summer you wouldn’t bet against him rising to the occasion once again.

Editor’s note: MLS Talk writer Josh Pedley recently sat down with Sigi Schmid to reflect on the 2009 season, to take stock of Seattle’s successful season and to look ahead to 2010.

Here is the transcript of that interview:

Before the season, you stated that making the play-offs would be a minimum requirement. Having achieved that, are you disappointed to go out at the first stage?

Yeah it was disappointing but at the same time we were the first expansion team to make the play-offs in their first year since Chicago in 1998. But we had high expectations because of the squad we had and having experienced players like Freddie Ljungberg and Kasey Keller.

Houston Dynamos have been one of the strongest teams over the past couple of seasons but it was a close game. What did you think was the difference between the two sides? How key was their experience of previous playoff campaigns?

Best way to describe it is that Houston’s 4 starting midfielders have been playing together since 2006 and for us, as a group, we are in our first season. They had a little bit more belief, were harder, a bit more physical and their experience definitely helped.

It was a big decision to leave Columbus Crew for a new franchise. What was it that attracted you in the first place?

Well, the contract negotiations were going bad with Columbus and dragging on. I heard what was happening in Seattle and spoke to the club and liked what heard. And speaking to Joe Roth (Sounders FC majority owner), Adrian Hanauer, Paul Allen and Drew Carey (minority owners), I knew something special was happening here.

Seattle has a soccer history and a huge amateur scene. But still have you been surprised by the soccer fever that has gripped the city?

The atmosphere has been unbelievable from the start. The owners did a good job in keeping guys from the previous Sounders around, to provide that link with the past, and the support has been fantastic. I think our attendance puts us up in the top 50 clubs in the world and you just have to go around the city and you will see lots of people with Sounders jersey’s on and people honking their horns and wishing you well.

How do you plan to take the team forward? Will there be big squad changes or do you plan to keep the nucleus together?

The planning starts now, we are already having meetings about next season and providing the players with their off-season plans so there ready to comeback fit. We are also looking around at players and I’m going out to a few college games as well. I think its easier in year two. Last season we didn’t know what we had. Now we do, so we know that we need a couple of wide guys and we need to add a little bit of guts to the team.

How do you feel Freddie Ljungberg has performed this season? It’s the first time in a while that he has been injury free?

We signed him on the basis that he would have surgery on his hip to correct that. And he came into the side after our second game and apart from missing one or two games with a migraine he has played.

We had games against Everton and Chelsea this summer and they noted that it’s the freshest they had seen him in a long time.

How important have the experienced players been in helping this season?

Having Freddie and Kasey has definitely helped. We have a lot of young guys and they would help them out and talk to them about things on the field, which has been great especially for a wide guy like Steve Zakuani.

The players got to know him and like him but the best example he set was by training hard. That has more effect than any words.

And what chances are there of him following Beckham and moving to Europe for the off-season?

It’s a possibility but Beckham needs to play because he has the World Cup on his mind. Freddie doesn’t have that as Sweden didn’t qualify, so he’s not been motivated towards that goal. I think he wants to take a little time off and relax and then comeback ready for next season.

Freddy Montero has been a great signing for the club. There were rumours about a move to Europe with Fulham. How far do you think he can go in the game?

He’s still young, just 21, and he can still get better. The biggest difference to a player like Montero is the adjustment to training. Getting used to the rhythm and the hard work of a European or North American training schedule is a lot different to that of South America and he will get better and better the more he gets used to it.

Highlights of the season?

Obviously winning the US Open Cup was definitely a highlight and no one will ever forget the opening game. It was a great day for the city and a great atmosphere.

And if the league were a single table (instead of two conferences) we would have finished just two points off first place. Just one win away from winning the regular season championship and that would have been an amazing achievement in our first season.

What are your experiences of the 1994 World Cup? And what would getting the world cup for 2018 mean?

It was a pretty unique time, as we had no professional league, so except for the guys playing in Europe, we were training like a club and trying to get games against teams to be ready. We played against countries I had never even heard of, like Moldova and Armenia, just to play.

Bora [Milutinovi?, USA Head Coach] really set a rhythm and a way of playing. We weren’t the most entertaining side but he set a structure that gave us the best chance.

If we get the World Cup in 2018 the US team will be a lot better. There will be more depth in the squad and I believe we will have the quality to beat any team on our day.

1994 was massive in raising the awareness of the game but 2018 would be on another level. The atmosphere was great in 1994 but the landscape has changed and people are more aware know of soccer. For example, in 1994 Seattle wasn’t a host city.

We have fantastic stadiums and due to the sheer size of our population, the games will be played to full grounds of 60,000 – 80,000 people.

The Old Trafford clock showed 55 minutes had gone when Freddie Ljungberg’a shot was spilled by Fabien Barthez. The first player to react was Sylvain Wiltord, Arsenal’s then record signing, to slot the ball home with minimum fuss to put Arsenal 1-0 up and ultimately wrap up the Premier League title. It was a great moment in Arsenal’s history, to win the title in their rival’s backyard and a moment Arsene Wenger described as the “shift of power” from the North to the South and from Ferguson’s United to his Arsenal.

However, it didn’t quite work out like that. The following season, despite leading the table for the majority of the season, Arsenal capitulated under the relentless pressure of the United juggernaut. A Martin Keown own-goal in the last minute away at Bolton, after Arsenal had lead 2-0, saw another power shift, this time in the title race, and it was United who went on to win the title.

The 2003/2004 season, along with “that night at Anfield” in 1989, is arguably the club’s defining moment. With Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry all in the prime of their careers, Wenger’s team went the whole season unbeaten and again it seemed that, for the third year running, the power had shifted. Back to London, back to Arsenal. Yet somewhere, somehow, that power was lost. Wrestled, or if you like bought, from Arsenal’s grasp by their west London rivals Chelsea and their Russian billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich.

Since the ‘Invincibles’ campaign Arsenal lost their way. Yes, they won the F.A. Cup on penalties in 2005, reached the Champions League final in 2006 and for a while last season, looked on course to win the title. But things haven’t been right, they haven’t been the Arsenal we have known since Arsene Wenger arrived at the club.

Lost in transition, out with the old and in with the new. Established international stars were replaced by raw and precocious youth. At times it looked a doomed project, one that while admirable in its intentions seemed over-ambitious in reality. During the period since Arsenal last won the league, both Wenger and the Arsenal fans have had to watch on as United and Chelsea have spared against each other to not only be crowned the best in England but, as in last year’s Champions League final, the best in Europe.

Wenger and the Arsenal faithful will have taken comfort in United’s victory in Moscow last year. The European Cup is the one gaping whole in the Frenchman’s CV and the club’s trophy cabinet. To think that new-money Chelsea, and perhaps more importantly, Avram Grant would take home the most prestigious trophy in club football before them was unthinkable.

Last year’s spirited campaign gave great hope for this season but the losses of Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto Silva and Alex Hleb rocked the boat and by the time Arsenal had recovered, the title seemed beyond their reach. Wenger has to take responsibility for this because it was his decision not to replace Flamini last summer and instead look in-house for his replacement.

Inconsistency ruled in the first half of the season and regulars at the Emirates were starting to think that maybe it was time for a change. But the inspired purchase of Andrei Arshavin, the return to fitness of key players and the emergence of Alex Song as a genuine defensive midfielder has seen Arsenal blossom as spring approached.

They are now unbeaten in 20 Premier League games and confidence is at its highest for a long, long time. Like junkies who wont admit to their problems, it seems Arsenal had to hit rock bottom to be able to rise to the top once again. Out of their regular starting 11 only Manuel Almunia and William Gallas are the wrong side of 30 and only Kolo Toure and Andrei Arshavin older than 27. Captain Cesc Fabregas is still only 21 and when he looks around him to see what this team are achieving at such a young age it should inspire him to stay at the club for a long time.

If Wenger is looking to shift the power back in Arsenal’s favour, then tonight is as good a night as any to start that process. The potential in this young Arsenal team is frightening and it is probably better equipped than any other during Wenger’s reign to be able to keep that power if they can wrestle it from United’s hands.

It won’t be easy though because despite their recent wobble, United are still a formidable side. One that not only has the combination of youth and experience but also one brimming with quality and character, as they have shown in the recent comebacks against Aston Villa and Tottenham.

Arsenal start tonight’s game with a makeshift defence and one that looked extremely vulnerable away at Liverpool last week and you feel that not conceding will be their biggest problem. However all great dynasties start with one definitive act and with this game coming one week shy of 7 years since Wiltord’s goal saw the first shift in power, what better occasion than tonight to start to re-address the balance.

Stoke City’s victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday all but confirmed their place in the Premier League for a second season. After being written off by the media from the start and with bookmakers Paddy Power paying out on their relegation back in September, this is as an amazing achievement for Tony Pulis and his players. Yet they still don’t receive the credit they deserve.

Stoke came up with the reputation as a physical, long ball team and there is no doubt that they are capable of playing in such a style. But to suggest that is all they are would be to tarnish one of the great stories of this Premier League campaign.

Their survival has been based around their excellent home form. They have been formidable at the Britannia, taking the scalps of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City and holding title-chasing Liverpool to a 0-0 draw. However with just one victory on the road, which came last month away at West Brom, it has been vital that they have made the Britannia Stadium such a difficult ground to play at.

The ground’s location leaves it open to the elements and with 3 of the 4 corners not being filled in, the wind swirls through the ground making life hell for teams not used to the conditions. The home fans also play a huge part in the Britannia effect. The club has a hugely passionate following and the voracious roar created on match day is as intimating as you will find on these shores.

Of the 3 promoted teams it is Stoke and West Brom that have drawn the most comparison, due mainly to the difference in approach of the two managers, and the fact that both clubs have spent the best part of the season towards the bottom of the table.

It has often been portrayed as a battle between right (West Brom) and wrong (Stoke) and it’s admirable that Tony Mowbray wants his team to play in an attractive way. But this is a results business and it is a manager’s job to do the best for his club.

On Sunday Mowbray again talked up his side’s ability, despite having just been beaten 4-2 by Manchester City and rock bottom with just 24 points. He said: “We’re an easy target for people to say, ‘You’re doing it wrong’, but I disagree. We’re just a few ingredients away from being a very good Premier League team. We miss too many chances; we give too many soft goals away. Give us Rio Ferdinand at the back and Fernando Torres up front and I would suggest we would be top 10.”

He may be right, yet the same could be said for pretty much every team down at the bottom of the league. If Newcastle had a defender in the class of Ferdinand, or if Torres led the line for Middlesbrough instead of the hopeless Afonso Alves, then I’m sure both teams would be nowhere near the bottom three.

The fact is that Mowbray has deluded himself by thinking that because you can pass a team off the park in the Championship, you are equally capable of doing so in the Premier League. It was obvious as early as October when his side got beat 4-0 away at Old Trafford to Manchester United and 3-0 at home to Hull City in consecutive weeks that this approach would not work.

As the season has progressed Stoke’s style of play has evolved. Where there was previously no place for a talented passer of the ball like Glenn Whelan, Pulis has found a way to incorporate the Irishman in the centre of midfield without losing the competitive edge that has been so important and the inspired signings of Mathew Etherington and James Beattie have added a new dimension to a team previously labeled one-dimensional.

Tony Mowbray has shown enough promise to suggest he will develop into a good manager and the fact that his team will be relegated this season should not be used as evidence that he will not. After all, both Rafa Benetiz and Juande Ramos were relegated at the start of their managerial career.

However, as Pulis has shown, adaptability is just as important as style when competing at the highest level and keeping Stoke up should make him a major candidate for manager of the year. He won’t win it and he probably won’t care. It’s reward enough that his team will live to fight another year in the top tier of English football.

With only a week left of the January transfer window, this week has seen a flurry of transfers go through as clubs look to add some quality to their squads for the vital second half of the season.

The problem with the January transfer window is that it can often prompt rash decisions from both players and clubs alike. Clubs who are suffering from a few injuries may panic buy to bolster their squad, even if the player they bring in isn’t their first choice, and players, who may not be getting a game or out of contract at the end of the season, may choose to move to the first club that offers them a good deal. Although on the flip-side, clubs can pick up players whose contract is running down for a lot less money.

All this could explain some of the strange transfers that have gone through this week. Below I have gone through, what I believe, to be the good, the bad and the strange, of the last seven days:

The Good:

Emile Heskey, Wigan to Aston Villa: Heskey has revived his career in the last few years and, while he still rarely troubles the scorers, he is one of the best target men in the Premier League and he will fit in perfectly with the system that Martin O’Neill has created at Aston Villa. He will have to challenge with John Carew for the role as target man but with his contract running down at Wigan and having just turned 31, was determined to have one last shot at a big club.

Mido, Middlesbrough to Wigan: After being something of a wonderkid after joining Ajax at 18, the Egyptian’s career has suffered over the last few years. A number of injuries have halted his progress but his lack of professionalism (e.g. putting on two stone) and hot-headed nature has seen him constantly on the move. Despite all of this, and an apparent desperate last minute attempt to get himself a move back to Tottenham by texting Daniel Levy, Mido, when fit, is a very good player. And by partnering him with his compatriot, Amir Zaki, Wigan boss Steve Bruce may be able to get the best out of him.

Jermaine Pennant, Liverpool to Portsmouth: Like Mido, Jermaine Pennant is another former wonderkid whose career has never hit the heights it promised. After moving to Arsenal at 15, the former Notts County player looked to have the world at his feet. But at Arsenal he found it impossible to break into a first team that was full of world-class players. He moved to Birmingham where he thrived and got himself a move to Liverpool. Despite playing 34 games last season, Pennant once again struggled to become a first team regular and this season has found it hard to get into the squad at all. At Portsmouth he will be re-united with his former Liverpool team-mate Peter Crouch and will be hoping to fire the crosses for the big man to help keep Pompey up.

The Bad:

Marlon King, Wigan to Middlesbrough: Marlon King is one of those players, like John Stead, Nigel Quashie and Rob Earnshaw, who need their own league. One that is better than the Championship but not quite as good as the Premier League. King has shown enough during his time with Hull this season that, when a team is set up in a certain way that suits his game perfectly, he can do a job. But when it’s not, as with his time at Wigan after his £5m move last January from Watford, he can also look hopefully out of his depth. Middlesbrough are having a bad season and Gareth Southgate is hanging onto his job by the skin of his teeth. When your £12m Brazilian isn’t scoring goals for you, I don’t think Marlon King is the answer.

The Strange:

Jimmy Bullard, Fulham to Hull: Firstly, this is a great signing for Hull. Bullard has proven his quality ever since making the step up into the Premier League with Wigan. He has energy, a good passing range, scores the odd goal and is a happy-go-lucky guy who is great for team morale. He was inspirational in keeping Fulham up last season and has again been in great form this season, as Fulham have had a decent first half of the season and have one of the best defensive records in the league. Hull, despite a great start, are falling fast and are starting to look out of their depth. Bullard fell out with Fulham over money and Phil Brown’s team were more than happy to match his wage demands but Bullard is taking a huge gamble on assuming that his new team have enough quality to stay in the division.

When Ledley King limped off for Tottenham after just 44 minutes during their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on Sunday it wasn’t so much a case of Déjà vu, as Déjà vu – Déjà vu. Another failed comeback for the Spurs skipper who, after taking over Darren Anderton’s place on the treatment table, will soon be expecting the physio’s room at White Hart Lane to be renamed in his honour.

When fit, King is an exceptional defender. He has pace, power, great positional sense and his ability on the ball is twice that of the man he replaced as the soul of the North London club, Sol Campbell. But at the age of 28 his chronic injury problems seem to have caught up with him and over the past three seasons, when he should have been at his physical peak, he only managed to make 46 appearances.

Tottenham’s poor form is down to many factors but the absence of their captain and the lack of a real leader has meant that as soon as King is capable to play, he plays, regardless of whether his body is up for the demands needed to play in Premier League.

He limped off on Sunday with a hamstring injury and, despite fears that he faced another lengthy spell on the sidelines, it seems he will only be out of action for the next two weeks. But the questions over his long-term prospect will continue to be asked and at some stage soon Harry Redknapp will have to ask himself the question: How much longer they can rely on King? And whether, for the good of the team, it is time to find a permanent replacement for the captain.

Hopefully King’s latest setback will be his last one and he will be able to finish the season injury free and help drag his team away from the relegation zone. It would be a shame to see his career end at 28 and with only 19 England caps to his name.

Of course many players, who go through injury spells like the one King has been through, go on to play into their late 30’s, even Anderton has enjoyed an Indian summer with Bournemouth. Paul McGrath famously played on despite his crippling injuries, hardly ever training all while being a raging alcoholic, until he was nearly 40. King could also look down the road at Tottenham’s local rivals Arsenal and how the arrival of a better diet and new fitness regimes helped the likes of Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon all carry on well into their late 30’s.

Redknapp has a lot to sort out at Spurs and has money to spend, even after the re-signing of Jermain Defoe. Jonathan Woodgate is a very capable central defender but his form has suffered without a stable partner beside him and if King can’t prove that he is still the long-term leader of the club, then one of the hardest tasks facing Redkanpp may be letting go of his skipper.

Anti-football, 1890’s tactics, cheating, dirty Stokies. That seemed to be the general consensus from the debate on The Times ‘The Game’ blog when Oliver Kay posed the question: Are Stoke City the least popular top-flight club since Wimbledon?

Fans from pretty much all corners had their say and the overwhelming answer seemed to be, yes, Stoke are the least popular side since Wimbledon. In Kay’s piece to start the debate he stated that “Certainly the establishment will shed no tears for Tony Pulis and his players if embarrassment in the FA Cup is followed at the end of the season by relegation from the Barclays Premier League.”

He balanced out his argument by saying that they were not a bunch of thugs but rather “an honest bunch of players trying to make the most of their limited abilities in a league where they would perish if left to get by on technique alone.” Something which I’m sure Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson would dispute after seeing possible leg-breaking challenges on Emmanuel Adebayor during Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at the Britannia and on Cristiano Ronaldo during United’s 1-0 Boxing Day victory.

First you have to agree that the way Stoke play is not the type of football that people love to watch. They get lots of men behind the ball and look to hit long balls into the channel for Ricardo Fuller to chase. They rely heavily on Rory Delap’s long throw to create goal scoring opportunities and Pulis has signed big strong players to give them a physical presence that very few team’s can match.

They have players who are not afraid to put a tackle in and the claim’s that they are over-aggressive have some truth. Other criticism that has been labeled at them is that they cheat by tactically fouling to break up the opposition’s play and that they time-waste to run down the clock.

All these claims have some truth to them but what a lot of people don’t realise is that these are things that maybe 70-80% of all team’s do. Manchester United and Chelsea often surround the referee to pressure him when making decisions. Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano is a master of the tactical foul, it’s something that foreign team’s have always done and time-wasting is hardly a new phenomenon and referees are wise enough to know when it’s going on.

What Tony Pulis has done, and has had to do, is create a team that is disciplined and plays to a system that may be defensive and may be ruthless but is one that got them in the Premiership and is one that will give them the best chance of staying there.

If you speak to many Stoke fans they will tell you that they believe the media is totally biased against them and that they were prejudged before they even got promoted. As they are an unfashionable club from an unfashionable area with an unfashionable manager. The criticism they received seemed to hurt both the club and its fans earlier in the season and they both became defensive about their style and tried to justify themselves. But why should they?

Unlike Tony Mowbray’s West Brom side who seem determined to win as many plaudits for their style of play as points on the table, Pulis is not here to win fans or praise. He wants to keep his team in the division and it’s his job to do that anyway possible. He has made mistakes in the transfer market, notably the deadline purchases of Michael Tongue and Tom Soares, but they were signings to add bodies to the squad if nothing else. The signings of Matthew Etherington and James Beattie add Premiership quality and experience to the side, as well as a touch of creativity.

The Premier League is so tight this year that no team from Hull in 8th are safe from relegation and Phil Brown’s team are no longer on the run they were had at the start of the season and are slipping fast. The problem that Stoke face is that the likes of Tottenham and Man City have some top class players who will eventually click into gear and pull them to safety. Stoke don’t have that luxury and will have to rely on all the things that people hate to give them the best chance to stay up.

That task starts at Stamford Bridge today against a Chelsea side who, despite being far from their best, are perhaps the team most suited to resist Stoke’s physical approach. But if Pulis stick’s to his guns then there is no reason why they couldn’t cause an upset to further Phil Scolari’s troubles and stick two fingers up to the haters.

Arsenal got three more valuable points today but their display was far from convincing and they struggled to break down a depleted, if resilient, Bolton. We know that the injuries to Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Eduardo and Tomas Rosicky leave the Gunners short on pace, experience and creativity but for me one of the most worrying aspects of their display, and their season, is the lack of leaders and personalities in the team, especially when things are not going well.

When William Gallas was replaced by Cesc Fabregas as captain, Arsene Wenger was eager to make the point that he no longer believed in a team having one absolute leader. Instead he argued that the role of the captain was more of a profile role, when what a team really needs is 11 captains out on the pitch.

There is a case for this argument as surely 11 people all trying to influence and motivate the team is better than relying on one man trying to do it all himself, in the way that Steven Gerrard has had to do so many times for Liverpool over the years. But what Wenger seems to be ignoring is the impact that one great act by a captain can have on his team and this should not be underestimated.

I am currently a quarter of a way through a trip taking in Dubai, South East Asia and Australia over a period of five months. At the moment of writing this I am in Sydney and had the pleasure of catching the last two days of the third and final test match between the two best cricket sides in the world, Australia and South Africa.

Now I understand this has nothing to do with the Premier League or football at all but stay with me. For those who don’t follow cricket, Australia have dominated the world scene for the last 15 years or so. Over this period they have enjoyed two ‘Golden Generation’s’ of players. And by ‘Golden Generation’ I mean genuine world class players, unlike the so-called current ‘Golden Generation’ of footballers in the English national team.

However that era is coming to an end and South Africa are close to become the number one nation in the world and ready to dominate over the next couple of years. They won the first two test’s of this series, meaning they had won the series and became the first side to win a test match series against Australia in Australia since 1993.

This meant that the third and final test was meaningless apart form a few moral victories up for grabs. Australia salvaging some pride in front of their home crowd and for South Africa a win would confirm them as the number one team in the world. But for South Africa, the most important thing was that they had won the series and it was job done already.

The South African captain is Graeme Smith and he is a born leader. As a child he excelled in most sports and became South African captain at just 22 years old. During this series he has carried an arm injury and has taken painkilling injections everyday just to make it on to the field. During the first innings he got a blow to his hand which forced him to retire and his hand put in a plaster cast.

On Wednesday afternoon with 30 minutes of play remaining and Australian on the verge of victory, Smith ripped off the cast, borrowed kit from his teammates and strode out into the middle to try and save the game for his country. It is worth mentioning at this point that South Africa had no chance of winning the game, Smith went out to avoid defeat, despite the fact that South Africa had already won the series.

His act can be seen as either foolish, risking further injury, or heroic, putting himself on the line for his team regardless of the pain he was in. He batted with pretty much one arm and with 10ball’s left he was bowled out.

His act had been in vain but he set an example to his teammates that showed how far he was willing to go for them. What he did got the whole ground on their feet and at that moment I was reminded why I love sport. It is a shame that display’s such as this are so rare, especially in the world of football where it seems that all aspects of decency, respect and sporting behavior have been lost.

While I’m not suggesting that Eduardo forgets that he nearly lost his leg or that Rosicky plays despite his chronic hamstring injury but the players like Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Eboue and Denilson are no longer teenagers or untried talents, they have been at the club and around the first team long enough and its time they stood up and showed some character.

Against Bolton it was once again Robin Van Persie who drove the team on but there were still too many passengers who seemed scared to take hold of the game. If Wenger eventually decides to dip into his transfer kitty this January, he will need to look for more than just skill, pace and technique if his Arsenal side are going to win anything again soon.

While away on international duty, Gallas told a French newspaper: “We are coming up against teams who are not scared to play football against us, who are not scared to take us on at our place and this is becoming dangerous for Arsenal. We are not brave enough in battle. I think we need to be soldiers. We have to be warriors.”

While those sentiments may be true, these are normally the kind of comments that are contained within the dressing room.
He then continued to expose the rifts within the dressing room, seemingly pointing the finger at Dutch striker Robin Van Persie: “There was a problem at half-time [against Spurs],” he said. “The only thing that I could say at half-time was: ‘Guys, we resolve these problems after the match, not at half-time.’
“When, as captain, some players come up to you and talk to you about a player … complaining about him … and then during the match you speak to this player and the player in question insults us. There comes a time where we can no longer comprehend how this can happen. I’m trying to defend myself a bit without giving names. Otherwise I’m taking it all [the blame]. It’s very frustrating, but I’m 31 and the player concerned is six years younger than me.”

The 31 year-old Frenchman’s Premier League career has been littered with drama. At Chelsea he kicked up a huge fuss about not been played his preferred position of centre half and reportedly threatened to score an own goal if he was not granted a move away from Stanford Bridge.

After his controversial transfer to Arsenal, which saw Ashley Cole join Chelsea and £5m heading to the Emirates, Gallas has struggled to recapture the form that made him one of the best defenders in the world.
He has complained in the past about the lack of strength in the squad and for many of the fans his strop at the end of the Birmingham game last year, when Arsenal threw away 2 points when Gael Clichy gave away a last minute penalty, was the last straw.

Arsene Wenger gave him one last chance in the summer by keeping him as captain, instead of handing it to the overwhelming favourite to now get the armband, Cesc Fabregas. After such a poor start to the season and with a crucial game coming up this weekend in the Premier League, the events of the past few days would have been the last thing the Arsenal manager needed.

This also opens up the debate of Gallas’s future at the club. It seems he lost the respect of his teammates along time ago and it is hard to see how the damage from the last few days can be repaired. With the transfer window opening up in just over a month, Wenger may look to move him on and bring in a replacement.

The sliver lining of this incident could be that it is Cesc Fabregas who takes on the armband full-time. He is definitely the fans choice and giving him the armband now may help persuade the Spaniard that his future belongs in North London.

Standing out in the blog-world is not easy but, as in most walks of life, true quality will always shine through. So I thought it would be a good idea to get two of the best soccer blogs around, EPL TALK and Arseblog, together for a little chat.

Arseblog was started in February 2002 and its author, Arseblogger, writes everyday from his home in Dublin about the trials and tribulations of Arsenal Football Club. The blog receives anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 hits per day and at this present time has an RSS feed total of 3,415.

The blog and its podcast, which has guest’s such as the Guardian’s Amy Lawrence and ex-Arsenal star Perry Groves, provide honest, witty and intelligent opinions and has become necessary viewing for Arsenal fans.

Earlier this year the blog joined OleOle.com, the social networking site for football fans, and Arseblogger agreed to talk to me about the move and also about Arsenal’s stuttering start to the season.

How has the move from being an independent blogger to being part of the oleole network? Has it changed how you approach the blog and your content?

I approach it in the same was I always did. I want to make sure I provide an enjoyable read for people each day and to maintain the style that has made the blog popular. One of the things I am very conscious of now is getting it out at the right time each morning. What helped made Arseblog successful was the fact it was published each morning, almost like a daily paper, and that’s something I’ve been keen to continue.

As for the content it’s very much the same. Obviously I have a bit more time to put into the podcasts etc but OleOle haven’t tried to dampen down the more colourful parts, shall we say.

How did the chance to join the oleole network come about and was it an easy decision to accept the offer? What was it that swung it your way?

It wasn’t easy but I saw it as a great opportunity and probably one that would not come around again. It was also exciting to be joining something with such big plans and to be part of the team which would help try to build and grow the main site.

When you started out was it your goal to reach this situation or was it just a creative outlet to vent your opinions about your team?

No, it was really just a personal thing for me. I think if you tried to start something with that specific goal you’d fail because it wouldn’t be genuine. People would see through it as contrived. All it has ever been is my opinion, expressed my way. I have never set myself up as a spokesperson for Arsenal fans, never claimed to be any kind of authority on anything, it’s always just been what I think. Sometimes its heat of the moment, sometimes more considered, but it’s always been honest and I think most fans can recognise that, even if they don’t agree with me. And there has always been an outlet for people to counter my waffle if they want – the comments on the site usually run into 1000+ each day.

What do you think it is that people enjoy so much about your blog and what do you think makes a good blog?

I think it’s a combination of things. The writing style, the opinions, the regular schedule of publishing, the community that has grown around the site, lots of things. Asking what’s a good blog is like asking somebody what’s a good meal. Everyone will probably have a different answer or their own favourite. I think blogs are like that too. Maybe Arseblog is the steak and chips of blogs. Everyone likes steak and chips. Except vegetarians, but they don’t count.

Every Arsenal fan believes that Wenger should have strengthened the squad in the summer. Why do you think he didn’t? Lack of funds or stubbornness to do things his way?

There were funds, no question about it. Wenger was the one who chose not spend. As to why I don’t know. How he let Diarra, Flamini and Gilberto leave, all quality players, without any kind of replacement coming in still baffles me to this day. So I think perhaps he thought some of the young players were better than they were. Maybe he thought Denilson or Song could emerge like Flamini. For some reason he thought the last minute purchase of Silvestre would address our defensive problems. It’s hard to figure out what he was thinking really.

Flamini isn’t the greatest ball-player but his relationship with Fabregas was one that doesn’t come around very often and is one that cannot necessarily be bought. Do you think the board Wenger should have given into his wage demands like he did with Adebayor?

I think Flamini wanted to leave and if you pay him the same as he got by moving on a free somewhere else then you set a dangerous precedent within the squad. I heard he was offered crazy money by Bayern Munich, something like £6m per year AFTER TAX. So it’s safe enough to assume AC Milan and paying him something similar. Arsenal could never have matched that despite offering him a lot of money. But if he goes you have to replace him with a similar player. I know we paid £5m for Ramsey but he’s not a Flamini, more of a Cesc. I find it hard to imagine that Arsene Wenger, with his vast knowledge of football, couldn’t identify one player to fill that gap.

Wenger has made some strange decisions in the past couple of years and now seem to be paying for them. How much longer do you think this can carry on before he is seriously questioned and do you think the lack of someone at the club willing to disagree with him is partly to blame?

I’m not sure there was ever anyone to disagree with him but when things were going well it wasn’t an issue. Obviously things are rocky at the moment and fans disquiet is understandable. I think serious questions are already being asked of him so we’ll just have to wait and see if he can answer them.

What are your hopes for the rest of the season?

Nothing too bad to happen between now and January, some experienced, quality player to be bought during the transfer window and while I think the league is probably beyond us I think we’re capable of winning a cup. So some kind of silverware and a top 4 finish would be acceptable, in my opinion.

You can read the Arseblog everyday at http://www.oleole.com/blogs/arseblog

Despite sitting joint top of the Premier League after 13 games, Liverpool’s summer recruit’s, Albert Riera apart, have yet to justify Rafa Benitez’s decision to bring them to the club.

Robbie Keane has struggled to recapture his Tottenham form and has been guilty of some glaring misses, Philip Degen has been injured, Diego Cavalieri and David Ngog were signed purely as squad players and the less said about Andrea Dossena the better. Not since Liverpool’s infamous ‘Spice Boys’ turned up for the 1996 FA Cup Final in cream Armani suits, has so much money been wasted on lightweight Italian imports.

But perhaps the most decisive bit of business during the summer at Anfield was the signing that didn’t happen. Had the board allowed Benitez to splurge £18m on Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry, Xabi Alonso would probably be giving Cesc Fabregas the kind of midfield protection he deserves at Arsenal or helping Juventus break Inter’s stronghold on Serie A.

The ex-Real Sociedad midfielder’s contribution has gone largely unnoticed but it looks like he is finally producing the kind of displays that we have long thought he was capable of. Where he once seemed intimidated when playing the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, he now looks inspired and his form should persuade Benitez to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation that suits them so well.

A big shout-out should also go to Dirk Kuyt. For a while he was considered a flop, then it was decided that perhaps he was never going to be a great player and that his work-rate made up for his inadequacies. After learning to cope with the demands of the Liverpool fans and getting over the death of his father, he has started the season in fine form and has made that attacking right-sided role his own.

His transformation from target man to a wide supporting striker is reminiscent of Sylvain Wiltord’s similar progression at Arsenal. Wiltord’s cost Arsenal a lot of money but in the end his goals and assists became a vital part of the ‘Invincible’s’ team.

Gomes’s Goal-Keeping Nightmares

Spare a thought this week for Heurelho Gomes, the doomed Tottenham goalkeeper, who had another treacherous weekend. He was unconvincing throughout his side’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham and made another horrible mistake when he dropped a routine cross into his own net.

His form is so bad that it leaves you wondering whether he has some sort of contractual agreement to release a goal-keeping horrors DVD this Christmas, in the way that a band who has split up often release a compilation album to fulfill the record companies requirements.

At PSV he always looked a good keeper and while he never would have faced the kind of physical, aerial approach that if often found in the Premiership, I doubt anybody believed he could be this bad.

Danny Murphy has admitted that Fulham changed their set-piece routines to put the Brazilian under pressure and Tottenham captain Ledley King has said that communication has been a problem.

Harry Redknapp should stick by him though and this really will be a test of Harry’s ‘Your a great player, you are’ approach that has worked with nearly everyone else on the Tottenham staff.

Future Of England?

Trevor Brooking chose the week when an Arsenal side containing five English players and an average age of 19 beat a full strength Wigan team to complain that the future of English football is less than rosy.

Anyone who saw Jack Wilshire carve Wigan apart, Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck hit a 30-yard screamer against Stoke or Michael Mancienne’s England call-up may think otherwise.

These three players are just a few of the great crop of young English players coming through that are a direct result of the academy system that was put into place towards the end of the 90’s. England will always produce good players as the love of the game and enthusiasm is in the countries blood.

These players are a result of the clubs getting their houses in order and it is working. All this has been achieved without a national training centre and it is still unbelievable that a nation who claim to be among the world’s elite have no such facility.

Just imagine the players we might produce if the FA finally got their house in order.

Football Manager ruins lives. It doesn’t care whether it’s your marriage, your grades, your health or your job. It doesn’t care if it’s your best friend’s birthday or even your own. It’s the cheating girlfriend or the 12-inch meat feast pizza of the computing world, we know it’s bad for us but we can’t stop going back for more. It can be the last thing you think of at night and the first thing you think of in the morning. It’s the drug they don’t warn you about at school and its back and ready to reap havoc on our social lives like never before. Or since the previous installment was released last November.

Ok that was a bit dramatic but it isn’t too far from the truth. One of my friends had to throw his copy into the nearby canal because it was distracting him from his University dissertation. This year’s edition looks to be the best yet, with a host of new features including a 3D match engine. EPL TALK will give you an insight into Football Manager 2009 next week with an exclusive interview with someone associated with the game, so until then, why not relay your best all-time Championship/Football Manager moments:

Simple Criteria:

Most Memorable Achievement:
Best 11:
Best Buy:
Worst Buy:

Here are mine:

Most Memorable Achievement: Starting in the lower leagues has never really appealed to me but I do love the challenge of taking teams from smaller nations to glory on the biggest stage. On CM 01/02 I took over PSV Eindhoven and despite finishing second in the Dutch League to Ajax, I won the Champions League 1-0 against Real Madrid with a Mark Van Bommel strike in his last game for the club before he moved on to Juventus for £20m. I used that money to buy Dirk Kuyt from Utrecht, goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli from Roma and Pablo Aimar, who was out of favour at Valencia, and proceeded to win the next 3 league titles, 2 more Champions League victories, 2x European Super Cup, 2x World Club Championships, 1 Dutch Cup and went 67 games unbeaten in domestic competition. It all fell apart though when I sold Aimar for £40m to Lazio and replaced him with 34 year old Zinedine Zidane, who was clearly over the hill.

Best 11: PSV CM01/02: Ivan Pelizzoli; Michael Lamey, Kevin Hofland, Wilfred Bouma, Mike Zonneveld; Arjen Robben, Johann Vogel, Pablo Aimar, John De Jong; Mateja Kezman, Dirk Kuyt

Best Buy: Playing with a friend on CM 97/98, I was Arsenal and he was Manchester United, we challenged ourselves to buy a striker from the lower league or reserves of a team and turn them in to a star. He went for Sean Divine for £300,000 and who failed to score in his first 15 games. I spent £60,000 on Robbie Keane from the Wolves reserves. He scored 10 goals in 13 games and I sold him 6 months later for £9m.

Worst Buy: On CM 98/99 I was desperate for some extra fire power for my Arsenal team to give one last final push for the title. As transfer deadline day approached I weighed up my options and decided, with 2 hours to go, that Ariel Ortega was the man for me. Some quick-fire bargaining with Valencia saw me pay £15m, £4m more than I wanted to, but I was happy I had got my man. He scored once in the final 17 games of the season and I lost out on the title to Manchester United once again.

• Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Manchester United at the weekend was one of the games of the season so far and Arsene Wenger’s side proved a lot of people wrong. Not only did they show their outstanding technical ability but also grit, determination and heart to keep United at bay during the onslaught of the last 10 minutes. After 10 days where everything and everyone at the club was questioned, it now seems that 90 minutes on Saturday morning have changed everything. The crisis talk has gone and Arsenal are back in the title race. It’s amazing how the opinions of the press can seemingly change overnight and with one victory all the hysteria wiped away.

Cesc Fabregas summed it up in his post-match interview when he said: “Last week we were not rubbish as everyone said. That’s football, it changes quickly.” Saturday’s win was vital but it was only three points and they will need to play like that every week if they want to seriously challenge for the title.

It still doesn’t change the fact that they need to find a way to break down teams who get 10 men behind the ball and learn to overcome teams who get physical with them.

• West Brom have got off to their best start to a season in the Premier League, yet today when they look at the league table they will themselves right at the bottom. Tony Mowbray’s side’s style of football won a lot of admirers as they won promotion from the Championship last year and their slick passing saw them dubbed ‘Arsenal-Lite’. While such a comparison should be taken as a compliment, the reality is that they can also be accused of the same flaws as the Gunners. Only they don’t have players like Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie to get them out of trouble.

Tony Mowbray’s team should be admired for trying to play good football but as everyone likes to point out to Arsene Wenger, you win no points for style. Stoke City have been labelled a long ball (throw) team but at the moment they look to have more of a chance of staying in the division than West Brom. Your first season in the Premier League should be all about survival. Once established you can look to develop a more refined philosophy. It is possible to merge to the two, as Hull have shown, but West Brom just don’t have the players. Roman Bednar might look mean but he won’t scare many Premiership defenders and while Borja Valero, Jonathan Greening and Robert Koren are all neat, tidy passers of the ball they lack someone who can break up play in the midfield and a commanding centre-back.

The upside for Mowbray is that the bottom half of the table is so tight that a couple of wins can lift you right out of trouble.

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a fine footballer and is capable producing moments of magic. He recently scored a superb back-heel volley against Bologna and it was not the first time he had scored such a goal, having struck a similar strike for Sweden against Italy at Euro 2004. On Saturday at the KC Stadium Marlon King went close to scoring a ‘Zlatan’ for Hull against Bolton. His improvised effort was as good if not better than the Swede’s and he was unlucky that it hit the bar and went over.

Had it gone in it would have been one of the goals of the season and while I’m not saying King is anywhere near as good as Ibrahimovic, his contribution to Hull’s great start to the season has gone largely un-noticed.

While Daniel Cousin and Geovanni have taken the headlines, King has been superb and must have left Steve Bruce scratching his head as to why King couldn’t perform like that for him. While at Watford Aidy Boothroyd said that he valued King at £60m, what he was trying to say was that the role he played for the team was priceless and I’m sure that Phil Brown is now thinking the same.

French national team coach Jacques Santini had just taken over as manager and the club had installed Frank Arnesen as Director of Football, as Spurs chairman Daniel Levy continued to deploy a more continental approach to managing the club, despite the failings of Glenn Hoddle and David Pleat.

Santini had forged an impressive reputation in France, where he started Lyon’s incredible run of 7 consecutive league titles, and took over from Roger Lemerre after the 2002 World Cup. Despite a poor showing at Euro 2004, France were knocked out by the eventual winners Greece, the Tottenham fans were giddy at the thought of having their own Arsene Wenger.

Bringing in Arnesen from PSV Eindhoven was also quite a coup. The Dane was well respected within the game and had been responsible for bringing the likes of Ronaldo (the fat one), Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Jaap Stam and Arjen Robben to PSV.

Santini didn’t settle well and struggled to come to terms with both English football and the English lifestyle. He only lasted two months and Martin Jol, who had also joined the club in the summer as a coach, took over first team affairs.

From then on we know the rest. Jol took them to two fifth place finishes before being ruthlessly axed for Juande Ramos, Arnesen was lured across London to join the Russian Revolution at Chelsea and Damien Comolli, a former scout for Arsenal, took over as Director of Football.

Every manager has his own philosophy and it is very rare for a manager to come into a club and not want to bring in his own players. Already the rumours have started as to who Redknapp will buy in January and how much money will be available.

So in the space of 4 years Tottenham have had 4 managers and 2 Directors of football, all of whom have had their own preferences and ideas of the way forward for the club.

So I thought it would be a good idea to see how many players have been bought into the club since the summer of 2004 and find out where they are now plying their trade. I may have missed some out and in no particular order:

Andy Reid – Sunderland, Michael Dawson – 1st Team, Pedro Mendes – Rangers, Noe Pamarot – Portsmouth, Nourredine Naybet – Retired, Rodrigo Defendi – U.S. Avellino, Calum Davenport – West Ham, Thimothee Atouba – Hamburg, Michael Carrick – Manchester United, Sean Davis – Portsmouth, Erik Edman – Wigan, Mounir El Hamdaoui – AZ Alkmaar, Emil Hallfredsson – Reggina, Leigh Mills – Reserves, Marton Fulop – Sunderland

Jermaine Jenas – 1st Team, Paul Robinson – Blackburn, Lee Young-Pyo – Borussia Dortmund, Grzegorz Rasiak – Watford, Edgar Davids – Free, Danny Murphy – Fulham, Teemu Tainio – Sunderland, Didier Zokora – 1st Team, Benoit Assou-Ekoto – 1st Team, Hossam Ghaly – Reserves, Tom Huddlestone – 1st Team, Aaron Lennon – 1st Team, Wayne Routledge – Aston Villa, Paul Stalteri – Reserves, Radek Cerny – QPR, Reto Ziegler – Sampdoria

Darren Bent – 1st Team, Dimitar Berbatov – Manchester United, Gareth Bale – 1st Team, Mido – Middlesbrough, Pascal Chimbonda – Sunderland, Steed Malbranque – Sunderland, Ricardo Rocha – Reserves, Adel Taarabt – Reserves, Yuri Berchiche – Youth team, Dorian Dervite – Reserves, Oscar Jansson – Reserves, Tomas Pekhart – Southampton on loan

Giovani Dos Santos – 1st Team, Alan Hutton – 1st Team, Jonathan Woodgate – 1st Team, Gilberto – 1st Team, Kevin-Prince Boateng – Reserves, Chris Gunter – 1st Team, Younes Kaboul – Portsmouth, Mirko Ranieri – Youth team, Danny Rose – Youth/Reserves, Ben Alnwick – Carlisle on Loan

Luka Modric – 1st Team, Roman Pavlyuchenko – 1st Team, Vedran Corluka – 1st Team, John Bostock – Youth/Reserves,, David Bentley – 1st Team, Heurelho Gomes – 1st Team, Fraizer Campbell – 1st Team, Cesar Sanchez – 1st Team, Paul-Jose Mpoku –Reserves.

That is over 60 players in 4 years have arrived at the club with only a handful left and actually in the team. Some of these players were bought with the future in mind but now with a new manager that may throw their future at the club in doubt.

Redknapp faces a big job in getting rid of players like Paul Stalteri, Kevin-Prince Boateng and the others loitering in the reserves who have failed to live up to expectations. He must also resist the temptation to completely overhaul the squad again because it is stability they need and as they showed in glimpses at the Emirates last night, they do have quality in the squad.

Out of the first choice goalkeepers of the top four clubs in England, Manuel Almunia has always been cast as the ugly duckling. But that may be about to change. After seeing off his bitter rival Jens Lehmann last year, the Spaniard has made the number one jersey his own and has repaid Arsene Wenger’s belief in him.

Last week he played arguably his best game so far for the Gunners, when he captained them during their 5-2 demolition of Fenerbache and he will be hoping to continue that form tonight in the North London Derby.

Aged 21, Manchester United’s Edwin Van Der Saar was a regular with Ajax, Petr Cech was playing with Rennes in France and establishing himself as the best young goalkeeper in Europe and Liverpool’s Pepe Reina was on periphery of the Barcelona first team.

Where was Manuel Almunia when he was 21? He was playing for the Osasuna B team. With first team chances limited, he was loaned out to lower league club, FC Cartagena, before leaving Osasuna to join CE Sabadell in the Spanish second division.

After one season in Catalonia, the 6ft 3in Spaniard was on the move again, this time to Celta Vigo. He again failed to establish himself and was sent out on loan for three consecutive seasons without ever making an appearance for the Celta first team.

It was on one of these loan spells where Almunia caught the eye of Arsenal’s Spanish scouts, when during the 2003-2004 season he helped newly promoted Albacete to a 14th place finish.

Even the player himself was shocked at the interest from the then newly crowned Premier League champions and jumped at the chance to move to London. He even cut short his honeymoon in Naples, Italy, to travel to London for a medical.

Over Wenger’s time at Arsenal we have become accustomed to the fact that he rarely goes for big name signings. However this is particularly true when signing defenders or goalkeepers. Almunia was bought with the future in mind and also because he was available at a low price of £2m.

Between the sticks is the one place Wenger prefers experience over youth and the man from Pamplona has had to bide his time since joining the club. In front of him was Jens Lehmann and the relationship between the two was very much like the German’s relationship with everyone else, frosty to say the least.

Lehmann thrives on conflict and endured a similar but more high profile feud with his rival for the German number 1 spot with Oliver Kahn. The irony of the situation was that Lehmann was always in Kahn’s shadow until he finally convinced the national team manager Jurgen Kilnsmann to start him for the 2006 World Cup. He would be up surged by Almunia in a very similar way just one year later.

Almunia’s confidence grew in the games he deputised for Lehmann and was soon pressurising Wenger to start in his place. After Lehmann made mistakes against Fulham and Blackburn at the beginning of last season, Wenger replaced the big German with the big Spaniard and Almunia has never looked back.

Lehmann couldn’t believe he had been dropped, especially for Almunia. He said at the time: “To be sitting on the bench behind somebody who only started to play when he was 30 is not funny.”

Almunia’s form over the last year has brought up the topic of international football. With Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina in front of him, it is highly unlikely that he will ever get the chance to represent his country. However next year he will qualify for British citizenship and with it comes the possibility of representing his adopted country, England.

He said: “The opportunity is there and I’ll follow it for as long as the possibility of playing for England remains open. I don’t think playing for Spain is an option, they have enough ‘keepers, it’s not their biggest problem. If I got a British passport then I would be able to play for England and, at the moment, I feel very English.”

While a large number of Brazilians have change nationality, the chances of Alumina representing England are very slim. Both the media and the fans wouldn’t accept it. Adjusting to having a foreign manager was hard enough, never mind foreign players.

But the fact that people are talking about him as an option is a huge compliment to Almunia and he deserves a lot of credit for the mature way he handle the Lehmann dispute and also for how hard he has worked to not only get into the Arsenal team but also show that he deserves to be there.

In soccer, as in all walks of life, there are many different paths that can ultimately lead to the top. Almunia’s route may have been longer and less straightforward than his rivals but that he got there in the end is all that matters.

Harry Redknapp is set to become the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur after the club sensationally sacked Spanish Head Coach Juande Ramos late on Saturday night. Tottenham will pay Portsmouth a £5m compensation fee for Redknapp and the deal is set to be concluded before Spurs take on Bolton tomorrow.

Redknapp told Sky Sports News: “It’s going to be done tonight [Saturday], it will all be sorted out and by tomorrow [Sunday] morning I should be in place.”
“It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s a big club, Tottenham. I love Portsmouth and I loved my time there, we had some fantastic success and I’d never been happier. But it’s a great deal for Portsmouth, £5million for me, and it’s a chance for me to get on and see what I can do.”

After an horrendous start to the season it looked as though chairman Daniel Levy was going to give the ex-Sevilla boss time to turn things round. But after another defeat in the Uefa Cup at Udinese on Thursday and players David Bentley and Jonathan Woodgate’s outspoken remarks at the state of the club, Levy has decided to act. Assistant coach Gus Poyet and Sporting Director Damien Comolli have also been shown the door.

A statement from the club said: “The club can announce that Damien Comolli, sporting director, Juande Ramos, head coach and first team coaches, Marcos Alvarez and Gus Poyet, have left the club, with immediate effect. We wish them well.”

While this is a blow to Portsmouth and their fans, this is the move that Redknapp has been waiting for his entire managerial career. He may have wished he was taking the job under better circumstances but at least he has now got the chance to prove just how good a manager he can be.

The Brazilian-born forward was a vital part of the Arsenal team that had charged to the top of the Premier League last season until a horror tackle from Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor ended his season and ruled him out of the summer’s European Championships.

That game at St Andrews was a particularly bad one for the Gunners as, along with Eduardo’s injury, Arsenal gave away a last minute penalty that saw them draw 2-2 and captain William Gallas throw an almighty strop. This was a pivotal moment in their title challenge and it was one from which they never recovered.
Huge credit must go to the doctors, physios and Eduardo himself for getting back to fitness so soon. The horrific images from the incident left many to think whether he would play again.

To put the speed of Eduardo’s recovery into perspective would be to look at the plight of his team-mate Tomas Rosicky. The Czech captain limped off in Arsenal’s home victory against Newcastle on January 29th with a hamstring problem. Complications with the injury and an additional knee problem mean that he is not expected to be back playing until after Christmas.

Eduardo’s return will be a huge boost to Wenger as he is a popular member of the squad and his injury had a huge effect on the team morale. He will also give them another striking option as his neat link-up play and predatory instincts have been missed. While Carlos Vela is a very similar player to the Croat, at 19 he is not yet ready to lead the line.

Wenger also used the AGM to have a little dig at the media and the Emirates crowd after booing could be heard on the half-time whistle against Everton last weekend, with his young team trailing 1-0. He said: “I am personally very proud. But I believe this team needs a strong guide to go through difficult periods, because at the moment I do not feel that, either from the media or our supporters, that this team gets the support that it deserves.”

The Arsenal Supporters Trust back what the manager had to say. A statement from the AST said: “”The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust shares Arsene Wenger’s view that the matchday atmosphere at the Emirates sometimes needs galvanising.
“Sometimes Arsenal’s fans forget just how young our players are given their quality and that they need encouragement on the pitch.”

Wenger highlighted how well the club is set for the future both on the pitch and off. He said: “First of all I feel the Club is well-managed financially and I am very proud that we live within the resources we create from our own business and we do not need external income. I feel that is very important for the future of the Club.
“Another big reason to be optimistic is that we have been very consistent. Through the years we have always been at the top level and we always want to win trophies but the most difficult thing to achieve is consistency.”

Chairman Peter Hill-Wood also moved to reassure fans that the club would not sell out to foreign owners. Saying: “Arsenal runs through my veins and we do not want control handed over to somebody who has not got Arsenal in their blood. Rest assured, we are not going to sell out to the first man who comes along”

Wenger went on to talk up the success that their academy is having in producing young English players and believes that soon they will see the benefit. “I would like to say as well is the structure of our team is fantastic, but very young. That means that tomorrow will be better than yesterday.
“It means as well that nothing dramatic will happen to this Club. For years we have had a foreign influx but we have worked hard with young English talent. They will be ready within one or two years to produce results.”

There was also some exciting news away from the AGM as Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp hinted to BBC reporters that he would like to return to the club one day. Bergkamp, who is working with Ajax while he acquires his coaching badges, was in North London yesterday alongside another Dutch legend, Johan Cruyff, at the opening of a new football facility. He said: “”People ask me the question if I could come back to England one day to coach and I say yes.
“I always enjoyed it here and it’s a fantastic country to be involved in football. Maybe in the future I will be back in some way.”

You have to go all the way back to 21st February 2004 to find the last time Chelsea lost at home in the Premier League. Since then 85 teams have attempted to beat the Blues at Stamford Bridge but none have left with more than a point.

One of the teams to go closest to ending that sequence is Aston Villa. Last December they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw, despite leading 2-0, in a game that had everything. 8 goals, 3 red cards, 5 bookings and 2 penalties. It was so crazy, even Andrei Shevchenko managed to score. Not once, but twice.

Both clubs have got off to impressive starts to the season, even if they have different expectations as to where they will finish. Chelsea’s chase for the title has started well, especially their 4-0 opening weekend victory against Portsmouth. Since then their form has dipped slightly, even if the results haven’t, and despite Felipe Scolari’s intention to attack more, they have been far more efficient than breath-taking.

Aston Villa’s ambition changed as the summer progressed. A lack of transfer activity early on and it looked like they may tread water this season after an impressive campaign last year. But a flurry of arrivals including Nicky Shorey, James Milner, Carlos Cuellar and Luke Young has meant that they now have a squad that could, quietly, challenge for a Champions League place.

The 3-2 defeat away at Stoke City is the only blemish so far on a start which sees them in third position after 6 games and for Martin O’Neil the most pleasing aspect may be that he has been able to start the same 11 players in each of those games.

Sunday’s game would normally be a real test to show how far Villa have progressed and how serious they are about becoming a force in the Premier League. However, if there is ever a time to play Chelsea then surely it is now.

The current league leaders are expected to be without Alex, Ashley Cole, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba for the tie. Joe Cole is back training and could be fit and captain John Terry has declared himself fit, even if he only has one leg to play on.

This amount of injuries would test any squad but if any team can handle such a situation, then it is Chelsea.

O’Neil’s selection worries come from the dilemma of weather or not to change a winning side. Big money signings Cuellar and Milner won’t want to sit on the bench for long but there are no obvious candidates to drop out.

Naturally a central midfielder, Nigel Reo-Coker has brought energy and solidarity to the right flank and Stiliyan Petrov is finally starting to show the form he displayed so often at Celtic. Gareth Barry has put the Liverpool transfer saga behind him and has shown signs of recapturing the form that generated Rafa Benitez’s interest in the first place. And Ashley Young has developed into one of the league’s top left wingers and his relationship with Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew is vital to Villa’s attacking threat.

Yet despite Chelsea’s injury woes, much will depend on the ability of Villa’s central defensive partnership of Martin Laursen and Curtis Davies , to resist the threat posed by Nicolas Anelka, Frank Lampard and the in-form Salomon Kalou. If they can do this then they may be able to exploit Chelsea at the back, where the injuries have hit the hardest.

It is undoubtedly the pick of the weekend’s fixtures and it would be great to see Villa arrive at Stamford Bridge looking to win. Too many teams set-up not to lose when they go away to one of the ‘big four’ and O’Neil should take confidence from his sides performance in last year’s corresponding fixture and that this year they can go one better.

Fans of clubs outside the ‘big’ four’ often bemoan their lack of coverage in the media but one club should be thanking their lucky stars that Chelsea played Manchester United this weekend and also that Mike Riley had a stinker.

This is a club that has been the closest in recent years to making the ‘big four’ into a ‘big five’. This is a club who has spent millions of pounds trying to bridge the gap and get into the Champions League. This is a club that ruthlessly sacked a manager who had led them to two successive fifth placed finishes.

This club is Tottenham Hotspur and for all their history and all their ambition, they find themselves bottom of the Premier League. And to add insult to injury, their bitter rivals Arsenal are top, after a superb 3-1 victory away at Bolton.

Last summer after spending a fortune on new players the club got off to a disastrous start in the league and the board began to feel that perhaps Martin Jol wasn’t up to the job.

The teams inability to beat any of the big teams and some strange tactical decisions made by Jol, particularly in the FA Cup at Chelsea, had already led to Daniel Levy, the Chairman, to question Jol’s position. The poor start confirmed his doubts and after a not-so secret meeting with Sevilla Manager Juande Ramos, the Spaniard was appointed as Jol’s successor.

Ramos had been hugely successful at Sevilla, where he had led them to back-to-back Uefa Cup wins and had developed a squad and playing style that was the envy of many of the bigger European sides. However Ramos felt he had taken the club as far as he could and was eager to test himself elsewhere. Tottenham seemed like the perfect destination for him to do this.

A year on and things haven’t really changed. On arrival at the club Ramos complained of the squad being unfit and overweight, so he made them undergo a second pre-season during October. He wasn’t happy with the quality of the squad so immediately set about identifying new players, along with Director of Football Damien Commoli, to bring the squad in line with his vision.

After such a poor start the first test for Ramos was to get Spurs winning and moving up the table. The fact that they won the Carling Cup by beating Chelsea in the final and thrashing Arsenal 5-1 in the semi-final second leg seemed to gloss over the fact that this didn’t happen. They finished the season in 12th position and effectively went on holiday after the cup victory.

Christian Gross’s ill-fated spell at the club was seen as an unmitigated disaster but the statistics show that the Swiss won more points per game (1.30 to 1.28) than Ramos has since he took over.

If Ramos is as good a coach as the reputation he gained in Spain suggests, then he should have been able to use the players that he had in the squad and get them playing in a way that produced results. This shouldn’t have been too hard given a squad containing the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Aaron Lennon.

Yet it seems that Ramos wanted to have more input in the purchasing of players than he did when in Spain. At Sevilla working alongside Sporting Director Monchi, they discovered a host of young unknown talents like Dani Alves, Julio Baptista and Luis Fabiano and turned them into world class stars. Yet the players Spurs have purchased in the last year all seem to have two things in common. Over-hyped and over-priced.

The Spurs board have given Ramos the money to sign new players, yet at the same time they have undermined him with their dealing of the Dimitar Berbatov transfer.

While it is important for clubs like Tottenham not to role over as soon as bigger clubs want one of their players and they should be applauded for the reluctance to let the player go, if it wasn’t that their desire to hold onto the player was all about maximizing the profit on a player who they bought for £10m two years ago. In the end the deal was concluded at midnight on September 1st, leaving the manager no time to sign a replacement and leaving his squad unbalanced.

This may seem like making a mountain out of a molehill because the season is still young and the new players need time to get used to their new surroundings and blend with their new teammates. Ledley King’s injury problems have not helped Ramos, as he has been unable to field a consistent back four and Robbie Keane’s desire to join Liverpool was also a blow.
Neither the board nor Ramos can shirk the blame for the situation the club is in. But what is important is that they stick together and do not make any rash decisions.

Ramos has today dismissed reports that he is unhappy in London and that his family are unsettled by saying: “I am delighted to be in London and I’m delighted to be at Tottenham. I’m having a marvelous experience.
“We need time. Some players came in only just before the close of the transfer window and there have been big changes.”

He came to Tottenham looking for new challenge and there can be no doubt that is what he has got.

Picture via by AFP/Getty Images

Simply put, Spain were far too good for the Germans and no one would begrudge them their victory. They were so much better technically, tactically and physically that it was amazing the score was only 1-0. They carved through the German defence time and time again and against a better team you would think that this might cost them. Not against opposition like this though.

German captain Michael Ballack was a doubt before the game and it was obvious in his lack of mobility that he was not fit and he struggled to link up with Miroslav Klose, who looked isolated in attack. Hitzelsperger and Frings tried hard but were left chasing shadows at times as the Spanish passed the ball around with the kind of intelligence and precision we have come to expect.

Its rare that the most attractive, entertaining team go on to win the major trophies but this Spanish team has added steal to go along with the flair that has always been there.
Marcos Senna has marshalled the midfield excellently and Marchena at the back has been there to clear up the few mistakes made by Carlos Puyol. All this has allowed the likes of Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta and Silva to attack with the confidence that they have a solid defensive base and in Fernando Torres and David Villa they have two of the worlds deadliest strikers.

Huge credit must go to the coach Luis Aragones. It’s easy to say that when you have so many talented players that you just tell them to go out and play but not only has he made bold tactical decisions, his use of substitutes has been vital. The introduction of Fabregas into games gave them another dimension and Carzola and Güiza have played important roles in closing out games.

After superb performances from Holland, Croatia, Russia and even Turkey, it was a travesty that Germany got to the final. Defensively they have been shocking and apart from Ballack and glimpses from Podolski and Schweinsteiger they have never looked like possible winners. It is a testament to the spirit of Joachim Löw and his players that they reached the final but it also highlights the poor decision by Uefa to separate the competition into two uneven halves.

Two years ago Germany were praised for their attacking play under Jurgen Klinsmann but despite the same players this has looked a totally different side. However enough about the losers lets rejoice in the winners.

This Spanish squad is young and has the potential to go on and dominate the top-level of international football like it has done at youth level for many years to come and it is justice that such a great tournament should end with such great champions.

When it was announced that Sven-Göran Eriksson was to leave his post as England manager after the 2006 World Cup Guus Hiddink was seen by many as the man to finally galvanise the so-called ‘golden generation’. England chose Steve McClaren, Russia chose Hiddink and we all know what happened next. Despite losing their opening game to Spain, Russia got back on track by defeating the defending champions Greece and, inspired by the return of Andrei Arshavin, cruised past Sweden in the decisive group D game to set up a mouth-watering tie with Holland in Basel on Saturday.

This will be the first time that Russia will have graced the latter stages of a major international tournament since the break up of the Soviet Union and the impact made by Arshavin should not be underestimated. While Russia showed patches of their quality against Spain and were the dominate side against Greece on both occasions they seemed to be one player short of a team who could have a genuine shot at winning the competition.

Playing just off Pavlychenko, scorer of the opening goal, Arshavin was a constant menace to the Swedish defence and his movement and awareness of his teammates was a joy to watch.It was his ball that started the move for Pavlychenko’s goal and he was on the end of Zhirkov’s pass to score Russia’s second. It will be interesting to see if he is allowed the same amount of time and space against Holland who have been fielding two defensive midfielders in Nigel De Jong and Orlando Engelaar.

Regular watchers of Europe’s club competitions will know that Russia’s appearance in the last eight is no fluke. The image of Russian football being based on big brutes is long gone, the Berezutskiy twins apart, and the slick passing and pace with which the Russians attacked tonight was as good as any seen so far in this tournament.

Sweden were outclassed tonight and with the oldest squad in the tournament it is time for a rethink. However the apparent lack of young talent coming through means that the majority of this side will be present when the World Cup qualifying campaign starts in the fall. Coach Lars Lagerbäck has been in charge since 2000 (sole charge since 2004) and must take some of the blame for the team’s poor showing. His defensive tactics have meant that arguably the countries most creative midfielder, Lyons Kim Källström, has been replaced by Anders Svensson and placing even more pressure on the brilliant but erratic Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With Holland in imperious form the chances of Russia getting to the semi-finals is slim. But if anyone knows how to conquer the Dutch it is Hiddink and with Arshavin back pulling the strings anything could happen.