Colombia and Nice goalkeeper David Ospina will sign with Arsenal on a long term contract, with the transfer fee thought to be in the region of £3m.

The official club website confirms that Ospina, 25, will join up with the squad shortly and is expected to make his debut for the club in the Emirates Cup that takes place next weekend.

Ospina has collected 189 appearances in a six year stint at Nice, and is only available on such a cut price basis due to having a single year left on his contract. After impressing during Colombia’s quarter final run in Brazil 2014, it was widely predicted that he would move on to a bigger club. He currently has 49 caps for his country.

Arsene Wenger, when talking about his new signing, said: “David Ospina is an excellent goalkeeper, with good experience and a proven record of performing with Nice and Colombia. He will add strength to our squad and we are very pleased that he will be joining us.”

Though it looks like he is set to start on the bench for Arsenal, he has the capacity to challenge Wojciech Szczesny for the number 1 spot. Wenger has shown in the past he is not against dropping Szczesny if he is off form. It will create an interesting battle for the starting spot for this season at the Emirates.

Ospina joins Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Debuchy as Arsenal’s third senior summer signing, with rumors of Calum Chambers’ arrival from Southampton now being reported by many reliable journalists, including the BBC.

You can follow Jordan Willis on Twitter @JMWillis01

Since he burst controversially into the Stadium of Light dugout, Paolo di Canio has been box office. His knee sliding, air punching celebrations have endeared him to the Sunderland faithful but his latest press conference has placed him on a narrow, treacherous path as we head into the summer transfer window.

His public shaming of the culture amongst the squad has pleased the majority of fans who have grown sick of season after season of mediocrity and in the case of this year, dangerous flirting with the bottom three. However it is unlikely the players share the fans enthusiasm.

In an explosive post match conference at White Hart Lane on Sunday, di Canio confirmed he had fined seven players in the previous week, something that the player’s union, the PFA, have announced they will look into. Phil Bardsley is almost certain never to play for Sunderland again after the pictures of him covered in money angered the Italian. Titus Bramble and Matt Kilgallon have also fallen foul of the new regime.

On the face of it there is little to say against di Canio’s tactics. He has inherited a group of players who clearly have grown used to having a pretty easy life. Fitness and energy levels were poor and judging by di canio’s descriptions of what he has found in his first few weeks, the level of professionalism at the club was incredibly low.

In his outburst he spoke of two players who arrived 20 minutes late for a meeting and did not seem to care. He mentioned one player who declared himself unfit for training and promptly switched his phone off so as to be uncontactable by the club’s medical staff. If these stories are true, and there is little to nothing for di Canio to gain by lying, then there were clearly serious problems at the club.

And yet, as with most things in modern football, it is not that simple. By publicly slating not only individuals but also the general culture at the club, di Canio has set his stall out very clearly. Those not willing to tow his line are not welcome. The complexity in the situation is the players. Those who are unwilling to embrace the new methodology are likely to be on good contracts and not that willing to leave in a cut price deal. And having players hanging around a club where they are not welcome is never a good situation.

There is also the probability that not all of those who do accept the changes are going to be good enough players to improve Sunderland. After all there is more to a good side than professionalism. Sunderland have lacked quality this season and if players such as Stephane Sessegnon and Adam Johnson decide they do not like the challenge of working with di Canio then almost all of what little quality there is will have gone.

And so the challenge for the fiery Italian is one of balance. He must create an environment where unprofessional behaviour is not tolerated whilst making Sunderland an attractive place not only for those already at the club but also potential new signings. He must also balance the undoubted desire of the fans to see a full scale revolution sweep the club with the practicalities of being in charge of a top flight football club. Whatever happens this summer on Wearside I doubt it will be dull.

The world has another homosexual professional footballer.

Robbie Rogers, the former U.S.A. international and Leeds player has revealed via a well-written statement on his website, that he is gay and that he is now to step away from the game to discover his identity outside of soccer. I wish him all the luck in the world.

The most played team sport around the world has now jumped to the giddy total of three players who have felt secure enough to admit that they are gay. Let us not forget as well that one of those three was made to feel such an outcast that he went on to take his own life.

The reaction when the news regarding Rogers broke would make an irregular observer of soccer think the sport had only just discovered that homosexuality existed. The shock and surprise shown by many involved in the game shows just far how behind the rest of society football is on this issue.

I can not be the only one who thinks it strange that only three brave souls have risked being openly gay within soccer. The law of averages dictates that there are more homosexual footballers out there who fear the consequences of coming out. In fact why should it take such bravery to come out at all? Surely we can create an environment where it is natural for all to be able to share their sexuality free of the fear of discrimination. This got me thinking, is enough being done to promote tolerance on all fronts in soccer?

Over the past 18 months or so, racism has been the major talking point in this area. The Luis Suarez and John Terry cases have meant that the issue of racism in football is one we are all well aware of. But instead of coming out of those scandals feeling that the game had got a grip of the situation, many still feel that not enough is being done by those in charge.

Yes there are a multitude of campaigns out there that promote anti-racism, anti-homophobia and anti-discrimination in general but are they working? Are they making any noticeable difference to attitudes of those in the game? The fact that the whole world appears to have gone slightly crazy at the news of one footballer coming out would suggest not.

If soccer was a world where tolerance was King, then Robbie Rogers would be a non-story.

The simple truth is that sexuality should not be an issue. Soccer is a sport. At no point does your sexuality affect your ability to be good at soccer. The only reason that the story was ticker tape breaking news material was because of the intolerant atmosphere that has pervaded within football for far too long. The same principle can be applied to the focus that always appears to be placed on female officials or black managers.

What is needed, and I do appreciate the irony here, is a period of zero tolerance. Zero tolerance on intolerance of any kind. If a fan is heard to shout anything racist or sexist at a game, he is banned for a long time. If a player uses gay as a derogatory term, then he receives a ban and a hefty fine. Soccer can change the culture it has but it will not be easy. Sadly the cynic within me wonders whether those in charge will ever risk a negative light being shone on their product.

The game is such big business and reliant on sponsors from around the world that the necessary introspection will not happen. It would be far too big a risk for those in charge to in any way highlight the faults within the game. For proof of this look at the heads in the sand approach of the FA, the PFA and the Premier League in both of the recent high profile racism cases.

Sadly the image that I, and I suspect many others have, is of a game that is all too tolerant of things that it should not be.

Watching the FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Leeds last week, there was a moment that stood out. As Pantilimon prepared to take a goal kick for City, the noise level amongst the Leeds fans rose and as he made contact a chorus of “you shit bastard” rang out. Clive Tyldesley described it as a “warm Yorkshire greeting.” Where else is casual swearing greeted with such irreverence on a Sunday afternoon?

It must be pointed out in the interests of fairness that soccer has come a long way in the recent decades but there is still a long way to go. Only when a player coming out, a referee happening to be female or a manager being black are not newsworthy stories will we be able to say that soccer is a tolerant place.

Turn on your TV to watch a game anywhere in the world and the chances are that you will soon see the face of an ex-footballer attempting to share his knowledge of the game with you. Except that all too often it appears as though that knowledge, or at the very least the ability to express it, is very limited.

Stan Collymore has brought this topic up on Twitter in the past week and it has become fashionable amongst football fans to bemoan the quality of analysis from ex-footballers. But is this a huge generalization? And what do we mean when we say that someone’s analysis has been poor?

Kristan has made the point on the podcast before that as a journalist working on football he spends a large amount of his time doing research. This means looking at players linked to clubs, finding articles about them, looking at match footage and generally improving his knowledge of the game. It appears as though many of the ex-pros on our screens do not engage in this practice.

How many times have you heard the phrase “We don’t know too much about this guy” or similar? My guess is that your answer is somewhere along the lines of “too often.”

Televised football has become such a big industry today that the demand for quality rightly stretches far beyond the on-pitch product. We all expect to see the best use of statistics and graphics. We also expect to have our appreciation of the game enhanced by those paid to watch and analyze it. Too often though the best analysis comes the day after in the newspaper and dare I say it in blogs.

However we should not fall into the trap of lazy analysis of the analysts. Not all ex-pros are bad at being pundits, just as not all those who write about the sport for a living are good at it. Gary Neville has been a breath of fresh air on Sky whilst my personal favourite is Pat Nevin, until recently only used on Radio 5Live but now appearing on Match of the Day 2 occasionally.

Both of these use their years as footballers to offer what even the best writer or broadcaster can not; how a footballer sees events. The best analysis by those who have played the game always enlightens. It gives those of us not good enough to play the game at that level a little bit of insight into the ways that players see the game differently from fans.

As Kristan puts the issue very succinctly, “The problem is not with footballers as pundits … It’s those who believe their esoteric experience is enough to guide them through analysing any situation.”

In essence the problem that many have is I believe in the attitude of entitlement shown by many ex-pros. There seems to be a believe in football that once you have finished playing, you can move straight into the TV or Radio studio, when in fact that is a place that only those capable of fully formed, non-generalising opinions should tread.

And opinions is another issue that cause us on the podcast to get pretty irate. As Morgan says, “It isn’t just ex footballers, but analysts in general don’t seem to offer anything new a lot of times. It’s the same narratives regurgitated by pundits be they ex footballer or not. Maybe if we’re able to change the narrative we’ll start to see some better quality out of pundits.”

I am interested in what others think of this issue. Who are your favourite pundits and are any of them ex-pros in the media?

For our New Year’s Resolution, the EPL Talk Podcast crew have decided to bring you a new weekly feature, the EPL Talk Podcast Discussion. We want to get you all involved in the debate so each week we will bring you an article designed to get you talking. So as our dear leader Mr McKenna might say, lets EPL Talk about it…

For those of you who listen regularly to the EPL Talk Podcast, you will know that youth soccer and more specifically the state of it in Britain is one of our favourite subjects. Few topics are likely to arouse stronger opinions from Kristan, Morgan, Laurence and myself. Even Kartik has been known to be very forceful on the issue.

There is a reason for this. For those of us who care deeply about football as a sustainable entity, youth soccer represents the future. A club with a good youth setup can hope to produce a consistent stream of young talent at a fraction of the cost of buying in a whole new squad every few years. The same principle can also be extended to national soccer – just take a look at Spain and Germany.

But, as has been made all too clear in recent times, there are clubs that clearly do not believe in the sustainable model, or at least they have little confidence in it. In the EPL, Chelsea spring to mind but the truth is there are very few clubs in the Premier League that have a notable reliance on their own youth system.

As with most debates, the truth in the money versus youth issue likely lies somewhere in between the two extremes. There is always going to be a place in the modern football world for splashing the cash but at the same time as we head towards a new era of (supposed) financial fair play, surely the clubs must start to look to balance the books so to speak and bring through a few players of their own?

Take Chelsea for example. Since the Abramovich takeover, we are all aware of how much they have spent on big name players but what is often lost is the fact that they have also spent a lot of time and money bringing in a huge amount of young players. For me, this is not the answer.

Home grown youth serves two purposes. On a purely footballing level it helps you to produce players who are ingrained with the culture of the club, Barcelona and La Masia being undoubtedly the best example of this.

At this point I can almost hear Morgan screaming at me that I am missing out the very important fact that football in England is a crowded market. With so many huge clubs all packed together the chance of attracting enough local talent is a lot lower than Catalonia for example where there are only four teams playing in the top two Spanish divisions.

On a club level this is very true but looking at a national level there is not enough being done throughout the Premier League to promote youth development. Yes the introduction the Under-21 Development league this year is a step forward but much more is still needed.

Secondly, and I realise the fairly existential nature of this point but please indulge me, it helps to maintain the bond between club and local community. At clubs up and down the land, fans love the sight of a young lad from the local area pulling on the shirt of his boyhood team. It reminds them that this is their club and that they too once dreamt of doing the same. Such a bond is something that modern football is far too easy to dismiss.

The final thing to consider is whether the fans of clubs have in some way contributed to the current situation. By wanting success as soon as yesterday, have fans failed to create an atmosphere where owners and managers feel they have the required time to create a youth focused culture. I suppose that that is a question that is almost impossible to answer.

But readers, do at least try and answer it for me below or on Twitter.

@mattcrduncan
@Morgan_Green
@lozcast
@kkfla737
@KHeneage

Here are my predictions for today’s matches in the Premier League:

Wigan Athletic v Arsenal

The Gunners are the favorites on paper but their recent struggles don’t invite a lot of confidence. Wigan are once again in a fight to avoid relegation but are much better at home than on the road. Arsenal should still get the three points but it should be somewhat close.

Arsenal wins 2-1

Manchester City v Reading

The easiest match of the weekend to predict as Reading are bottom of the table and conceding more than two goals per match. Manchester City haven’t been great lately but are still the better team by a significant margin. The real question isn’t who will win but can Reading keep the scoreline respectable.

Prediction – Man City wins 3-0

Newcastle United v Queens Park Rangers

QPR’s form has improved with the arrival of new manager Harry Redknapp. They are unbeaten in their last four matches and no longer last place in the table. Newcastle, who challenged for a top four finish last season, have struggled mightily and only a few points above the bottom three. The Magpies are still very strong at home but an improved QPR side should make it an even match.

Prediction – 1-1 draw

Southampton v Sunderland

Two teams who are just above the relegation zone and separated by only one point. Southampton’s recent form has been much better than the Black Cats but neither team has been that good this season. A low scoring match is expected with the slightest of edges to Southampton.

Prediction – Southampton wins 1-0

Tottenham Hotspur v Stoke City

Both teams have 12 points in their last six matches and in contention for a spot in Europe next season. Spurs are a solid team at White Hart Lane while Stoke have only one away win this season. The clear advantage is to Tottenham but Stoke have shown an ability to grind out 0-0 and 1-1 matches. Tottenham are still expected to get three points but a draw wouldn’t be a surprise.

Prediction – Tottenham Hotspur wins 2-1

West Bromwich Albion v Norwich City

Two teams which have had great starts and only a few points out of the top four. Norwich have the second most points in the last six matches despite a negative goal difference. Both teams have found an ability to win close matches but have gotten most of their points at home. The Baggies have the home advantage but will face a tough test against an in-form Norwich.

Prediction – 2-2 draw

West Ham United v Everton

Everton have uncharacteristically started the season off strong while West Ham are in the middle of the table. The Toffees, led by great play from Marouane Fellaini, should have enough to get a draw and possible the away victory.

Prediction – 0-0 draw

Liverpool v Fulham

There are signs of hope for Liverpool but they have yet to found the home form that continually made them a top four side. Fulham have notoriously been among the worst home teams in the last few years and this year is no different with a 1-4-4 record. Liverpool should hold Fulham to at most one goal but its unclear if they’re going to score enough goals. The quality of Suarez should be just enough to squeak out a win.

Prediction – Liverpool wins 1-0

This weekend’s match at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester United is important both on and off the field.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are still searching for a league win and getting it against their biggest rivals would be a huge catalyst for the club. Meanwhile United are still far from their best and doubtless Alex Ferguson will be looking to step up a gear and capitalize on any lack of confidence in Liverpool’s squad.

But arguably the most important events are away from the match action. This is the first match at Anfield since the release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report which finally exonerated all Liverpool fans of blame and laid bare the disgusting nature and size of the establishment cover-up that has been going on since that day in April 1989. The families of the 96 who lost their lives that day will be present as guests of honour and there will be a tribute to the memory of those who went to watch a game and never came home.

Unfortunately what should be a moment of reflection for Liverpool in particular and football in general has become the centre of a number of people’s concerns regarding the behaviour of fans. Manchester United fans have been known to sing vile songs about Hillsborough and likewise Liverpool fans about the Munich Air Crash in 1958 and there is genuine concern that the match or even the tribute itself may be tainted by some of these chants.

United captain Nemanja Vidic has today called for all United fans to respect the tribute and put an end to the hatred. This is fine and the sort of behaviour one expects from a captain but it saddens me that a captain should have to plea with his own fans for them to respect the memory of fellow fans who lost their lives through no fault of their own whilst they simply tried to watch a game of football.

Tribal loyalty is one of the best things about football. The feeling of belonging that it gives to fans is what makes people follow a club for their whole lives. But it is not the be all and end all. Football is only a game and when tragedy strikes as it did at Hillsborough it affects everyone involved with the game. It is not just Liverpool fans who want justice for those who died and it will not just be Liverpool who pays their respects to them on Sunday, it will be all football fans with a heart.

The reaction of the fans at the match this weekend is important for football, or at least it is as far as I can see. Any sign of trouble or disrespect will, in my eyes, mark a low point for football not seen since the hooligan era.

Sport is meant to be a way of escaping the stresses and strains of the real world. It is meant to be a place where people respect one another and the passion for their team should always stay within moral boundaries. All too often of late football appears to have become a moral dead zone with fans losing all sense of what is right and wrong.

This is a real chance for the real voices of football to be heard above the vocal minority who risk further damaging football’s reputation. After a summer that has seen people fall back in love with the ideals of sport for sports sake thanks to the Olympics, it is time for right thinking football fans to step up and take back ownership of their clubs identity before all is lost in a war of horrific chanting and disrespectful behaviour.

After a summer of sport that has spoilt us all, especially those lucky enough to live in the UK and become a part of the Olympics, the start of the football season has somewhat crept up on us.

I will be the first to admit that the excitement and pride that I have felt through much of the summer has meant that my build-up to the new season has been somewhat low key compared to years past. No daily countdown, and no trawling the web hoping for rumours to become a little more factual. Or at least not as much of that anyway.

But it is here and that means it is prediction time again. After my success last year (I tipped City to edge United despite howls of derision from many on here), I enter this year confident, which probably means that you can ignore all of my picks for the next nine months or so.

Here we go then, in all its splendour, this is what (with a little luck and a favouring wind) the Premier League table will look like at the end of May 2013.

1. Manchester City
2. Manchester United
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Newcastle
7. Liverpool
8. Everton
9. West Bromwich Albion
10. Aston Villa
11. Sunderland
12. Queens Park Rangers
13. Fulham
14. Norwich
15. Stoke
16. Wigan
17. Reading
18. West Ham United
19. Swansea
20. Southampton

Like last year I can’t see past City being crowned champions again. Despite a quiet summer by their recent standards they still have the strongest squad in the league with depth at all positions. This, allied to the fact that their belief they can win the league now has some factual evidence to back it up means that they surely have to start the season as favourites. Also, if things are maybe going slightly awry come January they have the financial clout to be able to do something about it, a luxury few can match.

I have been impressed with United’s dealings this summer but the lack of a world class holding midfielder means that they just miss out on top spot for me. Yes Michael Carrick is good but apart from him there is a worrying lack of midfielders able to dominate games. And no, Paul Scholes will not play forever.

Perhaps the most improved team this year will be Chelsea. Stamford Bridge will be home to perhaps the most attacking midfield the Premier League has ever seen but the two other departments are still cause for concern. Can Torres get back to his best? If he can’t who can step up? Danny Sturridge has showed glimpses but nothing like the consistency that would be needed to lead the line and Romelo Lukaku has made a loan move to West Brom. As for the defence well problems abound. John Terry is not getting any younger, David Luiz is not getting any more reliable and Gary Cahill is not good enough to build a title winning defence around. Add to this the lack of a natural right back and the decline of Petr Cech and that midfield is going to have be very good to counter the issues at the back.

Arsenal will have another season where finishing in the Top Four will have to suffice. The loss of Robin Van Persie is a blow but at least Arsene Wenger has bought well this summer with Podolski, Cazorla and Giroud all adding quality to the team. If they get off to a good start then they may be able to mount a half challenge for the title but that is a long shot. More likely is that they may finally end their trophy drought this season with victory in one of the domestic cup competitions.

Outside of coveted Champions League places Spurs Newcastle and Liverpool will battle it out for the Europa League place(s) with Everton just behind. Andres Villas Boas has a lot to prove in this country and with a squad full of pace and short of overbearing player power cliques he has a much better chance of succeeding than he ever did at Chelsea.

Newcastle appear to have bought wisely again and if they can add Mathieu Debuchy to their squad then any lingering doubts about their defence will be gone. Their main worry will be seeing if they can get the two Dembas, Cisse and Ba to share the goals a bit more, Ba went very quiet towards the end of last season, something overlooked thanks to the impact of his international team-mate.

Liverpool have made a brave choice to employ Brendan Rodgers. A man with only one season of top flight management can not be expected to change the style of play and subsequently the fortunes of one of the giants of English football in the space of a few months. The signings of Borini and Joe Allen hint at a long term vision of attractive football but this season will be about learning and morphing the club around the Rodgers style.

Frankly the middle of the table is so tight that places 9-14 are fairly interchangeable. Points of interest include Steve Clarke finally getting a team of his own to manage and QPR attempting to secure their status by buying as many players as possible will work.

At the bottom of the table I have gone for West Ham, Southampton and (apologies Gaffer) Swansea as the teams to go down. Unfortunately for Southampton I just do not see enough quality in the squad to keep them up and I think that an awful lot will rest on the shoulders of Ricky Lambert, a man who has played one season above the third tier.

Swansea face a tough test this year. They are in the same position as Norwich, with a new manager after the last one was so good he had to move on. However Norwich’s squad appears to have a bit more versatility about them whereas I fear for Swansea if their admittedly very pretty plan A does not work.  Michael Laudrup is also not known for being a scrapper, he has only lasted  one year at each of his previous three clubs.

Finally, the last club to fall through the floor will be West Ham. Again there appears to be a degree of arrogance slipping into the aura of the club. Whilst they have a squad that on paper looks good enough to stay up, the pressure to do things in a certain way is always present at Upton Park and if form starts to slip and performances get ugly then the fans will not be slow to turn on Sam Allardyce, a manager they are still not overly keen on despite him getting them back to the promised land at the first attempt. I fear that we could quite easily see another horror show from The Hammers, with no Scott Parker to attempt to rescue them this time.

The coming season has a lot to live up to following the ups and downs of the previous campaign but it promises to give it a run for its money, much like United and City at the top of the table.

For all the best analysis and discussion of the EPL as the season progresses download the EPL Talk Podcast. Tweet me your views or email me at matt@epltalk.com and you can help to shape the discussion.

The last few years in the Premier League has seen a new type of character emerge, one that at times has seemingly overtaken the players in terms of importance to the story of the game. It appears that wherever you turn within soccer you are presented with the smiling face of a billionaire promising another club the world. Unfortunately like most of the best things in life, there is quite some risk to this indulgence.

As we head towards a weekend where most expect to see Manchester City crowned champions of England, thanks in no small part to the riches of Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour, it can become all too tempting for the modern football fan to dream of a billionaire riding in to lift their club from mid-table obscurity to the Champions League and beyond. But it can all easily go so very, very wrong.

Staying topical, lets look at Blackburn. When Venky’s, an Indian chicken company, took over the club in the summer of 2010 Rovers had just finished the season in 10th place. When they decided to sack Sam Allardyce midway through the following season they were sitting in 13th. Now, barely 18 months later they are heading to the Championship for the first time in 11 years. That was not the plan.

In that time there have been a number of incidents that have highlighted the damage that can be caused by an ownership that has more money than sense. First there were the attempts to sign Beckham and Ronaldinho, soon followed by the announcement that the club was aiming for Champions League football and that if it took £5 million “then we would spend £5million.” There is plenty of evidence to suggest that there is a distinct gap between the reality of football and the world in which Venky’s exist.

Admittedly it would appear that there is a world of difference between the people behind Venky’s and say, Roman Abramovich, but the lesson here is something along the lines of all that glitters is not gold. Just head north of the border and find a Rangers fan.

At Ibrox the Glasgow club spent most of the late 90’s and early 2000’s waiting for their own knight in shining armour, just so they could try and keep up with their neighbours Celtic. When he arrived, first in the shape of David Murray, then as Craig Whyte,few questioned where the money was coming from or how the club was being run. As the events of the last few months have shown, this was probably one of the most monumental mistakes ever made within football administration.

Admittedly there are plenty of examples where owners have injected much needed cash and impetus to clubs. My own club, Sunderland, have benefitted from Ellis Short taking over at the Stadium of Light whilst few would have said with any confidence pre Abu Dhabi takeover that Manchester City would be about to claim their first league title in 44 years. At least not many sane people anyway.

The latest club to see the bad side of rich owners is Cardiff City. Recently taken over by Vincent Tan, a Malyasian businessman, the club knowns as The Bluebirds were going to be playing in red next season until the owner withdrew this suggestion after “vociferous” opposition. He was also suggesting that the club crest be changed to a dragon – all to increase the visibility of the club in the lucrative Asian markets. Such is football these days.

Despite the amount of clubs who have suffered at the hands of unscrupulous owners spiralling ever upwards, it has almost become second nature for fans to constantly look for rumours of the next Sheikh, oligarch or private equity fund heading their way with many briefcases full of cash, ready to lead them up the table. Recent history shows us that this is just about the only way for most clubs to reach the top level but the point remains that, as with most things in life, football fans really should be careful what they wish for.

In this Internet-fueled world, we are led to believe that we have never been so free. Free to get our information from wherever we want and apparently free to voice our opinions in ways that simply were not possible before the invention of the World Wide Web. This was great news for soccer fans. Now there were spaces for us to discuss our clubs and to speak directly with fans all over the world. The plethora of opinions would lead to greater understanding between fans and the Web would be used to have debates that were free from external moderation.

At least that was how it was meant to work.

This week has seen yet another example of the way that soccer has fallen prey to the disease that appears to be seeping through into every facet of our lives. It appears that there are still subjects that you are not allowed to have your own opinion on, subjects where straying from the accepted view will lead to abuse from all over the world. The latest, and possibly greatest example of this in soccer was brought to the surface this week through the words of comedian and actor Alan Davies.

Davies, an Arsenal fan, has his own soccer podcast. In last week’s episode he dared to suggest that Liverpool refusing to play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster was not correct. At no point did he disrespect those who had died, nor did he trivialize the horrors of that day. In fact he said that that was one of his worst days as a football fan. Yet because he dared to suggest that Liverpool should start to play matches on April 15th he has been subjected to abuse and even death threats from mindless individuals on Twitter and Facebook.

Some of the comments sent his way were disgusting and, if precedent were to be followed after the Liam Stacey/Fabrice Muamba case then, I would dare to say that some were verging on the illegal. Whether that is the case or not is not the point. The point is that if the Internet is to be a force for good then there needs to be a lessening of dogma and a real freedom for people to put across opinions and a respect for those opinions even when you disagree. So I will start.

Alan Davies is right. Liverpool has every right to ask for their games not to be scheduled on the 15th of April. What they do not have the right to do is to expect that their request is granted perpetually and at the expense of others. This weekend Chelsea will have to play their FA Cup semi final against Spurs on Sunday, just 72 hours before their Champions League match against Barcelona. There is little doubt that an extra day of rest before that game would be helpful. However due to the Sunday being the 15th, Liverpool has to play on the Saturday.

I am not going to pretend to understand what it must have felt like to be at Hillsborough that fateful day, or what it must be like to lose a loved one at a soccer game. I understand that there is still a deep sense of loss and injustice amongst the Liverpool community and that those feelings are not going away. But I also feel that there can be little better tribute to those 96 who were lost than to play soccer, to continue on the great tradition of success that exists at Liverpool and to honor them by playing the game that those who died that day went to see.

The horror of that day will not be lessened by playing. The injustice of the situation and the issues that still persist regarding what happened then and in the aftermath will not be forgotten. Justice will still be sought by right thinking people whether a game is played or not. Abusing those who simply state an opinion will do more harm to the campaign for justice than any soccer game can.

Editor’s note: Alan Davies later apologized for his comments by saying, “The tone I took on the podcast was inappropriate for this subject. I support the campaign for justice for the 96 [victims]. I said the Hillsborough disaster was the worst event in modern peacetime history. I was on a terrace listening to a radio as it happened. Many disagree but I feel that the Liverpool v Everton semi-final could be played on Apr 15. Apologies to those upset by that situation.”

Unfortunately, Davies didn’t help his stance by later joking on Twitter that he was going to buy a scouser fancy-dress costume.

Davies did make a goodwill gesture by donating £1,000 to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. However, the donation was rejected by the HJC, stating “Whilst we accept his apology, we would prefer that he genuinely tried to understand why the decision never to play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster is so important.”

The last few weeks have not been good for the financial side of the beautiful game. We have seen clubs going into administration, others nearly folding and no progress on controlling the wages of top players. Only today Wigan have announced a net loss of £7.2 million and admitted that wages at the club account are 78% of the club’s total revenue, a truly worrying statistic given that that outlay has resulted in nothing more than a perpetual battle for Premier League survival.

The fact that this story has largely been ignored by the media only goes to highlight the terrifying regularity of these happenings. A club in the Premier League, the richest in the world, should not be making consecutive yearly losses. The money is there for clubs to make a profit if they are run correctly; spending two-fifths of your income on wages is not an example of how to do this. However running a club like you would run any other business is also a pretty certain way of avoiding all trophy contention.

Football in this country and across Europe has now found itself in situation where finances are running out of control. More money is pumped in through TV and sponsorship deals with some of the world’s biggest companies and yet losses increase and debts build up. Rangers, the most successful domestic club in the history of world football, is now in administration because it refused to live within its means. Things are going to have to change.

The incoming UEFA Financial Fair Play rules are a good start in that they at least acknowledge there is a problem within the game. However, serious questions remain as to whether the plans go far enough and are fair to clubs that do not already have huge marketing operations. The suspicion is that clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool that generate huge income from merchandise around the world will be in much stronger positions than clubs like Tottenham and Fulham that have less of a global reach.

But still financial reform of a truly significant nature is ignored or at least put on a very distant backburner. Still fans clamour for more money, better signings and still the owners listen and throw more money away with apparently little regard for what might happen a few years down the road.

Football is by its nature not used to looking at the long term. As long as wealthy benefactors are at charge you are not going to hear many fans calling for financial restraint. At a point that one imagines will not be too far in the future however, fans are going to have to realise that the endless spending and exuberant wage bills are not going to be sustainable, that there is going to have to be a serious tightening of the way that clubs are run and that this will mean that as fans they are going to have to lower their demands as well.

Fans are important in the future direction of football. We have already seen an increase in the amount and visibility of fan-owned clubs such as AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester. The current financial perils haunting football are not good but good things can certainly come out of them. A better understanding of how clubs are run, more connection between fans and the financial side of the game and a move back towards the roots of the game with clubs being run by fans for the fans, not as a publicity machine for a rich elite.

That may not be a popular thing to say but if things continue down the path they are on at the moment then it will simply mean a choice between a club living within its means or no club at all.

One of the most depressing things to have emerged from the racism scandal that has threatened to overshadow large parts of the Premier League season is the loyalty blindness that has affected large amounts of fans throughout the league.

The boos that rained down on Patrice Evra and Anton Ferdinand were a signal that all is not well in the minds of a significant minority of so called football supporters. To boo a victim or alleged victim of racism is disgusting enough but to then claim that it is justified along tribal lines is frankly appalling behavior.

If what has happened over the last few weeks would have unfolded in any other country, let us say Russia or Spain for argument’s sake, our media and fans of football in this country would have been swift and damning in their criticism of it. However, it appears to be all too easy for people to put the football goggles on and descend into some sort of twisted moral logic that even the most dastardly politician would have trouble replicating.

Take for example the booing of Patrice Evra at Anfield. Here we are faced with a large number of people abusing a person who has been found, through an independent tribunal, to have been the victim of racist abuse from a fellow professional. Yet a significant amount of Liverpool fans felt that it was acceptable to boo Evra because he played for a rival team and his evidence had seen one of the Kop’s favourites banned.

This is not just a criticism aimed at Liverpool fans. There are fans at all clubs that embarrass the right thinking majority. Chelsea fans booing Rio Ferdinand and any number of clubs who sang the now infamous Adebayor chant over the last few years are just a couple of examples. Unfortunately there are plenty more out there.

Football is an emotive subject for many and showing undying love for their team is something that comes naturally to so many and this passion is a large part of what makes football and the Premier League in particular such a joy to follow. But passion and loyalty can never be used as an excuse for behaviour that in any other walk of life would be viewed with the utmost disdain.

“It is only a game” may sound like the kind of phrase your mum would say after another demoralising defeat as a child but at times like this, it is the most important thing to remember. If we lose sight of this fact then football will have lost its place in life. The role of sport is self defined – the oldest definition of the word in English is “anything humans find amusing or entertaining”. If we have reached the point where booing a victim of abuse is entertaining is seen as a form of entertainment then we all need to take a good long look at ourselves.

Wigan against Blackburn on a cold November afternoon. Normally not a game that would catch my imagination and certainly not one that prior to this weekend I imagined myself writing about come the start of the week. But one incident has really got me thinking about the way that we treat footballers and what we expect from them when it comes to sporting behaviour. The corner move between Yakubu and Morten Gamst Pedersen has caused a huge amount of debate across the airwaves and in the press. Was it cheating? Should the officials have spotted it? What should be our response?

Personally, I have found it worrying the amount of times that I have heard people say that it was all part of the game and that the players had no responsibility to help the officials reach the correct conclusion. I can’t disagree more. This was a case of a player, Yakubu, knowing full well that a goal should be ruled out and not saying so. I have had enough of the lack of morals in modern sport but to a point I can deal with it. But this incident is beyond the pale.

At any point from Pedersen taking the corner to the moment the ball hit the back of the net, the Nigerian could have spoken up. There is absolutely no excuse for him. What happened on Saturday was cheating and unfortunately blame appears to be everywhere apart from at the feet of those responsible, the Blackburn players.

Roberto Martinez, in his post-match interview, claimed that the referee and his assistants should have spotted the lack of a touch. Pundits analysed the positioning of the officials and appeared to conclude that they were at fault. Yakubu claimed that Blackburn “had got away with one”. This at least was true – but only because he allowed the desire to win to override his responsibility to play by the rules.

This is the bottom line in this case. Yakubu, as with all players, not only has a duty to try and win the game but also has a responsibility to uphold the laws and spirit of the game. Too often football seems to have completely lost sight of the fact that it is a sport and that can not be a good thing for the future of the game.

We all want to see players doing all they can to get those three points but we also have to bear in mind that there has to be a line somewhere. If we start to accept Yakubu’s attitude as the norm then how long until we accept that diving is a legitimate attempt to gain an advantage and that asking a referee to book an opponent is acceptable behaviour? Football is important to a lot of people but if it becomes more important than upholding the difference between right and wrong then it really is in trouble.

This Sunday sees the two Manchester Clubs collide in what is the biggest match between the two for many a year. With no disrespect to Chelsea and the rest of the chasing pack, this is likely to be a match between this season’s top two. And it could very well be the first step in the final phase of the changing of the guard in Manchester and the Premier League.

Should City win at Old Trafford for only the second time in 35 years, then it will be a huge step towards them claiming the league title for the first time since 1968. Not because it will open up a five point gap but because of the confidence that it will give the squad from the Etihad. As much as money can buy you great players, it cannot buy you the belief that you are destined to win. That quality is one that can only be earned through hard work and good results, as perfectly demonstrated for the past 20 years by Manchester United.

The battle between the two giant Manchester clubs has, ever since the Arabian takeover of City, been described as a clash of two different financial approaches. Whilst, this is the case we can sometimes find ourselves in danger of over-emphasising the monetary aspect of the game. As the cliché goes, you cannot buy league titles. A more accurate and indeed more interesting way to approach the rivalry is to look at the psychological approaches at the clubs. This year’s title race is between the club that knows it can win the league and the club that wants to believe it can.

Both clubs have spent huge amounts of money on players. The difference being that United has spread its spending out over the last 20 years. City have simply been playing catch up, a game that was easy at the start as they emerged from the middle of the league, but which has now reached the stage where money is of little, if any, help. Now the game has reached the point where skills of both sides are pretty well matched and the margins or error have become incredibly small. Now that match, the title, will be won in the mind.

City will never have a better chance to win the league than this year. They have the strongest squad in the league and this is the first year where they are expected to challenge. In the seasons to come, should they fail this year, the opposition will not be as weak and crucially the emotional and psychologically baggage will start to accumulate. Questions will be asked about their mental strength, their self-belief. This year, those questions are only just starting to be asked.

Sunday at Old Trafford does not see a clash of financial differences but instead the collision of two clubs at two different ends of the mental journey to becoming Champions. The result and the performance will go a long way in deciding the next steps for both clubs. If City win, they may start to really believe they can win the league whilst United may start to doubt themselves. The other way around could see City lose any belief already building and concede ground to an opponent in Sir Alex Ferguson who is unlikely to give them a chance of redemption. Everything is pointing to a great clash on Sunday and the most intriguing will be the invisible one happening in the minds of all those involved at both these great clubs.

We are all aware of some of the negative views that people have about our great sport. I even have a fair few of my own. But it is important to occasionally pat our sport on the back and remind ourselves that it would not be the biggest sport in the world if it only had evil running through its veins.

At the end of a week that saw Carlos Tevez step miles over the proverbial line by refusing to cross the very real one at the side of the pitch, an announcement was issued from a mid table, somewhat unglamorous but well supported side that threw into sharp relief the antics of the despicable Argentine. Niall Quinn was to step down as chairman at Sunderland AFC.

There was not a more loved chairman in world football. Sunderland fans love the man and have done almost since the day he arrived in the late 90’s from Manchester City as a player. And in a refreshing change from the normal player fan relationship, Quinn loved them back.  In a quote now universally known in Sunderland the Irishman said, “I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City, but Sunderland got under my skin. I love Sunderland.”

In his days as a player, he struck up a fantastic partnership with Kevin Phillips which saw the Mackems propel themselves to consecutive seventh place finishes at the start of the century, the highest the club has finished since the Second World War. But it is not for this simple reason that he is loved. Quinn held his testimonial game at the Stadium of Light and donated all the proceeds to children’s charities in the north east and in Ireland. And in 2006, with Sunderland once again a second tier club, he led the Drumaville consortium in their takeover and installed Roy Keane as manager. From bottom of the Championship in 2006 to a top half finish last season, Quinn has been the constant driving force at Sunderland.

There are many stories about Quinn that help to explain his popularity but the best for me is the occasion that he paid for around 100 Sunderland fans to get home from Bristol Airport after their flight was cancelled after a victory away at Cardiff. Rather than see them have to wait until the morning to get home, Quinn stumped up £8,000 for 16 taxis for the group back to the north east, in a moment of generosity that will long be remembered by Sunderland fans.

In his time at Sunderland he has sold the club to Texan billionaire Ellis Short who will now take over as chairman, surely a sign that things are moving in the right direction at a club that not too long ago was the typical yo-yo side with little or no stability. The fact that he has achieved this with a constant smile and a real bond with the fans is a credit to his infectious personality. Not many people in football can claim to have no enemies, but Niall Quinn is certainly one of them.

Nicklas Bendtner is not a man that lacks confidence. The big Danish striker fully believes that he has the talent to make it to the very top of the game whilst it is safe to say that the rest of us still remain to be convinced of this. What there is little doubt about is that this season is a huge opportunity for the striker and the shock departure of Gyan only makes this more so.

Bendtner has been critical of the way that he has been treated at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons. He believes that he has not been given a chance to really prove himself, especially since he was injured in a car crash towards the end of 2009. Despite this apparent lack of chances over the past two seasons Bendtner has made 63 appearances for Arsenal scoring 21 goals — a pretty handy return for someone who makes the majority of his contributions from the substitute’s bench.

However, this season will tell us a lot about where the striker’s career will go in the next few years. Since the departure of Gyan for the desert, Bendtner is going to, for the first time in England, be expected to lead the line and be the focal point of a team’s attack for the whole of the campaign, a task that has led to many players before him buckling under the pressure. Add in the fact that Sunderland have only scored two league goals in their first four games and the task becomes even more daunting.

There is evidence that Bendtner will deliver though. As well as his good strike rate at Arsenal, he has scored goals in international football including a brace against Norway in the latest round of fixtures. He should also settle well into Sunderland having already worked alongside Steve Bruce at Birmingham in their promotion season.

The Mackems are also a team that create chances. They could and probably should have beaten both Newcastle and Swansea if they had had a natural goalscorer and not a luxury player in Gyan. Stephane Sessegnon has looked lively and the set pieces of Seb Larsson will create plenty of opportunities as well.

If Bendtner can prove himself to be that reliable goal-getter then Sunderland will be a team capable of challenging for another top half finish. If he does not then it is looking like being a long season for Sunderland’s fans and possibly a shortened one for Steve Bruce judging by some of the rumblings coming from the club.

On a personal level, should he succeed this season Bendtner will have taken a huge step towards proving that he was right to state that he could be amongst the world’s best. Fail and he will become another player remembered more for what he said than what he did on the pitch.

After overseeing another defeat to their local rivals at the weekend, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has been the focus of some fairly angry rants from fans on forums and websites across the Internet. After the sizeable investment seen over the summer, another day of derby agony was not meant to be on the cards. It is now fair to say that there are serious calls from some sections of the fans for Bruce to go.

It is important to point out at this point out that Bruce will not be sacked. Chairman Niall Quinn and owner Ellis Short have shown far too much faith in him and handed so much money to him over the summer that they will not be rushing to get rid of him any time soon. But that does not mean that the pressure is not growing.

A key feature of the reign of Quinn at the Stadium of Light has been a deliberate attempt to re-engage with the fans who felt as if they had been betrayed and let down by the previous regime. If those same fans get restless then there could be repercussions for Bruce. However, the danger inherent in listening to fans is a simple and obvious one. Quite often fans are wrong.

Some of the criticism that I have seen of Bruce has been nothing short of ridiculous. Some are calling for him to be sacked, whilst some are accusing him of not caring about the club because he is Newcastle born. The truth of the matter is that the first weekend saw the club pick up a great point at Anfield and this could well have been followed up by a convincing win or Saturday if things had fallen their way in the final third. Sunderland looked by far the better footballing side especially in the first half. If one or two of the chances created had been converted then chances are Steve Bruce would be being lauded as a great manager and that the Sunderland fans would be getting carried away and talking of Europe already. As it is the message boards are buzzing with talk of who the club should look at as a replacement instead of looking at things with a bit of common sense.

Looking at the club in a balanced way, there are certainly more positives than negatives. The club has reinvested the money from the Darren Bent and Jordan Henderson sales wisely and is reported to still be looking at bolstering the left side of the team. The team has finished higher up the table for each of the last three seasons and there is no reason why another top ten finish can not be achieved.

Once again a club is faced with the difficult task of listening to what the fans want and doing what is best for the club. Very often these two are not the same thing.

What do you think of Sunderland’s prospects this season? Do you think that fans know what is right for their club?

This past weekend saw the next chapter in the tales of two of the most historic clubs in English football. Manchester City took to the Premier League as one of the favorites for the league title and saw their latest new signing Kun Aguero sparkle whilst Arsenal failed to shine and have seen their best player leave. These really are two clubs on two different trajectories, and their stories tell us a lot about the modern game and where we may end up in a few years time.

It is no secret that I dislike the amount of money in the game today. I believe that football is in danger of completely losing its soul if it carries on in the way that it has done over the past decade. The contrasting tales of City and Arsenal illustrate the problem. Arsenal have run themselves well, investing in youth and refusing to pay over the odds for players. Because of this they have been overtaken by City and Chelsea who have both been injected with huge amounts of cash. I love the term financial doping because money is the best performance-enhancing drug a football club can ever take.

Whilst the ups and downs of clubs are to be expected and indeed celebrated, the glory of football is found in its unpredictability. Money makes the game predictable. We all knew before the season started that Arsenal are on their way down and that City are close to the summit. We knew this because there is only one way to get to that summit, by spending. City are not expected to challenge for the title this year as a result of many years of stable management and long term preparation. They are destined to challenge because they have spent over £300 million in three years.

And the truly horrible side of this tale? That the Arsenal fans are turning on Wenger. We have become so used to seeing instant success, so used to seeing teams spend big money at the slightest sign of trouble that when a manager tries to do things correctly, sustainably, then he is treated as if he does not know what he is doing. Meanwhile Roberto Mancini will be showered in praise should City win the league and while I do not wish to lessen the importance of the Italian at City, having the money doesn’t half help build a title challenge.

What happens next to Arsenal is far more important than the next 12 months for City. If Wenger can somehow pull of another season where Arsenal challenge on multiple fronts, if he can keep them in the top four and do well in the cups, it will be good for football’s future. The financial fair play rules will hit soon and if clubs can still compete without over spending then there is hope for some levelling of the field. If Arsenal slide away I fear that we will soon be left with an ever decreasing pool of teams capable of winning trophies. And that really will be the death of football.

Photo by cali_girl69

I always like to avoid cliché and the expected angle whenever I write. However I make an annual exception in the week leading up to the start of the Premier League season when I throw my hat into the predictions ring. If anything, it is a nice excuse for me to stop watching the rolling news coverage of rioting across the country.

This season looks like being one of the most exciting for many years, largely due to the close nature of the sides within the league. This closeness will also be my excuse when these predictions prove to be wrong.

So, let’s find out who has won the golden ticket. Drumroll, please, ladies and gentlemen . . .

Champions:

Manchester City

Despite the defeat in the Community Shield, this will be the year that finally it clicks into place. Roberto Mancini has given the side some stability and with the quality and strength in depth of the squad being much better than elsewhere in the league, City fans will next summer begin celebrating their first Premier League title.

Runner Up:

Manchester United

The Manchester rivals will end up leading the way this season but the red side of the city will for once end up on the wrong side of the rivalry. It is not so much that they have gotten worse over the summer. It’s simply that City have improved to a greater level. Nonetheless, I do expect this to be an incredibly close battle throughout the season with one or two results proving decisive.

Champions League Places:

Chelsea and Arsenal

Despite the apparent resurgence of Liverpool, instigated by their summer spending spree, I can not see them or Spurs dislodging these two from the top four. Chelsea will not challenge for the league, they simply have not made wise enough signings, whilst Arsenal’s season will rest on the location of Fabregas at the end of August and whether Gervinho can hit the ground running. Liverpool and Spurs will push them all the way but I think that the experience of Chelsea and Arsenal will shine through.

Relegation:

Swansea, Norwich and Blackburn

Much as it is predictable and painful to suggest that newly promoted teams will fail, I can not avoid it this year. Both Swansea and Norwich play an exciting brand of football but they will run into the same issues as Blackpool last season. Mainly that is that both sides will have to be very focused defensively. However, I can not see them being able to sustain this through the length of the season.

The final team to go down will be Blackburn. The chaos at Ewood Park since the Venky’s takeover will catch up with the team on the pitch and see the proud Lancashire Club tumble into the Championship. There appears to be a lack of faith in the manager and a lack of footballing awareness in the boardroom, a situation that only ever leads to troubles. One only has to look at Newcastle for the perfect example of that in recent times.

What do you think of these predictions? Who do you think will win the league and who will go down? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

And so another new Premier League season draws near. In two weeks time we will be in the midst of the first round of fixtures, possibly the most intoxicating time of the season. At no other point for the next nine months will the majority of us feel so full of hope, so innocently expectant.

This is also, with the possible exception of FA Cup third round day, the most cliché ridden time of the year. But even in the most overused clichés there is a backbone of truth. This is the time of the year where we all look forward with hope for our team and try and predict what the next few months will bring.

This summer has seen a few interesting plots develop that look likely to shape the coming season. The continuing emergence of Manchester City, the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas at Stamford Bridge, King Kenny’s revival at Anfield and the return of QPR to the top flight. But all of these have already had thousands of words written about them. The true joy of the start of the season is that all teams are equal, so let’s look at some of the teams that might not normally be in the spotlight.

Blackburn Rovers fans would be forgiven for entering the new season with a little fear. Things have not really gone too well since the Ewood Park club were taken over by the Venkys chicken consortium. There is not too much confidence in the manager Steve Kean and if their start is slow then the pressure could soon ratchet up. With stars like Chris Samba posturing for moves, it appears that all is not well in Lancashire.

In Merseyside, as usual, the focus has been on Liverpool. However, the club on the other side of Stanley Park are perhaps the greatest example of what it can be like to be left behind as football’s gravy train rumbles on. Another summer and another quiet one for Everton fans has led to yet more calls for a buyer to come forward from Bill Kenwright and yet more speculation as to what the Toffees can expect this year.

The Everton story is possibly the most important one this year. If they can still be competitive at the right end of the table on such a meagre budget then there will be hope for all clubs as the financial fair play rules loom. If they struggle and slip further away from the European places then warning bells should start to ring for some of clubs who are spending big to try and force their way up the league.

Finally for this tour around the stories less read, we have Stoke City’s Europa League adventure. While Everton’s story can be seen as quite sad, Stoke’s shows what can be done with a well run club. From dwelling in the lower echelons of the league, The Potters will now embark on an adventure on the continent that their loyal and loud fans richly deserve. It is refreshing to see different clubs representing England in European competition other than the usual suspects. It gives hope to clubs like Sunderland and Newcastle who will both be looking at Stoke and thinking that there is no reason that they can’t do the same.

The beauty of the Premier League is the intriguing stories throughout the league. Even the teams who are almost certain to sit in mid table come the season end have dreams of cup runs and upsetting the odds. I just hope that this year we as fans don’t get sucked into thinking that the top stories are the only stories, or indeed the best stories.

What are you looking forward to this season outside of the top five or six clubs?

So Kevin Nolan is on his way from Newcastle United to Upton Park. Surprisingly, the Newcastle skipper rejected a new contract at St James’ Park in favour of a move down a division to the Hammers.

At first glance, this is not good news for Newcastle. A solid first season back in the top flight has been largely based around the play of Kevin Nolan, never more evident than in the dismantling of Sunderland in October where he grabbed a hat-trick. And, generally speaking, losing your captain and talisman just months after losing your young star is not ideal. However, there is certainly a case to be made that this could be a great move for the club.

Look at it this way. Nolan is getting on a bit now. He may still have a few years but he is never going to get any better than he has been this season. His departure frees up space for a young driving force in the heart of midfield and, possibly more importantly, it shows the rest of the league that Newcastle are not the sentimental club they have become over the last few decades.

Throughout my life, Newcastle have been popular but never successful. People seem to want them to do well but they always fall short. For instance the infamous capitulation of Kevin Keegan’s side at the hands of Manchester United. They have come to be associated with sentimentalism, never a good thing in the ruthless world of modern football. The unexpected development in this story will go some way to shedding that image. This is now a club that will not pay over the odds now for someone based on what they have already done. Some fans may not like it but it is the way to progress the club.

If Alan Pardew can use this as an opportunity to bring in good young talent, or even bring through some of the academy players at the club, then this could be the moment where Newcastle United begin to move to the next level. They finished 11^th in the league last year and with a chairman who does have money, then the possibility to establish themselves as a top 10 club is there. But the competition is stronger than ever. The replacement has to be good.

There is talent in the squad. Cheik Tiote showed that he has the ability to play a pivotal role if he can stay fit and reach a level of consistency. The transfer rumours are also positive. Seb Larsson and Charles N’Zogbia have both been mentioned, and this kind of attacking player is what the fans will want to see brought in. Much rests on the weeks ahead — before the season starts.

In the end, as with 99% of transfers, the proof will only be seen as the season progresses. If things start poorly at St James’ then the fans may become frustrated at the lack of a strong leader. If Nolan’s replacement scores 10 goals by Christmas then Nolan will soon become a memory of a forgotten era.

What do you think? Is this move a real problem for Newcastle, or could it prove to be a significant, positive moment in the club’s recent history.

I would say that this season has probably seen me watch less football than I have done for quite a while. First an admission. I got engaged, started a new job and started the process of moving house. And yet I feel more passionate about the game now than I have ever done. Which got me thinking, are we suffering from football overkill? Can we actually have too much football?

I realize that maybe your natural reaction to such a question is one of incredulity. How can you have too much of the best sport in the world? But I am certain that the relative break I have had from the game has helped my appreciation of it deepen.

The simple fact is that because I have watched fewer games I have appreciated much more those that I have managed to see, a principle that could well benefit the game as a whole.

Football is by far the most dominant sport in our society. The papers are full of it, it dominates the sports bulletins and its big events are written into our national calendar. Sometimes it appears as though we all get so caught up in the stories around the game that sometimes we forget about the beauty of the game.

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with following all the off pitch stories and season-long narratives but the reason we all fell in love with football is the simplicity, the pure beauty of watching a team in full flow. Sometimes all the extra stuff that we are treated to comes in between us and that truth.

In my utopian view of what football could become there are less games in the Premier League and no top flight involvement in the League Cup, leading hopefully to a greater appreciation of the best that English football has to offer.

There is another, more practical reason why I believe a bit less top flight football would be a good thing. We all know that lower league clubs are struggling to survive. How many people would go and see some local lower league football once in a while if there were fewer games at the top? Maybe we might see a return to real localism within football. Fans could form an attachment to their local side as well as following a side in the top flight without being force fed an endless amount of top flight football, a lot of which often means very little.

There is precedent for this idea. The NFL has only 16 games in the regular season and fans of the sport appreciate hugely the short time they get with their team every year. It is a successful league with passionate fans and a successful commercial history. Meanwhile college and high school football thrives on a more local level, bringing together communities around sport.

Frankly, football could well be getting too big to sustain itself. A radical solution may be the only way forward for the sport whilst radical rationing of your own football intake may well produce some very surprising results in your own lives.

Match Preview

Manchester United (last 6 EPL matches – WWDDWW)

The Red Devils are the only unbeaten team in the EPL and could go on top of the table with a win. They have a 7-1-0 record at Old Trafford and +18 goal difference. Injuries to the squad include Hargreaves (hamstring), Owen (hamstring), and Valencia (ankle).

Arsenal (last 6 EPL matches – LWWLWW)

The Gunners are top of the table heading into the match and can extend their to three points with a win. Arsenal is 5-2-1 in away matches and won their last four. Injuries for the match are Almunia (elbow), Diaby & Gibbs (both ankle), Frimpong (knee), and Vermaelen (Achilles). Captain Cesc Fabregas could be available for the match and will face a late fitness test before kickoff.

Prediction

Arsenal’s form has dropped a bit in recent weeks while the Red Devils are always very tough at Old trafford. A narrow in for Man U seems most likely (2-1) but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Arsenal sneak out a win.

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Manchester United v Arsenal – English Premier League

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Liverpool (last 6 EPL matches – WWDLWL)

After a very slow start, Liverpool is slowly climbing their way up the EPL table. They have own their last three league matches at Anfield but are without several key players. Liverpool will be far from full strength with injuries to Jamie Carragher and Steve Gerrard.

Aston Villa (last 6 EPL matches – DDWDLL)

Villa are winless in their last four away EPL matches and only two points above the relegation zone. They have six points from their last six matches and a -10 goal difference in away matches. Betting odds have Aston Villa as 11/2 to get the win.

Prediction

Even without Carragher and Gerrard, Liverpool have been strong at Anfield and should get the win against a struggling Villa side.

The Premiership, probably at the moment, is the most open league for anyone to win since its introduction in 1992. The emergence of teams like Bolton and Sunderland is making them competitors worthy of testing the best in the league. The league in my mind has stretched across a different range altogether, watching a resurgent Newcastle United side under Chris Hughton and a spirited Blackpool side under Ian Holloway, who in their own way have silenced critics that wrote them off even before the season kicked off. However, the question lies, is the league getting any stronger or in contradiction, getting weaker to such an extent that even an average side on any day can take points off so-called “The Big Four”?

Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have clearly dominated the Premiership; with Manchester United winning the league remarkably eleven times off the eighteen that the league has been contested. However, this season appears to be a bit different.

Let’s examine the Big Four and the other teams more closely:

Manchester United

United, though unbeaten, have looked ragged at the back and have already drawn seven games out of the fifteen that have been played. Johnny Evans, most notably, ever so brilliant looks completely out of sorts this season and has been criticized for United throwing away games at Everton and Fulham.

United though have played smart in the transfer window getting in the likes of Javier Hernandez, Bebe, Chris Smalling and Gabriel Obertan. Sir Alex has been a magician over the years in getting the best out of the youth by playing them with the experienced players, one can’t stop thinking that these players have been brought for the future and still have a lot to learn. Although, United were brilliant against Blackburn last weekend,  they still lack that touch of class that has been a feature of United’s play for years. United for sure have weakened since the departure of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. Though United might be stronger than what they were last season but they are definitely not the Manchester United we know.

Arsenal

Arsenal, though they look stronger than the last couple of seasons, are still extremely vulnerable at the back and are horribly inconsistent to be even regarded as a serious title threat. Holding on to leads or finishing the game has simply gone out of the window since the Henry-Vieira-Pires era. Even though they play the best football in Europe alongside Barcelona but how many times have Arsenal been regarded as “bottlers who never reach their potential” and a side lacking mental toughness to challenge for top honors? The lack of experience and Arsene Wenger’s fear of handling egos has lead to Arsenal fans not seeing silverware for five years. Arsenal, though stronger than the last season, continue to have their problems and are definitely not the once called “Invincibles.”

Chelsea

Chelsea, though they played well at the start of the season, can’t seem to get over the   loss of four influential players in Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole, Deco and Michael Ballack. It is so evident seeing their recent form and vindicates the fact that it is a side that lacks depth. Chelsea also have an aging core to their side in Lampard, Drogba and John Terry with the likes of Essien, who is either injury prone or not the player he once was. They might have Malouda and have brought in Ramires but they lack a flair player like Robben, Joe Cole or a Damien Duff back in the day. Except Josh McEachran and Bruma, who are a couple of the best young players in England, they lack players who can walk in to the first team, unlike United and Arsenal.

Liverpool

As for Liverpool, I think even the Liverpool supporters wouldn’t deny that this is the weakest Liverpool team to have played in the Premiership.

Gerrard and Jaime Carragher aren’t getting any younger for the Reds. They also lack replacements for Alonso and Mascherano. Poulsen and Raul Merieles are decent players but are they Liverpool quality? It’s a puzzle in its own as to how Lucas Leiva is playing at Liverpool.

Liverpool have simply failed to replace quality with quality. Aquilani was a quality signing who failed to make an impact. He is performing exceptionally well at Juventus during his loan spell and so, there is a strong chance that Juventus, who have an option of buying Aquilani will make his loan move permanent. Kelly and Shevley are good players but you have to think that they are too young and inexperienced to make an impact at the Premiership level. I mean, just have a look at the recent transfers: Riise out, Konchesky in; Mascherano out, Poulsen in; Alonso out, Lucas in; Crouch out, N’Gog in; Bellamy out, Jovanovic in; Benayoun out, no one in. Signing average players like Konschesky and Poulsen, and a manager in Roy Hodgson seems to be turning Liverpool into Fulham than into the Liverpool of old.

Spurs and Man City

Manchester City and Spurs are the only clubs who are getting stronger every day but still don’t look to impose a serious title threat. City with the owner Sheikh Mansour making multi-million pound signings doesn’t seem to be getting the desired results and it only underlines the fact that money can’t buy trophies.

Their title aspirations were questioned when City played for a draw at home to Manchester United.

Having a manager in Harry Redknapp, Tottenham seem to be heading in the right direction. Spurs have a balanced side, with pace, experience, zeal combined with a team that plays some of the best football. But again, they majorly lack consistency. On one day, they teach the Champions of Europe a lesson; four days later, they get outclassed by Bolton 4-2 and the following week, they beat Arsenal at the Emirates 3-2. That’s Spurs’ story.

The Rest of the League

For the rest of the Premiership, Steve Bruce’s Sunderland and Owen Coyle’s Bolton have surprised a lot of people.

Though they have won only four games this season, Sunderland have their tails up and their 3-0 victory against Chelsea has set a benchmark for anyone who wants to go to the home of the champions and literally insult the champs by playing better football for periods in the game. Sunderland have bolstered their squad by making four loan signings in Nadeem Onuoha, Menshah, Elmohamady and Danny Welbeck, along with spending 13 million GBP on Asamoah Gyan. These are great signings who have performed well this season but you really have to wonder, what would have happened if these players would have performed the same way had they been playing in the league five years ago.

Same thing applies for Bolton, Fulham, Aston Villa, etc. and rest of the teams battling relegation; though saying that some of the managers like Chris Hughton and Ian Holloway have done a commendable job.

The fact of the matter is that the gap between the Big Four, or now the top six, has been reduced remarkably and it’s not because the entire league has gotten stronger. This is because, the top teams have weakened to such an extent that they are becoming challenged by the teams that would normally not stand a chance to even compete and would finish mid table. These top teams are often finding it hard to get results even against the teams that might eventually end up getting relegated. For example, Arsenal lost to West Brom 2-3 at the Emirates and United played a 2-2 draw against West Brom at Old Trafford. Chelsea recently have only picked up five points out of a possible eighteen.

The English Premier League has turned into a weird league but one that has turned into probably the most entertaining league in the world. The reason of the overall competiveness and weakening of the league is not due to the teams outside of the top four getting ever so strong, which admittedly is a slight factor, but because “The Big Four” have not been replacing “older” players and creating a new fresh cycle with the same level of quality.

Live coverage of the decision will begin around 9:30 AM Eastern, 6:30 AM Pacific, and 2:30 PM GMT (England).

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Liverpool

They have struggled in away matches and will have a tough test to get a result at White Hart Lane. An injury to Steven Gerrard will force other players to step up. Liverpool will need to start getting points away from Anfield if they want to finish in the top 4 this season.

Tottenham

Coming off an impressive Champions League win (also clinching a knockout stage spot), Spurs are in good form and looking to remain close to the top of the table. Gareth Bale has been as good as any player this season and manager Harry Redknapp has his club playing with confidence.

Players To Watch

Gareth Bale (Tottenham) – He’s been the best player for Spurs and his electric pace stretches defenses and creates space in the box. When Bale is getting forward and creating chances, Tottenham are a tough team to beat.

Fernando Torres (Liverpool) – The Spanish striker has been inconsistent this season but Liverpool are unbeaten when he’s scored.

Recent EPL Form (last six matches)

Liverpool – WWWDLW

Tottenham – DLLDWW

Prediction

Tottenham are unbeaten in their last five league matches while Liverpool have only won one of their last six league matches. This combined with the injury to Gerrard gives Spurs the clear advantage. Liverpool could surprise and keep it close but a win for Tottenham is likely.

Live Blog (coverage will start around 15:50 GMT/10:50 EST or 10 minutes before kick-off)

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool – English Premier League

The partisan nature of football is one of the greatest things about the sport. It gives us the chance to get behind one team, to share banter with opposing fans and feel that ecstatic high when our team wins. But do we take things too far? I am not talking about violence or poor behaviour by a minority of idiots, we all know that there is no excuse for that, but would the game be better, perhaps even more enjoyable if we all occasionally took off our team’s blinkers?

For me, one of the most frustrating elements of the modern game is the fan who never admits any failure by his own team. We see it from managers all the time but they are paid to protect players and play the mind games. We all moan every time we see football move away from being just a sport but we could all be a part of the problem.

Sport is completely unimportant. It doesn’t matter at all. Football is something that was invented as a way to pass the time between other much more important things, at its best when the balance between seriousness and frivolity is found and at its most useless when it becomes the be all and end all. By refusing to see things as they truly are we admit to seeing football as something more important than it is. Society frowns on those who blindly and ignorantly ignore simple truths. Why should football be any different?

I am as guilty as much as the next man. My natural position is to robustly defend my team even if I know that really they are rubbish or that they have made a mistake. I have seen otherwise perfectly normal, morally upright people defend actions on the pitch that would not be accepted in real life simply because the accused plays for their team. Surely this is a trait that we should all try and step away from?

Football creates debate like no other sport. Unfortunately in my experience it also fails to follow up on this promise of good discussion thanks to the proliferation of people who refuse to say a word against their team. How many arguments can you remember being ruined by someone who simply sticks to the line of argument that makes his club look good, regardless of its relationship with the truth?

How frustrating is it to see managers come out after the match and claim not to have seen a decision or that they only lost because of poor decisions and/or bad luck? I find this bad enough but coming from friends and fellow fans it is much worse. If we all just took a step back and viewed the game a little more objectively then I am certain we would all benefit. Debates would still happen but we might actually progress towards the occasional agreement and we might all regain a little bit of perspective.

After all, football is only a game, much as that may baffle a few people out there.

Watching your side lose is never a pleasant experience but watching them be thrashed by your fierce local rivals is a leading contender for one of the worst ways to spend an afternoon alongside shopping during the sales or watching anything involving Piers Morgan.

As a Sunderland fan, yesterday’s match was probably the worst Tyne-Wear Derby in my lifetime, worse even than the 4-1 defeat in Alan Shearer’s last game in 2005. I know that it is only three points and that there is a chance in January to at least restore some local pride but yesterday was horrible. And I completely blame hope.

That most alluring of feelings is what football fans breathe. The hope that this season might be the one, the hope that today we might just beat them. It is the reason we all get so excited in the middle of August and on the first weekend of January. Hope is the reason that we keep following our team, even though all logic suggests that we have no chance.

Yesterday I honestly hoped that we could beat Newcastle. I woke up fairly positive, we have the better side, we were seven unbeaten and had the second best defence in the league. Surely we could at least expect something out of the game? By the time the final whistle had blown I had left the pub I was watching the game in with the feeling that I had been duped.

Hope, and the subsequent theft of it, can make football fans do some strange things. I have seen grown men cry because they honestly believed that now was their time. I have seen people swing from feelings verging on hero worship to hatred in the space of 90 minutes. As is so often the case, football brings to the surface emotions and processes that society often teaches us to quell. We watch football as an escape from real life and when that dreamlike state is threatened then we struggle to cope.

As I walked out of the pub where I watched yesterday’s game I was in a bit of a daze. The transition back into the real world was an uncomfortable one, far removed from the hopeful way in which I escaped it. My vision of the perfect Sunday afternoon had been laid before me before being snatched away and trampled all over.

Does this mean that I care too much? Does the fact that I was genuinely shocked that my team lost to a team that I have seen them lose to on a number of occasions mean I am going slightly mad? I don’t think so. I think that sometimes the best part f football can also be its downfall. The hope, the escapism is all well and good until it goes horribly wrong. But then again, it can’t be all that bad can it? After all, I will almost undoubtedly be watching my team again next weekend and I am certain that yesterdays trick by hope will have been forgotten and I will enter again into that slightly surreal and certainly irrational world that is being a football fan.

Controversial as it may sound, I just could not help but share my thoughts. Some might agree and some might not, but it’s all up to your own judgements. As we all know, from this year onwards, the FIFA World Player of The Year and the highly prestigious Ballon d’Or will be combined and rechristened the new FIFA Ballon d’Or award. I for one am relieved this has come about as we have had funny situations when it came to naming the best player in the World and Europe.

For instance, year 2004 saw Ronaldinho being installed as World Player of The Year but when it came to the European Footballer Award, he was in 3^rd place behind Andriy Shevchenko and Thierry Henry. Now how the best in the world is only third best in Europe is quite baffling to be honest. Another reason why I feel this award is losing credibility is just about the way it is being handed out. Why can’t it be right at the end of the season? Why it has to wait until the end of the year? The main question would be how it is being judged? We are all aware that by the time the award is given out, around a quarter of a new season is already underway. By the look of it, the ongoing season seem to have an effect on the way the nominees are listed. The perfect example would be the case of Diego Milito who was simply outstanding last season but seems to suffer a mediocre start to the new season. Has this in any way affected his glaring omission from the list of nominees for this year’s award? Even Miroslav Klose (with 3 league goals only all season) is ahead of him.

No disrespect intended but this just shows how flawed the system is when it comes to nominating and awarding the best players throughout the season. I am of the belief that the winner should deserve it to begin with, and then should be judged for his performances of that particular season, not the season before or after. Rooney had a terrible World Cup, but so did Klose in terms of the entire season bar the World Cup. So does that mean he had a better season than Rooney? Thierry Henry was head and shoulders above everyone else in 2003 but the award eventually went to Zinedine Zidane who had a good but not spectacular season compared to Henry’s. Past winners have also come exclusively from Juventus, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Barcelona until Cristiano Ronaldo won it whilst a Manchester United player. There is also a feeling that the award is based on the performances of a single tournament (Ronaldo in 2002 and Cannavaro in 2006). Both the players above had brilliant World Cups but they were not really electrifying throughout the season. So this raises a question on whether the awarding of the title of the world’s best is done in a fair manner.

Anyhow, this is just my honest opinion. What do you guys out there think? Please share your thoughts below.

Has football finally jumped off the cliff?

In a week where we were treated to an utterly enthralling Champions League game at the San Siro and the emotional scoring return to the Emirates of Eduardo, the biggest stories were one player’s greed and the near collapse of a team that won the FA Cup three seasons ago.

Whilst Portsmouth where thankfully saved after Sacha Gaydamak saw sense regarding his repayments, the Wayne Rooney saga has left yet another stain on modern football and left me seriously considering what the future might hold for the game that we all hold so dear.

For years we have heard grumblings from fans about ticket prices and player behaviour but the last 18 months and the issues they have brought up must rank as some of the most disturbing times that the sport in Britain has ever known.

Even ignoring all the clubs in dire financial positions in the Football League and just looking at the EPL we are left with a disturbing picture. Leveraged buyouts followed by protests and high court hearings, billionaire owners nearly forcing the closure of Portsmouth and countless distasteful player contract negotiations and outbursts.

This great sport was once the people’s game. It was part of the ebb and flow of people’s weeks. Whilst there are many who still follow home and away, there are less and less ordinary folk able to do this. The increase in corporate boxes is one sign of where football is heading, and personally it is not a good one.

The players who played the game were people who the fans could relate to and whilst I am not suggesting that we need to return to those days, something needs to change otherwise the bubble is going to burst. Unfortunately the people in charge of the game can not or will not see this. UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Scheme does not go far enough. The FA has little power over the Premier League and the League itself has become too full of money to notice anything else.

Even the sensible suggestions of how to right the wrongs are thrown out of the window based on the fact that they would jeopardise the financial might of the EPL. A salary cap would be a fine first step on the road to a brighter future but it would mean players deserting the league and heading for the riches of Spain and Italy. The only way it would be palatable for the money men is if the rest of Europe followed suit and the chances of that are similar to the chances of me playing for England.

The game is tainted and it forces us all to consider the question that has been bugging me for the last month or so. If we had a choice, would we accept losing some of the top players to other leagues if it meant ours was a fairer, more sustainable one? Would you sacrifice the likes of Rooney and Yaya Toure for a league where each club spent the same amount on wages or at least had them strictly tied to their expenditure?

It is time for some radical thinking if we are going to save the game for successive generations. There are people now watching the game who honestly believe football started in 1992 and that footballers have always been overpaid and billionaires have always seen clubs as playthings. That in the wonderful words of Ian Holloway is “wrong.” What are we gong to do about it?

Whilst England fans around the globe take the first tentative steps back towards trusting their national team, my eye was caught not by yet more allegations of poor behaviour from within the England squad but by comments from a diminutive Russian.

Andrei Arshavin has said that after a year and a half in the Premier League he is “more effective but less sparkling” as a player.

This slightly strange quote got me thinking. Is the Premier League a place for technical players? Is it a place where beauty is allowed to flourish?

Arshavin seems to believe that it does not. His comments indicate that his time in England has made him move away from the mesmerising type of play that we saw from him at Euro 2008 and towards a more functional style. And this is at Arsenal, the most aesthetically pleasing of all EPL teams.

At this point it would be easy to say that the Premier League is indeed a less than beautiful place and that it’s probably for the best that players like Lionel Messi and Kaka stay away.

But that would be wrong. It would also be ignorant, for beauty can be found in many different forms and in England we have been blessed with one of the most unorthodox forms of football beauty.

The breakneck speed, the end to end flow and the lack of time and space give the game in this country a frenetic, somewhat skittish appearance. But, much like an impressionist painting, the dashes and the quick brushstrokes do all come together to form a work of often unrivalled magnificence.

We are sometimes too quick to believe what we are told. We are often reminded that Arsenal produce the purest football in the Premier League but who defines what is pure in football?

Surely the purest form of football is that which wins the most for that is the aim of the game. If this is the case then Arsenal perhaps play the most impure football, daring to sully the purpose of the game with needless frivolity.

My point is that there is no right answer to the problems above. Football, like all sports is at least partly subjective in its definition of beauty. Surroundings, desires and personal context all influence what we say is attractive and as these are all fluid concepts, there can be no definitive answer to whether a league is beautiful or not, it all depends on who is asking the question. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

What do you think? Does the Premier League turn gifted players into functional, more humdrum, players, or not? Share your opinions in the comment section below.

Twenty more days of wait and once again, we will kick off another season of Premiership football. This time around though, there is a buzz around England as the fans feel that there are six clubs, namely Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester City, competing for the Premier League title. With the concept of “top four” gone right down the gutter, the blue half of Manchester and the Spurs fans in North London are confident that their respective clubs can bring home the trophy. Having already spent £60m on Jerome Boateng, David Silva, and Yaya Toure, City are also pressing for the signature of James Milner, Fernando Torres and Mario Balotelli. Though some fans might question the game plan of Man City, the new signings sure are bolstering their squad in every department under Roberto Mancini.

In an exclusive interview after Spurs played New York Bulls, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp underlined Man City’s role in the title race saying, “Manchester City will be a massive factor in the title race this season. They will eventually win the championship, whether it is this year, next year or the year after. It is only a matter of time until they win the Premier League – that’s my opinion. They have got such tremendous backing. And there is every chance it will be this season. They are only going to get stronger.”

Now these statements are not from an amateur, these are from a man who knows English football in and out.

So, in this situation, what does Sir Alex do?

He sits back and laughs at City. The reason being, he feels the current squad is good enough to do the job and bring home the title. Given his experience, you wouldn’t argue.

Like always, even this time during the summer, a number of top quality players have been linked with a move to Manchester United. Papers report United’s interest in signing Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Luka Modric, Wesley Sneijder, Mario Balotelli, Luis Fabiano and Mesut Ozil. All these players are big name players having an ability to make an impact at the football club shortly after their inclusion but what about the players who are currently under contract and fighting for a place in the first team.

Considering Nani, whose career at United started off well but his inconsistency and injuries made the faithfuls wonder about the player’s quality. It was only until the time his quality shone and his heroics helped United crush Arsenal 3-1 at home last season. Similarly, players like Anderson, Berbatov and Obertan are prolific footballers but even though there have been glimpses of their genius, they just haven’t been able to find their touch at Old Trafford. So, why overlook such special talents who came to the theater of dreams with an enormous reputation, and sign a new star player?

United need to persist with them at least for a season as the Red Devils have a squad that “if plays” to its full potential can be the best in Europe. Signing an overseas star player would reduce the number of first team opportunities for youngsters like Darron Gibson, who are coming through the ranks. It would also limit chances for players who had been out with injuries for a substantial amount of time or for those who have had an off season.

Manchester United Goalkeeping Department

Manchester United have two top quality goalkeepers in Edwin Van Der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak with Ben Amos unveiled as a part of the first team for season 2010/2011. United have been linked with a host of goalkeepers amongst whom the most notable is Hugo Lloris. With Van Der Sar at United for at least one more season along with the Polish, Kuszczak, there is really no need to sign another goalkeeper. Kuszczak, who was signed from West Bromwich Albion has worked hard and waited four years to become number 1 at Old Trafford. He proved his class to the world by filling the void superbly well in Van Der Sar’s absence, keeping three clean sheets in eight games that he played for United. Ben Amos is currently 20 years of age and has made been tipped to go a long way. Having made an appearance for England at the youth level, he is high on confidence and raring to go if given a chance.

Manchester United Defence

Manchester United Defence is probably the strongest in England having a phenomenal mix of youth and experience. Gary Neville, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown and John O’Shea provide the experience necessary for the top level of football, whereas, Ritchie da Laet, the Da Silva twins, Johnny Evans and the newly signed Chris Smalling provide young legs. United also have the likes of Craig Cathcart, Corry Evans and Oliver Gill coming through the United ranks. Cathcart in particular has been hailed by Sir Alex after his loan spell at Watford the previous season. During season 2009/2010, United suffered horror at the back when United’s entire back line was out with injuries. Evra and Ritchie da Laet, who has a remarkable pace played well to cover up for the boys missing. Fabio Da Silva along with his brother Rafael have been quite a revelation since their arrival at Old Trafford. Chris Smalling was signed from Fulham earlier in the summer after a series of good performances towards the end of last season. Some may make arguments regarding Neville’s age and Ferdinand’s injury concerns but O’Shea, Brown, Jhonny Evans and the rest will cover well. Nine top class defenders with premiership experience make United simply impervous. United signing a top quality defender would limit the number of opportunities offered to some of the players who are currently in the United squad.

Manchester United Midfield

Manchester United Midfield have one of the most diverse in the world comprising of Nani, Anderson, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Hargreaves, Valencia, Gibson, Park, Fletcher and Obertan. Nani and Anderson had bright starts to their United careers where in they both played impressive football and were the key to United’s midfield. Both these players have been extremely inconsistent over the past few years, especially Anderson, who on his day is one of the best in Europe.Unlike Anderson, Nani played astonishingly well towards the end of last season to earn himself a four year contract at Old Trafford. Marked as the “undroppable” by the press during his early days at Old Trafford, the previous season wasn’t the best for the English International. This could be his opportunity to re-establish his place in the center of midfield along side Darren Fletcher. Obertan missed out on preseason in 2009 due to injury. This time round, he is in the United States with the rest of the United team having an awesome pre-season, impressing everyone around. Young guns like Darron Gibson had a decent 2009/2010 season as well. Paul Pogba is regarded as the next Patrick Viera and with much praised Tom Cleverley and Rodrigo Possebon knocking on the door for a place in the first team, United’s midfield looks good. Park is a special player, who does a perfect job for the manager on the wing, whether it be tracking back or attacking. With about ten world class midfielders already at Old Trafford along with a couple coming every year through the ranks, United doesn’t need another midfielder.

Manchester United’s Strike Force

Manchester United’s Strike Force consist of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Frederico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Mame Biram Diouf and the newly signed Mexican International striker Javier Hernandez. Though Berbatov had been disappointing in Rooney’s absence to score goals, Sir Alex agreed to give the Bulgarian another chance up front for United. Sir Alex’s confidence paid rich dividence when Berbatov impressed in the pre-season clash against Celtic. In the post match interview Sir Alex said, “Berbatov was the player of the match and he undoubtedly deserved it. His showing great and attested to his high class.” Signing a new striker of the likes of Luis Saurez would not let the young players like Macheda, Welbeck, Diouf or even Hernandez get enough football in the first team and add an unnecessary striker who would also limit the number of opportunities that Dimitar Berbatov gets to start.

Manchester United have an extremely diverse and a versatile squad with a fine youth system. Sir Alex has always ensured that a proper chance and a decent amount of playing time is given to most players in his squads of the past. Sir Alex sticking to his policy will let United come out with flying colours. At least for a season, United must persist with the current squad and not sign more players as it would help the ones currently under contract to showcase their ability to the full. You never know, what if Anderson, Carrick or Berbatov do another Nani and come up with splendid performances?

Looking at England’s recent friendly against Mexico, one thing that is certain is the England team lack depth. The so called fringe players were supposed to grab this chance to prove their worth but none of them did any justification to why they are deserving of a starting spot. Without a doubt, the first team are a strong unit and on their day, they can beat any team. However, look beyond it and I’m sure we can see the underlying problem of how the players coming into the team as replacements for the starting eleven quite often struggle when given the chance to stake a claim.

When it comes to the first eleven, Capello has everything from personnel to formation and a system of playing that is already fine tuned and seems settled; most importantly, they play the way Capello wants them to play. Against Mexico however, there were some interesting observations made. Apart from Peter Crouch, the other players coming into the team struggled to stamp their mark on the team. The score line ended favourably for England but anybody who watched the game would not disagree if I say they were far from convincing and struggled to play as a unit. James Milner was as hardworking as ever but lacked the extra bit of quality to control the game from the middle of the park and Michael Carrick’s performance just about summed up his season. Carrick kept giving the ball away and was anonymous throughout the time he was on the field. Ledley King scored a goal but there were mistakes from him that went unpunished as well.

Same formation, same system but why didn’t it work this time? The answer could simply be the reason these players are considered reserves for the team. If England were faced with a similar situation at the World Cup, where key players were to be either injured or suspended, could they afford to put in another performance like they did against Mexico? No disrespect to Mexico, but if it were a team with the calibre of Spain, it might have been a totally different result. The gap of class between the eleven that is going to start in South Africa and the probable replacements is quite evident and this could go a long way to determining  how far England can progress in the World Cup.

Capello has probably chosen the best 30 available players to make up the squad but it remains to be seen if they are good enough altogether as a squad to win the biggest prize in world football. The fringe players have to step up to the mark and perform when or if Capello needs them and another performance like the one against Mexico could ruin their chances in the World Cup. There is a question however if whether England has a plan B. Rather than sticking to the same formula, Capello could utilise these players and play them to their strength which would probably involve changing the formation and system but with time and games running out, it is uncertain whether Capello has a plan B and being the manager he is, we all hope he has the answer to this problem and if he could guide them far enough into the tournament, it would be a massive achievement considering the lack of depth in the squad. Have your say; do you think the England team is strong enough as a unit to win the World Cup?

Do share your comments and thoughts below.

What a season we’ve had. The race for the title couldn’t have been more interesting. The race for fourth place has even been better this season. In probably one of the most competitive season in terms of the chase for the last champions’ league spot, Tottenham capped a brilliant season by finishing fourth with Man City running a close fifth. Aston Villa and Liverpool were not far behind and while Villa’s all too familiar inability to consistently maintain their form and eventually running out of steam in the final third of the season proved to be their undoing, Liverpool’s mediocre season by their own high standards attributing to endless problems from the ownership right to the manager and players meant that they have failed to build on what looked like a promising season previously.

Up next was none other than Everton who just miss out on European football next season. Who would have envisaged them finishing as highly as they did after the terrible start they had to the season; certainly not me. Make no mistake, for them to finish in eighth place can actually be classified a success although I’m not sure how many Toffees fans out there would agree with me. They finished this season on 61 points, just two short of the 63 points they claimed on their way to fifth place last season. That is no way a bad achievement after all. If there is one thing that I have observed regarding Everton, they have been extremely unlucky with injuries for the past few seasons. At one point or another, they’ll somehow be short on personnel due to the amount of injuries suffered. The race for fourth would have been an entirely different ball game had their key players like Mikel Arteta and Phil Jagielka stayed fit the entire season.

This seems to be a valid argument to me. On paper, Everton’s squad is just as good if not better than the likes of Tottenham and Aston Villa. A 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal with a disinterested looking Joleon Lescott playing ensured they made a pretty slow start to the season. The injuries started creeping in and at one point they were just about hovering above the relegation zone. It seemed like they were unable to string good results and the season looked like it was going to be a disastrous one for them. Things slowly started to change after with the return of key players and they managed to put in a few good performances with the outstanding Steven Pienaar leading the way but by then, they were already playing catch up with the season reaching the mid way point. A European place still seemed a long way and although they ultimately failed to qualify for Europe, they gave a perfectly good account of themselves and ended the season in imperious form with just two losses in their last 24 league games.

No one could deny the fact that had their season not been decimated with injuries to key players yet again, they would have definitely finished higher up the standings and given the likes of Tottenham and City the run for their money. Another positive would be on how the squad members managed to fill in admirably while their big name players were watching from the stands. Key for them however, will be their ability to hang on to their key players and a fine tuning of the squad by adding a few more quality players next season. Most important of all will be their ability to stay clear of massive amount of injuries so that it will not derail their season like it has done this season and if they manage to do so, there will be something more to cheer about for the fans come next season as there is no doubt of the enormous potential they possess to maybe finish in the Champions League spots.

Throughout the whole qualifying campaign, Capello always had an idea how his team were going to play and how the personnel he brought in suited his style and blueprint very well. Fast forward a few months later, he is facing a conundrum regarding the squad he is going to take to the World Cup. With football’s showpiece event just a month away, injuries have taken its toll on his players throughout this long and football season.

At the beginning of the year, every one of us and Capello as well would have had a clear idea of how his squad was shaping up and we could somehow rather guess the players who were going to be in the 23 man squad to South Africa. After all, he has been quite consistent in choosing his players and he had a clear idea of how the players were going to fit into his system, resisting the calls for the likes of Michael Owen to be recalled to the England team.

However, all this has changed recently. This past 2 or 3 months have been nothing short of decisive for the England team. One by one their players start picking up injuries ranging from David Beckham (who is definitely out but will be there with the team) to the latest injury in Gareth Barry who has been a vital part of Capello’s team. This can be attributed to the long, hard and competitive season for their respective teams, but we are not here to discuss about that are we?

These injuries have come at a crucial time for the England team but I can imagine the likes of Rooney, Johnson and Ferdinand will be going (even if they have been struggling with fitness issues recently) barring a nasty turn of events which would prevent them from going to the World Cup. When news of Barry facing around four weeks out filtered through, I think most England fans and even Capello knows they seem to be having a slight problem currently. And if anyone has noticed, injuries are only part of the problem. Some of the players are going through a bad run of form at a crucial moment. Heskey has barely played in the second half of the season and the likes of Defoe seem to be fading away after a great start to the season. The question, is Capello willing to take risks at his stage of the season and with the World Cup less than a month away?

Coming into the question are a few players who have proven credentials in the premier league and seem to be playing their way into Capello’s thoughts. Ledley King’s injuries are well documented but he has been in great form this season and it is astonishing to actually think he has played more football than Ferdinand this season. His defensive partner Dawson has also been outstanding alongside him as Upson continues with his mediocre season for West Ham.

Gary Neville going to the World Cup would have been a far distinct probability until recently where the Man Utd captain has lost a fair amount of pace and is not the player he used to be. But he seems to be defying all the odds and playing some good football in recent months showing how vital his experience can be to the England team when his team mate Wes Brown (who before this was the first choice cover for Johnson at right back) seems to be struggling with injuries and form. There are other players like Joe Cole who hasn’t been in the best of form all season but has a proven international credibility and as news of Barry’s injury filtered through, there were even talks of a shock England recall for Owen Hargreaves who has had a torrid time with injury, but we know in terms of what he can offer the England team and that could be crucial.

At the rate in which these problems are coming thick and fast, there might even be a space for Darren Bent who has been banging in the goals this season but seems underwhelming when it comes to international football. So again, is Capello willing to put his loyalty as we know to one side and take a few risks? What do you think? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

Bayern Munich v Manchester United

Bayern need a win this first leg with the second leg heading to Old Trafford. While they’ve gotten some wins on the road in the Champions League earlier, they haven’t played a team the level of Manchester United. It should be a close match and Bayern will likely be without Arjen Robben. This combined with the fantastic form of United’s Wayne Rooney will make or a draw.

Prediction – 2-2 Draw

Lyon v Bordeaux

The two French sides have done very well in the Champions League and it should be an interesting match on Tuesday. Bordeaux leads Ligue 1 and has been one of the best defensive teams in the world this season. Lyon was impressive in defeating Real Madrid and should have enough to get the win in the first leg. With the defensive strength of both teams, it would be surprising to see more than 2 goals in this match.

Prediction – Lyon wins 1-0

Arsenal v Barcelona

A match-up that is worthy of the final and will feature two of the most talented teams in the world. Lionel Messi continues to shine and show why he’s the best player in the world. Arsenal have done well in the Champions League but could be without captain Cesc Fabregas. If he plays then Arsenal will have a good chance to earn a victory. Even without him, Arsenal are capable of winning but they will have their hands full with Barcelona. It should be a high scoring match and Barcelona will be able to get a draw heading to the Camp Nou for the escond leg.

Prediction – 3-3 Draw

Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow

This is probably the easiest match to predict as CSKA Moscow are the weakest team remaining in the tournament. Inter Milan are the clear favorites at the San Siro and will get the win. They’ve struggled a bit in the Serie A but Jose Mourinho has them performing well in the Champions League. CSKA could get a goal or two but they don’t have the depth or quality to compete with the top teams in Europa. It’s been a great run for the Russian side but Inter Milan will get a solid win in the first leg.

Prediction – Inter Milan wins 3-1

Jonathon Feyerherm is creator/editor of The 90th Minute Soccer Blog, Free Soccer Highlights, and Free Live Sports TV

The power rankings are through Thursday, March 18, 2010 and do not necessarily reflect each team’s domestic form. As with any list like this, it’s subjective so feel free to share your comments or your own power rankings at the end of the post.

1. FC Barcelona – They are the defending champions and are capable of making any defense look silly with their offensive capabilities. Messi continues to show why he’s the reigning player of the year and rising stars like Pedro have stepped up when given a chance. Ibrahimovic and Henry have not been in great form so it could be frightening if both play to their potential in the quarterfinals.
2. Manchester United – Another great performance from Wayne Rooney who could be the front-runner for 2010 Player Of The Year awards. Sir Alex Ferguson remains one of the best managers around that can get consistent performances out of his club. They are very experienced and are able to get results on the road. The only question is are they relying too much on Rooney to provide goals? If he’s injured are their chances all but over?
3. Inter Milan (Internazionale) – Jose Mourinho has his team prepared on Tuesday as they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a brilliant performance. This was the match the “Special One” was waiting for since he left the London club and he has Inter has a real contender. Wesley Sneijder controlled the midfield against Chelsea and is quickly become of the best midfielders in the world.
4. Arsenal – A dominating 5-0 performance in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium shows the Gunners are capable of shredding any defense in the world. They have an outside chance at reaching the final or winning it all but don’t seem to have quite enough as the top 3.
5. Lyon – Their defensive performance against Real Madrid, especially at the Bernabeu, was impressive. They are under the radar but their win over Real Madrid deserves a lot of credit. While they did knock out Real Madrid, they still don’t have quite enough quality to challenge for the title.
6. Bayern Munich – A team that has potential to reach the final but can be inconsistent. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery make up a dangerous midfield that can give any defense trouble. A team that could play great or could undercheive and it’s hard to tell which Bayern Munich will show up.
7. Bordeaux – A solid performance from Bordeaux to advance past Olympiacos 3-1 on aggregate. They faced arguably the weakest team remaining so not much can be drawn from it. Not a serious contender but could reach the semifinals with a favorable draw.
8. CSKA Moscow – A great achievement for CSKA to reach the quaterfinals but they did face one of the weakest clubs in the round of 16. They will have a distinct home advantage with a stadium that has FieldTurf but will be lucky to advance into the semifinals. This is a sign that the Russian Premier League is starting to emerge as one of the top leagues and could be challenging for the Champions League title in a few years.

Jonathon Feyerherm is creator/editor of The 90th Minute Soccer Blog, Free Soccer Highlights, and Free Live Sports TV

Editor’s note: As a follow-up to the recent article about ESPN2’s number of viewers for Premier League games it has shown so far this season, I asked EPL Talk readers if anyone would be interested in analyzing the data more closely. New York City resident LD Montejo responded to the call and has produced these very eyeopening observations and charts below. Soccernomics, eat your heart out!

Notes: For the charts, click on any of them for a larger version of the image.

Here are the observations and insight into ESPN2’s Premier League TV ratings for the season thus far:

Comparing ratings between different Day/Time broadcasts:

It is pretty clear the broadcast at 10:00 AM on Saturdays has performed better overall. The early morning broadcasts on Saturday (7:30 AM) have seen a constant increase in ratings over the past 2 months (up from about 200k to 350k).  In general, rating for Monday afternoon broadcasts have steadily declined from its initial rating (from about 400k to about 140k). The only broadcast on Saturday at 8:45 did relatively well (about 325k).

The general trends suggest that the 7:30 AM broadcast on Saturday morning is becoming increasingly popular and should become the most highly rated broadcast of EPL on ESPN2.

Comparing ratings between teams in the top 4 and those outside the top 4:

So far there have been 16 broadcasts where at least one of the teams is one of the traditional top 4, and 14 broadcasts where both teams are outside the same top 4. Matches featuring top 4 teams have done only slightly better on average (average=283k) than matches of teams outside the top 4 (average=240k). However, the variation in rating is much larger among matches featuring top 4 teams (standard deviation = 71k) than among matches not featuring a top 4 team (standard deviation = 53k). In fact, performing an ANOVA statistical test on the data shows that the ratings between these two type of broadcasts are not statistically significant, which is unexpected.

Rating when a high profile American is playing:

The average rating from matches featuring a high profile American (i.e. Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, etc.) is 266k, whereas the rating for those matches without at least one high profile American is 261k. Based on statistical test we can safely say there is not a correlation between rating and the presence of at least one high profile American.

The game is currently in closed beta mode which allows players to test the game and provide feedback to the developers. It will change to open beta mode in June 2010 and be widely available.

The developers of the game are looking to create game that casual gamers could pick up and play without the need for a console. You can register to be in the beta testing of the game at the official website here. Not everyone is accepted into the beta program and EA Sports will e-mail you with the information if you are selected. You do have to provide some basic information such as where you’re from, how often you play video games, and how often you watch soccer on television.

Below are more details on the game including some quotes from one of the developers (from an EA Sports press release).

Quote from Executive Producer

“Listening to and engaging soccer fans has been one of the driving forces behind the success of our FIFA franchise and now we are inviting European football fans–in mass numbers and earlier than we ever have before–to help us develop a new soccer game,” said Executive Producer Kaz Makita. “Fans will determine the features that matter most, and at the end of this process, our goal is to deliver a game for fans looking for a quick soccer fix at home or at work.”

“There are a large number of soccer fans who do not want a console gaming experience due to time and other priorities in their personal lives but they still want to be able to play a top-quality soccer videogame,” explained Makita. “FIFA Online will be designed specifically for them.”

Details on the game’s release

EA SPORTS FIFA Online will be released around the world in stages. The English language version will be available to all soccer fans in June, 2010. Over the next 12 to 24 months FIFA Online will launch in other languages across Europe and then in North America. Non-English speaking soccer fans will also be able to participate in the development process of these games.

EA SPORTS FIFA Online will offer an authentic soccer experience with 30 licensed leagues, 500 clubs and more than 15,000 players. During the first closed beta stage beginning February 3, the game will feature a 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa tournament mode and a control system that uses the mouse only. At the second stage of closed beta, the game will feature a League Mode that enables fans to manage and compete as their favorite soccer club, and the ability to play online matches. FIFA Online will enable soccer fans and gamers to build their favorite club into their dream team by developing or acquiring players, upgrading skills, and getting unique apparel by earning in-game currency to acquire items or through micro-transactions. Additional content will be designed for the game based on feedback by fans.

Jonathon Feyerherm is creator/editor of The 90th Minute Soccer Blog, Free Soccer Highlights, and Free Live Sports TV

1. FC Barcelona – They remain undefeated in La Liga and are the favorites to win the Champions League this season. The only thing that could deter Barca’s run to the final could be injuries.
2. Chelsea – They’ve been at the top of the EPL for most of the season and have made it to at least the semifinals of the CL the last two seasons.
3. Manchester United – They are not the team of two years ago when they won the CL but still consistently do well in the tournament. Wayne Rooney has been as good as any striker this season but needs someone else to step up if they want to challenge Barcelona.
4. Real Madrid – A team with as much talent as anyone but they’ve yet to reach their potential. Cristiano Ronaldo has a knack for scoring important goals in the CL. They are hard to predict and could lose in the round of 16 (against Lyon) or win the whole thing.
5. FC Porto – An underrated team from a smaller league (Portuguese Liga) who are capable of knocking off one of the larger clubs.
6. AC Milan – Milan have been inconsistent in the Serie A but showed good form in the group stage. A trip to the semifinals would be a stretch as they just don’t have the depth and talent as the other contenders.
7. Arsenal – Another club that has lots of talent but unable to win a trophy in recent years. They are a step below RM, Man U, Chelsea, and Barca but not by much.
8. Inter Milan – Inter hasn’t been able to duplicate their Serie A success in the CL. They will have to prove themselves because they can be taken as a legitimate

What do you think? Feel free to share your comments.

Jonathon Feyerherm is creator/editor of The 90th Minute Soccer Blog, Free Soccer Highlights, and Free Live Sports TV

Here’s the full list of attendance for the Bundesliga through October 4, 2009.

Jonathon Feyerherm is creater and editor of the The 90th Minute Soccer Blog andFree Soccer Highlights

FC Barcelona (1)

They’ve looked strong in La Liga and appear ready to make another deep run in this season’s Champions League. Lionel Messi continues to be one of the greatest players in the world and newly signed striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has adapted quickly to the club. Until they are knocked off, they will remain the favorites to repeat.

Chelsea (2)

Right now Chelsea are in great form and could challenge Barcelona for the trophy in May. The transfer window ban could hurt if they have any significant injuries but (fingers crossed) they are firing on all cylinders.

Real Madrid (3)

They spent a ton of money in the offseason and not winning at least one trophy would make this season a disappoint for RM. Ronaldo thrives in the Champions League but won’t have to carry the club with Kaka, Alonso, and Benzema on the roster. They had one slip up in the La Liga but are looking stronger than Man U but just behind Chelsea and Barcelona. They still have to prove that they are for real.

Manchester United (4)

Man U have not impressed so far in the season and will miss Cristiano Ronaldo. They do not appear to have the players to beat Barcelona but could make a signing in the winter transfer window. Sir Alex Ferguson will be able to get United into the knockout stage but right now they would struggle to make the final.

Arsenal (5)

Could this be the year that Arsenal sneaks into the final or actually wins? Well, its possible but not likely. A trip into the quarters or semis is within reach but they will have trouble getting past one of the other favorites. Also, relying on a team youth is prone to inconsist performances, especially on the road.

Liverpool (6)

The team seems a bit lost after losing Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Fernando Torres is one of the top strikers but overall the club has disappointed in the past few season. Steven Gerrard and Torres will have to carry this team if they want to knock off Barcelona or Chelsea.

Inter Milan (7)

Will Jose Mourinho’s team be able to have Champions League success? They have shown their ability to dominated in the Serie A but have struggled in the Champions League. A draw in their first two group stage matches is not a good start but they should be able to make the knockout stage. Don’t underestimate Mourinho’s ability as a manager as they could easily make the quarters or semis.

Jonathon Feyerherm is creater and editor of the The 90th Minute Soccer Blog and Free Soccer Highlights