Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool skipper has admitted that it would be a fantastic achievement for the club if his side can win a cup double.

The Reds will face Chelsea on Saturday in the FA Cup final at Wembley, and the skipper is very much aware of the fact that another cup victory will not only add prestige to the club but they can look back at the season with satisfaction and claim it as a success.

Having already secured the Carling Cup, the addition of a second trophy will provide cause for contentment. However, the club has fallen short of expectations in the league. In fact, they are way behind in terms of quality from the teams at the top.

Gerrard believes that winning the trophy would allow an air of optimism and positivity at the club that could galvanize their league campaign next season.

“This club is all about winning trophies, big trophies, and the FA Cup comes under that,” the Liverpool captain said while speaking to The Times. “We will assess the season after the weekend. If we can look back and say we have won two cups, then we will be happy.

“Silverware is success. That’s why we play the game. Some of the biggest experiences we have had over the years is from winning cups — the European Cup, the FA Cup, the Uefa Cup, the Carling Cup. Those are the nights and days that you look back on with fond memories.

“The FA Cup is special, but we got a taste of success from winning the Carling Cup. That will help the younger players in the squad. Winning breeds confidence and you want more. That’s what we want on Saturday. But we need to address the problem of our league position. We hope it can kick-start us for next season. We are all aware we have underachieved in the league and the squad of players is certainly better than where we are.

“We will assess the season and if we win two trophies, I think it would alleviate the pressure slightly. People will judge us after Saturday. People will say, ‘You haven’t done well in the league,’ but we can say, ‘Yes, but we have won two cups.’ I think that’s a fair argument.”

Very fine, but how important it is for Liverpool to break into the top four than winning cups?

Winning silverware is the ultimate aim for any club participating in a competition. For Liverpool, it is more than apt. The club was used to winning silverware on an annual basis and they have made their name in England and Europe by virtue of their winning mentality.

But football has changed since those halcyon 1980’s. It has reached a stage where football is merged with business. In a cut-throat competition, staying financially stable is also an achievement that is considered a success.

Putting it simply, Champions League qualification fetches significantly more money and hence it is impertinent to qualify for Europe. Liverpool fans proudly flaunt their European success, but if they can’t make it to Europe at all, does winning domestic cups do anything to the club glory on a long term basis?

Secondly, let us leave the finances for a while. I assume Liverpool has enough funds to compete with the big boys. But, how is a club supposed to improve their squad next season when they may finish below sixth or even ninth position this year? How will they attract a top quality player? One Luis Suarez is not enough and hopefully Liverpool fans understand that by now.

It is painfully simple – get in to Europe, earn money, attract top players, improve your squad and challenge for the honours.

In yesteryear, it was different. The successful clubs worked from the basic levels, made a good team with the academy graduates and local lads, won titles and earned money. But, find me a single club apart from Bilbao who follows this ancient model of reaping gold?

The more Liverpool will be out of top four, they will invite dangers. Clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City will never have problems in generating cash. They have a sugar daddy in place. Likewise Spurs and Arsenal will probably continue to earn UEFA Champions League revenue and build their squads. Therefore, Liverpool will find it almost impossible to match them.

Many journalists have cited examples of Arsenal and how top players have left the club for higher ambitions. They opined mere participating in Europe doesn’t matter unless you win.

But, here they are ignoring a subjective point. Arsenal needed financial stability after building the Emirates Stadium. They were also going through a transition phase after losing key senior players and the squad needed a complete overhaul. It is to the credit of Arsene Wenger that he has kept the club functional from every aspect. They have Champions League football and money to offer to any top players. At least their chances of building a good squad and fighting for silverware is better than clubs who are outside the top four.

Valencia is another burning example of why you need European football more than anything else. They have been qualifying for Europe for the past few years and now can look forward to building their new stadium. Isn’t that a success (how little it may be)? Isn’t the club moving in the right direction? Had the club won two Spanish cups in between and finished outside the top four, could they at all take this brave decision of finalizing their dream project?

The crux of the matter is breaking into Europe is very important for more than one reason. For a club like Liverpool, winning silverware is essential. However, they must not forget their braggart lies in “18 league titles & 5 European Cups”. This is indeed called history, so isn’t it better if they start focusing on building another history? For that they need to be competitive and without Champions League football it is not going to be easy.

Follow Saikat Mandal on twitter @SMandal87

Different fans have different takes on the greatest Premier League XI of all time.

Since its inception in 1992/93, the English Premier League has gone from strength to strength, establishing it as one of the best leagues in the world. Many top players from all around the world have graced the league over the years even gaining the status of club legends. Therefore, it is very hard to compile a list of all time best eleven Premier League players where parameters of comparison do not always borders on objectivity.

Keeping the old school formation of 4-4-2, I am here to select best eleven players of the league who fits in to the formation nicely. It is not a question of whether those players can play side by side or how the team would be tactically benefitted, but it is all about players who are very best among the whole lot of great stars.

Greatest Premier League XI Of All Time

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United, Denmark)

He was elected as “The World’s Best Goalkeeper” in 1992 and 1993. And Sir Alex Ferguson described his deal in 2000 as the “bargain of the century”. He spent the bulk of his career at Manchester United where he won 5 league titles, 3 FA Cups and 1 Champions League (including the historic treble). He is the most capped player for Denmark and has scored 12 goals in his career, a very unusual feat for a goalkeeper.

His expertise in keeping clean sheets is remarkable. Incredibly 42% of his game ended without conceding a goal. But most importantly, he will always be remembered for his heroics in big games. Who can forget the saved penalty of Dennis Bergkamp in 1999 FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal?

Schmeichel was something extra. His contribution to Manchester United and Denmark is unparalleled. His acrobatic saves over the years are a joy to behold. Probably that’s why he was voted as the best goalkeeper by fans all over world ahead of Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks.

Honorable mention: Shay Given, David Seaman, Brad Friedel and Edwin van der Sar.

Left back: Ashley Cole (Arsenal & Chelsea, England)

He has to be the best left back produced on English soil post 1990. He was his own competitor and thereby excelled to newer heights with every passing season. He won two Premier League titles with Arsenal and one with Chelsea and until now has two runners-up medals in the Champions League. He became the first player to win six FA Cup winners medals.

A world class left back with an outstanding capability of reading the game he could probably make an entry into any of the top sides in the world. His adventurous style of football made him attractive to watch while defensively he was equally solid. He became England’s Player of the Year in 2010 and was included twice in UEFA Team of the Year.

Honorable mention: Nigel Winterburn.

Right Back: Gary Neville (Manchester United, England)

English players generally are associated with a ‘bull-dog spirit’. Gary Neville epitomizes that spirit to the fullest with an added quality.

A dyed-in-the-wool Manchester United fan, he was head and shoulders above his contemporaries in terms of commitment, performance, long career and technical abilities. The most admirable aspect of his career was consistency. He was the most capped right back for England. His trophy cabinet is enough to be a criterion for selection. Plus he was selected in Premier League’s ‘Team of the Decade’ (1992/03-2001/02).

Honorable mention: Lee Dixon.

Central Defenders: John Terry: (Chelsea, England)

The modern decade saw the rise of the Chelsea, breaking the stranglehold of Arsenal and Manchester United. John Terry, an out and out Chelsea defender, broke through the club’s academy and established himself not only as one of the super stars of Premier League but made his name across the globe. A maverick, he led Chelsea to three league titles and captained England too.

It is a pride for the nation that a defender from their league has been given highest accolade in Europe and the world for more than one season. Terry won UEFA’s club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and was included in FIFPro’s World XI for four consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2008. Four times he was selected in UEFA’s team of the year. Those who are wondering what the big deal with FIFPro is, John Terry was accompanied by few so called World Class defenders in that prestigious award like Maldini, Nesta, Cafu, Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Puyol, Ramos and Vidic. Not bad, would you say?

Honorable mention: Nemanja Vidic, Jamie Carragher, Sol Campbell and Sami Hyypia.

Rio Ferdinand: (Manchester United, England)

Sometimes, objectivity is not enough to judge the caliber of a player. Rio Ferdinand twice broke Premier League’s transfer record, so he has to be there in the list of all time best.

He was one of those rare breed from England who developed great technical abilities like the European footballers. Positional play, accurate tackling, distribution, reading the game and other important tactical aspects were mastered by this Englishman. Subjective? Yes, but there can be no denial that Manchester United’s huge success post 2006 is bestowed on the defensive partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic, of which the senior man played a major contribution.

He has been a member of three FIFA World Cup squads, winner of five Premier League medals, one Champions League and two League Cups.

Success is not an essential barometer here, performance is. Those who have watched Ferdinand’s game minutely over the years will have to agree that he has been a ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ for his club and country.

Honorable mention: Ledley King, Tony Adams and Jaap Stam.

Left Wing: Ryan Giggs (Manchester United, Wales)

This longest service player for Manchester United has to be the greatest ever winger to have graced the Premier League. An age-less genius, he holds the club record for most competitive appearance.

Don’t ever ask the Welshman about his trophy cabinet. He has bagged 12 league titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 UCL and many more medals in his illustrious career. Under the tutelage of Sir Alex, Giggs achieved almost everything a footballer can wish to, except the sad story of not playing at the World Cup.

He was selected in the PFA Team of the Century, won the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009 and was included in UEFA Champions League’s 10 seasons Dream Team (1992-2002).

He is the most decorated player in the Premier League and the league itself is fortunate to have witnessed a maverick blazing the green blades of Old Trafford for two decades.

Honorable mention: John Barnes, Gareth Bale, David Ginola, Marc Overmars and Arjen Robben.

Right Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal)

First, why not David Beckham? Beckham is a world class footballer like Ronaldo and a legendary figure for Manchester United. Known for his great free kicks and passing – he has given Premier League a different taste of brand.

But Ronaldo is Ronaldo. This is a team of individuals, and Ronaldo is a type who could win you matches by himself. His case is a bit subjective. It is not easy to fill the boots of a club legend, especially coming from a different land while expectations are sky high.

Hence, Manchester United was not Ronaldo’s comfort zone. It was during those times that Chelsea emerged as new champions and it seemed like United’s dominance in English football had ended. He was one of the main figures who brought Man United back on track in terms of silverware. The club went on to win three consecutive league titles, also becoming the kings of Europe in 2007-08.

He helped United off the pitch which fans might have a different view of, but nevertheless he was very significant. His transfer to Real Madrid fetched £80million to Manchester United, at a time when the club was suffocating under the burden of gargantuan debts while the entire country was hit by recession.

The winner of 2008 Ballon d’Or and Fifa World Player of the Year, he has been a joy to watch every time he took the field. The Premier League has produced many gems over the years, but this boy from Madeira has to be one of those very special of the lot.

Honorable mention: David Beckham, Darren Anderton and Anders Limpar.

Central Midfielders: Paul Scholes (Manchester United, England)

The choice was easy. Admired by his contemporaries around the World, Scholes was not a typical English midfielder. He is a complete midfielder, whose main strength was ball distribution and accurate passing. He had great technical abilities which are rarely found amongst English players.

Both Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and Xavi consider him as the best central midfielder of this generation.

Honorable mention: Steven Gerrard, Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Roy Keane and Paul Gascoigne.

Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, France)

The selection of Vieira was tough. There are so many competitors who are as good as him, if not better. Roy Keane and Steven Gerrard easily come to mind.

Vieira was as inspirational as Keane and a typical box to box midfielder who excelled in top European leagues after leaving Arsenal. His contribution to the French national team is equally enviable.

Vieira was calm, composed on ball. His passing ability, defensive aspects of the game and intelligent movements off the ball brought a touch of European class to ‘that’ invincible Arsenal side.

Honorable mention: Frank Lampard, Gianfranco Zola, Matthew Le Tissier and Claude Makelele.

Strikers: Thierry Henry (Arsenal, France)

Thierry Henry flourished at a time when Man United had a prolific goal scorer named Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring goals at his mercy. The comparison was always there. Henry is a complete striker, more than just a goal machine. His overall contribution to the game (contrary to van Nistelrooy’s one dimensional game) helped Arsenal win two league titles and three FA Cups. He was the heartbeat of the Arsenal side that remained unbeaten throughout the season.

Arsenal never had a problem of getting silverware with Henry. His skills and techniques were sublime. Who can forget that mesmerizing goal against Liverpool jinking past 5 to 6 Liverpool players, like a snake moving on green grass?

His individual achievements thereby speak for himself: Four times winner of Premier League Golden Boot, twice winner of European Golden Boot, five times included in UEFA team of the year and many other milestones. Henry was included in the English Football Hall of fame in 2008 and his aura will be cherished for many more years to come.

Honorable mention: Ian Rush, Jurgen Klinsmann, Wayne Rooney, Denis Bergkamp, Michael Owen, Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Alan Shearer (Newcastle, England)

The English Premier League without Alan Shearer is like detective genres without Sherlock Holmes. He has to be there. A classic English centre forward having strong physical presence and powerful shots, he has scored 283 career goals, including a record 260 in the Premier League with goals to game ratio of 0.667, which equates to just over two goals every three games he has played throughout his career at every level and competition.

Sadly, apart from winning one league title with Blackburn, he had no major silverwares to flaunt, but his amazing performances for his club and country stand him apart from the competition.

Winning the domestic and overall Player of the Decade awards rightly sums up his contribution towards the Premier League. He was the best English striker then and probably still holds that status.

Honorable mention: Didier Drogba, Andy Cole, Robbie Fowler, Eric Cantona, Paulo Di Canio, Ian Wright and Teddy Sheringham.

Follow Saikat Mandal on twitter @Saikat_SAnchor

After a devastating 3-0 loss to Newcastle United, Manchester United has suffered back-to-back defeats in the Barclays Premier League for the first time since March 2011 and now trails league leader Manchester City by three points at the top of the Premier League table.

Newcastle was better than the visitors in every department of the game. They controlled the midfield superbly, patrolled the defence with aplomb and when scoring opportunities came, they didn’t waste their chances.

United’s frailties were once again exposed and it may what prompt Sir Alex Ferguson to make moves in the January window for defensive cover. There are problems on so many fronts – the vulnerability at the back, toothless midfield, goalkeeper conundrum, striker selection and much more. Newcastle was resolute and nonchalant at the back (apart from Danny Simpson’s goal line clearance, the defense was not stretched and tested) and showed great qualities when needed.

1) Spot on, Alan Pardew: Alan Pardew was spot on with his tactics yet again. His message was simple — gain the upper hand in the middle. This was helped by the industry and class of Tiote and Cabaye, who outclassed their counterparts with great élan. Also, they narrowed the pitch making life difficult for Nani and Valencia to make considerable inroads.

Ameobi after the match said “We saw what Blackburn did against Manchester United a few days ago, so one of our main tactics was to get in behind them and squeeze them up the pitch and it has worked.” Further, the tactics of testing the United defenders with long balls worked for Pardew. The physical presence of Shola Ameobi created space for Demba Ba to exploit. In the build up to the first goal, Tim Krul’s long ball was superbly flicked on by Ameobi into the direction of Demba Ba. The Senegal international volleyed the ball home in stunning fashion. Also in the buildup to the  second goal, Ameobi created space for Ba by dragging the defender with him. Jones fouled the Senegal striker, conceding a free kick 25-yards out. We all know the outcome. Though you might say those two were outstanding goals and sometimes you can’t do anything if that happens.

2) Lack of communication at the back: Phil Jones has scored three goals for United, two of which have found his own net. Jones is a hot prospect and he might go on to be the best defender in England. But, he looks better at right back or central midfield than at the heart of defense. The problem he faces is communication with the goalkeeper and taking decisions as well. He hardly has any understanding with De Gea. And tonight we saw there were more communication gaps as well, this time with Anders Lindegaard. He was caught in two minds as to whether to deal with the long ball from Krul or let it bounce through to Lindegaard. In the end messed up, big time. He was all over the place defensively. Still, he will learn. He’s an outstanding talent.

3) Need to buy a central midfielder: Ferguson needs to buy a central midfielder, even if Tom Cleverley gets fit in coming days. This current crop is simply not good enough. Darren Fletcher is a long term absentee and the midfield is left with Carrick, Anderson and makeshift yet versatile veteran Ryan Giggs to control. The FACT that Rooney has to get down deep to control the midfield is a pathetic sight. In fact they need two types of midfielders – creative and industrious. How about Cabaye & Tiote?

4) What has happened to United’s strikers? Injuries to strikers at different points of the season have harmed the strike force of Manchester United. Rooney has to come deep to influence the game from behind. Hernandez and Welbeck haven’t been firing on all cylinders and it is left to Berbatov to handle the striker department — the same Berbatov who was been struggling to get a game in the early half of the season.

5) Loss of Demba Ba: Newcastle will be losing Demba Ba for the next one month due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a big blow to the Magpies but they have to cope with it. Only van Persie has scored more goals than the Senegalese international in the past 12 months. Pardew is left with an onerous task of getting the best out of his backup strikers. Maybe he could change the style of Newcastle’s game play?

Today I leave you with two questions. For the Newcastle fans, where will Newcastle finish at the end of the season? For the United fans, please shed light on what buys you think are needed in the January transfer window.

Follow Saikat Mandal on Twitter @Saikat_SAnchor

Manchester City returned to their winning ways after thumping Liverpool by 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. Goals from Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and James Milner sealed the victory for the Citizens in a rain soaked night in Manchester. Liverpool could have taken the lead as early as the first seven minutes of the game when Jordan Henderson threaded an exquisite through-pass to Stewart Downing, leaving him in one-on-one with Joe Hart. However, the winger couldn’t slot the ball past the Manchester City goalkeeper.

When you waste your chances against a top team, you’re bound to pay the consequence. Minutes later, City opened the scoring through Sergio Aguero, though it should go down as a horrendous goalkeeping gaffe from Pepe Reina.

Liverpool had lots of possession in the middle without actually disturbing City’s defence. In the end City took all their chances in their stride and extended their lead at the top of the table. Here are five observations from the match:

1) Hallmark of a champion team:  Much has been said about City’s squad in the media. They have a great team with great individual performers who are capable of changing the vicissitude of a match single-handedly. The only aspect that remained to be seen was their mental fortitude – how they bounce back after the defeat against Sunderland was everyone’s interest. City was far from being resplendent tonight. However, the hallmark of a champion team is getting positive results even when you’re not in the best of form. Liverpool had a lion share of possession and if they could have taken their chances, the story might have been different. But ‘if’, ‘could’, ‘might’ doesn’t apply to a team that is aiming for the league glory. There’s the central difference.

2) Life without Suarez: Liverpool will have to start preparing for ‘life without Suarez’. Now that the Uruguayan will undergo his 8-match ban, Liverpool will have to cope up with his absence. At Etihad, the Reds cried out for a creative spark amidst the incessant rain. To be very honest, none of the Liverpool players have that charisma and caliber to make something happen out of nothing bar Suarez. Gerrard, maybe, but he needs players to support him. Liverpool have a difficult January and already they are feeling the heat of losing Suarez.

3) A conundrum whose name is Andy Carroll: Now, frankly let’s not kid anyone. Forget about the price-tag. What about the performance? A striker who can’t run, can’t dribble, can’t create space, can’t make intelligent passes, and can’t move. Liverpool got themselves into some very good positions in the match, but had to re-tract from those moves due to Andy Carroll. The striker can take satisfaction from the fact that his counterpart Eden Dzeko was equally awful and pathetic tonight.

4) Equally poor Downing and Johnson: Stewart Downing and Glen Johnson were equally poor throughout the match. In the second half after the introduction of Bellamy, the England winger shifted to the right hand side teeing up with Johnson. In came a barrage of poor crosses that failed to reach the target man. Johnson can’t cross a well known prescription, but what about Downing? The ex-Villa ace made his name for providing more crosses in the box. Liverpool had and have higher expectations for him.

5) Important to keep Bellamy fit: Now that Suarez is out of commission for over a month, Liverpool’s best chance of climbing up the table is to keep Bellamy and Gerrard fit. Downing had more shots on goal than any other Liverpool player apart from Suarez but he has yet to open his goal scoring account. And Dirk Kuyt is Dirk Kuyt. In that case putting money on Craig Bellamy is the safest bet.

P.S – Liverpool missed Lucas Leiva badly. In the reverse fixture, Lucas’s unbelievable engine and his overall dominance kept City midfielders (especially Toure and Silva) at bay. Unfortunately, Jay Spearing can never be his replacement.

Follow Saikat Mandal on twitter @Saikat_SAnchor