Five reasons why the Europa League can't be taken seriously

With the Premier League's current top two clubs, Manchester City and Manchester United, commencing their involvement in UEFA's secondary competition this week, here are five reasons why the Europa League cannot be fully accepted as an important competition by serious fans of football:

The presence of teams who haven't really achieved anything

Arguably the biggest problem with the competition is the number of teams taking part who have achieved little to justify being able to take part in what is supposedly a prestigious UEFA tournament. The team that finishes sixth in Serie A qualifies, the team that finishes fifth in the Portuguese Liga qualifies. Hell, the teams that finish third in the leagues of Andorra, Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands qualify. You can be runner-up in a domestic cup competition, which could mean achieving as little as a five-match unbeaten spell followed by a defeat in the final, and still qualify. Are these teams worthy of representing their countries in a continental showcase competition? No. What galls me the most is the presence of three teams due to 'fair play'. OK, it is great to promote 'Respect' and all that within the game, but the system is flawed. When Fulham qualified by this route it was because England's league had been allocated a place due to the country's fair play performance in European competition. But Fulham hadn't finished top of the Fair Play league, they were merely the highest placed club not to have already qualified for Europe. Is that an achievement worthy of a European place? Not in any way.

Comparatively slim financial gains

The Europa League simply doesn't have the financial benefits which make the Champions League so appealing and important to the top clubs. For example in 2009-10 AS Roma reached the last 32 of the Europa League, having failed to qualify for the Champions League. This meant they lost £21.3m in broadcasting revenue alone, compared to the previous season where they had reached the Champions League's last 16. Not to mention the further revenue lost by smaller attendances on match days and lesser sales of merchandise. UEFA's distribution to Europa League participants is less than 20% of what is paid to the Champions League teams, despite there being considerably more teams in the secondary competition. This lack of financial incentive means teams are often better off chasing domestic glory and Champions League qualification for the following season to earn cash, instead of putting their efforts into winning the Europa League.

Overblown number of teams and games

Another problem with the Europa League is the sheer number of teams that take enter the competition, and therefore the number of games the teams have to play. 48 teams take part in the group stage alone, and before this there is a play-off round which consists of 76 teams (another ten drop out of the Champions League play-off round to take part). There are also three qualifying rounds and by the time the knockout phase starts in February there are still 32 teams in the tournament, the same amount that start the Champions League group stage in September! If a team entered through Fair Play, in the first qualifying round, and reached the final, they would play a whopping 23 games - that's only seven less than the entire Portuguese domestic league schedule. Too many games, many of which feature less-than-interesting teams, means lack of interest.

Champions League dropouts entering the competition

The simple fact that teams drop into the competition after being knocked out of another competition midway through the season completely undermines the Europa League's validity. It is explicitly stating that it is an inferior competition to the Champions League, suitable for that competition's failures. The teams that drop in, as often as not, have little interest in being in the competition and while it may bring some bigger names into the fold, it is unfair on the teams that have been competing in it from the start. As Harry Redknapp recently put it 'you don't get knocked out of the third round of the FA Cup and find yourselves in the Carling Cup semi-finals' and while this analogy doesn't quite work perfectly, he has a point. If the tournament is to gain more respect, this is one element which certainly needs to change.

'Thursday nights, Channel Five'

Finally, this phrase has been chanted at Manchester City and Manchester United voraciously by mocking fans of rival teams since the league-leading duo's group stage failure in December. But there is indeed a genuine stigma attached to both parts of the chant. Firstly, playing on Thursday nights is bad news for everybody. League fixtures are shifted to Sunday which is never ideal for fans, if for no other reason than habit. In weeks with big Champions League games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Premier League fixtures on weekends, Thursday is a night when fewer paying spectators are likely to turn up and fewer viewers are likely to turn on the box. Which is why Channel Five, a considerably smaller and financially weaker broadcaster than the likes of Sky Sports and BBC, take up the first choice rights ahead of ITV4 and ESPN. It is a vicious circle, as association with the smaller broadcaster makes the competition seem less important (and attract less viewers), and the less importance attached to the competition the more likely the smaller broadcaster is to carry on showing it (and attract still less viewers).

My proposed solution

This competition clearly needs serious rethinking. I say bring back something resembling the Cup Winner's Cup of old. It will be teams that have achieved something in a straight knockout ( so not too many games) with more financial incentive and no Champions League dropouts. And where possible, play it on non-Champions League weeks. If only UEFA had any sense...

Ten things I would like to see in the world of football in 2012

A new year beckons and the following ten things are top of my football wishlist for 2012. Here's hoping:

1, England showing up for a major tournament

After an unmitigatedly diabolical performance at the 2010 World Cup and failure to qualify for Euro 2008, it has been some time since the England national team gave a respectable account of themselves at a major tournament. After qualifying unimpressively for Euro 2012 with a 2-2 draw away to Montenegro and with Wayne Rooney suspended for the first two group games expectations aren't exactly sky high this time around, but with a group containing Sweden, Ukraine and France, the Three Lions are certainly in with a chance. If Fabio Capello's men approach their games with confidence and tactical awareness, winning the group could be a launch pad to something far more memorable.

2, Barcelona retaining the Champions League title

Since the UEFA Champions League was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992, not a single team has successfully retained the title. In 2010, Barca were foiled by Jose Mourinho's Internazionale side in the semi-finals, but this time around the blaugrana could well prove unstoppable. Playing fast-paced precision passing football, Pep Guardiola's team are approaching universal popularity and if they can keep their magical number ten, Lionel Messi, fit then even Mourinho's expensively assembled Real Madrid outfit will struggle to stop them. The best team I've seen in my life time, if anyone deserves to retain the 'cup with big ears' it is them.

3, Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League at the expense of one of the old 'Big Four'

The old myth of the 'Big Four' (Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool if you really need to ask) being impossible to break into is all but dead now as first Tottenham Hotspur and then Manchester City clinched Champions League qualification, both times at the expense of Liverpool. In reality it was only for four seasons between 2005/06 and 2008/9 that the 'Big Four' dominated the Champions League positions (Everton finished in 4th back in 04/05) but many fans and pundits insisted that the 'Big Four' was a closed shop. Not so. This season, with City almost certain to finish in the top two, Spurs have a real chance to put the 'Big Four' to bed. With the squad they have at their disposal they really should do, and leave one of Arsenal or Chelsea joining Liverpool outside the promised land of the Champions League.

4, Wayne Rooney playing consistently

Wayne Rooney has been on the scene for nearly a decade now and while he remains undoubtedly one of the most talented players of his generation, he has never found the consistency that would see him rival Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Player of the Year stakes. Take this season for example, Rooney sits joint third in the top scorers list, behind only Robin Van Persie and Demba Ba. Yet before his brace at home to Wolves earlier this month, he hadn't scored for eight league games. The reason Messi and Ronaldo are hailed as by far the world's greatest is that in the past few seasons, they haven't even come close to that sort of goalless run. I even saw an article earlier this year referring to a Messi 'goal drought' of three games. If Rooney wants to be considered for the world award this time next year he needs to maintain his form for longer periods than he has ever done before.

5, A universally popular manager replacing Fabio Capello

Don Capello is due to bid farewell to the England camp after Euro 2012 and regardless of how the tournament goes, it will be time to bring in a new face. After the debacle of Steve McClaren's reign, and the opinion-splitting era of Sven-Goran Eriksson, it would be ideal to see a manager behind whom a nation of football fans could unite. Easier said than done of course. Harry Redknapp is odds on favourite with the bookies and while he would represent a popular choice, he may not want to leave his position at Spurs when things are going so well and there remains a possibility of him claiming a Premier League title in the next few years. Beyond Redknapp, names such as Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have been touted, but despite their great track records, neither would be universally popular choices. Perhaps the FA face an impossible task to make a popular decision, and beyond Redknapp they may struggle.

6, Club owners to stop raising ticket prices

Ticket prices have been rocketing at clubs for years now and many fans have been priced out of the game. This season Chelsea raised their Champions League group stage ticket prices by £10 and while their attendance tumbled, they still made more money than last year. This attitude from club owners is frankly disgraceful and is happening all across the Premier League, with Arsenal recently becoming the first club to sell a normal (i.e non-executive box) ticket for more than £100. To take advantage of fans who have more money, and to disadvantage those who can't afford to come to matches anymore is not in the true spirit of football, which has built its worldwide empire on the foundations of inclusivity. With the likes of the Glazers at Manchester United and Abramovich at Chelsea hiking up prices every year, it is time somebody put a stop to this trend before football becomes a game for the rich only.

7, Manchester City to fail for at least one more year

Roberto Mancini has done a fantastic job at City since his appointment two years ago and has assembled an impressive team of superstars with the funds given to him by Sheikh Mansour. Yet while Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and co have played some exceptional football this season it would be nice to see, if only for one more year, that money can't quite buy you success that quickly. Admittedly it is already three and a half years since Mansour's takeover and City have built from a strong foundation of a large fan base and modern stadium. But after £550m of new signings their Champions League group stage failure this year shows there is still work to do. Still favourites in the title race, Mancini's men wouldn't be undeserving of the title, but if they were to miss out on the title for just one more season it may restore a bit of faith that money can't quite buy everything in football.

8, No more stories of racism in football

In the last few weeks the headlines have been dominated by the two-headed monster of the Luis Suarez and John Terry racism cases. Regardless of whether either of them really are guilty, the much bigger problem is that racism is even an issue at all in this day and age. The whole concept of abusing somebody because of their skin colour is dated, incredibly unintelligent and totally unacceptable. Racism should not be tolerated to any extent, not just in football, but in society in general, and once the Suarez and Terry cases have been put to bed it should never be allowed to rear its ugly head again. Racism is wrong, and needs stopping right now.

9, Sepp Blatter to be ousted from FIFA

Following on from my last point, Sepp Blatter's outrageous recent comments that racism can be settled with a simple handshake illustrate the idiocy of the man who is the biggest of big cheeses in football's hierarchy. The Swiss FIFA President's list of offences is lengthy and varied, ranging from false promises to sexist comments. After 13 years in the position he was farcically re-elected earlier this year after Mohamed Bin Hamman withdrew following his scandalous attempted bribing of CONCACAF officials. But Blatter has continued to offend and has failed to bring credibility to the governing body. He is due to serve until 2015, but if the rest of FIFA wants to really take the game forward, the figurehead needs changing much sooner.

10, Wigan Athletic to be relegated and replaced by a club that can fill their stadium

I have a lot of time for Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez, their owner Dave Whelan and several of their players such as Ali Al-Habsi and Victor Moses. However, one thing I do not have time for is seeing thousands of empty seats at Premier League stadiums. For this reason alone I think it is for the good of football that the Latics seven-year stint in the top flight finally comes to an end this season. The Premier League is a fantastically entertaining division of high quality football, and the more live spectators at stadiums the better. Wigan's constantly low attendances, even for the biggest matches, is a real shame. When there are teams like Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Leeds United toiling in the lower levels despite massive fan bases it seems a real waste that a club with so few supporters is mixing it in the top flight. Sorry Wigan, but it is time to go.

Villas-Boas takes on Ferguson in early season showdown

This weekend will see Andre Villas-Boas bring his Chelsea side to Old Trafford for arguably the most important game of the Premier League season so far. With the Blues trailing both Manchester United and Manchester City by two points already, a defeat would certainly put them at a huge disadvantage so early in the campaign. While United and City have got their campaigns off to flying starts, Chelsea have been a bit more subdued with not particularly convincing wins over West Brom, Norwich and Sunderland following on from a goalless draw at Stoke. However, Villas-Boas will see the showdown with Sir Alex Ferguson, a man 36 years his senior, as an ideal catalyst for his club's season.

It has been an odd quirk of the fixture list that many previous Chelsea managers have begun their reigns with games against the Red Devils. Claudio Ranieri began with a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford back in September 2000, Jose Mourinho won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in August 2004, Avram Grant lost 2-0 just over three years later and Carlo Ancelotti won on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the 2009 Community Shield. Unlike his predecessors, Villas-Boas has had the advantage of a summer of preparation as well as four league fixtures and one Champions League game before taking his men to Manchester.

What we have seen in that time is a Chelsea team undergoing transition. Finally the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry don't quite seem guaranteed their place in the team. A new regime is in the making at Stamford Bridge and Juan Mata, Danny Sturridge and David Luiz look to be at the heart of it. Fernando Torres is still a far cry from the confident, free-scoring forward seen in his early Liverpool days but his two assists against Bayer Leverkusen this week offered promise that he may soon be finding the back of the net himself. While results so far are yet to be spectacular, Villas-Boas would appear to have the Pensioners on the right track.

As for their opposition, the Red Devils have gone goal-crazy with what is very much a new-look team. With Paul Scholes, Edwin Van der Sar, Gary Neville, John O'Shea and Wes Brown all gone, and the likes of Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov, Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs so far playing peripheral roles, a new era seems to have dawned at Old Trafford. With Wayne Rooney, Nani and Anderson cast in the new role of 'senior players' and Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, David de Gea and the now injured duo of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck adding much youthful zest to the team, it is a far cry from the squad that some people foolishly labelled too old at the start of last season.

United fans would be foolish themselves to get over-confident though, as is exemplified by the end result of Chelsea's similar flying start to last season. Ferguson will be determined not to let the same thing happen to his team and will realise the importance of this Sunday's game, even though it is so early in the season. A draw would not be disastrous for either team, but a win for United could really increase their already substantial momentum, and a win for the away team could mark an early twist in a title race which many are identifying as the 'battle of Manchester'.

Key battles across the pitch will include the duo of Rooney and Javier Hernandez taking on Chelsea's centre-backs, presumably Terry and Luiz, although Branislav Ivanovic and Alex are also in contention. Hernandez's pace and Rooney's guile punished Chelsea in the three defeats they suffered at the hands of United late on last season. Mata will be looking to continue his early strong form and might fancy his chances against United full-backs Patrice Evra and Smalling. The experience of Evra could be vital in shackling the Spaniard and Sturridge, who may well be played wide as well. In the centre of the park Anderson and Carrick (although Fletcher is also vying for a place) will look to Rooney to help them combat Chelsea's midfield trio, likely to be Ramires, Lampard and Raul Meireles. This is a big game for Lampard who has been doubted, perhaps unfairly, by many pundits this season.

But the most important factor could well be the plight of Torres against United's centre-backs. With old foe Nemanja Vidic out injured, the ex-Atletico Madrid man is likely to face Rio Ferdinand (rested in mid-week) and either Jonny Evans or Jones. The forward has shone in front of the Old Trafford crowd before in his Liverpool days, and if he can capitalise on Ferdinand's slight loss of pace, Evans occasional rash decision-making or Jones' inexperience, he could well put his career back on track and make himself a Chelsea hero. If Ferdinand's experience combined with his youthful defensive partner successfully contain the Spain international, then United would have a great opportunity to show the Premier League that this season they really mean business.

Where's the belief?

I was at Wembley Stadium last night to witness what, on paper, was a home victory which puts Fabio Capello's England squad to within touching distance of Euro 2012. However, the conclusion I drew was that England are as far away as ever from reaching the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time since 1996, let alone winning one for the first time since 1966.

In truth, the Three Lions were lucky to escape with all three points as Wales striker Robert Earnshaw missed a golden opportunity to equalise with 14 minutes of the game remaining and for large spells of the game Gary Speed's men were equal to the hosts. While Ashley Young's first half strike proved enough to win the game, that was the only shot on target from a team who looked nowhere near as confident as a home team, top of the qualification group and facing a team ranked 117th in the world, should do.

Individual performances were, on the whole, acceptable. There wasn't a single player who you could point out as having had a particularly awful game. The problem was that the team seemed to be stricken by an epidemic of indifference. Not one of the eleven players on the pitch seemed intent on making the difference that would have killed off the game long before Earnshaw could make the 75,000+ England fans in the crowd exhale a sigh of extreme relief.

In terms of personnel, Capello seems to have at his disposal a highly competent, competitive squad - Wayne Rooney is certainly the man to lead the line (although he could excel in a deeper role) and Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, Theo Walcott and James Milner have all the attributes to support him in the attack. Scott Parker and Gareth Barry, despite the latter's detractors, make a very good screening duo in midfield and the emergence of Chris Smalling at right-back, as well as Gary Cahill and Phil Jones as central options seem to complement an already efficient defence. The formation issues of the World Cup, where Capello stuck to a 4-4-2 system despite popular demand seem to be over. A successful 4-2-3-1 has been deployed (as in Bulgaria) , as well as a 4-3-3, and the afore-mentioned midfielders along with Frank Lampard (still an important squad member, though much more efficient in a midfield three), Jack Wilshere and Steven Gerrard seem to understand what is required of both systems.

Yet England still are nowhere near reaching the calibre of Spain, Holland or Germany. Or even France, Italy and Portugal for that matter. The missing ingredient seems to be belief. Especially at Wembley. The booing of the team, or individual players such as Lampard and Ashley Cole has been well documented in the past and this could well have nurtured an element of fear when the Three Lions turn up at home. Before Young's goal against Wales, Capello's men appeared to be very uncertain of how to push on and impose themselves on their opposition. When they failed to increase their lead early in the second half, they reverted to this unsure attitude. Barry, in the deepest midfield role seemed the only assured presence on the ball, and that was largely because the Welsh were content to sit off him and defend deep. When the visitors did launch attacks, England dealt with them, but not with complete certainty. Some more accurate finishing from Speed's team could have seen a very different result. It was the first home win at Wembley in a year, and the four intervening fixtures had all displayed this uncertainty from England.

Elsewhere last night, world champions Spain beat Liechtenstein 6-0 at home. That is to be expected, but Liechtenstein are only two places lower than the Welsh in the world rankings and England should really be racking up that kind of scoreline, and an accompanying assured performance against this sort of team if they have any aspirations of success next summer. England's players are more talented than that of many countries, as exemplified by their many successes at club level, but if they are to push on and do the country pride in Poland and Ukraine next year, they are going to have to play with the confidence to attack teams and score goals. Anaemic performances like this win over Wales, last year's draw with Montenegro, and the first half of the Switzerland draw in June will result in an early farewell from Eastern Europe and the start of a long daunting road to Brazil 2014.

Arsene's Gunners finally call the cavalry

Following on from my article on Arsenal's situation back on the 12th August, I thought it was only right to give my opinion on Arsene Wenger's eventual business in the transfer window and the games that have taken place since.

Firstly, it has to be said that the club came through what was their most important challenge, defeating Udinese to qualify for the Champions League, impressively. Udinese showed themselves to be a very good team across the two legs, but when it mattered most, in the second half of the second leg, Wojciech Szczesny, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott all proved that the Gunners still have some big characters in their team.

However, it was the league matches that meant the alarm bells were constantly ringing for the Emirates faithful. A dire 0-0 draw with Newcastle followed by an even worse 0-2 home defeat to Liverpool were bad enough, but the panic button was finally hit with an unbelievable 8-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United.

Arsenal's biggest defeat in 115 years really did force Wenger into action in the transfer market, and in my opinion he has bought wisely. Three weeks ago I wrote that he needed to add a goalkeeper, two defenders, one midfielder and another forward to the squad, all of which need to be experienced and not youth players.

Apart from the goalkeeper (and to be fair Szczesny looks like he could make the grade), Wenger had done all this and more, bringing in not one, but two midfielders. Per Mertesacker at 26, Andre Santos at 28, Mikel Arteta at 29, Yossi Benayoun at 31 and Park Chu-Young at 26 are all experienced professionals, and just what Wenger's squad was in desperate need of.

Chu-Young is captain of a successful South Korea team and has taken the number 9 shirt at Arsenal, while he is no prolific goalscorer he has the potential to be a great foil for van Persie. Arteta and Benayoun have both performed in the Premier League well for years. The concerns would be that Arteta has been injury prone during his time at Everton and Benayoun has just come off the back of an injury-hindered season at Chelsea. However, if both can stay fit then the young Arsenal midfield of Alex Song, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey will have some experienced midfield team-mates to look up to and learn from. At the back, arguably where Arsenal needed strengthening the most, Santos and Mertesacker look to be just what was required. The former has won trophies with Flamengo, Corinthians and Fenerbahce as well as caps for Brazil, while the latter has amassed an impressive 75 caps for the ever-consistent German national team.

While the Arsenal squad is still by no means capable of winning the Premier League title, it now looks competitive enough to challenge Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for 4th place, and I would in fact reinstate them as my favourites for the position. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre at Old Trafford, I believed without serious strengthening, they would struggle to even make 6th place. However, while Wenger certainly left it very late, he has strengthened the squad sufficiently, with not just talent, but experience. The club certainly still have a number of issues to overcome, including the indiscipline which has seen three red cards in as many league games this season, and a steelier style of play may be required to get the team through certain away fixtures. Mertesacker, for one, should be able to help in that department.

Elsewhere in the transfer market, Chelsea's late move for Raul Meireles, in addition to the signing of Juan Mata may well see them challenge the Manchester duo for the title after all, although their squad still appears to be one very much in transition. It may well be the 2012-13 season when we see Andre Villas-Boas really show off his ability as a manager.

At the other end of the table, some shrewd signings from QPR certainly make them a much stronger team and the additions of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Anton Ferdinand, Joey Barton amongst others would certainly give them a better chance of survival than had previously been expected.

Fulham were also active on deadline day with the additions of Bryan Ruiz and Zdenek Grygera which should see them pushing for a top-half finish.

It will be interesting to see how Nicklas Bendtner settles in at Sunderland after a spell in North London which has never matched the size of his ego. Stoke City will also be hoping their additions of Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome see them finish comfortably in the top half, all three players would appear to fit Tony Pulis' style of play.

Tottenham did well to sign Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor, but their biggest victory was in keeping Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart, all of whom had been linked with moves away last season and throughout the summer. Whether they can hold on to Modric, in particular, longer than January may well depend on their league form between now and then. A repeat of the 5-1 home defeat to Manchester City will definitely not be on Harry Redknapp's agenda.

Is it nearly game over for Arsene Wenger?

Could the impending departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri symbolise the end for Arsene Wenger? The Arsenal manager went on record last month stating that if the Gunners did sell the want-away duo then they could not be classified as a 'big club' as 'big clubs' usually hold on to their star players. So with both players apparently on their way on the eve of the new Premier League season, should Wenger concede defeat in terms of his position as Arsenal manager?

The fans, while still admiring his past achievements, are seriously questioning his ongoing reluctance to spend in the transfer market. Six seasons without any trophies, or even second-place league finishes, do not make good reading for a club that wowed the country by going a season unbeaten as recently as 2003-04.

What is perhaps most worrying for the club is the repetition of the past few seasons. Each year Wenger promises improvement, claiming his players are maturing, yet each year the club get knocked out of all the cup competitions and trail off in their league campaigns, resulting in a succession of third and fourth placed finishes. Wenger has stated that he is happy as long as the club finishes in a Champions League position, but for the first time this season, that no longer looks a certainty. With the rise of Manchester City to third place last season, and the greater experience within the squads of both champions Manchester United and Chelsea, Arsenal would appear to be embroiled in a scrap for fourth with Merseyside giants Liverpool and local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

It appears to many that Wenger's players have lost faith in him. The preference of Gael Clichy and Nasri to join City in a bid to win trophies is telling, and the impending loss of captain Fabregas to Barcelona will certainly have a large effect. While all three of those players are young in football terms, they were three of the most experienced heads in Wenger's increasingly fragile looking squad. While Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey are all in place to fill the boots of the departing trio, the major effect will be to make an already too-young team even younger. Wenger's biggest failure in recent years has been failing to bring in experienced players in key positions. The majority of Arsenal's players are under 25, and the older ones, such as Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky and Sebastien Squillaci have not been central to the team over the past couple of seasons. Robin van Persie is set to step into the role of captain, and while he certainly has the quality and experience, his injury problems will always be a worry.

There is admittedly more than two weeks of the transfer window left to go, but Wenger has yet to bring in the defenders and goalkeeper that the club so desperately need. After seeing Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski and the young Wojciech Szczesny all make mistakes over the last couple of years, it is remarkable that he has not addressed the situation with the signing of a proven number one. The return from injury of Thomas Vermaelen should be a boost, but should his fitness fail him, the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou do not look like Premier League winning standard. Elsewhere in the team, Theo Walcott still needs to prove both his fitness and his talent in what is now his sixth season at the Emirates Stadium. Jack Wilshere's debut season was incredible, but it is surely too much to expect the 19-year-old to carry the midfield to success so soon. Gervinho (a rare signing over £10m) should be an exciting option for the attack but he is unproven at the highest level and could well go down the route of Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner, becoming a bit-party player.

If Wenger has any intention of finishing in the top four this season, let alone being involved in the title race, he needs to make some major moves in the final days of this summer transfer window. At least one goalkeeper, two defenders, a midfielder and another forward are surely needed for the club to compete with United, City and Chelsea. And not 17-year-olds plucked from Gabon or Switzerland but established, trophy-winning professionals. Anything less than that and I fear that Stan Kroenke and the Arsenal board may have to finally bring the curtain down on Wenger's 16 year reign in North London.

Bent must seize England opportunity before Carroll catches him

With a year to go until the Euro 2012 Championships in Poland and Ukraine, one man determined to be in England's starting line-up come the tournament is Aston Villa's 27-year-old striker Darren Bent. The former Ipswich, Charlton, Spurs and Sunderland forward has finally been given a chance with the national team and is beginning to prove his worth with three goals in his last three appearances, all of which were away from home.

This weekend's home match against Switzerland is an ideal chance for Bent to really force his way into Fabio Capello's first choice XI with Wayne Rooney suspened and both Jermain Defoe and Andy Carroll sidelined with injury. If the Villa man can get on the scoresheet at Wembley then he will take some shifting from the Three Lions set-up.

Bent has split opinion over the years, and was unfortunate enough to miss out on the final squad for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups despite finishing as the Premier League's highest scoring Englishman in the 05/06 season and just two goals behind Rooney with 24 in 09/10. A less-than-satisfactory stint at Tottenham where Bent didn't see eye-to-eye with Harry Redknapp marked the low point of the London-born striker's career but since then he has gone from strength to strength at both Sunderland and Villa and has won over many football fans with his unparalleled scoring consistency.

In the Premier League, Bent has been at the right end of the top-scorers chart every season since he burst onto the scene and has developed a knack of scoring against the big teams on a regular basis. His goal-poacher's instinct is superior to that of Defoe, Crouch et al and with the manager's faith he is well placed to kick on and fulfill his dream of being 'England's number nine at a major tournament'. The major threat to this however, is the emergence of Carroll, Liverpool's £35m January signing.

If Carroll has a successful season at Anfield next year then Bent's England place could well be in jeopardy. With Rooney seemingly guaranteed a place in the side regardless of form or formation, there is only one striking berth to play for. Carroll is obviously lacking Bent's experience and his finishing prowess is not quite the same yet, but the pony-tailed Geordie possesses strength and a much-more explosive game than anybody else at England's disposal. Liverpool's new number nine had a great first half to the season with Newcastle United and has shown promise under Kenny Dalglish despite injuries curtailing his season.

For Bent to cement his position within both the supporters' hearts and Capello's mind it is vital that he maintains his scoring form, as his style of play means his other contributions are minimal (although he does hold the ball up better than he is given credit for). The Switzerland qualifier is an ideal opportunity for Bent and with a friendly against Holland in August and two more qualifiers in early September, he certainly should have ample opportunity to make his mark. His talent for goalscoring is unquestionable, but if he can't win over the fans and manager then he may find himself going the same way as Andy Cole and Les Ferdinand, ranked second and fifth respectively in the list of all-time Premier League top scorers, but who could only muster a paltry 32 England caps and 6 goals between them. Now must be Darren's time to shine.

My Premier League team of the season 2010-11

The following is my team of the season, they are not necessarily the best players in the Premier League, but simply the ones who have impressed me the most. I’ve decided to do an entire 25-man squad to get as many players involved as possible, but obviously the focus is on the starting XI. Yes, they play a 3-5-2, it probably wouldn’t be applicable in real life, but hey, it’s my team! The following may raise a few eyebrows...

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Roberto Mancini’s decision to drop the experienced Shay Given in favour of the young Englishman has been well and truly vindicated. City’s number 25 marshalled the joint best defence in the league this season and won the Golden Glove award for most clean sheets. Still only 24, the man could be England’s number one for the next decade and a half.

Defender: Brede Hangeland

The giant Fulham centre-back has been nothing short of sensational this season. The former Copenhagen man weighed in with six goals from centre-back and made an incredible 424 clearances in the league this year, the second highest number in the whole division. Fulham’s eighth place finish was due in no small part to the Norwegian, and their place in the Europa League via the fair play table will be a worthy reward.

Defender: Rio Ferdinand

His Manchester United captain and defensive partner Nemanja Vidic has been raking in the majority of the plaudits, but the role of Ferdinand in United’s title charge should not be under-estimated. Missing through injury during United’s February/March rough patch (defeats at Wolves, Chelsea and Liverpool), his return could not have come soon enough and his calmness on the ball and incredible positional sense were vital to United’s steady end of season form. The main difference between Ferdinand and Vidic is the former’s sense of calm. A real character off the pitch, as Twitter users will know, the Peckham-born centre-back almost never puts a foot wrong in matches, giving away fouls and getting booked less often than United get beaten at Old Trafford.

Defender: Leighton Baines

One of only two outfield players to play every minute of every match this season, Everton’s left-back and free-kick specialist is putting pressure on Ashley Cole for his England spot. Eleven assists, many from set-pieces, were not all the ex-Wigan player had to offer as he weighed in with five league goals and claimed the Everton players’ player of the year award. Solid defensively, Baines has been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich this summer. Should he leave, it will be a big blow for David Moyes’ men.

Midfielder: Nani

The Portuguese winger ( and occasional dramatist) has admittedly been forced out of the team by Antonio Valencia in recent weeks, and since his Jamie Carragher-induced injury at Anfield hasn’t quite been the same player as he was until then. But he makes this team on the basis that for the first seven months of the season he carried Manchester United when the likes of Wayne Rooney were simply not performing. With eighteen assists to his name, he deservedly claimed the United players’ player of the year award and was unlucky to miss out on the PFA shortlist. Creating some true moments of magic in the Autumn and Winter, if it wasn’t for him United may well have gone the same way as Chelsea during the cold months.

Midfielder: Charlie Adam

Blackpool’s captain was the main reason the Seasiders managed to stay out of the relegation zone until so late in the season. The Scotsman put in an outrageous number of outstanding performances throughout the season weighing in with goals, assists and a fantastic range of passes. It was hard to believe that at 25 this was his first ever Premier league season. Blackpool were lucky to hold onto him during the January transfer window, but with Ian Holloway’s men heading back to the Championship, there is no doubt that the midfield magician will be seeking a move to a bigger club.

Midfielder: Yaya Toure

After playing as a defensive midfielder during his years at Barcelona, the younger brother of Kolo has come into his own as an attacking midfielder in England. Big, strong, with a powerful shot and great stamina, the Ivorian was the key force in Manchester City’s first trophy winning campaign for 35 years and he will be right at home in the Champions League next season. Showed he is a big game player with winning goals in both the FA Cup semi-final and final at Wembley.

Midfielder: Jack Wilshere

The young Arsenal midfielder played more minutes than any of his team-mates this season and looks well placed to develop into the ‘English Xavi’ as has been touted by many involved in the game. Still 19, the Englishman was certainly the biggest positive in what was an otherwise disappointing season for his club. Incredible passing ability and a tenacity that has been lacking in recent Arsenal midfields will ensure that Wilshere is integral in England’s Euro 2012 campaign next year. If he could add a few more goals to his game then the diminutive midfielder will be on the road to greatness.

Midfielder: Rafael van der Vaart

When Tottenham Hotspur signed the Dutchman from Real Madrid for a cut-price £8m on transfer deadline day last summer, little did the White Hart Lane faithful know how great his debut season would be for the Lilywhites. 15 goals, many of which were spectacular, and a fantastic understanding with Peter Crouch were key factors in Spurs early season form and success in Europe. If it wasn’t for injury to the Dutchman, as well as team-mate Gareth Bale, Harry Redknapp’s squad may well have caught Arsenal and achieved Champions League football again next season. Holding on to van der Vaart next season is vital to Spurs’ prospects.

Striker: Peter Odemwingie

The Nigerian forward has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. After racist Russian fans disgracefully waved a banner with a picture of a banana on it and the words ‘Thank you West Brom’ on his sale to the Hawthorns’ club, the pacy striker successfully put the ill-taste behind him and broke a club record by netting fifteen Premier League goals. The only footballer to win the player of the month award twice this season, his consistency was vital to the Baggies’ rise up the table under Roy Hodgson. A natural goalscorer with pace to burn, it’s a shame that it is only now, at 29, that he has arrived in England.

Striker: Robin van Persie

The most prolific goalscorer of the season, averaging a goal every 98.2 minutes (ahead of Manchester United duo Dimitar Berbatov [110.5] and Javier Hernandez [114.3]) the Arsenal forward was in imperious form from New Year’s Day onwards. He in fact equalled Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer’s record of 18 goals from that point, and would undoubtedly have scored many more had he been fit for the first part of the season. Setting a record of his own by scoring in nine consecutive away games, the Dutchman deserved much better from his team-mates who simply couldn’t match his standards when it came to the crunch.

SUBS:

Edwin van der Sar

A true phenomenon, even at the age of 40, van der Sar will be sorely missed by everybody at Old Trafford.

Vincent Kompany

The converted defensive midfielder was a true rock at centre-back for City this year despite a fair few changes to his defensive colleagues, inspirational at times.

Cheik Tiote

A fantastic acquisition for Newcastle United, Tiote’s game is all about getting stuck in, but he can pass well too and, just ask Arsenal fans, can hit a very very good volley.

Florent Malouda

Arguably not as good as last season but Chelsea’s French winger finished as their top scorer and created plenty of chances, notably in their defeat at Birmingham City in November, where his team-mates let him down badly.

Luka Modric

Spurs certainly don’t lack creativity these days and that owes a lot to the clever play of the Croatian playmaker. Like van der Vaart he is vital to Spurs’ prospects next season.

Carlos Tevez

The Manchester City captain has been fantastic this season, scoring some truly wonderful goals and is only kept out of the starting XI by his disappointing non-committal attitude.

Dimitar Berbatov

The stylish forward finished top scorer along with Tevez and would have scored plenty more if Sir Alex Ferguson could figure out a way of shoe-horning him into the team alongside Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez. A class act.

Rest of the squad:

Javier Hernandez, Samir Nasri, Kevin Nolan, Charles N’Zogbia, Nemanja Vidic, Branislav Ivanovicand Robert Huth. All these players have put in outstanding performances for their respective clubs and could easily have made the starting XI. Plenty more exceptional players didn’t even make the 25-man cut. All in all, a vintage season for the Premier League with outstanding performances from players at both ends of the final table.

The ultimate big game player: Park Ji Sung

In the fifteen years or so that I have been following the beautiful game, I cannot recall a single player who has been tailor-made for the big occasion quite like Park Ji-Sung. The South Korean midfielder is an anomaly, an enigma, and a one-off at Manchester United. In a bog-standard Premier League match, against the likes of Blackburn Rovers or Fulham, Park is not necessarily guaranteed to be involved in the starting line-up or even be on the bench, regardless of his fitness. Yet when it comes to the biggest matches of the season, the 30-year-old is always one of the first names on the team sheet.

An incredible work ethic and tactical awareness are the strengths of Park’s game, not to mention his incredible stamina, and while he is by no means a natural goalscorer, he has a knack of grabbing goals in the biggest of games, as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool could all testify. While the more skilful and maverick-like Nani has won United’s player’s player of the year award this season, it is likely that in Saturday’s Champions League final the Portuguese will find himself amongst the substitutes. Antonio Valencia has returned from a broken leg and hit the ground running in the last few weeks of the season, seemingly making the right-wing berth his own. While Nani can also play on the left, he is not as effective there and there is almost definitely no shifting the South Korean for an occasion such as Saturday.

What Park gives that Nani can’t is the defensive cover for Patrice Evra (his best friend at the club) that the Frenchman is almost certain to need, given that Pedro, Dani Alves and Lionel Messi will all be working the right flank for Barcelona. His willingness to track back is one thing but his attacking prowess can be seriously undervalued. The former South Korea captain (he retired from the national team after the Asian Cup in January which saw him miss a large chunk of United’s Premier League campaign) has displayed an array of different goals in his time at United, including a diving header against Liverpool last season, a mazy last-minute run and powerful finish against Wolves this season and some precise shooting like against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.

But it is only in the last couple of seasons that Park has truly been appreciated for what he brings to Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. It has been six years since he first signed from PSV Eindhoven for what now seems a very cheap £4million. He had moved to Holland in 2003 to join his former national team coach Guus Hiddink, with whom he had burst onto the world scene as a vibrant 21-year-old in the South Korea team that made the World Cup semi-finals on home soil. A fan’s favourite at the Philips Stadion, it took him a while to settle at Old Trafford (an early joke was that his first touch was so bad, his second touch would be a sliding tackle) but these days a game does not go by without the Stretford End singing his name. Apart from his first season he has never made more than 40 appearances in all competitions, partially due to injury and international duty, but he is now undoubtedly a key member of the United squad. If the Red Devils are to overcome Pep Guardiola’s mighty Barcelona team at Wembley this weekend, then the boy from Seoul is bound to be central to their success.

The agony and the ecstasy: Just another year in the Premier League

After what has been a truly remarkable season, the Premier League finally came to an end on Sunday May 22^nd with a mixture of emotions for different clubs across the country. The joy of Manchester United, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic was in stark contrast to the despair felt by Birmingham City, Blackpool and the tame end of season performances from Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Looking at the league as a whole, it seems the bottom teams are getting closer to the established big clubs, as is exemplified by a gap of just 41 points between champions and relegation zone, as opposed to 56 points last season. While Manchester United were undoubtedly worthy victors, finishing nine points clear of last year’s winners Chelsea, their well-documented struggles away from home go to prove just how competitive the Premier League really is. Many have claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson’s current team are by no means vintage, but the squad that claimed the record-breaking nineteenth title will certainly be remembered at Old Trafford for many a year. The strength in depth of United has been proven across the season perhaps best exemplified by the first half of the season, being led impressively by Dimitar Berbatov (20 goals) and Nani (18 assists) while Wayne Rooney was out of sorts and Antonio Valencia was injured, before the latter two stormed back into form and essentially benched the former duo for the business end of the campaign. The acquisition of Javier Hernandez was also vital to the title victory, as were sterling performances from veterans Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar and a rock-solid defence marshalled by Barclays player of the year Nemanja Vidic.

A season that started so brightly for Chelsea, with back-to-back 6-0 victories ended on a sour note with popular Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti being sacked despite winning the double only twelve months ago. In truth, it was obvious he had lost the trust of Roman Abramovich earlier this season when assistant coach Ray Wilkins was dismissed against the Italian’s will and the club embarked on a dismal run of just 11 points from 11 games. With big name players such as Didier Drogba almost certain to leave in the summer, a new manager may have to oversee a transitional period for Chelsea. Whether the £50m spent on Fernando Torres will ever be considered money well spent is certainly a question that needs answering.

Manchester City will be thrilled with their late season surge which saw them leapfrog Arsenal and seal a guaranteed place in the Champions League group phase next season. With a budget to die for, a Yaya Toure-inspired FA Cup victory in the bag and a very good squad already in place, the Citizens will certainly be expected to challenge for the title next season, with or without want-away captain Carlos Tevez. Whether the same can be said of Arsenal is not so sure. A truly dreadful end to the season saw them drop out of contention for the title and they now face the prospect of a tricky Champions League qualifier in August. With the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri possibly eyeing a move in the summer, Arsene Wenger surely needs to listen to the public and sign some experienced players as well as a new goalkeeper and proven defenders. However, the Frenchman has never been one to bend to popular belief and Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will be eyeing the Gunners’ top four position next season.

Spurs and the Anfield club have been two of the most interesting stories of the season, with the former impressing in Europe only to falter badly in the league before a late revival secured the debatable prize of Europa League football next season and the latter unbelievably flirting with relegation under Roy Hodgson before the return of ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish sparked an impressive return to form in the Spring. Tottenham will be looking to hold on to star trio Gareth Bale, Rafa van der Vaart and Luka Modric over the summer and will certainly fancy their chances of challenging for Champions League football if they can do so – like their North London rivals they are expected to be looking for goalkeeping and defensive reinforcements too. The return of Kop icon Dalglish was one of the most amazing stories of the season, coupled with the acquisition of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll which looks to have ushered in a new era at Anfield. There seems to have been a long overdue change in dynamics for a team which was reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for such a long time. With Dalglish tied down to a contract and money apparently available, the Kop faithful will be expecting at least a top four finish next season.

The teams to finish mid-table represent a contrast of emotions with Everton and Aston Villa probably disappointed that poor starts to the season left them with too much ground to make up to challenge for Europe, opposed by Fulham and Sunderland happy to be there. West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United will both be pleased with their debut seasons back in the top flight, and both chairmen will feel vindicated that their somewhat-controversial mid-season managerial changes paid off. In Peter Odemwingie the Baggies have unearthed a natural goalscorer and the Toon have seen both Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan step up their game this year. Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers were both distracted by extensive FA Cup runs and may be slightly disappointed that they failed to make the top half in the end, although the fans will no doubt be happy that they avoided the drama of the relegation scrap.

That can’t be said of West Ham United, who were quite simply the worst team in the Premier League this season. The apparent non-management of Avram Grant, whose days as a Premier League manager seem unlikely to return, coupled with some poor signings and terrible injury problems left the Hammers rock bottom and facing the prospect of Championship life next season. Not even the admirable Football Writer’s Player of the Year Scott Parker could save the day, and he missed the crucial run-in with injury. Both Blackpool and Birmingham City will feel hard done by in joining the Upton Park outfit in the second tier. Ian Holloway’s men played a brand of attacking football rarely seen from a newly promoted side and scored the same amount of goals as fifth placed Spurs, yet their defence was never good enough to stay up and despite a memorable double over Liverpool, they were sent back to the Championship after an eventful final day match at Old Trafford. Birmingham City fans may be in a state of shock for a long time after seeing their Carling Cup winners fold and lose their place amongst England’s elite. The St Andrews faithful will now have the unusual combination of Europa League and Championship football next season and they will surely lose many of their best players.

The real elation on the final day of the season was found at Molineux where a thrilling 3-2 win for Blackburn over Wolves turned out to be enough for both to survive and Mick McCarthy in particular will be delighted with a job well done in maintaining his team’s survival. Home victories over the league’s final top three as well as a win at Anfield showed the character of McCarthy’s men and they have certainly played better football than many have given them credit for. Blackburn’s new Indian owners may try to forget that they claimed a ‘top five finish’ was achievable this season and just be grateful that the rookie manager Steve Kean managed to keep them in the Premier League. They will surely be looking to bring in more players and a more experienced manager in the summer though. The other team who went into the last day of the season looking to survive was Wigan Athletic, who yet again upset the odds by beating Stoke away for their seventh consecutive season in the top flight. They are, in fact, the only club never to have been relegated and Roberto Martinez certainly seems to be running the club well.

So after plenty of controversy, foul language, dodgy transfers, Ian Holloway quotes, incredible goals, a record-breaking number of hat-tricks, a second team breaking into the big four in two years and a team of relegated cup-winners, the Premier League is over. The start of the next campaign, on the 13^th August, couldn’t come soon enough.