A Humble Proposal

The international friendly has surely become the least exciting type of match in world football. With nothing on the line, players pulling out with dubious injuries and little credit given to teams even if they win big, what is the point in continuing with them? It can be argued that it is necessary to play these games for managers to experiment and work with their squads, who only compete in about six or seven competitive games a year. But I propose a solution.

Between the last two major international tournaments (Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010), England played in twenty matches. Exactly half of these were friendlies. Now imagine if pre-season for clubs contained as many games as the competitive season. It would be seen as ludicrous and fans would show very little interest in the number of uncompetitive games. But what can we do about it? Well, it could be quite simple. Expand the qualification groups for the major tournaments and play more competitive games!

UEFA has 53 member nations. This could split quite easily into five groups of nine and one group of eight. That would leave 16 (or 14) competitive fixtures between tournaments and, maintaining the current number of international match days (which is always subject to change anyway), would be perfectly feasible. Depending on qualification places available (currently 14 or 15 for Euros depending on number of hosts and 13 for the World Cup), the top two could qualify with third place teams going into a play-off tournament, or qualifying based on the best group records. This would also have the effect of ensuring more top teams meet each other in competitive matches outside of just the major tournaments. Furthermore, the matches against the smaller nations would still give managers the opportunity to experiment with their line-ups, while still having the healthy pressure of three points being at stake.

With at least four match days to spare, friendlies could still survive, and would in fact become a more worthwhile start/end of qualification test against teams from different confederations. The friendlies against the likes of Brazil and Argentina, and even teams like Australia or Ghana are always more likely to capture the imagination than the likes of last week’s Denmark vs England match-up.

With the common consensus that top flight club football is of as good, if not better standard than international football, the idea of ‘blooding’ new players in friendlies is rendered useless. If a player is in their national squad, specifically the England squad, they should be prepared to compete for qualification and tournaments. Competing in more vital qualification games would do well to instil the competitive spirit that is so vital to succeed in the big tournaments. Playing so many low intensity friendlies, it is no surprise that teams such as England often flop when the pressure is on. I don’t think it is a coincidence that all five South American teams negotiated the group stage in South Africa, considering they played eighteen (in Uruguay’s case twenty) competitive matches in qualification. Friendlies have become an unnecessary hindrance for most fans of football, and it is high time the authorities did something about it. In the now infamous words of Ian Holloway, ‘FIFA, UEFA, you’re wrong!’

Arsene Wenger: Admirable, foolish or both?

Arsene Wenger is a man that divides opinion. Revered in some quarters and despised in others, he has the ability to cause conflict between football fans like few others. ‘Le Professeur’ has certainly achieved a lot in his decade and a half at Arsenal, but with no silverware to show since May 2005, is the Frenchman still the right man to take the Gunners forward?

Winning the Premier League title in his first full season in charge was a great achievement, and he repeated the trick in 2001/02, but his crowning glory had to be the ‘Invincibles’ season of 2003/04. By becoming the first team since the 1800s to go a whole league season unbeaten, Wenger had arguably created the ultimate footballing team. So how come they failed to win anything else apart from a rather fortunate FA Cup victory on penalties the following year? What the former Monaco boss did wrong was to dismantle the team so quickly.

With key men Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Freddie Ljungberg all leaving within three years, the team effectively went backwards. Reaching the Champions League final in 2006 was again impressive but it was already a team (if not in decline) in transition. Beaten by Barcelona in Paris, few would have predicted that the Gunners would still be trophyless five years down the line. While they may well end that run with victory in the Carling Cup later this month, the big two trophies of Premier League and Champions League look likely to elude them once again.

Wenger has orchestrated a change in playing style in his time in North London. From a team of talented, but forceful players such as Tony Adams and Martin Keown, he added flair (through the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Henry) while maintaining the strength (players such as Vieira and Gilberto Silva) for his first decade at the helm. Yet post-invincibles era, he seems to overly rely on creative players with fantastic skill yet little strength. While Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and co are all undoubtedly fantastic players, the failure to ally this with strength over the past few years has seen a succession of 4^th and 3^rd place finishes and failure to progress in the Champions League once they face the strongest opponents. While the emergence of Alex Song and addition of Marouane Chamakh seems to be giving the Gunners some much-needed steel this season, a failure to address other weaknesses has proved, and is likely to continue to prove, costly.

The manager’s transfer policy may well be keeping the club living within its means, but with such obvious weaknesses in the goalkeeping and central defensive positions, is Wenger fighting a lost cause? Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny have both failed to fill the void in central defence left by the departed William Gallas and injured Thomas Vermaelen. Looking further back, no defenders have really lived up to the 03-04 backline of Lauren, Campbell, Kolo Toure and Cole. The lack of organisation in defence has proved costly time and again and it simply doesn’t seem possible for Arsenal to win the Premier League title until this problem is solved.

Another trait of Wenger is his refusal to play defensive football, even in the biggest games. While some see this as admirable, it is surely foolish when time and again his team have been beaten in the biggest games by the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, who changed their tactics to stop the Gunners’ passing game. The Frenchman is renowned for complaining about the style of play opponents use against his team, but they play within the rules and he should really have wizened up to it by now. Their recent victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium was certainly due more to the Blues’ horrendous run of winter form than a major tactical triumph for Arsenal.

With Barcelona looming in the Champions League second round, things don’t look great on the European front for the Gunners. Mauled at the Nou Camp last season, Wenger’s attempt to match the Blaugrana like-for-like failed miserably. As Manchester United showed in the 2008 semi-final and Internazionale in the same round in 2010, the only way to beat the Catalan giants is to set up defensively and foil their passing game. This is something that Wenger is almost certainly never going to do. While he has arguably got the best midfield and attack since the Invincibles season, with Robin Van Persie fit and firing and Nasri and Fabregas growing every week, it would still be very surprising if Arsenal were to lift the Premier League this season. Wenger has proved in the past he knows how to win titles, but if he continues refusing to improve his defence or change his tactics, he may well have won his last.

Captains, coaches and media make a Messi of it

Lionel Messi is the best player in the world right now. Not many people, Cristiano Ronaldo fan club aside, would argue with that. 60 goals for club and country in 2010 including twelve braces, five hat-tricks and a memorable quadruple against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final says more than enough. His control on the ball, pace, passing, movement and all-round ability is second to none. But he should not have won the 2010 FIFA Ballon D'or award.

Why on earth not, you may ask? Well, because the award (slightly rehashed this year to merge the long-running Ballon D'or with FIFA's own World Player of the Year award) is meant to commemorate the footballing year. It is the player of the year 2010 who should have received the accolade. And what are the most important and memorable footballing moments of a calendar year? Each country has their own individual leagues and cups of course, but worldwide it is the UEFA Champions League that is best remembered. And of course, once every four years, 2010 being one of them, there is the small matter of the World Cup. These are the tournaments that stick in the worldwide footballing conscience for years.

Cast your mind back to 2002. The original Ronaldo led Brazil to World Cup triumph and rightfully claimed the personal honour for himself. Zinedine Zidane scored that wonder-volley at Hampden Park to land Real Madrid their ninth European Cup as well. These things stick in the memory. 2006? Fabio Cannavaro led Italy to World Cup glory and claimed the award. 2008? Cristiano Ronaldo had his incredible 42-goal season at Manchester United as they claimed the Champions League title, again he correctly won the award. 2009? Messi was the key figure as Barcelona won no fewer than six trophies, and the Argentine netted in both the Champions League and World Club Cup finals. He rightfully claimed the award.

But this year, where was Messi when Jose Mourinho's Internazionale shut up shop at the Nou Camp to prevent the Blaugrana from going through to the Champions League final? Where was Messi when Argentina were crushed 4-0 by Joachim Lowe's effervescent young Germany team in the World Cup quarter-final? As incredible as he is, the diminutive no.10 didn't quite do the business in the two tournaments that really mattered last year.

So who did deserve to win it? Well, the other two contenders in the final shortlist of three, Messi's clubmates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta both could have a better claim. Always mentioned together due to their similar playing style and near-telepathic communication on the pitch, the Catalan duo were integral to Spain's first ever World Cup triumph, passing every team in the tournament to death with Iniesta smashing home the winner deep into extra time of the final. They have also contributed to Barcelona's success at league level, and while they play a different role to Messi, their passing, movement and creativity is just as integral to Barca as Messi's goals are. When people think back to 2010 in a few years time, they will remember Xavi and Iniesta's World Cup magnificence more than Messi's failure to score at all in South Africa.

Personally, I feel there are two other candidates even more worthy than any of the Barcelona trio who were in the running. And don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of Barcelona, I'm sat in my room with a Xavi Hernandez poster and a diagram/article of Barcelona's formation featuring all three of the players in question on the wall next to me! But both Wesley Sneijder and Diego Milito should have been in the running for the award. The UEFA Champions League is the ultimate tournament in world football today. It takes thirteen games to win it, as opposed to the seven of the World Cup, and on the whole, the quality of football is undoubtedly much higher. Milito scored the goals that won Inter the final at the Bernabeu in May. Not only that but he scored the clinching goals in Serie A and the Coppa Italia as Mourinho's team claimed an unprecedented title. He should surely have been in the running, and at least in FIFA's World XI of the year. But no, not a single international captain, coach or media representative gave the Argentine striker a vote.

The bigger case still rests with Sneijder. The Dutch maestro did get some votes, notably from England captain Rio Ferdinand and Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, but not enough to make the final three. Yet it was he who was the key player, the trequartista that opened up defences across the continent to deliver the Nerazzurri's first European title since 1965. Not only that but he led a Holland team, scarcely fancied at the start of the World Cup, to the final itself, scoring five goals along the way and playing with a real verve and swagger not seen in many other players today. They lost the final, and the team's dirty tactics gave them a bad name, but Sneijder could not be blamed for that. The combination of star player in Inter's treble and leading Holland to their first World Cup final since the 1970s should surely have been enough to make him the player of 2010. Or at least make the final three.

Hats off to Lionel Messi, he is a true footballing genius and will hopefully be around winning trophies for many years to come. But when I think back to 2010 a few years down the line, and I'm sure I won't be alone, it will be the flying Dutchman, Wesley Sneijder, and his star role in both Champions League and World Cup that will stick in my memory.

A night of intrigue, insights and incensed Liverpool fans

It has been a while since I addressed the Premier League title race, relegation battle or any other aspect in blog form, but a night like tonight has made it simply irresistible. Tonight's results have put the jobs of four managers in serious jeopardy and probably not done the bookies much harm.

Firstly, Chelsea's horrendous run of form has continued. Another defeat, this time to bottom-of-the-table (although now up to 17th) Wolves. Just when it looked like Carlo Ancelotti's men couldn't get any worse, they truly have. An own goal from Jose Bosingwa, who hasn't looked like the same player since returning from a year-long injury lay off earlier this season has left Chelsea outside the top four and nine points adrift of league leaders Manchester United despite having played a game more. Bare in mind Chelsea were six points clear of the Red Devils as recently as late October and that truly is an incredible statistic. Ancelotti, who yesterday claimed he felt lucky not to have already been sacked, must now be truly worried as Roman Abramovich hasn't exactly shied away from firing managers and other members of staff in the past. The weakness of their squad was exposed and the confidence appears to have completely left them despite the return of key players.

With the Blues seemingly on the edge of leaving the title race, the two main challengers to United went head to head at the Emirates stadium tonight. Here, two vastly improved sides displayed very different tactics. While Arsenal continued with their sometimes admirable, sometimes frustrating pass-and-move football, Manchester City carried on with their uber-defensive tactics and came away the more satisfied. With three holding midfielders (I don't care what you say, Yaya Toure is not an attacking midfielder) and a solid back four, and only really Carlos Tevez as a serious goal threat, Roberto Mancini's tactics do seem to be getting results. Although whether they have that killer instinct required to claim the Premier League title is doubtful. Somewhat reminiscent of Jose Mourinho's Inter last season, the main complaint would be that Tevez, Milner, Silva and Yaya are not a front four quite as threatening as Milito, Eto'o, Sneijder and Pandev were. Arsenal are certainly looking much more promising with Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas continually improving and Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Robin Van Persie also impressing in spells. The main concern for them would be their defence, with Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou and Sebastien Squillaci not quite up to the standard of the injured Thomas Vermaelen. Big question marks remain over Lukasz Fabianski, but with Arsene Wenger recluctant to spend in January I doubt their attack can see them all the way through to the finish line. The resulting bans for Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta's late red cards will not help the two clubs either.

Tottenham Hotspur as well, are still lacking as far as winning the Premier League goes. Gareth Bale, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Aaron Lennon are all in incredible form, but silly dropped points earlier in the season could cost them as they remain eight points behind United, having played one more match. Defeat at Everton tonight is nothing to be embarassed about but defensive solidity is something that Spurs are yet to acquire.

Moving away from the title race, and onto Liverpool (how it must pain their fans to read that sentence). The Reds' away form has been abysmal this season with only one win from ten games and seven defeats after the 3-1 reverse at Ewood Park. The fans have turned on Roy Hodgson, joining in with Rovers fans tonight singing 'You're getting sacked in the morning'. The veteran boss has performed admirably around the continent and with Fulham, but it appears the mess Rafael Benitez left him at Liverpool is too much to turn around and his signings were not of the required quality for the Anfeld outfit to get back into the Champions League. People may laugh, but relegation is still a possibility for the five times European champions.

But relegation is even more of a possibility for West Ham United. The Hammers were battered 5-0 at Newcastle tonight to a side missing their main-man as Andy Carroll was sidelined by injury. This will come as a bitter blow to Avram Grant who thought his side had turned a corner after four games unbeaten. Touted for a long time as likely to be sacked soon, it may finally be the week that owners David Gold and David Sullivan wield the axe. Another team in claret and blue are in the relegation zone with them, and Gerard Houllier's neck is also on the line. Aston Villa have finished in the top six for the last three seasons but find themselves eighteenth with a seemingly disgruntled team, unhappy fans and an unpopular manager. Defeat at home to Sunderland leaves the Villans facing a real uphill struggle.

So where does this leave everybody? I feel Chelsea and Spurs are now battling just to finish the season in the top four. Arsenal and Manchester City almost certainly can challenge Manchester United for the title, but only if the former sign better defenders/ a goalkeeper and the latter add more goal-threat to their play (the signing of Edin Dzeko may help, but not if he is simply a reserve for Tevez). And while as a Manchester United fan, I may be slightly biased, it is certainly looking good for the Old Trafford outfit. Odds on favourites with the bookies, United sit clear atop the table, with games in hand and still unbeaten. With Javier Hernandez, Nani and Dimitar Berbatov in goalscoring form, and Wayne Rooney looking like hitting his form of last season again, it would be a brave man to bet against the Red Devils. Their main concern will be the fixtures list with 2 games against Chelsea and visits to White Hart Lane, the Emirates and Anfield all still to come. But with the form of the other teams, what do they really have to fear? At the other end of the table, it could be any three from ten or twelve to be quite honest. Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland also deserve a mention as they have made themselves real contenders for Europe.

What is for sure, is that this is one of the most exciting Premier League seasons ever, right throughout the table. And I haven't even mentioned Ian Holloway...

Long live the Premier League!

My Highlight of 2010: The Crowning Glory of a Uruguayan Genius

For me, the footballing highlight of 2010 had to be the confirmation of Uruguay and Atletico Madrid striker as Golden Ball winner at the FIFA World Cup. A long time favourite of mine, ever since I saw him score the first time I ever went to a professional football match at Old Trafford back in 2002, he had long been regarded as a bit of a joke by the ignorant amongst us. However, this year saw him finally acknowledged by the masses as the class act that he is.

Signed by Manchester United in 2002 as a 22-year-old striker from Argentine club Independiente, he was labelled 'Diego Birtles' (after United flop of the '80s Garry Birtles) when he failed to score in his first 27 games for the club. These however were largely substitute appearances and it wasn't long before his class began to shine through. A gradual improvement in performances led to some memorable moments, notably his brace at Anfield which gave United their first win over their bitter rivals for over three years, and he won over the majority of the Stretford End faithful. Some great goals including a volley against Chelsea in the last minute to secure a vital victory and a similar screamer against Rangers in the Champions League left few at Old Trafford in doubt of his ability. Unfortunately, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy at the peak of his powers and Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also in the frame, Forlan could never quite pin down a regular starting berth and the arrival of Wayne Rooney in August 2004 was the end for the Uruguayan at Old Trafford.

A move to Spain seemed to ignite Forlan's potential and he finished his first season with Villarreal as Europe's top scorer, claiming the European Golden Shoe award with 25 goals to his name. He was also involved as the Yellow Submarine made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2006, netting three times along the way. A move to Atletico Madrid followed in 2007 and the goals didn't dry up. The boy from Montevideo bagged his second Golden Shoe award in 2009 with a whopping 32 league goals to his name and secured Atletico's qualification for the Champions League. Los Rojiblancos were knocked out in the group stage but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as a drop down to the newfangled UEFA Europa League suited them down to the ground. Coming up against old foes Liverpool in the semi-finals, Forlan did what he does best and scored both goals in the tie eliminating the Reds on away goals at Anfield. This caused his old fans at United to chant his song the following weekend at Sunderland (Diego, he came from Uruguay, he made the scousers cry) and that wasn't the last of his recognition in England.

Not content with knocking out Liverpool, Forlan finished the job by netting the winner in the final against the lovable, but eventually hapless Fulham. Victory in the Europa League, Atletico's first major trophy for fourteen years, was a great springboard to go into the World Cup on. In South Africa, the blonde-haired striker finished joint top-scorer and would have won the Golden Boot outright if his last-minute free-kick against Germany in the third-place play off had gone in instead of hitting the bar. But Forlan's all round composure, skill, technique and fair play had already won him a legion of fans (despite team-mate Luis Suarez's perceived foul play losing him many). His love for football is clear for all to see. An amusing incident in his United days springs to mind, when after celebrating a goal against Southampton by removing his shirt, he didn't manage to get it on in time for the restart and was briefly running after the ball bare-torso with his shirt in hand before the referee had to stop play.

The Golden Ball award for best player of the World Cup was certainly deserved. Since then he has scored a decent, if not exhilarating, seven goals in seventeen appearances for Atletico so far this season but is constantly being linked with a return to the Premier League. And how great it would be to see him given a second chance in the most competitive major league in Europe. I for one am sure that this time around he would be far from a disappointment.

Why Man City still have much work to do...

Following on from their last two matches, both goalless draws, it has struck me that Roberto Mancini is going about building a trophy-winning team at Manchester City in completely the wrong way. By playing three defensive midfielders, in the form of Nigel de Jong, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure, the Italian manager is leaving far too much for his front three to do and it is simply not happening. There was a period during the disappointing Manchester derby last week where de Jong, Barry and Toure indulged in about two minutes of square passing, resulting in absolutely nothing. Have you ever seen a team win trophies with three defensive midfielders? I don’t think so.

Chelsea claimed their Premier League titles of 2005 and 2006 with Claude Makelele doing the defensive job and other players like Frank Lampard, Tiago and Michael Essien attacking around him. Last season Jon Obi Mikel did the job while the evergreen Lampard, Michael Ballack and Essien, when fit, did the attacking. At Manchester United, Darren Fletcher is seen as the defensive midfielder, and has been crucial in their recent successes, but he shares his duties with Paul Scholes or Michael Carrick, both of whom can get forward or sit and cover when Fletcher attacks. With this in mind, it is hard to fathom why Mancini feels playing three midfielders with little attacking ambition will lead to success.

With the money at his disposal, and an already well rounded squad, Mancini should be building a brand of winning football which involves attack as much as defence. Surely a better formation, certainly for the easier home games would be a 4-4-2. Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Balotelli or Roque Santa Cruz could share Carlos Tevez’s workload up front, while both Adam Johnson and David Silva could start on the wings with James Milner moved into central midfield with just one of the defensive trio alongside him. For away games against tougher opposition, they could certainly revert to the 4-3-3 which has been a proven recipe for success in recent years, but should keep Milner as a central midfielder because there is no situation in modern football where a team would need three defensive midfielders!

Furthermore, City seem to have problems in choosing who to sign. Perhaps it is inevitable with the temptation of the big bucks, but an awful amount of egos and troublemaking players have arrived at Eastlands. Robinho and Craig Bellamy have already been through the door and back out and Emmanuel Adebayor is currently kicking up a fuss being sat on the bench. But the reason he is sat on the bench is because of Mancini’s insistence on playing one centre forward. Captain Carlos Tevez is clearly the in-form player of the past year or so but even he seems to be unhappy at City. Given the captain’s armband this summer to show how much the club value him, Tevez hasn’t stopped talking to the media about how he doesn’t enjoy his football and is contemplating retirement, despite only being 26 and arguably at his peak. There have been reports he is suffering from depression, which he has denied, but he has certainly had several heated disputes with Mancini and his influence on the dressing room is questionable.

As for the third choice striker, Mario Balotelli has talent in abundance but again seems to be an accident waiting to happen. The Italian was at the centre of many controversies when at Inter Milan, not least being caught on camera wearing an AC Milan shirt. Imagine if a City player was caught wearing a Manchester United shirt? The upset that would be caused at the club doesn’t bear thinking about. As Sir Alex Ferguson said today in his press conference, ‘You can buy success, but only if the structure and the spirit is right’. At Manchester City, until they play a more suitable formation and remove several egos from the dressing room, their wait for trophies will go on for a while yet.

Rafa's Lucky Escape

Rafael Benitez has got to be one of the luckiest men in football. Having escaped his sinking Liverpool ship with a hefty multi-million pound pay-off in the summer, he has somehow found himself in the plush position of Internazionale coach. After leaving Liverpool with a disillusioned squad lacking in cover across the entire pitch and without a Champions League place for the first time since 2003, he was given the generally unenviable task of replacing Jose Mourinho at the European Champions. Yet for Rafa, it represented a golden chance to remain at a massive club. Massimo Moratti, the Inter President, went with the opinion of the masses on the continent who remember Rafa’s achievements in winning the Spanish league twice with Valencia and claiming the UEFA Champions League title with Liverpool in 2005. What they tend to ignore is the way Rafa ultimately flopped at Liverpool and had to be shown the door.

Benitez’s case is unusual. Having inherited a squad from Gerard Houllier, a few (mainly short-lived) Spanish additions such as Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso, Josemi and Antonio Nunez , saw the Reds claim the European Cup for a fifth time in incredulous circumstances. Garcia’s ghost goal against Chelsea in the semi-finals, Steven Gerrard’s late face-saver against Olympiakos in the group and the miracle of Istanbul itself were all remarkable aspects of a season where the Anfield outfit finished in 5^th place in the Premier League, more than 30 points behind Jose Mourinho’s champions Chelsea and level on points with Bolton Wanderers. Benitez continued to live off this glory for the rest of his reign at Anfield, with a win over West Ham in the FA Cup Final the following year proving to be his only other piece of major silverware in six years at the helm.

The Premier League was Liverpool’s real desire, with no league title since 1990, and in that respect Rafa’s reign was an abject failure. After not even coming close in his first four seasons on Merseyside, he finally built a team strong enough to challenge for the 2008/09 title. But in the aftermath of his infamous rant at ‘Mr Ferguson’ his team wavered and dropped points with a series of draws. Eventually the lack of depth in the squad saw Manchester United edge out the Anfield challenge and it was at this point that Liverpool really began to fall apart. With the peeved (due to Rafa’s advances on Gareth Barry the previous year) Xabi Alonso replaced by the injury-plagued Alberto Aquilani, a failure to significantly strengthen the squad proved terminal but at the start of the season nobody could quite have predicted the scouse team’s sudden decline. With the likes of Jamie Carragher, Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres failing to perform as regularly as before, the frailties of Liverpool’s squad were revealed during a truly dismal campaign. The likes of Emiliano Insua, David Ngog and Maxi Rodriguez failed to cut the mustard while Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera were just three of the many who have fallen foul of Benitez’s poor man management skills. Eliminated from the Champions League group stage, out early in both domestic cups and slipping as low as seventh in the league, Rafa had truly left Liverpool in a mess.

And while the loveable but seemingly hapless Roy Hodgson has so far failed to turn things around, with the ownership-based off-field turmoil not helping , Benitez is living the high life in Milan. Inheriting a outstanding treble-winning squad including World Player of the Year elect Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Julio Cesar, Maicon and Cristian Chivu all in their peak, surely even Rafa can’t fail to at least win Serie A this season. But he has already dropped key points against Roma and a far from flying Juventus this season. Benitez’s ineptness was blatant for all to see in the Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid in Monaco where the same team who had claimed the Champions League trophy under Mourinho looked tactically confused and were deservedly beaten by their Spanish opposition. A 2-2 draw away at Dutch side Twente on the opening day of the Champions League also seemed unconvincing. Yet Rafa’s luck should continue as he has a squad of excellent players at his disposal. The likes of Sneijder, Milito and particularly the on-form Eto’o can all win games on their own. This was clear during the Cameroonian-inspired thrashing of Werder Bremen on matchday two and the same player grabbed the winner at Cagliari this weekend. Surely Benitez’s poor man-management and bizarre manner in public will prove to be his downfall in Italy, a country not known for much patience with managers. But unless Massimiliano Allegri can gel his Brazilian trio of Ronaldinho, Robinho and Pato with ex-Inter star Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Claudio Ranieri gets the best out of veterans Francesco Totti and Adriano at Roma, the man from Madrid may well achieve Serie A success with the brilliant squad that he has undeservedly inherited.

Could Big Kev lead the line for the Three Lions next week?

Kevin Davies is no spring chicken. A key member of the Chesterfield F.C team that reached the 1997 FA Cup semi-final and with nearly 400 Premier League appearances to his name, the Bolton Wanderers captain has certainly been around the block. Yet it is only now, at the age of 33, that the Yorkshireman has made a breakthrough into the England squad. So why has Fabio Capello, or any of his predecessors for that matter, failed to move before?

Davies has a penchant for grabbing goals in big matches. At Bolton he has scored in the 2004 League Cup Final, netted against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup and got a winner against Manchester United back in his Southampton days. But he is by no means prolific, having only reached double figures for goals in five of his seventeen senior seasons, and never surpassed the 12-goal mark.

Where he shines however, is in ruffling the opposition’s feathers and creating chances for the other attacking players. The man can hold up the ball better than most other players in the Premier League and has more Premier League assists to his name than the last forward who filled this role for England, the much-maligned Emile Heskey. But I hear many people asking, what can Davies bring to the role that Heskey didn’t? After all, the Villa man, despite some high points, wasn’t exactly an England success.

Well the Bolton number 14 comes across with more confidence than Heskey ever has. He isn’t shy to cross a referee and has committed 200 more fouls than anyone else in Premier League history. While this wouldn’t normally be viewed as a positive, the physical prowess and pro-active attitude of Davies could be just what the England forward line needs, with a lacklustre Wayne Rooney failing to provide his usual energy in recent months. Partnered with a goal-crazy Darren Bent, Davies could be a good short term option for the Three Lions in a 4-4-2 at home to a Montenegro team who, despite having 6 points from 6 in the group, shouldn’t prove too hard a test at Wembley.

Whether Davies even gets a chance to shine is still up in the air though. Capello has called up players and left them uncapped in the past. Just ask a certain Jimmy Bullard. With Peter Crouch’s England record and his good recent form for Tottenham, and Rooney still a Capello favourite despite fitness and form concerns, Big Kev will have his work cut out in training to break past the established order.

Elsewhere in the England team, with Theo Walcott, James Milner and Frank Lampard all unavailable, there are some choices to be made regarding the midfield. Steven Gerrard, despite his Liverpool woes is still a shoo-in along with Gareth Barry who has been playing well for Manchester City. His team-mate Adam Johnson looks a dead-cert for one of the wide berths, but Aaron Lennon, Ashley Young and Joe Cole will all be doing their best to stop Shaun Wright-Phillips from making it a Sky Blues trio in the midfield. Rio Ferdinand looks set to resume his centre-back partnership with John Terry which restores the back four to ‘full-health’ although with Ferdinand’s lack of match practice this is debatable.

With or without Davies, Capello and the England fans will be confident of England taking the three points from their Eastern European opposition. What is for sure is that the consequences of failing to do so do not bare thinking about for the Three Lions.

Will Marseille Ever Reign in Europe Again?

France has had a major impact on the history of football. Jules Rimet, founder of the World Cup, Henri Delaunay, founder of the European Championships and Gabriel Hanot, instigator of the Ballon D’or award and European Cup all hail from the country. Yet only Marseille have ever won the Champions League, defeating Fabio Capello’s AC Milan 1-0 in Munich. Since that monumental victory in 1993, l’OM have failed to even get out of the group stage. Denied the opportunity to defend their trophy in 1994 because of a domestic match-fixing scandal involving then president Bernard Tapie, the club were relegated and stripped of their domestic title. After two years out of Ligue 1, Marseille won promotion under new owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus but struggled to return to their former power.

Louis-Dreyfus oversaw Marseille’s inconsistent challenges over the course of a decade and a half as Lyon became the dominant force in French football. But one of the last things he did at Marseille before passing away in summer 2009 turned out to be the most influential. By giving the go-ahead for Didier Deschamps to manage the club, he ushered in a new era at the Stade Velodrome. Deschamps, who became the youngest ever European Cup-winning captain back in that 1992/93 season, brought in experience in the form of Edouard Cisse and Fernando Morientes which sparked instant success. A first league title since 1992 as well as a first ever league cup triumph saw Deschamps cement his legendary status at the club and there were high hopes for the 2010/11 season in Europe.

Over the summer, Morientes retired and top scorer Mamadou Niang was sold to Turkish club Fenerbahce but in came national team strikers Andre-Pierre Gignac and Loic Remy, who had been coveted by many Premier League clubs. The addition of young Spanish full-back Cesar Azpilicueta, and return from loan of Ghanaian World Cup star Andre Ayew also pointed to a step in the right direction. Added to the solid foundations of Gabriel Heinze , Souleymane Diawara, Cisse, Lucho Gonzalez and Brandao, all the ingredients for further success seemed in place. Yet the south coast giants have faltered again. Languishing in eighth after eight rounds of games in Ligue 1, the team seems to have lost all momentum.

Favourites to progress behind Chelsea in their Champions League group, two defeats in the first two group games have put pressure on the squad to deliver. Unlucky to lose at home to Spartak Moscow who failed to register a single shot on target, and only scored from an Azpilicueta own goal, the French were easily outclassed at Stamford Bridge by a Chelsea side who didn’t get out of second gear. Deschamps will be hoping for a favour from his old London club, as l’OM’s best chance of qualifying now would be if the Blues did the double over the Russian club. It is not over yet for Deschamps’ men but he will need a full six points against group F makeweights MSK Zilina and at least three points from the return game at Spartak and Chelsea’s visit to the Velodrome. Even if they do scrape through, there is a lot of work to do before Marseille, or their compatriots Lyon earn France their second European Cup success.

The Change in Fortunes of Luis Nani

In November 2009, Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha, aka Manchester United’s Nani looked to be at the end of his Old Trafford career. The Portuguese winger, much maligned for being inconsistent and a show-pony, hit out at Sir Alex Ferguson in an interview with a Portuguese newspaper and was subsequently dropped for around six weeks.

During this period it was largely expected that the ex-Sporting Lisbon player was going to be on his way to either Juventus or AC Milan in the January transfer window. He had been at Old Trafford for two and a half years and despite high points, such as wonder goals against the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, these were overshadowed by low points such as his sending off against West Ham when he feigned injury when he himself had headbutted Lucas Neill. Berated by his own manager who agreed with Arsene Wenger’s anger when he had incited Arsenal players in an FA Cup tie by playing keepy-uppy in the middle of the pitch, many felt the boy from Cape Verde would never cut it as a Red Devil.

But something changed.

A heart-to-heart chat with Ferguson in January 2010 saw Nani given another chance and this time he grasped it. Impressive performances in a 4-0 league victory over Hull City and the Carling Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City saw the wide-man back in the United fans’ good books and a fixture in the starting XI. In his next match, an outrageous piece of skill on the right wing saw him leave Arsenal’s Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Denilson for dead at the Emirates Stadium and force an own goal out of Manuel Almunia.

The tide had turned and Nani was rewarded with a four year contract extension in March, something which seemed unthinkable just three months earlier. Further impressive goals against Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Sunderland saw Nani finish the 2009-10 season on a high, even if United were pipped to the title by Chelsea and knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals. The winger had finally added consistency to his game and at last was racking up the plaudits. Alas, he was ruled out of the World Cup when, in typical Nani fashion, he injured his collarbone attempting an acrobatic overhead kick in training.

Devastated to miss out, Portugal boss Carlos Queiroz even claimed Nani had threatened suicide if he was left out of the squad as he felt he would recover soon enough to participate. But he put that behind him at the start of the 2010-11 season and along with Dimitar Berbatov has become key to United’s plans. The previously under-performing duo have either assisted or scored three quarters of the Red Devil’s 16 league goals. Nani is the top assist maker in the premier league both in the 2010-11 season and the calendar year 2010, and with Antonio Valencia ruled out for several months, looks to be making United’s right wing position his own.

Finally starting to fill the boots of his friend and Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the rejuvenated number 17 finds himself in the running for the end of season gongs. Still just 23, it finally looks like he could be a key player for both Portugal and Manchester United for many years to come.