With December fast approaching Jose Mourinho’s Internazionale are sitting pretty 5 points clear at the top of Serie A. This lofty perch is something the Inter supporters have become very comfortable with over the last few seasons following the Calciopoli scandal which awarded Inter two titles previously credited to Juventus and the subsequent monopoly that has been enjoyed by them as a result ever since.

However, after a year’s consolidation following promotion from Serie B and heavy investment over the summer, Juventus looked at a glance to be in a position to worry Inter’s dominance and hold over the league title. In reality these thoughts were somewhat premature, as the Old lady’s squad although much improved in quality and depth, still has a way to go in order to match Inters level of squad maturity, in particular when considered against the fact JoMo’s, or should I say Massimo Moratti’s, cheque book hasn’t exactly been closed during the transfer window either.

So aside from those with one eye on stocking up interest in Serie A, most other observers always knew it was merely a formality that Inter would win another Scudetto. Admittedly nothing in football is certain, and there is still a long way to go – but I would venture one would struggle to find anyone aside from the most optimistic of Juve fans to put money on someone other than Inter for the title.

I feel nothing emphasises this more poignantly than the sacking of Roberto Mancini. Having won the title in his last three seasons at the Inter helm, he was replaced by Mourinho as it was felt Jose represented a better chance of bringing the Champions League to the blue and black half of Milan.

It was generally accepted knowledge that the traditionally big guns in Italian football were still recovering from the ramifications of Calciopoli, and therefore winning the Italian league doesn’t represent much of an achievement for Inter at the moment. The Champions League was the one that all concerned with the club really wanted, the league title wasn’t just expected – it is a given.

In his first season Jose duly delivered the Scudetto, but it has to be said he didn’t make many friends along the way. JoMo’s ’management style’ has always been considered controversial at best, he certainly isn’t to everyone’s taste, but at his previous club Chelsea the fans and media had loved him for it. Unlike in England, Italy did not take so well to Mourinho’s brash approach to press conferences, the media perceived him as arrogant and when his Inter began to fall short of peoples high expectations, his life has been made all the more difficult.

Inter won the Serie A title in Jose’s first season at a relative canter, although they did nearly conspire to throw it away towards the end due to their own complacency. However, the style of football and approach to the game of the team was less pleasing to the eye and the heart than the Mancini reign before it. In the eyes of the Inter fans this was palatable in so far as the side were winning. If this brand of football wins the Champions League for the team than that is ok. When Inter were comprehensively removed from the Champions League by Manchester United that year, more questions were asked of Mourinho, and more sympathy was felt towards Mancini for his fate.

Jose dealt with this in his usual confident way and told all who would listen to wait for next year. With a few key additions in certain areas all would be well. Patience was the key. Unfortunately for Mourinho and Inter at least, this time around his team have started out in much the same vein – cruising at the top of Serie A, however Champions League performances have been far from inspiring.

Drawn in a group with current Champions and treble winners of last season, Barcelona, the task of progressing from the group was never going to be easy. None the less second place in that group should have been assured as a minimum and with one game left to play this is still to be guaranteed.

Jose has found wins in Europe hard to come by, and combined with the fact Barcelona have somewhat unexpectedly dropped points too, qualification has become complicated to say the least for Mourinho. Compounded by the poor showing in the recent defeat to Barcelona, which despite their troubles guaranteed the Catalans progress to the knock out phase of the competition, Mourinho has now found that his one previous constant, boss and club owner Massimo Moratti, has begun to question the sides leadership.

Following a press conference in which Jose stated his squad was not able to cope with the demands of domestic and European football, Morratti drew the line as he feels he has provided his manager with every weapon he has asked for. To be fair to Morratti I have to agree with him. Mourinho himself has stated on a number of occasions that his signings were everything he could have asked for. So where does the blame ultimately lie?

There is no question that the knives are out for Jose. He has a number of detractors who would like nothing more than to see him fail and embarrassed. So far in Europe he has by his standards largely underachieved and perhaps more importantly his team have often been found sorely lacking in both quality and application.

The brand of football Inter fans enjoyed under Mancini is long gone. It was never ‘Arsenal Esque’ but compared to what is offered now it was ‘samba’ football. Inter do realistically have the personnel on paper to turn things around and I for one am not foolish enough to bet against Jose Mourinho, but the Special One isn’t looking so much so anymore and his side need to come up with something special in the second half of the season to redeem their enigmatic coach and save their season from a premature close.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Yesterday night Liverpool FC and all its fans were dealt the final blow that sent them crashing out of this year’s Champions League with a game still left to play in the group phase.

For the top seeded team in the group this was not in the script. The sight of the Liverpool players in the tunnel after beating Debrecen, all starring at the TV screens desperately hoping Lyon would score an equaliser to keep their hopes of progressing in the competition alive, was a strange one to fathom. Having left qualification out of their own hands, on reflection even Steven Gerrard had to concede his side got only what they deserved.

Combine this with Liverpool’s seventh position in the league and it doesn’t look good. The consequences of not finishing in the top four of the EPL, and therefore not qualifying for the Champions League next term, are well known. Financially Liverpool are on a knife edge as it is, with no money for a new stadium, owners who won’t speak to each other and now far less revenue than would have been budgeted for from this season – not making the Champions League next year is not an option.

Benitez tried to put a brave face on things in his post match interview by assuring the Liverpool faithful that his side would finish at least in the top four. I’m not convinced, and in reality what else was he ever going to say? Regardless of results the truth is that the club don’t have the resources, nor board cohesion to replace the manager. So this approach at least is one avenue for change not open to Liverpool at present.

Only time will tell, as Liverpool may well win the Europa League and finish in the top four come the end of the season. The fans would hail the campaign as a great success and in a similar fashion to last season pretend the obvious shortcomings of the side are not there.

Last term Liverpool were free and clear of United at one stage and it was said that only the Premier League trophy going to Anfeild could be considered a successful season with such a healthy cushion. A capitulation resulted in United winning their third league title in a row, but a late season flurry from Liverpool, including a convincing win over United, convinced the Liverpool faithful into thinking second place was a good barometer of progress  and Liverpool would ‘win it next year.’

I cannot think of any other scenario where this sort of ‘progress’ would be deemed acceptable. For example four months ago any Liverpool fan would have scoffed at conversations around the Europa League, where as now, faced with the very real prospect of it being the clubs only chance of silverware, it suddenly becomes a more significant competition.

With the Premier League getting ever more competitive, and sides like Man City, Tottenham and Villa coming into contention, Liverpool have gone backwards – not forwards. Aquilani may have a storming second half of the season, Torres may get fit and score goals and Gerrard may well put in a run of performances that drag Liverpool kicking and screaming up the table as he always seems to do.

But how long can the Anfeild blue print for success be based solely on the performance of so few individuals? They are not super human and will fall short eventually. It’s time Liverpool took an honest hard look at the reality; the bigger problem is there is no money or time to put it right even if they did. Maybe that says enough in itself?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Carlo Cudicini the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper has suffered ‘potentially life-changing injuries’ as the result of crashing his motorbike early this morning.

The crash occurred at 10:30am GMT on Forest Road in Walthamstow – East London. The collision involved a Ford Fiesta containing a female driver and a child, both of whom walked away from the incident and did not require hospital treatment.

The incident adds to an already tragic week in the world of football when considered alongside the untimely death of German and Hanover 96 keeper Robert Enke earlier this week.

The precise extent of the injuries sustained by Cudicni are as yet unsubstantiated, however it underlines the fragile nature of a professional sportspersons existence. To a mitigated extent, on field injuries and those sustained during training are considered part of the game and a occupational hazard. Career threatening injuries as a result of an everyday activity is something that must be much harder to swallow.

Cudicini (36) rose to fame after a number of solid performances for Chelsea during almost 10 years at the west London club, until being displaced following the arrival of Petr Čech. He previously enjoyed spells at AC Milan and Lazio. Cudicini completed a Bosman free transfer move to Spurs in January of this year and has made eight appearances under manager Harry Redknapp standing in for the injured Heurelho Gomes. His father Fabio was AC Milan’s goalkeeper in the 1960s.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “A 36-year-old male suffered injuries described by the London Ambulance Service as possibly life-changing and was taken to an east London hospital for further assessment and treatment. No arrests have been made.”

A statement on Tottenham’s website said: “Carlo Cudicini has fractured his wrists and injured his pelvis after being involved in a road accident this morning. The 36-year-old Italian goalkeeper has been admitted to hospital and undergone scans under the supervision of club medical staff.”

When I heard the news, although sympathising with Cudicini’s situation, I am forced to ask myself why he was riding a motorbike anyway. It is no coincidence the other parties involved in the crash walked away unscathed…because they were in a car. Cristiano Ronaldo famously planted his brand new Ferrari into the wall of a tunnel on his way to training with Manchester United on the 8^thof January this year. He and a team mate got out of the car and then got a lift with Edwin van der Sar to Carrington and played a full part in training later that morning. The car was a mess, its inhabitants were fine.

There is lesson to be learned here, in particular if you are an athlete and your livelihood depends on the elite use of your extremities. It’s called risk management, or common sense, or the more wheels the better. Most professionals in Cudicini’s position have clauses in their contracts forbidding them to participate in potentially dangerous activities. There is good reason for this and perhaps the use of motorbikes as a method of transportation should be added to the list of don’ts. Harsh but True.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Even this early on into the current EPL season viewers have witnessed nearly every team have at least one or two surprise if not shock results. Often these so called ‘blips’ have been accompanied by a dip in form, or at the very least results that have meant the table from top to bottom is as intriguing and open as perhaps it has ever been before.

At the top you have United and Chelsea, who play each other at the Bridge (at least that’s what it’s called for now) this weekend. United are a different side this term after losing Ronaldo and Tevez, and my general opinion is that no team, no matter how good or how big the squad may be, can improve as a result of selling its best player. In this particular instance arguably the best player in the world to boot.

Chelsea on the other hand remain largely unchanged from last season apart from in the board room and the coaching staff and I feel represent the stiffest challenge to United’s bid for a 4^th consecutive league trophy. Behind them lie Arsenal, City, Spurs, Liverpool and Villa all looking for that coveted top four finish.

Below them the remaining sides are left scrambling for Europa League finishes or the ambiguity of mid table league position, but for the first time in many years I don’t feel many of them really fear relegation. My rational behind this is quite simple, although results have shown that anyone can take points from most everyone in the Premiership this season, some teams stand out as being particularly below par.

For example, Hull have to be everyone’s favourites to go down, short of a miracle – which at the current rate is also what Phil Brown will need to keep his job until the end of the season. Then you have to look at Portsmouth, whom despite a recent upturn in fortune, cannot realistically view themselves as anything other than relegation fodder unless some drastic changes happen behind the scenes.

The recent financial issues at Portsmouth are well documented so I won’t go into detail, but if they fail to add quality to the playing staff in January they are as good as relegated in my eyes. At the moment they can barely pay the bills let alone anything above that.

Then I turn my attention to the three promoted sides. They have all acquitted themselves very well so far, but realistically what are the chances of none of them going back down again.. very improbable.. which means all of the relegation places are taken up. Sorry to ruin the suspense for everyone but if you support any other team the season is pretty much over unless you want to finish in a European place.

And so the sense of irony that the world of football always seems to have a commendable mastery of comes around again. In making the Premiership the most competitive it has ever been, it has actually made it the easiest to survive, but the most difficult to succeed in. Unfortunately that means the bottom of the league which normally provides more excitement than the top come the end of the season, is a good as decided already.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It was the best of times, it is the worst of times now for Liverpool fans – of that there can be no doubt. Looking back briefly to last season when Rafa Benitez’s side lead Manchester United in the Premier League by nearly double digits, this was going to be the year that finally ended Liverpool fans long wait for the biggest domestic prize.

But alas one ‘fact’ related rant later and a few shaky results left Liverpool finishing second to United even after an impressive string of results to round off the season. I noticed a shift in mood from Liverpool fans over the second half of that campaign, one that began with winning the league was expected as a minimum requirement from such a strong position, too finishing second is ok because next year we’ll do it…

In taking a step back to look at the situation objectively, the reign of Rafa Benitez can almost be defined by the caption ‘next year we’ll be champions’. This is not to say that over the last five years Rafa has not won trophies, not least of which the dramatic Champions League comeback against Milan, but that was some time ago now. In hindsight that win has been Rafa’s saving grace as I’m convinced had Milan done what the laws of physics would suggest from a ‘three goals to the good’ position at half time; Liverpool would have a different manager today.

Liverpool fans have gone through the emotional rollercoaster of believing last term that the league title was truly in sight, only then to lose out to bitter rivals United. It was then expected that the side would kick on and go one better this term finishing top of the Premier League; on the basis of what we have seen from Liverpool so far this season – not so much.

I do not need to reel off the facts, but Liverpool have started dreadfully this campaign, seven wins and six losses is hardly the form of potential champions let alone a side with realistic ambitions of qualifying for the Champion’s League next term. In short Liverpool now enter a three to five game series that may well prove to shape the future of the club as we now know it. This may at first sound melodramatic but a loss to Man United at the weekend and failure to qualify out of the group stages in the Champions League would surely have to lead to a change of manager.

Going one step further this could also have potential ramifications for the financial stability and ownership structure of the club. The Premier League is more competitive this year than ever, and to think Liverpool may have lost five games before the end of October has to leave doubts as to their ability to retain a top four finish. With Man United and Chelsea dead certs to finish in two of the Champions League slots, that leaves Arsenal, Liverpool, City, Tottenham and even Villa to battle for the final two. From a Teesside perspective it does not bear thinking about. The financial implications again could be crippling for a club that has cash flow issues and board squabbles to deal with as it is.

The final element to this equation lies in the UEFA seeding list coefficient. Next time around Liverpool’s Champions League win comes off the coefficient calculation, and if this was to be replaced with a ‘did not get out of the group phase’, followed by a Europa League campaign, Liverpool’s status as a number one seed would also be at risk.

Although Liverpool aren’t in a good spot, it’s not the end of the world for the team today and they can still influence what happens tomorrow, but there can be no denying that there is an element of peering over the abyss to the current predicament. Things can and will go one of two ways, for Liverpool’s sake I hope Gerrard and Torres develop some super human powers of recovery and endurance or it could be all change in the red half of the city come January.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The 30 name shortlist for the 2009 Ballon d’Or nominees has been announced, a formality they may well have dispensed with as we all know Lionel Messi will walk away with the trophy. I did note however, one glaring fact when scrolling down the list of the largely usual suspects – not a single Italian is to be found. That is quite staggering when you consider Italy go into this year’s World Cup as reigning Champions, but if based solely on the last 12 months performances – can or should anyone really be surprised?

There can be no doubt that Serie A suffered tremendously as a result of the Calciopoli scandal, and with the exception of Inter, the top teams are still trying to get back to their level of 5 years ago. The era of Italian dominance in Europe seems a distant memory, replaced with the big four EPL clubs along with Barcelona, battling it out over the recent past for the right to hold the biggest prize in European club football. It would seem that the honours list of the world’s brightest and best talent reflects this tidal shift.

Ironically I would have to argue that Italy’s most consistent performer over the last year has been a man who has yet to be called up to the national team squad by Marcello Lippi, namely one Antonio Cassano. As Italy have failed to live up to their billing as World Champions, with a frankly embarrassing showing at the Confederations Cup and a stop-start qualification campaign for next year’s tournament, there has been an ever increasing pressure of public opinion to include Cassano in proceedings to give Italy a much needed boost of creativity, goal threat and general X factor in their play, but Lippi has to this point bee consistent in his refusal to even acknowledge the possibility.

At 27 the notoriously famous flake seems to have finally turned the corner mentally this season and has certainly been the stellar performer from an Italian perspective so far this term. In reality Lippi’s stubborn stance leads me to believe the odds are much higher that Totti will come out of International retirement and join the squad before Fantantonio ever gets a look-in.

It’s a shame really as the game sorely lacks people like Cassano today. Despite his reformed character he is essentially still the same man, a hint of the Cantona’s is probably the best way to put it and King Eric was another to be largely overlooked by his country. At the moment it seems Cassano will be made to regret his volatile past by an artificially enforced absence from the biggest stage, I for one just hope we are all not left feeling we missed out on something as well.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

1966 was a great year, or so I’m told by those of an age able to remember it.

It has been a long time since England lifted the highest honour in International football, too long in fact, and many have been brave enough to predict South Africa will be the location for the Three Lions to finally end the years of hurt for the England faithful.

Trouble is I’ve heard all this before, and after so many England related predictions that have fallen short I am now perhaps not sceptical, more cautiously optimistic on how the team will actually faire in the pressure cooker environment of the tournament proper.

Even the most cynical of fans must admit however that circumstance is a little different this time around.

Firstly there can be no question marks over the pedigree of the man charged with leading the side into battle. Fabio Capello is as good and as astute as they come. His trophy hall at club level all over Europe is to vast to list exhaustively, but suffice it to say it would be quicker to go over what he hasn’t won than what he has. There have been no signs that he has had any trouble translating his talents at club level to the International stage, his England appearing a very different prospect from that which he inherited.

So no excuses that England have the wrong man at the helm… so what about the players?

If England are to threaten winning the trophy next year then Wayne Rooney will have to have the tournament of his career so far. He has been in great form for club and country this term, flourishing in the new found responsibility thrust upon him at United now that Ronaldo has moved on. This can only benefit England as Rooney is growing into the talismanic, or as the Americans would like to call it ‘franchise’ player that England will need him to be.

The other main protagonists aren’t too shabby either, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand, A. Cole would get in most if not any side in the world. Not a bad spine to the team then either.

The supporting cast have blown hot cold at various points since Capello took charge. Lennon has seemingly shaken off his persistent injury problems and found the sort of form that first got him into the side. Glen Johnson seems to be the only real option at right back for England at present. Better going forwards than backwards he is certainly a pressure point opposing teams will look to exploit.

The Goalkeeping position is still a hotly contested debate, although Capello has stated he knows who his first choice for the tournament is already. He hasn’t told us yet though I notice. Ben Foster has looked much improved for United in recent games but is yet to convince. Again England have many options here and I feel the race is still open for one of them to claim the shirt as their own before the end of the season.

Coming back from injury are Downing, Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves who could yet feature for England in South Africa. If fully fit and firing, all three players would be a great asset to the squad although only time will tell what sort of season each will have. England have a number of wide options to choose from when you consider Walcott, Lennon, SWP and Young are also all in contention. (Discounting Beckham and Gerrards new found role in the team playing wide left).

And so it would seem that England certainly have the tools for the job on paper. There is also a new found steel and grit that the team was sorely lacking under previous regimes. However I still feel there is a delicacy about the way England’s fortune is decided. Beaten by Spain and France (although in friendly games) under Capello shows that the side is far from unbeatable when faced with top class opposition. No disrespect to Croatia but I don’t hear anyone touting them as potential winners in South Africa.

As everyone knows this England side are in a now or never moment. The big players are peaking in terms of their age and relative performance levels, and it will be all downhill for them in the main after this tournament. Capello continues to build and improve the side with every passing fixture and I for one would not doubt his ability to pull it all together for the big show next summer.

Still I can’t seem to shake that though in the back of my mind that takes the form of a penalty shootout that prematurely ends what could be a year to remember for English football.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The clock is ticking down to the start of the most talked about Manchester derby in years.

A resurgent city have emerged like a phoenix from the flames when compared to the club of five years ago that looked as if fate would retire the blue half of Manchester to a Leeds like spiralling demise into the lower divisions. Then Sven arrived under new ownership with a pocket full of cash and City have never looked back.

Now with yet another owner armed with even deeper pockets, Mark Hughes has built a squad that reads like a fantasy football team and so far any doubts over his ability to gel the players into a winning unit have been brushed aside with a blemishless record in the league so far this season.

On the red side of the equation, United are a team in transition after the departure of the Ballon d’Or winner and one Carlos Tevez. But despite this the red machine rolls on as Fergusons drive for success still burns as brightly as ever. Ferguson has had a lot to say about City in recent times and appears to be relishing in the prospect of a more legitimate competition coming from the other side of town. He knows that the United fans would love nothing more their side to be the first to knock City off their new found pedestal.

Recent events have conspired to see City’s in form striker Emmanuel Adebayor suspended from the game after his antics against Arsenal last time out. Robinho and Santa Cruz will also miss out through injury with Tevez rated as ‘severely doubtful’ to recover in time to play (which is manager speak for expect to see him on the bench at least). This means City are certainly not the same prospect they could be going forward, but none the less still possess significant talent in the squad and coupled with the fact that they did not appear in European competition this week, will be very well prepared both physically and tactically for the fixture on Sunday.

United are largely injury free going into the match, with Rio Ferdinand the only lingering doubt. He was rested for the recent Champions League match in Turkey and baring any more setbacks in training today, the smart money will be on him taking his place in the defence next to Vidic come the first whistle. Both teams go into the game with a point to prove, tensions will be high and both sets of supporters will be desperate to take home the bragging rights at least until the next time the teams meet.

With home advantage and a clear bill of health you have to fancy United to prevail in this one. Arsenal can however testify to the Blues new found resilience even if this time around City aren’t quite the same force on paper as they were that day.

United suffered an early season shock with defeat to Burnley, certainly three points dropped in their view and something Ferguson will be very acutely aware of. United can’t afford too many more slip ups as they chase their fourth league title in a row and City will be only too happy to put another dent in that challenge. Ferguson’s recent comments about City provide further proof if any were needed that they are to be taken very seriously from now on. The Scotsman known to only engage in his fabled ‘mind games’ with those he deems as worthy.

A great match in prospect then come 13:30 (GMT) on Sunday, I for one will be glued to proceedings eager to see which side can set down the first marker in a war that looks set to rage for many more seasons yet. It can’t come fast enough..

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With the upcoming opening round of Champions League fixtures imminent, perhaps the most mouth watering tie will see Inter Milan face the current Champions Barcelona. An intriguing contest on so many levels, not least to assess how the contrasting styles of both teams will fare, nor how the cross Mourinho seems to carry from his days with Chelsea will manifest itself when it comes to facing the Catalans once again in European Competition.

Most of all however all eyes will be on the two players that swapped clubs over the summer, namely Samuel Eto’o (now of Inter) and Ibrahimovic (now of Barcelona). Neither player has shied away from voicing their excitement at the prospect of getting one over their former employer in recent interviews, and this outspoken and controversial mantle that follows both players had a significant influence on why the two we moved on respectively.

I don’t think it can be argued that from a purely business perspective Inter Milan, and more poignantly its owner Massimo Morratti, will be laughing all the way to the bank. Inter received 40 million Euro’s as well as Eto’o in exchange for Ibra and after what must seem like an age to Morratti of putting his hand in his pocket to fund his managers’ demands, he must feel like he has finally won one!

There are numerous reasons for this transfer anomaly from both sides and ultimately all parties got what they wanted (If you take the 40 million Euros’ out of the equation from a Barcelona Perspective I’m sure). The details of these aforementioned motivations have been well lamented at this point, but now both players have moved and fate has had its hand in ensuring they meet so soon in the campaign which will gain the footballing upper hand?

Ibrahimovic has long been hailed as one of the best players in the world. He is undoubtedly a phenomenal talent and as much of an enigma as any current player. He has come under scrutiny not only for his perceived arrogance but also his apparent inability to deliver the goods on the biggest stage.

For his clubs in Italy over the last 5 seasons Ibra has lead both Inter and Juventus to the league title. He has until recently perhaps not scored as many goals as someone who rates himself so highly should have, but when he does score they are more often than not memorable.

Zlatan’s determination to move to Spain was certainly not motivated by money, as he was already one of the highest paid players in the world at Inter, but he let the world know his feeling that he would never win the Champions League and be recognised as a legitimate contender for the Ballon d’or playing for the Milan side.

On the other hand Eto’o had been entertaining a move away from Barca for at least two seasons before his eventual switch to Inter. During his time in Spain he had been the prong of the much eulogised Barcelona attack and proved a veritable goal machine both domestically and in Europe for his club. None the less he too felt unloved by his then employers and having won a historic treble following Barcelona’s defeat of Manchester United in Rome he wanted out.

Both players scored for their new clubs at the weekend, Eto’o in particular scoring with a fantastic strike. The stage is set for an enthralling duel as to which of the two egos will triumph. It could be argued that Eto’o has nothing to prove at this level having already won the trophy on more than one occasion, where as mentioned previously Ibrahimovic has yet to convince the world that he is the genuine article he professes to be and his talent should permit.

Eto’o will none the less want to show Barcaleona that he deserved a larger share of the credit for the clubs success during his time there than perhaps he received, with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Guardiola all considered more pivotal an influence then the Cameroonian. On the back of last season’s performances Barcelona will go into this contest as favourites, meaning on paper at least Zlatan has the better supporting cast to help him make his point.

Both players have very contrasting styles and it may be the team that has adapted to their new striker best that sees the best return. I for one can’t wait to see what promises to be a great contest. One thing is for sure, with so many characters in the mix, whether the action comes from on or off the pitch there will be plenty to talk about come Thursday.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The season so far has had its ups and downs for the Reds. A shock defeat to Burnley certainly wasn’t in the script, as the world looks on intently to see how the reigning Premiership Champions set about life after Ronaldo and ‘that’ final in Rome, to defending their domestic crown to make it four League titles in a row and surpass the record of their long time Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

The summer saw a great deal of upheaval at United with the long and protracted saga of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid finally concluded, thoughts turned to the future of one Carlos Tevez who had established himself as a real fans favourite at Old Trafford during his two year stay. Life at United is never far from the back pages, but never before have the Reds had to share so many column inches with the blue team of Manchester, and in the end so it proved a controversial move to Man City was to unfold for Tevez leaving United seemingly short in the striking department.

Ferguson then proceeded to bring in Michael Owen and Valencia assuring the slightly disgruntled United faithful that youth players like Macheda and Welbeck would be given more playing time and responsibility to produce a goal return for the senior side in the coming season. Now five games in, we are in a position to take stock of the state of play at Old Trafford and assess what can and should be expected for the remainder of the campaign.

Firstly, I can see no argument to suggest that a team can improve by selling its best player. Ronaldo was just that for United and although we have seen Rooney respond fantastically to the increased responsibility of leading the team, there should be no confusing the fact that the sum of all the parts is less with Ronaldo out of the side.

However United are a different proposition now, and a team still trying to feel it’s way into a new system. For the first time in many seasons there could be a genuine debate as to what United’s best 11 is. Aside from Rooney, Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand, Alex Ferguson can and has picked a variety of different player combinations based on a number of factors, namely: form, fitness and which players have the best characteristics for beating the opposition in question. This rotation approach has the benefit of making life harder for opposing teams to predict how best to set up against United, however it should also be considered that this has not helped the continuity of the transition to the new way of playing either.

The Premier League race this year is proving to be one of the closest run in a very long time. Man City in particular are off to a flyer, and even after their loss to United at the weekend Tottenham are still considered by many as genuine contenders to crash the Top Four party.

The upcoming Manchester derby provides a mouth watering prospect of duels and battles both on and off the field with United looking to inflict City’s first defeat of the season and the Blues desperate to get one over their long time dominant local adversary. With a resurgent Arsenal and Chelsea looking as strong as ever, it may prove to be Liverpool that come the end of the season suffer the embarrassment of Champions league exile, only time will tell.

The Reds certainly still have the tools to compete for trophies on all fronts, and the squad will be looking to prove that despite the loss of the current Ballon d’or holder they were by no means a one man team. With Owen Hargreaves set to make a long awaited return from injury to bolster the midfield, along with Anderson finally breaking his scoring duck things are looking up for United.

Dimitar Berbatov continues to flatter to deceive, showing moments of brilliance and then disappearing for large parts of games. Owen is also seemingly still trying to find his feet in a team that is expected to win every match, although he has stayed clear of injury thus far which will have surprised some.

It would be foolish to suggest that United won’t be at the sharp end of things when that time of the season rolls around for the medals to be handed out. Like the rest of the contenders though, United know they are going to have to fight and earn every point in this campaign even more so than the last.

With a big part of the artillery gone from the successful team of last season, question marks still hang over United’s ability to deliver consistently when it matters. With wins over Arsenal and a high flying Tottenham since the Burnley defeat, any self doubt that may have crept into the minds of the United players will be slowly seeping away.

Perhaps the question is more will the pretenders to the thrown have enough to take the title away from United this term, because they will certainly not be surrendering it lightly.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News