I’m sure you have heard about Coke Zero – Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker show. We also showed you the little stunt Rooney pulled where he’s dribbling (kind of) through a bunch of randomly rolled tires (if not, click here). We got hold of more of the clippings of the show.

Soccerlens now presents, behind the scenes of Coke Zero – Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker:

Adrian Clarke and Iain Spragg are in fine form on Episode 29 of the world famous Soccerlens Podcast. 

There’s a host of juicy topics to get stuck into this week and the duo’s heated debate centres on Thierry Henry’s lack of sportsmanship, the miracle powers of horse placenta and the prospects for manager-less Scotland.

There’s also the usual stack of match previews including a trio of Premier League games in Sunderland v Arsenal, Man United v Everton and Liverpool v Man City – and the animated pair end proceedings with a light-hearted look through this week’s podcast mailbag. 

Check out episode 29 now!

You can listen to this week’s episode below:
Download link (mp3, 30mb, 32 mins)

Make sure you send in your feedback and questions through podcast@soccerlens.com and Clarke and Spragg will feature the best of them in next week’s show.

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You can subscribe via iTunes or directly to the podcast feed.

Following their defeat to Chelsea, I read a couple of articles writing off Manchester United’s title hopes. This feels absurdly early to me, so ahead of this weekend’s Premiership matches here are 4 reasons why I reckon Manchester United will be lifting the Premier League title in May 2010.

They’re not playing that well… yet

Odd as it may seem to start with this point, we have to remember that Manchester United are winning matches playing, by their standards, poorly. United’s form contrasts with Chelsea and Arsenal however neither has been able to shake off United who are still holding onto their coat-tails at the top of the league.

There is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow still looms large over Old Trafford; the arrogant, controversial and brilliant Portuguese provided United with a regular source of goals but as this season progresses United will learn to win convincingly without him. Rio Ferdinand’s struggle for fitness and therefore form is also a concern and United will need to get him playing regularly as soon as they can.

Either way the next 3 months will be crucial for all the title hopefuls, The Champions League group stage is coming to an end and the teams focus solely on The Premier League. In the past this is where United hit their most consistent form of the season and reduce the gap between themselves and the league leaders.

The importance of squad men

When the season moves into the final couple of months the title challengers strength in depth is always tested as injuries and loss of form due to tiredness hit squads in earnest. Manchester United have the biggest depth of experienced players in their squad and this will be vital when juggling Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup Matches. Players such as Michael Owen Park Ji-Sung, Owen Hargreaves, Paul Scholes, Wes Brown and Gary Neville provide United with experienced back up options, which none of the other top four squads have in such abundance.

Arsenal, to their credit, rely on youth but will need all their key players to stay fit if they are to sustain their title challenge. Liverpool’s inexperienced squad has already been called upon this season, as injuries decimated their first XI, and has not been up to the required standard. Chelsea’s strength in depth is mainly in midfield and the full back positions and they may be found wanting if they get injuries to centre backs or centre forwards.

The manager

Whatever you think about Sir Alex Ferguson, his desire to win, ability to get the most out of his players and the effect he has on opposition teams is proven. Ferguson is symbolic of Manchester United – his arrogance and passion is taken onto the pitch by his players. The confidence and belief he inspires in his players are going to be crucial as United face the biggest battle to hold onto the title for three years.

Ferguson will relish taking on Ancelotti and a rejuvenated Arsene Wenger, both on the pitch and in the press, as the season progresses. Ferguson’s drive will be, if possible, even greater this year as he aims to complete what he initially set out to do when taking over at United in 1986. His aim was always to make United the dominant force in English football and overtake Liverpool as the most successful domestic club. With both teams on 18 League titles and Liverpool effectively out of the title race Ferguson will push his players to achieve even greater heights this season.

The January transfer window

Arsenal probably won’t strengthen their squad in January, Liverpool probably can’t strengthen due to their finances, Chelsea will strengthen but will likely sign players in January who will join in June. Manchester United, on the other hand, have already have strengthened their squad. The young Serbian attacking midfielder Adam Ljajic joins in January and though he is an exciting talent it is unlikely he will get much game time this season.

What is of more immediate importance is that Ferguson has seemingly run out of patience with Nani. The erratic winger starts rarely for United and when he does is often substituted early in the second half. United have lacked a decent left sided midfielder since Ryan Giggs moved to a more central role and, if they allow Nani to leave, will strengthen this position.

David Silva has been linked with United on more than one occasion and would be an immediate addition to Ferguson’s first team options. Silva, when fit, is a regular in the Spanish national side, is two-footed and can play out wide or up front. He would link up well with Rooney and Berbatov and give United greater attacking impetus.

They go into this weekend’s matches five points off the pace, recently beaten by both Chelsea and Liverpool, without their best centre half and still struggling to compensate for the loss of Ronaldo but Manchester United are best when facing adversity and I believe, come May, the Premier League trophy will be staying at Old Trafford.

There is no doubt that this season Manchester United have not yet played to the heights that have become expected of them. They haven’t scored as many goals and don’t look as fluent. Sometimes I think they miss Tevez, but then I see him play for Manchester City. He fitted perfectly with Rooney and his work rate made him a fan’s favourite. I agree that he wasn’t worth twenty-five million, but if something from your team in lost, surely he should have been kept.

I suppose after three consecutive titles, and a Champions league, Alex Ferguson has every right to believe in his team. The only problem is that they have lost to Liverpool and Chelsea. They relied on a dive by Rooney and an own goal to beat Arsenal, and only a goal late into stoppage time gave them victory over Manchester City.

You wouldn’t know much about football if you completely ruled out Manchester United in the title race, five points not being a mountain too high to climb. However it’s early in the season and still lots of football to be played. They just don’t seem like they could score on the counter attack. That’s probably because the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo. His pace and passing made it easier for United to destroy teams when under pressure. He started to perform against the so called ‘big teams’ and was integral to United success.

I believe that Ferguson has to buy in January. He needs a creative midfielder, like a Cesc Fabregas or Aquilani because although Anderson can run around a lot, United can’t rely on him to score as he’s only scored one goal in his three seasons in Manchester.

They also need a striker. One player could be Gignac, who is a life-long Manchester United fan and is the French version of Rooney. They may have missed out on him in the summer, but Benzema could also be available from Real Madrid. Owen is alright coming off the bench, but if there is an injury to Rooney, there’s not much quality to replace him.

However, Ferguson won’t buy in January – he’s not the sort to be rushed into buying players. They are under-strength in those positions and I’m sure if they win the league this year, it would be Ferguson’s best one. Sometimes if you win with an under-strength team, the belief is that you can win without the previous stars that were in the team. They need players like Nani and Anderson to improve and Valencia and Berbatov to show more of their potential.

They’ve got the experience, but they must improve their performances if they are to win the title this year.

France qualified for the World Cup in South Africa in the summer thanks to a William Gallas header against Ireland in Paris. With French supporters everywhere celebrating, replays showed in the build-up to the goal, Thierry Henry hand-balling the ball onto his foot to cross. Of course, that is against the rules and it is very unfortunate that he should have done that however, would we be complaining if Kevin Doyle had done it for Richard Dunne to score? I don’t think so, somehow.

The whole of Great Britain was pushing for Ireland to win and there was no real surprise when they took the lead and stamped their authority. And we all felt robbed when the Irish went out, but history shows us that is football.

The uproar has been all a bit embarrassing. Thierry Henry is now a cheat, it doesn’t matter that his reputation has been almost blemish-free. His status as an all time Premier League great is under threat. Somehow, I don’t think any French person will care, because they, with a shockingly bad team, are going to the World Cup. Lots of people will get on their high horse and claim they would never support the behaviour of Henry.

What behaviour? The fact that as the captain, he wanted to drag his team from a string of poor performances and get them on that plane to South Africa? Let me ask you this, would any English fan care if it was Beckham who had done it to win them the World Cup? Even just to get to the finals? I’m English and I wouldn’t care. Because of all what will be remembered is the teams that played.

Rooney and Gerrard have continuingly dived and I’ve expected reams of condemnation from fans everywhere. It never happens, because when they put on the shirt of their great country, the will to win overshadows everything.

Take in 2006, the World Cup in Germany. Rooney stamped on Carvalho, and Ronaldo pounced on the foul and asked the question to the referee to send him off. He winked at the bench, causing uncontrollable fury from the British nation. We booed him for a bit, but voted him the best player the very next year, showing it had been swept under the rug. Not forgotten of course but we still realised he was still a good player.

Take Platini in the wake of the shambles that was trying to get Eduardo a ban for diving. He came out and claimed that diving was bad but would do it for his country any day. What sort of example does that set? It will be interesting to see what Platini has to say, no doubt.

It is a shame that the colour and passion of the Irish people will not be in South Africa, and will be sorely missed. I support the call for video technology, I mean how long would it have taken for the handball to be shown? This is a perfect time to bring the calls into action. Henry is a great player, but he is also a professional, with a will to win.

Make sure you listen to this week’s Soccerlens Podcast that discusses Henry’s handball and a lot more.

…Or at least if you had just read the reactions from the fans and trigger-happy journalists, you’d think this is what Henry had actually done:

On a serious note, the ‘victims’ – the Irish team – have been refreshingly objective about the situation and have laid the blame squarely on the horrible refereeing and to a much lesser extent on their own poor finishing as the real reasons why the French and not the Irish are headed to South Africa.

The Irish team and management have pointed fingers at FIFA, at Blatter, at Platini – but not at Henry (who to his credit admitted that he had handballed but defended himself by saying that he’s ‘not the referee’).

This is the same Thierry Henry who dove twice in the 2006 World Cup – during the second round game against Spain when his dive led to the free kick that led to France’s comeback in that game, and during the semi-final against Portugal where his dive led to France’s only goal and thus a place in the finals (1, 2).

Once in the final, there was a Malouda dive that helped France score the first goal of the game. And yet, because France had been the underdogs in that campaign (beating Brazil in the quarters, no less)…the Italians ended up being demonized as cheats.

It’s France’s turn now. Whenever the underdog gets cheated there’s always a huge uproar – the joyous David v Goliath narrative is broken and all hell breaks lose.

But when the big dog gets cheated – which happens quite a lot in football – it’s met with a ‘you deserved it’ attitude that is completely at odds with calls for ‘better refereeing’ made the last time around.

Hypocrites, the whole lot of them – fans and journos.

Credits: DangerHere.com for the video.

Sometimes in football, the chemistry between two extraordinary players are at such a high level, that it makes it a privilege to watch.

Last season, when Manchester United fumbled, the two players that came to the forefront in Liverpool’s, ultimately fruitless, challenge was Gerrard and Torres. I’ve watched United play with a swagger and a verve which won them titles. But as I sat in the North stand of Old Trafford with the enemy Liverpool coming to town, I witnessed two players defy the odds. We all know what happened that day, but it only cemented what we already knew. Torres and Gerrards partnership was special. Are Arsenal forming two players just as important?

Experience got Manchester United over the finish line and regain the Premier League title, but there was a definite buzz around Liverpool season this season. Who cares if Alonso goes to Madrid, as long as Fernando and Stevie are there, the title’s coming to Liverpool. These players have been injured and the rest of the squad look average, at best. It doesn’t take a mastermind to work out that without these two, Liverpool suffers.

Cesc Fabregas and Van Perise are getting a real understanding, with the link between midfield and the frontline almost invisible, similar to Torres and Gerrard. They are playing injury free together for the first time in ages and are starting to look invincible. Cesc was out for four months last season and Van Persie was out for a similar amount of time the season before that.

The difference, however between the two sets is that the Liverpool pair rely on directness, pace and intertwine with each other, and Cesc and Van Persie look to bring in others and don’t just look for each other. So, are Robin and Cesc as vital to Arsenal as Gerrard and Torres are to Liverpool? Bags of talent and when fit and flying, almost unstoppable.

I don’t think Liverpool have much more quality besides their diamond duo, however they are gaining experience all the time. Arsenal have Arshavin and Liverpool have Babel. Aquilani could become as good as Fabregas and Lucas could keep improving. In the last two years, Arsenal have played good football, but without consistently being able to play Van Persie and Fabregas together, haven’t won anything. Maybe if these two can continue to play together, they may achieve something. Torres and Gerard have their partnership set in stone, but just need to be fit.

I think Gerrard and Torres have more influence on Liverpool than Van Persie and Fabregas do on Arsenal. Over reliance on these two is what has encouraged Liverpool‘s poor start. Arsenal can win without these two, with Rosicky playing is Cesc’s role and Eduardo in Van Persie’s. A stronger squad in Arsenal’s corner is what makes me think that although they have two greatly talented players, they could win without them, as opposed to Liverpool.

Something is happening behind the scenes that Pompey that is worth a great deal more headscratching than what it’s generating at the moment. The club’s present footballing situation is a nightmare, and after rumours that players and staff have not been paid, the financial situation cannot be much better. But what is even more bizarre is that the Premier League club is displaying very little ambition.

Rewind back to the start of the 2008/09 season. Harry Redknapp was at the helm and Portsmouth were sitting comfortably in the top half of the table, having recently won the FA Cup. The Pompey faithful were expectant of another good season and they were rewarded in the initial stages when their side qualified for the EUFA Cup. It was the first time a Portsmouth team had ever played in the group stages of a European competition. At Fratton Park Pompey went 2-0 up against AC Milan, before a fantastic free kick from Ronaldinho galvanised the Rossoneri to come back to a 2-2 draw.

Since then, there has been nothing of substance for Pompey fans to cheer. The club is languishing in last place on the premier league table, and have not qualified for any European competitions. A lack of ambition is there for all to see. Since Paul Hart took the managerial reins, Portsmouth have won a paltry 6 games out of 25 yet he seems to have one of the safest jobs in the premier league. Quality players have gone out of Fratton Park and have been replaced by average players such as Frederic Piquionne and Steve Finnan. The average attendance at Fratton Park is 18342, the second lowest in the premier league, and fans do not look at all hopeful of what Portsmouth can achieve this season.

Glen Johnson, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Djimi Traore, Sean Davis, David Nugent, Niko Kranjcar, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Sulley Muntari, Lassana Diarra, Jermaine Pennant, and Lauren have all recently left the club, bringing a nice cash windfall to the tune of £78 million. They also received £5m from Tottenham so that Harry Redknapp could join the faithful at White Hart Lane.

Since January 2009, Pompey have only actually spent money on Nadir Belhadj (£4.5 mil), Hayden Mullins (undisclosed), and Angelos Basinas (undisclosed), having got Aaron Mokoena for free from Blackburn. Rather, they have tried to patch up their side with short term loans such as Pennant, Piquionne and Aruna Dindane.

The August 2009 stories of players not receiving wages on time are even stranger, when this £70 million windfall is taken into account. A lot has been made of the incompetence of the owner, Sulaiman Al-Fahim, but surely debts of £70+ million could not have been incurred that quickly?

Remember, this is not a side that has enjoyed a long life in the premier league and has slipped down a division and now struggles to retain the same income, such as Southampton, but a side that recently peaked and won its first major trophy in 58 years.

As a supporter of Liverpool, I was wowed as much as anyone when Portsmouth reached the FA Cup final in the 2007/08 season and received the small town cult status that has been bestowed upon Burnley this year, and Hull City last year. A series of behind the scene problems has riddled but hopefully Portsmouth can still return with a vengeance.

With Alex Song in inspired form, it begs the question who will replace him when he leaves for the African Cup of Nations in January?

The obvious candidates are Abou Diaby and Denilson. In my opinion, they are not good enough to play every game for Arsenal. They are great squad players, with lots of potential. However, not many titles and shiny trophies are won with potential players being given a go. Sure, a few are given a chance and take it.

I don’t think that they have really seized the opportunity that Arsene Wenger has privileged them with. He has stuck by them but both give the ball away and no way should they be trusted to protect the defence.

The defensive role has become probably the most important role as the game has developed, almost becoming an undetectable player (think Busquets in last season’s Champions League final). They should break up potential attacks from the opposition and the work they do is tireless. Not only do they stop easy access to centre backs, they give the ball to flair-tastic players who hope to build moves themselves. They are unsung heroes but without them, nothing is achieved.

Claude Makélélé invented the role and did it fantastically at Real Madrid and Chelsea. Now, every top quality team has a defensive player in the starting eleven. Arsenal had one in Vieira and then Flamini. Since then the closest they’ve had to the Frenchmen is Alex Song. He has improved so dramatically, and Arsenal look unsafe without him. T

he game against Wolves was a sign that Diaby won’t cut it. Wenger wanted to see if his team could cope without the defensive lynchpin and it turns out, they couldn’t. Denilson still has to come back from injury and may improve but I think the only candidate there can be is the rugged Samir Nasri.

It may seem strange considering he plays as an attacking midfielder or on the wing, but he has quick feet, can tackle and is strong. He is usually one of Arsenal’s most hardworking players always runs and runs for the cause. He also gives Clichy a bit of protection down the wings so there is no reason why he can’t do it in the centre. Him and Cesc Fabregas could really tick.

He gave us a hint of his talent in the position when he was deployed there in the semi finals of the Champions League against Manchester United, one of the few to come out of the game not criticised. It would also give Arsene Wenger the chance to field all his stars in the starting line-up. He is very young, and has bags of talent and could help Arsenal in the absence of Song.

I almost forgot, Wenger could actually sign someone in the January transfer window! He tried to sign Melo, now of Juve in the summer, but in my opinion Song has repaid the faith Wenger has shown. If Arsenal are no longer in the Carling Cup, he could give youngsters Craig Eastmond or Coquelin a chance. Surely that would be a little too much to ask of the up and coming starlets? It’s a definite possibility, should injuries pile up, but won’t be the first choice Arsene will consider.

I recently heard that Darren Fletcher was the most improved player in Europe. I don’t know what so great about a player who continues to kick and commit fouls and somehow has escaped a red card this season. If you’re looking to heap praise on a up and coming defensive midfielder, look no further than Alex Song. Arsenal, however have problems as no player comes close in his position. It will be interesting come January.

On this day 23 years ago, a certain Alexander Chapman Ferguson was appointed as the manager at Manchester United. Today Sir Alex is the most decorated manager in British football history.

His tactical genius, inspirational personality and tremendous focus have put him in a league above others. Probably the only indispensable chink in the Man United armory, his achievements speak for themselves but to dominate the game for two decades takes more than just tactical astuteness and good man management skills.

Eye for talent

“If we look after him the right way he is going to be one of the stars of football.”- on Ronaldo

Sir Alex’s ability to unearth raw talent and develop them into superstars is probably unmatched, though Arsene Wenger too is accomplished in this regard. What separates him from the rest though is that he doesn’t just spot a player’s skill; he can also judge one’s character and ability to perform under pressure. This was seen in the Champions League final when, Anderson, a teenager in his first season at the club, stepped up and coolly converted his penalty whereas, some more experienced and accomplished players failed to do so. Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Vidic and Ronaldo were all relatively unknown when they arrived at the club but were instrumental in the European cup wins. Cantona, Schmeichel and van der Sar were signed in bargain deals.

Discipline

“You can never allow the players to run the football club and you can never allow the supporters to run the football club. Somebody has to be in charge, and the manager is the best man.”

He is known to maintain very high standards both on and off the pitch. His strict policy has seen superstars like Beckham, Stam and Nistelrooy thrown out of the club when they crossed the line. He also managed to bring the best out of Cantona, who had previously been involved in several scuffles with teammates and bosses. He has also helped hot-headed players like Rooney and Ferdinand get a grip over their temper. His now famous “hair-dryer treatment” has been lashed out to some of the biggest names in football.

Protecting his players

“Wayne understands, as Ryan Giggs understood and Cristiano understands, we will not ask him to climb the mountain tomorrow. The big danger with young players is always that you ask too much of them too quickly. We will let him mature and develop as easily as we can.”

Though a tough taskmaster, he has always protected his players during their rough patches. He kept Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney away from over-exposure to the media when the burst to the scene as “Wonder-kids”. He has constantly protected Rooney despite criticism for his lack of goals, stood behind Cantona during his infamous Kung-Fu kick incident and saved Ronaldo from the public’s wrath after the 2006 World Cup

Hunger for titles

“At the end of this game, the European Cup will be only six feet away from you and you’ll not even able to touch it if we lose. And for many of you that will be the closest you will ever get. Don’t you dare come back in here without giving your all.”- At half-time in the 99 Champs League final

Sir Alex is a born winner. He hates loosing and instills the same feeling in his players, an attitude which has seen his team win the Champions League final after trailing for most of the game and on another occasion saw Utd bounce back from a 3-0 deficit at half-time against Spurs to win 5-3. He has postponed retirement plans on several previous occasions insisting that he still has the desire to win more titles.

Whether it was the problem of getting his team accustomed to the different style of play in the European tournament in the 90’s or the more recent issue of the Rooney-Tevez pairing up-front, Sir Alex has always managed to find a way out of difficult situations.

When he started out his rivals were the likes of Souness, Venebles and Dalglish who despite being about the same age have faded away which shows that he has constantly evolved with the changing cultures in the football, in the process introducing revolutionary ideas and tactics (and even phrases like “squeaky-bum time”). While his attitude and tactical knowledge have put him at the top, it’s his personal drive and ability to evolve which have helped him stay there for more than two decades.

Eccentric style

“They say he’s an intelligent man, right? Speaks five languages! I’ve got a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast who speaks five languages!” on Arsene Wenger

Sir Alex has at several times used the media to his advantage. Now famous for his mind games and mischievous swipes at opposition managers, he on several occasions has also lavished praise on his players in public. Never one to be afraid of taking a gamble, he dropped Jim Leighton ahead of the 1990 FA Cup final, signed a certain Eric Cantona, already famous for his indiscipline, and replaced most of his double winning squad with youngsters, in 1994, which prompted Alan Hanson to say “You’ll never win anything with kids”. Just like this time, he has forced his critics to eat their words on several occasions.

When this fiery Scot took over a talented but title hungry Man Utd in 1986, his sole aim was to knock Liverpool “off their perch”. 23 years on, he has achieved so much more. He has taken the club to heights that were not reached even during the time of the legendary Sir Matt Busby.

Unlike several other managers who now lay more emphasis on a patient and disciplined approach, as the financial stakes increase constantly, he has achieved it all while playing “the beautiful game” the way it should be played. As famous for his catchy one-liners as for his style of chewing gum, Sir Alex is held in the highest esteem among fans and rivals alike.

With his declaration that he wants a third Champions League title before retirement (straight after he won his second!), the man who reportedly was about to be sacked in 1990 has once again warned his rivals that the fire in him still burns.

“Alex has given Manchester United the most fantastic ride, and he has made the club what we always thought it was – number one” – Sir Bobby Charlton