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.

About six weeks ago I did a piece predicting West Ham to win the Premier League based on their league position this year and Manchester United’s league position last year after 5 games.

That prediction hasn’t been working out too well (hopefully you didn’t think I was serious…although I’m pretty sure I still managed to annoy some Millwall fans…) and so I thought I’d take a look once again at where things stood last season in comparison to this season. Plus, Liverpool lost for the fifth time this weekend, and, well, you’ll understand why I want to take a look at the table exactly one year ago today when you see it.

14 Possibly Interesting Facts About The 2008/2009 Premier League Season Compared to the 2009/2010 Premier League Season That You Might Like (Redundancies should be reported to the Redunancy Department of Redundancies):

1. This time last year, Liverpool was atop the Premier League with 8 wins from 10 matches and 3 points clear of Chelski. This year, the Blues hold a two point lead over Man United for the lead while Liverpool have stumbled to their fifth loss of the season and find themselves in 7th place.

2. Wigan (8 points), Bolton (8 points) and Tottenham (6 points, 2 from 8 games if you recall…that stat will never get old) populated the wrong end of the table in the relegation zone. This year, Hull (8 points), West Ham (7 points) and Portsmouth (7 points) find themselves in the same predicament.

3. The three teams that were eventually relegated, Middlesborough, West Brom and Newcastle, stood in 9th, 16th and 17th place, respectively. Place your bets now on Stoke (9), Wolves (16) and Blackburn (17) to find themselves in the Championship come next year as they find themselves in the same spots as well. 

4. Chelsea owned the best goal differential at +18. At +20 this year, their goal differential still tops the league.

5. The worst goal differential in the league was -7, a tie between Stoke and Blackburn. Phil Brown’s (for the moment anyways) Hull City currently owns the worst goal differential at -16.

6. Chelsea stood in 2nd place. Manchester United currently stands in 2nd place. I’d tell you to place your bets on Man United to win the title, but as a Liverpool fan, I’m sorry but I simply cannot bring myself to do that.

7. The 3rd place spot was occupied by Arsenal. It still is.

8. There have been 19 1-nils this season.

9. Bolton had failed to score in 6 of their first 10 matches. Doing their best imitation of the Wanderers, Portsmouth have failed to score in 6 of their first 11 matches.

10. Chelsea have let 8 goals in this season, doubling the amount the had let in last season (for those not too savvy at math, that means they let in 4 last year). Coincidentally (and NOT ironically, as some would say), they still have allowed the least goals this season.

11. West Ham was the only team to be drawless after 10 games last season. This season, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Burnley have all taken the 3-points-or-no-points approach in each of their 11 matches as well.

12. Nicolas Anelka (19), Cristiano Ronaldo (18) and Steven Gerrard (16) lead the league in scoring last season. Fernando Torres (9), Darren Bent (8), and Didier Drogba (8) are on pace to lead the league in scoring this season. Torres is in line to score 22, with Drogba and Bent on pace to gather 19.6 goals (if you would like to know how to score 0.4 goals, go ask that blasted beach ball).

13. Robin Van Persie lead the league in assists with 11 last season. Fabregas already has 9, putting him on pace to have a hand in 22 goals by the end of the year.

14. The worst discipline belonged to Wilson Palacios and Marouane Fellaini, who both gathered 12 yellow cards to their name all of last season. So far this season there is a 9 way tie for the worst discipline. They’re all on pace to gather up 11 yellows.

11 games down and 27 to go. Who knows, maybe Portsmouth will go on a 27 match win streak and win the league. And maybe Abigail Clancy will break up with Peter Crouch and marry me. But as Andy Gray of FIFA10 likes to tell me, the table after 10 games is usually very similar to the table after 38.

Situated in the heart of every great team is always a truly special central midfielder who is capable of taking matches by the scruff of their neck and dominating them.

Some midfielders are specialists in the holding role, others have an uncanny knack of scoring goals but every so often a player comes along that can excel in all areas. A prime example of this particular species has to be this week’s ArsenalFCBlog’s interviewee Cesc Fabregas.

To accompany this excellent exclusive interview I thought it would be fun to run the rule over the game’s finest all-round midfielders. Here’s my personal top five, as of today…

1 – Andres Iniesta

Suddenly the apple of everyone’s eye after a number of years striving to impress the masses, Barcelona’s wonderfully gifted midfielder is now a complete player. Strictly speaking he’s not utilised as a straight forward central midfielder too often by club or country but that doesn’t mean he’s not the best in the business.

When utilised as a holding player for Barca, Iniesta’s anticipation and awareness allowed him to win possession of the ball more than any other player in La Liga. The statistics proved it. When deployed as a free spirit in the centre of the park the diminutive 25-year-old uses his slight frame, fluid movement, skill, poise and passing ability to destroy the opposition to great effect.

Iniesta is the quiet man of Spanish football but he knits everything together perfectly. He can score goals, he keeps possession better than anyone else and he can also defend. It’s criminal that Andres Iniesta isn’t widely regarded as the world’s best midfielder, because that’s exactly what he is.

2 – Steven Gerrard

A better talisman you will not find on the planet. It’s not easy to find any faults in Gerrard’s make up as he is strictly speaking a perfect specimen of the modern day footballer; tall, powerful, fast, a fine tackler, hard working, technically brilliant and a scorer of goals. On top of all that he also happens to be one of the most inspirational players of his generation.

The only fault I can see is Gerrard’s perceived lack of application towards international football. He seems all too happy to take a back seat at times for his country, playing with a slight inhibition compared to when he’s wearing the red shirt of Liverpool. He’s still one of the most dangerous players in the world though, whoever he’s playing for.

3 – Xavi

A big game playmaker who rises to the occasion every time he needs to. Essentially a holding midfielder Xavi is actually much more than that. His movement and passing are so slick that he’s almost untouchable in possession. He’s even better than Paul Scholes was at his peak and that is some accolade, as I was a massive Scholesy fan!

At 29, he is now a mature footballer but there are no signs of him being on the slide. This guy treats the ball as if it’s his friend and you have to put him up there with the world’s best.

4 – Cesc Fabregas

It shows how good Spain are for Cesc to be ranked their third best midfielder! He would be number one in almost every other country. I’ve seen this guy play numerous times in the flesh and he rarely fails to shine.

What impresses me most about the Gunners skipper is his mature decision making and effortless movement. Always moving, always wanting the ball, and always looking to create a goalscoring opportunity, he makes things happen all the time. Luis Aragones’ deployment of Fabregas as a second striker also proved that the youngster can every bit as good in the final third as he is in the middle.

5 – Daniele de Rossi

The Italian ‘Gerrard’ is a player that’s about to become a world famous name in my opinion. The 2010 World Cup will be his big chance to shine and I fully expect him to be one of the stars of the tournament.

He’s only 26 but has already amassed 50 international caps and he is the main man for the Azzuri. Freed from the defensive duties that restrict him at Roma, De Rossi is a much more potent attacking force at international level. His drive and all-round ability mark him out for me as the next big thing.

Also I’d like to give special mentions to Lampard, Essien, Alonso, Pirlo, Dzagoev, Senna, Cambiasso, Sneijder, Mascherano, Schweinsteiger and Lucas (sorry, I’m kidding there!).

That’s my view but feel free to disagree and suggest your own alternatives! Let’s discuss…

Fernando Torres & Robbie Keane could have been the deadliest double act since Starsky & Hutch, had Rafa Benitez not thought otherwise. As it happens they had to settle last week for separate feats, separate plaudits, and separate points hauls.

Torres could realistically have expected to be the week’s king in the Fantasy League with a splendid hat-trick against Phil Brown’s tame Tigers, but his eschewed strike-partner grabbed the honour, four goals against Burnley meant plenty of spilt claret for Owen Coyle, as the Fantasy Premier League season took another set of twists and turns.

The Men In Form

Indeed, Torres was not even the second highest points scorer. Darren Bent’s hot-streak at Sunderland continued as he inspired the Black Cats to a 5-2 win over Wolves. Bent won, and converted, the opening goal from the penalty spot before picking up three second half assists to record a massive 18 points haul. His strike partner Kenwyne Jones was equally deadly, two goals for the Trinidad & Tobago hitman keeps him very much on the coat-tails of his team-mate.

Liverpool’s win over Hull may have been a cakewalk, it may have sounded the death knell for Phil Brown, and it may also have given Tigers debutant Liam Cooper nightmares. But it also threw up a few points in midfield for the Reds. Ryan Babel only played 29 minutes at Anfield but notched two goals, and twelve points. Albert Riera played the full 90 and managed ten. It would have been slightly different of course had the Spaniard’s late effort not looped up off Babel and put the embarrassing gloss on the victory.

Wigan may not have been in the best of form as they welcomed Chelsea to the DW Stadium, but in Titus Bramble they have one of the most improved players in the league. His errors may never totally go away, but in terms of performances, he is building a solid reputation. His opening goal, and subsequent domination of Chelsea’s much-vaunted attack, got him 10 points, and make him a useful bet for bargain-basement.

The Men to Avoid

I was tempted to say this at the start of the season, but was worried for my own reputation. Michael Owen may have scored twice off the bench in his opening six appearances for Manchester United, but his old injury concerns were never far away. A groin strain sustained in midweek will now keep him out for three weeks, and it is fair to say that Owen takes a little longer than most to get back to full form. Especially if he is trying to achieve that as a substitute.

Time was, David James was the staple diet of all good Fantasy League sides. Not any more. Pompey may have been unlucky to lose a seventh straight league game at home to Everton, but James was to blame. His cowardly attempt to thwart Louis Saha with a turned-back failed, his clean sheet went up in smoke, and Jamo is the lowest scoring regular goalkeeper in the game. Pompey may improve, but James should be ignored.

Bargain Hunt

Vito Mannone (Arsenal) – Don’t believe the hype, they say. But looking beyond hype, Mannone has had a great start to his Gunners career. A man of the match performance at Fulham last week gave him 8 points, and with neither Manuel Almunia nor Lukasz Fabianski fit, Mannone may have a chance to nail down a regular place in Arsène Wenger’s side. At £4.5m, the young Italian could be the bargain of the month.

John O’Shea (Manchester United) – It is not often that a big four player costs less than £6m, but John O’Shea is seen as a utility man, and so his value is representative. A goal at Stoke last week earned him a place in the Dream Team, and O’Shea has played 90 minutes in six of United’s seven league games this season. £5.4m well spent if you ask me.

Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) – Colombians in the Premier League are a rare occurrence. Tino Asprilla, Juan Pablo Angel, and now Hugo Rodallega. None set the world alight despite obvious talent, but Rodallega is promising to become the focal point of an attractive Wigan side. His goal last week may have been a penalty, but it is doubtful that John Terry and co will have a tougher time all season. Three goals and counting now for the big man, and £6.4m is not a bank-breaking fee.

Fixtures

• Bolton v Tottenham
• Burnley v Birmingham
• Hull v Wigan
• Wolves v Portsmouth
• Man Utd v Sunderland
• Arsenal v Blackburn
• Everton v Stoke
• West Ham v Fulham
• Chelsea v Liverpool
• Aston Villa v Man City

One fixture stands out of course, Chelsea v Liverpool could be a season-definer for both sides. Elsewhere Arsenal should give Blackburn a roughing up at the Emirates, whilst Sunderland’s porous defence travels to Old Trafford. Manchester City’s trip to Villa on Monday night looks a decent game on paper, whilst there is a chance for Pompey to get their season up and running at Wolves.

My Team

I wondered whether the lack of a Torres might have hindered me last week – how wrong I was. Darren Bent, Robin Van Persie & Didier Drogba kept my strikeforce firing, Steven Gerrard’s fluke goal meant my captain contributed 14 points, whilst my other two midfielders – Cesc Fàbregas & Charles N’Zogbia – picked up assists. At the back Michael Turner netted for Sunderland and Emiliano Insúa grabbed an assist to complement debutant Sylvain Distin’s clean sheet.

One small mistake, Tom Huddlestone remained rooted to my subs bench and promptly picked an assist, some bonus points, and 8 in total. Can’t win them all though.

For this week, there is just one change. Micah Richards’ omission for Man City on Monday may well have been down to fitness, but his form is not great. Out he goes, in comes Arsenal’s Alex Song. The thinking? Well Song is a defender on the game, but a midfielder in reality. Arsenal are at home to Blackburn, and Denílson is injured. He will play, he will score points. Simple.

The Football Media league

Tough at the top isn’t it? Jon Egger Hallsson retains top spot despite a problematic week. His lead is down to six points now after a rasper of a week from Paul Worthington and his Chilli Peppers. 98 points for them, thanks largely to captain Torres, and a ludicrously solid all round performance. He swipes second place as a result.

Elsewhere, there were some average weeks at the top of the table, allowing Torres to fire plenty of sides up the ladder. Liosa Casserley and her lads were the standout performers, 102 points in the week launched her into thirteenth spot, alongside you know who!

You can join the Football Media league here.

Seven goals, seven minutes of added time, seven players from the Big Four in the team of the week. Yes, the big boys claimed back their rightful place at the top of the Premier League table last week, the pretenders of Manchester City & Tottenham slotted firmly into their place. Wins for Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool & Arsenal meant it was a good week for the star names, as well as a few lesser ones too.

The Men In Form

When Arsenal splashed out £10m on a Belgian defender who was struggling to reach the 6ft mark, one or two eyebrows were raised. How would Thomas Vermaelen handle the physical element of the Premier League? Would he compete aerially? Is a Belgian ever really any good? The answer – on all three counts it seems – is a resounding “Yes!”. Vermaelen picked up a whopping 19 points at the weekend thanks to his clean sheet, coupled with two lovely goals. It takes him third on the defenders list, with 34 season points, and his value is rocketing skywards. Sign him up if you can.

Ashley Cole doesn’t share the same sort of affinity with Arsenal these days of course, his murky move to Stamford Bridge and the frighteningly egotistical revelations in his autobiography pretty much severed his ties with North London. Not that Chelsea mind of course, Cole is currently in the form of his life across town, his second goal of the season, allied to some clean sheet and bonus points, promotes the England left back to second in the defenders chart with 40 points – reassuringly for Fabio Capello it is the England right back, Glen Johnson, who sits atop that particular table. But then, does Don Fabio play Fantasy Football?

And how about a bit of nostalgia? Every year people take a long hard look at Manchester United’s squad, and come to the same conclusion. “Sooner or later they will have to strengthen that midfield, cos Giggs (and Scholes) can’t go on forever”. Every year they are wrong. Last season’s PFA Player of the Year is in sparkling form right now, adding three quality assists in the Manchester derby on Sunday, and picking up a richly deserved man-of-the-match award. Approaching his 36th birthday, Giggs is still running the show at Old Trafford like a seventeen year old. Long may it continue.

The Men to Avoid

Spare a thought meanwhile, for Giggs’ supposed contemporary, Michael Carrick. The former Spurs and West Ham midfielder was a model of self-improvement during his first couple of seasons at United, but has found himself firmly out of favour this term. A missed penalty at Burnley is his only notable contribution so far in this campaign, unless you count the 30 seconds added on for his late, late substitution on Sunday….

Likewise Emile Heskey. Indispensable for England, indistinguished for Aston Villa. Heskey has played just 116 minutes this season, picking up a paltry 4 points. His value is dropping fast, and with Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew impressing each week, his chances look like being even more limited as autumn approaches winter.

Staying on the England theme, how about Joleon Lescott? Manchester City may have moved heaven and earth to persuade Lescott to swap royal blue for sky blue, but they don’t appear to have papered over the cracks in his game as effectively. Three more conceded by Lescott’s defence on Sunday means the former Wolves man has just five points to his name this season, from four games. At £7.1m, Lescott looks a bit heavily priced too.

Bargain Hunters

Peter Crouch (Tottenham) – Ok, so he hasn’t featured as much as he would have liked so far this season (that will probably be written on his gravestone come to think of it). But Crouch was in dazzling form netting a hat-trick in the Carling Cup in midweek, and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp knows he can’t rely on his little and littler strike-force of Jermain Defoe & Robbie Keane every week, so expect Crouch to enter the side at some point. Probably this week at home to Burnley actually. At £7.1m, Crouch represents a better bet than most similarly priced forwards – think Jo at Everton, Kenwyne Jones at Sunderland or Benni McCarthy at Blackburn.

Michael Kightly (Wolves) – Not many players in the current Premier League system have experience of playing non-league. Michael Kightly does, having been plucked from Grays Athletic by Wolves boss Mick McCarthy. He repaid him pretty comprehensively too, the nippy wide player was inspirational as Wolves romped to promotion last year, but a metatarsal injury has sidelined him since April. He is back now though, and keen to grasp his chance in the big time. Expect the diminutive Londoner to terrify more than a few defences this season, and expect him to represent excellent value at £5.4m.

James Collins (Aston Villa) – Some people, including me, wondered where this lad got his reputation from at West Ham. I’d never noticed anything special about him, that’s for sure. But Martin O’Neill liked him, and he has slotted in nicely alongside fellow newboy Richard Dunne in the centre of Villa’s defence. No goals conceded in both games since his arrival says it all, and with him costing just £4.6m, Collins could be a sharp piece of business for any manager.

Fixtures

Portsmouth v Everton
Birmingham v Bolton
Blackburn v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Hull City
Stoke City v Man Utd
Tottenham v Burnley
Wigan v Chelsea
Fulham v Arsenal
Sunderland v Wolves
Man City v West Ham

A quick skim of the fixtures shows Liverpool should have a home banker against Hull City, load up on Gerrards and Torreses if you can, and expect clean sheets to finally arrive for Carragher and co. Tottenham too should find Burnley a more welcoming guest than Manchester United were to White Hart Lane, whilst Chelsea should prove too strong for Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic side. Arsenal have a chance to show their mettle with a trip to Fulham, and Manchester United will need to show theirs as they travel to Stoke. Manchester City complete the weekend’s action, with a home clash with West Ham.

My Team

Still going solid, all things told. Cesc Fabregas did his job as skipper with a late goal, whilst all three of my strikers performed well, including a goal for Darren Bent on his first outing for my side. Steven Gerrard picked up an assist, as did Emiliano Insua, whilst my decision to start Joe Hart proved inspired, as he was keeper-of-the-week with 8 points.

Just the one change this week, in comes Sylvain Distin of Everton to strengthen my defence. Kevin Foley’s drop to £3.9m precipitated this move, but Everton are resurgent and Distin will be integral to their improving defence. His fall in value (from £5m at the start) has worked to my advantage.

Football Media League

Jon Eggert Hallson is showing no sign of relenting at the top of Soccerlens’ league, his Handavinna side clung to top spot with a fine week – inspired by Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba & Ashley Cole. Behind him it is the battle of the Corrigans as Colin (Hats Off FC) and Dermot (Nil Satis XI) occupy second and third place, whilst a special mention must go to Greg Stark and his Ipswich Down side, who amassed 88 points thanks in part to having the likes of James Milner, Louis Saha & Gareth Barry amongst the bigger boys.

My side, the Baroque Social rose, salmon-like to 28th spot thanks to a solid week, but sit 56 points off the leaders. Wild card time anyone?

It’s one of the most tiresome cliches in football these days, yet one that most in the public eye can unilaterally agree on. Liverpool, they say, are a team of two players. No argument. G&T, Stevie & Nando, Gerrard & Torres.

Like the zonal marking debate, no conversation about Liverpool is complete without it. But yesterday’s annihilation of Owen Coyle’s much-liked Burnley side in the Anfield sunshine, whilst hardly unexpected or especially flamboyant, did at least show the world that there is more to Liverpool’s attacking armoury than their prize duo.

Rafael Benítez has been given a few headaches from his supporting cast in the past few weeks, Ryan Babel’s lethargy and fondness for an inflammatory quote or two may well have led to his omission from the squad yesterday, whilst Albert Riera was another to go public on his frustration at a lack of minutes so far this season.

But if Benítez had any problems with those two, with yesterday’s match-winners he can have no issue whatsoever. Dirk Kuyt, and hat-trick hero Yossi Benayoun are fast establishing themselves as two of the Reds’ most reliable performers, shaking off the inconsistency and quality issues that some commentators – including yours truly – believed would forever hold them back.

The pair have now chipped in with more than fifty goals in their two-and-a-bit seasons together at Anfield, no mean feat at all considering Benayoun has not always been (and probably still isn’t) an automatic choice, and that Kuyt was initially signed as a central striker, who has since shown off his admirable versatility to retain an integral role.

The Dutchman, deployed centrally behind Fernando Torres, excelled in his hour or so on the pitch yesterday, setting the tone in a quiet first fifteen minutes with his tireless running and willingness to knit midfield and attack together. And once his Israeli team-mate had opened the scoring with a well-crafted turn and finish, Burnley were swept away.

Benayoun was phenomenal, few players in the league today possess as adhesive a touch as the 29 year-old, and Benítez himself paid tribute to his “clever movement” in his post match press conference. He richly deserved his treble here, and was only denied a fourth by a dubious – nee incorrect – offside decision after Steven Gerrard’s free kick had been spilled into his path by Brian Jensen.

Kuyt had already gobbled up a similar rebound for the critical second goal before half time, as Burnley’s keeper gave Benayoun’s 25 yarder the hot potato treatment following a lightning counter attack. Benayoun would later go on to complete his hat trick with a pair of simple but effective finishes in front of an appreciative Kop End.

It all bodes well for Liverpool, who saw their skipper Gerrard enjoy a wonderful game of his own from a deeper central midfield position, whilst Benítez was gushing with praise for young Brazilian Lucas, who shrugged off the effects of a gruelling international week with Brazil to turn in a performance good enough for his manager to label him “our key player today”.

And whilst a solid and healthy victory over Burnley is not exactly pulse-racing fare, and despite important away wins for Chelsea & Manchester United, Benítez has reason to be cheerful as he surveys the league table today. His side may have suffered the same number of losses already this season as they managed in the whole of the last campaign, but the Spaniard knows that his squad is improving by the day.

Torres here was largely anonymous, yet the side still managed four goals – and could have had plenty more – whilst Gerrard proved that he can still be hugely effective in an orthodox midfield role, whilst the consistency of the likes of Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Emiliano Insúa & Jamie Carragher is rarely an issue.

They might not, as Reina revealed in yesterday’s Guardian, be overly-confident of a title push this season, but one thing is for sure, the best of Liverpool this season is still to come, and they have more than Gerrard & Torres to frighten teams with.

Sir Alex Ferguson had had a quiet couple of weeks, all things considered. The furore over the futures of Cristiano Ronaldo & Carlos Tévez had long since died down, the modest signings of Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen & Gabriel Obertan had been completed with minimal fuss, and United’s tour of Asia was underway.

But today, the Manchester United manager has thrust himself firmly into the kind of cross-city-conflict that used to be reserved for the likes of Francis Lee, Mike Summerbee, Paddy Crerand & Nobby Stiles.

Speaking in typically candid, and borderline vitriolic, terms, Ferguson told the Observer that Manchester City’s joy at securing the signature of Tévez- seemingly at United’s expense- smacked of “a small club with a small club mentality”, before going on to claim that City’s other major forward signing- Emmanuel Adebayor- had been “desperate” not to join the club, suggesting that the Togolese international’s representatives had contacted both United & Chelsea in a bid to secure a deal, having already spoken to City.

The Scot had been riled by a poster erected in Manchester city centre showing a grinning Tévez above the slogan “Welcome to Manchester”, and was quick to dismiss the significance of the Argentine’s arrival at Eastlands, saying “For all the buying they have done, they still have to pick a team with balance. That won’t be easy for Mark. What’s he got, 10 strikers? So if he picks a squad to go to Chelsea he has to leave seven behind, or five at least.”

It is a point not too far from the truth. City’s attacking options, as stated elsewhere this week, are plentiful. They have already offloaded Felipe Caicedo & Ched Evans this week, but in Tévez, Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Robinho & Craig Bellamy, they have five £14m plus strikers to shoehorn into an acceptable side. Ferguson’s sneers may indicate a similar lack of class to the one he has often accused other sides and managers of but, like all the best insults, his retain more than a grain of truth.

Sven livens things up

To be perfectly honest, it has been a bit of slow news week with regards to the Premier League. So it was refreshing to see Sven-Göran Eriksson roll into League Two outfit Notts County and their rickety Meadow Lane ground this week, with the plan of bringing top flight football to the club.

Eriksson’s reign as Director of Football (not to be confused with team manager) began with a promising 2-1 victory over the more illustrious side of Nottingham- Forest. On target at a sun-drenched Meadow Lane, in front of a 12,000 plus crowd, was Eriksson’s first signing, the former West Brom, Coventry & Oldham striker Lee Hughes. Hughes has something of a chequered past of course, having served three years of a six year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, but represents a smart move by the Magpies as they bid to begin a revolution under their smiling Swede.

Steven Gerrard is acquitted

The other story to dominate the news waves in England this week centred on Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, and his own battle with the law. Gerrard was arrested in December of last year after an altercation with a man, 34 year old Marcus McGhee, in a Southport bar. The incident apparently came about when McGhee refused Gerrard permission to change the venue’s music, and resulted in McGhee losing a tooth and suffering cuts and bruises to his face.

Liverpool Crown Court heard a week’s worth of evidence, played out tiresomely in the gaze of the national media, with CCTV footage of Gerrard now engrained in the public’s consciousness, and every man and his dog offering an opinion as to the innocence or otherwise of the star.

In the end, Gerrard was acquitted of all charges- though his five co-defendants (including two Accrington Stanley footballers) all admitted to affray- and was told by the judge that he could walk away “with his reputation intact”. His manager, Rafael Benítez, has said that he is glad his captain can now concentrate on football, and Gerrard responded positively on Friday by turning out for a reserve team at Tranmere Rovers, scoring Liverpool’s first in a 2-2 draw.

Terry commits future to Chelsea

John Terry finally spoke to the press today and confirmed what his manager (and most pundits) had been saying all along – that he will stay with Chelsea. The reason offered for his silence so far was also fairly predictable – that he had been waiting for discussions with the board and the owner (funny how the player has to talk to the owner before deciding his future instead of the manager) before making his thoughts known public.

Terry says that the thought of leaving Chelsea never occurred to him. If we are to take that at face value, then at the very least the offer from Manchester City would have been the stick Terry would have used to to renegotiate his wages to a parity with Lampard.

What do Chelsea fans think though – are they happy that Terry is staying or would they have rather watched him go and taken the money?

And who will City sign at center-back now?

As we amble through the ‘most amazing transfer season ever’, drunk on the memories of the ‘closest title race ever’ from last season and looking forward to what surely must be ‘the most exciting Premier League season ever’, it’s easy to miss the trees for the forest – or the blinding neon light that is 24/7/365 football.

Looking back at the week gone by (thankfully light on the bitchfest in Manchester), there’s a bit of Middle Eastern madness in the Premier League and at Meadow Lane, most Liverpool fans finding out that they’re idiots (a bit early in the season for this), the MLS show how out of touch they are with football fans and football fans in the MLS show how out of touch they are with reality.

Pre-Season Friendlies Bollocks

Tim Rich, the Guardian’s man attached to Manchester United’ Asia tour, was refreshingly honest about the main objective of ‘friendlies’ – a negotiating tool for securing advertising deals for the club in question. Michael Owen scored two goals with two substitute appearances, but the reaction to that has been reasonably muted – one, it’s pre-season and two, it’s in the Far East. The real test for these teams will come in the opening weeks of the season, and that’s still a good three weeks away.

But then there’s the US tour of Chelsea, where Dominic Fifield (and a host of other analysts) ignore the simple fact that Italian clubs start their seasons (and therefore their pre-season) two weeks after the Premier League and are unlikely to be at the same level of fitness as their English counterparts.

Chelsea beat Inter and out of nowhere Ancelotti’s use of 2 strikers and a diamond midfield formation is being lauded as visionary. Never mind that Scolari’s start to life at Stamford Bridge was similarly heralded, or that football is more than used to the ‘new manager’ effect on players and team performances. And this is without considering the difference in fitness levels.

No point in letting a sense of perspective get in the way of a story, hmmm?

Fahim takes over Portsmouth, bids for Megan Fox

That dude who the press thought was the owner of Manchester City last year has finally completed his takeover of Portsmouth FC. He’s also confirmed Paul Hart as manager (and presumably tasked him to get Pompey back into Europe or die trying) and will now be looking to bring in Megan Fox new blood into the club to sustain some semblance of a challenge for next season.

Whether he will plump up the cash for a new stadium right away remains to be seen. Despite his reputation, the man does seem to be smarter than Mike Ashley or the Liverpool owners – so I wouldn’t expect him to waste money or make promises he can’t keep.

Fahim can’t be credited with Crouchie’s rejection of Sunderland though – apparently Abbey Clancy fancies a move to London and has no interest in returning to north England. You know who’s the dog in that story (and here’s the full dog story if you’re interested).

And the Megan Fox reference? It seems to be the logical choice for Fahim – after all, Pam is getting a bit old now and there is no way in seven hells that Angie will give this guy the time of the day.

Sven tied up in Notts

Notty Sven has landed in Nottingham, speaking about the challenge of taking a football club from League Two to the Premier League in 5 years while trying to bed all the women in the area during that same time. The Premier League is pretty much the Holy Grail for footy clubs outside the top tier in England and despite another rich Middle Eastern owner backing Notts County there’s a bid difference between spending money and winning promotion (just ask QPR).

And there’s no guarantee that more women means better looking women (there’s a reason why thy men have all left…), so Eriksson, if he has such lofty goals, may be a disappointment and get disappointed in the same tenure.

Having said that, his experience and contacts are immensely valuable, so even if he doesn’t know the league, he can help the club on the business side of things and could make the difference between the club getting their first choice players or not.

Drunk Gerrard and sorry Liverpool fans

This summer’s most entertaining court case has given us new and old insights into Liverpool.

One, that Steven Gerrard is a mere mortal and not above getting into a scrap after having a few drinks. I have no problems with footballers getting into the occasional scrap – people are people and there are always misunderstandings. What’s wrong is when you have people going out of their way to get into trouble or if they have a history of offensive behavior (Barton) – and Gerrard is neither, despite his ‘advice’ to Rooney to kick Ronaldo after the 2006 World Cup.

So Gerrard’s still a good guy in my books – misunderstandings happen, mistakes are made and just because you throw a punch at another guy doesn’t make you into a bad example for children.

But we already knew that Gerrard was mortal and not God’s gift to Liverpool. We knew that he wasn’t above a little play-acting, we knew that he’s incredibly gifted but not superhuman, we knew that he’s not the smartest chap on the team and we knew that he was seriously, seriously tempted into moving to Chelsea before Liverpool bribed him with more money, begged him to stay another year and won the Champions League seemingly out of nowhere (he would surely have left if they hadn’t). Loyalty then, has as much to do with chance and circumstances as it does with who you are as a person.

Liverpool fans on the other hand seem to live in another world where Gerrard is god, Carragher is a hero for turning his back on his country, where Torres and Gerrard never dive, where Rafa’s factsheet is bulletproof instead of complete fabricated bullshit and where it’s always Liverpool’s year…wait, where was I? Yes, Gerrard is god.

When news of this incident involving Gerrard first broke, Liverpool fans swarmed the Internet angrily defending Gerrard, claiming that he would ‘never’ throw a punch and that it was a conspiracy theory by people jealous of Liverpool’s success on the pitch.

Which brings us to our second insight gleaned from this court case – that Liverpool football fans are idiots.

But we already knew that – so what’s new about this case? Apparently, Steven Gerrard was not only drunk (by his own admission, on a drunk scale of 1 to 10 – 10 being a drunk homicidal maniac – he was at 7) but he couldn’t land two of the three punches he threw at the other guy. So much for being an ‘expert’ boxer.

Expect the case to go out with Stevie G getting a suspended sentence (he received an honorary fellowship from the University of Liverpool last summer, it would be horrific to think of Liverpool’s pride and joy going to jail for assault) and having to pay a hefty fine. I don’t expect him to get any punishment from the Premier League either.

Having said that, isn’t this usually the type of high-profile case where the FA rush to cover their arses and make an ‘example’ out of a team / footballer to warn others? Luckily there is no condemnation of Gerrard / Liverpool / football in general in the press during this trial, so the FA is unlikely to get bothered. And if Terry can make a complete arse out of himself and be made captain, Gerrard can surely get away with punching a guy for not giving him the remote.

The MLS Boom is so ON!

I’m going to republish the email I got instead of making any comments on this – although if you’re interested you can read my thoughts on it on Twitter.

Fans of Major League Soccer can now customize their Internet browser with their favorite MLS team. Brand Thunder’s browser Booms! (a combination of a browser skin/theme, sidebar and toolbar) have soft launched at http://brandthunder.com/gallery, by Monday, 7/27, they are expected on MLSnet.com. There is no defined date for when each team will make it available and start promoting on their site. The Kansas City Wizards, however, did release the first MLS Boom! a few months ago (http://kcwizards.com/browser).

Technically speaking, fans download a Firefox Add-on that offers the team look & feel, toolbars, sidebars and other content or functionality like photos or videos of the players, team and games – all to their existing browser. Experientially, fans get a browser that captures the energy of their favorite MLS team. The user can also choose between a full graphically-rich view, or a toolbar only view. Plus, if more than one MLS team Boom! is installed, the user can easily switch between the versions by clicking the “B/T” button in the toolbar.

Isn’t this exciting?

While we’re on the subject of US football, congratulations to the Los Angeles Sol for being the first WPS champions.

United pull an Arsenal and piss on City

United took a page out of Arsenal’s playbook as the Glazers’ spokesperson Teshin Nayani spoke to the press recently about how United were playing ‘prudent’ and didn’t feel the need to spend money for the sake of it while other clubs around them threw around cash obscenely.

“Our operating profits are climbing and we continue to secure sponsorship deals. Our stadium is packed out and we have very good media revenues. On a normal business level, United is in a very strong position and, so far, unaffected by the economic downturn. The manager has a significant amount of money to invest if he wants to.

We do have debt service and carry a significant amount of debt but our interest payments are around £43.3m a year while our operating profit was £80m topped by an extra £25m from transfer profits. We are talking about a net amount of about £60m. That cash can be reinvested in the squad. The point is there is money coming in.”

Gill has also spoken about wanting to sign players who want to play for the red shirt and not mercenaries after money and fame – a clear swipe at both Tevez and Manchester City (but not at Ronaldo, who has received nothing but praise from Manchester United since his departure – remarkable considering that this player has left United against their wishes).

The truth about United is that the summer market has seen the top stars of today (who all grew up idolising Madrid – the dominant force in Europe at the time) ache for Spain and haven’t found the right players that would improve United.

I’m sure that, for example, United would have loved to buy Huntelaar as a third striker, but if Benzema is your first choice and he’s not coming in, will you spend 15m on a 24 yr old and sign him up on an expensive 4-5 year contract, or would you spend 0m on a 29 yr old and sign him on a 2 year pay as you play contract?

Your third striker is always going to be a ‘backup’ – and while Benzema would have been a sure starter, Huntelaar wouldn’t be, and paying over the odds when you have a cheaper option isn’t ambition, it’s madness.

If only someone could tell that to City. On second thought, don’t. Let them chase Terry. Speaking of Terry, he’s due to announce his final decision on the Chelsea / City affair soon (based on his comments post-match after Chelsea beat Inter 2-0). I’m expecting a statement today.

EPL’s fit and proper test is a sham

An extract from David Conn’s article on Derby County:

Yet even under the current “fit and proper person” rules, Mackay would have been waved through: people can have run scores of companies into insolvency; they are barred from football directorships only if they have unspent criminal convictions or have been directors in two insolvencies at football clubs.

Premier League football – if you’ve committed fraud and haven’t been caught, come screw us over.

David Beckham, LA Galaxy and US football

Galaxy fans – you are idiots for believing that Beckham would sacrifice his international career to play in a league below his standards, you are idiots for thinking that a man who has committed his long-term future to the US by setting up an academy, moving his family and laying the groundwork for owning an MLS franchise has ‘turned’ his back on the MLS because he wanted to play in the World Cup, you are idiots for applauding the supreme idiots who heckled Beckham to the extent that he had to go talk to them and you are idiots for

US football and the MLS are on the up. Part of it has to do with the exposure Beckham has brought to the sport (within the US) and part of it has to do with how the MLS, Beckham and other ‘players’ invest in the sport’s future in the US. Fans will play a major role in it too, even though there are competing sports in US that won’t allow football to get to the level it is in South Korea or the whole Far East region.

But abusing (and celebrating the abuse) a guy who wants to play for his country AND is still committed to improving football in the US? That’s real classy folks.

More to keep you company over the weekend:

• The best Brazilian footballers of all time
• The hottest football fans
• All the summer football transfers
• All about football federations around the world

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All we’ve been reading about these past few weeks is Messi this, Ronaldo that. The seemingly never ending debate on which player is the best has granted, been a whole load of fun, yet for me it’s also been tiresome in equal measure.

There can be no doubt that Lionel Messi won his individual battle with Cristiano Ronaldo in Rome but does that really make him the world’s greatest footballer?

My inclination is that Ronaldo and Messi are the two most ‘dangerous’ players on the planet. One with his power and technique is the perfect Premier League specimen, the other with his craft and skill, the epitome of Spanish football at its best. They are the ultimate match winners. But are they the best?

Personally, I think not.

For all their skill, speed and trickery both superstars have areas of their game that remain distinctly average. All-round footballers they are not.

I’d like to think that the world’s best player should excel in almost every way. They should be complete. They should be the most influential player on the pitch, almost every time they step onto the grass.

With that in mind, can you think of two players who can top Steven Gerrard and Andres Iniesta? They have power, pace, skill, vision, endeavour, defensive nous, leadership, craft, goals, creativity, temperament….they have the lot.

I nominate Iniesta as the best player in the world as of today. Who gets your vote?

This article was previously published on 4sportsake.com.

18, 30, 37, 9, 21, 11. No, these aren’t the winning numbers for tonight’s National Lottery — they’re actually the gap between Liverpool and the winner of the league dating back to the 2002-03 campaign. It’s sobering to realise that whilst Liverpool are a world class club, they’ve never been closer than nine points in the last six seasons.

Like most clubs, Liverpool came into the league this season with high hopes and a blank slate. Like most Liverpool would start hot out of the gates before dropping points around the end of October and falling out of the race completely by the first of the year. Like a fine-tuned watch, Liverpool seemed to collapse right on schedule every year.

So when the club came into January at the top of the table, people started to take notice. With almost the same squad, journalists and fans alike began to give their own antidotes as to why Liverpool had been so successful. Some claimed it was due to the increased partnership between Torres and Gerrard, whilst others said it was due to Rafa tinkering less with the starting XI. Whatever the case, there was something different about this Liverpool squad.

Whilst they may have dropped points during a critical stretch in January, Liverpool still have the chance this weekend to finish the 2008-09 campaign only one point behind Manchester United when it’s all said and done. And given the gap between Liverpool and the league champion in recent years, that’s something to be proud of.

But it still begs the question? What changed this season (besides not dropping as many points away from Anfield) that turned Rafa’s squad from a pretender to a contender? You needn’t look any farther than the number zero to figure that one out.

That zero is of course the number of times Liverpool faced defeat against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal this season. If you go back to the 2005-06 season Liverpool have never taken more than 6 points off Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in a given season. Compare that to 14 points taken off three of the best clubs in the world this campaign and it’s obvious to see that Liverpool’s success lies in their new found confidence against the teams that provide the biggest hurdle each season.

Gone are the matches where Liverpool walked on the pitch looking for a point against Manchester United. This season the club managed to take all six off the Premier League champions after falling to defeat in five of their past six. Yes, there’s a different mentality going on at Liverpool.

By putting Gerrard behind Torres and allowing him to play a more attacking role in a formation that didn’t force him to be so narrow, the squad went from being the hunted to now being the hunter.

Rafa put the pressure on teams like United and Chelsea early on and forced them to keep up. The old days of laying back and putting six or seven behind the ball were gone. What was once Liverpool’s Achilles heel has now become their greatest ally.

The points on the road against mid-table clubs still appear to be a hurdle that Liverpool needs to clear in the coming year but if there was ever one roadblock that seemed to be in their way, it was having success against big four clubs. Rafa has rectified the situation by instilling a killer instinct in his club that hasn’t been seen since the Spaniard took over at Anfield.

Liverpool may still be searching for that one piece of the puzzle to bring them No19 but if they play with the same killer instinct next season against Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, most would probably agree that it wouldn’t matter who they brought so long as they could replicate their big step “four”-ward this season.