Why Chelsea are not in it

As one of the many people skeptical about the return of Jose Mourinho to Chelsea, reason wound around the material that was at his disposal in his first stint, both what he found and brought in. There was no Didier Drogba, the pair Frank Lampard and John Terry of old. There has never been a question of The Special One’s tactics and proven by his track record. Neither would one doubt the squad he was inheriting at the time, but no one really thought The Blues would be the same, except the die hards.

Traditionally, Mourinho is a natural man-manager who believes in his wits and enjoys calculations and juicy controversy and soft propaganda. That has been the key to get water from rocks at times. With a certain set of players and the conducive environment, that worked wonders in that fruitful year at Chelsea and previously at Porto.

The same momentum and quality for his use saw him conquer Italy and Europe. It was however the gritty work ethic that spelt his unsavory moments in Real Madrid and that is exactly were my skepticism comes from. The Only One got blessed with an array of talent that could be divided into departments to perform a winning act, but he always chose to be a work in a way Sepp Blatter described Cristiano Ronaldo – a commander-in-chief.  That is how coaches work but here is the problem.  

In an environment littered with an array of talent, not all artists are workaholic. While few may try to please their master, it is not everybody who is capable, exactly the reason Chelsea sold Juan Mata to United. He was accused of not working for the team and at this rate, Edin Hazard is getting praises for fighting for each and every ball. If he can cope with the workload, he will be a greater player, but this may end his promising career.

The reason Mourinho was not as successful in Madrid as expected, is exactly the willingness of sacrificing the careers for the Special One. He felt betrayed and the relationships soured. Usually, Jose manages such cases but there is a limit of how far he can go and that is determined by how much he is allowed in the personal spheres of the individuals.

At this moment in time, Chelsea plays with good tactical discipline associated with his previous team, showing a consistent management style. Their solid defensive work coupled with grit to grind out results and points is borne out of the desire to earn the hard to get complement from the man considered the best in the game right now. How much this will continue will be determined with how much they get out of this campaign.

As it is, they play like a team that has hit the ceiling but still pushing. That is what you do not want in a team halfway through a grueling season. It would not matter with five or so matches left. Chelsea will accumulate many good wins and points but are far from being the best. This was strangely recognized and admitted by the manager himself who confessed that they are just good enough for Champions’ League spot. He said this in his prayers for Manchester City to beat Tottenham Hotspur, and not for his victory over West Ham United. His prayers were answered word for word and all they have left is a battle with Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester United, if the Red Devils themselves enter a revival mode.

Within his revered tactics, Mourinho should find it in himself to be flexible enough to work around his material and acquire certain specialist to suit his taste. At the moment, his situation is dire and nobody can pick out who is suitable for what he intends, neither is it possible to see if what he intends is achievable. It is a game of football after all and the goals count. Demba Ba, Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Torres are scorers of note and neither has been utilized to their potential. If it continues like this, despite the personal friendship, Roman Abrahimovic‘s patience will be tested, not now but soon.

Coming of age for Real

Real Madrid beat dreaded Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey to record the Super Cup for the first time since 1993. It took a 108th Cristiano Ronaldo header to give Jose Mourinho the first trophy as Madrid coach. With 3rd and 4th El Classicos coming in the two legged UEFA Champions League semi-final, this is the biggest psychological advantage Real could have ever needed.

The English Premiership appears to have been decided as predicted in these shores a few hours earlier. Arsenal needed to win all their remaining matches, and against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, they had a 2 goal cushion they threw away. That is not championship material. Potential champions take matters into their own hands and deal decisively in totallity in a ruthless manner with opponents.

What is only left is a fight for 2nd place with Chelsea. It is a contest with less pressure and matching inconsistancy.They may even find better sparing partners in Spurs and Manchester City for 3rd if they are consistantly inconsistant. Chelsea beat Birmingham City 3-1 to move to 2nd spot and feel more like true contenders now as they did at the beginning. They say, it is not how one starts but how they finish.

Arsene Wenger is experienced and witty enough to know that to say the same things over and over to the same players will not motivate the players any further. It will not be surprising to see key figures leaving the Emirates and a lot more experienced youngsters coming in. It is not hard to see that Wenger can win everything with anyone elsewhere. The same young team he has now can beat any team any day. The pairing, for psychological reasons will not work.

The coach-player relationship is tired and redundant and surely, change is coming to the Emirates.

Arsenal donates title to United in a golden platter.

Contrary to popular belief, beef does not come from the supermarket. Arsenal are like a child who goes to buy beef at the butchery when a fat bullock is about to be slaughtered. Manchester United are the greying chief with his intact teeth, who shows up to the cattle pan armed with salt, pepper, chillis, ketchup, toothpicks and all, during a traditional skinning of the beast.
You may still recall how a rural witchdoctor from Limpopo who scratched the backs of the players of one team I took to greatness ages ago, how he said he was very popular with Liverpool supporters for his juju. After Sunday’s Liverpool exploits, the confusion is cleared. The sangoma was serious.

Looking at the picture of the Barclays Premier League right now, you will see how United don’t need to do a thing to win the title. That is when I think that the Premiership is faulty. I must say that while Chelsea and Manchester City are the boys that hold the knives and skin during the slaughter of our bull, Liverpool are abandoning their duties of cleaning tripe and offal.

There is no guessing who the actual skinners are here. They will be labouring until the last match of the season. This they do with good course. The seniors in this department are Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham and Stoke City. They are supervised by iron fisted Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs’ main duties are resigned to making fire for the barbeque/braai.

Of the lot at the top of the table, when the deal is done and it’s time to eat, only Chelsea have at least the dentures. They have always been far more dangerous at their worst than Arsenal at their best. The problem is that their worst spell took far too long for United to worry about. Sir Alex Ferguson knows the title is in the bag, even though The Blues are the only ones with balls to wrest it away. Actually, it was theirs until they lost it.

All remaining fixtures are now academic. We await El Classicos as Jose Mourinho is getting frustrated in his efforts to remain Special.

Messi or Ronaldo?

If the team is Barcelona, then it Messi. For Manchester United, definitely, Ronaldo. Cristiano is finding his Man U form at last. Big names moving to big clubs are likely to suffer the ‘Thierry Henry effect’. This is a phenomenon whereby one is a ‘cult leader’ in his team and then moves on to be an ordinary ‘Jack and Jill’ at another man’s cult centre.

There has been cases of Ronaldinho, Robinho, Adebayor, Berbetov, Hargreaves, Ballack, Shevshenko, Kaka, the list is endless. Ronaldo seemed to be immune but quickly faded until the arrival of Jose Mourinho, his countryman, at the Santiago Bernebeu. Save for that, he was a mighty flop.

Big name footballers thrive on their idol status where they are. This definitely drives the Portuguese Ronaldo. He wants to be important, and only when he feels so does he act important. He plays to outshine somebody all the time. He is exquisite and elegant in many ways.

As for Lionel Messi, he is a humbled flambouyant playful magician who plays for himself. He is like a kitten, least concerned about whether we are watching or approving him. Messi keeps himself happy only for himself. Selfless as his nature is, his delights comes from personal special execution of technique in dribbling, passing or scoring.

For Ronaldo, it is all glory, at whatever the cost and the price, and he does not care whether we like it or not. His arrogance is excellent for an underdog team, especially when the teams rises to the occasion and win. All must revolve around him. Only then is all well. For that reason, Ronaldo tries far too hard to get his way, by hook or crook. Messi deals in hook only and he does it well.

Given the 2, I would choose Ronaldo if I succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson, and Lionel Messi if I took over Barcelona. That is far too biased to make an opinion, but I will get neutral. Let us take the English top 5. United has already taken Ronaldo, so for City, I would take Messi, Spurs Ronaldo, Liverpool without doubt, Messi as well as Chelsea.

I am not sure you are clear why. Manchester City has the personnel necessary for Messi to play his football without altering much play or pattern of the whole structure. Many players would be in Ronaldo’s way and their pace would be far too slow for him.

As for Spurs, it is where Ronaldo would thrive exceedingly well. Harry Redknapp plays too much fluidity from midfield going forward and the way Gareth Bale and Luka Modric move, Ronaldo would have a field day exploiting the spaces they provide, or else, they would be the ones that wreck havoc, together with van der Vaart. Messi would be lost in that team, unless Steven Pienaar and Aaron Lennon play upfront and then rest being defensive players.

Liverpool have reasonable solidity and their confidence would do with a cutting edge of the diminutive Argentinean. Messi would win all Liverpool matches single handedly. A plus would be the supply line to Luiz Suarez being opened. David Ngog and Dirk Kyut would also have a field day. Ronaldo would completely kill the team and fade in that mud that The Reds play nowadays. He would be as disastrous as his first year at Real Madrid.

Like City, Chelsea have all Messi needs to tear a lion apart. With Michael Essien solid in the defensive role, Flourent Mouluda would flow everywhere and Didier Drogba would be at his best. There is no way Ronaldo would be recognisable in that line-up and his role seemed to be cancelled by Malouda, Salomon Kaloe and Drogba. He would never be an extra dimension there, but a duplication of an unfunctioning mechanism.

The bigger Spurs fight is to secure CL spot next season

Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League by beating AC Milan on a 1-0 aggregate despite an average drawn match at White Hart Lane. Not only did Spurs beat AC, they vanquished Inter in the process. It is not a feat anyone can tell you is easy by any measure.

Spurs progressed from a very tough group stage and their novice status made their participation a question of numbers and fulfilling the fixtures. Now they are a worry to many teams. Being a new book in this league, I guess even power houses in the game, they will try not to stroke Spurs ego but few will hope to meet them after a draw next week.

On their part, and rightly so, they would not care less whether they meet Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United. Why should they after toppling two Italian teams in a single tournament? Their lack of care in this regard is what makes them dangerous as they do not have pressure to perform. From now on, it is all for the fun of it and it can be very fulfilling.

To put it mildly, they are like a boxer who had complete rest after a good night sleep fighting another who spent a night in a bar. I am not saying that Spurs will win this thing. Of course they have the pedigree as long as their full complement of the squad is at their disposal, hence putting your life’s saving against them winning it would be fatal.

There is a tougher task ahead of Harry Redknapp’s team than a quarter-final fixture. The Londoners have performed worst in the domestic scene after success in Europe. For them to dance with the stars again next year, the trend must stop immediately. They have been erratic in overtaking Chelsea and Manchester City in the title race for the 4^th spot. Spurs could have left the rest of the tams fight for 4^th with their 3^rd position secure. Like Arsenal, they threw away easy points.

After the champagnes of last night victory, let us leave the party to go on and the boys to enjoy the lime light. It is not something that came on a silver platter. There are so many highly rated teams that would have loved to be in their position, but are leaking their wounds with their tails between the legs.

God bless Tottenham Hotspur of White Hart Lane, London.

Spurs fairy tale continues against AC Milan

Aaron Lennon picked up the ball, got on his bike, accelerated at 500 miles per hour, skipped a hump. attracted unnecessary attention, checked his rear view mirrors and spotted Peter Crouch, played the ball square and Crouch unleashed a low curling shot into the bottom left corner in the 80th minute. Cometh the moment, cometh the man.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic wrestled Dawson down and attempted a Wayne Rooney acrobatic bicycle kick and fired past Gomes and the officials caught the act and disallowed the cheating. Flamini and Gattuso were lucky to be in the pitch the entire match. Milan survived 2 obvious penalty cases. They are not out yet but their task at White Hart Lane is the worst any team has had to face this season.

The match started well with Tottenham Hotspur controlling the UEFA Champions League match with quick and incisive passes into the attacking area and out-shooting the host in the opening 15 minutes. Spurs looked like the side at home and defended efficiently. The end of the half was a balanced affair and Spurs were the happier of the two teams.

The second half saw the change in fortunes and Milan took the game to the visitors but the Spurs defence, for the first time ever, was really water tight, giving nothing away at all. Robinho was beginning to get too much space and finding Ibrahimovic. Spurs cracked a few times and Gomes was to be at his best to keep them out.

Spurs will be taking home a comfortable 1-0 win and will be welcoming back Gareth Bale in the second leg. It will be folly for them to rest on their laurels. They carry an advantage of a great coach and playing without pressure as they play the masters of Europe.

The fairy tale of Harry Redknapp's team continues and hopefully they will be at full strength in the return leg. 

Transfer deadline; Liverpool the biggest scorers

Thank God, all the speculations of transfer deals and all have been concluded. It is time to talk football once more. Without any doubt, the big news for many, is Fernando Torres joining Chelsea. Striker Torres cost £50million from Liverpool.

This is a huge figure for anyone, but for billionaire, Roman Abrahimovic, it is worth what he believes in. I personally think that while the transfer is a record fee between British clubs, the tag is on the wrong product. Torres is a faded top striker, maybe not because of his making. This opinion is solely based on his record; what he was and what he has been of late.

While his contribution to Liverpool has been very insignificant, it was the best in the team. Hopefully, Chelsea are praying for that new broom status that Torres brought to the English game when he joined Liverpool a few seasons back. Carlo Ancelotti will have to see who warms the bench among Didier Drgba, Salomon Kalou, Flourent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka.

Chelsea also paid Benfica for defender Luiz a cool £25million. This is a necessary cover for the erratic and injury prone pair of Alex and John Terry. Chelsea will be hoping for a change of fortunes and any lack of immediate revival signs will see the technical department heads roll for sure.

Among a long list of completed tranfers, Liverpool got Uruguayan, Luis Suarez, a cunning striker of note and fine finisher, from Ajax Amsterdam. Liverpool's biggest coup is that of striker Andy Carroll from Newcastle United. This is were they scored big time. Carrol is in terrific form and has been scoring goals for Newcastle and earned himself an English cap recently. For half the price of Torres, it doesn't take Albert Einstein to do the maths.

Both deals are five-and-a half-year long and by any measure, getting in-form Suarez and Carrol for the price of off-form Torres, the happiest manager today is Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool are showing they want to reclaim their position as a top 4 club. That has even been made easier for them by Tottenham Hotspur who failed to secure top central defenders and a striker. It may be time Spurs kissed their fairy tale flirt with the top 4 goodbye.

Good for Steve

Now that the money has chancged hands and the medicals almost conculded, I get safely say the transfer of Steve Pienaar from Everton to Tottenham Hotspur is a good deal for Schillo. Personally, moving away from Goodison Park was a bad idea, only in playing terms.

Protracted talks and negotiations probably soured relations and the move became imminent. All the names of high profile European leagues and teams made me numb and freeze, because, the way Pienaar plays his football, it was never going to be in his playing interest. Chelsea, AC and Inter Milan and whosever came up, was only going to be good only for his bank account. Of all the things that could have happened, he ends at White Hart Lane, by far the most suitable destination for various reasons.

Spurs have a clever and tactical manager who likes and appreciates individual creativity of a player. Harry Redknapp knows what he wants and he gets it. Steven is guaranteed a fair share of the game if he is willing to have his input in training, and he does. Pienaar plays exactly the way Spurs do, and will fit like a glove in a hand.

The benefits that are way above the GDP70 000 per week, are that Bafana Bafana will have a confident player in Schillo. His presence will also boost the confidence of rookie, Bongani Khumalo, who recently moved to Spurs from Supersport. Their fellowship will benefit each other for both club and country.

Without any doubt, Pienaar's football is the number one winner hands down.

Now, who is the Boss?

Chelsea are like a guy ladies love to hate. He comes across with all the bling and cute smile, strong with a symmetrical shape of a true movie hunk or porn stud. He provides an ideal world and seduces you with romantic moves of a fantasy world, sensitive and a good listener. When it matters the most, he flatters to deceive.

The Barclays Premier League season started with The Blues sweeping us off our feet and dazzling us with crisp movements on and off the ball. They scored willy-nilly and provided top draw entertainment and value. They tore apart teams with mercilessness of Alexander The Great. Die hard fans thought, 'This is it'.

Only yesterday, did Chelsea record a second win in 8 matches. By any standards, it is a bad statistic for reigning champions and title contenders. That as it may, is their worst run in over a decade. Signs have been coming, with their hot/cold fluctuations in which Didier Drogba's scoring touch deserted him.

Initially, Drogba was the top dog, supplying his team-mates with seaters to finish off. They never reciprocated. Technically, Chelsea broke down. Nicolas Anelka and Flourent Malouda became their trump cards, scoring regularly. The reshuffling of the technical staff may be underplayed, but those closer to the dance floor will tell you how much impact it is having.

Manchester United always had their finger on the pulse, monitoring and measuring Chelsea's progress with an eagle's eye. Was that ill advised? Because for them, as they said, Manchester City and Arsenal were never a thread. Today, City are on the throne. As it may only be for a moment, their intentions are clear and United would be well advised to re-adjust their rear view mirrors and the blind spot.

United have a few hours to take the honours away from their bitter blue side with a win at Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon. Negotiating with Harry Redknapp may not be an easy task for Sir Alex Ferguson, but he has to promise him the English management job to grind out a result at White Hart Lane. It remains to be seen if Harry responds to SAF's seduction and flattery.

Spurs have the opportunity to topple Chelsea and keep the 4th spot. It may not be an easy task, but they are capable and you bet, Redknapp will not mind a bit of Scotch whisky after 90 minutes.

If you care about what I think about the UEFA Champions League...

The UEFA champions league first legs in 2011 will be played on February 15 and 16 and February 22 and 23 with the return legs on March 8 and 9 and March 15 and 16. The final will be at Wembley Stadium on May 28.

Barcelona attracts Arsenal with alarming regularity in this tournament, and they even give them a hiding with the same consistancy. The reason is simple. Barcelona has men and Arsenal boys. Will we see boys turning to men? Not in our life-time. The Gunners can only go a gear up with a new set of players or a new manager. Barca blasted Gunners 6-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals last season and gunned them in the 2006 final. It was nice having Arsenal in the Champions League. There is still another season, next year, hoping Lionel Messi will not be eligible for the encounter then.

The same can be said of Tottenham Hotspur. They had an amazing run in the Champions League so far and my prayers were always that they draw a tough team to play. They had fantastic trips to the San Siro for the memorable encounter with holders, Inter Milan and now return there for a date with seven time champions, AC Milan. As an after thought, AC are better than Inter for now, and that is the tonic Harry Redknapp needs. I feel for the San Siro crowd. Gareth Bale will haunt them for life.

Manchester United will spend much of their Champions League preparation time doing work for the Barclays Premier League. This ensures they regain the championship, but drawing  Olympique Marseille, those who think they know, will tell you it is a plate of chips. This Manchester United is the worst side ever to take on Europe. While they has been praise of how well they began to defend and getting result without playing well, that is coming to an end. Marseille are a hard nut and it will be sad to lose for champions in such an easy fashion but like the Gunners, they will be concentrating on the league.

Chelsea are to play rookies, FC Copenhagen. Chelsea will make light work of the former  Swiss heavy weights who have become very ordinary in recent years. Such teams make good prey for the ‘men at work’ attitude of The Blues, who are seeking a comeback. Copenhagen will suffer the indignity of meeting the team that will be ruthless in atorning for it’s recent dismal performances. Didier Drogba started the season playing a blinder after blinder without scoring but providing essential supply for Nicolas Anelka. No one has tried to return the favour and the team is badly suffering. The bosses did not help with firing the first team trainer, but that has now been water under Stanford Bridge.

European champions Inter Milan drew Bayern Munich. Bayern will seek to revenge the loss at the last season's final. Inter buried Bayern 2-0 in the final that was played in Madrid. Diego Milito was the double scorer in what turned out to be a simple workout for Inter to clinch their first European crown for 45 years. As it turns out, Inter struggled under Rafa Benitez and their qualification was an anti climax for the defending champions as they came second to Spurs. Bayern’s fortunes were different, as they ran rampant with their 5/6 win group stage record, and they will surely made a light meal of the Italians.

The real deal is the Real Madrid versus Olympique Lyon. Real have a good reputation in this tournament, lifting it 9 times winners. They have never been the same side that made it their annual habit to house the Cup with the big ears. Jose Mourihno has been trying to break all records, including winning this cup with 4 different clubs. The Special One lifted the Cup in Portugal with FC Porto, England with Chelsea and Italy with Inter Milan.

All eyes are on him after he transformed Madrid to a fluid playing side, though not to the level of Barcelona. Mourinho is smarting from the embarassment he suffered from the UEFA suspensions and fines for issues concerning evading player suspensions when he ‘ordered’ Xavi and Ramos to receive silly yellow cards to miss the dead rubber of qualification stages. Barcelaona hammered him for 5 and I pity Olympique Lyon, as hell hath no fury like Jose scorned.

AS Roma had a soft opponent in Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine. Shakhtar are a gifted side without a doubt, but they are easy meat and ready for the taking. I had prayed for teams like Spurs not to draw them as the attitudes would sink and the English would struggle against them. Arsene Wenger knows what I am talking about. It must be said that Roma are not the side of years back, but they have been dishing out some decent football and one can only hope they were not flattering to deceive.

Finally, Valencia gave Man U a torrid time and showed that they real mean business this season. They will play Schalke 04 of Germany and betting against them will be ill-advice for any invester and by that, it does not mean Schalke will give it up easy. It does not necessarily mean putting United on the back foot in the group stages is a licence to advance, given United were not upto scratch in technical terms, but psychologically, they are on cloud nine and they are the last opponents to draw at this stage.

THE DRAW

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke 04
Internazionale v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
Copenhagen v Chelsea

Tell us, where is it gonna go?

UEFA Champions League Results - As cruel as It can be, Baile rocks.

Incredible as it began, it finished in a historic and incredible Gareth Bale hat-trick. Champions, Inter Milan of Italy hosted rookies, Tottenham Hotspur of the Barclays English Premier League at the famous San Siro Stadium. As Murphy Law would have it, everything that can go wrong at any match actually went wrong for Spurs as they suffered a first minute goal, conceded an early penalty that earned goalkeeper Gomes a red card and a conversion by Samuel Eto'o in the 11th minute. It was 3-0 by the 14th minute and with 10 men and less than 35 % possession, the first ever English team to win the European Cup were down and out when Eto'o scored the 4th after just 35 minutes.

Just as it started with the Eto'o show, Gareth Bale was a gear up with an incredible hat-trick of two mirror goal of top drawer quality and sheer determination that you will not see anywhere in a long time. The Bale show started in the 52nd minute before it lulled for the entire half, In injury time, Bale accelerated from the centre line on the left channel, running the entire length of the pitch to blast a sizzling hot shot below the body of sprawling Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, exactly the way he scored the first goal, step for step and stride for stride in injury time. Aaron Lennon was set on his bike as he attacked his marker to about the D-area before releasing Bale on his left, exactly on the spot he pulled the trigger for the first 2 goals. His classic precision took wind out of Inter and thank God, time ran out.

In a memorable match for the Bale performance in particular, as was the Manchester United come back against Bayern Munich in the year Samuel Kuffor cried several barrels of tears in 1999, the disastrous start by Spurs looked set to be historic in the other direction and for the wrong reasons. As any coach would tell his players at half-time, it was not about how Spurs began, but how they ended. In the dressing room, Harry Redknapp was at pains trying to solicit eye contact after heads dropped due to the defense that went to sleep early and were punished. Frankly, the officials were not even there for Spurs.

His words were definitely in the line of 'Let us take ourselves from the mess we just put ourselves in. Good teams will be judged from how they come out of trouble that how they ride the crest'. With 10 men against the champions who are 3rd in their league and have been perennial performers at the same level, and given the circumstances of the match, a final 4-0 score would have been respectable for the Englishmen. The 4-3 final results, which had both the fans and referees panicking in the dying seconds, underlines the battered team that has 2 key players in Rafael van der Vaart and Gomes suspended and top scorer Jermaine Defoe injured. Spurs showed the class that many didn't know possible, though a lose is a lose.

While this was a performance of character out of this world was happening in Italy, Manchester United were being even more average at Old Trafford against Bursaspor whom they beat 1-0. Nani scored a well taken goal for the valuable points. Barcelona also won 2-0 at home with Lionel Messi scoring a double. Rangers and Valencia drew 1-1 as did FC Twente and Werder Bremen. Shalke 04 beat Hopoel Tel Aviv of Israel 3-1. Lyon were 2-0 victors over Benfica in France.

What do you think went wrong for Spurs and what is your opinion of Gareth Bale?

Rooney Will Play For City. Wanna Bet? and Spurs have a surprise for Inter.

Wayne Rooney has been facing a tough moment of his life. Manchester United are not helping. He now wants out of Old Trafford after stepping on Sir Alex's toes but his potential destination is shifting location and very quickly. Real Madrid are at pains trying to explain how much they do not need Rooney. Well, it is the common language when such matters arise as Man U will tell you that Rooney is not for sale to anyone at anytime.

Rooney is trying to sort out his love life as his marital issues compound his lack of form that began just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup and his clash with the coach does not help matters. The United one man band is never the same player who won all individual accolades last season and the last thing he needed is being caught cheating on his wife with expensive whores or a sour relationship with the revered Sir Alex. At least, not when his form is rock bottom.

During his bad days in the office, Valencia broke a leg, and Berbetov blew very hot and extremely cold and Man U were like another team next door. Forget that Manchester claim they won't sell and that Real deny their interest. Frankly, Jose Mourinho was never a fan of Rooney, but watch this space. Real Madrid will be walking all over Barcelona after one Togolese striker joins Cristiano Ronaldo in January.

Nobody has to love, want or need Rooney. His time at Man U is done and someone must take him out of Old Trafford, not to play him, but to deny him getting a team where he will be more useful. The only one with enough lifting power to do that will be Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester City. Arsenal would use his razor sharp skills but City will be Rooney's team of choice. This will be just to rub in the red and powdered chillis into Sir Alex's eyes and nose. Barcelona have nothing to offer him. Real has Ronaldo. Even then, they really do not need him.

Manchester City are already lining up for the Manchester's favourable son. This is how it works out. Just because the Abu Dhabi billionaires will want to throw it at their neighbours and have the money to burn, and knowing United will hate to build the monster that will dominate them, City will pass Emmanuel Adebayour to Real Madrid even if it means them paying his salary, and romp in Rooney. Believe you me, Rooney will be playing alongside Tevez come January and United will hate it.

Before we part, the Champions League is on this week and I will spare you the blah blah blah that may discourage you enjoying your teams' woeful performances. The Game of the Week will be the champions , Inter Milan hosting the rookies, Tottenham Spur. This is the moment of truth for Spurs and so far, their biggest match id over half a century. They have been facing warm up situations and tomorrow night, they come up against the real deal. To cut the long story short, Milan will not know what hit them. If you watch football with your eyes and an open mind and not with your heart and emotion, you know what I'm talking about. I hope to hear from you after the Champions League matches.

Tottenham Hotspurs Too Hot For Young Boys.

Tottenham Hotspurs beat BSC Young Boys of Switzerland by a 4-0 margin on the night and 6-3 on aggregate to advance to the UEFA Champions' League group stages.

As if to separate boys from men, Tottenham Hotspurs hit 4 past hapless Swiss Young Boys at White Hart Lane. Blog followers know well there was never a question of if Spurs will proceed, but how much the Boys would suffer.

Peter Crouch was red-hot scoring a hat-trick, while Jermaine Defoe weighed in with a 2nd goal before half time. Young Boys, as expected were never in it, resorting to hard tackling and indiscipline that saw them concede a converted penalty and a defender sent off.

Crouch could have converted 2 easy chances in the second half. Gary Baile and Assu Ekotto looked sharp enough to suggest that the prediction of Spurs as the team of the season is not far-fetched. While Spurs were superb in defence, there was a concern as goalkeeper Gomes limped off at half time. 

What a fantastic night for Spurs and the English game.  Do you think Spurs will have an impact in Europe this season?

Tottenham Hotspurs Too Hot For Young Boys.

Tottenham Hotspurs beat BSC Young Boys of Switzerland by a 4-0 margin on the night and 6-3 on aggregate to advance to the UEFA Champions' League group stages.

As if to separate boys from men, Tottenham Hotspurs hit 4 past hapless Swiss Young Boys at White Hart Lane. Blog followers know well there was never a question of if Spurs will proceed, but how much the Boys would suffer.

Peter Crouch was red-hot scoring a hat-trick, while Jermaine Defoe weighed in with a 2nd goal before half time. Young Boys, as expected were never in it, resorting to hard tackling and indiscipline that saw them concede a converted penalty and a defender sent off.

Crouch could have converted 2 easy chances in the second half. Gary Baile and Assu Ekotto looked sharp enough to suggest that the prediction of Spurs as the team of the season is not far-fetched. While Spurs were superb in defence, there was a concern as goalkeeper Gomes limped off at half time. 

What a fantastic night for Spurs and the English game.  Do you think Spurs will have an impact in Europe this season?

Tottenham Hotspurs Too Hot For Young Boys.

Tottenham Hotspurs beat BSC Young Boys of Switzerland by a 4-0 margin on the night and 6-3 on aggregate to advance to the UEFA Champions' League group stages.

As if to separate boys from men, Tottenham Hotspurs hit 4 past hapless Swiss Young Boys at White Hart Lane. Blog followers know well there was never a question of if Spurs will proceed, but how much the Boys would suffer.

Peter Crouch was red-hot scoring a hat-trick, while Jermaine Defoe weighed in with a 2nd goal before half time. Young Boys, as expected were never in it, resorting to hard tackling and indiscipline that saw them concede a converted penalty and a defender sent off.

Crouch could have converted 2 easy chances in the second half. Gary Baile and Assu Ekotto looked sharp enough to suggest that the prediction of Spurs as the team of the season is not far-fetched. While Spurs were superb in defence, there was a concern as goalkeeper Gomes limped off at half time. 

What a fantastic night for Spurs and the English game.  Do you think Spurs will have an impact in Europe this season?