Manchester United have begun their 2011-12 domestic campaign in almost flawless fashion. Domestically, the Red Devils have played four, won four and scored eighteen goals along the way, while conceding only three.  Barcelona, on the other hand, have begun their La Liga season unsteadily. An impressive 5-0 win over Villareal was followed up by a disappointing 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad.

Outside of league play, the Blaugrana have already won the Spanish Super Cup, following a 5-4 aggregate win over Real Madrid, but they were beaten 3-0 by Espanyol in the Catalonia Cup final.  It is hardly the most important trophy, I know, but a 3-0 loss is a 3-0 loss regardless of competition.  So, does that bode well for United?

Well, by contrast, the Mancunians defeated Manchester City, 3-2, in a pulsating derby match, transplanted to Wembley and labeled the Community Shield, which, again, is hardly the most important trophy in English football.

In their opening Champions League matches the tables were turned.  It was United, fielding several bench players — although not Dimitar Berbatov — who looked lacklustre against Portuguese side Benfica, with Ryan Giggs, horribly exposed by the Catalans at Wembley, saving the Premier League title-holder’s bacon.  Meanwhile, Barça were robbed of three points at the death in a thrilling match against Serie A champion AC Milan.

Perhaps, then, early doors is not really a great indicator of what is to come in May and June.  On the other hand, it’s all we have to go on, isn’t it?

Barcelona were brilliant against Villareal at the Camp Nou.  They moved the ball with their patented elegance and grace.  Messi scored twice.  The new signings, Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fabregas added a goal apiece and Thiago Alacantara, the young hotshot, opened the scoring.  Barcelona kept the ball for three-quarters of the match, earned twelve corners and took eighteen goal attempts, of which half were on target. In contrast Villareal, had absolutely zero corners and managed just five shots, only one on target. Such domination is more than brilliant actually; it’s phenomenal.

Against Sociedad, Barça again had seventy-five percent possession, yet only drew. Why?  Simply put, they made uncharacteristic mistakes. Sociedad were 2-0 down at half time and seemingly lambs to the proverbial slaughter, yet on 59 minutes Agirretxe pulled one back to give them hope. One minute later, Griezmann popped up with an equaliser, after capitalising on a lack of concentration in Barca’s back line.

Are they beatable then, or is it just a case of early season hiccups?

Well, Arsenal proved last season, that it is possible to defeat Barcelona. The Gunners ran out 2-1 winners after frustrating Barça for seventy-seven minutes, until Robin Van Persie equalised. Then, smelling blood, Andrey Arshavin smashed them into the lead late on.

Nor was this win a case of Barcelona beating themselves. Arsenal had a line-up capable of giving the Catalans a taste of their own medicine, limiting Barça to just fifty-three percent possession when they average 60%. Facing a side nearly their equal in terms of precision ball movement, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, et al, weren’t able to win back the ball as quickly as they are accustomed. That night, there was less opportunity to do that, as they learnt how it felt for other sides to chase shadows.

The question is, can United do the same?  If drawn with Barcelona in the latter stages of the Champions League, could they dictate the flow of the match against such an accomplished midfield,with their new young stars?

On the basis of the first four games the answer is a definite maybe. United have based their approach on quick passing and direct, pacy wingers, similar, in fact, to their Spanish nemesis.  If United packed their midfield with players able to run for ninety minutes straight, such as Park Ji-Sung, Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley, then maybe they could keep the ball for long enough to fashion a goal scoring opportunity or two.

Yet, if they did, the onus would then be on the back four to make it stand up. With tall, angular center backs Phil Jones and Chris Smalling as the spearheads, that seems unlikely.  Barcelona’s attack is filled with quick, tricky wingers with dazzling dribbling skills. Smalling and Jones are poorly built to cope with that. They are good defenders there is no doubt about it, but facing Lionel Messi, David Villa and Alexis Sánchez is a different kettle of fish than dealing with Kevin Davies, Ivan Klasnic and Chris Eagles. The defence needs to be full of experienced defenders who are going to be switched on for ninety minutes straight. Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand, if healthy, would provide that.That trio have faced Barcelona twice before, though, and been beaten on both occasions. So, at best, Slim may still be in town.

The key, to my mind, is two players: Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher. Both are Energiser Bunnies who keep going and going, and then, if extra time is required, will keep going and going some more.

Fletcher was missing for the 2009 final, and only just made the bench for the 2011 showpiece, as an unused substitute. The Scot is typically the vital piece of the jigsaw when United play big teams. Barcelona are a big team and when Fletcher isn’t there, as shown before, they tend not to do well.  in their first four games, United haven’t had a major test — Arsenal in their current state hardly count –

Park Ji-Sung played in both finals.  In 2009, he largely went missing. In 2011, though, he was one of the best players in a United shirt. Unfortunately, the Korean is not the type to carry the club, but if his nine companions on the pitch followed his example, developing third lungs, the Premier League champion might be in with a shout.

So, to recap:  if all the most experienced players were available, if every player in a United shirt ran themselves into the ground over the full ninety and if every pass and shot was on target, United would have a chance.  Otherwise, if they meat Barcelona again in the Champions league, they can expect to have a long evening.

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“Ferguson hit by defensive crisis” screamed the back page of the The Times, following injuries to club captain Nemanja Vidic and defensive stalwart Rio Ferdinand in the champions’curtain raiser at The Hawthorns on Sunday. These injuries, coupled with the revelation that Rafael Da Silva will be out for up to 10 weeks with a shoulder injury, mean that the press are queuing up to write off United’s Premier League title challenge due to a lack of bodies at the back.

What a load of rubbish.

Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are all more than capable of covering for their more distinguished counterparts.

The fact that Jones was signed for £16 million suggests that Sir Alex Ferguson sees him as the long term successor to the former England captain, and he hasn’t looked too shabby in his first two competitive outings in a red shirt. When he came on as a substitute against City, at Wembley, he was assured on the ball and, perhaps more importantly, confident and precise in his tackling, as he and Chris Smalling held one of the most expensive teams ever assembled at bay.

The fact that he can play in defensive midfield, as well as in the centre of defence, could lead him to becoming the secret weapon at the heart of United’s title bid this season.

Following the retirement of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs  poor performance in the Champions League final and the failure of the Owen Hargreaves experiment, the Red Devils have looked weak in midfield. That, I think, is mainly due to a lack of bite in the tackle. You just have to look at the treble winning side of 1999 to see that a midfield enforcer is desperately needed if the team is going to challenge on all fronts. Roy Keane was that midfield enforcer back then, and Phil Jones could be the midfield enforcer of 2011.

Of course, Jones is not the archetypal defensive midfielder. He has a lack of pace that has seen him caught out by the quicker striker, but that is a flaw that most of the United defence possesses.  He is also prone to misjudge the simple things. When at Blackburn Rovers, he gave away needless fouls in dangerous areas and occasionally went missing in the air when sorely needed.  Now I’m not saying that Sir Alex should just throw him in at the deep end in a position that he occupied sparingly for Blackburn but, if he is given the required training, he could be a jewel in another Premier League crown.

Chris Smalling, on the other hand, is one of the most natural defenders I have ever seen. He plays like the late, great Bobby Moore.  He isn’t the quickest on his feet, but his mind more than makes up for it. He reads the game superbly well and, because of his form at the business end of 2010-11, he has already began to pay back a large chunk of the £10 million Fergie invested in him.

After signing for United, he made sixteen appearances in his debut season, firmly establishing himself as the first choice backup for Ferdinand and Vidic. Of course, like Jones, he is prone to lapses in concentration, and the quickest strikers in the game can leave him for dead, but both he and Jones are young, twenty-one and nineteen respectively; diamonds in the rough for Ferguson’s jeweller’s eye to cut and polish.

Jonny Evans, on the other hand, hasn’t had quite the fanfare of the new arrivals.  Having progressed through United’s academy, rather than being bought for an eye-catching sum, might have had something to do with that.  Still, he is seen by the Old Trafford hierarchy as one of the most promising defensive players ever to come out of United’s fabled youth system.

He is also seen, publicly as well as privately, as a quiet young man who doesn’t put on airs.  No night club incidents; no tweeting;  he just gets the job done. The Northern Irishman reminds me greatly of John O’Shea, in the way that he can do a job in every position along the back four.  He has played at right and left back and central midfield for United, along with his customary centre back position.

He too is young and occasionally gets into trouble, possessing a penchant for going in late and picking up needless bookings.   Again, that will be drilled out of him over the course of the next season or two.   With all three capable, eager to improve and versatile, it’s easy to see why Wes Brown and O’Shea were sold to Steve Bruce at Sunderland.

Like I said, what crisis?

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With the English U21s bounced out of the Euros in the Group Stage, there hasn’t been as much stick in the press as I had expected.  Whether that’s down to a respect for the player’s tender years (I can’t credit the British tabloids for such compassion), a sense of resignation due to the absence of Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshere (I don’t see the scathing criticism for either in the back pages), a higher rate of tolerance for Stuart Pearce because he isn’t Italian (much as I wish it were otherwise, this one has legs) or simply a lack of any real interest (a likely bullseye!), the young English squad has seemingly been given a free pass on this one.

The youngsters talked about building upon the 2009 loss to Germany in the finals, as well they should, but reality tells us that winning the tournament was the only true improvement that they could make.  While that may have seemed unlikely, I would have thought that there would have been more external pressure to at least make it through the group.

Admittedly, it was a tough draw and the U21 Euros, as a whole, may be even tougher to win than the senior version, which is often labeled as a more difficult task than the World Cup.  After all, the squads are far more evenly matched at this level.  None of the players have had the opportunity to mature to the degree that discipline and experience would be measurably different in virtually any squad.  As well, every squad uses the latest in fitness and training methods, so athleticism is also relatively equal from team to team.  That pretty much leaves it down to coaching.

As a manager, Stuart Pearce did well enough at Manchester City and hasn’t done too badly in this job, either.  However, his City squad faded late in the season and the Three Lions cubs have struggled in the big matches.

Does Pearce deserve to be replaced.  My initial sentiment is yes.  There is, however, the consideration that he was missing his two best players, Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshere, who have apparently become an exclusive resource for the senior squad.  One would say that is to be expected and Pearce needs to adapt, yet Spain had its top players all in the side, from David de Gea to Juan Manuel Mata to Jeffren Suarez to Bojan Krkic.  So, is it that Pearce is a poor coach or that he suffers from a lack of depth?

Such a question makes it difficult to lay the entire blame at the ginger haired boss’feet.  Worse, when you look at the collapse in the final match against the Czech’s, you can argue that Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge were unable to find a second goal, which would have killed off the match, and that Chris Smalling and Phil Jones shouldn’t have conceded two goals at the end.  The coach’s influence ends at the touch line.  On the pitch it is up to the players to execute.

Further, even though Welbeck was at Sunderland and Jones at Blackburn this past season, the match did remind one of Manchester United’s difficulties in 2010-11.  If Sir Alex Ferguson can’t prevent the Premier League champions from dropping points late in matches, how can we ask Pearce to manage it?

If a lack of depth in the team is the issue, then we are back to the same argument that has been made about the seniors.  The entire program is a mess and the FA is at fault.  If that is the case, then firing Pearce (or Fabio Capello) will solve nothing.

Yet, England fans, who are so desperate to win, and the media, who love to fan the flames of their passions, seem to only get up in arms when the first team struggles.  If they are truly desperate to be world champions, then they need to turn their attention to the young players coming up.  The foundations of the England program need to be rebuilt, a solid youth set-up needs to be installed and the FA needs to be held accountable.

Which leads me back to my first question.  Why does no one seem to mind that the U21s were bounced out so early in the Euros?

In the past few weeks, I’ve been hit from both sides, with people accusing me of having far too lofty expectations for Liverpool and then by others for being too harsh on them when they fell too far. Of course, I had built them up on the back of a superb performance at Stamford Bridge after seven good results. What followed were three poor performances and I believe that I was warranted in highlighting the inconsistencies.  Maybe I was being reactionary, reading too much into each result.  Fair enough.  Everyone is entitled to their opinions but this is a weekly column.  It learns from the past, feeds on the present and lives for the future.  I’m just along for the ride.  So, let’s get on with it.

On Sunday, Liverpool demonstrated once more, that on their day, they can be a match for anyone. What concerns me at times, however, is that the obvious commitment and effort which goes into such games can be completely missing in others.  Make no bones about it, Liverpool were poor against Sparta Prague twice and then even more-so against West Ham. The kind of commitment that was present against Manchester United just wasn’t there in those three games.

Remembering that, I am deliberately going to be reserved with my praise, despite the temptation to wax lyrical about the performance that the Reds delivered at Anfield. Sure, United were outplayed for large portions of the game but it has to be noted that they were missing two very important players, in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Of course, we cannot criticise Liverpool for that or, on the other side of the argument, exonerate United either, but it is something that must be taken into account when analysing the way in which the game went. To replace two of the game’s most respected and feared centre backs with Wes Brown and Chris Smalling is an obvious step down in class. Furthermore, the usual organisation that would come from the established partnership is no longer there.

At times, you could see that United were missing them both. The defence looked lost a couple of times, not least when Dirk Kuyt scored the second of an eventual hat-trick. I am sure that he will be the first to acknowledge the contributions of Luis Suarez. The first goal would simply not have been possible without the craft and ingenuity of El Pistolero.

From the first whistle, it was clear that Suarez was going to have an influence in the game; he looked sharp and hungry and was working overtime to put United’s backline under pressure at every opportunity. This almost paid off on several occasions and undoubtedly created a little doubt in the minds of Smalling and Brown.

Suarez’ moment of magic came thirty-four minutes into the first half when, after collecting the ball on the left-hand side of the pitch, he skinned three of United’s backline before placing the ball past the onrushing Edwin van der Sar. The ball was just about to trickle over the line when Kuyt arrived on the scene to smash the ball into the net. At first, I thought it was a shame that the effort hadn’t been allowed to simply roll over the line, but what would have been said had Kuyt left it for a desperate United defender to clear off the line at the last?  If the club continues to play as they did in this contest, Suarez will have no need to feel slighted, his goals will come.

There were a few controversial moments throughout the match, not least when Jamie Carragher almost took Nani’s leg off. I’m going to be completely honest here and say that I actually sympathise with United.   In my mind, Carragher was lucky to escape with just a yellow card. He was miles from the ball and made contact with Nani just below the knee. Nani will be counting himself very lucky not to have a broken leg. Maybe Carragher’s saving grace was the fact that it was not two-footed. Regardless, I think that Phil Dowd got it wrong.

Dowd did not make too many people happy on the day.

Unfortunately, Dowd immediately demonstrated the wrong type of consistency.  Once the furore over the Carragher tackle had died down. Rafael, having been caught by Maxi and probably still charged from the previous injustice, lunged into a tackle on Lucas with both feet in the air and studs showing. Once more, I felt the player was lucky to stay on the pitch, but it would have been unfair for him to go and Carragher to stay.

I was also disappointed with Martin Skrtel’s reaction. Yes, it was a bad tackle, but there is no call for a player to show such aggression in the aftermath. Let the officials sort it all out. The handbags that followed made it appear that Dowd was in danger of losing control of the match. If half time had not come so quickly, I think there was a real chance of that happening. I am sure he was a relieved man to leave the pitch so soon, with both sets of players allowed fifteen minutes to calm down.

United, of course, did have periods of the game where they exerted their own presence. Following an opening ten minutes in which they were pinned back a little by a good Liverpool start, they gradually established themselves in the game and started to put together some good possession. Fairly quickly, and perhaps surprisingly, the game really began to open up. It was a bit of a slap in the face to concede the first goal and, before they could really recover, they gifted Kuyt his second.

United did well to recover at the start of the second half, although I think Kenny told his team to keep things tight for fifteen minutes. The away side had the lion’s share of the possession, but their counterparts were defending resolutely. Just as it was looking like they may be able to make a breakthrough, Kuyt struck his third of the afternoon, effectively killing off any resurgence. A late consolation goal from Javier Hernandez will have done little to soothe the wounds that they will be left licking, although I am sure United fans will take consolation from the fact that Arsenal had been toothless against Sunderland on Saturday at the Emirates, leaving them a 3 point lead to offset the Gunners game in hand.

For Liverpool’s part, they can’t celebrate the victory too loud or long.  While they can lock down a Europa League place without worry for the FA Cup results if they can overtake the Spurs, now six points ahead, in the final 9 games, Tottenham have a game in hand and the Reds would be better advised to focus on staying in front of Bolton and Sunderland, who are hot on their feels.  During Roy Hodgson’s tenure and just after Kenny Dalglish’s return, I noted how easy it is for a club to get up for big derbies but how difficult and frustrating it is when they can’t maintain that level of commitment during more mundane matches.   Listen to the King’s Speech…

“It is three points but it is not the end of the season for us just because we have had a fantastic result against a team leading the table.  If we play like that against any team we would be happy with the performance, and it shows you what the players can do and want to do.  But you can never take away the disappointment of West Ham. We can use that as a reference point.”

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Okay, Martin Luther King Jr. is turning over in his grave but I do have a feeling of relief, mixed in with the disappointment, now that Man United’s season unbeaten is no more.  As I said in an earlier post, I’m not a loyal United fan but I’m not a hater either.  I had thought tracking their assault on the Invincibles would be fun but the pressure of ‘needing’United to win every week was close to unbearable. Beyond the adventure of writing this series, I have no emotional ties to the club, so when I consider how worked up I became as each game went along, I can barely imagine the pressure true supporters, not to mention the players, were feeling.

While diehards will take the most pain, and dire enemies the most pleasure, from the fact that it was bottom-feeders Wolves that did in their beloved or reviled United, it’s very possibly the best thing that could have happened to the club.  There is a sea change in progress in the Premier League, which has been underway for the past two or three seasons.  Some prefer to believe that the quality at the top of the league has suffered but, in my opinion, the other clubs have raised their collective game.  Mick McCarthy’s side may have only won 7 matches in this campaign, but 5 of them came against sides currently in the top 7, United, City, Chelsea, Sunderland and Liverpool.  There truly is no weekend off in the Prem, these days.  An unbeaten run is a distraction that the club not only didn’t need but are now no longer facing.

The weather is always fairest just before the storm.

United were off to a quick start at Molineux, with Nani scoring on the type of  brilliant run, which, if seen more consistently, might turn the legend of Cristiano Ronaldo into a faded memory.  Three minutes in, he streaked down the right flank, cut to the middle, easily passing George Elokobi, and then snake-charmed Wayne Hennesy with a pair of step-over feints before slithering a tame effort past the hypnotised keeper.  Unfortunately for the league leaders, the Portuguese’s performance also made their eye-lids heavy and, this time, they weren’t able to revive themselves.

Elokobi quickly made up for his gaffe, levelling terms by beating the usually alert Nemanja Vidic to a cross for an easy header.  Before the half, Ninad Milijas sent a floater into the box, which found its way into goal, with both Elokobi and Kevin Doyle claiming credit.  Even though they had led early, United again found themselves trailing another away game at the half.

Paul Scholes came on after the interval, for Michael Carrick, and Javier Hernandez was part of a double switch which saw the removal of Dimitar Berbatov.  Wayne Rooney wasn’t firing on all cylinders and drew a caution shortly after the change but I can understand Sir Alex Ferguson’s reasoning in bringing off the Bulgarian, his tendency being to score early and often or not at all.  Rooney, who had been largely tame, until last week, may have been flirting with a sending off but he’s at his most dangerous when playing angry.  From a psychological standpoint, I think it was a good risk for the manager to take, permitting his best player to rediscover that emotional adrenaline.  Once the Scouser is fully back into that mode of play, then it will be time to remind him to channeling it properly.

The third substitute was used to bring Chris Smalling on for a struggling Jonny Evans.  With Rio Ferdinand becoming ever more brittle, there will be some testy growing pains over the next year or two, before the Red Devils’fragile youth become seasoned veterans.  When you’re Man United, patience with young players can be circumvented through investment.  That, however, is never a long-term solution and those who complain that Fergie is protecting the tight-fisted Glazers have short-term memories.  When Ferdinand was purchased, for £30 million, there were similar complaints over his inconsistency.

The disbelief etched on Jonny Evans face and the unbridled joy shining on Molineux supporters tells the tale: Wolves lead.

In fact, when I read Alexander Netherton’s  linked article, I couldn’t believe the combination of cynical and flawed argument it offered.  He’s free to love, hate or care not a whit about the club, but having made a choice (door number 2), he should earn his pay packet by making his case with supportable evidence rather than empty rhetoric.

His thrust was that the Glazer’s have both over-laden the club with debt (ignoring their having paid off £220 million in high interest loans in November) and under-invested in the squad.  He claims that the purchases of Patrice Evra, Ji-sung Park, Nemanja Vidic, Rafael, Fabio, Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez prove that players can be bought at sensible prices.  Well, yes it does and the Glazers bought all those players, didn’t they?  How much squad turnover do you need on a consistent winner, especially when you’re able to profit by selling off both the valuable Ronaldos who wish to move on and the less worthy Fraser Campbells who may not, while bringing through or loaning out the cream of the homegrown crop, such as the aforementioned Evans, Darron Gibson, Tom Cleverly and Danny Welbeck?

No, the competition may have become stronger but United are pursuing a steady course, even if it is a little closer to the rocks than that laid by Arsenal.  With UEFA’s financial fair play rules soon to be enacted, United are certainly in better shape than free spenders Chelsea and Man City.

At any rate, United’s second half substitutions against Wolves didn’t bring the usual surge that they have over the first 24 matches in the season-long unbeaten run.  Frustrated by their inability to find any cohesion, the closest they came to an equaliser was Paul Scholes’attempt to surreptitiously push the ball over the line.  This time, the officials had a plain view and the ginger’s only reward was a yellow card.  Five minutes of Fergie Time saw the home side threaten more often than the visitors and the streak was halted.

While crashing and burning their now 4 point lead in the league completely is not the panacea for any of Man U’s problems, losing this one match may have done them a world of good.  With some challenging foes ahead in the rundown, including Chelsea home and away, Liverpool and Arsenal both on the road and City at Old Trafford next week, the wake-up call has been delivered.  United now know, without any doubt, that they can be beaten by anyone.  They went 24 games in the league without being hit, living dangerously while away from home, but now they’ve taken a bullet.  With 8 more road trips to make, they know it’s time to step on the gas.

That’s their problem, though.  They’ve lost a match and our paths part here.  I’ll be keeping an eye on United, as I do with every big club, but from a distance.  Freedom is a wonderful thing.

written by WFC Editor Martin Palazzotto and the Scouser Report’s Matty Dalton.

The dust has long since cleared on the Wayne Rooney saga and the United talisman and England number ten, having made his family financially secure until the sun goes supernova in about 5 billion years, went off to Nike headquarters in Oregon to rehabilitate the ankle injury he never had.  He’s back now and beginning to look a little more the Rooney that everyone expects.  The revelation, however, that the whole episode was simply a calculated and successful bluff to gain a pay raise hasn’t sat well with a lot of people.

Contract length no longer matters. The player decides when it's time to renegotiate.

Ian Holloway, for one, has had to wipe the egg off his face after almost crossing the line into complete delusion with his extended rant on the situation, wherein he condemned Rooney, lauded the far more blindingly wealthy club owners and suggested that abolishing the Bosman Rule would make the world wonderful again.   While the eccentric Blackpool manager does make a point in stating that players now have too much control over their destinies and are not bound in any way to the contracts which they have signed, returning that power in its entirety to the clubs would create an equally unworkable imbalance.

The other popular solution to the problem and one that has been raised on many occasions would be to place a wage cap on player’s salaries.  To this point the idea has been fiercely resisted in Europe, even though it is used successfully and extensively in American sports.  It’s quite ironic, when you think about it, that a purely capitalistic society like the US has embraced a strictly socialist model in professional athletics while in Europe, the bastion of socialist thought, free enterprise rules the pitch.

Is it time for clubs in Europe to change and adopt a salary cap system?  I think it is but Matty Dalton, of the Scouser Report, believes it would not be good for the game.  Being relatively peaceful sorts, we agreed to stop throwing office supplies at each other and head over to the pub, where we could have a draught and see if we could come to a gentleman’s agreement on the matter.

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Martin: It actually surprises me that you’re opposed to a ceiling on wages, given that you’re a Liverpool supporter.  You should know better than anyone what debt can do to a club.  Owners on both sides of the Atlantic have demonstrated time and again that they have no self-control when it comes to chasing after star players and, if salaries are permitted to continue rising, then situations like those which occurred at Leeds, Southampton and Pompey will become far more commonplace.

Matt: I can see where you are coming from, but the debt on the club was not as a result of a wage bill at all; it was as a result of a leveraged buy-out. The big issue I have with the wage cap is that of freedom. If I am good at my job, which I am, then I have the right to negotiate a higher salary. The only limit in place there is in terms of how much the company wants me, much in the same way as it is in football. At the end of the day, football, whether we like it or not, is a business with employees who are trying to earn as much as they can in their careers. Players are only worth what we, as fans, are prepared to spend on tickets, shirts and memorabilia after all.

Martin: Certainly, leveraged buyouts can saddle a club with a great deal of debt, if the principle is not paid off quickly.  However, in the cases of Leeds and Pompey especially, a rash of high-priced signings had much to do with their downfall.  Did Portsmouth not famously have to pay a fee to Tottenham for a certain goalkeeper who ended up at the Brittania instead of White Hart Lane.  That episode was just the tip of their iceberg.  We all remember the debate over the excessive debt from wages that Peter Storrie was continually trying to rationalize before Fratton Park finally fell into arbitration.

If clubs can't stop themselves from going broke, maybe UEFA needs to stop them.

With regards to the private sector and your own situation, you are obviously in a non-union job.  The players cannot say that as they are represented by the PFA.  Most unions negotiate wages for their members based upon skill and experience but still accept a wage structure.  Why not football?  Certainly, it works in many forms in American sport and the best players still make astronomical salaries, while the fringe players are also seen to.  The significance is that those wages are tied to the league profits, making the players and clubs partners in the betterment of the business.

For any system to work, there must be a balance.   Unlike Ian Holloway, I am not for going back to the days when the owners controlled wages and transfer policy, leaving the player without a say in his own future.  Nor am I for the current circumstances where the player is under virtually no obligation to honour his contract.  Not only do these fits of petulance, be it Wayne Rooney, Robinho or Charlie Adam, artificially raise the wage ceiling, they adversely affect the transfer market.  It’s time that the two sides negotiate a more structured system which benefits both and keeps costs down.

Matt: The Leeds and Portsmouth situations really had very little to do with wage demands. They were more to do with the chairmen gambling potential future profits on the here and now. It was idiocy in its most basic form and, in my view, they got exactly what they deserved for such behaviour. It is just a shame that so many hardcore fans had to suffer along the way.

I understand your point about tying in wages in relation to the profits being made, but that is like asking how long a piece of string is. Immediately after Wayne Rooney was given his wage rise, United decided to put an extra fiver on the ticket prices for the League Cup tie. Of course, the extra money was going to pay his wages. My point here is, the players will only be given the contracts as long as the fans are stupid enough to pay the prices. If we want to see wage caps, I suggest we start boycotting games.

I have already decided that I am not prepared to pay more than £10 to watch a live match. Sadly, this means that I will now not get to see many live football matches at all, bar the odd special offer at places like Wigan or Blackburn, or maybe lower down the leagues. The way I see it, if I can go and watch Inter Milan against Fiorentina for the equivalent price, why the hell should I pay more to watch Liverpool against Tottenham, for example?

The only form of regulation that can ever work is one that is controlled by the fans.

Martin: You’re correct that market is driven by demand but your assessment of Leeds and Pompey’s crises neglects to consider that wage demands are tied directly to transfer fees, which is what those clubs were rolling the dice on in the ‘here and now.’

For instance, when Chris Smalling comes to United on an £8 million transfer, his wage demands will be proportionately lower in comparison to Dimitar Berbatov who was purchased for 4x that amount.  Even when someone like Joe Cole moves on a free transfer his wages are negotiated based upon his potential market value.

This is another reason to implement a wage ceiling, which would have to be done throughout UEFA, with the likely support of the cost conscious Michel Platini.  If the ridiculously overvalued transfer fees being paid by a handful of clubs were curbed by the salary cap, it would level the playing field for smaller clubs.  That, in turn, would help to keep the price of match tickets down.

Matt: The plans of  Platini and his ilk actually worry me. Although I may be totally misguided, it seems to me that his schemes only benefit the larger clubs. Rather than encouraging competition, they restrict it.  A foreign investor could not pump millions into clubs like Wigan, Blackpool or Blackburn  to put them on a par with the top four, whilst also pledging to invest in stadiums. The only way for these clubs to achieve that level of success would be to pull more fans in. The only way to attract supporters is to be successful.

Then again, whatever happens, the rich always seem to get richer.

A wage cap would have no tangible benefit, that I can see at least, for the smaller clubs. The only difference it would make, in all likelihood, would be to the profit margins that clubs are experiencing. As romantic as the idea of lower wages meaning lower ticket prices seems, I am pretty sure that chairmen across the land would have no problem sleeping at night whilst not reducing prices. Of course, there would be no more Leeds United or Portsmouth scenarios taking place, but football as a sport would have the final nail in the coffin lid, to be forever replaced by business and franchises.

Martin: Of course, existing ticket prices will never be lowered but if the spiraling costs of player movement aren’t reined in, they will continue to rise until the Premier League stadia resemble those of Serie A.

As well, a wage cap, provided it was implemented throughout UEFA, would be a tremendous benefit to smaller clubs.  Big squads, such as Chelsea and Manchester City would not be able to stockpile players of international quality, as their spending would be limited.  Therefore, the top talent would be spread out more evenly.

With money no longer the determining factor in where talent goes, it would be down to management to spend their budget wisely.  If a football director or manager makes ill-advised signings, their club will suffer.  If solid signings are made and effective tactics are employed, the club will succeed, whether it is from London or Luton.

It will be talent and teamwork, on the pitch, in the clubhouse and in the boardroom, rather than economics, which will decide champions under a proper wage cap.  Unless your name is Roman Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour, how can you not want that?

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The two of us could go on forever and probably will but we’ve already covered the major points.  What do you think?  Is a UEFA player wage cap a good idea?  Vote in our reader poll and be heard!

No, the Champions League is definitely the cock of the roost and, this year, it invades the territory of another cagey bantam, the FA Cup.  Wembley Stadium, home of the world’s greatest domestic cup competition, is set to do double duty this year, deciding Europe’s best, as well as England’s. While Real Madrid’s dream of playing for the title at the Santiago Bernabeu in ’09-10 was crushed by Lyon, for Premier League holders Chelsea and their closest rivals, Arsenal and Manchester United, it’d be twice as sweet to feature in a pair of  May finals in London.

For that to happen, though, one (or two!) of them must fight their way through a Premier League winter and also overcome 31 other clubs, all dreaming of European glory.  The final group qualifications were completed at the end of August, quickly followed by the seeding and drawing for group assignment.   Now, the transfer window has closed and squads are set until January.  So what are we waiting for?  It’s time to get this party started.

Here, then, is a breakdown, group by group, of the proving ground for those who would move on to Wembley.  Read on to see how your side rates in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.

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Group A

Appropriately, we start with the defending champions.  With only two significant changes at Inter Milan this year, Mario Balotelli’s exit would usually be considered the most important.  Not so much, though, when Jose Mourinho is the other mega-star bidding farewell and his is, obviously, the more difficult act to follow.  Not surprisingly, given their history at Chelsea and Liverpool, new man Rafa Benitez has been rising to the Portuguese’s steady stream of bait, trying to convince anyone with a microphone in hand that Mourinho’s departure really isn’t that big a deal.

As confident as the Spaniard is, with Jose’s treble winning side still largely intact, it’s shaping up to be a tough season for Rafa on all fronts.  During the Serie A summer, Roma, Sampdoria and Napoli all improved and AC Milan came out of nowhere, at the last minute, to snatch up Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho.  A sixth Scudetto on the trot will be difficult, to say the least.  Making matters worse, they’ve been drawn into one of the tougher groups in the Champions League.  In Milan, this year, there will be no rest for the weary.

Tottenham Hotspurs‘ fortunes, ironically, owe much to the squad selection of former Inter and current Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho.  Not only did Spurs reach a literally last second deal with the Castilian giants, to claim the unwanted Rafael van der Vaart (notice the Special One’s tendency to dislike anyone named Rafa), but Mourinho’s recruitment of German attacking mid Mesut Ozil has put a crimp in Bremen’s ability to challenge for the second group spot.

Harry Redknapp, as he prefers, has no end of attacking options and so the injury to Jermaine Defoe is more of an inconvenience. Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchencko, Robbie Keane, Gareth Bale, van der Vaart, Nico Kranjcar and Luca Modric should make the England striker’s absence bearable.  It’s the back end that’s lagging for the London lads.  Ledley King’s knees will never be 100%, Jonathan Woodgate is doing a better Owen Hargreaves impression than the man himself, Michael Dawson is out for 8 weeks and while new signing William Gallas may shore things up in the early doors, it’s only a matter of time before he starts grating on nerves.  He’s done that wherever he’s played, on either side of the Chunnel.

Werder Bremen instantly missed departed Mesut Ozil, being thrashed by Hoffenheim to open their Bundesliga campaign.  They did rebound with a 4-2 home victory over Lukas Podolski’s FC Köln, though.   Tim Wiese, Per Mertesacke and Torsten Frings can do better in the back but, up front, Claudio Pizzaro, Hugo Almeida and young Marko Arnautovic will be lost without someone to provide service.  If Marko Marin can make the transition to the inside, playing at the tip of the 4-4-2 diamond, the mourning period for Ozil may be short.

Last season, Steve McLaren rediscovered his managerial mojo, after a disastrous spell as England boss (is there any other kind?).  Leading cash strapped FC Twente to a domestic double, their first, Steve-o held off Martin Jol’s attempt to re-establish Ajax,PSV& Feyenoord’s rule over the Eredivisie, after AZ Alkmaar had cast them down in 09.  Trouble is, he’s off to Wolfsburg to take the next step in his recovery.  Michel Preud’homme leads the Tukkers now and they’ve started out well domestically.  This group is a tall task, however, especially with limited personnel.

Analysis: Benitez may have a lot ahead of him but I can’t see him tripping out of the blocks.  Inter should win this group and even if they do slip, it should only mean a more difficult opponent in the round of 16.   Bremen and Spurs will fight for the second spot but I’m tipping Spurs.  The Germans have more experience and are stronger in the back but Redknapp’s crew are too fast, too many and too hungry.

Group B

Two seasons ago, Felix Magath drove Wolfsburg from obscurity to the summit of the Bundesliga, before moving to Schalke 04.  Magath, is a direct, no-nonsense manager, who looks to surround himself with reliable people.  That may be why Kevin Kuranyi is now plying his trade in Moscow, rather than Gelsenkirchen.  Raul is now the talisman, to be supported by late transfer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.  Christophe Metzelder anchors the back line and German #1, Manuel Neuer is the man between the posts.  It may take a little time for the new squad to gel but if they can, they will be difficult.

Claude Puel has become used to the revolving door at Olympique Lyonnais.  The top players, like Karim Benzema and Florent Malouda aren’t usually around for long, so the former Lille manager has gone back to what he knows, building a solid, cohesive squad that can compete with anyone.  Last year that philosophy paid off with a terrific run to the Champions League semi-finals.  This year, with the addition of Yoann Gourcuff’s midfield creativity to Jeremy Toulalan’s solid holding capabilities, Lyon should be a more balanced squad.

This is the type of group that Benfica can exploit.  The Portuguese giants, twice winners of the Champions League, as always, have a solid team, though not spectacular by continental standards.  With Fabio Coentrao, Luisao and Maxi Perreira at the back, defence can become attack very quickly.  Up front Oscar Cardozo and Javier Saviola provide a danger to any goal.  Pablo Aimar is the tip of a diamond shaped midfield which, while not as polished as some, does play well as a unit.   Manager Jorge Jesus will want to make a quick start in the group, with his two main opponents still working out the kinks.

The other three clubs in the group may be wary of each other but if they let up against Hapoel Tel Aviv, they’ll be in for a shock.  The one time Asian champions are starting to make their mark in Europe.  Last season, they won their Europa League group before bowing out to Russian sensations Rubin Kazan.  This year, they’ve qualified for their first Champions League group stage.  Somewhat hampered by a very strict Homegrown Rule (no more than 5 foreigners on any squad), the Israeli’s are nonetheless very game.

Analysis: There are so many ifs in this group that it’s very difficult to nominate a winner, or even a loser, out of the top three.  With eyes closed and fingers crossed, I’ll go with Schalke and Benfica to advance, mostly on the basis of their managers’stronger and more recent championship pedigrees.  I also think Lyon might feel some effect from the current French national malaise, making them more susceptible to lapses.

Group C

The Premier League looks to be even more competitive and Chelsea have roared out of the gate.  So, even the contrary Sir Alex Ferguson has to be happy with Manchester United‘s draw.  Not only should it be favourable from a competitive standpoint but the travel destinations are also advantageous, with two Mediterranean sunspots and a quick hop up to Glasgow on the itinerary.

United’s attack looks more diverse, after Wayne Rooney carried the whole load last year.  Young Javier Hernandez has fit right in and Dimitar Berbatov has rediscovered some form.  Rooney, despondent after a poor World Cup is beginning to look like himself again.  In midfield, Paul Scholes is experiencing some deja vu, pulling the strings like a far younger version of himself and Ryan Giggs continues to play as though he has a painting, a la Dorian Gray, safely hidden somewhere about Old Trafford.  If either should falter, young Darron Gibson is more than ready to step in.  With Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans also coming along, Rio Ferdinand’s chronic back and knee problems are only a minor concern.  Rather than a challenge, the group stages are more of a welcome respite for Fergie’s charges.

Unai Emery’s Valencia are not what they were with the David’s, Villa and Silva.  They are younger.  Beyond that, if their 3-1 La Liga debut at Malaga is any indication, nothing much has changed. Aritz Aduriz has been brought in to help Joaquin Sanchez provide leadership but Ever Banega and Juan Manuel Mata will have to be bled on the march.  There is bound to be some adversity along the road and the measure of the young guns will be taken in how they respond.  Still, los Che have to fancy their chances of sliding in beside United, for the second qualifying spot out of the group.

The Old Firm showed some hints of agoraphobia in the last campaign, as both Celtic and Rangers crashed out of Europe spectacularly.  Unlike Tony Mowbray, Walter Smith was able to exert some damage control on the domestic front, and the blue shirts won the Scottish league going away.  With some key members of the squad, Maurice Edu (USA), Madjid Bougherra (Algeria) and Vladimir Weiss (Slovakia), having been tempered in the crucible of the World Cup finals, and 40 year old captain David Weir receiving his first call up for national duty in some time, Smith is hopeful his side show more competitive fire during this year’s travels.

Having claimed their first Turkish Super Lig title, relatively unknown Bursaspor are the wide-eyed tourists of Group C.  The Green Crocodiles’heads will surely be turned when visiting such storied venues as Old Trafford, Mestalla and the Ibrox, especially with their squad largely homegrown.  It will be in the hands of well travelled Argentine Federico Insua, who has played in the top flight at home, as well as Mexico, Spain and Germany, to keep his teammates minds on the task at hand, else tears will be shed.  Like as not, however, the most enjoyable parts of their travels are going to be before the referee blows the whistle.

Analysis: I don’t want to shock anyone but United will win the group.  The Glaswegians will challenge Valencia for the right to move on but I think they’re the more likely of the pair to drop points to the Turks.  With just a quick jaunt across the Med to face the minnows, the Spaniards will be much less out of their element.  Sadly, Bursaspor’s first appearance in the Champions League will not be a Turkish delight.

Group D

If anything, Barcelona have it easier than United.  None of the three clubs in this group pose a real threat to the Catalans, even though they were surprised last year by Rubin Kazan.  You can best believe, however, that Pep Guardiola will have his players chewing on that bone as they make a return journey north.

Barca have a slightly different look this year.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s power game never meshed in the Nou Camp and he’s back in Milan, albeit with AC, rather than Inter.  Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, no longer up to the pace, have taken up teaching positions in the Big Apple. David Villa is a much better fit with Lionel Messi and Liverpool escapee Javier Mascherano adds some steel to that sublime midfield corps.  And Pep is still stalking Cesc Fabregas!

Athens giants, Panathinaikos, have developed a cosmopolitan flavour.  There is the French strike pairing of Djibril Cisse and Sidney Govou,  Spaniard Luis Garcia and Brazil’s Gilberto da Silva in the midfield.  Malian Cedric Kante and another Frenchman, Jean-Alain Boumsong are in defense.  Yet, their best player might be homeboy Sotiris Ninis.  Young, quick and clever, the Greek now has some World Cup experience, to boot.  Even with all the veterans around him, he reminds doubters that theTryfilli have an eye for the future.

Jesper Gronkjaer, still swift at 33, leads FC Copenhagen.  The Lions are Danish champions two years on the trot and seven times for the decade.  Unfortunately, that dominance hasn’t translated to the European stage.  Plain and unassuming, the Danes must play perfect football to have a hope of progressing in this group but they are a well balanced unit, capable of taking a result.  If they put in enough hard working shifts, they just might be see a nice payoff at the end.

With former Newcastle standout, Obafemi Martins still looking to open his account, five games into his Rubin Kazan career, the two time Russian Premier League holders are sitting four points behind Luciano Spaletti’s Zenit St. Petersburg.  Zenit are a traditional power, while the Kazan club has a journeyman history in the lower levels of Russian and Soviet leagues.  It’s a classic case of speed v power, puncher v boxer, Rocky Balboa v Apollo Creed and, at the moment, Gurban Burdiyev’s Rubies are taking it on the chin.  Where’s Burgess Meredith when you really need him?

Analysis: Another unimaginative pick for you, as Barcelona waltz through the group.  I’d like to think that Panathanaikos’experience will see them through, as well.  It’ll be tough, though, especially if Rubin Kazan can find a goal scoring touch.  Copenhagen won’t necessarily bring up the rear, as 2nd through 4th will be a toss up, but they don’t look to have enough to progress.

Group E

Bayern Munich began last season struggling to recover after sinking to the depths of 2nd place in the ’09 Bundesliga campaign.  Such are the expectations of the league’s flagship club that anything less than leading the fleet is abject failure.  Dutch master Louis van Gaal was tasked with restoring the Bavarians to their accustomed place.  Once he removed the mutinous Luca Toni, the club charted a course to overtake Bayer Leverkuesen atop the table.

There were three unexpected sources for their success.  Ivica Olic’s emergence glossed over the tepid seasons of both Miro Klose and Mario Gomez.  Holger Badstuber’s steady play an versatility, on the left and in centre of defence, was key in covering for injuries.  Finally, Thomas Müller’s rapid ascendance, which extended to the world stage in the summer, compensated for the chronic injury issues besetting wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.  With all those players returning and the addition of Toni Kroos in midfield, there is no reason that Bayern shouldn’t realistically target Wembley as their final port of call in 2011.

AS Roma brought in their own managerial miracle worker, Claudio Ranieri, in ’09-10, and he put wind in their sails, as well as on their shirts.  Eclipsing an aging AC Milan and reeling in the heady Sampdorians, Roma put a scare into Jose Mourinho’s plans for total European dominance. Last season, the stumbling block was up front, with Francesco Totti slowing considerably and Ranieri’s gamble, in rescuing Luca Toni, proving a bad one.

This season, Claudio is again attempting to salvage a career.  The troublesome Adriano is back in the Serie A, where he has never seemed able to maintain a focus on his day job, much preferring the Italian nightlife.  If it all comes together, Roma will be contending for more than one trophy in spring.  If not, well, Ranieri best not think about that.

Swiss international captain, Alexander Frei, at 31, is back to wrap up his club career where it began, at FC Basel.  The cantankerous Frei, famous for spitting at Steven Gerrard  in the ’04 Euros, spent time at Rennes and Borussia Dortmund while simultaneously providing most of the Swiss offence under Ottmar Hitzfeld.   The other notable player in the Bebbi lineup is Ghanian right back Samuel Inkoom.  Basel, like Copenhagen, dominate domestically and feature a home flavoured squad.  Unfortunately, in Europe that stands them in as much stead as it does the Danes, which is to say not a lot.

Over the past four years, CFR Cluj have enjoyed great success in Romania and, with a motley collection of Euro travelers, haven’t done too badly in Europe.  Having won their second domestic crown and held onto the Romanian Cup, Cluj get another CL crack at Roma after having stunned them in 2008, 1-2, in the Eternal City.  It will certainly be tougher, this time around, as the Italians will be looking for a measure of revenge.   Stamford Bridge fans will well remember that the Romanians followed that victory up with a scoreless away draw, against the Blues.

Analysis: Both Bayern and Roma should feel relatively comfortable about making it out of this group.  They have more than enough quality to get the job done.  Should they take their superiority for granted, however, they’ll quickly learn that their two group companions can do more than make up weight.

Group F

Carlos Ancelotti brought Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League, where they hadn’t been since Jose Mourinho’s tenure.  The Italian even went the Portuguese one better by securing a domestic double.  That he did it with what was essentially Jose’s old squad didn’t seem to dampen his spirits.  However, Mourinho himself tempered Ancelotti’s ecstacy, winning both sides of their two legged CL tie.

This year Chelsea have launched their Premier League campaign with the power of a moon bound rocket and some of Jose’s recruits are not along for the ride.  Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Ricardo Carvalho are all elsewhere.  Stepping into the gap are Florent Malouda, Branislav Ivanovic and Yossi Benayoun, as well as a healthy Michael Essien.  Also likely to be trusted with more responsibilities will be Salomon Kalou, Daniel Sturridge and possibly Gael Kakuta.  The foundations at the Bridge are still sound and crossing over into European glory may finally be the Blues’destination.

Didier Deschamps did not take the France job, preferring to remain at Olympique de Marseilles.  If les Bleus’performance at the Stade de France, a fortnight past, is any indication, Didier is quite happy not to be in former teammate, Laurent Blanc’s shoes, even with his own club’s mid-table start to the Ligue 1 season. OM didn’t make much noise in the transfer window, although Hatem Ben Arfa was very vocal in his eagerness to move to England.  He’s now at Newcastle but Andre-Pierre Gignac and young Loic Remy  are capable of picking up the slack.  The midfield is steeped in quality, with Lucho Gonzalez and Brandao leading the way.  Steve Mandanda captains from goal and el Gringo, Gaby Heinze is around to lend some sharp steel to the back line.  Don’t expect the French champs to remain merely average for long.

Glasgow born and Republic of Ireland international Aiden McGeady has arrived in Russia to change the forunes of the struggling Spartak Moscow club.  Sitting 3 points and 2 places out of European contention, Spartak need all the help they can get.  Brazilians Welliton (13) and  Ari (5) provide all of the punch but the anemic offence may be less of a worry than the the loss of defender Martin Jiranek to Birmingham City.  At the moment, domestic issues would seem to demand more of manager Valery Karpin’s attention than European concerns.

Another domestic giant who loses its way when traveling the continent is MSK Zilina, perennial Slovakian champions.  The Susoni, managed by Czech Pavel Hapal, are strictly a regional club.  Having played in all save one season of the young Slovak super-league, Zilina have either been champions (5x) or runners-up (3x) in half of them.   Almost the entire squad is made up of Slovaks or Czechs, barring just four players, one of whom is Bosnian.  It just goes to show you, that in a very small pond, even a minnow can be a big fish.

Analysis: If Chelsea don’t have virtually everything their own way in this group, I will eat my socks (I need my hat).  Marseilles should pick up the scraps with Spartak distracted and Zilina not a factor.

Group G

If this isn’t the group of death in the 2010-11 CL, it’s definitely the ‘Group of Champions.’ Real Madrid, although they haven’t won in 8 years, are, of course, the ultimate European champions, with 9 pieces of silver in the roomy Santiago Bernabeu trophy cabinet.  Jose Mourinho has come to town to lift that number into double figures and, to date, he has delivered wherever he has been.  His new signings indicate that he intends to leave Madrid as he has every other club, with a squad that can challenge for trophies long after he’s departed.  Mesut Ozil, at 21, replaces the creativity of 33 year old Guti and the injured Kaka.  Sami Khedira, 23, offers more pace than the 28 year old Xabi Alonso and a better attacking dynamic than Mahamadou Diarra, 29.  Finally, Angel di Maria, 22, will make defences think twice about shifting over to cover Cristiano Ronaldo.  Jose will blend the youngsters in slowly but the club has enough depth to compete on several fronts and to give domestic concerns to an aging Barcelona side.

With 7 European Cups on display at the San Siro, Silvio Berlusconi doesn’t like to be an afterthought.  So, before the transfer window closed, he orchestrated a series of deals that put AC Milan right back in the Serie A spotlight.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose pace and power should fit in well, is on a one year loan from Barca.  Robinho, lonely and homesick in England, now has no excuses with Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato to lighten the dreary work day and, in Ronaldinho’s case at least, introduce him to the best nightclubs.  To make room and keep the books balanced, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is now with Schalke.  Kevin-Prince Boateng adds strength to the midfield and Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta anchor the line.  With Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Mathieu Flamini and Onweyu Oguchi, there is depth and experience enough to let both Inter and Real know that this will not be an easy year.

As 4 time European club champions, Ajax round out the 20 championships crammed into Group G.  Without the depth or financing of Real or Milan, the Amsterdam side have to be rated as outsiders, yet if someone lets them get their foot in the door, they have the strength to force it open.  Maarten Stekelenberg back stopped the Oranje to the World Cup final with support from Andre Oojier, Gregory van der Wiel and Demy de Zeeuw.  With Martin Jol settled as manager, they’ll now look for club glory, as well.  Uruguayan Luis Suarez has pledged Ajax his future and wears the captain’s arm band.  He’ll mentor countryman Nicolas Lodeiro and the young Dane sensation, Christian Eriksen, from the unfortunately named hamlet of Middlefart.  Chemistry issues do arise with the presence of 7 time loanee Mido, providing attacking support.

French side AJ Auxerre are a fish out of water in their present company.  Fish maybe but not minnows.  Auxerre have risen to the upper reaches of  Ligue 1 in the past two seasons, finishing 3rd last year.  This is a workmanlike club, disciplined but lacking in starpower. Outside of France, its most familiar players would be forward Valter Birsa, of Slovenia, and the gritty Swiss defender, Stephane Grichting.  While not well known, their more famous opponents had best be prepared because, as any Ligue 1 side will gladly inform them, Auxerre aren’t shy about introducing themselves.

Analysis: The abundance of hardware in this group may stir up some nostalgia and pride, which could very well turn it into a group of death. Real, under Jose’s firm guidance will lay claim to the top spot. Luis Suarez has a way of showing up in big moments and making a difference as 49 club goals and one World Cup save will attest.  You can’t count Ajax out and AC Milan’s one weakness may be the continental naivete of its new manager Massimiliano Allegri.  Auxerre will make the others work but they are just too far out of their depths.

Group H

There’s a term in American slang for Arsenal.  Snakebit.  Just as they get rolling and have Chelsea and Man United looking over their shoulders, a key player is stricken with a critical injury.  Usually, as it is right now, that player is Robin van Persie but it’s also happened with Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and the departed Eduardo da Silva.  Last year, United supporters were fretting over what would happen should Wayne Rooney blow a tire and be sidelined for a significant period.  That happens repeatedly to Arsenal in every campaign and it’s a major reason they haven’t collected any silverware in six years.  Still, a gimpy Gunner squad is more than capable of making their way to the elimination rounds from this group.

The Premier Leaguers will find a familiar face across the pitch when they meet up with Shakhtar Donetsk.  Former Gunner Eduardo, he of the broken leg while at the Emirates, is now the key man in the Miners set-up.  Brazilians Luiz Adriano and Jadson, the goalscorers in Shakhtar’s surprising 2009 UEFA Cup championship triumph over Werder Bremen are still around and still young (23 & 26 respectively).  Overall, the Ukrainian club likes to play an attractive passing game.  They’re not in Arsenal’s class when it comes to finesse but they do have a bit more grit.

Most of Braga‘s players share something in common with the club.  Short names.  In all, 17 of them have followed in the honourific tradition of Pele, Junior, Ronaldo and Kaka.  If you think you’ve deduced a large population of Brazilians in the squad, you’re correct, although one or two of them do have a second name, most notably George Lucas.  Meanwhile, manager Domingo Pacienca has to be hoping that no one tells the big boys in the group that his club are sometimes known as the Arsenalists.  He’ll have enough problems trying to get a result out of those two matches without any bulletin board material introduced into the mix.  May the force be with them.

One half of Eastern Europe’s greatest football derby, Partizan Belgrade, is back in the Champions League for the first time since 2003.  It was a tough battle for them to get here, too.  The final qualifying tie with RSC Anderlecht consisted of a pair of 2-2 draws, extra time and a penalty shootout, which Partizan finally won 3-2.  After that, the home and home against Red Star this season will seem like a romantic stroll in the park.  When they were last in the group stages, seven years ago, they were last in the group.  Not much is likely to change.

Analysis: Arsenal have been drawn into a group which, largely, likes to play the same open style that Arsene Wenger worships.  Since none of his opponents are Barcelona, he’s unlikely to be beaten at his own game.  That leaves one pass into the later stages for the other three sides to scrap over.  Despite the fact that Braga’s Brazilians outnumber Shakhtar’s almost 3-1, I’m going with the Ukraine.  They know how to get down and dirty when needed and that will make the difference.

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The action gets underway in midweek and by Christmas, we’ll know who’ll be continuing their continental travels and who’ll have to be satisfied by redoubling their domestic efforts.  Enjoy the action and I’ll see you after the holidays, with the elimination round preview!

The first player who is destined for the top is nineteen year Jordan Henderson. The Sunderland midfielder has already made sixteen appearances these season and looked like he has been part of the first team for years. Henderson is a Sunderland academy product and spent last season on loan at Coventry.

Since being given a baptism of fire against Chelsea the teenager hasn’t looked back. The fact that makes his performances stand out is the fact that he is being played out of position. Steve Bruce has deployed him in central  midfield due to injuries to key players. Henderson’s natural position is right of midfield.

Sunderland first team recognition has been duplicated on the international scene where he has represented England under 19′s.

The teenager is rated very highly and showed his potential in Sunderland’s 4-3 defeat to Manchester City. He not only scored one but a jinking run and cross allowed Kenwnye Jones to score.

With the right coaching and amount of premier league football it seems the sky is the limit for the Wear-side teenager.

The second player is Chris Smalling of Fulham. Chris’  rise has been meteoric. The twenty year old was brought from Maidstone United in June 2008 and went on to represent Fulham’s reserve team throughout the season, before eventually making his first team debut on the final day of the season against Everton.

The Greenwich born central defender has since gone on to represent the first team this season, most notably against Chelsea where he scored an unfortunate own goal.

Smalling actually represented his county while still playing for Maidstone United. He was chosen to represent his county (Kent) where his performance warranted a trial with the English School’s Football Association’s under 18 squad. Smalling went on to appear in the Centenary Shield in 2008.

The Fulham’s international career has grown since his move and has represented England at both under 20 and under 21 level. He is now seen as a first team regular by Stuart Pearce, who chose him for both qualifiers in November 2009.

The whites clearly hold their prized asset in high esteem as Roy Hodgson was quoted saying,

“I thought, if you analysed his performance over the 90 minutes, that he played with a maturity that I’m not entitled to expect from a player so young.”

this quote was after Smalling represented Fulham in the Europa League against CSKA Sofia.

The final player I want to mention is Jack Rodwell. The midfielder  clearly has a boundless talent. He has already broken into the Everton first team and represent England at every youth level (except for under 20) at the age of 18.

It was clear from the start of his Everton career that he was going to be a star. At the tender age of 14 Rodwell made his Everton under 18′s debut. A solitary year later he was making his Everton reserve debut when he came on as a substitute against Sheffield United in October 2006.

Rodwell also broke the record of being the youngest player to play in Europe for Everton when he appeared against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa league. And what was his age you ask, a mere sixteen years and two hundred and eighty four days.

As well as Everton having high hopes for him he clearly has them for himself. He was quoted in a Telegraph interview speaking about his ambition to be in Fabio Capello’s England squad.  He said, “At the moment there are a lot of good centre-halves with England: John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka. There are not as many centre mids, which is an area you can work towards with the senior squad.”

As well as having an outrageous talent the teenage sensation clearly has his feet placed firmly on the ground,

“All I’m focusing on is the next game. I’ve got to be ready to start the next game and be in the manager’s thoughts. Obviously anyone would be flattered by interest from other clubs, but I really am happy playing for Everton. I enjoy it there. It’s where I’ve always been and I love it.”

This not only bodes well for the future of Everton but the future of one of the games brightest stars.

Tom Leeder

Tom Leeder is a recent University graduate and an avid Arsenal fan who will spend this summer and, hopefully, a few more fretting over the future of a certain Spanish central midfielder.