The Monday Morning Drip grinds up the footy fare from the weekend into a blend of the choicest bits from leagues all over the world.  It’s also a weekly opportunity to appeal to footy bloggers out there, who are looking for a new forum in which to display their wares.  So, if you enjoy blogging, want to reach new readers and are available to cover your favourite league or team, then just click Write For WFC!  

Meanwhile, open your laptop wide and say Ahhh.

Here’s this week’s Drip…

If your Sunday Morning Hangover extended all the way through the train ride to work this morning, don’t worry, Premier League fans.  You didn’t miss much.  Less, in fact, than James Vaughn, who was caught looking the wrong way by Gabriel Tamas’elbow in Norwich’s 0-1 loss to West Brom.  Safe to say that the nasty blow, which naturally went unseen by the official, left Vaughn gaping at the pretty yellow canaries flying about his head in full song.  Unfortunately, it also left him with a gash that may require plastic surgery.  Oh well, can’t let the WAGs have all the fun, can we?

Nor will Vaughn have run into Tom Cleverley, as the United starlet received the comparatively good news that his foot injury, courtesy of Bolton captain Kevin Davies was ligament damage rather than a bone break.  As such, he’ll only miss three-four weeks, instead of the dreaded three-four months.

West Brom’s result, coupled with Fulham and Blackburn’s one-goal draw, meanwhile, had little effect on the table beyond pulling scoreless Swansea into the drop zone.

To wrap up the week’s matches, QPR will hand Joey Barton his Technicolor debut tonight, after several years of pulling on the black and white shirt at Newcastle.  Of course, he might still be at the head of the Toon Army if matters behind the scenes were as plain as the kit.  With Asamoah Gyan fleeing the Northeast as well, for the cash happy UAE, one has to wonder what the problem is on Wear and Tyneside?  Maybe it’s all the French players coming in.

The NFL season kicked off this weekend, so confused fans may be wondering who the quarterback is at Bayern Munich.  The Rekordmeister won by a touchdown over SC Freiburg on Saturday, with Mario Gomez hitting four in the 7-0 rout.  The Bundesliga giants have a record comparable to Man United, with twelve points and a plus fifteen goal difference.  However, they have conceded just the one goal, heading into their Champions League clash with Villareal at El Madrigal on Wednesday, whereas the Mancunians have permitted three.  Parity, it would seem, is out the window, this year, in the two leagues most famous for it.

Behind Bayern, Mainz’s fine early start was cut off abruptly by Hoffenheim, who overran the Coface Arena for a stunning 0-4 reversal.  Immediately after the match, Twitter suffered a nearly overwhelming rush themselves, as it was Ryan Babel‘s brace which killed off the match.  Elsewhere, Vfb Stuttgart cruised to a 3-0 home win over Hannover 96 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena and Werder Bremen consolidated their recently resumed place as official Bayern chasers, with Claudio Pizzaro taking two bites out of Hamburg.  Eat now, groan later.

It wasn’t as luxurious a ride at the Volkswagen arena, but after Raul put Schalke ahead before the quarter-hour, Mario Mandzukic took the wheel and delivered a double for Wolfsburg, driving home a little satisfaction for coach Felix Magath in a grudge match against his high-flying former side.

Roda JC delivered the upset of the week in Round 5 of the Eredivisie campaign.  The Kerkrade side upended the erstwhile table toppers 2-1.  Marc Janko’s thirty-fifth minute goal started Twente on the right foot but Ruud Vormer replied for Roda, just a minute later.  Then Mitchell Donald converted a cross just after the break.

The result tumbled the Enschede side all the way to third, as AZ Alkmaar continued to impress with a 4-0 first half romp over Vitesse.  Pontus Vernbloom had two before the half-hour and the match was killed off when Rasmus Elm converted a penalty just prior to the break.  With Wilfred Bony then being sent off with twenty minutes remaining, John van den Brom will not be happy with his club’s performance.

AZ hold an edge in goal difference over Twente but still trail champion Ajax by a point, as the Amsterdammers outwrestled Heracles on the strength of Siem de Jong‘s two goals.  Unlike Bayern, it looks to be a rough road ahead for Ajax, seeking to retain their title.

PSV failed to keep pace with the leaders, escaping with a 3-3 draw away to VVV Venlo, but Feyenoord, after consecutive draws of their own, moved ahead of the Eindhoven side, into fourth, with a solid 3-1 triumph over NAC Breda.

The money machine is starting to run smoothly at the Parc des Princes.  Five minutes after the hour, PSG gained a slight edge in the match, when Diego Lugano’s caution put the Parisiens in the book three times compared to just two for visiting Brest.  Three minutes after that, a little known player in Antoine Kombouare’s side, Argentine Javier Pastore, made good with fellow Serie A product, Jeremy Menez’s pass to score the only goal of the match.

The win was a positive step but probably didn’t seem so, with Lille, Lyon and Montpellier ahead of them, and Toulouse and Stade Rennes on their heels all collecting three points, themselves.

The one squad missing from the equation, Didier Deschamps’Marseille, suffered their second consecutive loss, after opening the competition with three draws.  Their setback before the international break, in the battle of the last two champions carried over to Sunday, when Rennes, so good defensively until the end of last season, returned to their former stingy form, stealing a 1-0 victory at the Velodrome.  With PSG beginning to flex their financial muscle, this might not be the season to get off to a sluggish start.

Well, La Primera Liga is off to another typical start.  Real Betis and Valencia are keeping pace with Real Madrid, Barcelona is struggling along in fourth place and Villareal are hovering just above the drop zone.

Pardon?  What do you mean that’s not typical, at all? How do you expect Barcelona to hold down the top spot if they concede two goals to Real Sociedad, on the road or not?  The Catalans began Saturday in style, with Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sánchez and Xavi combining on a tenth minute goal so pretty that they tried it again a moment later.  Sociedad were a bit wiser on the redux, but couldn’t prevent the former Gunner from applying the coup de grâce.   From there, it all went wrong.  Sánchez was carted off at the half hour and the home side scored two goals within sixty seconds, themselves, on the hour.  Pep Guardiola, who had hoped to rest Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, threw them into the fray to no avail, as Sociedad hung on for a memorable point.

While Barça were taking Arsenal lessons from Cesc — dropping points needlessly — Jose Mourinho‘s Real Madrid were grinding out another of his patented 4-2 snoozers against a lightweight side.  Capital rivals Getafe gave Los Blancos a match, with Miku leveling Karim Benzema‘s opener, then pegging one back after Cristiano Ronaldo converted from the spot and Benzema contributed a second.  Then, Mourinho proved his tactical superiority over Guardiola by inserting Gonzalo Higuain with three minutes remaining and coolly examining his fingernails as the Argentine ran down the field and finished off the match.

In Serie A, powerhouses AC Milan and Lazio cranked up the star power in Friday’s opening match at San Siro.  The 2-2 draw saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano reply to the questions asked by Miroslav Klose and Djibril ‘It’s Tuesday So It Must Be Orange’Cisse.  Napoli then took over the show, on Saturday, knocking off Cesena, with Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi on the sheet.

But, it was Inter who struggled at the outset of their season.  Giampiero Gasperini may  love his options in attack but its madness to expect to come away from a shootout in Sicily with fewer holes in your scoresheet than the home side.  Fabricio Miccoli and Abel Hernandez had offset Diego Milito‘s brace in the first hour, before both sides dug in until a last furious exchange in the final five minutes.  Miccoli then connected for his second and Mauricio Ferreira Pinilla made Diego Forlan’s goal in added time cosmetic.

In Roma, new boss Luis Enrique started disgruntled captain Francesco Totti but the result was still negative.  Visiting Cagliari came away with a 2-1 victory made easier by Jose Angel’s devilish behaviour drawing a red card.

Thus it was Juventus, who stole the Sunday limelight, using an attack by committee to overwhelm Parma, although Antonio di Natale led Udinese to victory, as well, with some help from Dusan Basta, who must really love to hear opponents mutter his name after he bulges the twine.

The top of the Russian Premier League table became much more crowded over the weekend.  Joint leaders Zenit St. Petersburg and CSKA went down hard against Lokomotiv and Dinamo Moscow, respectively.  Dinamo’s comprehensive 0-4 victory at the Luzhniki Stadium was accomplished with significant help from players imported from points west.  Liverpool afterthought Andriy Voronin began the rout and Kevin Kuranyi and Brazilian Leandro also took a hand.   Lokomotiv adopted a similar strategy with Victor Obinna, Felipe Caicedo and Manuel da Costa, with two, leading the underdogs to a 4-2 triumph over Luciano Spaletti’s side.

Anzhi Makhachkala took advantage of the double team to move within six points of the leaders, and, yes, Samuel Eto’o got things started in the Dagestani club’s victory over stragglers Volga Novgorod.  With all the Western capitalist influence permeating the league, Lenin must be spinning in his tomb.

Kashiwa Reysol have their groove back.  After a prolonged hiccup which saw them slide well down the table from their perch atop the J-League, the club is finding its stride again.  Matched against defending champion Nagoya Grampus Eight, Kashiwa fell behind when Leandro had to take treatment on the sidelines after colliding with Marcus Tulio Tanaka.  Yet Kashiwa had a Tanaka up their sleeves, as well, with Janya leveling for the former league leaders.  Finally, Masakatsu Sawa capitalised on a moment of Grampus confusion to put his team ahead in the match and, with the final whistle,  in the standings, assuming the third position which the holders had been occupying.

The two squads in front of them aren’t making a recovery easy, however.  Leaders Gamba Osaka made short work of Omiya Ardija and Yokohama F Marinos squeezed past relegation bound Avispa Fukuoka.

Sporting KC continued their improbable run to the top of the Eastern Conference table, with a 3-0 victory over Houston Dynamo.  Teal Bunbury‘s brace did most of the damage, with CJ Sapong finishing off the scoring.  After struggling out of the gate, with ten consecutive away matches, as the finishing touches on their new LiveStrong Stadium, SKC have made the wait worthwhile, as they enjoy a healthy eight goal difference over Columbus Crew, although the Ohioans do have a game in hand.

Elsewhere, Juan Agudelo rescued ten man New York, at Red Bull Arena, leveling on sixty-nine minutes after Jan Gunnar Solli had been sent off just before the half.  The draw, Red Bull’s fifteenth in twenty-seven matches wasn’t enough to keep them on the playoff bubble, as Charlie Davies ended his summer slump in style, with a hat trick against Chivas USA that lifted the inaugural league champions, DC United into the post-season picture.

Humberto Suazo’s tenth minute strike had Monterrey in front away to Puebla, on Sunday.  Unfortunately, the Rayados didn’t find a second goal and the home side woke up in the final half hour.  Isaac Romo and Roberto Juarez both hit doubles for La Franja, which would have been more impressive and earned maximum points had one of Juarez’s tallies not been into his own net.  The gaffe allowed Luis Perez to save Monterrey’s blushes with an added time spot kick.  The dropped points were accompanied by a slide to fifth place for the defending Apertura champion.

Elsewhere, Monarcas got their floundering Apertura campaign into calmer waters with a 0-1 upset at Cruz Azul and Tigres‘ 5-0 thumping of hapless Pachuca moved them within a point of leaders Chivas, who drew away at Santos Laguna.  Hector Mancilla doubled his goal total in the competition with a treble in the rout of Pachuca, with the best defensive side in the just concluded Clausura suddenly an offensive juggernaut.

Flamengo did not have a good week.  In their Thursday match against table topper Corinthians, the Paulista side’s young prodigy, Liedson outdueled the Rio sensation Deivid, 2-1.  They followed that up with an identical scoreline against Athletico Paranaense.  This time Welington had the lone goal, with Heracles and Guerron doing the damage for the lower half club.  The upshot, to be oxymoronic, is that Flamengo have dropped down to fifth after nipping at the leader’s heels since early doors.

Okay, it’s only round six of the Argentine Apertura, but I just can’t get enough of Atletico Rafaella.  The side who knocked River Plate out of the top flight have actually made that a notable accomplishment, rather than an act of spite, by hovering near the top of the table since their Primera Division adventure began.  A scoreless draw against Newell’s Old Boys on Friday allowed Boca Juniors to slip past them into the top spot, by defeating another promoted side, San Martin de San Juan.  It’s somehow fitting that Rafaella take the deposed River’s place as Boca’s nearest rival, isn’t it?

If you’re a cynic and only want to hear about goals, well, Godoy Cruz will be more to your liking.  They romped to a 6-1 victory over All Boys, on Saturday, helped along by Ruben Ramirez‘s double.  For all that, they’re still four points off the pace set by Boca, in seventh.  So there.  One-nil or six-one, it’s always going to be three points.

See you next Monday! 

As well, their opponents, Valencia and Osasuna, and their supporters certainly did attach some meaning to the Saturday matches.

For Los Che, hopelessly behind Madrid in third place but only six points in front of Villareal for an automatic Champions league berth, there were hopes that a result could be carved out against what was expected to be a second choice Meringues eleven.  Of course, when your definition of second choice includes players such as Kaka, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Garay, Sergio Canales, Esteban Granero and Lasanna Diarra, then your hopes must be carved from granite with just a dull spoon to hand.  Still, Jose Mourinho displayed some sporting spirit by also starting a youngster with the unfortunately cheesy name of Nacho.

Osasuna were even more desperate than Valencia, just two points from the drop and facing a Barcelona side which, having come out on the wrong end of the Copa del Rey result, were more likely to approach their weekend with some sense of purpose.

Kaka goes preggers for his brace...

Thus it was that Los Blancos celebrated their Cup win at the Mestalla with a second victory at the same venue, doing so with a free-spirited performance and after their hopeful hosts feted them with an honour guard before the national anthem.

Karim Benzema, unlucky to finally show a spark just as Mourinho decides to use Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle, opened the scoring on twenty-three minutes and then Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka, both trying to earn their way back into the line-up after extended injury spells made it three-nil before the half.

Higuain then collected two more after the restart and Kaka added his second just after Roberto Soldado tried to spark a very belated Valencia uprising.  A further two goals would come from the home side, papering over some of the cracks, but by then the Madridistas had pulled back the throttle content to cruise through the final half-hour.

Jose’s crew are clearly feeling it as they gear up for Wednesday night’s resumption of hostilities at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barcelona, meanwhile, were undoubtedly more businesslike in going about their business.  They too rested most of their regulars, with only Victor Valdes, Sergio Busquets and the struggling David Villa starting.  The former Valencia star put the Catalans in front on twenty-four minutes but the match had to be ground out in the end, as a desperate Osasuna tried to avoid their fourth consecutive loss.

... Which sets Gerard Pique and Shakira's biological clock ticking, making Carlos Puyol uncomfortable and a bit jealous.

To begin the second half, Pep Guardiola threw on Andres Iniesta and then added Lionel Messi and Xavi, after the hour, to both secure the match and deliver the message that there is still work to be done this season, even if La Liga is beyond doubt.  Just before time, Messi responded, latching onto a Dani Alves through ball and burying his shot in the middle of goal.

Football, like virtually every other business, operates by the maxim ‘what have you done for me lately?’  It’s therefore of little consequence to Barcelona players, supporters, board members and the manager himself that the club are on the threshold of their third consecutive league title and are not yet two years removed from a Champions league title.  If Real rise up, win through to the Champions League Final and, worse, emerge triumphant, this season will belong to them, the hated enemy.  Evil will have triumphed and Barcelona will have failed.

Such are the pressures that eventually consume every champion.  Barça, though, are not dead yet.  They still have two matches to keep the sun shining and birds singing.  Yet, they are as aware as anyone that just last month, every punter worth his salt would have bet that Barcelona would romp against Osasuna and Madrid toil at Valencia.  It’s getting dark fast in Spain.

I wrote an article about a month back wondering where the Les Bleus Karim Benzema disappears to while the Real Madrid version plods through matches.  Well, wherever he was hiding, he’s come out and sent the plodder packing.

Since losing Gonzalo Higuain for the rest of the season to a back injury, Real Madrid were actually down to just one striker and Benzema wasn’t able to get his game airborne, given the chance to fly solo. Mourinho lobbied for big money to lavish on someone like Fernando Llorente or even Romelu Lukaku but Madrid president Florentino Perez suddenly claimed poverty. It was even mooted that Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka could start up front.

These options all seemed preferable to Karim Benzema at the time, as he had struggled his way to just two league goals by the end of January. More success was had in other competitions, but the overall statistics did not make for happy reading. As Adebayor was unveiled after his loan from Man City, it seemed Benzema might as well order a Lazy-Boy recliner because he was destined for a long spell on the bench.  Instead, Ade’s arrival proved the kick up the backside that Benzema so desperately needed.

Of course, form changes sudden and often unexpectedly in football.  As Adebayor struggled, Benzema began to finally flourish in the lone striker role that Mourinho favours. Off the pitch, Zinedine Zidane helped him shift the psychological barrier that had prevented the young Frenchman from reaching his club potential.

The numbers speak for themselves. Since the end of January, the Frenchman has scored in 7 of the 8 games he has played. Two of those helped Los Blancos break through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in seven years, at the expense of his former and hometown club, Lyon.

Benzema is finally rounding into the player for which Real Madrid shelled out £30 million.

Now admitting to feeling his best in some time, the youngster not only praised Zidane but Mourinho as well, citing a closer relationship with the Portuguese as a major factor in his recent form. However, the Special One has shifted the focus right back to his form striker.

“He deserves the merit. His teammates and to those who love him also deserve the merit. Very little of it belongs to me and Zidane. I’m very proud of him. I’ve always said that he is a fantastic kid and it is a pleasure to see him perform the way he does now.”

Of course, the star of Real Madrid is not Benzema, or even Mourinho, but Cristiano Ronaldo. And it seems that Benzema is striking a promising relationship with the biggest of the new Galacticos – one which might, in future, enable him to become one himself. He has shouldered some of the goalscoring burden, which will need to continue for Real to have any shot at La Liga.

Perhaps UEFA president Michel Platini, a long-term advocate of Benzema’s talents, put his renewed form best.

“I wasn’t mistaken about Benzema. Well, I know a little bit about football.”

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Ligue 1 Round-up

Marseille 2-1 PSG

Having been knocked out of the Europa League by Benfica on Thursday, a significant win for Marseille leaves PSG without much for which to fight.  The capital city side are now 10 points from the lead and look more like pretenders than contenders, at the moment. Claude Makalele has hinted at problems in the dressing-room, and manager Antoine Kombouare seems to be taking a tough approach to his players.

Didier Deschamps will be a bit happier, especially after his club was dumped out of Europe by Manchester United. OM’s goals were scored by Gabriel Heinze, who faced his second former club in succession, and André Ayew. The win keeps them three points from Lille.

Lyon 1-1 Rennes

Having taken the lead through Bafetimbi Gomis, Lyon should really have secured the points, especially with the sending-off of Rennes  striker Victor Montano for kicking defender Dejan Lovren on 65 minutes. A single goal and a man advantage weren’t sufficient, though, and Rennes came back to snatch a point at the death.

The result leaves Rennes one point ahead of OL in 2nd place, which I doubt anyone predicted for such a young side.

Brest 1-2 Lille

Lille took a third straight win to keep them top of the table. Gervinho provided the inspiration for both goals – for the first, his one-two with Eden Hazard allowed him to convert a simple one-on-one, and for the second, his wing wizardry got him past defenders and gave him space to provide Moussa Sow with the chance that made it 2-1.

Auxerre 2-0 Sochaux

Ireniusz Jelen scored two well-taken goals to secure a vital win for relegation-threatened Auxerre. The first was a beautiful chip, and the second a poacher’s effort from just inside the box. Jelen has not fired on all cylinders all season, but Auxerre need him to come good if they are to score the goals to stay up.

From the shameless plug department, Sochaux’s American striker Charlie Davies, on loan to MLS’DC United, came on at the hour mark of that club’s season opener, his first action in 17 months, after a horrific automobile accident, and struck for a brace.  If that form holds up for the rest of the season, the Yank may find himself back on this side of the Atlantic next January.

Monaco 0-1 Nancy

Monaco could really have done with a win against their relegation rivals, but will now need to look forward quickly. This loss will hurt all the more because of Park Chu-Young’s missed penalty, the best of many chances that they had to take a point from this game,.  Worse, their profligacy came on a weekend when the four teams above them, Lens, Caen, Auxerre and, of course, Nancy, all won.

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Next week is an international weekend, which will be intriguing. Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery have been called back to the French squad, which you might think would eliminate any haunting spectre of Raymond Domenech’s reign. But then Domenech put paid to that idea by branding the World Cup side a bunch of “horrible, foolhardy brats”. So much for that.

Anyway, there’s a qualification match against Luxembourg to endure this Friday, followed by a much more enticing encounter against Croatia on Tuesday. Slaven Bilic’s side will only be coming to town for a friendly, but I’ve long liked Croatia’s array of attacking midfielders (the likes of Pranjic, Rakitic, Kranjcar and Modric), who should provide plenty of entertainment, especially if Laurent ‘Olé’ Koscielny, called up for Les Bleus, plays.

Au revoir, mes amis!

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After a quarter of the second half, coach Jose Mourinho decided it was time for Benzema to make his bow. The substitution was made amidst raucous applause. Ironically though, it was the Lyon fans celebrating a return of a hero. Most of the away contingent grimaced. To them, Adebayor out and Benzema in seemed like a last throw of the dice.

Yet, a return to the scene of his greatest triumphs must have sprinkled some star-dust on the young Frenchman of Algerian roots. Within a minute, he had shut down the very fans who were cheering him, with a goal that could prove to be the decisive one in this tie.  Combining well with Mesut Özil and Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema took one touch, beat three defenders and then finished through the legs of Hugo Lloris to give Real Madrid the advantage and ensure that he received ample cheers from the Spanish contingent of supporters as well.

Real’s lead was later cancelled by a volley from the man with the exotic locks and the even more exotic name, Bafetimbi Gomis, but Mourinho’s charges will still fancy their chances to progress into the quarterfinals thanks to the valuable away goal from the former Lyon hero.

Meanwhile, Mario Gomez scored, enabling Bayern to exact some revenge on Inter Milan for last year’s final loss, and to complete the day for strikers, Nicolas Anelka scored a brace as Chelsea virtually assured passage into the last eight with a 2-0 victory away at Copenhagen.

Lyon 1 -1 Real Madrid

If you were a Real Madrid fan, this was a painful encounter to watch. Lyon were wonderfully well-drilled defensively and used the counterattack to great effect, through the pace of Ceasar Delgado and Michel Bastos. Real were content to sit deep, break up play ahead of their own penalty area and try to catch the French side napping.  With both sides attempting to exploit the counterattack, the match was much like two nuns each trying to be the more courteous – ‘After you… No, after you… You first, I insist…

Lyon had the more presentable opportunities in the game but Gomis spurned a number of chances that would have given les Gones the lead, not to mention being caught offside a few more times than a top-notch striker should.  Benzema’s goal, when it came , led Mourinho to adopt an even more defensive posture, removing Özil, but the change proved fruitless as Gomis finally took his chance to give Lyon with much to play for in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Copenhagen 0 – 2 Chelsea

Nicolas Anelka put Chelsea within touching distance of the competition’s elite eight with two well taken goals that also served to ease the pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti. Anelka ensured the faltering Blues stayed in the hunt for silverware this season while at the same time extending his remarkable scoring record in the competition to seven goals in six games.

Ancelotti preferred Fernando Torres to Didier Drogba in attack, partnering Anelka but it was another night to forget for the Spaniard.   His overall performance improved but he still fluffed his lines against a vulnerable and rusty Copenhagen back four.

Marseille 0 – 0 Manchester United

Manchester United will have no safety net at Old Trafford in three weeks time after they ground out a goalless draw in their meeting with Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.  United have failed to clinch victory from similar positions before but they will still be favourites to progress against a limited Marseille outfit, even if life would have been so much better for the visitors had a Darren Fletcher snap-shot been able to break the deadlock in a drab contest.

With seven first-team regulars missing the trip to France, Sir Alex Ferguson will not be overly disappointed with the scoreline.

Inter Milan 0 – 1 Bayern Munich

In a repeat of last season’s final, Gomez proved to be the difference at the very death. Arjen Robben’s long range shot was handled poorly by Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar.  His spilled save provided the German with the perfect chance and Gomez  quickly rounded him and slotted into an empty net. The despondent Cesar was left with some soul-searching to do as he reportedly walked home from the stadium instead of using the more practical car or team bus.

The match was similar to the OL/Real encounter, with both sides playing at a deliberately slow pace but looking to press home any advantage they could find. Inter’s defensive 4-3-2-1 was meant to counter with the inverted wing threats of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery and both Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti played extremely well up to double up on Bayern’s wingers.  Leonardo’s strategy left a lot of room in the middle, which Bayern did not always use wisely.  Thomas Müller and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who were in excellent position to benefit from the pressure on the outside men, had largely average games, but the true star on show for the Bavarians was midfielder Luiz Gustavo. The Brazilian, signed in the winter break to cover Mark van Bommel’s departure, provided able distribution and closed down Wesley Sneijder on the counter-attack.

Although Cambiasso missed a sitter, and Thomas Kraft made a number of fantastic saves, Gomez’s goal when it came, was surprising only in the lateness of its arrival.  Bayern will be confident of progressing, given their home form this season, but Inter, as already exhibited by Julio Cesar, will have some soul-searching to do in the weeks to come.

Villarreal 2 – 1 Napoli

This was supposed to be the tie of the round and, although the first leg proved a dull and drab encounter, the second lived up to its billing.   When Marek Hamsik stooped low to head home an advantage for the Italians at El Madrigal, a section of fans came tumbling down onto the pitch, courtesy a broken fence.  Yet, if Napoli, who had left hotshot Edinson Cavani on the bench, thought that was all done and dusted, they were wrong. Villarreal have cultivated a superlative attacking style of football on the backs of forwards Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar.  With their continental hopes in the balance, both men scored within two minutes of one another to turn the tie on its head.

Napoli came back strongly in the second half and hit the woodwork twice but Villarreal held on, setting up another sumptuous tie with Bayer Leverkusen in the next round.

Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 0 Metalist Kharkiv

The Germans disposed of Metalist Kharkiv with a goal from Michael Ballack (remember him?), which also proved to be a stab in the heart of Italian fans. The strike shifted the UEFA co-efficient in the Bundesliga’s favour, costing Serie A its fourth Champions League place in the 2012/13 season.

Manchester City 3 – 0 Aris Salonika

Hotshot striker Edin Dzeko has found it tough going, after moving from the Volkswagen Arena to the Eastlands, but here he scored twice to ease the Mancunians into the next round ahead of Aris. Yaya Toure’s late 25 yard deflection provided added sheen but Dzeko’s two super finishes, one off the right post, one off the left, will leave City fans screaming for more in the days to come.

With one less knockout round, the Champions League can afford to drag its heels a bit but the Europa League will be playing its Round of 16 over 10 & 17 March, while the senior competition wraps up its corresponding round.  Below are the next set of matchups for the Europa League.

See you in a fortnight!

France 1-0 Brazil (International Friendly)

Those of you who are cynics are likely thinking this was a meaningless friendly sees decent France side beat 10-man Brazil, what’s the fuss?

To look at the teamsheets, you might even think that France could continue to be Brazil’s nemesis. Yoann Gourcuff? Florent Malouda? Karim Benzema? They’re all great players, no?

To watch those three on Wednesday night, you might  imagine that, while not at the peak of their powers, they were performing acceptably for players of such standing. For their respective clubs, giants of France, England and Spain respectively, however, things haven’t been so rosy.

Laurent Blanc is certainly getting the best from these players, Far more than more accredited managers like Claude Puel, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho, a fact recognised by Gourcuff this week, when he said that he preferred the national system once employed by his former boss at Bordeaux. The form of Malouda, so brilliant at the start of the season, has stalled somewhat with Chelsea. The arrival of Fernando Torres will be a further hindrance to the winger’s play, especially if his pairing with Didier Drogba brings back the diamond midfield.  Aspects of both of these cases can be applied to the plight of Real Madrid’s Benzema. Like Gourcuff, the striker has really struggled for form at his new club, despite heightened expectations when he signed – due, also, to the signings of Ronaldo and Kaka.

And like Malouda, much more so in fact, Benzema’s struggles are compounded by the competition he faces at such a high-profile club, all too often finding himself on the wrong side of the touchline come kick-off. Doubt my argument.  Just ask the suddenly prolific Daniel Sturridge, suddenly enjoying the smell of the grass at the Reebok, with Bolton.  As with Chelsea’s now on-loan youngster, the signing of a high-quality striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, may well push France’s preferred striker further to the fringes and possibly to the exit door of the Santiago Bernabeu.

The beginning of a beautiful partnership?

There’s also the small matter of the “next Zidane” tag that is tacked-on to anyone closely resembling Zidane, be it in heritage, quality,  playing style or bullet headed coif.

How will he revive his career with such pressures? More matches like this one against Brazil would be a great start. In this match, an afterthought for fans but intrinsic to any number of players looking to impress both coaches, Benzema put on an impressive show, if a far from perfect one. Compared with his performances for Real, his form for France is scorching, with three goals in his last three appearances.  In this match, fleeting glimpses of his very best were on show. If Philippe Mexes is the bedrock of this team, then Benzema is the diamond in the rough.

After just 8 minutes, a Gourcuff pass for Benzema almost resulted in a goal. Towards the end of the half, it was his good work which led to Hernanes’awkward impression of Nigel de Jong, gifting Les Bleus a man advantage for the duration.

Following the break, Benzema converted the good work of Jeremy Menez to chalk up another international goal, which unfortunately cannot be taken to the bureau de change in Madrid. By the way, those three goals for Les Bleus outnumber his entire tally for Real this season.

So for Jose Mourinho, this is likely to be another reminder that Karim Benzema is just so much more than what he’s been seeing. This, remember, is the man that Manchester United have coveted for a very long time, who Liverpool reportedly went for to dull the pain of losing their favourite Spaniard. The man who got 32 goals in a season for Lyon.

The question is, where is this Karim Benzema for Real Madrid?

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Ligue 1 Round-up

Nice defender Nemanja Pejcinovic waxed prescient before this week’s matches.

“It seems this season that everyone can beat everyone else on their day.”

This week, the Serbian’s defender’s remarks rang particularly true in the weekend’s headline fixture:

Saint-Etienne 1-4 Lyon

In my preview of the Rhone-Alpes derby, I said that it would be tightly fought between two sides separated by two goals in the table. After Saint-Etienne went ahead, however, Lyon showed a watching Jose Mourinho just why Lyon has had their number in the Champions League in recent campaigns.

Les Verts dominated the game, but Lyon were resolute. As Hugo Lloris made save after save and Jeremy Toulalan scrapped away, it was their grit and mental strength that allowed those further forward to shine. The win caps a journey that has taken OL into 4th place, which chairman Jean-Michel Aulas descibed as: “de l’enfer au paradis” (more literally ‘of hell and paradise’but the equivalent of so close, yet so far).

Sochaux 1-2 Marseille

Gignac is back and second beckons Marseille.

This result does not seem spectacular at first sight, but more notable was the fact that both OM goals were scored by Andre-Pierre Gignac, who struggled badly after his move from Toulouse in the summer. 4 goals in 4 games suggest he has rediscovered some semblance of the player that scored 24 goals in 2008-09.

PSG 0-0 Lens

A disappointing draw for PSG against a side battling relegation. In a week where their title rivals picked up maximum points, this may prove a big dent in their ambitions.

Monaco 3-1 Lorient

Monaco, still struggling against the drop, got an impressive win against Lorient, their first of 2011, to keep swimming against the tide of relegation. The current becomes more forgiving in the coming weeks, with matches against Brest, Caen and Valenciennes but it will take work to make it back to shore safely.

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If your career beckons on Monday, adopt the French work week and get home early to sip a glass of vin with your better half.  I’ll see you next week.

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On New Year’s Eve, all sorts of paper is tossed about recklessly, guests make as much noise as possible in celebration and hosts are called upon to deliver toasts and serve more cheap champagne.  Thirty-one evenings later, all sorts of paper is tossed about, fans make as much noise as possible in celebration (or protest) and club chairmen are called upon to address the media, half drunk on Dom Perignon.

The fans actually fall into three groups:  those who wonder how their gaffer could let that player go for any amount of money, especially with their season on the line, those who can’t believe they got said player at any price, we’re in like flint now surely, and, of course, Arsenal supporters.

So, if you fall into the last group, please read this article instead.

For the rest of you, here’s a completely biased, unscientific analysis of the ten clubs which had the most impact, positive or negative, during the January window.

10.  Ligue 1 — Okay, so it’s cheating to squeeze 20 clubs into the first spot but the French top flight pulled a virtual Arsenal in January.  A league that regularly sells off its top talent whenever the big clubs come calling, Marouane Chamakh, Karim Benzema, Hatim Ben Arfa being just the most recent of a list which goes back decades and includes the likes of Zidane, Ronaldhino and Franck Ribery, is conspicuously absent when Stephane Sessignon and Dieumerci Mbokani are the biggest names to leave.  When players like Moussa Sow and Yann M’Vila were rumoured to be drawing intense interest, it’s difficult to believe their clubs stood pat.

Of course, Ligue 1 is enjoying its most tightly contested title in some time, with 7 clubs still within 9 points of each other atop the table.  With so little margin for error, leaders Lille can be forgiven for hanging on to M’Vila and Rennes, in fourth, have need of Sow.  It’s true that PSG sit second but Sessignon had made his remaining with the club untenable and Monaco, despite being in the heat of a relegation battle, had no use for Mbokani.

Giampaolo, why are you making that angry face? I wrote to Santa and he promised that, after Christmas, we'd both be in Milan!

nn9.  Sampdoria — The Blucerchiati made an early start on throwing their season away.  In October, hot-tempered winger Antonio Cassano refused to attend an awards ceremony in his honour, with club Chairman Riccardo Garrone, at the last moment.  A spat ensued, in which it was revealed that Garrone’s temper set the mercury soaring even higher than Cassano’s.  The boss went before a Lega Calcio board to have the player’s contract rescinded, wanting to be rid of the troublesome star, even if it meant he’d see no return.  The board generously declined his request and Sampdoria were able to ‘persuade’AC Milan to pay half the €5 million outstanding from Samp’s purchase of Cassano from Real Madrid, the entire debt itself likely half what the Azzurri flanker is worth.

Garrone then followed that up by selling his 19-goal scorer, Giampaolo Pazzini to Inter for €12 million.  Not much to get for one of the most dynamic attacking partnerships in Serie A.  Worse when the replacements are unproven Kiko Macheda, on loan from Man United and only 19, and Massimo Maccarone, unwanted at Middlesbrough, unable to keep Siena in the top flight and unimpressive (2 goals) in 18 appearances with Palermo.

8.  Wolfsburg — Neither of the past two Bundesliga champions, Bayern or Wolfsburg, did well in the January window.  Bayern, 14 points behind BVB with 14 matches to play, let their captain, Mark van Bommel, go to Milan on a free transfer and sent tiring defender Martin Demichelis to relegation battlers Malaga, in La Liga.  The only significant player new to the lineup was Arjen Robben, finally back from a World Cup injury.  His first contribution to the Rekordmeister cause was to get in a dustup with Thomas Müller, on the pitch, when the youngster called him out for sailing a howler into the stands.

Wolfsburg suffered a far bigger loss.  Edin Dzeko flew the coup for 28 million of Sheikh Mansour’s euros.  The Bosnian striker was replaced by the aforementioned Dieumerci Mbokani.  The club did spend some more of the Abu Dhabi money on Turkish midfielder, Tuncay Sunli, late of Stoke City, at the deadline.  That’s akin to trading your prime rib for peanut butter and jelly, though.

7.  Real Madrid — Things are not going very well for Jose Mourinho at Real.  Los Meringues are a distant second to Barcelona in what, with all due respect to Villareal, Valencia and Atletico Madrid, is a two team league.  What’s more, the club’s Argentine General manager, Jorge Valdano, is one of two people in the world who think they know better than the Special One when it comes to running the club.  Worse, the other is President Florentino Perez, who has yet to step in to defuse the situation.  Meanwhile Mourinho continues to drop hints to the press that he will be heading to England in the summer; the same type of hints he dropped about moving to the Spanish capital before Inter won the Champions League.

With Karim Benzema less than impressive and Gonzalo Higuain suffering from a herniated disc in his back, Mourinho had to beg and plead for a striker to be brought in.  When the window opened, Dzeko was available.  Instead, the club suddenly developed a conservative streak, waiting to sign Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Man City.  The result?  Both Benzema and Adebayor were ineffective as Los Blancos were blanked 1-0 by lowly Osasuna, falling 7 points adrift of Barça.

Mourinho has likely already bought his tickets for Heathrow.  It’s cheaper when you make reservations ahead of time.

This is an outrage! I keep spending more money than anyone and I can't even get the club to first place on this infidel's stupid list!

nn6.  Manchester City — When are seven strikers not enough?  When you’re Sheikh Mansour and Edin Dzeko can be had for the loose change in your spare dishdasha, that’s when.  To be fair, City did clean house a little, even if it was after they welcomed the former Wolfsburg talisman.  Roque Santa Cruz was loaned back to Blackburn, Wayne Bridge went to West Ham and Adebayor headed to Real.  Still, if all three of those loans are made permanent, the receipts are unlikely to cancel out the Bosnian’s cost.

5.  Inter Milan — Two transfer windows ago, Inter were champions of Europe.  Unfortunately, the celebration was short-lived.  Jose Mourinho went to Madrid and Rafa Benitez came on board, to prove that, similar to Jorge Valdano, he knew how to run Inter better than the Portuguese.  Only, he couldn’t.

So, after sitting out the summer window, Massimo Moratti got busy as soon as the winter break began.  His first deal wasn’t for a player but a new coach.  Leonardo took over and the Nerrazzurri began playing with both more freedom and success than they had under the former Liverpool boss.  Since then, two new acquisitions have come through the door.  Giampaolo Pazzini joined from Sampdoria and promptly potted a brace in a 3-2 win over Palermo.  Then, at the deadline, they brought in Asian Cup champion Yuto Nagatomo, on loan from Cesena.

Still the Scudetto holders are 9 points off the pace and their dealings pale in comparison to those of…

4.  AC Milan — If there were only 30 days in January, the Rossoneri would have a case for claiming the number one spot on this list.  Having picked up Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Kevin-Prince Boateng in the summer, they soon reclaimed their familiar haunt on top of the Serie A table.  They were far from the finished product, however.

In the winter, Adriano Galliani went a good ways to accomplishing that.  The disinterested Ronaldhino was sent home to Flamengo for €8 million.  Antonio Cassano was purchased from Sampdoria for €2.5 million, to replace him.  Ka-ching!  Ring up the profit.  Mark van Bommel exchanged the red and white of Bayern for the red and black of Milan.  More importantly to Galliani, no money was exchanged in the transaction.  Ka-ching!  Has Gianluca Zambrotta pulled up lame at left back?  No problem, we’ll sign Didac Vila from Espanyol and Urby Emmanuelson from Ajax for a combined €4.4 million.  Ka-Ching, ka-ching!  Then, at the deadline, we’ll bring in veteran centre back Nicola Legrottaglie from Juve on loan.  All told, that leaves just over a €1 million left over from the sale of Ronaldhino.  Ka-ching!

Luciano Moggi may have been the master of the Italian transfer window but Galliani is an honours student, set to graduate summa cum laude, after turning Milan into a strong balanced squad, capable of both taking the lead and keeping it.

David Luiz: They always pick the goal scorers first!

mm3.  Chelsea — Despite the intricate machinations of the two clubs flanking them in this list, the transfer period would have been rather blasé had Roman Abramovich not woken up last Friday and decided he missed the old days.  If he hadn’t picked up the phone and told Bruce Buck that they were buying Fernando Torres, I’d be in bed asleep instead of writing this.  No worries, sleep is very overrated.

I was scratching my head, though, over why the Russian billionaire would fork out $50 million for a world-class striker, one struggling with his form, to boot, when what the club truly needed was a centre back who would make the Stamford Bridge faithful forget Ricardo Carvalho.  At which point, Abramovich hit redial and said, “I almost forgot, Bruce.  Get on the horn to Benfica and tell the Iberians we’ll give them the €25 million for David Luiz.”

2.  Aston Villa — Don’t think the Premier League is still the biggest and baddest league in all the world, no matter what Pep Guardiola has in his toolbox?  Well, when relegation battling sides go out and spend £20 million or so for Premier League Golden boot winners, there’s the proof in the pudding.  Bottom sides in other leagues don’t buy.  They borrow or sell.  Aston Villa, however, were all over the place in January.  If someone was available, they made an offer.  Yet, it wasn’t until they began checking on players not listed in the want ads that they hit the jackpot.  When I saw the headlines that Randy Lerner had broken the bank for Darren Bent, my first reaction was to check the date and confirm that it wasn’t April Fools Day.

Needless to say, Sunderland were not exactly pleased to do business, although their hand was forced.  On the other hand, you can’t say Villa weren’t sympathetic.  To show there were no hard feelings, they sent trouble-making midfielder Stephen Ireland to the Black Cats’Geordie rivals, Newcastle.  As well as Bent, Villa pried Jean Makoun away from a very reluctant Olymique Lyonnais and rescued Michael Bradley, USMNT holding mid and coach’s son, from floundering Borussia Mönchengladbach.  To make room, Steve Sidwell was sold to Fulham and John Carew lent to Stoke, where he may risk more than being called stupid, should he decide to speak out against Tony Pulis.

To think that Martin O’Neill left the club because Randy Lerner was unwilling to make moves in the transfer market!

Are you sure you don't want a meat pie, Linda? Damien will be happy to get it.

1.  Liverpool — Duh!  You didn’t expect anyone else to take the top spot did you?  On the weekends, I sit on the couch, pigging out on corn chips and roast beef sandwiches.  John Henry goes out and tells everyone on Merseyside that he’s in this for the long haul:

“Kenny, Damien, good to see you both.  I know it’s an FA Cup weekend but thanks for coming in.  It’s gonna be a working weekend.

Fernando Torres has some doubts about where the club is heading?  He thinks he might have a better chance of winning trophies at another club?  Chelsea, even?  No problem.  Let’s sell him and get some guys in here that will be gung-ho to wear the shirt.  What about that bucktoothed Uruguayan that hates to lose so much, he’ll play goalkeeper, if need be?  He bites opponents when they get too close, too, doesn’t he?  That’s what I call enthusiasm!

And what about that big kid in Newcastle?  The one with the long hair, who scores goals and likes a good ruckus.  If he’s good enough for the England team, he’s good enough for us.  Send a car for him, though.  I saw on Sky that someone torched his ride.

Take care of that will you, Kenny?  Thanks.

Damien, get me another cuppa, will you?  This one’s too weak.  When you’re done, ring up Konchesky’s mum and tell her to stop calling me.  Kenny’s sending him off to Nottingham Forest.  There’s a good lad.

Linda’s right.  Anfield is a wonderful place.”

It’s a cup weekend in England, Scotland and France.  Fans in all three countries will be holding their betting tickets and hoping a lowly club can play David and slay a Goliath.  There are any number of matches which offer the opportunity, especially in the FA Cup.  Sheffield United and Reading are choice candidates, facing reeling sides Aston Villa and West Brom respectively.  Another interesting match will take place at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland welcome Notts County.  The Black Cats have already endured a vicious attack from another group of Magpies this season.  Is a second in the offing?

As well, there are some tantalising match-ups in the Mediterranean leagues.  Here’s the WFC gang to fill you in…

Eliot Rothwell

Eliot Rothwell

Blackburn Rovers v Queens Park Rangers, FA Cup 3rd Round>>>Saturday

It’s FA Cup weekend in England, which means the inevitable but thoroughly uplifting air of a giant killing somewhere throughout the Queen’s Land.

One place where a so-called, giant killing may take place is the blustery Lancastrian stadium of Ewood Park.  Recent appointee Steve Kean sees his Blackburn Rovers face Championship high-flyers QPR. Rovers recently tabled an ambitious and somewhat unrealistic bid for former Ballon D’Or winner Ronaldinho, a move that seems to have broken down with the man who strikes fear into the hearts of defenders and dentists alike looks to be heading back to Brazil with Gremio.

QPR meanwhile are quite satisfied with the playmaker they have. The mercurial Adel Taraabt has been making a mockery of many a Championship defender.  Att eh other end, former Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny will aim to keep out in form Blackburn striker Benjani Mwaruwari, following his two-goal heroics in the 3-1 win over the luckless Liverpool of Roy Hodgson.

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Tapesh Patel

Tapesh Patel

Arsenal v Leeds United, FA Cup 3rd Round>>>Saturday

Simon Grayson enjoyed a historic upset last year, when Leeds toppled Manchester United at Old Trafford, going on to force Tottenham to a replay. The cup run catapulted the manager into the national spotlight.  Since then, he has continued his good work, for which he has just gained another nomination for Championship Manager of the Month.

Leeds sit 5th in the table, having gone on a 12-match unbeaten run that started, and recently ended, against Cardiff City. Despite the disappointing loss on Tuesday, I expect Leeds to pose a threat, with the physical presence of Luciano Becchio back in the line-up. Max Gradel was in great form in December, nominated for the Player of the Month award, and his pace may be the key to unlocking an Arsenal defence, which will miss the assured presence of Bacary Sagna.

Arsene Wenger has already intimated that Sagna won’t be the only first-teamer missing from this game, with his players needing time to recuperate from the festive schedule. Robin Van Persie will be rested, and Samir Nasri will probably make way for the returning Aaron Ramsey, fresh from his loan stint at Nottingham Forest. Theo Walcott may be let loose on the defence and, if so, will want to prove a point to the manager after being given the hook for Nicklas Bendtner against Man City.

Arsenal will therefore be a weakened side but still overriding favourites at the Emirates. Leeds’surprising start to the season does add some intrigue to the encounter, though. One thing is for sure – this match screams goals.

Leicester City v Manchester City, FA Cup 3rd Round>>>Sunday

One of the more intriguing ties in the 3rd Round will be at the Walker’s Stadium, where Sven-Goran Eriksson will get a visit from his former club. The Swede has had a clear impact on the Midlands side, helping them to recover from Paulo Sousa’s total of 5 points in 9 games and bring them into the upper reaches of the table.

There are a few ties between the two sides.  Sven brought his former Man City and England employee Darius Vassell with him, as well as full-back Greg Cunningham (who broke his leg against Hull but has now returned). Ben Mee has come in on loan at centre-back, but presumably won’t play. Nor will Spurs full-back Kyle Naughton, who is cup-tied for this game.

Leicester, then, might have some problems in defence. The question is, will Mancini bother to expose them? Apparently City have just signed some guy named Edin Dzeko and may well be thrown him in at the deep end. In fact, with City’s reserve side heavily favoured in the Europa League, you won’t likely get good odds on them for this tilt.

It may not be as easy as planned for the Citizens, however, especially if Leicester City produce a display like the one that beat Swansea on Monday.

Manchester United vs Liverpool, Fa Cup 3rd Round>>>Sunday

It’s been a long time since this match was such a lop-sided proposition. In a season where no one side has excelled, and upsets abound, United have somehow remained unbeaten. We could debate day and night whether they enjoy favourable refereeing decisions but the consensus is that they have been the best of a bad bunch, a fact reflected in the league table.

Sir Alex Ferguson will surely still be wary of a Liverpool side on the ropes, especially having suffered an embarrassing defeat to another rival, Leeds United, in this competition last year. As such, the experienced heads of Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney should get a run-out on Sunday.

Liverpool, then, need a big performance to get anything out of this game. Is it likely? No. But then Roy Hodgson’s side are in the same draw as Dover – the magic of the FA Cup works in mysterious ways.

Of course, it’s not even a certainty that Woy will be charge for this game†, which surely is a weight on the minds of players and the man himself.  No-one foresaw the rapid demise that Anfield has witnessed, yet the seemingly eternal despondency surrounding the squad perhaps hints at a lack of motivation, possibly stemming from the beleaguered Hodgson’s lack of confidence.

The saving grace? Mr. Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, who has recently, and indeed always, tried to put the team on his back in times of trouble.  Their last FA Cup trophy was 2006, five years gone, but who can forget his crucial goals against West Ham that helped win the Final? Something similar will be needed here, because Liverpool sorely lack any semblance of  spirit.

This game is important for so many reasons, so settle down, grab a pint, and enjoy the 3rd Round magic.

† Late Update:  Woy will not be at the helm for Sunday’s match, as NESV at last stepped in to relieve him of his duties.  Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish will step in to manage the club for the remainder of the season.

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Andrew Gibney

Andrew Gibney @ The Gib Football Show

Dundee United v Ross County, Scottish Cup>>>Saturday

At the end of last season, these clubs met at Hampden Park, battling it out to lift the Scottish Cup. Different fortunes have befallen both clubs this year.

Ross County are eighth in the First Division, only three points above last place Stirling Albion.  They haven’t won a game since they beat Devronvale in the last round of the Cup.

Dundee United are having a similar season, seventh in the SPL and now have to deal with the possibility of losing top striker and all round great player David Goodwillie.  After the sale of Kenny Miller to Birmingham, the Rangers vultures are circling and ready to swoop.

This game has the possibility of giving us the upset we all want from cup games. It will be difficult for Ross County to come away with a result but with enough belief, you never know.  Even a replay at Victoria Park would be a great result for the boys from Dingwall.

Chambery v Monaco, Coupe De France>>>Saturday

Saturday doesn’t just see cup weekend in the UK.  Teams all around France will meet to see who can progress to the last 32 of the Coupe de France. Again, in search for the elusive cup shock, we travel to the east of France to the town of Chambery.

The locals will welcome the visit of top flight AS Monaco as the Monégasque club take on the team from Group D of the French CFA2, aka the 5th tier. The Stade Municipal de Chambéry holds about 1000 fans, and it will surely be packed with fans expecting the unexpected.

Monaco are struggling in Ligue 1, sitting in 17th spot perilously close to the drop zone. Apart from the 2-1 victory over Sochaux last week you have to go back to the start of November for their last win. Since that win they have only scored five goals in eight games, Chambery can smell blood. What a fairytale story a home win would be!

Sporting Lisbon v Sporting Braga, Portuguese Liga>>>Saturday

Moving away from cup ties, there is a big game in Portugal this weekend as Sporting and Braga fight it out for the Europa League places, five points separate the teams before the match, Braga will want to close the gap on their rivals before both clubs go back into European competition.

Both have won their last two games but Sporting are unbeaten in their last four home games, whereas Braga have lost their last four away.  No surprise that Sporting are the favourites in this one.

Yet Braga should not be taken lightly, with the odds against them they overcame Arsenal in the Champions League.  So, there is every chance, with the great play of Matheus and Lima, that Braga could come away from the Estádio José de Alvalade with all three points.

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Fab Presilli

Fab Presilli

Porto v Marítimo, Portuguese Liga>>>Saturday

It’s the Incredible Hulk versus one of the best defenses in the League.  Porto are the top flight team in Portugal, by far. They are already 8 points clear and rolling for the title.

Hulk is just one piece of the puzzle, although an important one.  The forward is a key player of the Portistas and the crowd always expect goals when he is in the pitch.

Marítimo might be the second best defense but the offense is not working and the team is parked well down the table.

Sampdoria v Roma, Serie A>>>Sunday

Samp is trying to get back to life in the wake of Hurricane Cassano.  Without all the nonsense the player has brought to Genoa, the team can focus on getting back on track in order for a place in Europe next season.  Will new loanee Fernando Macheda be thrown into the fray against his hometown side?

Roma is sitting fourth, yet with little difference from second to sixth, major changes can be made in the table every round.

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Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto

Real Madrid v Villareal, La Liga>>>Sunday

In a crosstown trip to Getafe’s Estadio Alfonso Parez, Real showed a bit of holiday rust, defensively, but were prolific enough to eke out a 3-2 victory.  It seems the recently returned Kaka will be given a run out as second striker, with Florentino Perez pleading poverty and Karim Benzema the only pure striker in-house.  Los Meringues will have to be more attentive in this match, as the Yellow Submarine have surfaced in 3rd place.

Injuries to Nilmar and Marco Senna mean Juan Carlos Garrido’s side will be challenged to find a result at the Santiago Bernabeu.  If they don’t, the gap between the 2nd and 3rd sides will open to eleven points and Villareal will be far more concerned with Valencia coming up on their six than the La Liga title’s tail-lights disappearing on the horizon.

AC Milan v Udinese, Serie A>>>Sunday

If you’re not a member of Brigate Rossonere, you’re probably wondering who Rodney Strasser is.  As I’m not a member of the ultra group myself, I really can’t help you.  Even ESPN Soccernet doesn’t recognise the Sierra Leone attacking mid, mistakenly referring to him as Sidney.  With Zlatan Ibrahimovic in detention and Alex Pato ineffective, the youngster came into Thursday’s match at Cagliari and made the difference, as the Rossoneri opened a 5 point lead at the top..

Meanwhile, Alexis Sánchez and Antonio Di Natale powered the Little Zebras past Chievo, 2-0 at the Friuli, to remain level with Inter.  A trip to the San Siro will be no picnic, however, especially with Ibra back in the line-up.  If Masimiliano Allegri is satisfied with Antonio Cassano’s fitness, this one could really provide some fireworks.

Napoli v Juventus, Serie A>>>Sunday

These two clubs, unlike Milan and Udinese, began the second half of the season with losses.  Napoli were dominated by Inter 3-1, as Leonardo made an immediate impact in his Nerrazzurri debut.  As a result Napoli slipped to third.  Juventus’4-1 humiliation at the hands of Parma permitted Roma to slide into the final Champions League place.  Needless to say, both sides will be eager to make a quick about-face and the San Paolo should be rocking.

Whether you’re watching the Manchester/Liverpool clash or Madrid/Villareal after Sunday brunch, pick one of the four featured Serie A clashes as your follow-up match.  Chances are you’ll be treated to a great contest.

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Tom Pollock

Tom Pollock with The Oz Files

Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United, A-League

Sunday (in Australia, Saturday in Europe & the Americas)

This is perhaps one of the most one-sided rivalries in football. Melbourne and Adelaide love to beat on each other, when it comes to sport, and football is no exception. These sides have clashed in two Grand Finals in the past four years, with Victory getting up both times by an aggregate of 7-0. Add to the mix the fact that Victory has won the last 10 contests between the sides means this fixture is probably more meaningful to United, who are desperate to get the monkey off their back.  Think Engand v Germany, with Adelaide as the former.

Adelaide comes into the game having gone down to ladder leaders Brisbane, at home.  The defeat was their 4th in 5 matches but they have somehow held on to 2nd place. The 0-1 loss, while disappointing, has shown Adelaide they are not far off matching the Roar when the pressure is on. The Reds will look to new signings Andwele Slory and Francisco Usucar to halt their futility against Melbourne. Victory’s new striker, Danny Allsopp, could be given a longer run out, after marking at the start of his second stint with the club, against Wellington.

The clash is an important one for both sides, as finding form before the finals begin is critical. Home ground advantage could be the difference and, as this is one of the biggest fixtures of the year for Victory fans, they will turn up in force at AAMI Park.

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See you next week!

On the Third Day of Christmas, FIFA gave to me

Three French Men,

Two Keeper’s Gloves

and A Whistle Happy Referee…

World Cup 2010 was a tournament of teams rather than individuals, and as such, was a breakthrough competition for many countries. For Uruguay and Ghana, it was a triumph in football. For Germany and Spain, the culmination of years of hard work in youth development. However, for France, events this summer taught everybody something very different (beyond Nicholas Sarkozy being a nosey bugger).

The French learnt, in South Africa, what others had known a long time before – Les Bleus were an aging squad with a manager of such ineptitude that it’s surprising that Mike Ashley didn’t shortlist him.

Three French Men, by all accounts, were responsible for the team’s early flight home, handicapping the team at all levels – a Holy Trinity with a dark twist. Nicholas Anelka on the field, Raymond Domenech on the sidelines, and Jean-Pierre Escalettes in the boardroom of the French Football Federation. Yes, other errors were made, but chief accountability must be given to these three, who conspired to bring French football into chaos.

The Sesame Street alumni amongst you may have already noted that this post is sponsored by the letter F and the number 3. Wherever you looked, in each aspect of this whole sorry FFF mess, you were sure to find a trio of Frenchmen (or women) somehow intertwined.

Three Conspirators

On the playing side, France continued a 10-year tradition of choking at the highest level. Those cohesive, balanced, and winning displays of 1998 and 2000 looked worlds away.  Throughout the qualification, friendlies and on into the tournament, Les Bleus produced displays that baffled those who saw these players performing sensationally for their clubs week in, week out. How could Franck Ribery, William Gallas, Thierry Henry, Patrice Evra and Nicholas Anelka combine to produce such a dysfunctional side?

The answer was hidden to us, until a whole string of conflicts finally began to unravel. And while there had been any number of players who disrespected Raymond Domenech, it would, of course, be a man nicknamed The Incredible Sulk who would step out of the line and make his feelings known. An unashamed lack of passion through his 135 minutes on the pitch coupled with the shocking disrespect of screaming expletives into his manager’s face, secured an early flight home for the Chelsea striker.

As the coach engine coughs into life, Domenech begins to suspect that Anelka may not be the only one leaving.

In the aftermath, Captain Patrice Evra failed to convince Domenech to rescind the banishment and, frustrated, had a bust-up with fitness coach Robert Duverne. The pride of representing a nation was pushed to the wayside, factions formed and internal conflicts arose. The French squad refused to train and retreated to the team bus, shutting the curtains to retain what pride and dignity remained to them.  Jean-Pierre Escallette’s last, anti-climactic act, other than his resignation, was to make his way onto the coach and unsuccessfully plead with the players to abandon their protest, for the good of their country.  If there was one abiding image of France’s World Cup, it was Domenech reading a players’statement condemning the decision to send Anelka back home.

Of course, Anelka was merely the pebble which, once dislodged, released the landslide.   By voicing his feelings, he flushed out the veterans who had been conspiring against Domenech for some time. Then, having been shown the door, he elected not to fly to France but, instead, to London, loudly proclaiming that he was through with the French national team.

Much later, at a hearing, in which Anelka was effectively sacked after he had quit, receiving an 18 match suspension, three other players were handed match bans for their complicity in the training ground mess: Patrice Evra (5), Franck Ribery (3) and Jeremy Toulalan (1).  Later, it would emerge that the trio weren’t exactly on Domenech’s Christmas card list.

Meanwhile, their point made, the players returned to training. With the team in a complete malaise on the eve of the final and crucial group game against South Africa, sports minister Roselyne Bachelot delivered a speech, again on the team bus, which moved some of the players to tears. It was a speech which aimed to motivate the players into one last performance, to inject some semblance of pride and unity into a side that had lost it all.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that could repair this most broken of teams. A farcical display against South Africa followed, one which the hosts almost seemed embarrassed to win, such was the demise of this once-great side.

Anelka, fittingly cloaked in black glides through Heathrow, while his teammates elect to go coach.

Upon scoring his first goal back with Chelsea, Anelka raised his hands wrists together as though handcuffed and then released them to symbolise his new ‘freedom.’  If that wasn’t enough, just last week, he revisited the issue prior to Chelsea’s Champions League match in Marseille.  According to him, French fans are racists, siding with white European players over Muslim and coloured players, and this sentiment fostered the fractious rifts within the South African squad. Did he really need more enemies?

For the ‘Paris 3,’the black Evra, the Muslim Ribery and the Gallic Toulalan (one of each, Nicky), the post-World Cup scenes have relegated them to extras – bystanders to the largely successful regime of Laurent Blanc. They haven’t been needed so far and their replacements, Eric Abidal, Yann M’Vila and Mathieu Valbuena, have performed their duties well enough to merit continued selection. Blanc has announced publicly that Evra, Ribery and Toulalan will be considered but not automatically selected. So, the question is will Evra, Ribery and Toulalan ever be called upon again?

That story is still to be written. What we do know, however, is that none of the players were held as the chief perpetrators of the failure of Les Bleus.  That honour went to the team’s longest-serving manager. Not Aime Jacquet, mastermind of the “black-blanc-beur” outfit that won two trophies and united a nation, but Raymond Domenech, astronomy obsessor and star of an admittedly hilarious TV advert.

Three Managers

It’s difficult to know where to start when critiquing the France manager, as Domenech’s reign has been littered with controversy, derisory jokes, and downright disrespect. With that very French combination, you’d have thought he’d have been his country’s greatest manager, not its worst.  Then again, when Robert ‘Scorpio’Pires and Thierry ‘Leo’Henry aren’t in the squad, questions will always, and rightly, be asked. News of his astrological line-up consultations came to the fore in 2006, but always remained a handy stick with which to beat him.

The woodpile would grow, however.  In the 2008 Euros, France crashed out early, after the omission of several big-name players. In the immediate aftermath, Domenech infamously proposed to his long-term partner Estelle Denis in a “moment of humanity,” on live television, no less. Well, if by ‘humanity’you mean insensitivity to your supporters…

As if to emphasise the cartoonish nature of Domenech, 2009 saw the release of the hit single ‘Je kiffe Raymond’(I dig Raymond). sung by Catherine Ringer, a former porn star. Even Domenech had trouble comprehending the ‘tribute’.

The unending comic opera and media concern over the continually poor results set the backdrop for the World Cup. Finally, the FFF which had previously given Domenech their full backing, announced that his contract would not be renewed.  There was one question on everybody’s lips.

Who should replace him?

It would be Laurent Blanc who drew the short straw, once Domenech's departure became a fait accompli.

There were two main candidates:  Laurent Blanc of Bordeaux, and Didier Deschamps of Marseille. Both evoked memories of France’s greatest success. Laurent Blanc, whose defending Ligue 1 champion Les Girondin had fallen well off the pace while Deschamp’s OM were surging towards their first title in 17 years, was the man eventually chosen to replace Domenech but, in the interests of continuity, not until after the tournament.  That sentiment failed to take into account that when you are heading downhill continuity simply causes you to pick up the pace.  Significantly.

Domenech didn’t make the decision look any better when he left three key players, Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Philippe Mexes of his final 23-man squad.  From that point forward, Domenech was under fire from players and fans alike. After all, a lame duck is an easy target.

Some would say that the campaign was doomed to failure from the start and, in hindsight, it’s hard to disagree.  For all the irrational disrespect Domenech received during his (mis)management of Les Bleus, there was also a lot of well-founded criticism that really should have been taken on board.

In the end, he has sued, claiming he is owed £2.5 million in severance pay under French law.  While his head remains in the stars and French supporter’s hold theirs in their hands, an even higher ranking head that would roll…

Three Interfering Politicians

In tatters, France came home to find the notorious Gallic patriotism at an all-time low.  Nicholas Sarkozy impaneled an inquest into the whole matter. A very detailed, exaggerated inquest, I should add, but the very fact that this was deemed necessary shows the damage done to France. He called on Roselyne Bachelot to start the inquest, in close co-operation with FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes.

When Thierry Henry asked to speak to him regarding the matter, Sarkozy decided to subpoena several players to learn their views.  Finally, the French president called Domenech and Escalettes to a parliamentary hearing to explain what went wrong.  In that hearing Domenech was famously arrogant and derogatory in divesting himself of any responsibility for the debacle.

Escalettes cannot believe that after all he has done for his protege, he is being sold down the river.

Escalettes had been roundly criticised for keeping Domenech in the job, both after a dismal Euro 2008 and during the World Cup in South Africa.  Just before the squad left for Africa, the Federation President had been instrumental in winning France the bid for Euro 2016 but, after Domenech’s rant, nothing could have saved his job.  He graciously accepted blame for his part in the fiasco, claiming it was his “duty” to resign.

That, unfortunately, came after Bachelot had suggested publicly that there was no other recourse, drawing the ire of Sepp Blatter himself, who promptly sent an open letter to Sarkozy warning him that FIFA does not take kindly to government interference in Football Association matters.

The government considered it patriotism, if in the extreme; Blatter thought they were being too damn nosey.  With the newly won Euros hanging in the balance, Sarkozy did his best to smooth everything over.  Thankfully for France, any middle-aged man who can win the heart of Carla Bruni comes into the Presidency genetically blessed with extensive powers of persuasion.

So, there you go – a whole scandal littered with threes:

• Three F’s for the Federation Francaise de Football
• Three suspended players in Evra, Ribery and Toulalan
• Three very capable players left off the squad in Benzema, Nasri and Mexes
• Three key figures in Raymond Domenech, Nicolas Anelka and Jean-Pierre Escalettes, with all three leaving the FFF and going their separate ways
• Three coaching candidates to lead Les Bleus into the tournament, Domenech, Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc
• Three concerned politicians in Nicolas Sarkozy, Roselyne Bachelot and Sepp Blatter
• An unwanted love triangle between Domenech, Estelle Denis and the wistful Catherine Ringer
• Three lethargic matches which yielded
• A minus three in goal differential

The sum total of all those threes is one massive disaster.

However, the squad is now moving on under Laurent Blanc and it’s time to for us to do the same.  Tomorrow, we’ll examine four other football calamities, Pompey’s administration and relegation, Liverpool’s near-administration and madcap last-minute sale to John W. Henry, Dundee’s second (!) administration in 7 years and Real Mallorca’s disqualification from the Europa League after they went into voluntary administration.

All that will be in the Fourth Day of Christmas:  Four Failing Clubs.  Don’t miss it!

In the meantime, if you’re like me and can’t stop gawking at a train wreck, take a look at how Domenech’s career and brand have progressed since the World Cup…

Hi all!

This column will be crossing back and forth over the Channel, keeping an eye on events involving the French.  Be it players, coaches or executives, in Ligue 1 or elsewhere, I’ll have something to say on it.  I’ll be praising the piercing runs of Samir Nasri, scoffing at the pierced nose of Sebastien Bassong and touching on everything in between. This week, I’m looking at the FIFA fiasco, the aforementioned Samir Nasri, Ligue 1 and the Champions League. So, without further ado…

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“Football is for everyone”

In England this week, World Cup 2018 took centre-stage for obvious reasons. Although France didn’t bid, the vote’s resemblance to a game of Russian Roulette or Qatar Hero (terrible, sorry) means that the news garnered attention across the channel, too. I can understand that FIFA may want to expand into the Russian market, where football has been established as a professional sport for a long time.

Ka-ching!

But Qatar? To pick a football unknown ahead of the USA is strange, to put it mildly. Something smells fishy. BBC’s Panorama documentary provided the bait, now someone needs to drag the FIFA fish out of the water. As former Belgium midfielder Marc Wilmots put it, “the sport has lost”.

The Qatar bid was, of course, fronted by French football legend Zinedine Zidane. Quite why is a conundrum akin to that of FIFA’s decision to host the World Cup in its 113rd ranked country. For Zizou, maybe it had something to do with the reported $15 million he’s getting as a reward for the successful bid.

The former Les Bleus captain was glad for the 2022 decision, but was looking to butt heads over the 2018 announcement.  That choice, having gone against Spain, heaped yet more misery upon Real Madrid supporters who had only just recovered from a very Manic Monday at the Nou Camp.

Incidentally, Spain, much like England, really thought they had an impressive bid. In fact, I have to say that there were a number of good bids – it’s just unfortunate that none of them were picked. Shouldn’t the World Cup be about football instead of politics?

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Nasri’s Deadly Dancing

In French, it's sur le feu but the Spanish say it best: en Fuego!

The talking point of Saturday’s Premiership matches was the display of Samir Nasri, who seems to look better and better with every match that Cesc Fabregas is absent. Whilst watching the former Marseille player dance around the Fulham defence to score two goal-of-the-month nominees, you can’t help but think that Arsenal might not miss Fabregas all that much if (when) he does indeed move to Barcelona.

There’s been enough evidence, for both the Gunners and Les Bleus, that Nasri is at his best when operating as the main playmaker for his side (i.e. the guy behind the attackers). When deployed as such, he turns from good to great.  It’s difficult not to like the combination of dribbling, technique, vision and downright hard work that is showcased by the Frenchman.

He pretty much walked the ball into the net for both of his Fulham goals, which some would say suits Arsene Wenger down to a tee!

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Ligue 1

With Ligue 1 so ridiculously close this season, you would think that no-one is particularly outstanding. The reality, however, is that several teams have mounted amazing runs, only to fall over again once they reach the top of the table.

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Kings of Lyon

The latest lucky contestant in France’s game of snakes and ladders is Lyon, who, having plumbed the depths of the division, have now gone 10 games unbeaten to bring themselves back into the title race. This includes last Saturday’s impressive win over the early surprise package, Brest.  The coach, Claude Puel, has been completely mauled in the French press, with the early positioning of Les Gones giving rise to much speculation regarding his future.

Do not make this man angry.

Puel has managed to bounce back but not without the problems that come from taking over a club defending 7 successive titles. For a start, he has a bulging array of talent in midfield which will never be satisfied. Jean Makoun is already known to be unhappy, while Kim Kallstrom is also pouting, having told French newspaper L’Equipe of his frustration at not playing the big games.  Although, recently he has started most matches, so maybe it’s Miralem Pjanic’s turn to cry.

Lisandro Lopez, on the other hand, has decided to turn his frown upside down, putting his differences with Puel behind him. The striker, brought in to replace Karim Benzema, had disagreements with the manager about his pre-season weight and then about being substituted against PSG. Puel found the solution against Montpellier:

I played Lisandro until the end so he wouldn’t be in a bad mood afterwards.

To be fair, I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of one of his strops. Look at the guy!

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A Lille Hazard At The Top

Too many balls, not enough goals.

Another high-flying side is Lille.  Four wins in their last five matches have propelled them to the top. The pilot for their success has been winger Eden Hazard, who, at 19, looks to have a bright future. Paper talk has already linked him with all of Europe’s biggest clubs, so it appears that the Belgian will be on the move fairly soon.

Lille’s climb has not been down to one man, though. With Ivory Coast winger Gervinho, Yohan Cabaye, Adil Rami and Ligue 1 top scorer Moussa Sow, Hazard has a talented and experienced crew surrounding him, permitting him the freedom to flourish.

On Saturday, Lille beat Lorient 6-3 in a goal-fest that featured another burgeoning prospect, Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro, also on the radar of the big clubs if the newspapers are to be believed. Gameiro has already been called up for France several times and his brace in the loss will only thrust his name further into January transfer debates.

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Champions League

Drogba appreciated the welcome from the crowd but had yet another issue with an official.

The 6th and final round of the CL Group Stages played out this week.  

Lyon, already through to the knock-out stages, dominated proceedings against Hapoel Tel-Aviv, with 73% of possession and 32 shots on goal. Despite this, they still could only salvage a 2-2 draw at the death against the Israeli outfit.  Lisandro Lopez opened the scoring and Alexandre Lacazette came through with a header on 87 minutes for the hosts. Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama’s athletic performance put a scare into Les Gones, in a match they would have won easily were there a human backstopping the Israelis.   Consequently, they’ll face a tougher draw in the last 16, as Schalke took the honours in the group..

Wednesday saw the long-awaited return of Didier Drogba to Marseille. Drogba is known to be very emotionally bound to his former club, and apparently wasn’t too keen to leave when Chelsea’s offer was accepted. He did, and the rest is history, but the match turned out to be a happier encounter for the OM faithful, who feted the Ivorian during the introductions and upon his substitution on the hour.  Chelsea lost the match, 1-0, and Drogba, the penalty taker in Frank Lampard’s absence, was displeased when the official pointed to the spot, only to overrule himself after Marseille players harried him into consulting his linesman.

Benzema, who scored 3, and Diarra, who led the Spaniards, were not kind to their countrymen.

Auxerre, always the runt of the litter in a group with 9, 7 and 4-time European Champions found no joy in their final match at the Santiago Bernabeu.  Despite no Jose Mourinho, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos, through suspension, and no Iker Casillas, Gonzalo Higuain, Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira or Angel Di Maria, rested for a meaningless game, Real Madrid were all business.  Los Blancos were showing no lasting effects from their beating at the hands of Barcelona and had, in fact, made short work of third placed Valencia on the weekend.

On this night, it would still be a Frenchman who starred.   Unhappily for Auxerre, it was one in foreign service, as little used Karim Benzema took the opportunity given and made a case for more regular action with a hat-trick in a comprehensive 4-0 win.   The only good news for AJA was that the mid-week distractions have come to an end and they can now focus on raising their profile from its current, unlucky 13th position in Ligue 1.

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That's it, for now. Until next week, au revoir et bon chance!

So, we all saw the match on Wednesday (or highlights of it). We all know that 2-1 was a flattering scoreline for the English Bambi which was caught in France’s headlights. However, the symptoms of England’s demise run far deeper than a 90-minute French lesson at Wembley.

I’d let Jude Ellery tell you about it but, three days later, he’s still passed out with his head in the pretzel dish on the bar.  So, I’ll try to be objective in covering both sides.

First, though, credit should be given where it’s due. I wrote before the match that France were searching for a post-Domenech identity and a collective personality. This still holds true. For all the quality on display, I can’t help but think that Spain, Brazil or Argentina could still edge them if they faced off now.

French fancies

On Wednesday, however, we got a glimpse of Blanc’s plans for Les Bleus, ones that have been devised over time, with patience and perseverance. In the face of criticism of some of his selections, most notably those of Philippe Mexes and Karim Benzema, he has let performances do his talking for him.

Indeed, the entire spine of this team bears the Blanc stamp. They are best characterised as a big unit made up of little units. The group that stood out, the ‘piece de resistance,’if you will, was the central midfield of Yann M’Vila, Yoann Gourcuff and Samir Nasri. There were echoes of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta in the way that M’Vila distributed, Gourcuff passed and Nasri flitted. In no way would I claim that they were the equal of a world-champion midfield, but they certainly did a good impression of one against England, and each has the potential to become the next Claude Makelele, Zinedine  Zidane or Robert Pires respectively.

But are France really that good? If we were to make like-for-like comparisons between the two teams, you wouldn’t find too many differences. England had as many caps in their starting 11 (271) as France. So why the gulf in class?

Different methods, different outcomes

Well, the first thing to note is the approaches of both managers. Of course, Blanc took this match more seriously than Capello, but I don’t think anybody thought that this would manifest itself so obviously. One of the key aspects of creating a successful team is the cohesion of the eleven players on the pitch; when done well, the whole becomes better than the sum of its parts. When it doesn’t… The two extremes of this were on full show at Wembley – France, with a core unit that has played together for 4-5 matches, were able to pass the ball around a disjointed England side, who spent half their training sessions introducing themselves to each other.

This isn’t the whole story though. What made (and makes) players like Nasri and Gourcuff, underachievers at club level, so potent on the international stage? To me, the answer is blindingly obvious – despite not setting the world on fire they are at least playing both decently and regularly for their clubs.

Maybe this is more of a difference in leagues. Looking through the French squad, almost all of the players are first choice and key contributors (Benzema, again, is a notable exception). This makes a world of difference at international level. Certain world-class players are able to get away with a lack of club form (think Robinho or Miroslav Klose), but with all due respect, players like Joleon Lescott do not fit this description.

Has Britain Got Talent?

The dearth of English talent in the Premiership is becoming more and more obvious with each dodgy selection, although Fabio Capello seems to be contributing to his own downfall. Why was Joleon Lescott picked ahead of able defenders such as Gary Cahill? Why Kieran Gibbs instead of Leighton Baines? What about Kevin Nolan? Stuart Downing? Scott Parker? Jack Rodwell? Why (and this one irked me most) was Kevin Davies left out of the entire squad, having so recently been given his debut?

Capello claims to pick his squad based on form, but this hasn’t happened for a while now. The players mentioned may never make the first team, but as Blanc’s France squad shows, they can help to improve the starters by competing for their places and pushing them to the limit. Based on recent evidence, Gareth Barry certainly could do with a 101 on defensive midfield play from Scott Parker.

I promised to be objective in the beginning, so I have to offer a little carrot to Capello, before I get back to the stick.   The selection of Jay Bothroyd of Cardiff was both bold and justified. But even this smacks of a move to appease the fans. I’m not trying to be a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw the entirety of Bothroyd’s England career on Wednesday night. Despite the clear quality of the player, England seems to hold a special contempt for those who play outside its top division.

As such, many will condemn Bothroyd’s brief cameo as a show that he can’t hack it at this level. To those, I would present you with Cardiff City, a side who (when he was injured) found life visibly more difficult without a striker that not only is their top-scorer, but links the play and gets others involved. The same Bluebirds side that contains Peter Whittingham, Chris Burke, Michael Chopra and -ahem- Craig Bellamy.

In order for England to progress, this silly taboo needs to go, and quickly. The national squad should be made up of the best players in the country, regardless of division. Has anybody seen Chris Smalling put in a performance this season worth a place in the England squad? Didn’t think so.

England – skimming the surface but not plumbing their depths

If anybody wants an example of the ability of the Championship to develop a player of the highest quality, you need only look at Newcastle’s number nine. Before the match, the French media paid particular attention to Andy Carroll, pitted against their own international new-boy, Adil Rami. Now, Rami is known as a physical, uncompromising defender, but Carroll’s Avatar-like physique proved a thorn in the French defence throughout. Having capped a meteoric rise from the Championship to international level, it is hard to believe that the Toon triumph will be cast upon the Capello-Eriksson scrap heap of one-cap wonders.

For other youngsters, this was a mixed experience. It’s fair to say Kieran Gibbs and Jordan Henderson were out of their depth against a dominant French midfield that combined the talents of four established international players going forward, but this was by no means their fault. Ben Foster got the shakes in goal, and further forward, Theo Walcott did not have the best of nights.

Ultimately, Capello picked a side that was too inexperienced. If there is a lesson to be taken, it is that a side needs time to gel and to form the team spirit required for a cohesive unit. The France that took to the field against the Three Lions may have far less individual talent than that on show in South Africa, but as a team, they far outshone Domenech’s disaster of a side. To do all of this, the much-maligned England boss must now find his best players, and field them on a consistent basis.

Does anybody have a drawing board?

On Wednesday, Fabio Capello and the Three Lions welcome Laurent Blanc and Les Bleus to Wembley for (one hopes) an epic friendly.  WFC writers Tapesh Patel and Jude Ellery preview the sides, visitor and host respectively, to give you an idea of what to expect from this long anticipated match-up.

Tapesh Patel

The French

Unlike Fabio Capello, who seems to be handing out new caps every game, Laurent Blanc has taken an arguably more considered approach, resulting in a squad that hasn’t changed much since the World Cup. On the other hand, if you haven’t seen a France match since the reign of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, you’ll see a few changes.

Who and where?

In recent matches, Blanc has favoured a 4-2-3-1, and although a 4-4-2 diamond was tested against Luxembourg, I don’t expect to see it again. Here’s the squad in full, along with my predictions on who will play…

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux)

Hugo Lloris will most probably start here, with his form bringing Lyon up the table. Arsene Wenger might only be window-shopping now, thanks to Lukasz Fabianski, but other English clubs (Manchester United?) would do well to take a look at Lloris.

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Gaël Clichy (Arsenal), Bakary Sagna (Arsenal), Younes Kaboul (Spurs), Adil Rami (Lille), Mamadou Sakho (PSG), Anthony Réveillère (Lyon)

Eric Abidal is the real surprise here, but the defender who was dropped after the World Cup seems to have forced himself back into international reckoning at left-back. This will leave room for a young centre-back pairing of Adil Rami (24) and Mamadou Sakho (20). Rami’s physicality will be tested by that of Andy Carroll, and his form for Lille likewise. Having produced some good performances for France, he is one to watch in this game.

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Lille), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Yann M’Vila (Rennes), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Samir Nasri (Arsenal), Yoann Gourcuff (Lyon)

Several sets of eyes, including Roy hodgson's will be watching M'vila.

Blanc has tended, so far, to hand his former Bordeaux captain Alou Diarra the captain’s armband. However, Diarra has just been suspended for six Ligue 1 matches for pushing a referee during a match.  We’ll see whether that indiscretion will cost him come game time. Yann M’Vila is the other holding midfielder, and will probably be scouted by Roy Hodgson, who flew across to watch him play for Rennes last weekend. M’Vila bears similarities to Claude Makélelé in his no-nonsense play, and brings a passion to the game (one that Liverpool have lacked since Mascherano left).

Nasri will most likely be deployed as a playmaker, where he excels, with Malouda on the left. Ribery has not played during Blanc’s reign thus far due to suspension, and won’t travel to Wembley due to injury. With Jeremy Menez of Roma omitted from the squad, Valbuena could be picked to start.

Attackers: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Dimitri Payet (Saint-Etienne), Kévin Gameiro (Lorient), Guillaume Hoarau (PSG), Loïc Rémy (Marseille)

Up front, only one striker really stands out, with a bunch of okay-but-not-brilliant alternatives. Sound familiar, England fans? Anyway, with the Incredible Sulk™ gone, Benzema will look to continue his impressive recent work for Les Bleus.

Blanc slate – or is it?

Blanc is moving Les Bleus forward while Capello seems bogged down.

The sheer amount of new, unfamiliar faces in this squad means that the French side, like that of England, is very raw. The good news for Laurent Blanc is that the young talents at his disposal offer much hope for the future. The bad news is that, as Blanc has admitted, France currently possess an all-round side that lacks a bona fide world-class player. The closest Les Bleus have to this is Franck Ribery, a man of questionable attitude who has often flattered to deceive at international level. The team therefore still needs time to learn and form itself, and the manager needs time to find the best formation for it.

Look for Blanc to fine-tune his side, in order to find its optimal style of play, instead of radically changing its components.

And England?

To me, Fabio Capello hasn’t placed enough importance on the fact that this match is against one of England’s historic rivals, preferring instead to concentrate upon the progress of his youngest players. Laurent Blanc, on the other hand, has stated the need for a “strong sign” from his team, as well as his desire for Les Bleus to prove themselves against a side ranked higher than themselves in the FIFA rankings.

For this reason, I think that France will take a narrow victory, barring a hat-trick by Andy Carroll (who, by the way, could learn something from the attitudes of other young players such as Jordan Henderson and Theo Walcott). England are too far behind in the development of their team and their style.  France’s cohesion may prove the telling factor.

♦   ◊   ♦

Jude Ellery

The English

It’s March 2007 and England are two goals up against a weak Andorra side, in an easy qualifier.  Steve McClaren brings on a player from Championship side Preston North End, who nabs a goal in typical poacher’s fashion.  So was this lad any good?  Did he make it?

No, and no.  I’m sure you’ve all deduced I’m referring to David Nugent.  A solitary England cap earned the striker a move to Premier League Portsmouth, where his paltry return of seven goals in 49 games earned him a return trip to the Championship.  His international record stayed at one goal in one game, which is one game more than was deserved.

I’m probably being a little harsh on Nugent, who has proved to be a decent Championship striker.  But in that statement lies the truth of the matter; he’s proficient in England’s second division.  He ‘earned’ his England chance without truly being tested, and when he did get a shot at the Premiership, he proved he wasn’t up to it.

The new Zamora?

So have England learned?  Do they ever?

Up steps Cardiff City’s answer to Bobby Zamora, Jay Bothroyd.  He’s in the form of his life, with 15 goals in 16 games for the Welsh club.  The problem is, until this season, his goalscoring record has been dismal.  He has never managed 15 in a single season previously, and when he was in The Premiership, the only time he turned heads was when he was dismissed for angrily kicking Olof Mellberg.

I may be hasty in predicting another wasted cap.  Bothroyd may play well against France and even go on to become a solid Premier League player when Cardiff win promotion.  But more likely he’ll have a ten minute cameo and never play again.

Newcastle’s number nine

Can Carroll mature into the role Shearer once played for England?

The player in Fabio Capello’s squad who will start up top is the recent Newcastle hero, Andy Carroll.  Two years ago The Toon were relegated but their situation was not as black and white as it seemed.  A silver lining threatened to reveal itself towards the end of their dismal demotion season.  That ray of light was a lanky, lightweight, cocky and at the time cornrowed striker, who in 2007 had won the Wor Jackie Milburn Trophy, given each year to the rising star of North-East football.  He’s still lanky and he’s still cocky  but he’s developed into a stallion of a man who’s proving to be a nightmare for English defences.  The cornrows, thankfully, have gone the way of David Nugent’s England career.

Admittedly, Caroll and Bothroyd’s chances have only arisen because of injuries to established players, such as  Zamora, Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe, but that’s the way of it in football.  Carroll has already shown his desire to grasp this opportunity with both hands by not withdrawing despite his own injury (groin).   Conversely, Bothroyd has doubters like yours truly to disprove.  Both face a tough task as they pit their skill and wits against a weakened yet hungry young France side.  Carroll will no doubt get more chances in the white of England regardless but for Bothroyd this could be his only shot.

Midfield support

It’s likely that Carroll will be supported by an advanced Steven Gerrard.  That leaves a Jordan Henderson sized gap in midfield, and the Sunderland youngster is one of a few who could force their way into the qualifying squads with a good performance.  The Guardian has rated his passing, vision and stamina as excellent, but criticised his lack of goals. One against the French would do him no harm at all.

Gareth Barry  will do his usual job of jogging about neither destroying nor creating while Owen Hargreaves is arguably a bigger miss for England than for Manchester United, especially as Capello was one of the midfielder’s biggest fans.

Defence

Gibbs' mission will be to fill cole's shoes, not Rooney's.

At the back, Kieran Gibbs is the latest off the production line, as Arsene Wenger attempts to clone Ashley Cole, the Chelsea man missing out through injury.  Gibbs is fast closing in on Gael Clichy for the regular spot at Arsenal, but it would take an almighty heave to displace his countryman, considered by many to be the world’s best left back.  Still, giving Gibbs five or six games before the European Championships arrive would help him feel comfortable playing at this level, in case of injury to Cole.

Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill are two others who need game time in the next couple of years, as John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are both beginning to creak more than a staircase at the FA’s draconian headquarters.  At right back Micah Richards could win back the spot handed to him by McClaren, as a crocked Glen Johnson is enduring an even more troublesome time than most at Liverpool.

Wings

Expect James Milner to come straight back in on the left, while Adam Johnson should start on the opposite flank, despite his lack of playing time at City.  Theo Walcott is back to full fitness but Capello should favour the man in possession, who has so far barely put a foot wrong on the pitch for England.  It remains to be seen whether he can maintain this faultless performance off the field, as City and England mates Gareth Barry and Joe Hart are seemingly intent on leading the winger astray.

Between the Posts

Hart has fitness doubts but should start in goal, as, if Paul Robinson’s fate is any example, Robert Green will have to stand on his head for some time yet to regain Capello’s trust.

Tactics

I’d expect England therefore to employ a 4-2-3-1: Hart, Richards, Jagielka, Ferdinand, Gibbs, Barry, Henderson, Johnson, Gerrard, Milner, Carroll.

At some point in the second half they could revert to a 4-4-2, with Carroll and Gerrard departing for Peter Crouch and Bothroyd.  Other substitutes who will probably get a game are Cahill and Walcott, who in the next twelve months should earn themselves regular starting places.  Capello has picked several young players for this match and is likely to employ most of them at some point.  However, it’s hard to tell whether he would have done so if senior regulars like Johnson, Frank Lampard and John Terry were available.  Is this is the start of a revolution or a false dawn?

♦   ◊   ♦

So, the consensus seems to be a hungry French squad making life tough for an unsure English side.  If that forecast holds true, look for heavy criticisms from the likes of Keegan and Venables in the coming days.  One pundit should put in an unpredictably solid performance, however, as Alan Shearer will actually be able to share some detailed knowledge regarding one of the players involved.

Enjoy the match!

Jude Ellery can also be found at the unique and interesting Football Farrago.

And the surprise winner for Countries Who Don't Have Anything To Spend Their Tax Dollars On But Shiny New Stadiums is...

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It’s often said that variety is the spice of life.  Well, when it comes to UEFA qualifying, for any tournament, if you’re on a bland diet, then you’d best grab the antacid now.  Once again, Michel Platini and his boys have come up with a new set-up to decide the fourteen clubs that will join the hosts, Poland and the Ukraine, in June 2012.

You might need your calculator for this.  Are you ready?

Okay, this time around it’s nine groups, six consisting of a half dozen nations and the other three containing five apiece.  Of course, it’s the same home and home round robin within the groups, as in the past,  but this time the nine first place countries and the best overall runner-up will automatically advance to the finals.

Now, because some groups have six squads and others five, there is a special ranking system to determine the best runner-up.   Essentially, any matches played against a sixth place finisher will not count in deciding the automatic qualifier.  Which means that whoever is eventually crowned champion, one thing is certain:  as the final group qualifying matches approach, sales of headache medicine will rise sharply in several countries, as fans without mathematical doctorates attempt to calculate their side’s chances.  For instance, even if your team is certain of finishing second, the results from matches involving minnows in other groups, may affect your standing.  If the wrong team suddenly falls into sixth position or climbs out of it, the fortunes of  your boys may drastically change.   We’ll wait for those of you heading to the medicine cabinet now to return before continuing.

Right then, moving on…  Once the single runner-up and nine group winners have qualified, that leaves eight other second place countries to be seeded into two-legged ties, with the winners claiming the remaining four places in the final tournament.  Yes, we did say seeded, because that’s what UEFA have solemnly promised, mindful of the furor last autumn, when they exercised their prerogative to change their minds, at the last minute, and held a draw for the World Cup play offs.  Fingers crossed but it’s likely they’ll keep their word this time.

It's a little known fact that Einstein flunked out of Group Qualification Theory.

Still, even with their vow to remain consistent going forward, Platini’s crew have managed to fudge things just a little.  You would think that, having concocted this complicated system for deciding the best runner-up, UEFA would use it to rank the other eight.  Unfortunately, that would be too easy.  Instead, the sufficiently more intricate and confusing UEFA National Team Coefficient rankings will be used to decide the playoff matchups.

I’m sorry, but if you’ve raised your hand to ask us to explain the coefficient, please put it back down or we shall be forced to club you to death.  Thank you very much.

UEFA made two other decisions, before the draw, of which one came to the fore when the balls were drawn.

First, minnows, or should we say piranhas(?), Azerbaijan and Armenia were precluded from meeting each other in the group stages.  These two nations simply don’t like each other on any level, never mind football, and so common sense prevailed over bureaucracy, with provisions being made, just in case.  As it happened, ‘in case’reared its ugly head and the two were both drawn into Group A, whereupon UEFA moved Armenia over to Group B.  What would be done if the two nations both progressed and were fated to meet in the later rounds of the competition would really not be an important consideration.  There are plenty of other things which take precedence when the Apocalypse arrives.

Second, it was decided that should France be drawn with the Republic of Ireland nothing would be done.  According to Platini such an event “would be great.”  It would be even greater if Les Bleus would be required to not only recall, but start, Thierry Henry in both matches, were the sides to eventually meet again. Sadly, though, it was the luck of the Irish to be placed in a group with Slovakia and Russia.  Any plans of revenge will have to wait for another day.

It should also be noted that one match has already been played and Estonia, on the strength of a 2-1 home victory over the Faroe Islands, has actually been atop Group C since 11 August.  Technically then, we are a little late with this preview but are, nonetheless, happy to bring you a summary of the nine groups with our ratings for each of the nations involved.

Beginning with:

Group A…..(Geoff Edwards)

The group looks to be a straight fight between Belgium, Turkey and Austria for the honour of going through alongside Germany, who have to be favourites following their World Cup exploits.  The only dilemma for Joachim Low, at the moment, is the tug-of-war between Michael Ballack and Phillip Lahm, over the captain’s armband

Belgium, under the stewardship of Georges Leekens, certainly possess enough quality to emerge from this group. In Marouane Fellaini, Steven Defour, Axel Witsel, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, Belgian fans will hope there is the nucleus of a squad that could rival their 80s and early 90s vintage, when a side containing the likes of Enzo Scifo and Jan Ceulemans was prominent on the world scene.

Hiddink's merlinesque effect may bring Turkey back into prominence

Turkey will hope to ensure that Euro 2012 is a tournament too soon for Belgium’s youngsters. Guus Hiddink’s men have a nice blend of youth and experience and a few survivors from the squad that reached the semis in Euro 2008, including Arda Turan and the Altintop brothers. Most importantly, they have Hiddink. If anyone can get the Turks performing consistently it’s the Dutch alchemist, who will want to put his previous campaign with Russia behind him.

Austria look to be a little behind Turkey and Belgium in the race for 2nd but, with a forward line boasting Martin Harnik, Erwin Hoffer, Marko Arnautovic and Marc Janko, they certainly have the potential to derail rival campaigns.  Although they can both be classed as the minnows of the group, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are certainly far from no-hopers. They’ll each look to take maximum points off the other and nick a point or two from their more illustrious opponents.

Group B…..(Eliot Rothwell)

This looks to be a two horse race with the footballing thoroughbreds of Ireland and Russia battling it out for the top spot.

Russia, under Dick Advocaat, will look to continue the progress made by Guus Hiddink.  With such players as Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko, the Russians do have the horsepower . The one question is the defence and its inept talent for conceding silly goals when it matters most.

Giovanni Trappatoni relates the amount of times his stomach had to be pumped last month, after he ingested a bad batch of bangers and mash.

Ireland, under the stewardship of Il Trap, are looking to qualify for their first international tournament in some time.   The resolute defending of Richard Dunne, et al, will form the basis of their bid to claim top spot. With an attacking force of Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle up front, the Irish are capable of doing damaging but they lack depth and could lose their way should injuries to key players arise.

Any surprises might come from Vladimir Weiss’ Slovakia, who triumphed over Italy at the World Cup. The potent menace of striker Stanislav Sestak re-enforced by a tremendous team spirit could pose a serious danger to Russia and Ireland. The win over Italy was greeted with jubilation in Bratislava and combined with the progression of Zilina to the Champions League group stages, a good European campaign could round off a very satisfying year for Slovakian football.

Bringing up the rear are Macedonia, Andorra and Armenia, the whipping boys of the group. Macedonia present the biggest threat, as England fans will know.  Inter Milan’s Goran Pandev shoulders much of the attacking burden.  The fight for bottom of the group will be interesting as Andorra and Armenia slug it out to see who can accumulate a lesser amount of 5-0 defeats, with Andorra sweetening the pot by welcoming away teams to Barcelona for a spot of R and R pre-match.

Group C….. (Eliot Rothwell)

The Cesare Prandelli era begins for World Cup ’06 winners, Italy.  The Italians will be favourites to qualify , yet also intent on regaining their opponents’respect after their dismal showing in South Africa. Daniele De Rossi and Giorgio Chiellini will be looking to get their international careers back on track. If rumours are proven correct, there could be much re-shaping of this Italian side.  With former captain Fabio Cannavaro now playing in the Middle East and Luca Toni and Francesco Totti definitely on the outs, expect a new crop of Italians to come to fruition this season.

Where Vidic leads, his band of Serbs will follow.

Featuring a wealth of attacking players, Serbia will present the biggest threat to Italy’s chances. Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic will provide width and incisive wideplay for the Serbians, who benefit from the extremely strong defence of Nemaja Vidic and Branislav Jovanovic. Serbia could finish top of the group, providing they find their goalscoring boots with 6’5″ Nikola Zigic backing up the towering talent of Marko Pantelic.

Slovenia are the next team in line. They were unlucky not to progress from their World Cup group and Mateja Kez’s side will be looking to continue the second golden age of Slovenian football by claiming a place at the Euros. With a resolute defence and, in Valter Birsa, an ability to score spectacular goals, the Slovenians are capable of scraping out 1-0 wins away from home.

Northern Ireland, perennial nearly men, will be relying on the goalscoring talents of David Healy once more as they attempt to scrap their way through the qualifying stages. If they are to progress, expect a spate of 1-0 home wins.  In August, Estonia struggled to a 2-1 extra time win, at home,  against the Faroe Islands.  The result hardly inspires confidence that they’ll prove any impedance to the big boys.

The Faroe Irelands, themselves? Surely they have no chance. Well that may be true but with the uncompromising Faroese air, the wayward Danes may just be able to nick a result here and there.

Group D….. (Tapesh Patel)

France is the only team from this group which qualified for the World Cup and therefore must go down as favourites. Laurent Blanc’s rebuilding job has, to date,  been largely praised but it will come under closer scrutiny (though not from Ireland), with inexperienced faces joining the World Cup dropouts. Some may expect Les Bleus to struggle but their pool of talent is surely far too large for qualification to be a problem.  Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Jeremy Menez and Pillippe Mexes will all return after being omitted from the South Africa squad by Raymond Domenech. However, it won’t be if, but how France qualify that will be most telling.

Dzeko wants to put a charge into Bosnia-Herzogovina

A talented side is Bosnia-Herzegovina but very top-heavy in attack.  The focal point of the team is the prolific Edin Dzeko, ably assisted by Zlatan Muslimovic, Vedad Ibisevic and raw midfielder Miralem Pjanic.  Unification of Christian and Muslim team members has instilled pride and patriotism in both the squad and the country itself, which will aid their qualification campaign.

Romania are solid but unspectacular. Captain Cristian Chivu has experienced colleagues in defence, such as Gabriel Tamas, Razvan Rat and Cosmin Contra. A lack of firepower up front, however, may create problems.   Belarus could be unlikely wildcards in what is a fairly weak group. Aliaksandr Hleb provides a touch of class, Vitaly Kutuzov some finesse, and Sergei Kornilenko the goals, having been prolific in the Belorussian League.

Meanwhile, Albania are strong in midfield, led by Lorik Cana and Altin Lala, but lack quality elsewhere.  Luxembourg are, of course, the very definition of minnows.

Group E …..(Avi Goldberg)

The nice moments of the World Cup in South Africa are over and it’s time for the Dutch to qualify for the Euro 2012 through Group E.  While I’m an unashamedly huge fan of the Oranje, there is no doubt that they’re the favourites in this group, with an impressive 25 games unbeaten, until the final, thanks to Bert van Marwijk’s decision to field a solid midfield.  A new challenge lies ahead, however, with two important players leaving, in captain Geovanni van Bronckhorst and veteran centre back Andres Ooijer.  As well,  seeing Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben falling off the team injured, they’ll need to prove again why they went so far in the World Cup.

Fans of the Blågult are hoping that Ibra is happier to return to them than he is to Milan.

Sweden, after missing the World Cup, will do their best to win all their games and try to settle an account with the Oranje, over their loss in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. Now that the time for friendlies has past and the matches count, the Swedes can rely once more on the experienced striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Finns aren’t to be forgotten, fielding a decent team despite never qualifying for the Euros. They adapt to every game differently and are unafraid of going for the win. Hungary, with their new coach Sandor Egervari and experienced midfielders Balazs Dzsudzsak & Roland Juhasz, can hurt their opponent badly through the counter attack & are not a team to think of as the weaker side.

The lesser known teams in this group, Moldova, ranked 89th worldwide by FIFA and San Marino, 202nd, have never qualified for the World Cup or the Euros but are determined to make matters as difficult as possible and prove themselves to the serious contenders.

Group F…..(Tapesh Patel)

After the disappointment of not reaching the World Cup, Slaven Bilic will be out to make amends. He has the squad to do it, too. Croatia are a solid all-round side, boasting talented playmakers in Luca Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Nico Kranjcar, as well as a potent strikeforce consisting of Eduardo da Silva, Ivica Olic and Maladen Petric. Bilic has created good teams from his players in the past, and although the Croats will need to be on their game to win this group, any other result would be a big upset.

Samaras is just praying for a chance to play.

Good news for all purists: Otto “Anti-football” Rehhagel has officially resigned from his post as Greece manager. In his defence (pun intended), he has secured his place in Greek footballing folklore. It now falls to the Portuguese, Fernando Santos, to attempt qualification – if he is to succeed, younger players like Sotiris Ninis and Georgios Samaras must be given chances to impress.

Israel have an outside chance at a playoff spot. They’re a young squad led by the experienced hands of Yossi Benayoun and Tal Ben Haim. Dekel Keinan, Tamir Cohen, Ben Sahar and Biram Kayal are all talented players, known to followers of the British leagues, and teenage midfielder Eyal Golasa has drawn admiring glances from Lazio and Bayern Munich. Latvia still possess some of the players who helped them qualify for Euro 2004, such as Maris Verpakovskis, who famously bagged six goals during that campaign. Nor should it be forgotten that they came third in World Cup qualification.

Georgia features a strong defence, led by Kakha Kaladze and Zurab Khizanishvili, but otherwise won’t linger in anyone’s mind. Malta are very much the outsiders, in this or any group in which they’re drawn.

Group G….. (Matt Dalton)

With England‘s ridiculously poor performance in South Africa all but a distant memory, it’s now time to focus on the next international tournament and, indeed, the future of the England national team. Having been drawn alongside Bulgaria, Montenegro, Switzerland and Wales, England have been granted a route to qualification which is far from easy. The Three Lions will be desperate to get off to a good start at Wembley against the Bulgarians on the 3rd September, with the second match quickly following, away to Switzerland on the 7th.

Ottmar's first priority is always that the bus is properly parked.

For the other teams in Group G, there is optimism. Never before have England appeared to be quite so weak; morale is at an all time low, key players are regularly underperforming and the fans are on the squad’s back like never before. Of course, England still expect, and are expected, to secure qualification from the group.  Yet, if ever there was a chance for the likes of Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Switzerland, with its bunker mentality, to spring an upset, surely this is it.  Bulgaria, even without the retired Dimitar Berbatov, and Montenegro are not to be taken lightly, either.

There is also the presence of an up and coming Wales side. Their resources may not be equal to England but there is no doubt that they’ll be up for the games. The rivalry between the two countries is massive; you only have to look at the rugby.

Ordinarily, there would be at least four “easy” games in a qualification group. This time around, however, there will be no ‘working vacations’to ease the way.  With only five nations, instead of six, there are no minnows and it’s clear that there will be surprises before all is said and done. Every team in this group is hopeful of a place at the European Championships in 2012, and rightly so!

Group H …..(Tapesh Patel)

"Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin'!" Ronaldo needs to get it together on the international stage. (w/apologies to the great Keith Jackson)

When it comes to Portugal, all eyes are on one man, which is just the way the twinkle-toed Cristiano Ronaldo likes it. After the major disappointment that was his World Cup, featuring a single unflattering goal, the Real Madrid man (his current injury aside) will hope to get back to what he does best: running rampant over inferior opposition. The Iberian midfield now has a young core of Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso, while left-back Fabio Coentrao also gives the side an added dimension going forward.

The Danish World Cup squad had an aging look to it, with players such as Jesper Gronkjaer, Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson all visibly past their prime. Denmark needs an infusion of new blood.  Luckily, manager Morten Olsen can call upon such rising stars as Daniel Agger and Christian Eriksen to replace those on the wane. Goals will be needed from Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner to bolster a side which lacked a consistent offensive threat in South Africa.

If the recent 2-1 friendly victory against France is anything to go by, Norway have blended their youth and experience  into a capable outfit.   With the likes of captain Brede Haageland, the brothers John Arne and Bjorn Helge Riise and Morten Gamst Pedersen, the Norwegians possess talent across the team.  They could well beat fellow Scandinavians Denmark (and Iceland) to second place.

Led by the likeable Eidur Gudjohnsen, Iceland may produce  some shock results.  Sadly there are no Stjarnan players in the squad, so don’t hope for any interesting goal celebrations.  Cyprus are unknown quantities with all of the squad currently playing their trade in the country’s domestic league. While not as isolated as the North Koreans, they are just as unlikely to stage an upset in this competition.

Group I….. (Steven Jones)

After completing a World/European double, there are no signs of the end of the ‘golden age’for Spain.   In fact, it looks like they might go from strength to strength and betting against them finishing top of the group would be borderline insane.  No, the group ultimately comes down to the battle for second place between the Czech Republic, Scotland and possibly Lithuania.

Whatever Darren Fletcher may think of McFadden's choice of anti-perspirant, he is happy to have him in the lineup.

Recent campaigns have done Scotland no justice, as they are again 3rd seeds in their group. Managing to avoid Sweden (who tore them apart a month ago) as well as Serbia and Turkey are major plusses but the Czech Republic will want to do considerably better than their World Cup efforts when they lagged behind Slovakia and Slovenia.

In Tomas Rosicky, the Czechs have a top player.  If he can string together a run of games for his club side, Arsenal, he may also prove pivotal in his country’s qualifying campaign.  James McFadden still remains Scotland’s standout player, with the side exhibiting a noticeable lack of creativity when he’s missing. Craig Levein’s tenure as the Scottish boss actually started with a home fixture against the Czech Republic, back in March, with a 1-0 win.

However, it will be the away fixtures that will pose the most problems for Scotland; recent matches in Norway and the Ukraine spring to mind as games where Scotland were outplayed with full strength sides.  Although, one can look to a certain night in Paris for some reaffirmation.

Lithuania can sometimes punch above their weight class but other than featherweights Liechtenstein, they are not likely to bully anyone about.

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We hope that fills you in on the various groups, where your country fits in and how they may or may not be able to progress.  In conclusion, we’d like to thank Professor Stephen Hawking, Carol Vorderman and Marcus du Sautoy for their help in unraveling the UEFA Group Theory Formula.

Enjoy the action and see you in Kiev!

He can't do it alone.

The test for Real Madrid, this season, may well be whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego will allow him to be the second most productive player on the club.  He hasn’t had to yield to any teammate in quite some time but allowing someone else to clean up may be the key to Los Blancos overthrowing Barcelona, in Spain, and making it to Wembley, in the Champions League, in 2011.

Other than Jose Mourinho, no one has arrived at the Bernabeu with more star power, championship pedigree or leadership qualities than the former ManU talisman.  Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria are outstanding young Galacticos but they just aren’t in CRon’s universe.   Kaka is going to be out for quite a while and, according to some, may be sold on in the January transfer window.  So why and for whom should Cristiano have to make way?

There’s one player on the club, who hasn’t been truly recognised for what he is and what that could mean to Real’s success.  He’s always been a fallback option in his previous managers’game plans, despite his productivity being second to none over the course of a four year stay with the club.  In fact, if you took a survey of your average fan, asking them to name three current Real Madrid stars, as often as not he’d be overlooked.  Other than Ronaldo, the nominees would most often come from the likes of Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Kaka and Xabi Alonso.  Young starlets Ozil and Karim Benzema are also in most people’s thoughts.

The secret to our mystery man’s success is his very anonymity on the pitch.  Just like the fans, opposing players, distracted by the headline grabbers, often forget he is out there and that is always a very serious mistake to make.  Of course, I’m talking about Gonzalo Higuain.

A garbage man always wears gloves

If 7 goals in 11 Argentine national team appearances, including 4 in a World Cup where Lionel Messi couldn’t open an account, isn’t enough to convince you of his value,  watch this clip from Los Meringues’Match Day 1 victory against Ajax in the Champions League and perhaps you’ll see what I mean.  Higuain shows skill and power, when trying to create something for himself, but admittedly lacks the finishing touch of a Ronaldo.

It’s the two goals that reveal his best skill, however.   Higuain has a sublime talent for being where the ball ends up and for finding the blind spot in a defensive set-up.  Yes, the first tally is an own goal but consider that had the defender not acted, Higuain would have done the job himself.  Sometimes a well positioned forward can force a defender into a terrible mistake.

As I hinted in the opening paragraph, The Argentine is a master at cleaning up the mess of a broken down play, possibly the best in the world at that particular skill.  Higuain is the ultimate garbage man.  It’s an apt metaphor, too.  Garbage collectors are looked down upon, sneered at and unappreciated.  In a nutshell, that’s been his Madridista career to this point.

He’s potted goal after goal, most of them of the clean-up variety, but has always been found wanting.  Despite being just as productive as Raul in La Liga, two seasons ago, when the midweek Champions League fixtures arrived, his playing time became limited and the tactics were focused on getting the ball to the veteran.  Then Ronaldo arrived and, not surprisingly, the side’s urgent need to feed the superstar on European Nights became even greater.  Higuain had the higher league total by a deuce but was outpaced by the Iberian shotmaker, 7-2, in continental competition.  The trap inherent in that tactic is that when the big gun misfires your whole season can go up in smoke, as Madrid found out against Lyon.

As with a big city, having no one to clean up the garbage can make the greatest club -if you’ll excuse the pun- seem rank.  As wonderful as Real played last year, with Ronaldo and Kaka in the lineup and the side accruing their highest Primera Liga points total ever, they were horrible against Barcelona in both legs of El Clasico.  As the saying goes, they stunk up the joint.   Manuel Pellegrini was content to lean on Ronaldo in those matches and Pepe Guardiola’s Barcelona cut Cristiano off at every turn.  It’s not a coincidence that, in crucial matches, Madrid forgot about their garbage man and lost.

Success will only come through a selfless partnership.

There are indications that Jose Mourinho sees things differently from his predecessors.  A balance of skill and power is taking shape in the lineup this season.  The ball is being spread around.  Mesut Ozil creates in the middle, with Ronaldo and di Maria working magic on the flanks.  Nor are Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira afraid to let loose from long range, to keep the opposition club on their heels.  There’s less of an emphasis on the perfect finish and more on getting the ball into the box, repeatedly testing the opposing keeper.  That is the perfect environment for Higuain to exploit.  If the Special One has convinced his side to fire at will and let the French born Argentine clean up the mess, Barcelona may finally be swept away.

Of course, the real test comes on 28 November, at the Camp Nou.

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!

Sarah Palin is probably the most recent example of this phenomenon.  She, of course, has handled her inadequacies in a unique fashion.  Palin actually gave up her office and the power it held, to travel the public speaking circuit.  Now she is no longer accountable to anyone but herself and is able to say whatever she pleases, while being paid in the six figure range each time she does.  Freedom from responsiblility  in exchange for financial independence, if you’re willing to say what’s on your mind?  Ms. Palin may not be as ignorant as her many detractors seem to think.

Doonesbury

Most politicians, however, are reluctant to leave office and relinquish the influence and perks their power brings.  Instead, when their constituents begin to realise they’re not fulfilling their campaign promises, they employ diversionary tactics.  Members of the US Congress knew what to do when they began taking heat for their inability to agree on a healthcare plan or explain why all that stimulus money was being used to pay bonuses to bankers.  Never mind that the unemployment rate continued to rise and mortgage refinancing was more difficult than ever to secure.  They quickly reconvened the steroid hearings on baseball and summoned NFL executives to Washington to address concerns about the high rate of head trauma being suffered by their athletes.  Much posturing and scolding of both leagues’officials ensued and the media and public ate it up.  Representatives and Senators were seen to be doing their jobs.  All was well with the world.

Could this be the image that inspired Wyclef Jean to run for office in Haiti?

It’s much the same in other parts of the globe, as well.  Surely, Nigeria has larger issues to address (and Goodluck to them) than the failure of their national football side to advance in the World Cup?

France certainly does.  In a secular state, where the ruling caste suddenly sees its power base shrinking with the ever increasing influx of people of Islamic faith, a trend that is mirrored by the roster of their own national team, the wearing of burkhas (and any other fashion which covers the face) has been outlawed.  France, as a nation, looks back with pride on its own revolution, not to mention their participation in the American one. To the French, ideology is a vital organ.  The curtailing of religious freedom, even in the face of terrorism, is a development that does not bode well.

Political tensions, therefore, are high, and the popularity of the current batch of elected officials is low.  For a public servant, that means it’s a good time for the old bait and switch.   French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Minister of Sport, Roselyne Bachelot, have employed a little sleight of hand and, as a result, owe most of their current approval ratings to the immature behaviour of Nicolas Anelka and the complete ineptitude of former national team manager, Raymond Domenech.

Oui, Sepp. I know she acts like it but, mon dieu, she is not my wife!

Thankfully, FIFA has a very powerful politician of its own and one who knows how to protect his own patch.  Sepp Blatter may not have a strong military, to keep him in power, but he knows how to use what he has.

When a large part of the voting constituency of  any and every local government, attempting to intervene in the affairs of soccer,  has a vested interest in the game, that gives you a lot of leverage.  For FIFA, the fulcrum to apply that leverage exists in the form of Article 13.1 (g) of the official rulebook, which states that national football federations are obliged “to manage their affairs independently and ensure that their own affairs are not influenced by any third parties.”

Essentially, if FIFA feels the need, as on occasion it has, it will completely suspend a nation from participation in international football.  That means that the national and club teams, as well as referees, cannot participate in international competitions and that all financial assistance from FIFA will be withheld.  Being handed a global timeout doesn’t usually sit well with soccer fans and as they are a sizable chunk of the voting block, politicians are usually quick to do an about face, when Herr Blatter objects to their meddling.  Usually, a politely worded letter, containing a more flowery version of “back off, or else!”, is enough to settle matters, which was the case for both Nigeria and France.

Still, as Sepp is aware, it’s impossible to completely shut down the meddlers.  There are plenty of back doors, of which any thwarted politico, with his/her dander in a fluff, is capable of making use.  That was evident in the actions taken yesterday by the FFF, in banning Anelka for eighteen matches, former captain Patrice Evra for five, Franck Ribery for three and Jeremy Toulalan, for one.

There is no evidence, of course, that Bachelot or Sarkozy had a direct hand in the matter, because they would have been foolish to do so.  Having just been awarded the lucrative 2016 Euro Championships, they have no wish to see France suspended by FIFA.  Still, the French are nothing if not proud and you can be sure that Sarkozy’s statement that those responsible should “draw the conclusions” was followed up on, out of the public eye.

With his foot firmly in it, Escalettes could do nothing but employ the famous Gallic shrug

The resignation of FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes was obviously not enough to satisfy those who sought retribution for the national embarrassment.  Mr. Escalettes, who was very emotional in the aftermath of his failure to talk the players off the team bus and onto the practice pitch, may cut a sympathetic figure but he knows well his own responsibility in the matter.

I’m referring to the decision to keep Raymond Domenech on as manager through the end of the competition, despite the side’s awful performance in the qualifying stages.  It was evident then that Domenech had lost the respect of most, if not all, of his players and that, as a result, the team was fragmented.

The federation had its eye on two French coaches, Didier Deschamps, of Olympique Marseille,  and the man who eventually succeeded Domenech, Bordeaux’s Laurent Blanc.  Not wishing to disrupt the continuity of the program, and with neither candidate willing to leave his club at a critical point in the season, it was, from one perspective, an understandable decision to leave Domenech in place.  Still, when Blanc was named to the post, every effort should have been made to convince the new man to take over with immediate effect, at the conclusion of the Ligue 1 campaign, even if that meant compensating Domenech.  Escalettes was correct to accept the responsibility for allowing the situation to degenerate to the point that it did.

Beyond his resignation, though, what was there to be done?   Domenech resigned his post immediately after the side returned from South Africa, and then tried to lay blame on everyone but himself.  Blanc assumed command and let all concerned know that it would not be business as usual during his tenure, by suspending every member of the World Cup squad for their upcoming match versus Norway.

Anelka, as Napolean did in his time, will serve out his exile on a tiny island.

Other than Anelka, all of the players, including Evra, admitted publicly that they had gotten caught up in their frustration and anger with Domenech, had lost sight of the bigger picture and now regretted their actions.  They accepted Blanc’s punishment with grace and sincerity.  To an impartial observer or a French supporter, it seemed that the unrepentant Chelsea striker was the only outstanding issue to be handled and otherwise, it was time to move forward.

There is no question that Anelka, both by his actions in South Africa and his subsequent lack of regret, is deserving of the eighteen match ban.  Unfortunately, it’s truly galling that his assessment of the process was pretty much dead on:

‘The so-called punishment has no relevance whatsoever because, for me, the French national team was an issue which ended on June 19 when I was kicked out of the training centre at Knysna.  This is just to entertain the public, to turn the page because Laurent Blanc needs to be able to work in peace.  These people are clowns. I am dying with laughter.”

That he refused to appear before the federation, to take responsibility for his part in the affair, doesn’t detract from the truth contained in his statement.  Sadly, for Anelka, his arrogance only allows him to view the matter from his own point of view.

Five. Three. One. The fleecing of the sacrificial lambs.

Evra did get into an argument, himself, with his former manager that he allowed to spill over into a confrontation with a trainer.  For that, he has been relieved of his captain’s duties and a further one or two match ban may have been justified.  Five is quite harsh, however, both on him and the French side’s hopes for the upcoming Euro ’12 qualifiers.

It’s impossible to prove, but Ribery’s three games likely have more to do with his upcoming trial, involving his alleged relations with an underaged prostitiute.  Minister Bachelot has been open about her disappointment with his and Karim Benzema’s continuing involvement with the national team.  As with most politicians, the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’is only applied selectively, most often when they themselves are caught up in scandal.

“I respect what Laurent Blanc will do. These men are innocent (until proven guilty) but it makes it very difficult if someone under investigation can be selected in the France team.  I will not set out a process – I will simply say that there is the judiciary procedure on one side and the France team on another.” Roselyne Bachelot, Politics 101:  Speaking out of both sides of your mouth

Whatever the truth might be, the reason given for the further punishments is that Evra, Ribery and Toulalan, as veterans, were the ringleaders in the mutiny.  If that is the case, then I would humbly submit that punishment was the last thing that the trio should have been given.

Now that I've figured out why everyone says I have a lot of balls, maybe i can discover where the players have gone...

After all, in at last rebelling against the reviled Domenech, they instantly returned to the side what had been completely eroded under the lame duck manager:  team unity.  Every single player was on that bus.  It was a unanimous decision.  Whether younger players were unsure and had to be convinced, if true, only proves my point further.  Evra, Ribery and Toulalan provided leadership that had been previously lacking.

But even so, I prefer the simpler explanation.  Those youngsters were just as unhappy with the man in charge as the veterans and, thus, needed very little, if any, convincing.

Sorry, I don't know why Raymond isn't here to pass on the torch... Pardon? Noise coming from the closet? I don't hear a thing, next question.

Thankfully, from Blanc’s point of view, the most irreplaceable of the group, Lyon’s Toulalan, in central midfield, will only be lost for one more match.  Evra will be missed, yet he is not as essential, at left back, and the French have already become accustomed to the absence, through frequent injury, of Ribery.

With a healthy supply of young strikers, such as Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Andres-Pierre Gignac, Guillaume Hoarau, Yoann Gourcuff and Loïc Remy, Anelka’s eighteen game ban will be the least felt of all.  Given all the chances he’s been given by various clubs, as well as his country, his continued lack of both humility and loyalty warrants that no coach even considers handing him the shirt of Les Bleus, ever again.

Perhaps, when his career is all said and done, Anelka’s own laughter will sound as hollow to him as it does to the rest of us.

Just to illustrate this point, here are the 11 players that started the match in a 4-4-2 diamond formation:

Of these players, six had never played for France before, including Stephane Ruffier, Adil Rami, Aly Cissokho, Yann M’Vila, Charles N’Zogbia and Guillaume Hoarau. By and large, the entire starting XI are, or were, unknown outside France, with the exceptions of Phillipe Mexes, N’Zogbia, Samir Nasri and, possibly, Loic Remy. That doesn’t mean that this French squad as a whole lacked talent, though, as substitutes Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema and Lassana Diarra prove.

Dependent upon how you see it, then, this was either a brave, assertive way for the new manager to deal with the situation, or a complete waste of time. I would side with the former – Blanc must take some credit for omitting players with sizeable reputations, whom he deems either not good enough for the national side, at the moment, such as Sebastian Frey and Bafetimbi Gomis, or not in his future interests, as with David Trezeguet and Mickael Landreau.

Norway 2-1 France: What Happened?

Ben Arfa's performance belied his club woes.

The first thing to mention here is that despite the scoreline, France put in a credible display. In the first half, they were dominant, but didn’t manage to score a goal. Blanc therefore switched the formation to a 4-2-3-1 at half-time, bringing on Jeremy Menez and Hatem Ben Arfa, as well as Lassana Diarra.

And how it worked!  Ben Arfa, in particular, was lethal down the right flank, scoring a 30-yard scorcher in the 47th minute. Menez looked threatening, as well, on his debut.

Unfortunately, that’s when it started to fall apart for the French. Shortly after Menez was introduced, Stephane Ruffier did his best Robert Green impression, allowing Erik Huseklepp to start the Scandinavian comeback, and ensuring that Hugo Lloris keeps his place in the side. A lapse of concentration by Lassana Diarra then allowed Huseklepp to run through and convert his second, in spite of pressure from two French defenders.

The Winners And The Losers

The big winner in this match was someone who, in my view, should have been on the plane to South Africa. With a new line-up in place, Blanc opted for a new formation, deploying the previously illustrated 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Samir Nasri at its tip. The Arsenal man was clearly the one who benefitted most from the tactical switch, going past defenders easily, passing smartly, and generally providing the creative spark with which France constructed their attacking moves.

For all of his club-level problems, Hatem Ben Arfa was one of the most impressive players on show, after coming on at half-time. He consistently caused problems for the Norwegians, running at the defence, was involved in everything good about the French play, and scored a peach of a goal just after half-time.

Blanc used the Norway trip to take the temperature of several new players. Prognosis: Despite the defeat, France seems strong enough to recover from the South African fiasco

Yann M’Vila was eyeing up a permanent spot in the French midfield, and will also be one to watch after this display. He passed efficiently and broke up Norwegian attacks effectively, whenever it was required.

Aly Cissokho, the Lyon left-back, impressed defensively, and although his passing left something to be desired, he put in a good shift.

The loser was undoubtedly Lassana Diarra, who underperformed badly after coming on in the second half. The midfielder was at fault for the second Norwegian goal, and almost gifted them another when he allowed a near-post flick-on to go unchallenged after a 75th minute corner.

Overall, there were positives to take from a match in which the French fielded a much-weakened team, yet dominated against a decent European side. The French media billed the contest as the return of Generation 1987, so-called because it is the year in which Benzema,  Nasri and Ben Arfa were all born.  Although, the three youngsters were all dropped from the World Cup squad by former manager, Raymond Domenech, French supporters are hoping that the trio will be at the core of a renaissance du bleue.  There’s a lot of tinkering still to be done but the potential warrants the promise.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by3CQC5Nq0Q

Match Highlights

A league rich in both talent and variety, the Spanish top-flight is arguably the world’s highest-quality and most intriguing league at present, a competition added to by the political tensions and regional identities inherent in the Iberian game.

With the apparent greatness of the current Barcelona side and the arrival of Jose Mourinho in Madrid as its major plotlines, 2010/11 promises to be yet another fascinating season in La Liga.

The Race for the Title: A Tale of Two Cities

A few brief seasons at the start of the last decade aside, when Valencia under Rafael Benítez and Javier Iruerta’s Deportivo de La Corũna broke up La Liga’s established duopoly for a short time, Real Madrid and Barcelona have overwhelmingly dominated La Liga since the start of the new century, winning eight of the last eleven titles between them.

Once again, the 2010/11 campaign looks set to be fought out between Catalonia’s sporting and cultural flagship and the capital’s most illustrious club, the two institutions arguably both stronger now than they have ever been.

Barca - Europe's best team?

FC Barcelona, coached by club legend Pep Guardiola, has come to be seen as the finest club side in Europe over the last four or five years, the Blaugrana playing a brand of highly aesthetic and equally effective passing football. Driven by the relentlessly accurate distribution of Xavi, the unrivalled creativity of Andres Iniesta and the attacking genius of Lionel Messi, the Catalans have been a joy to watch in recent years.

Having recently signed David Villa from Valencia, La Liga’s most consistently threatening striker over the last five years, and apparently drawing closer to securing the signature of Javier Mascherano, Barcelona are continually building on their success and planning for the future. The Camp Nou outfit arguably look stronger, in the lead-up to the 2010/11 season, than they ever have before and it will surely take an almighty effort from their Madrid rivals to prevent Guardiola’s side from claiming a third consecutive title.

However, spurred on by Barcelona’s growing superiority, Real Madrid have responded in typical fashion, by going about assembling one of the most talented, expensive squads ever seen, in order to wrestle the league away from Catalonia.

Florentino Pérez’s return as club president, last summer, prompted an unprecedented spending spree.  Global superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso all arrived at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, in what was seen as the second wave of Madrid’s famed galáctico policy. Although the team may have fallen short in the league last season, losing out to Barcelona by just three points in what was a record-breaking campaign, Pérez has made some important adjustments, the most notable change being his hiring of José Mourinho as manager.

The Portuguese – fresh from a treble-winning season with Inter – will be relishing the challenge ahead of him in the Spanish capital, his brief being to shape his squad of talented individuals – including his latest signing, Mesut Özil – into a cohesive unit and win Los Blancos their first title since 2008. A master motivator and an inspired tactician, Mourinho is Madrid’s first galáctico coach and it would be little surprise should he add to his already burgeoning CV, by guiding his new club to success in his first season in Spain.

It promises to be a fascinating, potentially historic season at the summit of the Primera División.

Continental Ambition

Continually overshadowed by the dominance of and rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona, life in La Liga can occasionally be disheartening for the cluster of clubs competing in the upper echelons of the table and yet unable to come close to winning the title, such is the strength of the top two.

Can Forlan inspire Atleti to more success?

That said, there are a handful of teams in the division that have acquitted themselves admirably in recent seasons and have made an impression of European competitions, when they have been given the opportunity. Last season Quique Sánchez Flores’ Atlético Madrid triumphed in the inaugural season of the Europa League, energised by the goals of Diego Forlán and the all-action midfield play of Simão Sabrosa, to also reach the final of the Copa del Rey.

Although their continental exertions took their toll on league form, Atléti eventually finishing the season in ninth place, Los Colchoneros have enough quality to be consistently finishing in the top four and, with the right additions to the squad, should be confident of Champions League qualification.

Another of the sides perennially in and around the European places is Sevilla, a club that has produced a consistently high level of performance throughout the last decade, claiming two UEFA Cups and a pair of Copa del Rey titles to become firmly established as a major force in the modern era.

Despite his team’s untimely exit from the Champions League, Antonio Álvarez has at his disposal a squad that plays with an unfussy elegance and possesses an underrated strength and power, which allows the team to match sides that attempt to negate them with a physical approach. A group of players with a diverse range of abilities – from Diego Capel, to Jesús Navas, to Luís Fabiano – the Rojiblancos are perhaps the club best equipped to challenge the top two. It may be unlikely to happen this season, but if there is a team capable of toppling the Barça-Madrid axis, it’s Sevilla.

In 2009/10 it was Valencia that finished third to Madrid and Barcelona, topping the mini-league of clubs all looking to break up the seemingly incessant run of success shared by the old rivals. Although Unai Emery’s side were impressive at times last season, one fears that Los Che may struggle to repeat the feat having lost David Villa and David Silva to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively.

As good as players such as Juan Mata and Éver Banega are, Valencia’s squad looks far shallower and much less robust than it has done in recent years. Unless the money from the departures of Silva and Villa is re-invested in the signings of several top-class players before the end of the summer, players that can help the club develop and move forward, then the coming season unfortunately looks like it could be one of regression for the east coast team.

Valencia are more than good enough to again finish in the top four, but much depends on the club’s business activity over the next month or so.

Villarreal's Nilmar

Despite not enjoying the best of campaigns last season, Villarreal are a team that underwent a transition following the departure of Manuel Pellegrini to Real Madrid, last summer, and now looks ready to move up a gear with what is a small but talented squad at El Madrigal.

Having been handed a Europa League place following Real Mallorca’s exclusion from the competition over a licensing technicality, El Submarino Amarillo is set for an unexpected European adventure but will surely be focusing first and foremost on improving their consistency on the domestic front.

The team’s spine of Diego López, Diego Godín, Marco Senna, Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar is quite possibly the best outside of the “big two” and, if those key players can avoid long lay-offs, should see Juan Carlos Garrido’s team comfortably qualify for Europe. They may be a little short of the all-round quality required to mount a serious bid for third place, but there’s no reason why this miraculously over-achieving club can’t, with a favourable wind, book itself a Champions League berth yet again.

Feeding Off Scraps: The Relegation Battle

Away from the glitz and the glamour, with no hope of European adventure and survival the uppermost priority, the bottom of the league can be a miserable place to be. However, La Liga’s basement has provided us with some superbly entertaining relegation scraps in recent years and I for one am hoping for more of the same in 2010/11.

Can Levante avoid the drop?

Of the teams that have come up from the Segunda División, Real Sociedad look fairly well placed to stay up, but Hércules and Levante – respectively the second and third placed sides in the lower tier – look like they could struggle to stay up in what is an increasingly competitive division, in its lower reaches.

Hércules, despite a smattering of quality with players such as Javier Portillo and Tote, would appear to lack the general abilities and top level experience that is vital to ensuring any team’s competitiveness in the Primera Liga. The same can be said for Levante, a team that flits between the first and second tiers, but struggled horribly when they were last in the top flight, finishing rock bottom a full 17 points short of safety.

Malaga, who only narrowly survived the drop last season, will again be hard-pushed to avoid the trap-door. Although the Andalusian side has some players with decent reputations (Duda and Edinho spring to mind), theirs is essentially a squad of Portuguese and South American journeymen alongside some fairly mediocre home-grown footballers. If Jesualdo Ferreira can instil in his team an element of coherence, then Malaga could find themselves well clear of the basement come the end of the season. However, should the team continue operating in its relatively ramshackle way, serious problems could lie ahead for the Boquerones.

“Personally, I think internationals are going to be something of the past,” he said. “The pride of it and all that, I just think it’s getting lesser and lesser.

“Players these days don’t see as pride in their country, they see it more as a chore, you know ‘God, I have to go again’. That was the way it always was for me.

“I think you’ll be surprised how many players – young ones at that – who will retire from international football after the World Cup.”

There are rumours coming out of the French camp that Karim Benzema is frustrated with his role in the national side. A goal-scoring substitute against the Faroe Islands, his international manager Raymond Domenech was hugely critical of the forward following September’s draw with Romania. Real Madrid’s £35 million signing is quoted as saying “it doesn’t go well” for him under Domenceh. With 7 goals in 26 caps, he is yet to recreate his explosive form at Lyon on the international stage . At just 21, France could be losing their potential leading light for the next decade.

We have seen plenty of players within the British Isles retiring from their respective countries in this decade. Alan Shearer is probably the most famous example of them all. After 63 caps and 30 goals for England, he gave up England duty aged 29. His body could not survive the rigours of playing for Newcastle and England, and was plagued with knee problems throughout his career. He gave the reason of prolonging his club career, and played for Newcastle until 2006. His childhood dream of becoming Newcastle’s top scorer was realised with 206 goals. That’s all the justification he needs for turning his back on the international game.

Paul Schloes ‘England career also ended at 29, after a Euro 2004 spent playing on the left of midfield. He cited family reasons for his retirement, with a frustration at been made the scapegoat at the peak of the Lampard-Gerrard debate lurking under the surface. Clubmate Ryan Giggs went 9 years without playing a friendly game for Wales, and played just 64 times in a 16-year career with his country. Sir Alex Ferguson, despite being a former Scotland manager, is not a fan of international breaks and is still up to his old tricks. Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney are ‘unavailable’ for Scotland and England this week. Keep an eye their availability for Manchester United hosting Bolton on Saturday.

For such a small nation, Wales seem to have more retirees than most. Captain Craig Bellamy mentioned today that he is considering hanging up his Welsh boots, as he could be playing Champions League football next season. At 30, and with his injury record, it’s understandable. But Bellamy always enjoyed playing for his country, unlike Jason Koumas. A player of untapped potential, a fear of flying meant he only amassed 34 caps, and didn’t play an international match outside the United Kingdom for two-and-a-half years between September 2005 and March 2008. Add this to the loss of Paul Parry, Carl Robinson and Carl Fletcher, along with manager John Toshank’s very public falling out with Robbie Savage, the Welsh have had their resources stretched to the limit.

Some players don’t play for their countries due to the manager. Glasgow Rangers pair Kris Boyd and Lee McCullough won’t turn out for Scotland due to a serious personality clash with Coach George Burley. Juan Roman Riquelme’s dispute with Argentina coach Diego Maradona turned into a slagging match, riling fans of Boca Juniors to the extent that Maradona was labelled a ‘traitor’ by the supporters who once idolised him

Whilst all the examples previously have been of players approaching their 30s, this trend of talented young players bemoaning international duty at such a young age is worrying. The Champions League is seen as the be-all and end-all these days, with Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher stating all the best players in the world play in the competition. There are enviably going to be some big names missing from next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

Perhaps these youngsters should look at the examples of Steven Gerrard and Cristanio Ronaldo. 2 of the world game’s biggest names, 2 hugely patriotic men, who see the honour in representing their respective countries. Ronaldo was clearly not fully fit taking the field for Portugal against Hungary, and only lasted 27 minutes. Employers Real Madrid were not best pleased. Gerrard has been troubled by a groin injury for over a year now, with has led him to miss games for club and country, but his autobiography showed his undoubted passion in wearing an England shirt.

Should Ireland qualify for South Africa next summer, you can be 99% sure that Stephen Ireland will not be on the plane over. That in itself is a shame. This would be the perfect stage for him to display his undoubted talents. Greats of the game like Cruyff, Pele and Maradona all made their name on the international stage in major tournaments. Whist most of the power in the 21^st century lies with the clubs, the international game will always have its place. Not only those it brings football fans together, but countries come to a standstill when their national side are involved in a World Cup. Maybe then, Ireland would realise it is not a chore. It is a privilege.