Big Games, as per usual

One of the things that attracts me to football over most North American sports is that hardly a week goes by without top rate games being played somewhere in Europe (or the world, for that matter). Many sports on this continent have top calibre games sporadically, but certainly not on the consistent basis they are in football. It could have something to do with 82 or 162 game seasons, but I digress...

Saturday

Arsenal v. Tottenham (7:45 a.m. ET)

Usual derby fare should be on display. Yet a predictable result I don't expect. One team, Arsenal, has looked vulnerable of late and the other, Spurs, have played consistently better since Juande Ramos arrived from Spain.

Arsenal have not lost a North London derby for ages, winning 5 of the last 10 matches between the sides and drawing 5. But based on the football Ramos has Spurs playing right now, I don't see an Arsenal blowout. It will be tightly contested, like the match against Chelsea last weekend, and a 1 - 1 draw or a 1 goal Arsenal win will be the likely result.

Robin Van Persie, who put in a cameo appearance at the end of last Sunday's match, should be available again. He looked menacing in the few minutes he did play against Chelsea, look for more of the same tomorrow.

Bolton Wanderers v. Birmingham City (10 a.m. ET)

No, I'm not crazy. This match will be worth a watch. Since the arrivals of Gary Megson and Alex McLeish, both sides have seen their form improve. Bolton have qualified for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup (they'll face Athletico Madrid in the next round) while Birmingham have picked up points in 2 of McLeish's 3 games in charge and pushed Newcastle effectively in a 2 - 1 loss on the road. Each manager will understand the importance of these bottom-half clashes, so look for a rousing match of English football on display at the Reebok. A 2 - 2 draw, or even more goals could be in store.

Liverpool v. Portsmouth (10 a.m. ET)

After running out the reserves at Stamford Bridge mid-week, Liverpool will be in tough against Portsmouth at home. Pompey are much better on the road (6-1-2) than they are at Fratton Park (2-5-1), while Liverpool's home form is a disappointing 3-4-1 in the league this season.

The pressure is on for Liverpool, as it has been for most of the season. Another loss at home will bring calls for Rafa Benitez head (again), while a draw will be little more consolation. Xabi Alonso should start, allowing Steven Gerrard more opportunity to roam forward. He's played much too deep lately; when Gerrard plays deep, Liverpool play poorly.

Unlike Liverpool's September trip to Portsmouth which ended 0 - 0, Fernando Torres should start in this game. That should be good for at least a goal, one would think.

Peter Crouch will be looking on, wondering why he tried to break both of John Obi Mikel's legs on Wednesday. Not smart, Peter, not smart.

Sunday

Manchester United v. Everton (7 a.m. ET)

The titleholders are playing well right now, but I think no team is playing better than Everton in the Premier League right now. Yakubu can't stop scoring right now, Cahill is back to his best after coming back from injury and Arteta still can't get a cap with Spain despite his outstanding play. If any team outside Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were to take 3 points from Manchester United this season, I suspect Everton might be up to the task this weekend.

Regardless, this should be a great match, likely producing more entertainment than the Liverpool/Man United match last Sunday.

Finally...

Barcelona v. Real Madrid (1 p.m. ET)

The pride of Catalonia versus the Evil Empire, some would say. This game should be really, really good, since the top Spanish sides don't seem to go into these games looking to nullify one another. 3 - 2 or 2 - 1 at least would be a reasonable result. For whom, you ask? At home, for a team that needs no better reasons to get up for a game, I think Barcelona will take the points. Madrid is playing very well right now, but Barca will want the first chance at revenge for losing out last season. They're also four points behind Madrid this year and Spanish title races are usually close. This will be good fun...

Is 11th place good enough?

With a squad that includes the World Footballer and European Footballer of the year, a defender who is far and away the best of his generation and a striker who has managed 66 goals in international club competition, it's a little underwhelming that AC Milan lies in 11th place in Serie A.

While they do have three games in hand and could be up to sixth if they gain maximum points, the reigning Champions of Europe and newly crowned World Club Champions have done little right in their domestic league this season. They only have three goals and no wins at the San Siro. They've fared better away from home, but short of winning the Champions League again, it appears as though the current Milan squad won't be in a position to qualify for next season's competition.

That's a shame. Milan's squad deserve more, at least from a sentimental perspective.

Paulo Maldini would be in any well thought out all-time starting XI. He's managed to win 5 Champions League trophies, 2 Intercontinental Cups, 1 World Club Cup, 4 European Super Cups, 7 Serie A Championships and holds the Italian record for international caps. At 39, he would still displace players ten years younger in most club sides. He seems quite content with his achievements and will retire at the end of the season. But I'm certain he would retire with a clear conscience were Milan to qualify for Europe again.

The same sentiment must be shared by Kaka. The winner of both the World and European player of the year has detractors, but his ability to show up for big games is beyond question. Whenever Milan need a performance on the big stage, the Brazillian is there to lead the way. I agree with many of the criticisms aimed at Kaka, since I think his failing is that he doesn't seem to deliver consistently in the league, a fact laid bare by Milan's current position in the table. Even though he has publicly committed himself to the club, Kaka has been doggedly pursued by Real Madrid (the Madrid club president never fails to state this ambition publicly when the occasion arises). One would begin to question his dedication were Milan resigned to the UEFA Cup or worse at the end of the season.

With two goals in the World Club final in Japan, Filippo Inzaghi added to his impressive international club goalscoring record. Like many of his teammates, Inzaghi has struggled this season, failing to score in 9 league appearances. At 34, perhaps the weekly grind of Serie A is catching up with the forward, but with only 4 strikers on the books at Milan, one would expect more from a player of his ability to score when it matters most.

With all this in mind, is it any wonder that Jose Mourinho has been linked with the Milan management job. Current manager Carlo Ancelotti has been under increasing scrutiny and criticism, despite his international achievements. With the January transfer window around the corner, the time to make a move in the management department would be now. It appears Mourinho would look favourably upon the position and would certainly be a good fit for the Rossoneri.

Milan may be getting long in the tooth, but with players like Kaka, Gattuso, Pirlo, Gilardino and Clarence Seedorf, it would not take much for a new manager to turn the ship around. Here's to hoping they do; the Champions League wouldn't be the same without them.

Gargantuan Sunday

After seeing Sky Sports referring to tomorrow's games between Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea as Grand Slam Sunday, I couldn't resist coming up with my own hyperbole for a posting title.

These games are big, to be sure, but really...

Anyways, a quick couple of words about the games, since I've got to go and watch some more of today's action.

Liverpool v. Manchester United

Recent form between these two sides shows either low scoring draws or lows scoring Man United victories. I don't have any reason to believe this will change.

Liverpool will likely field a team similar to the one that trounced Marseilles in mid-week. I've seen reports that Xabi Alonso may return, but I'd imagine only as a substitute if at all. I think this year's Liverpool side will push Man United a bit more, but I'm not sure if it will be enough to get three points.

Alex Ferguson was in the fortunate position to rest his key players against Roma, fielding a reserve squad plus Wayne Rooney. United will be fresher than Liverpool, and this may give an edge. 0 - 0, 1 - 1 or Man United by a goal: this isn't what I would like to see, but I think the top guns from Manchester will play a big role.

Arsenal v. Chelsea

This may prove to be a bit of a grudge match. I can't help but think Chelsea manager Avram Grant took a look at some film of Arsenal's recent matches and wrote some good notes. Chelsea have the players to push the Gunners around just like Newcastle and Middlesbrough have in recent games.

Chelsea will miss Didier Drogba, but if they bring a physical game to the Emirates Stadium, they will be good money to get a point.

However, if Chelsea try to play a nice, attractive game of football, Arsenal will dismantle them at home. It's important to remember that all three of Arsenal's past three Premier League matches, where they've looked vulnerable, were on the road. At home in London, things will be different.

Look for a draw if Chelsea thug it up a little with the leaders, maybe a one goal win. Look for an Arsenal win if Chelsea try to play "attractive" football.

The Rest

For those who have access to Setanta and haven't seen the match yet, make sure to watch for a repeat of the Wigan v. Blackburn game. Really, really entertaining football. Games like this one are why the Premier League is the best league around.

On Capello: only half the job is done

Firstly, I think the FA have done a good day's work in hiring Fabio Capello to be the next England manager.

Capello's CV is impeccable, winning eight* league championships at four different clubs along with the 1994 European Championship while at AC Milan. These ten trophies, it should be noted, are ten more than England's previous boss, Steve McClaren.

He also has a great deal of experience dealing with some of the top talent and biggest egos in the game. Managing twice at Real Madrid for solitary seasons, he won a championship each year. Particularly during his last season (2006-2007), he proved able to step into a job and mould underachieving stars into a unit capable of winning.

This should be just the tonic for England. No more freedom to roam for the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, no more selections based on reputation alone, no more tolerance of Paul Robinson's gaffes. Capello is the type of manager who plays to win, not to make his players feel wanted or important.

There appears to be some apprehension on the part of the FA, as Capello has indicated he wants to bring his all-Italian backroom staff along. The report on Guardian Unlimited indicated that the FA board had some issues with the staff, particularly Franco Baldini, whose role they believed may clash with that of FA director of football development, Trevor Brooking. We shall see, but I doubt even the FA would turn this into a make-or-break issue.

The only caveat I have about the hiring of Capello is that I don't think he will necessarily be the answer to the youth crisis in England. Capello is a fine man to deal with proven talent to be sure, but is he the man to guide the stars of tomorrow?

He's never spent a great deal of time at a club, with his spells at Milan (1991-96) and Roma (1999-04) being the longest at five seasons. That's not the kind of time a developer spends at a club. I think the longest he'd be at England would be through Euro 2012, considering he is 61.

I feel the FA would do well to pursue someone the calibre of Gerard Houllier, who had tremendous success developing youth in France, to be a youth director in England. Only by developing younger talent will England sustain any momentum that Capello may begin.

If the FA content themselves with paying Capello a reported 6.5 million pounds a year and don't seek a solution to the dry well that is the English talent pool, they may as well have kept McClaren.

* A ninth title, won at Juventus, was stripped after the match fixing scandal. Not his fault, but only eight medals to show for it.

Only two more spots up for grabs

With today's Champions League action over, there remains only two spots left in the knockout round.

Real Madrid, Olympiacos, Porto, Liverpool and Schalke joined the ranks of the qualified, each by winning their final matches. They join Chelsea, AC Milan, Celtic, Barcelona, Manchester United, Roma, Inter Milan, Sevilla and Arsenal, who had already qualified.

Tomorrow, Rangers host Lyon, with the home side only needing a draw to advance, courtesy of a better goal difference.

In Group G, Fenerbahce advance if they beat CSKA Moscow at home. The Turkish side can also advance if PSV lose their match at home against Inter. PSV need to hope Fenerbahce slip up and they can beat the odds against the Italians to move on.

Chelsea, after losing Didier Drogba for several months due to injury, look to have their work cut out for them in the League and in Europe. The Blues only managed a 0 - 0 draw at home against Valencia. Drogba is the key to the Chelsea attack, which looks impotent when he's not in the lineup.

Valencia are a side in disarray, not having won since Nov. 10. Even without Drogba, Chelsea should have picked up three points at home. Avram Grant surely must be counting the days until the transfer window opens and he can raid Roman's piggy bank to cover off Drogba and his other African Nations' Cup-bound players. Arsenal v. Chelsea on Sunday could be even more interesting with the two sides sputtering at the moment.

Liverpool are through, pulling off their third consecutive victory in the Champions League, beating Marseilles 4 - 0. With 16 goals in the past three European games, it's much more painful to remember they lost to Reading on the weekend. The match on Sunday against Man United will be a better litmus test of the Reds quality.

And finally, Ryan Babel of the aforementioned Liverpool, is becoming the Garbage time King of the World. The young Dutchman scored a meaningless (but well-taken nonetheless) goal in the game in France today. By my count, he's now scored five goals in the final thirty minutes when his team has been up by two goals or more. He does well to score them, but it would be nice to see the talented youngster score when it matters.

The new David Seaman?

Sunday's Middlesbrough/Arsenal match was the first time I'd had the opportunity to see the Gunners in quite a while. Other than Arsenal's distinct lack of quality on the day, I noticed one other thing that gave me a reason to smile.

Manuel Almunia appears to have let his starting keeper's job go to his head. As you can see from the picture here (really, take good look), Mr. Almunia feels his is the heir apparent to former Arsenal keeper David Seaman.

Not a bad 'stache for starters, but I think he's got a ways to go before he'll have the dashing style of the former England number one.

Cristiano Ronaldo The Cheat, Arsenal Exposed and Rafa Loses The Plot Again

Ronaldo behaving badly

Anyone who caught the Man United/Derby County game yesterday knows it was pretty dire. The pitch was a mess, the sleet started in the second half and Derby still look much like a Championship side headed for certain relegation.

On the brighter side, Derby did notch their first away goal in the 4 - 1 loss and Ryan Giggs scored his 100th league goal.

On the darker side, Cristiano Ronaldo showed his true class, or lack of, by diving to draw a penalty in the waning moments of the match. The replay clearly showed Ronaldo was untouched and in light of their comfortable lead so close to the death, it was truly unsporting of the Portuguese international.

Equally unsporting was his insistence at taking the penalty, denying the man of the match Carlos Tevez the opportunity to seal a hat-trick. It seemed it was more important for Ronaldo to notch his 14th goal of the season and score in his sixth straight match.

I have begrudgingly begun to admire Ronaldo's skills, but his cheating antics will need to stop before I'm ready to accept him as the top class player. Shame on him.

Arsenal's Achilles

Middlesbrough's 2 - 1 shocker over Arsenal was an impressive spectacle. The Boro squad suffocated the league leaders, who were made to look absolutely pedestrian. The home side had a standout performance from former Arsenal man Jeremie Aliadiere. He'd looked like a bust for most of the season, but against his old team he was very good indeed. For Middlesbrough's sake, let's hope he keeps it up.

As for the Gunners, after a loss to Sevilla in their last Champions League match a week and a half ago, they looked vulnerable in victory against Aston Villa and shaky in a draw versus Newcastle before finally losing their first league match at the Riverside Stadium.

In Arsenal's defense, they were without Cesc Fabregas and Alexander Hleb who would have undoubtedly made an impact.

But the past three matches show that tireless running and closing down of Arsenal will lead to positive results. Holding back and leaving room for them to pass the ball is absolutely the wrong way forward, especially for teams that don't have the skill to match the Gunners. Watch out in games to come.

Not again...Reading 3, Liverpool 1

I didn't see this whole match, but all I needed to see was the Liverpool team sheet: 4-3-3, no wide men and Momo Sissoko.

When will Rafa Benitez learn that if he wants to win the league, he can't take any team lightly - especially on the road. I understood immediately that he was looking towards the final Champions League game against Marseille in mid-week and Man United next weekend.

This, of course, was confirmed when Benitez took Fernando Torres off once they went down a goal and Gerrard off after Reading's third. Since when is a game over with 30 minutes left? Or even 20? Surely Rafa doesn't think he can get off lightly in a match like this, looking ahead when points are at stake?

But this is the Premier League, and were it not for Middlesbrough, Liverpool would be 10 points back of top spot right now. They needed a draw at least and failed.

A Liverpool failure to beat Marseille and get a victory against Man United at home will make the Reading game all the more important in retrospect for the manager. Too bad he doesn't appear to see it the same way.

Those crazy Koreans

For some reason, the people running the South Korean FA decided that after former Lyon boss Gerard Houllier turned down the management post in the Far East, making a play for Mick McCarthy was the next best option.

McCarthy, who is currently in charge of League Championship side Wolverhampton, is more famously known for his botching of the Republic of Ireland job and poisoning the FAI relationship with Roy Keane during the failed Euro 2004 qualification campaign.

Additionally, McCarthy also had a hand in managing the worst side in Premier League history, Sunderland, who were relegated during the 2005-2006 season with only 15 points.

Fortunately, McCarthy turned down the job. Perhaps Korea's shady approach, contacting McCarthy directly rather than approaching the club played a part in McCarthy's decision. Considering his fabled past at his two previous employers and Wolves sixth placed league position, McCarthy likely played this one cautiously.

Houllier, on the other hand, seems to be holding out for an England approach and was not interested in moving east. Likely not the sexiest choice for the Three Lions.

In totally unrelated news, in-form Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is out of action, requiring surgery to repair a damaged knee that could see him sidelined for several months. That leaves Chelsea with Salomon Kalou, Andriy Shevchenko and Claudio Pizzaro to lead the attack for the Blues. Considering Shevchenko is out of favour and Pizzaro has failed to impress, Chelsea may turn their attention away from Ronaldinho towards a more conventional forward come January.

Euro draw needs a recount

Please spare us...a Group of Death, possibly The Group of Death, has been pulled out of the UEFA hat. France, the Netherlands, Italy and Romania have been drawn into Group C for Euro 2008.

What sort of hare-brained scheme led to this disgrace? Well, I think it can be explained like this:

1) The number one seeds are Austria, Switzerland (the two host nations), Greece (the title holders) and the Netherlands (the nation with the highest Euro 2008/World Cup 2006 qualifying coefficient). The coefficient is determined by dividing a team's points total from Euro and World Cup qualifying and dividing by games played.

2) The remaining seeds are determined by the coefficient and are either rated a 2, 3 or 4.

Looking on the table at the UEFA Website, you can easily see that the two host nations are by far the poorest sides in the tournament and Greece would be tied with Poland as the best two of the four seeds.

This ludicrous system will result in two of the best teams in the tournament, the lower two teams in Group C will fail to qualify for the knockout round, while sides like Sweden, Greece, Russia, Poland and Croatia will go through, only on merit of the system devised by UEFA.

I don't have any problems with any of the teams who actually qualified for the tournament. They all deserve to be there and I hope some of the teams just mentioned go on to emulate Greece from 2004 and put some of the more prestigious nations to the sword.

However, I think there are some things UEFA (and FIFA, for that matter) could do to ensure the high profile games are played in the knockout rounds, where the drama needs to be.

First, teams from the same qualifying group should not play one another in the group stage at the final. Why do we need to see Italy and France, Sweden and Spain play again? Placing these teams in the same pot would eliminate this prospect.

Second, teams should be seeded consistently. If the hosts are the worst teams in the tournament, so be it. If the champions have made a hash of things in recent times, so be it.

Lastly, the coefficient system isn't bad, but some reflection of tournament performance needs to be included. Yes France's qualifying record has been abysmal in terms of the coefficient, but they played in the World Cup Final. Croatia on the other hand, collected a total of four points and failed to move out of the group stage at both the last Euro and World Cup. Yet their coefficient ranks them second behind the Dutch.

I realize that most of these systems are a work in progress and we are talking about the bureaucratic dinosaurs at UEFA and FIFA, but surely fans should expect better.

Weekend Preview

Here are a smattering of matches to look for over the weekend:

Saturday

Blackburn v. Newcastle

Blackburn went winless for the month of November and will like their chances against a Newcastle team that has also performed poorly as of late. Rovers will be without captain Ryan Nelson after he was sent-off in a mid-week loss to Aston Villa. According to ESPN Soccernet, right back Andre Ooijer will move into the center of defense, with Brett Emerton sliding to full-back and Morten Gamst Pederson being recalled to the starting eleven. Newcastle's Sam Alardyce will hope to turn his side's fortunes around against their struggling hosts with his position under increasing scrutiny.

Aston Villa v. Arsenal, Saturday

Arsenal, coming off a 3 - 1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla in the Champions League, are up against tough opposition at Villa Park. The home side have won four games in a row, including the aforementioned 4 - 0 drubbing of Blackburn. Now that the weather has turned, miserable conditions on the road may well go against the Gunners. Heavy rain today will make for a soggy pitch tomorrow, putting a damper on Arsenal's sublime passing game. This could be the match of the weekend in the Premier League. Gabriel Agbonlahor's fitness is in doubt for the home side, while Gael Clichy and Alexander Hleb are questionable for Arsenal. Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker is suspended.

Werder Bremen v. Hamburg SV

It's a clash of the second and third placed teams in the Bundesliga. Bremen come into this match on the back of a 3 - 2 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League. The hosts Bremen are undefeated in nine league matches and have scored a league leading 22 goals at home. Hamburg were also on the winning side in the UEFA Cup, downing French side Rennes 3 - 0 at the HSH Nordbank Arena. The visitors have only allowed a miserly 5 goals in seven away matches so far, so this will be a stern test for Bremen.

Espanyol v. Barcelona

The fourth placed hosts will seek to thwart their local rivals again after they drew with Barcelona 2 - 2 on the second last day of the 06/07 season, helping to ruin Barca's attempt to win three consecutive championships. Barcelona sit in third place, but only managed a draw during the week against Lyon. Ernesto Valverde, the Espanyol manager, said controlling possession is the key to beating Barcelona:

"If we want to beat them, we must make Barca suffer and the best way to do that is by taking away their essence." (ESPN Soccernet)

Barca are easily frustrated and this match could get scrappy if Espanyol are on their game.

Sunday

Fiorentina v. Inter Milan

Milan play Juventus on Saturday, but I feel the game of the week in Serie A has to be Fiorentina facing the league leaders at home. Inter continue to cruise past their opposition, logging a 3 - 0 victory in mid-week away to Turkish side Fenerbahce. The hosts, who harbour Champions League aspirations, have slipped in recent weeks, going winless since their 6 -1 flogging of Elfsborg in the UEFA Cup on Oct. 8. Led by leading scorer Adrian Mutu (6 goals), the Florence side will look to halt Inter's 13 game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

How to bandage England's youth crisis

For the past couple of weeks, usually when there hasn't been a disastrous result or sacking to sift through, a lot of wind and words have been exhausted about the state of the English game and how foreign players are ruining it.

A couple of articles today raised some good points. Martin Samuel of the Times points out that of the 12 players used in the most recent U-21 match, only five played a part in the next Premier League games and only one, Theo Walcott, played for a team participating in European competition.

Richard Williams in the Guardian wrote that while 10 of 22 players in the West Ham - Tottenham game on Sunday were English (an unusually high number), the trend is for foreign players to adapt to the kick-and-chase style of play.

I think that both articles point out flaws in the English league. Not enough young English players are able to play at the highest level, and those that are continue to play a style rejected by many of the most successful nations in the world of football.

I don't suppose to have the answer to this problem, but I believe a cap on foreign players is wrong. Attracting the top talent from around the world is what makes the Premier League great. This needs to be continued.

But something that Sven-Goran Eriksson said a few weeks ago got me thinking. He proposed enlarging the available options on the substitutes bench from five to seven. Several of the leagues on the continent use this system and UEFA club competitions use this rule.

Why not increase the bench, but make teams select English players under the age of 21 for the spots? Of course these players won't play a big part in the manager's scheme, but no manager will pick less than the best to be a part of the match day squad. It would encourage teams to invest in domestic youth, so whether the sixth and seventh players get in or not, England would benefit.

Who knows? You could see the youth subs being used during a lopsided game, getting valuable Premier League playing time. At the very least, it would force the league to take a different look at English talent, at no cost to the league as it stands now.

Five things from the weekend

Here are a few things I picked up watching games over the weekend:

1) Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor is something else. He was able to get behind the Middlesbrough defense at will and scored a pretty nice goal. He missed a couple of gilt-edged chances, but he's still young.

I've heard several pundits mention his name as a possible right-sided midfield choice for England, but with the skill he showed Saturday and the fragility of the national team's strikers, I think he'll be capped up front.

2) Sam Allardyce is going to have to move quickly to win over the Newcastle fans. At one point during the second half of a 3-0 loss at home to Liverpool, the touchline cam showed Big Sam furiously chomping on a fresh stick of gum while two of the Toon faithful gave him an earful from the stands.

They had good reason to be upset: the Reds controlled most of the game and really should have won by a bigger margin. Newcastle are short on ideas in the midfield, leaving two excellent strikers in Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins to put in all the work themselves. I also think Allardyce needs to settle on a back four, since tinkering and swapping isn't shoring up a leaky defense.

3) The shine on Blackburn is beginning to wear off. After a good run winning four Premier League matches in a row, they've drawn two and lost one. Mind you the loss was away to Manchester United and one draw was against Liverpool, but on Sunday against Fulham they were unspectacular to say the least. Fulham could have easily taken the points, but they are quite adept at coughing up leads.

The Rovers did suffer the loss of Benni McCarthy to injury early on and Jason Roberts put in a good performance for the home side, but considering some of the other second tier results (Portsmouth and Aston Villa winning away and Everton demolishing Sunderland at home) they should expect better at Ewood Park.

4) David James should have been the keeper at Wembley on Wednesday. Portsmouth played a poor game against lowly Birmingham at St. Andrews and still managed to win 2-0. James, however, played like the veteran keeper he is: he made no mistakes and made key plays when they were needed. He may not steal the show for England, but nor would he let a 35-yard Nico Krancjar shot slip by him.

Speaking of England's bane, Krancjar showed his class once again in this game, scoring a spectacular free kick to seal the game for Pompey. Another player of note in this game was Sully Muntari, who terrorized the Birmingham defense most of the match.

5) Referees tolerate an awful lot in England. When Mike Riley waved off penalty pleas just before half during the West Ham - Tottenham match on Sunday, he was berated incessantly by the victim, Spurs captain Robbie Keane and a horde of his teammates. This continued up until the break and after the halftime whistle, Keane marched up to Riley to continue his rant.

As captain, it is Keane's prerogative to speak with the officials to seek clarification or speak his mind. I think the officials tolerate the rants far too much and should be looking to flash a card or two more often when things get out of hand. Perhaps there was a case for a penalty, but it was clear Riley had made up his mind. Move on, play the game.

MONDAY:

As a Liverpool supporter, I really hope the two sides in the Benitez/Hicks/Gillett row stop the bickering and sit down to iron out their differences like men rather than whining like children. It does nothing positive for the club and will only have a detrimental effect on the field. Grow up guys.

Several sad facts about England and the Isles

After a quick look through England's recent qualifying past (since the 1984 Euro campaign) in both the European Championship and World Cup, the following facts popped out:

• Euro 2008 was the only instance where England lost 3 qualifiers. It's the only time they've played 12 games, but still a telling fact.
• 16 goals scored at home was the highest tally since the 1994 WC qualifiers when England also scored 16...and didn't qualify.
• In the WC 2002 campaign, England qualified on the last day after a draw with Greece. They conceded 6 goals during qualification. For Euro 2008 and WC 1994, they conceded 7 and 9 respectively.

These few tidbits add up to some of the damning evidence against Steve McClaren, who unsurprisingly lost his job with the FA this morning.

The final qualifying game yesterday was dreadful, with many of McClaren's personnel changes failing to pay off. Carson was an embarrassment, Wright-Phillips was ineffective and the five-man midfield simply looked clogged.

I sincerely hope Brian Barwick, chief executive of the FA and the man responsible for appointing McClaren, is being honest when he says he plans to rebuild the England team. It is a process that is long overdue.

The other sad result from yesterday was Northern Ireland's loss to Spain in Las Palmas. This means that the British Isles will be absent from a major tournament for the first time since the 1984 Euro in France.

McClaren's big decisions

England manager Steve McClaren made three bold moves ahead of today's decisive clash against Croatia, dropping Paul Robinson, David Beckham and choosing Gareth Barry over the now-healthy Owen Hargreaves.

In place of Robinson and Beckham, Scott Carson and Shaun Wright-Phillips have been included in the line-up.

I have read some suggestions that a 4-5-1 formation will be employed this afternoon, resulting in the following line-up possibility:

Carson

Richards-----Campbell-----Lescott-----Bridge

Wright-Phillips-----Gerrard-----Barry-----Cole

Lampard

Crouch

Not quite the formation one would expect from a side playing at home for maximum points, but McClaren obviously feels this will secure the point necessary to progress.

Wright-Phillips was mentioned on the Football Weekly podcast as an effective tonic down the right, pointing out how effectively Macedonia exploited Croatia's left back Josip Simunic. Since Beckham seems unlikely to exploit anyone from open play, this may prove to be an astute bit of managing.

Speaking of astute management, it is both comforting and alarming that McClaren has taken the eleventh hour opportunity to partake in his craft. By choosing a side to do the job, he has effectively done what the best managers do: pick the best team for the match, not the best team on form.

Granted injuries to Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney have enforced his choices up front, but McClaren could have easily stuck with the side which defeated Austria on Saturday.

We can only hope that should England go on to Euro 2008, the manager will take these new found tendencies along with him.

Qualification Scenarios

Including co-hosts Austria and Switzerland, 12 teams have qualified for next summer's European Championship. Poland, Italy, France, Greece, the Czech Republic, Germany, Croatia, Spain, Romania and the Netherlands have all booked their tickets for the 2008 tournament.

That leaves four tightly contested spots up for grabs:

Group A:

Second-place Portugal can wrap up a spot with a win or draw in their final match vs. Finland. The Finns, who have never qualified for a major tournament, will go through if they beat Portugal and Serbia drop points in either of their remaining matches vs. Poland and Kazakhstan.

Portugal (home v. Finland, Nov. 21) - Win = Qualification
Finland (away v. Portugal, Nov. 21) - Win + Serbia Loss or Draw in either game = Qualification
Serbia (home v. Poland, Nov. 21; home v. Kazakhstan, Nov. 24) - 2 Wins + Portugal Loss = Qualification

Group C

Turkey need a win at home against Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to qualify or a draw combined with Norway dropping points. Norway will go through with a win away to Malta combined with a Turkey draw or loss.

Turkey (home v. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nov. 21) - Win or Draw + Norway Loss or Draw or Loss + Norway Loss = Qualification
Norway (away v. Malta, Nov. 21) - Win + Turkey Loss or Draw = Qualification

Group E

England require only a win or draw to ensure qualification. Russia, after their loss to Israel on the weekend, need to win against Andorra and hope Croatia beat England to go through.

England (home v. Croatia, Nov. 21) - Win or Draw = Qualification
Russia (away v. Andorra, Nov. 21) - Win + England Loss = Qualification

Group F

Sweden simply need to draw with Latvia at home to see themselves through, whereas Northern Ireland will hope the for a Sweden loss to go along with a victory against first-placed Spain in Las Palmas to make it to Austria-Switzerland.

Sweden (home v. Latvia, Nov. 21) - Win or Draw = Qualification
Northern Ireland (away v. Spain, Nov. 21) - Win + Sweden Loss = Qualification

These scenarios should make for some fantastic contests to watch tomorrow.

It's all up to England now

I just watched Israel steal a win against Russia. Russia are clearly not a good team, as they squandered multiple chances to put the game away. However, they did beat England...

Israel played well when it mattered and had some good fortune. England owe them a big favour.

Which brings us to the fact that it's all up to England. No Owen against Croatia after an injury versus Austria. Barry didn't start, left out in favour of Lampard or Cole, depending on which way you look at it. Beckham is sure to start. England's Euro 2008 hopes ride on the fortunes of the Heroes of Germany 2006...

I want nothing more than to see England sweep aside Croatia on Wednesday, but see my last article for why victory will be bittersweet.

Who's to blame

With all of the England stars trotted out in front of the microphones and cameras to bleat on about who is to blame for the team's precarious Euro 2008 situation, where should we point the finger?

The players say don't look to Steve McClaren. Stand-in captain Steven Gerrard and a host of others, including the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Gary Neville, are pleading for the boss to be kept on, no matter the result of a needlessly rocky qualifying campaign.

Martin Samuel, uber-columnist for the Times, has thrown his lot with Martin O'Neill to succeed McClaren for the job.

But with a seat alongside the spectators looming for the England squad, the best thing that could happen is for McClaren to be removed after his team fail to qualify. I would love nothing more for England to be competing in Austria/Switzerland next year, but for the good of the game, a proper housecleaning is in order.

The FA is in a state of flux. While the FA await the appointment of an independent chairman, the current board need to wipe the slate clean. This starts with removing the senior manager and will end once the heir is allowed the freedom to create a new national footballing regime.

While the next manager may not be Martin O'Neill, it certainly needs to be someone who is willing to look beyond the current squad to find and nurture young players. The top English sides are no longer bringing along domestic talent as they once were, so the England manager needs to find the greenest pastures for youth to grow.

That being said, the youth system needs to be addressed. England are sorely lacking in players outside the midfield and the only way to fix this is to work with the talent coming up through the system. This needs to start at the base level, where 11 and 12-year-olds can be given every opportunity to grow in the England set-up.

While I think he's overreacting, minister of sport Gerry Sutcliffe may be on to something with his suspicions about the influx of international talent deserves a look. Top foreign talent is a must for the English game, but perhaps there is a way to balance things so English talent is given every opportunity to succeed at home.

If England are preoccupied with Euro 2008, this will not happen. If McClaren is still the boss come 2008, qualify or not, this will not happen. If England were good enough and McClaren were good enough, they would have qualified already.

This may be Ferguson's best side ever

After Manchester United defeated Blackburn 2 - 0 at Old Trafford on the weekend, manager Alex Ferguson suggested in an interview with the BBC that this year's squad was the strongest he's had in his years at the club.

That's a pretty bold statement, even for Ferguson. But I think it's certainly worth a look because there are shreds of truth in the ageless Scotsman's words.

I think for the purposes of illustration, we could pick three Man United championship sides and compare their relative merits. Jonathan Stevenson of the BBC did a similar comparison, but I think that I come at this debate from a slightly different standpoint.

The Teams:

1994: Schmeichel, Parker, Irwin, Bruce, Pallister, G Neville, Robson, Ince, Keane, Scholes, Kanchelskis, Giggs, Sharpe, Cantona, Hughes, McClair, Dublin.

1999: Schmeichel, G Neville, P Neville, May, Irwin, Brown, Johnsen, Stam, Keane, Scholes, Butt, Blomqvist, Beckham, Giggs, Solskjaer, Cole, Yorke, Sheringham.

2007: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, G Neville, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, O’Shea, Silvestre, Pique, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Ronaldo, Giggs, Nani, Anderson, Fletcher, Rooney, Tevez, Saha.

Aside from the fact that Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were members of all three teams, there is a few other similarities which are indicative of Ferguson's style.

In each of the three seasons in question, a foreign player led (or is leading) Man United in league scoring: Cantona (18), Yorke (18) and Ronaldo (currently with 6).

In addition, United have had the most success when playing with continental keepers as opposed to British-born number ones.

However, Ferguson has always understood the need to buttress top foreign with great players familiar with the English game. Players like Keane, Hughes, Beckham, Cole and now Carrick are just as important as some of the imports.

Great players are necessary to win the Premier League and the FA Cup. What I think places this edition of Man United apart from its predecessors is that the great players in the squad now would be great on any team in the world, not just in England.

Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney and Nani are all world-class players. These guys would be stars on any team in Europe. Playing together, they are a formidable unit who will be challenging the best on the continent for the Champions League title this year and for the foreseeable future.

Also, the contributions of players like Giggs, Carrick, Ferdinand and Vidic only add another dimension to the Red Devil's prowess.

Don't get me wrong, there have been great players at United before. Cantona, for example, was perhaps the most talented player in Europe at his peak. Unfortunately, he was shunned by the French national team and therefore without an international stage upon which to ply his trade.

In addition, Peter Schmeichel was one of the best keepers in the history of the sport. And no one would question the pedigree of Irwin, Bruce, Robson or Cole, but would they have been the world-wide stars that currently suit up at Old Trafford today?

The current crop of players stands to exceed the lofty standards of the past for Manchester United. Even with an injury-prone star like Rooney, United have the depth of talent to continue at a high level of play. But any of the top stars in this squad would look equally menacing in Madrid, Milan or Munich.

The comparisons will only begin in earnest once this team has won at least a proper double (PL plus European Cup or FA Cup). Based on current form and the ability shown last year in winning the league, this is not beyond United at the moment.

Ferguson's bold statements can be empty at times, but I don't think he's spoken lightly this time.

Why England will host World Cup 2018. Probably.

Back once again after a long spell. A combination of busy times at school and one killer flu led to a lack of inspiration for a good blog, but I'm glad to be at it again.

Alongside the announcement that Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup, FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter declared an end to the rotation policy used for bidding on football's top tournament.

This immediately sent the English FA into dreamland, since they would otherwise have to wait for bids from both the North American federation as well as another tournament from Asia before attempting to land another World Cup.

So far, the 2018 favorites include England, China, Russia, the U.S., Mexico and Australia. The pros and cons of each potential bid are many, but it's fairly easy to point out the major talking points:

China: This bid seems to be a bit of a no brainer. China is currently shaping up to be an economic powerhouse. What better way to show the world you've arrived than by hosting the world's biggest sporting event? Never mind that they're well on their way to making a hash of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. We'll know shortly after that event whether FIFA will travel down the same sad road as the IOC and give the thumbs up to China. Verdict: No chance in hell. The problems that are cropping up now and will surely appear next summer will make this an easy decision for a sober FIFA committee.

Russia: Similar to China, Russia is coming into its own as a nation (ethical considerations aside, of course). The World Cup would be the best way imaginable for Vladimir Putin & Co. to show the world what billions in oil money can do. Guus Hiddink has done a fine job with the national team, but I think many people at FIFA will wonder whether Eastern Europe is ready for the big time. Verdict: Close to no chance, but check this space in a couple years.

Mexico: They have a great deal of World Cup pedigree, having hosted the final twice (1970 and 1986), but not much else in comparison to the other contenders. Like Brazil, who need to upgrade 18 stadiums in time for 2014, Mexico would need to do a similar reno job to be ready for the tournament. Verdict: Like Russia, there's always a chance, but likely not.

U.S.A.: The Americans could be considered as a host for every single World Cup tournament, simply because: A) They have dozens of state-of-the-art, 60,000-plus seat stadiums at their disposal, all over the country. B) Americans love to put on a show. C) There's 300 million Americans. The U.S. won't get the 2018 World Cup for one excellent reason: people in America don't give a toss about football. Verdict: Why take the big show where no one watches?

Australia: The Australian FA came out quickly after the announcement to end the rotation policy and stated they intend to bid. Aussies love their sport and are willing to put big money into things like World Cups and Olympic Games. Without a doubt FIFA will look at this bid with interest, especially since Oceania, which Australia were a member of before defecting to the Asian federation, has never hosted the finals. However, they face the same challenge as the Americans, that the country is huge, detracting from the atmosphere FIFA loves about geographically small nations. Verdict: Barring a major gaffe by England, Australia will have to wait.

England: Without a doubt, England should be the favourites to host 2018. Right now, this minute, they have the finest football specific stadiums in the world. By 2018, the new Anfield will be complete, surely Old Trafford will be improved again and as long as Abramovich is around, Stamford Bridge is due for a face lift. This is before the FA and the British government bring out the cash to spruce up the other grounds across the country (St. James Park, Villa Park and White Heart Lane come to mind). Along with the new Wembley, City of Manchester Stadium and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, there are enough other stadiums that are above or could easily be made to match the FIFA requirement of 40,000 plus. To go with the English infrastructure and short travel distances, you only need to add one of the most football mad nations in the world. Verdict: They would really need to screw this one up...

All that being said, Australia and England will be quite a choice for FIFA to make. They can't go wrong with England, but if they pass up an Australian bid, how long will it take to get to a country who deserve a shot to host the World Cup?

I think England have a lock, because there is a lot that can go wrong for FIFA at the next two tournaments. South Africa already looks like a mess, with venue construction behind schedule and an alarming national crime rate.

Brazil, in being awarded the 2014 World Cup have stated they need to spend $550-million (USD) on improvements to 18 stadiums. Since the new Wembley cost almost twice as much to build, this initial investment may prove to be a little short. Cost overruns are not the best way to get the ball rolling, but we'll wait and see.

Finally, listening to World Soccer Daily, Steven Cohen has suggested the rotation policy was scrapped with North America on deck because South Africa isn't going to be ready for 2010. This would mean the U.S. would be at the top of the list to step in and host the tournament, like Mexico did in 1986 when Colombia backed out. I tend to agree with Mr. Cohen here, since I've not heard any good news about the African bid in some while. Stay tuned.

I've decided to stop the madness, will Rafa?

Previously on this blog, I came out in favour of Rafa Benitez rotation policies. I was particularly swayed by Paul Tomkins article on liverpoolfc.tv. I must admit now, that I was wrong.

Benitez is responsible for the Reds early season mediocrity. I say mediocrity because they have yet to lose in the league. However, for a manager who has spent millions over the close season, and millions more since he arrived at the club, this is totally unacceptable.

Losing to Marseille and drawing with Tottenham at Anfield is ridiculous. The squad is too deep and too good for this to happen.

Benitez changed five players from the win versus Wigan for Wednesday's loss against Marseille. He then changed another five players today for the draw with Tottenham.

The best teams play their best players when the games matter. For Liverpool, the games that matter are the League and the European Championship. If Liverpool were to advance to the final of the Champion's League again, they would play 53 games in these all-important competitions.

If Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano, John Arne Riise, Fernando Torres, Steve Finnan and Dirk Kuyt have to play 53 games to win trophies, Benitez needs to play them in 53 games. There is no way around this fact.

Rotation reduces the competition for places - if players know they'll get their chance, there's less for them to play for. Why should Riise play his heart out when he knows Aurelio will take his place for the next game and he'll get the game after that? Why should Yossi Benayoun put in a full 90 minutes if he'll get dropped for the next game anyways?

If there's one thing to be sure of in Liverpool, Tom Hicks and George Gillett won't stand for less than trophies. Look at the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars of the NHL. These teams haven't had coaches last extended periods of time, Liverpool is unlikely to be an exception.

Benitez seems to have learned playing Torres is good thing, but he needs to identify who the key players are in his squad and play them pretty much game in, game out.

Liverpool are now four points out of second with a game in hand and six points out of first, level on games with Arsenal. If they continue to drop points in games against the bottom feeders, they may be looking at another struggle to finish in the top four.