Premier League window shopping

Daniel Sturridge looks set to be the first high-profile of the January transfer window, so here is my look at where and how clubs might strengthen in January.

Manchester United

Who they need: a defensive midfielder/enforcer type.

Who I would sign: Arturo Vidal would be the dream signing. Cheick Tiote or Gokhan Inler good alternatives.

Who they will actually sign: No one.

Manchester City

Who they need: defenders who can play a 3-5-2, wingers other than Scott Sinclair

Who I would sign: Giorgio Chiellini, Stefan de Vrij, David Villa, Pato could be available.

Who they will actually sign: Daniele De Rossi.

Arsenal

Who they need: two full-backs and a striker.

Who I would sign: Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, David Alaba, Davide Santon.

Who they will actually sign: Fernando Llorente and Wilfried Zaha.

Everton

Who they need: an extra defender to cover at centre-back.

Who I would sign: Douglas from FC Twente.

Who they will actually sign: Rhys Williams

Tottenham

Who they need: a number 10

Who I would sign: Wesley Sneijder might be wishful thinking. Willian, Mezut Ozil, Ikay Gundagan.

Who they will actually sign: Willian or Joao Moutinho.

West Brom

Who they need: cover at full-back.

Who I would sign: Jetro Willems.

Who they will actually sign: Alan Hutton.

Chelsea

Who they need: a striker if Sturridge goes. A better sitting midfielder.

Who I would sign: Radamel Falcao, Vidal.

Who they will actually sign: Falcao, Pato, Robinho.

Liverpool

Who they need: a striker and goal-scoring midfielder

Who I would sign: Daniel Sturridge, Jonathan De Guzman.

Who they will actually sign: Sturridge.

Stoke

Who they need: set-piece maestro.

Who I would sign: Juan Arango.

Who they will actually sign: David Beckham.

Norwich

Who they need: at 31, Grant Holt will need replacing soon.

Who I would sign: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Who they will actually sign: Adam Le Fondre.

Swansea

Who they need: Wayne Routledge's hot streak will end soon.

Who I would sign: David Villa, Tobias Sana.

Who they will actually sign: Derk Boerrigter

West Ham

Who they need: a right-winger.

Who I would sign: Stefan Aigner, Alan. Diego Capel.

Who they will actually sign: Gareth McCleary, David Beckham.

Fulham

Who they need: central midfielders aged less than 30.

Who I would sign: James McCarthy, Fernando Gago.

Who they will actually sign: Douglas, Momo Sissoko.

Newcastle

Who they need: a centre-back.

Who I would sign: Douglas, Toby Alderweireld.

Who they will actually sign: Adam Lallana, Michael Dawson.

Sunderland

Who they need: two full-backs and defenders who aren't free transfers.

Who I would sign: Joleon Lescott, Martin Kelly, Matthieu Debuchy.

Who they will actually sign: Nicholas Anelka, John Heitinga.

Aston Villa

Who they need: a left wing-back.

Who I would sign: Sime Vrsaljiko, Juan Zuniga.

Who they will actually sign: William Kvist.

Wigan

Who they need: a more clinical striker.

Who I would sign: Joel Campbell, Dirk Kuyt.

Who they will actually sign: Marouane Chamakh.

QPR

Who they need: younger players with a point to prove.

Who I would sign: Demba Ba, Michael Dawson, Dries Mertens.

Who they will actually sign: Nicholas Anelka, Lucio.

Reading

Who they need: Premiership quality players.

Who I would sign: Stoppila Sunzu, Alan Hutton, Darren Bent.

Who they will actually sign: Nigel Quashie.

Michu value

Miguel Pérez Cuesta, known to the Premier League as Michu, coolly took his tally to thirteen goals for the season this weekend and the Spaniard is fast becoming the signing of the season.

The £2 million summer signing for Swansea City is only four gaols shy of matching his remarkable tally from last season, hitting seventeen goals for relegation threatened Rayo Vallecano, which made him the top scoring Spanish midfielder in La Liga in 2012.

2011/2012 was Michu’s only experience of the top flight in Spanish football, but his goal-scoring exploits for Swansea have banished any fears that last year was a flash in the pan. Aged 26, his chance in the premier divisions has come relatively late, and despite scoring seventeen last season he only hit double figures on one other occasion, in a nine year spell in and around Spain’s second tier.

Players who make their breakthrough late are often more appreciative of where they have come from and Michu’s languidness and composure around the pitch are indicative of a man who has a great understanding of the game.

His brace against Arsenal was a lesson in finishing and composure. The first was a beautifully shaped left foot finish, before seeming to take too long when played in but the Asturias native was the coolest man in the pitch as Arsenal players came back at him, only to roll it past a flailing Wojciech Szczęsny.

If many Arsenal fans were still in the Emirates to observe Michu’s second celebration they would have noticed the 26-year-old drop to his knees and performing a dual rendition of his trademark ear flick. Penned to silence Granada fans who booed Michu after missing a penalty in 2010, Michu responded with a penalty of his own for Vallecano in 2011 and was ready with his riposte.

Michu seems to glide around the football pitch, much like Dimitar Berbatov, never seemingly in full sprint, but incredibly efficient with his movement and seemingly in the right position to finish of Swansea attacks.

Signed as a replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson, Mich started the season playing just behind Danny Graham, though over the course of the season Swansea’s number 9 has been deployed as the forward, responding with a remarkable return of goals.

That Michu has no caps for Spain will come as a surprise to casual observers in England. These are likely to be the same observers who took no interest in Miguel Pérez Cuesta when he was touted round Europe over the summer.

Rayo Vallecano was financially destitute and needed to cash in on their best player over the summer. Michu was rumoured to have been offered to every club in the Premier League club for a fee of £2 million and after a return of thirteen goals in sixteen matches, Swansea will be fending off Champions League clubs in the January transfer window.

Managers are quick to bemoan that there is a lack of value in the transfer market, especially on English players. The fees spent on Andy Carroll, Adam Johnson, Jordan Henderson and company are enough to make managers think twice before signing any player, but Michu proves that the financial clout of the English game dominates all but the big two in Spain.

The television revenues that the English Premier League accrue allow English sides to pay wages that are far better than La Liga sides. A side like Stoke are financially flush compared to Serie A and La Liga and the depressing truth for football purists, is that they could buy the best player from a Valencia or Fiorentina.

Michu was far from a gamble, anyone with an internet connection could tell you that there is a better than good chance that the top-scoring midfielder in the world’s then second best league, would do well in the Premier League.*

Interest is inevitable after his start to the season, but Michu declared he is happy at Swansea for the foreseeable future, and being the focal point of a Michael Laudrup side is an enjoyable role.

Michu is also a man of principle. He turned down a move to Sporting Gijon, then in the Primera Division, because he is a boyhood Real Oviedo fan and the two clubs are fierce rivals from Northern Spain. Swansea will struggle to keep hold of Michu for much longer, but he is not the kind of player to force through a move.

At £2 million the Spaniard is undoubtedly the signing of this season and is proof that there is value in an age of financial doping in football.  

(Would just like to point out I had Michu in my Fantasy Football team from week one. I should be a manager.)

Abramovich or Berlusconi - footballs worst sugar daddy

Rafa Benitez endured a less than hospitable welcome to Stamford Bridge at the weekend and the decision by hierarchy to explicitly call him out as the "interim first team coach" won't endure him to Chelsea fans any time soon. 

Trizia Fiorellino, chair of Chelsea Supporters' Group, has bizarrely maintained that the crowd will continue to boo Benitez for the rest of the season, obviously a psychic and a spokeswoman. After the 0-0 draw on Sunday, Fiorellino added that: “The fans don't expect to pick and choose the managers but it was pretty evident there were only two people that were not acceptable in this case - Benitez and Avram Grant.”

It is ironic that Chelsea fans are unable to look past a throwaway comment made in 2007 about fans waving flags, when their fans are quite happy to boo one man for daring to report racial abuse and maintaining unwavering support for the man found guilty of such an offence by the Football Association.

To borrow a phrase from the 52-year-old: Rafa Benitez is a better tactician than Roberto Di Matteo. Fact.

Chelsea fans who are unable to appreciate the two league titles won by Valencia, an extraordinary Champions League win and a dramatic FA Cup in 2006 are blinkered. Di Matteo transformed AVB’s squad into the side that defended their way to glory in Munich and lucked out against a poor Liverpool side at Wembley, but this is a man who was sacked by West Brom the previous season.

Getting a team to park the bus, as Chelsea effectively did in their run to the Champions League final, requires very little tactical nous. Chelsea failed to even defend effectively; Napoli squandered several chances before being eliminated and penalties were conceded to both Bayern and Barcelona that would have swung the ties in their favour if converted.

Di Matteo being moved on after barely a handful of disappointing results should be no surprise to Chelsea fans. That Abramovich did so after a result that effectively eliminated the defending Champions League holders at the group stages, was a more surprising decision. Surely it would have made sense to bring a new man in when their progression was still in their hands?

Chelsea fans might protest at the predisposition to chop and change managers, but Abramovich has bought success to the club, winning their first league title for 40 years.

Those who criticize the Russian should take note of another billionaire sugar daddy, who owns an equally elite football club, Silvio Berlusconi at AC Milan.

Despite a one year jail sentence hanging over the retired Italian Prime Minister, his involvement with Milan has increased over the last two weeks, and accordingly results have picked up for the 2011 scudetto winners.

His helicopter visits to Milanello, Milan's training ground, have increased in frequency following the Rossoneri’s alarming slump towards the bottom of Serie A and some indifferent performances in Europe. An intervention last week included recommending that top scorer and Italian sensation Stephan El Shaarawy have a haircut, prior to a crucial game against Anderlecht, which was subsequently won 3-1 (El Shaarawy scoring the opener).

Keen to improve the clubs domestic form the 76-year-old media tycoon then paid a visit to the players last week with a number of suggestions. Most noticeably was the claim that he wanted to replace Massimo Allegri with Pep Guardiola, should the opportunity arise, and that this possibility had even been mooted to the current manager.

"Guardiola? Who wouldn't want him? We have even spoken about it with Allegri," Berlusconi said. "If [appointing Guardiola] was possible we would look into it. Anyone would try to do so if they were presented with such an opportunity … For now we have Allegri. [But] for the future we are having a look."

Abramovich is clearly infatuated with the idea of ‘Barcelona in blue shirts’ and Guardiola taking charge at Stamford Bridge, but even the oil oligarch has stopped short of discussing the idea with a existing manager.

Berlusconi is keen to take a hands on approach at Milan and was insistent that Kevin-Prince Boateng be deployed as a false nine against Juventus at the weekend. Under such pressure Allegri was in no position to resist and the Ghanaian was positioned at the front of a 4-3-3, interchanging with Robinho during the scrappy 1-0 victory, some rebellion from the manager at least.

Further form includes advising Milan forward Alexandre Pato that unless he stops getting injured he'll be sold and also requesting that Allegri combed his hair before media duties. 

Both Berlusconi and Abramovich have enjoyed morally dubious careers outside of football. Abramovich started by smuggling contraband goods, before purchasing Sibneft for $100 million. The Russian clearly bought the oil company at below its market value, as the company was sold to Gazprom for $13 billion in 2005 and has dined out on this capital since.

Berlusconi has courted controversy for decade: whispers of Mafia links refuse to stick, being sentenced to four years in jail for tax fraud, monopolising press freedom in Italy and allegations of sex with a minor in the ‘bunga bunga’ scandal.

Both men have lavished millions on their football clubs and bought varying levels of success with them. Chelsea fans who are unhappy with Roman Abramovich should take note of the crisis unfolding in the red half of Milan. They might be better off with their Russian billionaire. 

Will England ever produce a Pirlo?

A late raft of injuries and withdrawals mean England travel to Sweden with an inexperienced squad, and opportunities have presented themselves to two uncapped wingers, Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Zaha.

Both players have had brilliant seasons thus far and warrant their place in the full national squad, but an appearance on Wednesday is no guarantee that their long time allegiance lies with England. Roy Hodgson indicated in his Tuesday presser, that he was confident both players wanted to represent England at full international level, and expressed the naive and archaic notion that because both players have under-19 and under-21 caps, they would feel obliged to progress to full international status.

With Jack Wilshire’s progression stunted by over 12 months, these two players are the next big hope for the national set-up. Sterling has progressed from QPR trainee to an established Premier League star in three years and looks incredibly assured for a 17-year-old. Zaha, meanwhile, has lit up the Championship this season, after threatening to do so last campaign, at times looking unplayable in the English second division.

I’m convinced that both players will cement themselves as Premier League standard players for years to come and they have the potential to become mainstays of an England national side, but are they the players England need?

They are different players but their speed over the pitch and ability to commit players in one-on-one situations seem to be their main strengths; traits that work perfectly in the rough and tumble of the Premier League, but that are unlikely to transfer success in Europe or on the international stage.

In short pace and individual ability are not integral components of elite football performances, with possession and confidence on the ball now the integral skill for young professionals. Spain are the current trend setters and the history of football indicates that individualistic brilliance is being eroded from the game.

Association Football as pioneered by the British during the mid 1800’s was characterised by individuals who ran directly at opponents, hoping to slalom past them all to score, hence the 2-3-5 formation that existed for almost 100 years. Teams who deduced that a passing game, which utilised the collective of the team, rather than relying on an individual, inevitably started beating the archaic English style of football, and this trend has continued right up to the present day.

Passing was deemed as not being ‘manly’ by early English players and this distrust of possession in favour of a Roy of the Rovers, ‘up and at em’ approach is only just being kicked out of the Premier League. The tempo of the English game is completely unsuited to international fixtures and English teams seldom dominate possession in the Champions League, nor the national side.

Sterling and Zaha are clearly talented players but they are blessed with pace and trickery, not composure on the ball, mental bravery or the spatial awareness to conduct a game from the centre of the pitch. After being reminded of Andrea Pirlo’s brilliance during the summer, a debate briefly arose of whether England could ever produce such a player. Jack Wilshire and Tom Cleverley may be close, Nick Powell and James Ward-Prowse could challenge, but the simple truth is that England are some way from producing a caresser of the football like a Pirlo or Xavi.

Paul Scholes was the closest this country has come to moulding a ‘Pirlo’ and the unwillingness to change mentality away from the break-neck speed of the Premiership and in turn the national team saw Scholes shunted out wide, prompting his retirement from national duty. Glen Hoddle and Matt Le Tissier are another two examples of English technicians who received scandalously few England caps because of this countries distrust of passing.

To those who argue that Pirlo wouldn’t cut it over here, on a cold night in Stoke, consider the comments made by Swansea’s €2 million signing, Michu, after just three games in the Premier League. He articulated that although the game was faster in England the ‘space between the lines’ was far greater than La Liga, allowing him more room and freedom to pick a pass and expose defences. The Premier League’s self styled moniker as ‘best in the world’ takes a further battering by the ease with which Santi Cazorla has adapted to a less than convincing Arsenal team. Imagine what an Iniesta or Pirlo would do?

How many fast and direct wingers do Spain play with? Jesus Navas would walk into most teams in Britain, but hardly gets a kick for Del Bosque’s unit which prides itself on monopolising the ball and in turn the game. Until football is reinvented success will come from passing, the economy of thought and movement. Zaha and Sterling are exciting prospects, but not the template of footballs future. 

Gazzamania returns to Serie A

Serie A hosts one of the continents fiercest derbies this Sunday, as Lazio host their local rivals Roma. This is a derby that has clear political and ideological connotations; the socialist Roma tifosi have clashed with the right-wing leaning Lazio ultras for decades and the return of Roma under Zdenek Zeman, who has had spells with both clubs in the past, promises an explosive derby.

An Englishman will be centre stage at the Stade Olimpico on Sunday, and despite a professionally disappointing two years in Rome, Paul Gascoigne enjoys cult status amongst the Lazio fans. Two self inflicted injuries delayed his move to Italy by a whole 12 months, and after finally working his way back to full fitness, Gazza saw fit to score his first goal in Serie A against Roma in the derby, rescuing a point for Dino Zoff's side.

He only went on to score another five goals for the Biancocelesti, including this solo strike against Pescara, but despite leaving for Rangers, after falling out with now Roma boss Zeman ironically, Gascoigne is still deigned a hero by one side of Rome and the club roll out a banner for the Englishman every Rome derby.

Gazza enjoyed as much success off the pitch in Italy and his notable contributions to  Football Italia on the fledgling Channel Four, with James Richardson, are a hilarious insight into his off the field life. Don't just take my word for it. Here is a documentary from about six years ago, narrated by journalist James Richardson, who was privy to Gazza in Serie A. A great watch.

10 players who cost more than Yohan Cabaye

Newcastle's Yohan Cabaye has had a slow start to the 2012/13 season, but after a Zidane-esque volley against Liverpool the midfielder is starting to show the form from last year that reportedly had Arsenal, United and even Barcelona interested.

At £4.4 million, the 26-year-old is surely Graham Carr's shrewdest signing and you have to ask why Lille let their title winning captain leave for such a modest amount in the summer of 2011. A superb debut season on Tyneside and being arguably the best performer from the doomed France EURO 2012 campaign have further increased his potential value.

With Yann M'Vila suspended by the French football association until after Brazil 2014, and the ensuing absence of Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri for disciplinarian reasons, Cabaye is fast becoming the first choice midfielder for France under Didier Deschamps.

The midfielder is one of Newcastle's most creative outlets and is one of the most technically gifted players in his position in the Premier League. Just to underline how cheap Cabaye was, here are ten players who cost more than the Frenchman. Are any of them better than Cabaye?

£5 million - Jamie O'Hara

As likeable as Mick McCarthy is, signing O'Hara, who has never looked better than Championship fodder, and Roger Johnson for £7 million are sackable offences. Woeful.

£10 million - Jack Rodwell

Rodwell has made five appearances for City after his surprise switch this summer, and has cost his team a goal on at least two occasions so far. A 40% hit rate.

£6.5 million - Marko Marin 

When Chelsea announced they were signing a young, nimble, technically gifted young German, Marko Marin was probably not the name supporters were hoping for. Commentators in Germany expressed bemusement at the switch and injury has prevented him from proving them right.

£8 million - Charlie Adam

He has a good left peg. But, that is it. £8 million after six good months in a team that was built around you, yet relegated, feel free Liverpool.

£8.5 million - Matt Jarvis

Not strictly the same position as Cabaye, but this is an extortionate amount for a player who's only party piece is running as close to the bye-line and lifting the ball in the box. #englishpremium

£5.8 million - Joey Barton

Pre Graham Carr, Newcastle decided to sell Scott Parker to West Ham for sub £5 million and replace him with Joey Barton. Parker eventually won Football Writers Player of the year. Barton, meanwhile has been farmed out to France.

£20 million - Alberto Aquilani

Aquilani wasn't bad, per se, he just never really got a run of games in England, either because of injury or managers who didn't take a fancy to his lackadaisical Italian stylings.

£12 million - Gareth Barry

Barry earned his move to Manchester City, after nearly replacing Xabi Alonso at Liverpool, on the back of scoring lots of penalties for Aston Villa. His last performance against Ajax, was a reminder of how out of his depth the once 'saviour for England' has fallen.

£6.5 million - Kleberson

No list of midfield flops would be complete without Kleberson, who infamously won a World Cup with Brazil in 2002. People often forget that he helped knock England out in 2002, but a haul of two goals in 20 games for United was deemed a 'flop'.

Ajax to the future

Ajax rolled back the years with their vintage display against Manchester City in the Champions League, and with a starting XI that boasted seven academy graduates the future looks bright for the four-time European Cup winners.

Frank De Boer's side had an average age of just 24.36 years and boasted little European experience, but tore apart the defending Premier League champions who lurch from one poor showing to another. Mancini might be the domestic cup specialist, winning the Coppa Italia with three clubs as a manager and the FA Cup with City, but his performances in Europe have never lived up to billing.

Despite winning three straight scudettos with Internazionale in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Mancini was sacked by the hard to please Massimo Moratti after failing to impress in Europe and the same infliction seems to hinder Manchester City. They have been slow starters domestically and against the elite of Europe these defensive errors will be punished, as Ajax discovered and who grew in confidence before controlling the game.

Despite the excellent showing, it is unlikely that Ajax will escape Group D, but De Boer and his assistant Dennis Bergkamp will have been delighted with the way their young team out-manoeuvred Manchester City. Manchester City were poor last week and offered little in attack, but against Dortmund and Real, the Dutch champions defence was harshly exposed. Hardly a surprise, when you look at the calibre of defenders who have left the Amsterdam Arean in the last three years; Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Van der Wiel and Anita.

Ajax have retained their offensive-minded players for the last two seasons; Christian Eriksen pulling the strings along with nationalised Dutchman, and captain at just 23, Siem De Jong. The forward interchanged position with Ryan Babel constantly and slammed home the equaliser for Ajax in some style. However, if Ajax continue to flounder in the group stages without progressing to the knock-outs they will be unable to fend of preying clubs who take a shine to their young stars.

The Dutch giants have been unlucky to draw Real Madrid in their group two years running, and wind up in this years 'group of death', but young stars like Eriksen and De Jong are likely to leave for a stronger league in the near future. The Bosman ruling decimated the Louis Van Gaal drilled Champions League winning side of 1994-95 and the growing financial excesses of the Premier League and the big two in Spain will continue to threaten Ajax.

Eriksen has been on the radar of European heavyweights for three years, and despite two failed showings for Denmark on the international stage he is the most attractive prospect in the current set-up. The Dane was actually on trial at Chelsea as a 15-year-old, eventually electing to further his career in the Netherlands but the next young Danish star making headlines for Ajax is 18-year-old, Viktor Fischer.

Fischer burst onto the scene as a result of a hat-trick which eliminated Liverpool from the inaugural NextGen Series, as Ajax made it to the final of the new tournament designed to give under-19s an early taste of continental competition. He finished as top-scorer with nine goals en route to the final, where Ajax were beaten by an Inter Milan side, led by current boss Andrea Stramaccioni, and has started equally well in this years competition, scoring four of the 10 goals that Ajax have smashed home in their first two games.

The teen is more of an out-and-out finisher than his compatriot, Eriksen, and made his first ever appearance for the full team in the 3-3 draw with Hercules last weekend. Manchester United were linked with a £5 million bid for the starlet last summer and if his goal-scoring form continues this season he could find himself negotiating with even more clubs.

A product of the De Toemkest academy, Fischer is yet to make his full debut for the Danish national team, but a record of 20 goals from 30 under-17 games suggest his breakthrough will come soon. De Toemkest literally translates as the future, in Dutch and it is easy to see why it is held in such high regard around the world.

Ajax are enshrined to the 4-3-3 formation and much like La Masia, Toemkest preaches a particular style of football; somewhere between 'Total Football' and tika-taka. General manager, David Endt, reveals the philosophy in place, "We're not developing for other clubs; we're developing for ourselves. This is football how we want to play it."

Statistics have become a integral part football coaching in the last decade and Ajax are ahead of their time with their latest innovation - the miCoach performance centre, adjacent to De Toemkest. Resembling an oversized golf ball, the centre contains pressure plates, high-definition cameras for biomechanical analysis of technique and an artificial pitch to replicate the Amsterdam Arena.

Personality and psychology are also analysed in detail, with head of sports science, Edwin Goedhart, explaining that: "talent is 80%... training is 20%. The rest is what we can add [mental coaching/analysis]. Even if it's only 1% improvement, spread over a team that is 11%."

All students at De Toemkest undertake neuropsychological testing and this is used to quantify why certain players make better in-game decisions than others. Goedhart raises a fascinating point about how these tests could "go a long way to developing more natural Dutch leaders, arguably the one failing of the Ajax system" and to a greater extent the national team.

Ferguson misses the point

Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't misread situations very often. 25 years of perpetual success in Manchester and 12 titles indicate this. But his handling of Rio Ferdinand's Kick It Out boycott perhaps reveal a fallibility of the 70 year old.

This weekend player ratings in the Premier League were pushed to one side as interest focused on whether players would pull on a particular top in warm ups. Ferdinand was the lone United player to go incognito, but he was joined by Jason Roberts and two other Reading players, two from West Ham, and the entire contingent from the Liberty stadium.

Michael Vorm was one of the Swansea players who collectively shunned the t-shirt and he calmly and fairly explained why Swansea chose not to wear them. "Everyone expects the governing bodies to do more... They really have to do something and not just say something on a T-shirt."

Whether Ferguson objected to Ferdinand not backing the campaign or rather took affront to his disregard of his instructions is unclear. Ferguson was highly critical when informed about Robert's planned abstention on Friday and it would follow that the same stretch of thought applied to his own players.

Ferguson seemed to have missed the point on Friday, describing Robert's as "a stray sheep" and insisting that everyone should back the campaign. His comments suggested that dissent was a mistake, but without individuals who are prepared to challenge the existing hegemony progress will slow in all aspects of society, of which racial prejudices are one facet.

Alex Ferguson is clearly his own man and rules United with an iron fist. His comments over the weekend bely his trade union and socialist background and instead seem like totalitarian rhetoric. Why should any player be forced to wear a largely irreverent T-shirt bearing a slogan which they feel doesn't fairly represent them?

The FA, who are happy to spend £20 million soliciting favour from FIFA in the failed World Cup bid, and de facto UEFA, contribute just £300,000 to the organisation tasked with eradicating all discrimination in the game. It's a paltry sum and the shirts that hogged headlines are not subsidised by the clubs; KIO pay for the shirts to be printed and even pay for them to be sent out around the country.

The plight of the organisation is one of key aspects to come from this ill timed Kick It Out week and in fairness the player boycotts have attracted publicity that the own organisation could only dream off.

For refusing to wear a T-shirt which is symbolic of a culture that has failed to adequately defend his brother, Ferdinand is reportedly looking at a two week fine. Coupled with his £40,000 fine from the FA for a retweet, the United defender could end up paying more in fines than John Terry.

Chelsea have kept their own punishment in house and given that any fine greater than two weeks wages needs to be declared to the PFA (it hasn't) the two time former England skipper has got away extremely lightly.

The boycotts of Kick It Out are not necessarily aimed at that specific organisation. The recent scandal in Serbia, the cop out by Chelsea and the lenient punishments for Terry and Suarez have all contributed to a feeling of discontent amongst black players and managers. Who are we, Sir Alex included, to tell them how to protest?

Why are Bielsa's Bilbao imploding?

Last year threatened to be a breakthrough year for Athletic Bilbao and their left-field coach Marcelo Bielsa. However, the start of the 2012-13 season is a harsh reminder that attacking flair requires some defensive discipline and Bielsa’s project looks burnt out, to the point of destruction.

Bilbao made it to two cup finals last season, but were comprehensively swatted aside in both; losing 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final and by the same score line in Guardiola’s final match managing Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. Their swaggering defeat of Manchester United in Europe drew attention to the Basque region and the UK press took notice of the man dubbed El Loco for the first time after years of attacking football in Latin America.

United were beaten 5-3 on aggregate (and the three flattered United) and Bielsa’s uncompromising emphasis on attacking football saw them beat Schalke 6-4 and edge past Sporting Lisbon 4-3 on aggregate. In Fernando Llorente they had one of the form strikers in Europe and most expected a close final in the all Spanish affair.

Atletico had other ideas, and Falcao in particular ripped through the Bilbao defence to score two sensational first half goals, before Diego hit Bilbao on the counter on 86 minutes to condemn Bielsa to a runner up medal. Guardiola has gone on record confirming that Bielsa’s philosophy was an influence on his own playing style as a manager and despite averaging possession for 59% of the Europa League Final, Bilbao looked short of ideas and were ruthlessly exposed by their opponents.

The trend has continued this season and Bilbao only have one victory to their name in the league this season. A tally of 14 goals conceded, the most in La Liga, and eight scored indicate that Bielsa’s high pressing and possession based style is being exposed by other teams. Barcelona may have a 6-0-0 record in La Liga, but they have had to work for those wins and having Lionel Messi in your team helps.

By contrast Bilbao have had to make do with the loss of two of their best players over the summer. Javi Martinez eventually left to Bayern Munich, for a massive €40 million, in a protracted transfer which lasted all summer and Fernando Llorente has frequently expressed a desire to leave and has only played one league game this season. He walked out of a recent training session and ‘The Lion King’ looks set to leave for Juventus in January.

Bielsa went as far as to ask both players whether the problem was him; implying the solution “if it is me, I’ll go”, but after a breakthrough year in Europe which massively enhanced their own reputations is it likely that they both wanted to use 2012 as a platform to move on from. Llorente was considered so burnt out over the summer that Vicent Del Bosque didn't give the 27-year-old any game-time at EURO 2012, and the forward will want to complete a ‘big’ move before his stock fades.

Further controversy engulfed the Argentinean coach over the summer after Bielsa reported himself to the police for insulting and attacking the site manager overseeing renovations to the clubs training base. Bielsa was unhappy about promises not being kept and his reaction is indicative of the man who is famous for his touch-line displays, squatting and turning in exasperation like Andre Villas Boas on speed.

Bielsa has completely revolutionised the clubs identity, style of play and assembled the finest collection of Basque players for decades. When in full-flow Bielsa sides are a joy to watch, but Bilbao of 2012/13 look bereft of confidence and seem to still be reeling from their double 3-0 reversals at the end of last year. Bielsa is a flawed genius and another such genius, Bela Guttmann, lived by the moto ‘the third season is fatal’. Bielsa is leading Athletic into his second season and his own idiosyncratic approach may have proved too volatile for the club.

Busquets bashing

The Champions League is back this week and with it comes one of the games most divisive players; Sergio Busquets.

Ridiculed in the UK and vilified by Internazionale fans after exaggerating contact from Thiago Motta to get the midfielder sent off, the 23-year-olds ability is often lazily dismissed and his contribution to Barcelona and Spain's success are quickly overlooked.

Busquets was not developed in La Masia, and came to the Catalans relatively late in 2005 from Unio Jabac aged 16. He was a mainstay of Pep Guardiola’s B team in the 2007-2008 season and after helping the team win promotion he followed Guardiola in being promoted to the full squad for 2008.

Guardiola’s first season in charge was a revelation; the Catalans won the first ever treble in Spanish history, which included a stunning 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League final. Prima-donna players like Deco and Ronaldinho were moved on and in came a midfield three of Xavi, Andreas Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, one of the first names on the team sheet at 19 years of age.

The tika-taka style which Rijkaard had implemented was refined by Guardiola and with the repositioning of Lionel Messi as a ‘false number 9’, rather than out wide, Barcelona soon became the most impressive club team in football. Busquets was an integral part of the side and his tactical intelligence and constant availability meant Xavi and Iniesta could impose their game higher up the pitch.

In winning the Champions League in his breakthrough season, Busquets also joined an exclusive club of father and son combinations to have both won the Champions League with the same team (the Maldini’s at Milan and Manuel Sanchez Hontiyuelo and Manuel Sanchez Martinez of Real Madrid are the other two). Carles Busquets kept goal for Barcelona in the 90s and was backup during the 1992 European Final at Wembley.

The younger Busquets has gone on to average 48.5 games a season since stepping up to the full squad, more appearances than Iniesta and Pique for instance, but yet he is rarely appreciated as a player outside of Barcelona. He might have exaggerated contact to get Thiago Motta a second yellow card, but in a game of professionals if the other team is reduced to ten men then your side have gained an advantage. It was not Busquets fault that Motta was already on a booking for instance.

As it turned out, the sending off did not swing the tie away from Inter, who defended brilliantly (and rode their luck, Bojan’s goal should have stood) to eliminate Barcelona. Busquets was caught on camera glancing up from his ‘injury’ to the bench and it was this knowing wink that enraged football fans. Didier Drogba has committed far more flagrant dives during his time at Chelsea, yet his reputation is as a bullish goal-scorer rather than a ‘diver’. His reaction in the quarter finals of the Champions League tie versus Napoli (see video below) was appalling, but were largely glossed over by an English media exultant to see an English side progress.

Drogba won the lot during his time at Chelsea and is clearly an excellent striker. By contrast Busquets aged 24 has won the following; thee La Liga’s, two Copa del Rey’s, two Champions League titles, a European Championship  and a World Cup, not bad for what has been a four year career. Busquets deserves at least equal the praise that Drogba earned during his time in England but it seems unlikely that the English media will budge from their lazy stereotype of the Spanish midfielder.

He wasn’t part of the EURO 2008 squad but since coming into the national set-up Spain have dominated the game and I would argue that his presence in midfield is second only to Lionel Messi’s new deployment as the false 9, as the fulcrum behind Barcelona’s form these past four years. It can be no coincidence that since Busquets has come into both sides, they should start to dominate at club and international level and hopefully the rangy midfielder will earn respect from outside of Catalonia. 

We're running a free Champions League predictor game at work. If you want to win £500 and an iPad enter here: http://predictor.mrsportsbook.com/

Is Hamilton the new Alonso?

Lewis Hamilton refused to quash rumours of a switch from McLaren to Mercedes this weekend and after dominating the Monza Grand Prix his management team are in a strong negotiating position.

Martin Whitmarsh, team principle of McLaren, was far more committal after the race and when pressed confirmed that the team wanted Hamilton to remain with the Woking based outfit. The complications seem to be coming from the management company looking after Lewis Hamilton, XIX, a Martin Fuller vehicle. They are aggressively trying to market their young racer, one of the most exciting and temperamental in the sport, and feel that the British McLaren company is not a large enough brand to help transform Hamilton into a celebrity outside of F1.

Mercedes are a European heavyweight and would guarantee Hamilton more global recognition and further increase income via a basic salary and commercial aspects. Since their return to the sport three years ago, Mercedes have only picked up one race victory so in terms of race performance the switch would appear a negative one. The lure appears to be a wish to build Mercedes around Hamilton, as Ferrari did with Michael Schumacher in 1996, and re-establishing the sleeping giants as a dominant force in the Formula One world.

Hamilton would clearly be afforded the number one driver status if he moved to Mercedes to join his close friend Nico Rosberg and the 2008 World Champion must have watched Fernando Alonso race with envy as  he thrives when he is teams main driver. Alonso became the (then) youngest double World Champion in 2006 driving for Renault and as the number one driver at Ferrari has continued to impress, despite a under performing car. McLaren are famous for their reluctance to issue team orders and favour one driver over the other, so a switch to become lead driver could be Hamilton's motivation.

Despite their fleeting and acrimonious season together at McLaren in 2007, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have more in common than is at first obvious. The Spaniard, at 31, is four years older than Hamilton and for all the performance that Alonso is extracting from the Ferrari it is worth remembering that in previous years he courted several controversies.

The Spaniard has been accused of 'brake testing' his rivals on several occasions, a move which forces them off the track in order to avoid a collision of Alonso's making. His season at McLaren was controversial and issues came to a head when Alonso delayed his then team mate, Hamilton, meaning he did not have enough time to complete a 'flying' lap. Hamilton and his father appealed after the FIA and McLaren had initially taken no action and the team were docked all of their points from the weekend.

This astonishing inter-team rivalry reared its head in the Spygate scandal, with Alonso testifying against his own team in exchange for immunity from any sanctions. Allegedly, Alonso also went to Ron Dennis, the acting principle at McLaren at the time and threatened to hand over his indicting emails to the FIA unless he was given number one driver status. The request was refused and with relations at breaking point at the end of the season Alonso and McLaren mutually agreed to part company.

Alsonso was also driving for Renault at the time of the Crashgate scandal that rocked Formula One in 2008, whereby Nelson Piquet was ordered to crash by Renault boss, Flavio Briatore, in order to trigger a safety car which helped Alonso win the race. Although no collusion was ever found between Briatore and Alonso the incident is a reminder of how far rules are pushed and pale in significance compared to some of the mistakes perpetrated by Lewis Hamilton in his career.

Hamilton and Alonso are on speaking terms now and both found time last season to suggest that the other driver was the best in Formula One. Hamilton endured a torrid 2011 season, beaten by a team mate for the first time since 2007, and made several mistakes whilst trying to force the issue and overtake. Alonso was a similar driver aged 27, and with another four years hindsight and maturity Hamilton could find himself emulating Alonso, widely regarded as the finest driver in the field.

It was clear that neither driver could coexist during their season together in 2007. Both are incredibly competitive drivers and this conflict may have been cause because the two drivers are actually a lot more similar than we would imagine.

French Connection

The much vaunted Clairefontaine academy in France saw two of its recent graduates, Abou Diaby and Hatem Ben Arfa, star this weekend in the English Premier League and makes the recent opening of St George's Park in Burton seem about 20 years too late. 

Diaby was rightly named man-of-the-match after his role in the 2-0 dismissal of Liverpool and after two seasons virtually lost through injury the rangy midfielder is filling an Alex Song size hole with ease. It’s easy to forget that the Frenchman has been at Arsenal for six years, joining just two after Robin Van Persie came in from an exile at Feyenoord. His recent career has been stunted by injuries, which have affected his game since early on during his time at Auxerre, and if he had been available to Arsene Wenger more than 115 times we could be looking at an entirely different Arsenal team.

Quickly dubbed the ‘new Viera’ after joining in 2006, Diaby became an integral part of the Arsenal side and full international recognition came in 2007. His athleticism and presence in midfield was an integral part of Arsenal’s game with Diaby operating alongside Fabregas and Alex Song in a central midfield three; performances which led to a place at the 2010 World Cup. Diaby started all three of France’s disastrous campaign in South Africa and spent the next two seasons rehabilitating from injuries.

His seeming return to full fitness for 2012/2013 has been a substantial boost for Arsene Wenger who is still without Jack Wilshire and sold the influential Alex Song to Barcelona for £15 million. Arsenal are three games into the season and are yet to concede many chances, yet alone a goal. Much has been said about Steve Bould marshalling the Arsenal back four, but a midfield of Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta and Diaby hasn’t allowed other teams to settle and has masked what remain misfiring strikers.

Oliver Giroud missed another sitter (on his favoured foot this time) and despite scoring Podolski doesn’t look like a 20 goal a season finisher. Arsenal will always create chances because of their open and attacking principles and once the strikers start taking their chances, should have a good season.

Meanwhile in Newcastle the enigmatic Hatem Ben Arfa added another stunning goal to his repertoire, adding to strikes against Everton, Blackburn and Bolton. His rumoured fee of £5 million was somewhat of a gamble as the 25-year-old was recuperating from a Nigel De Jong-ed ankle and his given reputation for aggravating trouble and testing managers.

This temperament was captured on camera in the French documentary, A la Clairefontaine, which followed the French academy players, of which Ben Arfa was the youngest trainee. In a famous clip he is seen arguing and almost coming to blows with a 16-year-old Abou Diaby, providing a fascinating insight into what it must be like to leave home so young and dedicate your life to becoming a professional footballer (Take note Adrian Bevington).

Ben Arfa was part of a generation soon dubbed L’enfant terrible by the French press, that also included Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Jeremy Menez. This team won the European Under-17 Football Championship, defeating a Spain side that included Gerrard Pique and Cesc Fabregas but Ben Arfa was the star of the tournament. Feted as the new Zinedine Zidane, helped by his North African heritage, from the age of 17 Ben Arfa became a figure of disruption and managed to alienate Lyon and Marseille, then the two biggest clubs in France. A move to Newcastle was in all respect a come-down for a player who interested the likes of Real and Arsenal early in his career.

That Alan Pardew has been able to tame Ben Arfa is one of his greatest accomplishments at Newcastle and now he has devised a system that allows Ben Arfa to commit defenders the Frenchman has thrived. With a tally of nine goals for Newcastle he has beaten his goal record at Lyon and at Marseille in roughly half the number of games. Even more impressive is that at least five of his goals in England have been screamers, created from nothing.

Despite both Diaby and Ben Arfa enjoying a career renaissance, their fortunes on the international stage have contrasted visibly. Ben Arfa made Laurent Blanc’s 23 for Poland and Ukraine but fell-out with then France coach, Laurent Blanc, as did three other players. He was fined and dropped for the upcoming set of World Cup qualifiers and having finally broken back into the national set up, may have blown his second chance. Meanwhile, Diaby is included in Didier Deschamp’s squad for games versus Finland and Belarus, a first call-up since last June. Both players are products of the successful Clairefontaine academy, which you hope the FA have seriously looked at, and are enjoying second winds in the English game. 

Serie A preview

Vincenzo Montella, manager of Fiorentina

Italian football rumbles into action this weekend, with the Supercoppa Italiana taking place on Saturday, the game exported to the Bird's Nest stadium for the third time. Juventus take on Napoli in the Serie A curtain-raiser and interest will be high after Italy's excellent showing in Euro 2012.

Juventus completed an unbeaten season last year, and despite drawing 15 games they conceded just 20 goals all year, which saw them edge home ahead of the more volatile AC Milan who were four points away. As well as a resolute defence the midfield three of Pirlo, Marchisio and Vidal were key to the title for the bianconeri. Pirlo was magnificent in the deep playmaking role and Vidal and Marchisio had the energy to press extremely high-up, giving Pirlo time and space.

They have moved quickly this summer, signing Lucio from Inter on a free and adding Udinese's best midfielders; Mauricio Isla and Kwado Asamoah. Paul Pogba finally made the switch from Old Trafford and with Robin Van Persie heavily linked with a switch, Juventus look in best shape to defend their 28th scudetto (30th if you ask the club).

AC Milan have taken the biggest hit this summer, losing Thiago Silva and the league's top-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic to PSG. Sold for a combined €60 million it remains to be seen how Massimo Allegri reinvests in his playing squad, if sanctioned by Berlusconi. Milan have already brought in Ricardo Montolivo, excellent business on a free, Bakaye Traore and Columbian, Christian Zapata, from Villerreal. However, none of these signings look like exciting the Milan faithful, and fans will be looking for a star striker to replace the outgoing Ibrahimovic. Carlos Tevez and Van Persie look dead deals, so fans will hope that Pato can stay fit the coming season.

Udinese finished an impressive third last year, but after losing more key players, they will be relying on youngsters stepping up to the plate in 2012-2013. Giampaolo Pozzo's Udinese experiment reached English shores with his acquisition of Watford, adding to a portfolio that includes the Spanish side Granada, and the president has invested heavily in scouting at the Italian side. Two of the latest products from the scouting set-up, Isla and Asamoah, were sold this summer and the only star performer left is 34-year-old Antonio Di Natale. I think they'll struggle to make the Champions League in 2013.

Lazio finished fourth last season, and claimed Italy's first Europa League spot, after the league lost its fourth CL place via co-efficient. They did well to finish above fierce rivals Roma, who spent heavily, and Miroslav Klose adapted well to Italian football. They pipped Napoli to fourth by a single point, but you would expect Napoli to finish above them this season, without the added pressure of Champions League football. The departure of Ezequiel Lavezzi is a massive blow, but the Naples outfit have invested in youth and Chilean Eduardo Vargas will get his chance in the starting XI. Further reinforcements come in the shape of Valon Behrami and Alessandro Gamberini from Fiorentina, and bring real experience.

36-year-old Andrea Stramaccioni has been thrust into the deep-end with Internazionale, and the club seem unsure of how to overcome their Mourinho vacuum. The club have flopped since his departure for Madrid, and despite the core of that side still being around they have failed to threaten domestically, let alone continentally. Expensive flop, Diego Forlan, has been moved on, but the acquisitions this summer are relatively modest for a club that splashed a then world-record €48 million on Christian Vieri in 1999.

Handanovic has been brought in at goalkeeper, but with the experienced Julio Cesar already at the San Siro his addition seems superfluous. Matias Silvestre has signed on loan, and Rodrigio Palacio has come in, as has free-kick specialist, Freddy Guarin, after a loan move. Doubts remain over Wesley Sniejder's future, as do Chelsea target, Maicon. Inter seem stuck in a rut. Unwilling to splash the cash like their competitors, they need to move on an ageing squad but their rivals are moving away from them. Winning the inaugural Next Gen series indicates that there is some impressive young talent coming through the ranks but these teenagers are not ready to be thrust into Serie A action en masse.

The team to watch for me however, are Fiorentina. They finished a lowly 13th last season, in a year that will be remembered by armchair fans for then manager, Delio Rossi, attacking winger Adem Ljajic as he was substituted. Unsurprisingly the club dismissed Rossi, and bought in the relatively 'green' Vincenzo Montella. Nicknamed 'The Little Airplane' he had a fantastic playing career at Roma and after a caretaker role with the Rome side, he spent last year managing Catania. Montella steered the unfancied side to a 11th place finish, their highest finish in 10 years.

This led to Fiorentina making their move and the Viola have invested superbly this summer. The club lost the integral Ricardo Montolivo on a free, but have acted quickly to make dreams of a Champions League return a real possibility. Alberto Aquilani is a ready-made replacement for Montolivo, whilst the Chile international Matias Fernandez and Emilano Viviano have also come in. Fiorentina managed to raid relegated Villerreal for two of their most important players; Borja Valero and Gonzalo Rodriguez. Despite his failure to breakthrough at West Brom, Valero is one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe and the experienced Rodriguez is a superb replacement for Gamberini.

Gabriel Batistuta scored this for Fiorentina in a remarkable Champions League run in 1999-2000, but within two years the club were on the brink of bankruptcy, and had to be re-formed as Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola in 2002, starting in the Serie C2. They have a history of giving young managers a chance, Roberto Mancini cut his teeth at Artemio Franchi, while current national team manager, Cesare Prandelli was manager for five years before taking the national post. Montella was a cult icon at Roma and I predict an impressive year for him and Fiorentina. 

British bargains - lack of value in British players

With just a month left of the summer transfer window, clubs are once again spending over the odds for British footballers. Andy Carroll's transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool was the perfect illustration of how British nationality (English even better) can vastly inflate a players transfer value. Steven Fletcher is the latest player to have been afflicted with this British premium; reports today suggested Sunderland were prepared to bid £12 million for the Scotland international.

Fletcher is clearly a handy striker. A strike ratio of 0.35 goals per game is not to be sniffed at whilst playing for relegation skirting Wolverhampton, but the stats in no way indicate he is worth £12 million. Players with this kind of goal-to-game ratio will retail for almost half of the £12 million Wolves hope to wring out of the Mackems, if they play in Ligue 1 or the Eredivisie.

Of course Premier League experience also makes players more desirable, but it also incrementally increases their price in the market. Joe Allen is the subject of reported interest from Liverpool, and manager Brendan Rodgers doesn't seem put off by the Jordan Henderson experiment and is likely to bid £15 million for the Welsh youngster.

Allen impressed in Swansea's first season in the Premier League, but he was dwarfed in midfield by Gylfi Sigurdsson, who joined Spurs for half of Allen's potential fee. Both players are 22, but the performances of the Iceland international were clearly superior in the last six months of the season, but it is Allen who looks set for the big-money switch this summer.

Home-grown rules mean clubs are keen to bring in British players, but Newcastle have shown that with some through scouting there are some diamonds to be found over on the continent. Are scouts losing financial backing in tough economic circumstances or are club owners less prepared to take a risk on someone without experience of the English top-flight? It's unlikely we'll find out, but here is my alternative XI you could assemble for less than the cost of one Joe Allen.


Playing 4-5-1:

Robert Green (Free, QPR)


Joao Pereira (£3.5 million, Valencia), Hedwiges Maduro (Free, Sevilla), Lucio (Free, Juventus), Joan Capdevila (€350,000, Espanyol)

Tranquillo Barnetta (Free, Schalke), Ricardo Montolivo (Free, AC Milan), Michu (£1.8 million, Swansea) Rasmus Elm (£4.8 million, CSKA), Sotiris Ninis (Free, Parma)

Mladen Petric (Free, Fulham)

Total: £8,650,000

Zlatan Ibrahimovic appreciation

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is like Marmite. Some people love the enigmatic Swede. And some people are wrong.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the narcisstic thug/footballing god.

1. "It's true I don't know that much about Ligue 1, but Ligue 1 knows who I am."

2. "This has been a massive thing in the media, people chasing me in my home. This is not normal, I will chase them back."

3. “Then Guardiola started his philosopher thing. I was barely listening. Why would I? It was advanced bullshit about blood, sweat and tears, that kind of stuff.”

4. “It was the fault of David Trezeguet, who made me do one drink of vodka after another. I slept in the bathtub. Now I hold my vodka much better.”

5. “(Guardiola) was staring at me and I lost it. I thought ‘there is my enemy, scratching his bald head!’. I yelled to him: ‘You have no balls!’ and probably worse things than that.

“I added: ‘You are shitting yourself because of Jose Mourinho. You can go to hell!’ I was completely mad. I threw a box full of training gear across the room, it crashed to the floor and Pep said nothing, just put stuff back in the box. I’m not violent, but if I were Guardiola I would have been frightened.”

6. “An injured Zlatan is a pretty serious thing for any team.”

7. His response to being asked about the Pique picture (and gay rumours) "Come over to the crib with your sister, baby, and I'll show you who's gay!"

8. “First I went left, he did too. Then I went right, and he did too. Then I went left again, and he went to buy a hot dog.”

9. (Answer to criticism from John Carew that Zlatan’s moves are pointless.)  “What Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange.”

10. (After Sweden were eliminated from EURO 2012, but before his wonder goal) “I don’t five a shit who wins it, I’m going on holiday.”

11. “I was being too nice. I’ve done 325 kilometres an hour in my Porsche Turbo and left the cops eating my dust.”


12. (After being frozen out at Barca) “The Rosengard lads wanted to come down and smash the place up and of course that was nice of them, but it didn’t really seem right”

13. “I was the bicycle thief”

14. “Some idiot father in the team went round with a petition, ‘Zlatan must leave the club it said’. Ok I’d headbutted that dad’s son, but my manager tore it into pieces. He was a good bloke, Ake.”

15. (And finally here is one from Ibra’s agent Mino Raiola) “Now I think the people in Paris will have something else to see besides the Mona Lisa"

Golden era for Spain?

Malaga's best player, Cazorla, is expected to leave this summer

All two La Liga fixtures were announced last week, with the first El Clasico taking place on 7th October at Camp Nou before Madrid host Barcelona on March 3rd.

Real start as slight favourites to defend their title at 4/5 and Barcelona are virtually at odds on as well, they are available to win La Liga at 6/5

Then comes a band of three teams in the betting; Malaga, Valancia and Atletico Madrid. You’ll struggle to find odds under 100/1 on any other team winning La Liga in 2012-2013 with Atletico and Malaga both on 104/1, with Valencia further back at 123/1. (with Betfair)

However none of these teams looks closer to mounting a challenge to the top two; Malaga have transfer listed their best player in Santi Cazorla due to financial issues, Valencia sold their best player to Barca for the princely €13 million and Atletico have yet to beat Real Madrid this century.

Malaga were the subject of a multi-million euro takeover by Qatari investors and despite investing over €50 million into the club they could only finish fourth, 42 points behind winners Real. To exacerbate matters Santi Cazorla and Isco, widely regarded as their two best players, have both been transfer listed in a dispute that relates to unpaid wages.

Valencia lost converted left-winger Jordi Alba for just €13 million, which looks like daylight robbery if United end up paying as much for Leighton Baines, and despite adding Fernando Gago and Sergio Canales in midfield they look short in attack. Roberto Soldado is one of only two recognised strikers in their squad and he was a cast-off from Real Madrid B (Castilla).

Bilbao under Bielsa are the purists favourite, with Guardiola apparently suggesting the Argentinian's name to the Barcelona board when he decided to step down, and are likely to be plundered this summer. The only other contender (baring a Levante miracle like last season) are Madrids working-class neighbours Atletico. If they can keep Falcao and adequately replace the outgoing Diego, then they look a great price to finish ‘best-of-the-rest’ at 7/2. 

International success for Spain has increased the gap between the top two and the rest of la Liga, and most football fans in Spain also support one of the two super-clubs as well as their local side.

The two giants are first and second favourites to lift the Champions League at Wembley next year, and with television revenue not negotiated evenly by all the clubs this financial imbalance shows little sign of abating.


Barcelona and Madrid negotiate their own TV rights separately from the rest of La Liga, so clubs with existing popularity and appeal can essentially charge whatever they like. There is no instant financial reward for pushing and finishing higher up the table like the PL. Without changes to this process Spanish football could soon turn into a tiki-taka monopoly.


EURO 2008 Final - Spanish starting XI (six club teams represented)

Casillas (Madrid)

Ramos (Madrid), Marchena (Valencia), Puyol (Barca), Capdevila (Villereal)

Iniesta (Barca), Xavi (Barca), Senna (Villereal), Fabregas (Arsenal), Silva (Valencia)

Torres (Liverpool)

EURO 2012 Final - Spanish starting XI (three club teams represented)

Casillas (Madrid)

Arbeloa (Madrid), Pique (Barcelona), Ramos (Madrid), Alba (Barca)

Iniesta (Barca), Xavi (Barca), Alonso (Madrid), Busquets (Barca), Fabregas (Barca), Silva (Man City)

The Spanish team that started the Euro 2012 final featured just one player outside of the Barcelona and Real Madrid elite (Man City's Silva), indicating just how much the two giants now dominate Spanish football domestically.

Pescara to Paris, for Marco Verratti

Perhaps the biggest disappointment to come out after Italy's excellent showing at Euro 2012 is the news that talented young playmaker, Marco Verratti, has quit Serie A for the nouveau-wealth at Paris Saint German.

Verratti has already been lazily billed as the next Andrea Pirlo, after the Juventus midfielder reminded the English media he was quite good this summer, and after dominating Serie B with his home-town club Pescara last season, he departed to join PSG for a fee of €13 million. 


That the 19-year-old will not compete in the top league in Italy has caused some contention in Italy. After declaring his admiration for Pirlo and the less than subtle admiring glances from the Old Lady, it was widely assumed that the young midfielder would inevitably join Juve, whether this summer or the next.


The Pescara chairman has gone as far as to criticise Juventus and Napoli for not following up their interest in the hottest young talent in Italian football and being prepared to match the offer from Qatari funded PSG.


"Evidently, they lacked the will [to complete a deal], because if one seriously wants an important player, €1m should not make a difference," said Daniele Sebastiani. He was also keen for an Italian side to complete the transfer as it would have seen Verratti stay with Pescara for their year in Serie A.


Verratti was unveiled on the same day as the Zlatan-show rolled into Paris, and his own press conference was reduced to an aperitif before the Swede's 48 minute première. Leonardo was eager to point out that PSG had concluded their summer strengthening (a point undermined by Ibrahimovic in his first 48 minutes at the club) but the additions this summer fall into a different bracket compared to 2011.


Last summer Paris strengthened from within their domestic league. Jeremy Menez, Blaise Matuidi, Kevin Gameiro were recruited to bolster the squad, before the continental experience of Alex, Thiago Motta and Maxwell came in during January. 


The expenditure this summer has truly caught the eye though. Thiago Silva, Lavezzi, Ibrahimovic and Verratti (as well as all playing in Italy) are players who would interest the elite sides in world football. Owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi stated during the Ibra unveiling that the Champions League was their stated target, completely forgoing any mention of winning the domestic title. How the 19-year-old Italian fits into this grand vision is less than clear.


The departure of Pescara boss Zdenek Zenan  this summer, probably accelerated the sale of Verratti, as did match-fixing claims against the club, subsequently punished with a two-point penalty. Zenan, a figure of cult status in Italian football returned to Roma (again), and he is renowned for his attacking sides and building young outfits who like to play football.


Verratti came in for all of the 2011-2012 season and dovetailed beautifully with loan-signing Lorenzo Insigne, the pair contributing 20 goals in Pescara's promotion to Serie A. Zenan is a huge advocate of a 4-3-3 formation and on his appointment at Pescara immediately assigned Verratti to the deep-lying defensive midfielder role, finally bought to mainstream attention with Pirlo's exploits in Ukraine and Poland.


Deploying your most technical and ball-playing midfielder in defensive midfield might not seem conducive with attacking football, but with the other two central midfielders closing down higher up the pitch the DM is afforded more time on the ball to dictate the game and play the killer pass. 


Pescara won Serie B and many fans as they blasted home 90 goals en route to the title in 2012 and Verratti was the player who caught the eye. Only five foot five, the midfielder has enormous passing capabilities, and for his height is extremely strong on the ball. Coupled with the ability to trick his way past opposition players, it's easy to see why Cesare Prandelli thought highly enough to include the Pescora player in his initial 30-man squad for Euro 2012.


Verratti didn't make the final 23, but given the competition in the Italian midfield; De Rossi, Montolivo, new team-mate Motta and Pirlo, there is no shame in not making it into that squad at just 19. 


Competition for places could well be a big problem for Verratti at the Parc des Princes. Although he would face fiercer competition at the Bianconeri of Juventus, who have further bolstered their midfield with Isla and Asamoah from Udinese, dislodging €39.8 million signing Javier Pastore appears an even bigger challenge for the 19-year-old.


After arriving for a club-record fee expectations were going to be high, and despite 13 goals in his first year in Ligue 1, the Argentinian has struggled to win over fans and the media. He has struggled to fit into Carlo Ancelotti's 4-3-3 formation and has often found himself out on the wing, rather than in the centre of the pitch, where both Pastore and Verratti want to play.


PSG will keep spending money to improve their squad, meaning competition for a place in Ancelotti's midfield three wil be incredibly fierce. At 19, the last thing the Pescora native wants to do is halt his development by sitting on the bench.


Paris might seem like a step forward, but unless Verratti can make an impression on Ancelotti, and convince the Italian to mould the team around him, he may find he struggles to adapt. Verratti is clearly a huge talent, but he needs refining and that could have been served with one attempt at keeping hometown club Pescara in Serie A.

Watch Verratti in action for Pescara last season, he's the small chap putting all the passes in for the strikers to fluff.