Manchester derby on the way to becoming 'biggest game in the world"

Sir Alex Ferguson's interpretation of the Liverpool vs. Manchester United match being the biggest club game in the world raised eyebrows, not least from those in Madrid and Barcelona. The game itself failed to live up to its billing, a stagnant first half not helped by United's negative set-up and in the end United were the happier of the two teams to come away with a point.

However perhaps the closest challenge to the United juggernaut this season comes closer from home; in the form of Mancini's Manchester City. With both of their key strikers back from injury and back to scoring ways mid-week, the showdown between Rooney and Aguero is one that promises much for football fans.

Much has been made of the excellent form of both sides and their unbeaten domestic starts, though if anything City are the side who look to have the edge in terms of performances this season. Roberto Mancini's apparent change of identity and nationality has seen him abandon his more cautious approaches last year and really attack teams. Although with a front five of Aguero, Dzeko, Nasri, Silva and Balotelli any other approach would be a gigantic misappropriation of talent.

After a bold start United's last few performances suggests that the youth and vigour that enhanced the team early on has either been sussed out by other teams or has inevitably slowed. After steam-rollering Spurs, Bolton and Arsenal (who were then beaten by bottom of the table Blackburn) the levels of performance have dropped slightly.

A 3-1 win over Chelsea disguised the fact that United were outplayed for large chunks of the game at Old Trafford and Chelsea were unlucky to not come away with at least a point. The 2-0 victory over Norwich was also far from clear-cut, Norwich created a hat-ful of chances against the defending champions and ought to have scored at least once and truly threatened United.

Performances in Europe have also been far from dynamic with two draws and a win as United just about produced the bare minimum to take something from the game. Followed up with a lucky draw at Anfield and on paper City head into this years first derby as the in-form team. What does remain in doubt is how City handle the biggest of occasions, of which this Sundays match is. United are infamous for eking out results when not playing brilliantly and are well schooled in how to handle the big occasions, how City handle this seasons biggest occasion will determine how the game pans out; here's hoping for a seven goal thriller rather than a classic show-piece in Italian defending.

Newcastle face up to Twitter exodus

Joey Barton looks to be joined by fellow Twitter rebel Jose Enrique out of (Sports Direct) @ St James Park, as Newcastle look set to become the first Premier League club to issue a blanket ban on players using social media.

Newcastle appeared willing to tolerate Barton's 77 day stint in prison in 2008 for punching a man twenty times, after which Barton confessed to being an alcoholic and at a time when several football figures were urging Newcastle to terminate Barton's contract, but drew the line at his latest thinly veiled criticism of the club on Twitter.

Much of the trouble emanating from Newcastle stems from the decision to cash in on Andy Carroll in January for £35 million. Although considered a blow, the deal represented an inflated figure due to the time constraints in last January's window and Liverpool's need to sign a striker. Although following the sale the assertion from Alan Pardew was that all of the money was to be reinvested in the playing squad.

Fast forward six months and to the majority of Newcastle supporters the club has become even weaker, with the popular club captain Kevin Nolan sold to recently relegated West Ham. With Mike Ashley again failing to discuss the club's policy it was left to Pardew to weakly suggest that 'the club' didn't feel that Nolan was worth a new five-year contract at roughly £60,000 a week.

At 29 there is some sense in such a statement and it probably wouldn't have made financial sense to have a player earning such high wages when into his 30s, but a football clubs success is down to far more than being financial astute. Football clubs are no ordinary businesses and the effect of losing the captain and a major character in the Newcastle dressing room, not to mention the effect it has on fans up and down the country, was something that wasn't granted any consideration.

Enrique's criticism of the board for the sales of Nolan and Carroll and subsequent lack of reinvestment last week led to a £100,000 fine. Barton's increasingly vocal discontent also saw him land a two week fine, but Barton was also publicly transfer listed and made available on a free by the Newcastle hierarchy, who were unable to stomach such public dissent.

Rather than rap their player of the year on the knuckles for expressing his mire in 140 characters, Mike Ashley seems willing to take a loss on a player who this window would have been worth a figure of at least £5million and was edging closer to adding to his solitary full England cap.

The fans have fallen alongside the man convicted of assault, with chants of "Ashley, Ashley sign him up" from recent friendlies indicating on whose side the majority of fans appear to be. A further protest against the management at the club looks set for Newcastle's final home friendly against Fiorentina this weekend, where there is a good chance the supporters will be every bit as vocal in their criticism of the upper echelons of the club as social networks have allowed their players to be in recent weeks.

Super Mario enrages Mancini

Mario Balotelli yesterday managed to inadvertently create another viral hit - although this current Youtube clip involved his on-pitch contributions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oytEUmlkHo

The Italian's "disrespectful" attempted backheel was soon picked up on by other media outlets, and the clip joins other infamous Balotelli videos which have gained a cult status online. His struggle with a bib, his trip on fellow striker Edin Dzeko, and a seeming obsession to push the boundaries of male fashion have seen the 20-year-old making headlines for largely the wrong reasons in his early Manchester City career.

Balotelli racked up more cards than goals in his first season of English football - a return which he himself described in no uncertain terms when live on ITV after the FA Cup final, but how warranted is the heavy scrutiny and his billing as a 'bad boy'?

The reaction of Mancini this weekend and his previous description of Balotelli as "stupid" after getting sent off in against Dynamo Kiev last year, suggests that the manager who put a lot of faith in bringing the young Italian to the Etihad Stadium has lost patience with a player of undoubted potential.

His first season in Manchester was beset with injury at the start of the campaign and his tally of 10 goals was comfortably more than Edin Dzeko, an even more expensive acquisition, could manage. Arguably his best performance of the year came in the FA Cup final, which on paper would be the game, if any, for a player to feel the pressure and act rashly; yet Balotelli thrived, admittedly against a below par Stoke.

Few players do excel in their first year after joining from another league, and a truer test will be how Balotelli responds this season. The inpending departure of Carlos Tevez means that Balotelli has a chance to seize a more permanent place in the starting XI, with likely replacement Aguero waiting in the wings and who would also take a few weeks to adjust to the Premier League.

The attempted backheel was a mistake but football today is about more than stats and grinding out victories. Man City's trip to America was undertaken to boost the clubs profile and hopefully leave behind lasting images; if the goal had gone in then we would be talking about it for the next months, as would those who saw it. Sadly for all parties it didn't, but this was a friendly fixture and surely the purpose of a friendly, from a fans perspective is to entertain?

In all of this attention and criticism it is easy to forget that Balotelli is still only 20 years old. If you were to give any 20 year old male the reported £150,000 a week that Balotelli is on, the results would largely be catastrophic. Balotelli is still a young man and although he has plenty to learn, he should not be criticised for trying to entertain the paying public. Although players are on the payroll of their clubs; an ulterior motive of satisfying fans, and indeed showmanship is truly appreciated by fans around the world.

Villas-Boas tasked with reviving stagnant Chelsea squad

Chelsea's acquisition of Andre Villas-Boas for a fee of £13.3 million, as well as breaking the transfer records of half of the Premier League, seems to signal a change in policy for Blue's owner Roman Abramovich.

At 33 Villas-Boas will be the youngest top-flight manager next year and will have to begin to overhaul an ageing Chelsea side, with several of the players entering their final years, and accordingly final shot at winning the Champions League. Key characters Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard are the same age as the Portuguese treble winner and may lose out in what is expected to be a revitalised Chelsea side next season.

At Porto Villas-Boas employed an attacking 4-3-3 formation, which has inevitably already drawn comparisons with the approach favoured by Jose Mourinho in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, before he was bogged down towards a more negative approach. Assuming Chelsea's new man utilises the system that worked so well for Porto last season; there is only one spot for an out-and-out striker in the starting 11, casting doubt on the fate of Chelsea's existing strikers.

Fernando Torres' arrival as Abramovich's new play-thing last January for £50 million suggests that the team is to be built around the Spaniard, rather than shunting him out to the wing in a attacking 4-3-3 formation, where he is unlikely to be effective. Chelsea's other senior strikers; Drogba, Anelka and Daniel Sturridge, are also unlikely to prosper if played as wingers in the formation, which leaves them striker heavy and light on wingers.

The imminent arrival of Porto's 41 goal man, Falcao, at Stamford Bridge, casts further doubt on the futures of Chelsea's striking line-up. Falcao has already expressed a desire to be reunited with his former manager at Chelsea, and if he does it is not going to be for a place out on the wing, in either sense of the word.

What Chelsea are in short supply of is attacking midfielders who can play on the flanks and are capable of beating their respective defenders; bursting forward and tracking back with equal gusto. At present only Malouda, Kalou and Zhirkov could fill these roles and all three are coming of the back of what were individually disappointing seasons.

They look set to lose out to either Manchester City or Barcelona to the signing of the most coveted winger available this summer, in Udinese's Alexis Sanchez, so need to act quickly if they are to find the kind of players who will invigorate the ageing and narrow Chelsea team of recent years.

Villas-Boas's arrival this summer may not be enough, for a club who's sole managerial objective has manifest itself as becoming champions of Europe. The heavy investment in January, in Torres and Luiz, have shown that Abramovich still has his sights on European glory but the re-invigoration of the Chelsea squad must not end there if the players are finally to realise their owners dream of finally succeeding in UEFA's show-piece event.

Looney Toons

With three new additions already confirmed and one player already shipped out, Newcastle United have started this transfer window with some serious intent.

The signings of French-born Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux and the long awaited return of Hatem Ben Arfa from injury will give Newcastle a continental look next season; something which is reinforced by the departure of club captain Kevin Nolan and the uncertainty surrounding other key players in Joey Barton and Luis Enrique.

Nolan's sale for a reported £4 million to relegated West Ham looks to have off-balanced the three recent signings, as Ba and Marveaux arrived on free transfers but it is the manner of the Nolan's departure to West Ham, who remain a big club but one who are plying the trade a division below the Magpies, that has raised the most questions.

With 13 goals last season Nolan finished the season as Newcastle's top scorer from midfield and his goals proved crucial in firing Newcastle back into the Premiership the season before. The loss of any teams club captain would raise eyebrows and fans must be wondering what affect this will have on the dynamic of the club dressing room.

Mike Ashley's reported transfer policy, which was ridiculed by Joey Barton before Nolan's transfer, of signing younger players who would then possess a greater resale value is already in evidence this summer. By offloading the older members of the squad who are presumably on the greatest wages and bringing in younger talent, Ashley is taking a risk and Alan Pardew will have to mesh together the new additions and ensure that they hit the ground running.

The seemingly Gallic transfer policy has seen the arrival of exciting new players but how well they adapt to the Premier League remains to be seen, and whether they will be able to replace the key figure that was Kevin Nolan, both on and off the pitch for Newcastle United.

Henderson and Liverpool's ground-breaking transfer policy

Jordan Henderson looks set to complete a £20 million move to Liverpool today as Kenny Dalglish looks to further strengthen the current Anfield squad.

That the Liverpool squad needed strengthening was one of John Henry's first appraisals after buying the club for a reported £300 million last October, at a time when the club were propping up the rear of the table. The fact that Rafa Benitez had pushed Manchester United all the way to second in the league two years previously, with largely the same squad didn't seem to wash with the new American owner.

Roy Hodgson, who had been appointed by the previous board, never really stood a chance, although he was far from helped by the performances of some of his key men and the quality of some of his summer acquisitions. His sacking in early January gave Fenway two weeks to make their mark in the transfer window, aided by newly appointed director of football Damien Comolli and Anfield hero, Kenny Dalglish.

After offloading Fernando Torres for £50 million, Liverpool were quick to rush through deals for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll for a combined fee of around £58 million. Carroll's signature seemed to fall in line with Fenway Sports Group's optimistic corporate policy that they would look to sign young talent, preferably English players.

Carroll was most certainly one of the most desirable young English strikers around, following his performances for Newcastle before getting injured and his subsequent full England début against France. But a transfer fee of £35 million was vastly inflated for a player who had only broken through into the Newcastle first team less than two years ago, after their relegation to the Championship.

That the deal was rushed through on the last day of the window also put Newcastle in the driving seat, as Mike Ashley was able to virtually name his price fully knowing how desperate Liverpool were to sign another striker to replace Torres. A deal was reportedly struck at £25 million only for Ashley to whack another £10 million on the asking price on deadline day, by which time Liverpool had little time to negotiate.

A similar trend seems to have emerged with Jordan Henderson's proposed move to Liverpool. Like Carroll, he has been in Sunderland's first team plans for the last two seasons and also made his England début against France alongside his future team-mate. Unlike Carroll, Henderson failed to impress in his first senior outing and has failed to make any subsequent full England squad and his club form also deteriorated towards the end of this season.

He is due to depart with England's Under 21 squad for this summers European Championships, and Liverpool were once again in a rush to finalise the transfer before the competition kicks-off and other potential teams showed an interest in Henderson. The quoted figure of £20 million, possibly including David N'Gog as a make-weight, seems over priced for a player who has scored only four goals for Sunderland and suggest that Liverpool might have paid over the odds again.

Both Carroll and Henderson are young players who could develop further into senior players in the England contingent but the heavy investment in them already seems a risky strategy for Fenway and Kenny Dalglish. It's all very well stating that a club wishes to buy young, talented and English players, I'm sure most clubs would do, but its also worth noting that such idealistic aims are not always possible. And when there is such a severe premium on young and English players, such a transfer policy seems foolhardy and overly optimistic.

Sorry and tired - same old excuses from Capello and England

Fabio Capello was back to his hypocritical best yesterday, blaming tiredness for yet another poor England performance at Wembley, a match where in all truth England were lucky to take a point with which to mull over this summer.

Capello went some way to point out how the players had been allowed several days holiday before preparing for yesterdays game and how he had seen his players looking fresh, despite having just come off the back of a gruelling league season. Such was this new found confidence before the game, England's head coach suggested that such a move would also be proposed before next years European Championships, if England make it that far.

Whether England will be competing in the Ukraine and Poland next year does still remain in their hands, following Montenegro's failure to take advantage of England's slip up, but England's fortunes in qualifying still pale in comparison to the rest of Europe. The Netherlands, Spain and Germany have continued where they left off from South Africa by winning every competitive game before them.

By contrast, England and Capello seem to have learnt little from last years debacle. Although much of the deadwood from England's squad last summer have been omitted, the ageing spine of the team remains the same. Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard looked way off the pace yesterday, with none of England's 'first choice' team distinguishing themselves. Almost laughably two of the players who did emerge with some credit, Leighton Baines and Ashley Young, started the game on the bench and weren't even part of the 23 that travelled to the World Cup last year.

Along with Scott Parker and Jack Wilshire these fresh faces in the England camp are certainly an improvement but their inclusion like Capello's belated switch away from the his stagnant 4-4-2 formation seems to be an act of desperation rather than acumen. The inclusion of James Milner and Theo Walcott over Young in the starting line-up proved to be huge mistakes, with neither doing much to justify their inclusion. These are basic errors and the inability to select players who are in form is unjustifiable for a man earning £6 million a year.

Despite allegedly being reassured by Capello after the game, Darren Bent's two misses will probably ensure he is back to a berth on the bench when Rooney and Carroll are available for the next round of matches. The fickle Capello seems not to look on to kindly if a emerging player fails to deliver in just one match: just ask Jordan Henderson who seems likely to remain on one full cap for the foreseeable future.

Switzerland despite only accumulating five points in Group G, looked far more comfortable in possession yesterday and England's Premier League stars were given a lesson in movement and possession by the less fancied Swiss. Their teenage prodigy Xherdan Shaqiri excelled, as did Jack Wilshire, but the confidence and ambition of a young Swiss team was far superior to the lack of creativity shown by yesterdays England side.

The first half performance did indicate that the team was playing on empty and were slightly burnt out, but this makes a mockery of Capello's pre-match claim that the players seemed refreshed. His struggle to grasp the English language means that whatever he claims in a press conference can not be taken at face value. This failure in communication and the ease with which Capello seeks to pass the blame do not bode well for a national side short on confidence and bereft of creativity.

England game and Bent slip in under the radar

Given the amount of attention that FIFA and Zurich have received from the English media over the last seven days, you'd be excused for forgetting that this Saturday England face Switzerland in a crucial qualifying match.

England remain top of Group G for qualification to the European Championships next year, only on goal difference from a determined Montenegro side, who came within a crossbar of claiming all three points when the sides met in October. Three points this weekend will see England remain in pole position over the summer and hopefully restore some normality to a week which has seen FIFA and the world game reduced to a farcical state.

A raft of withdrawals from the initial 23 man squad, and Capello's decision not to call up replacements means that a concise team will be asked to overcome Switzerland, on paper the strongest team in Group G.

Already without two of England's most influential players in Rooney and Gerrard, through suspension and injury respectively, Capello has a squad comprising only three recognised strikers. Bobby Zamora, who has only just returned from a lengthy lay-off, Peter Crouch, who has hardly been prolific this campaign, and Darren Bent, the £24 million man at Aston Villa.

Bent appears to be in favour with Capello, getting the nod ahead of other forwards for the Wales game this March and putting in a superb performance which was capped with a goal: finishing a slick move which was assisted by his club team-mate, Ashley Young.

Bent's arrival at Villa in January and his already impressive link up with Young helped ease Houllier's men away from the bottom reaches of the table in the Premier League and this interplay looks to have carried on to international level. The movement that Bent offers to any team proves invaluable, and his runs off the last defender will cause problems for even the most experienced defenders, especially so with talented play-makers in a midfield.

After an excellent season and Capello's belated switch to a 4-3-3, Young finally seems to have established himself within the England squad. Young failed to even make the initial 30 man squad for the World Cup, losing out to midfielders Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who have failed to even make the bench at times for their clubs this season, so his emergence on the international scene marks a remarkable turnaround.

Young and Bent would have watched from home last summer, as England toiled to elimination in the round of 16, but now look like nailed on starters for the game against the Swiss this Saturday. The pair, much like Saturday's game, itself have come into contention with little attention and fuss; although if England do finally get one over on the Swiss on the pitch, there will be plenty of media attention.

Can Manchester United halt the Barcelona procession?

In the build-up to this years final Barcelona have already been made clear favourites with the bookies, at virtually evens at 21/20 and Man Utd coming in behind at 3/1. One time Barcelona striker Lineker, further encouraged the cause of the Catalans, revealing today that the final was Barcelona's to lose and United's only hope was a stroke of luck or if the Spanish champions didn't perform and 'failed to turn up'.

The tag of underdogs makes no difference to Ferguson's preparation, although he will no doubt be working on making amends for the repeat of this fixture two years ago in Rome, when Barcelona emerged 2-0 victors. Sir Alex has always insisted that he knew what went wrong in the Stadio Olimpico and this Saturday's final provides the first and hugely important chance for him to prove his theory.

On that night, Barcelona's passing "carousel" overcame the initial threat from United in the opening 10 minutes, and in the end eased to a 2-0 triumph. Although Guardiola's squad of 2009 has since lost several of its marquee names in; Henry, Eto'o, Yaya Toure and Rafael Marquez, Ferguson has declared that the current Barcelona team are an even stronger prospect.

United, on paper, also appear to be a weaker team than the line-up two years ago, with Ronaldo and Tevez now playing elsewhere but, like Barcelona the loss of such big names seems not to have affected performances on the pitch. Guardiola has bought in David Villa and the emergence of young talents like Pedro and Busquets have more than filled the void; whilst at United, Rooney has taken on the role of chief creator and players like Valencia, Giggs and Hernandez have all stepped up this campaign.

A Messi-led Barcelona remain beatable however, as Arsenal showed earlier this season. Already being dubbed the best team there has ever been by some commentators, the Catalans game plan of 70% possession leaves little room for a Plan B. Previous Barcelona teams, whilst being founded in Cruyff's 'total football' also had a physical presence. Zlatan Ibrahimovich might have not have taken to life in Spain but his height gave Guardiola's men another dimension to their game, which the current side lack.

Inter stopped Barcelona last year by restricting any space in the centre and final third of the pitch, which is where Messi and his team-mates can cause the most damage in unpicking defences. As such, who Ferguson decides to select and the formation is of huge importance. Will he risk selecting Hernandez and Rooney in a 4-4-2 formation or instead look to match Barcelona in midfield by playing five in the middle?

The positions of Vidic and Ferdinand appear cemented, but any Liverpool or indeed United fan will remember the pasting that Vidic has often suffered when confronted with pace and strength, as Fernando Torres can testify. Vidic was exposed for the first of Barcelona's goals in Rome, and Messi managed to sneak between the two to head the magnificent second goal in 2009. Vidic's main strength remains his aerial ability, which is unlikely to be tested by a diminutive Barcelona, so there will be even more pressure on his tracking of runs especially when there will be no out and out striker to pick up.

I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that the improving Chris Smalling should start but, the success of Manchester United depends on how they press Barcelona as a unit not on their physical presence. One player who was harshly suspended from the 2009 final is Darren Fletcher, and his energy and hustling were severely missed that night, with Michael Carrick easily overran by the Catalan midfield. His fitness and return may prove crucial, as the likely midfield pairing of Giggs and Carrick may not be able to cope with the dynamism of Barcelona's forward players.

Inter Milan triumphed last year with a midfield containing two defensively minded players in Motta and Cambiasso, who acted as a screen for the defence and prevented Messi from exploiting gaps in the Inter back-line. Barcelona may well be a one-off: their brand of 70% possession football is almost impossible to replicate and poses a huge problem to opposition teams, how to prevent a team from scoring when they monopolise possession for so long and how to threaten when the ball is taken? Sir Alex claims to have a solution to this conundrum and this Saturday will reveal whether his team do indeed have a game-plan capable of preventing the Barcelona procession claiming a fourth European title.

Premier League Team of the Season 2010-2011

With the end of the Premier League it seems fitting to suggest a Premier League team select (at the end of the season, not March as seems to be the trend). I've tried to favour domestic performances over European exploits and also sought to play the players in a possible and workable formation.

4-3-3

GK - Ben Foster, Birmingham

Despite a excellent season from Joe Hart in keeping 18 clean sheets and Ali Al-Habsi's heroics at Wigan, in terms of saves made throughout the season Foster has been excellent and his recent retirement from International football will leave a void in the England set-up.

LB - Leighton Baines, Everton

An ever-present in the Premier League this season, Baines' attacking threat (5 goals and 11 assists) has been matched with fine defensive displays and has made a mockery of Capello's decision to take Stephen Warnock to South Africa over Baines.

CB - Vincent Kompany, Manchester City

One of Sven's signings in his year in charge, and a snip at £6 million, Kompany has quietly gone about with calm and assured displays that have confirmed his position as one of the best defenders in Europe. First played in a holding midfield role, the Belgian international's pace and quality on the ball have seen him emerge as a first-class centre half.

CB - Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United

Named United captain at the start of the season, Vidic has again been in outstanding form. With the Serbian in the side United look a far superior team and his no-nonsense defending and leadership saw Manchester United claim another title. He wasn't even troubled by an in-form Torres this season.

RB - Rafael Da Silva, Manchester United

There have been a shortage of outstanding right back performances this season but Rafael has come back from injury and looked very comfortable, a vast improvement on the player who cost United against Bayern Munich last year. His performances this season at just 20 hastened the retirement of Gary Neville and hint at a very promising future.

DM - Scott Parker, West Ham

Parker has had an superb season despite playing for constant relegation contenders West Ham: delivering a team speech at half time to inspire a comeback from 3-0 down against West Brom, scoring crucial goals against Liverpool and Wigan and hopefully establishing himself as a regular England international, playing against Wales just days after his father passed away. An exceptional player and season.

CM - Jack Wilshire, Arsenal

Injuries ruled Cesc Fabregas out for a large part of the past season and Wilshire has more than seized his own position in the Arsenal midfield at the age of just 19. Tenacious and exceptionally gifted, the young Englishman put in man-of-the-match displays against Barcelona and looks to be the future for Arsenal and England.

CM - Luka Modric, Tottenham Hotspurs

Whilst Gareth Bale has drawn most of the headlines for some stunning performances in Europe, it is Modric who has kept the Spurs midfield ticking. His ability to receive the ball under pressure and dictate play is crucial to Tottenham's performances and he is now fully justifying his £16.5 million fee.

SS - Robin van Persie, Arsenal

Despite being injured before Christmas, van Persie has scored a remarkable 18 goals in 2011 in the league, finishing just two behind the leagues top scorers. A thunderous left foot and an equally as good right, the Dutchman scored a superb goal to give Arsenal hope in the Carling Cup final but unfortunately the teams defensive capabilities were not on a par.

SS - Carlos Tevez, Manchester City

Much like last season there seemed times when Tevez was capable of carrying City all on his own. His performances and 20 goals in the league fired City to third, in what is increasingly looking like his final season in English football. He was rushed back for the FA Cup final but the decision was fully vindicated and the Premier League will be a poorer competition in his absence.

CF - Javier Hernandez, Manchester United

A toss up between Darren Bent and Hernandez for poacher of the Premier League, ultimately goes the way of the young Mexican, who has taken superbly to English football. A contender for bargain of the season, signed from Guadalajara for a rumoured £6 million, Hernandez has scored 20 goals in all competitions; including some crucial goals in the Champions League and a superb back-header against Stoke.

Manager of the Season - Roberto Mancini

After guiding Manchester City to a first trophy in 35 years and ensuring automatic qualification for the Champions League, Mancini has far exceeded the expectations set by the clubs owners and indeed those of fans. The comparisons with Chelsea and those who claim that City ought to be winning the title already given the amount of investment fail to consider the existing positions of Chelsea and City when taken over: Chelsea were qualifying for Europe whilst Manchester City were facing up to mid-table finishes. To mould a squad so quickly and tame the various ego's in the Manchester City squad, Mancini deserves great credit and can achieve even more.

Ancelotti dismissed hours after Everton defeat

The worst kept secret at Stamford Bridge was announced on the official Chelsea website less than two hours after Chelsea slipped to a final day defeat.

Carlo Ancelotti was sacked by the club yesterday with the official corporate statement declaring that "this seasons performances have fallen short of expectations".

Left to squirm in his last ever post-match interview, Ancelotti himself appeared unaware of the decision that was coming his way, stating that he expected the decision around his future to take place over the coming days.

As it was, the axe fell within a few hours of the final game of the season. Abramovich left the task to Ron Gourlay, the chief executive, to finally put Ancelotti out of his misery by relieving him of his duties in the corridors of Goodison Park with immediate effect.

The decision had been on the horizon ever since Chelsea made a tame exit from the UEFA Champions League to Manchester United, which appears to be Abramovich's trophy of choice. Even if Chelsea had hauled in the reds to claim the Italian's second Premier League title it remains unlikely that his job would have been watertight.

Abramovich's decision to dispense with Ancelotti is especially puzzling, as Chelsea's form this season has largely been taken out of the 51-year-old hands. Senior players Deco, Ballack, Belletti, Joe Cole and Carvalho were allowed to leave in the summer, with only Ramires and Yossi Benayoun being bought in to invigorate an ageing squad.

How much of a say Ancelotti had in these transfers is debatable; and he admitted that the acquisitions of David Luiz and Fernando Torres in January this year were decided upon by the Russian billionaire upstairs. At £25 and £50 million respectively these constitute lavish gifts; but their form has been indifferent and the misfiring Torres severely handicapped the teams ability and his innclusion in the team seemed only to be further pandering to the owner.

Chelsea started this Premier League campaign in blistering form, with successive 6-0 wins against West brom and Wigan but interference from above led to the departure of Ray Wilkins in November. Wilkin's exit saw Chelsea's run come to an abrupt end and they failed to recover their early form arguably for the remainder of the season.

Ancelotti may not have had a stellar season with negativity seeping into some of his tactical approaches, but Abramovich's actions this season effectively pulled the rug from under the Italians feet, leaving him brutally exposed, with a squad selected by the Russian oil tycoon and Ancelotti unfairly left to bite the bullet when the team fell just short.