UK Football

photo: Agnieszka Mieszczak

England are facing a bit of a crisis ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup Qualifier clash with Ukraine at Wembley, as both Carlton Cole and Emile Heskey have officially pulled out of the squad due injuries suffered during Saturday’s friendly.  Both Heskey and Cole pulled up with injuries early into the first half of England’s bout with Slovakia, forcing Capello to go all the way down the list to Peter Crouch, who then late in the match was also injured.

But Foster is a good solid keeper, full of enough ability to start for England, and he never does the David James characteristic stupid moves.   I know Foster doesn’t start for Manchester United, and that makes him look like a bad choice for the International stage, but Foster is the better keeper in the long run, and will give England their best chance at bringing home the ultimate trophy come 2010.

photo: Darz Mol

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez looks to be determined to make his club ever the stronger, now that he’s signed a brand new long term contract.  Benitez has made Liverpool’s top transfer target for the summer, Barcelona and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o.  A very fine choice to back up Liverpool’s main attacker Fernando Torres, and probably somebody that Benitez should have looked to previously.  Opposed to the mistake made in signing Robbie Keane, or in not ensuring you have enough striker talent to survive Torres injury blows by keeping David N’Gog as the club’s only backup striker.

Samuel Eto’o is the perfect sort of fit for Liverpool, because he’s cocky, talented as hell, and let’s not forget the fact that the Cameroonian has 25 league goals so far this season.  Liverpool need a striker of his sort if they want to remain long term title contenders in the Premiership.  The thing that makes Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United so full of longevity is the depth of the squad.  Practically no matter how many players are injured, Manchester United has worthy replacements always at the ready.  And that has been the main reason for United’s success over the history of the Premiership, and the last two years.

Liverpool have a problem in that area, the same sort of problem Martin O’Neill is finding with Aston Villa.  Take a few players out of the Liverpool line-up, like Gerrard, Kuyt, and Torres, and suddenly you’ve got a completely different club, and one that would be lucky to finish in the top half of the table.

Benitez needs to make squad depth his primary focus, and Samuel Eto’o would be a fantastic start to the spending necessary for Benitez to build Liverpool into the same sort of consistent squad that set England’s record for most League titles in the first place. 

photo: Austin Osuide

Real Madrid are once again preparing a bid for Manchester United’s star boy Cristiano Ronaldo, and apparently it’s in the area of a staggering £100million.  Of course that includes unspecified offers from Real Madrid in addition to just cash, but my question is, what can the Spanish giants possibly give United that will make Sir Alex Ferguson accept any offer for the Portuguese superstar?

And then of course talk Real Madrid into giving up one of their fantastic mids in trade.  Why not capture the fantastic Wesley Sneijder if you have the chance?  

Guus Hiddink has revealed that he plans to stay on at Chelsea in some capacity, come seasons end.  Hiddink most likely will not remain as manager of the club, as no doubt it would be very difficult to manage a Premier League club’s entire season, as well as the Russian international squad.  But rather Hiddink could take on the role of a club consultant, helping Roman Abramovich decide which players to bring in, as well as finding the correct choice for a more permanent manager.

And honestly, I don’t see any reason why AC Milan wouldn’t be open to selling him, sure Ronaldinho almost always performs well, but the team is so spoiled for talent I guarantee they wouldn’t miss the Brazilian star at all. 

Considering the career resurgence David Beckham has experienced at AC Milan, it’s not hard to see why the former England captain would want to remain there.  Beckham has become a first team staple in Italy, and has put in some of the best performances I’ve seen since his early Real Madrid days, which is exactly why Fabio Capello is much more likely to give Beckham a real shot at an England place.  That’s also why I completely understand Beckham’s new strategy to try and stay in remain in Milan after his current loan deal expires in May.

That’s right, once again David Beckham is trying to extend his AC Milan stay, and given his clear intentions to leave MLS I don’t see why they don’t just let Becks go.  Beckham is a fantastic player, the world class sort, but his abilities are in passing and setting other players up for goals, and the problem in MLS is that Beckham doesn’t have anybody to pass to that’s talented enough to make use of those brilliant through balls and crosses.

Whereas AC Milan are spoiled for talent, giving Beckham more targets than he could ever wish for.  Becks has already fronted most of the price for him to remain in Milan, why don’t the Galaxy take the hint and just admit that they’ve lost their star player?  MLS isn’t quite at the level to host players like David Beckham successfully, and the game is never going to grow with the way the Galaxy are running things.  

Remember the controversy around Wayne Rooney’s sending off last weekend?  The little striker punched a corner flag on his way out of Craven Cottage, after receiving a second yellow for allegedly picking up the ball and throwing it towards match official Phil Dowd after Dowd awarded a free kick to Fulham.  Well, Fabio Capello has take a light-hearted? jab at Rooney, being quoted as saying to Rooney “What were you doing punching the corner flag? You’re a crazy man, a crazy man.”

But this also makes me wonder, as the way Rooney has played for England would make it seem true, is Capello trying to curb Rooney’s attitude completely.  Because, yes the boy has had his temper problems, but I think Rooney is improving on those with age.  But if Capello aims to change Rooney’s outlook on the game to calm the striker down a little, then I think you risk losing that passion and fire that makes Rooney the great player he’s become.  

photo: Gordon Flood

When you watch Wayne Rooney on the pitch, he’s full of energy, chasing down every ball, and running the full length of the pitch if he has to, to ensure he leads practically every counter-attack.  Rooney get’s that energy from the fire he emits on the pitch, from his emotion whether he be passionate and playing positively, or cursing at a ref and getting himself a red card.  If you remove the fire, you lose the player.  Wayne Rooney will become a hollow shell of the man England counts on in every international match in which he’s taken part.

Capello just needs to yell at him from the sidelines to watch out for those red cards.

Aston Villa keeper Brad Friedel has had the red card he picked up at Anfield over the weekend overturned, and so will not suffer a one match ban.  While this is good for Aston Villa, as Friedel is a fantastic keeper, the decision by the FA to overturn Friedel’s red card has raised a few questions.  Firstly a question from me, how was Friedel’s takedown on Fernando Torres not a red card, according to the rules set by the FA?

I say Aston Villa got lucky, and will now have their best goalkeeper available for when they face off against Manchester United after the International break.  But something really needs to be clarified between the PGMOB and the FA, because under the current rules that govern the  Premiership, Friedel’s foul was a clear red card.

Gareth Southgate has once again received the backing of the Middlesbrough higher powers.  Specifically chairman Steve Gibson this time has said that sacking Southgate will not help Boro’s situation in the least.  And I would have to agree with him.  I don’t see much wrong with what Southgate has done at the club, considering the quality of players he’s had available, and given Middlesbrough’s financial situation.

I see this as more the fault of bad transfer decisions, opposed to lapses in management, and I doubt Southgate has a whole lot of pull when it comes to which players are sold and bought.  If you ask me, Boro still haven’t looked as confident attacking as they did when Yakubu wore red.  And little decisions like those have come back to haunt them, that and the fact that Boro don’t have a real leader on the pitch.  I’ve yet to see Boro skipper, Pogatetz, really inspire any sort of positive performance from the other players, when Middlebrough have needed a captain most.

I think Middlesbrough are to suffer the same fate as Reading did last season.  Steve Coppell toyed with the squad too much, and sold a few key players, then suddenly Reading couldn’t find goals when they desperately needed them.  Basically the same situation Middlesbrough are in now.  Southgate is doing the best with what he’s been given, but Boro have lost the key elements that made them much better in seasons past.  Which is why I foresee Boro being relegated at the end of the season.

But hopefully Steve Gibson will hold on to Southgate, because I still see him as being the sort of manager the club needs, and a worthy choice to earn their promotion once again to the Premiership.  

photo: Mikołaj Kirschke

Manchester City are set to make Tottenham’s David Bentley one of their top targets this summer, and I have to say, that’s more like where City need to be looking for realistic transfers.  David Bentley was fantastic, actually brilliant, the last time he was under Mark Hughes’ tutelage at Blackburn.  Tottenham has proved to have been a huge career mistake for Bentley, but the lad is still absolutely full of talent and potential.  And you’d be hard pressed to find a right foot that can deliver a better cross or take a free kick with more accuracy than Bentley when he’s on his game.

Also, Nicolas Anelka could end up sidelined for at least three weeks with a toe injury, picked up in Chelsea’s defeat at the hands of Tottenham 1-0.  The French Football Federation reported the injury, as Anelka was being assessed for international fitness ahead of this weeks international fixtures.  If Anelka’ s injury is indeed as bad as the French predict, than Anelka is likely to miss Chelsea’s first crack at Liverpool in the Champions League.  And I’m not so sure that Chelsea have it in them to beat Liverpool this time around anyway, but without the amazing contributions Anelka has made for the Blues this season, I’m thinking Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea are pretty well facing elimination from the Champions League. 

photo:  stella_gonzales2003

Well the title race absolutely is not over, as Liverpool confirmed through their 5-0 drubbing of Aston Villa at Anfield, which also saw Steven Gerrard score his first Premiership hat-trick.  Liverpool were brought to within one point of league leaders Manchester United, and given Liverpool’s last three results compared to the current champions last three matches, I would have to say Liverpool may yet just come out on top.

But now, everything comes down to the International break.  Sir Alex Ferguson has a good two weeks to get his players back into winning shape, before Manchester United find themselves well and truly out of the title race, and so near the finish line.