CITY V HULL

Seven draws on the trot is not what people had in mind when City talked about achieving new things this year and if they aren't careful it looks like that particular record will have been smashed come next week.

As good a record as Mark Hughes has this season, he finds himself in a precarious situation of having to do anything but draw.

With only one defeat all season and a place in the quarterfinals of the Carling Cup, it looks to the casual football fan that Hughes' position is one of the safest jobs in the division.

Anybody who has been watching City knows that they provide good value for money, score goals in virtually every game and play some mesmerising stuff while they’re at it.

They concede as many as they score and therein lies the problem, as it doesn't seem to matter what score the Sky Blues are up at the moment as the defence will throw a lead away at the drop of a hat.

If someone had told you we'd be two-nil up against Fulham, three-two with Burnley and one up against Hull at home, you would expect a side as experienced as City's to see out the nine points. Instead we have gifted goals away in all of the aforementioned to the surprise of the manager and the disgust of the fans.

It doesn't matter who is to blame be it Bridge, Lescott, Richards or Toure; the fact is that results matter and we have now thrown away 14 points from a possible 21.

Hughes will know the score as the team has hardly had a dip in form, with impressive attacking performances in most games giving us a cushion before 'The Keystone Cops' gifting a point back to the grateful opposition.

What happens when we have a goal drought or that inevitable loss of confidence that almost every team experiences once a season?

Some fans will look elsewhere for culprits and perhaps mention Tevez, Robinho and Adebayor today for not being clinical enough in front of goal.

After all with so many chances created we could of been five-nil up before they actually scored. Tevez will be the fans main scapegoat, but for me it was Adebayor who gave the poorest performance.

After a bright start, and after a few decisions went against the big man from Togo, he faded out of the game. Of course he was roughed about by Gardner and stamped on by Zarate at one point, but you didn't see Tevez and SWP complaining at the rough treatment they received and they aren't built like a proverbial brick house.

Another problem Hughes has to sort out is how to get Adebayor to stay up front and not drift wide at every opportunity. With Robinho, Tevez and SWP on the flanks, supported by both full backs it is up to Ireland and Ade to be there at the end to convert chances.

Others will point to Hughes himself and his ability to make sometimes mindboggling changes during games. Today, instead of closing out the game by bringing on Vincent Kompany for the yellow carded Nigel De Jong and Craig Bellamy for the tiring Robinho, Hughes brought on Santa Cruz for Adebayor.

How Roque Santa Cruz has proved his match fitness is a mystery to almost everyone bar the manager and his backroom staff. The Paraguayan has looked hopelessly off the pace in every league performance this year and needs to ask the real Santa for a miracle to save his career later this month.  

But then again what has Hughes done so differently that we would not have? Many fans were calling for Ireland to come in for the jaded Barry, others for Robinho to be  brought back in, regardless of Bellamy's form,  others were calling for Tevez to be restored to the starting lineup after making such an impact from the bench against Liverpool.

Well the manager did all of those things and guess what happened? The real problem came right back and slapped him in the face like a 10 kilo trout.

The defence needs to be sorted out and a solution must be found as soon as possible, preferably before we face Champions to be Chelsea early next month. 

If we don't then by January, a new manager could be the one scratching his head at how to get this defensive unit to look anything other than calamitous.

ZABALETA KOMPANY LESCOTT BRIDGE anyone? Or should we just sack the defensive coach!

RETURN OF CITY TRIO THE REAL NEWS

Whilst the obvious transfer rumours have been taking up the headlines, it is a trio of less sensational stories that have caught my attention.

Apparently, Benjani is the man to take the pressure off former City player Gary Megson. With Elmander and Davies not exactly tearing up trees, Gary believes Benji can revitalise Bolton for the second half of the season in an attempt to avoid the drop and save his bacon at the same time.

The good news for the Trotters is that the Zimbabwean's  'track' record is much better than his airport one, so he might make the medical on time!

Also according to the Red Tops and Darren Lewis, Harry Rednapp is still not happy with a Spurs side that obliterated Wigan NINE- one in the league.

He wants to sure up the Londoners defence and is back in for Micah after apparently being knocked back three years ago.

Is Micah the right man to sure up any defence and do we really want to sell him?

Three bits of good news that have come out of the Official site this week have all centred around returning Blues.

Both Vincent Kompany and Michael Johnson played the full ninety minutes on Monday night against Blackburn and are looking forward to making an impact on the Blues push for a Champions League spot.

The Belgian international volunteered for second-string duty on Monday night after his recent lay-off and said,

"I finally got 90 minutes to run around and make some tackles and I really enjoyed it. I made a lot of good, strong challenges, which is a big part of my game.

 "I'm looking forward to pushing for a first-team starting place. The competition doesn't bother me. I'm just as much competition to the others. I hope to be in there in the near future."

The biggest news perhaps is the return of record signing of Robinho, who is fit and ready to play some part against Hull City. The game couldn't have come at a better time for the Brazilian magician as it is at home and against the team he was on top form against last year.

It will be an important period in the trios Blues' careers as all three are fans favourites and quality players, but all three find themselves playing second fiddle to arguably inferior but in form players.

Robinho, undoubtedly in the top three left sided players in the world, will find it hard to wrestle a starting place from Craig Bellamy on the left as the fiery Welshman has performed well in every match this year.

Vincent Kompany, courted by Barcelona, can play effectively in defensive midfield or in the back two, but has top performer De Jong  and captain Kolo Toure in his path, not to mention club darling Nedum Onuoha.

Michael Johnson when fully fit is without doubt our most complete midfielder, but gone are the days when we can afford to give a potentially great player a steady run in the side and with Barry, Ireland and Tevez playing the attacking roles in midfield, Johnno has to be very patient, keep in shape and await his chance.

One things for sure, and that is all three would get in most teams in the Premier League and that can only be great news for Mark Hughes and the rest of the campaign.

WILL YOU BE VLAD IF HE GOES?

 

VLADIMIR WEISS

Should the Premier League's best talent go out on loan with lesser clubs or stay training with the first team and keep match fit with the reserves?

So what should City do with Vlad? Should Vlad go out on loan, or not? Certainly they'll be many thinking yes send him out to a top championship side or a lower Premier League outfit to learn a bit more about the English game.

He'll be able to get some first team practice and bulk up to come to terms with the sheer physicality of our style of play. Weiss has already spoken about the differences for him between Youth level and Premier League football and has been criticised for lacking the required body strength to compete with the sometimes hulking defenders(Wolves!).

Others might be thinking please don't send this young Slovakian prodigy out on loan. What if we need him? After all, he has just starred in an international standard World Cup qualifying campaign, so surely he can cope with club football.

One argument would be that certain types of players suit certain types of loan deals. Meat and veg British style defenders like Ryan McGivern and Ben Mee for example would certainly benefit from the physical competition of the Championship or even the first division.

Then there are young players who are beasts at the age of sixteen like Micah Richards, Wayne Rooney, Tom Huddlestone, Carlton Cole and Michael Johnson need no introductions to the rigours of English football and can cope with the physical demands from day one.

Players blessed with very high technical skills fall into the same bracket as these guys but for different reasons. Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo and Joe Cole are players who possess speed, quickness of mind and lightning reflexes which enable them to effortlessly bridge the gap between Youth team and first team.

Sending Weiss out on loan to Bradford City would enable him to experience the ferocity of the lower leagues, but it could also result in a nasty injury if he becomes a marked man for being that 'Winker-like Kid' from the Premiership.

Sending him out to a Bolton or Stoke who are decent Premier League teams but play far from expansive football, may be detrimental to the lads development. He has already spoken about being able to adapt to the speed of the Premier League and how it doesn't phase him.

Contrast this with the young international Welsh battering ram that is Ched Evans who often spoke of the difficulties he had in adapting to the step up to top level football. He was phased by the prospect of playing with Europe's elite and is now plying his trade in the Championship.

Psychology is definitely a major factor in a deciding whether a player is ready or not. If you believe in yourself then you have won the first battle and Vlad like Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards before him has that belief to be a Premier League footballer.

Valdimir Weiss doesn't need to be loaned out because he is good enough to play with the City first team, learning from players great technical players like Robinho and Tevez.

Chelsea's Gaël Kakuta certainly thinks playing against lower Premier League opposition like Wolverhampton Wanderers is much easier than playing in the reserve team games.

In an interview given after his Premier League debut Kakuta suggested he had found life easier in the Premier League with the club's first team. He stated

"Premier League football is easier than in the reserves, because the game is much quicker, you have more choice when you play and you can play one-touch or two-touch. So it is much better." 

I waited a long time for Saturday and I am really happy. All of the players were behind me, helping me and talking to me, so that was good."

And  the eighteen year old Chelsea hotshot will now go straight into tonight's reserve team for the game against Birmingham City.

His comments are interesting as he shows how playing at a high level with top quality players can be nothing but beneficial. Just look at Arsenal's Young Guns who we'll be playing in the quarter finals of the cup.

Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey are all examples of diminutive players taking their chance when given an opportunity. So maybe its time to blood a few of our young guns against Wenger's lot.

There's another good reason to keep Vlad in the first team squad and that is to put pressure on Shaun Wright Phillips, who has relied more on his hard work and endeavour of late to get through a period where he has struggled to hit top form.

A young hungry academy star waiting in the wings is just the same as a new signing in your position. Its competition for places and keeps you  on your toes. And if anybody knows what is waiting in his shadow, its Shauny Wright who made the transition from youth team to first team without batting an eyelid.

SHAME ON WIGAN

Now forgive me for being a little miffed at the moment, after all we have just drawn a sixth consecutive Premier League match.

Yet the reason for my sudden bout of dizziness lies not like most Blues sat staring into their Sunday night pint wondering when this rut will come to an end but elsewhere.

Nor is it because 'that lot' in Stretford won again against the Blue half of Merseyside either. No, Its because this Blue has just returned home to see the Spurs score.

Now don't get me wrong beating Wigan at home is not something that should or ever will give me cause for losing the plot. What does rile me more than anything else, is the score by which they won this Premier League game.

For NINE goals to one in what is supposed to be the best league in Europe and possibly the world is quite frankly embarrassing. Jermaine Defoe scored FIVE and again let me make it clear that I have no agenda against the hugely talented Spurs pocket dynamo.

The problem I have is with the opposing team. I mean what were Wigan playing at, because it certainly wasn't football! What happened to the team that almost took three points off Man City last month?

Losing four nil is embarrassing enough and five or six might would be classed as being taken to school, but NINE is just beyond comprehension in today's so-called top league.

Anyone would think that Tottenham were the genuine title competition for Chelsea this year, but you only have to look at their latest attempt at playing a Top Four side to realise they are nowhere near.

Manchester United completely out-classed them in their recent contest and the Red Devils are hardly flying on all cylinders at the moment.

Wigan Athletic should sack their manager immediately for failing to inspire his players. For as nice a man as Martinez is, NINE goals against in the Premiership is just out and out incompetence.

All of the travelling Wigan supporters should have the cost of their tickets and accommodation refunded by the spineless overpaid players that call themselves entertainers.

In fact a memorial monument should be built outside the DW Stadium itself listing the names of all the poor souls that were victims of this disaster lest they never be forgotten.

The real loser is the Premier League however as the self-proclaimed best league in the world has to sit down and take the next day's barrage of abuse from foreign hacks squarely on the chin.

City's loss to Middlesborough last season was equally as embarrassing and the fans are the ones who should hold our thoughts the most.

Shame on you Wigan FC ... shame on you.

MATCH REPORT - SCOUSERS V CITY

LIVERPOOL 2   CITY 2

TEAMS:
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger (Kyrgiakos 11), Insua, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel (Benayoun 19), Ngog.
Goal: Skrtel 50, Benayoun 77

Man City: Given, Zabaleta, Toure (Onuoha 46), Lescott, Bridge, De Jong, Barry (Tevez 61), W-Ph'lips, Ireland, Bellamy, Adebayor.
Goal: Adebayor 69, Ireland 76

Ref: Phil Dowd

FIRST HALF
The first half began with a nervy Liverpool side tentatively trying to catch City cold. Steven Gerrard was the orchestrator and only City's defensive resolve kept them at bay.

After some early pressure a great header by Skyrtel was somehow clawed out by Given to deny the Slovakian his first Liverpool goal.

A series of injuries then followed with two Liverpool players being substituted within ten minutes of each other.
Firstly Daniel Agger left the field for stitches and soon after the Ryan Babel hobbled off after a clash with Gerrard.

The next attack came about due to the injuries and the Liverpool defence at sixes and sevens. Emergency right back Mascherano didn't respond quick enough and Barry found himself in acres of space only to square the ball unnecessarily.

Next Gerrard had a half chance after the ball deflected back to him in the area, but he could only put his half-volley wide of the right upright.

In a largely flat half, the only other chance came to Shaun Wright Phillips after a sweeping City counterattack but the diminutive winger could only fire his shot wildly wide.

All in all, it was a lack lustre first half with a low in confidence Liverpool trying to breakdown a very defensive and organised City.

SECOND HALF
If the first half was an example of how not to entertain a crowd, the second half  showed exactly why the Premier League is the most entertaining in the world.

After some early skirmishes it was Liverpool to draw first blood after a needless foul by Zabaleta on the left hand side. Steven Gerrard took a vicious inswinger that was met by the dangerous Skyrtel under little or no pressure from the disappointing Adebayor.



With the insults still fresh on Blue tongues, the Togolese striker rammed them back down their throats and Skyrtel's with a similar goal to the Slovakian. Manu lost Skyrtel momentarily to powerfully head past a stranded Pepe Reina.

The defensive stance that Liverpool had adopted after the goal was to come back to haunt them as it handed City sustained periods of pressure and more importantly time to play the ball about.

Carlos Tevez, dropped to the bench by Hughes, replaced the injured and jaded Barry and set about the Liverpool back line with pace and purpose.

Within minutes Stephen Ireland stunned the Kop when he finished off a fine move started by Tevez cutting in from the left flank and slipping the ball to SWP who turned the big Greek Kuriakos and gave the ball to Ireland who finished cooly passed Reina.to put the visitors ahead.

Te lead wouldn't last but a minute however as Benayoun pounced after David Ngog's shot was deflected by the alert Israeli as Zabaleta was too slow to react.

Liverpool survived a period of pressure by City before the away side saw out a nervy last ten to claim a well deserved point.

SCOUSERS V CITY

As intriguing a match as tomorrow will be this City fan will be looking at certain aspects of tomorrow's game with great interest.

LIVERPOOL



Firstly, will Torres and Gerrard be out? It certainly looks like the Spanish Golden Boy will be as will be the talented Yossi Benayoun and Ex-Blue Albert Riera, which means that Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has a dilemma on his hands.

Does he go into a game with attack-minded City without a creative spark and field defensive beast Mascherano with the talentlessy inept Lucas? Or does he throw into the frying pan new signing Aquilani for his first real Premier League test since his big money move from Seria A?

One things for sure and that is if Steven Gerrard is even seventy percent fit he'll start, as he'll give the crowd and the rest of the team a much needed confidence boost. Can his groin last the full ninety minutes of a Premier League battle against De Jong and Barry or Ireland? Maybe not.

If Gerrard can't, then I fancy City to at least get a draw out of this game. Which brings me onto the the other major factor in the showdown- Gareth Barry.


CITY

If Barry plays well then City will almost certainly have the spring board to go on and take all three points. The problem is that he hasn't done so recently for various reasons.

Barry is one of the mainstays in City's assault on the Premier League so far, always first on the team sheet with Messrs Bellamy and Given, and rightly so.

He performs that central midfield role perfectly at times holding, screening, linking play, supporting attacks and most importantly keeping the teams shape together in times of pressure.

What worries me is his psychological toughness. His weakest performances have arguably been against
Villa and Birmingham when on both occasions he was subjected to a barrage of abuse from the first minute until the last he was on the field.

Tomorrow against Liverpool he will again come up against a crowd who believe he should have been playing in Scouse red  against City and not against them. It may not be as vociferous a barrage as in the Midlands, but it will be interesting to see how the man many Blues thought would be captain at the start of the season reacts to the cauldron that is Anfield.

Of course he is not the only player important to us getting a result tomorrow. Adebayor's big game attitude will be a huge plus if he plays, as he will surely be more up for this game than the likes of Burnley and Stoke ( good or not).

Our defence will have to be on song too and we must keep our shape better than we did against Burnley, defending as a team when we lose the ball and remaining focused until the final whistle is blown.

THE KEY TO THE GAME

Without Gerrard Liverpool will have lost a match winner and  someone who can go for ninety-seven minutes and still score a winner. Even so, they still have players with fight willing to carry the team such as Kuyt and Carragher who are born winners.

Their problem is that without him and Torres they might have to rely on us to throw the game away. Surely that puts the game in our favour.


SCOUSE INJURY LIST

D Agger Back Injury 21st Nov 09 slight doubt
Y Benayoun Hamstring Injury 5th Dec 09
F Aurelio Calf/Shin Injury 21st Nov 09 doubtful
A Riera Hamstring Injury 5th Dec 09
M Kelly Ankle/Foot Injury 29th Nov 09
G Johnson Calf Muscle Strain 21st Nov 09 doubtful
F Torres Abdominal Strain 29th Nov 09
S Gerrard Groin Strain 21st Nov 09 doubtful

PREDICTION

As long as Barry turns up a win is well within our reach. Bellamy to score the winner for City and silence the Anfield faithful.

BELLAMY MYTH

Sky Sports statistician Martin Tyler has provided us with some interesting information before tomorrows game.

When asked about the Bellamy scoring against old teams myth, he says:

"Craig Bellamy has played for seven different clubs in the Premier League, but his Premier League goalscoring record against his former teams has declined as time has gone on...

Norwich: Bellamy's first top-flight club was Norwich City. He has only played against them once in a league game (for Newcastle in 2004/05) and scored.
Strike rate: 1/1 (100%)

Newcastle: He has never played a Premier League game against Coventry City since leaving the Sky Blues, but boasts a good record against his next club Newcastle. He has played against the Magpies five times since he left St James' Park and has netted three times.
Strike rate: 3/5 (60%)

Blackburn: Since leaving Ewood Park, Bellamy has faced Blackburn in four league games, scoring on two occasions.
Strike rate: 2/4 (50%)

Liverpool: He has faced the Reds twice in the league - for Man City and West Ham - since leaving Anfield. However, he is yet to score. He thought he had opened the scoring for Man City last season, but it was credited as a Alvaro Arbeloa own goal.Strike rate: 0/2 (0%)

West Ham: He has faced the Hammers twice for Man City since leaving Upton Park and is yet to open his account.
Strike rate: 0/2 (0%)

Cheers Martin keep em coming.  Lets hope he gets on the score sheet first tomorrow and puts pressure on the Reds from the start.

CRAZIEST INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR AWARD GOES TO...

Phil Neville in his 'I'll never join Manchester City' rant before the United Everton game.Chuckle brother and inbred Phillip has ruled out ever playing for or (wait for it!) going on to manage City.

He said,“Joining City is not something that will ever happen. When you have got red blood you cannot see yourself with blue blood.

“You go there and they have blue ketchup... it’s just like ’What are they doing?’.

“I am not being disrespectful to City. I grew up a Red, hating City. When I go back I get absolutely slaughtered."

Erm thanks for those pearls of wisdom Phillip and say hello to Neville on your way out you Bury Bumpkin. Maybe we could twist Moyes' arm a little and offer 25 million plus Nigel De Jong for your services. 

GREAT ... I MEAN OH GREAAT THE WORLD CUP!

So another qualification journey has ended causing heart ache for many, elation for a few and a downright sense of loathing from the rest.

Yes the world cup is one of the highlights of the football calender, the Holy Grail of national pride and showcase for the world's best talent.

Every four years that illogical sense of optimism and refreshes itself like a new weekend after that four day hangover. We can win it this time... Its coming home and all that stuff.

And winning it we can this time for sure with a fully fit first XI and a world class coach, why not? If we do manage that glorious feat the streets will be full of nurses kissing AWOL serviceman and that wave of patriotism that accompanies such occasions will well and truly be in full flow.

But lets just take a step back from reality for a moment and look at what the World Cup means for the rest of the world's nations.

In the qualifying rounds, it is humiliating at best for footballing's minnows. Luxembourg's goals against tally must look like my Barclay's student bank account ten years ago and their players can hardly look forward to such occasions.

The play-offs yet again broke millions of hearts as some favourites failed to make it through, some underdogs pulled it out of the bag and some just plain old CHEATED to crawl their bloated and arrogant nation's undeserved bodies over the finish line. C'est la vie!

And it is great to see Spartan Greece pull off a shock win in Kiev reducing Sheva to tears(actually I felt sorry for him) and them beat Portugal twice after what they did to us to lift the Euro. Yet for every fairy tale there is a despicable piece of foul play that leaves the bitterest taste in the mouth of the recipients.

I'm not just talking about Mr Va Va Voom's handball, denying the brave Southern Irish a fair crack at reaching the world cup. Even if it was despicable and Platini should look into his Fair Play mirror and expel them from the tournament. What are the chances of that though?

Since 1966, England alone can cringe back at a myriad of heart break and unforgettable disappointment. Think Charlton replaced by Colin Bell and cue the Franz Beckenbaur show in 1970.

Think cheating South American hobbit on steroids, mix in some white powder and a hand with no remorse and then add it to a world cup semi final and you have 1986.

Think 1990 and even Euro 96 and you have penalty shoot-outs ripping the heart and sole out of an entire nation's hopes and a rekindled hate for all that is German in the world.

1966 itself was controversial for everyone except us as we won the damn thing. A ball that didn't cross the line must have been the decision that put the Krauts off their beer and Frankfurters for another four years at least. Maybe it was the catalyst to them wanting to beat so much over then next twenty years.

Of course this tournament is not just about England for every Brazil their is and El Salvador and for every Pele there's a Escobar.

The qualifying campaign for the 1970 world cup between El Salvador and Honduras, settled by a ridiculous penalty, caused so much grief between the two countries that they actually went to war over the game(amongst other reasons). Now going to war to gain Middle Eastern resources might not be the noblest of causes, bit that is just wrong. It is another example of how football effects national pride though.

Everyone over the age of twenty will remember the name Andres Escobar who was infamously gunned down in his native Columbia after committing the cardinal sin of scoring an own goal at the 1994 finals. Bad losers to say the least? Well one things for sure, these are not the principals the world cup was founded on.

So let's just hope its England that will be lifting the Jules Rimet come next summer as if it isn't, there are sixty five million plus English that are going to be face down in a bar or pub crying into the night around the world. Even worse we might just be going to war with the Germans again if history repeats itself.

I'd much prefer to have a go at the French and show the Paddies that we do care more for them (more than the Frogs anyway) And you never know maybe that most bloated of frogs Platini will be caught up in the cross fire killing two birds with one stone. I'm sure many wouldn't be complaining if that happened.

BLUES NEWS

In such trying times as an International Break the football writers and pundits alike sit glued to their laptops hoping for snippets of gossip to latch onto.

The Mirror's Oliver Holt could only manage "a friend" when disclosing his primary source  on the Robinho revelation. This is the rumour that Robinho is a liar and has been two-timing City by talking to Barcelona in a bid to break free of his 200k a week shackles in January!

His namesake Oliver Kay, of the Times, has gone for a different angle by connecting 'Rino' Gattuso with a January move to Eastlands. With no direct quotes from either the club or player or even a source to provide verification, it seems both Olivers were looking for a twist in a week that has produced more fantasy than a Dickens novel.

There is more chance of Oliver Twist himself signing for City in the transfer window than an ageing Seria A bully boy not known for dominating Premier League midfields. How many defensive midfielders are we planning on fielding anyway?  

In the mean time Dick Advocaat has been exactly that in dealing with City's mourning Vincent Kompany.

The story goes that Vinny was late back from his compassionate leave of absence and has been expelled from the Belgium camp as a punishment. The fact that Kompany was at the funeral of his Grandmother didn't seem to register with the Dutch maestro.

In this case Belgium's loss is our gain although the opposite could be said about Martin Petrov as his latest international injury seriously looks like another few weeks on the sidelines for the Bulgarian flyer.

The last transfer story of the summer window has reared its ugly head again as the Petrov-Bentley swap deal is back on. Now I know Rigsby's rubbed the boss up the wrong way on a few occasions and Bentley did prove himself under the boss like Santa Cruz and Bellamy before him.

But there is only one goalscoring assist providing quality set piece taker in this equation and his name aint Bentley.


In better news Michael Johnson completed another 45 minutes in this week's reserve cup win. The day the boy completes 90 minutes will be a good day in the life of any Blues fan. Come on Johnno- show us how much you want it!

SO GAMBLING IS A LOSERS GAME IS IT?

There are no winners in this game and the fans are the real losers! Well try telling that to the 94 Year-old Ipswich Town fanatic who won £201,420 after City and Celtic both drew last weekend.

Whilst City and Celtic fans were left fuming after their sides failure to see out respective wins against Burnley and Falkirk, one Ipswich fan was laughing all the way to the bank.

Mr Clark from Hertfordshire won a staggering £201,420 after picking 8 score draws on The New Football Pools. He won the big cash prize by predicting Man City’s draw with Burnley, Wigan’s draw with Fulham, Nottingham Forest’s draw with Bristol City, Reading’s draw with Ipswich, Falkirk’s draw with Celtic, Hamilton’s draw with Motherwell plus Tenerife’s draw with Malaga and Inter Milan’s draw with Roma.

The lucky 94-year-old winner had this to say about his win,

“£201,420 oh my goodness……I can’t believe it! I am speechless……I can’t take it all in! I have been playing the Football Pools for many years now, as long as I can remember. Having had a few little wins, I think the last one being around £200, I always knew perseverance would pay off in the end……. and it has for me, big time!"

Don't know about any of you, but this damn near made my week - well done son!

TALE OF TWO CITIES - BUT WHO WILL CRACK FIRST?

Trawling through the latest news this morning, it was hard not to pick up on this comment made by a Premier League  player associated with Manchester City.
  
"We need everybody not just on the pitch but off it, too, helping each other to be stronger because now our problem could be mental, because we - and I don't like saying this - are untidy," 

"I don't like to use this word but it's true we are not used to being in this position. Against Birmingham you could see we were trying to do everything. 

"We were playing wide, between the lines, always going forward, defending with two centre-backs only, full-backs going forward, and we were trying to do all we could to win the game, but the other team scored with one free-kick and one shot from a long way out. 

It's really unlucky because we had a lot of opportunities to kill the game before as well."


The astonishing thing was that the comments were made by Ex-Blue Albert Riera now of Liverpool, and not about City.

The parallels between Liverpool and City's plight before their Mid-November league showdown are quite astounding.

Both managers are under great pressure to pull their teams out of the mire; Benitez's well-founded, Hughes' a little over the top.

The teams can't buy a win at the moment with City last registering a league win in September and Liverpool making that look like title wining form with five league defeats already this term.

England's Glen  Johnson certainly mirrors City's Wayne Bridge in many ways.Having performed outstandingly well at a lower level Premier League club, he was snapped up by Chelsea before becoming a bit part player.

After a revitalising stint at Portsmouth the England fullback signed a big money deal for another giant. Quick with great attacking qualities, the defender finds the defensive side of the game more difficult than Beckham finds the English language and is the focal point of many a fans phone-in.

Paulo Zabaleta can confirm what all of football has suspected about the Merseyside Giants- that they are scared out of of their minds after a nightmare one win in nine games.

Close to compatriots Mascherano and Insua of Liverpool the Blues' Argentinian full back commented from the team's seven star royal hotel in the Emirates.

"Liverpool is a big game and we have to win, but Liverpool is a hard place to play. They are not playing well and they have had injuries, but we need to be back in the top four.

"I speak to Mascherano and Emiliano Insua and they feel the pressure because Liverpool are a big club and they need to fight for many competitions.


"Benítez has had a lot of criticism too. It's not a good moment for them, but we have to be careful because they are still Liverpool.


The popular and tenacious defender's comments are interesting and not just for offering an insight into the psychology of a Top European side. For what Liverpool are feeling must surely be mirrored by the Blues own dressing room at the moment.

Zabaleta goes on to talk about the importance of the game to the Sky Blues saying,

"We are disappointed by our recent results, but it is our biggest game of the season and we have to win."

"We are disappointed by our recent results, but it is our biggest game of the season and we have to win."

"We must do better and there is pressure to do so, but that's normal. We have a lot of pressure. This season, the club spent a lot of money on new players and made a big effort.

"The players have pressure – good pressure – to do well, but we have the quality in the squad to fight for the top four."
 
One thing is for sure though, in the same way that Riera's comments can be applied to our squad, it is certain that the Liverpool players will be looking at this game in exactly the same way as Zab and the boys.

It makes for an enthralling game in prospect and one, with Liverpool's injuries, that Hughes' men can and should look to take three points from.

EDIT
Here's what Benitez had to say today

"I talk with my staff. We have to change some small things that we need to improve on. We talk about the positives and analyse the negatives.

"I was really pleased talking to some fans after the Birmingham game. The fans who were in the stadium could see the team did well. We have not had the luck with two late goals against Lyon and then on Monday against Birmingham.

"We deserved to win these games and the fans in the stadium know it's just a question of time.

"For me, if you're playing well and creating chances in every game, then it's just about getting a little bit of luck, scoring the second goal and finishing the game."

So let's see who gets it right first between Sparky and him.

BLUES ON THE DEFENSIVE

On the one hand Mark Hughes has defended his players commendably yet again and shielding them from further confidence shattering criticism seems like the astute thing to do.

After all, the defence is looking as fragile as it has done for a long while. It is also proof that Hughes believes his players are beginning to feel the strain of being under the media microscope.

His comments about Match of the Day pundit seem well founded at surface level, for Hansen went over the top didn't he with his comments after City's 3-3 draw with Burnley.

"Down the left side Lescott and Bridge, you just couldn't believe what was going on, " said Hansen.

"When you talk defensively, about organisation and communication, position and playing off one another, and as a team, the marks out of 10 are minus six - they were that bad."


'From top class players I just couldn't believe it. It was schoolboy defending. For the third goal, my god, what is going on there?'

I just feel sorry for Wayne Bridge. He was just that bad. You tend to be critical but on this occasion I just felt sorry for him.'



Hughes rather surprisingly replied,

"Wayne is an experienced player who has won Premier League titles and been part of teams that have been at the top end.

"He understands what it's all about. Pundits on Match of the Day, or whatever, just have an opportunity to nail individuals in the public domain.

"But we're not going to do that because that's not what we're about. We look to analyse our mistakes and make sure, in future, we are better in similar situations.

"We won't single out individual players. That job is done by pundits. I'm sure that their process involves looking at incidents in games, but not taking it as a whole.

"There's a frustration when they don't go into particularly in-depth analysis. I'd question how many games they actually watch live, from the start to the conclusion of games."


On the other hand, the Blues have had to endure a creeping barrage of criticism starting from the takeover last summer and continuing to the present, showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

In fact, just last week Dave Whelan was quoted as saying we would win no silverware this year as we are not strong enough yet.




So why has the Blues' supremo broken his silence now. After all, its not as if he hasn't had the opportunity to due the us being praised in the press everyday for trying to break the top four monopoly.

If he had come out and had a go at Whelan then he would have been perfectly in his rights as Whelan has stuck his nose in our business too many times over the years.


Why not The Mirror's very own canine specialist Stanley Collymore who just this weekend ridiculed the Blues defence at great length and teased Hughes' about Richard Dunne's sale to his beloved Aston Villa.

Why not the despicable excuse for a pundit that is Paul Merson, who has never had a good word to say about City in all his years commentating on us. Just watch the video at the start for confirmation of The Toad at his City hating best.

On Match of the Day itself, you could perhaps make a case for Alan Shearer, the popular England legend, not knowing what he's talking about after his recent stint at Newcastle. After all his analysis is a series of cliches mixed in with deep frowns of the fore head as he struggles to articulate himself.

You could definitely make a case if the comments had come from Mark "I've got no idea' Lawrenson whose only reason for being on the show is that he was friendly with Hansen.

The problem is this time it is Alan Hansen, hands down the best pundit on the team and not exactly a man to tarnish City's reputation over the years.

In 90's he became infamous for his 'you win nothin with youth' comments as Manchester United won the championship with just that and started a dominance than has only just now looked like crumbling.

Since then he's shown that he is an excellent pundit, providing excellent pre-match and post- match analysis and  gained a reputation for being the number one in his field- the Premier League.



So while its all good and well protecting your players at the right times, it would be ignorant and  idiotic to misread why Hughes has decided to rise to Hansen's comments.

The truth is that the truth hurts more than lies or propaganda and pointing out how to expose our fragile back line is the last thing he needs going into a match with Hansen's favourite team Liverpool especially after five straight draws.

Hughes probably felt that a prime time deconstruction of his defensive frailties was the last thing he needed. For it isn't the calling out of Wayne Bridge or Joleen Lescott that riled him the most but the highlighting of how they are so bad at the minute in front of an audience of tens of millions on TV and The Internet.

That's probably why 'Swede Basher' Collymore has escaped Sparky's wrath as he writes for the Mirror and is a pundit on Channel 5!

One things for sure though, this break couldn't have come at a better time for God's own team as the Blues' Juggernaut is on the verge of careering off the road in spectacular fashion.

Hughes now has the time to put his own back room staff in order and hopefully get his team in the right frame of mind before the game with the Scousers.

 

SO WHAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM MR HUGHES? Part Two

So what what is the evidence for City's recent slump? Let's begin with the general consensus and the case for the defence.

THE DEFENCE

Lescott, Bridge, Toure and one of Richards or Zabaleta often look lost at sea. They are continually out of position, lack cohesion and guilty of switching off at key times in games.

Players are also not doing the basics right, like clearing the ball in dangerous areas instead of letting it bounce (Kompany, Bridge and Lescott seem to have forgotten this) or marking the right players are set pieces (Mr Barry). Also going forward requires you to get back into position again (Bridge, Richards and Zabaleta).

Were we better off with HIM at the core? Early season form seems to suggest yes, as we kept more clean sheets with him in the side. Taking a look back however to last season should remind everyone of the real Richard Dunne. The one prone to own goals, making rash challenges, seeing red and unable to head in a straight line.

WHATS HAPPENED TO GARETH BARRY?

Barry is not performing and is going through a loss of form which began at Villa and has showed no signs of stopping .... Is he still unfit? There is no surprise that Barry's lack of form coincides with City's. Can this be the reason for the slump?

Same for Ireland he is suffering from his joint fatigue and illness and probably came back too soon. Was he scared of losing his role in the team and did he make himself fit before being completely right again?

Bridge,Toure, Bellamy, Adebayor and SWP could all be guilty of the same thing. Whereas the returning Kompany, Santa Cruz, Johnson and soon to be fit Robinho might all feel the need to embellish the truth a little to win their places back in the team. Has this had a negative effect on team players?

This is not what the boss meant when he said competition for places was healthy for the team. Are the players lying to the management and making themselves available when they are not fully fit.

THE MANAGEMENT

Hughes has had his critics from the word go. After all, he is an "Ex-Rag" and "has not won anything as a manager." "He is tactically naive" is another favourite amongst fans in and outside of the club.

And we need only look at the last few games to find proof in these claims with Hughes making some puzzling tactical changes during the last month.

At Villa, after the Bellamy equaliser and when we had the momentum, Hughes chose the unfit Santa Cruz to the fit and itching to get on Petrov. The result was a loss of momentum and the settling of a point instead of the three on offer from a Villa on the back foot.

At Birmingham Hughes replaced Santa Cruz with Martin Petrov. Now you would think that Santa Cruz would be the ideal foil for Petrov's crosses. After all, he has "outstanding strength and aerial ability".

But Hughes, who has continually persisted in keeping Petrov and Santa Cruz away from the one another, seems to have forgotten what he said and why he brought him to the club. If there's a better player to get on the end of Petrov's crosses then why did we sign him for so much money?

In the last match at Burnley and 3-2 up he decided to take off Tevez and replace him with the attack minded Petrov. With Nigel De Jong sat on the bench, only Hughes and God himself know why he made that decision. To make matters worse, the left footed Petrov was then played on the right handside completely nullifying his effectiveness at delivering the ball into the box.

When we need a goal he puts on a defender when we need to protect one he bring on an attacker. Some things just don't make sense Mr Hughes.

BACKROOM STAFF

Who works the set piece drills? Who put Barry on marking duty on corners and free kicks? Points at Villa and United amongst other games have been thrown away due to City not actually knowing the answer to these questions.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Now don't get me wrong here, Hughes has been praised for his integrity and calmness during interviews. Neither criticising his players publicly nor rising to another managers bating. Yet Hughes has also never been gracious in defeat and not once have we heard him come out and say we all got it wrong today; the team, the backroom staff and me, unlike some other managers (Moyes and Rednapp to name but two).

Although these reasons contribute greatly to the recent slump they cannot be the whole reason. For defensive mistakes, lapses in concentration, throwing leads away at home and starting slowly all point to a lack of focus and complacency.

Was the first phase of our season so good that the team has started to believe its own hype? Probably in my opinion for there is no other excuse for our last three performances at Fulham, Birmingham and Burnley.

THE SOLUTION

So where do we go from here? The real answer to our dilemma and solution could be found at Stamford Bridge today. After all to be the best, you have to study the best.

Looking at today's top of the league clash between the main two in the Premiership it was obvious to see what was different.

Sure United and Chelsea at first glance have great technical ability and unbelievable individuals just like Arsenal. But the thing that sets them apart from the rest, including the Gunners, is that psychological strength and fierce intensity that wins titles. It is an intensity and belief that follows all successful teams around.

Forget the big team favouritism by referees, when added time and grievous bodily harm are permitted to see the game out. Yes United do get extra time and their players can assault the opposition yet go unpunished (Vidic at Wigan and Evans on Drogba today just to name two). And no hand balls don't count if you play for the top teams just ask Mr Lampard today but don't forget to ask De Jong and Lescott their opinions afterwards.

We could go on for another five hundred pages with examples of decisions going the top teams' way, but that is not the point trying to be made.

Whether you believe in making your own luck or buying it, one thing is for sure.The real recipe to their success lies in their calmness of mind, intensity and the focus they maintain right up to the final whistle. Had City had that at Old Trafford they would have come away with a point at Old Trafford and beaten both Fulham and Burnley.

Add those seven points up and see where we would be in the league. Until we can match the professionalism, focus and intensity of these two teams we will continue to drop points.


If City want to be in the mix for the Champions' League and leap-frog the likes of Spurs, Villa and Liverpool they can't hope that Richard Dunne failed to sign his contract and is on his way back. Nor can they expect Mr Hughes to wisen up any time soon with his substitutions. No they must rediscover that mental edge that was there at the start of the season.

WHATS THE REAL PROBLEM MR HUGHES?

Whether you are a fan, a manager, a journalist or a pundit you'll have different views of why things at God's own team are not quite right.

After watching yesterdays performance, which yielded a fifth consecutive draw in the Premier League, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb. The team has definitely lost that edge that cut that saw them through the first seven games of the season.

The manager puts it down to the fact that we are not killing games off and people aren't doing their jobs.


"We've at times vacated areas before the danger has passed and as a consequence they've been able to penetrate.

"The initial penalty decision came from that. The second goal as well, where our enthusiasm getting forward has vacated areas.
 
"Second half for the vast majority of the half I thought we were excellent.

"Some of the stuff that we played was the best we've produced, but unfortunately after working so hard to get in a winning position we've conceded late on and that's the disappointment.

"We didn't allow ourselves to feel sorry for ourselves. We picked ourselves up and scored three goals in return. We'd like to think we'd get credit for that.

"The edge has been taken off the performance because we've conceded a late equaliser. But from our point of view there are areas you need to look at and work on."

The request for praise is a little disturbing Mark as we did just throw are second home advantage away in a matter of weeks and were playing Burnley.

The Mirror's resident dogging and blonde beating expert Stanley Collymore probably has his own agenda and bleated,

It was blatantly obvious what their problems are - and that is at the heart of their defence.

There are no problems with City’s midfield or their attacking options.

But Lescott and Toure, who cost £22million and £16m apiece from Everton and Arsenal respectively this summer, are not up to the job.

On Saturday against Burnley, Clarke Carlisle and Steven Caldwell, who cost only £400,000 in total, looked a far superior pairing.

 It just goes to show you don’t always get what you pay for.  And I think City have paid ridiculously over the odds for Lescott and Toure.

City could have got away with playing either Lescott or Toure alongside a rugged no-nonsense stopper like Nemanja Vidic or Brede Hangeland or dare I say a Richard Dunne.

 Then you would have a balance between a ball player and a pure defender. But Lescott and Toure together are too soft and too flaky.

And if City boss Mark Hughes is still at the club in January then he has to strengthen their defence.

Selling Dunne to Aston Villa for £5m this summer also looks a massive mistake.

As a Villa fan I am absolutely delighted that we got him because he likes to defend and attack the ball in the air. 

Not looking to rock the boat are we Stanley? Also can you tell us which one of Dunne and Collins is the ball player in your fantasy central defensive partnership? If there are no problems with our midfield and attack I wish you'd tell Messrs Barry, Tevez and Ireland that the deserve a pat on the back on that display.

Although fans support a variety of theories, the majority agree with Collymore basically in blaming the defence.
"It's not good enough!", "We were better off with Dunne" and "Its better to win one and lose one, than keep drawing like this." can be heard across pubs and after matches all around Manchester.

NOTHING TO FEAR

Since the start of the season the talk has been of the 'Big Four' becoming the 'Big Five', with City's new found riches catapulting them into the British elite.

Yet as the first phase of the Premier League campaign draws to an end a different question has surfaced. Has the Premier League become weaker?

Firstly, it was Arsenal who were to be the ones to fall away, criticised for making no high profile signings and losing the experienced Toure and powerful Adebayor.

At the moment Liverpool look like they are the team to be thrown out of the big boys room suffering from the loss of Gerrard and injured Torres.

Digging deeper, one could put forward a case for United not looking convincing needing a controversial goal to beat City and not really looking like Champions in other games so far this season.

Further proof can be seen after another round of Champions League games tonight with Europe's elite on show. The Madrid Milan games have shown a high level of skill and along with Barcelona one could argue that the domination of the Champions' League last four by English clubs looks certain to be broken - for this year at least.

Liverpool are looking like a team on the ropes without both Gerrard and Torres they are distinctly average and Benitez looks like a dead man walking. Arsenal although talented and aesthetically pleasing have already been beaten by both Manchester teams this season and have looked far from an elite team for a few years now.

United have lost to Burnley and Liverpool already, drawn with Sunderland and scraped wins over Wolves and City. More importantly they have not looked dominant in Europe so far this term.

All of the above teams have weakened squads and look poor man for man when compared to Barca, Madrid and Milan this year.

The only real challenge to them on paper lies in London in the shape of Chelsea. Their squad, although ageing, is the strongest in the Premier League if not Europe, and they have been playing like champions too.

So maybe the emphasis shouldn't be on a new Big 5 but on a weaker Premier League at the top end. Only time will tell if this is true and if the rest of the league has made inroads on the 3 weakened teams.

One thing is for certain though, with only Chelsea definitely on another level, City should fear nobody and try to be in contact come the African Nations Cup when the Londoners' resources will be tested to the max. Of United, well any United fan will tell you that should Rooney be ruled out for a long period of time they'd be nervously looking over their shoulders and in the same position as Liverpool.


Premier League Top 4 Squads

UNITED
Number Name Nat Pos Height Weight Date of Birth Birth Place Previous Club
1 Edwin van der Sar NED G 1.97 83 29-10-70 Voorhout Fulham
2 Gary Neville ENG D 1.79 74 18-02-75 Bury None
3 Patrice Evra FRA D 1.75 76 15-05-81 Dakar Monaco
4 Owen Hargreaves ENG M 1.80 74 20-01-81 Calgary Bayern Munich
5 Rio Ferdinand ENG D 1.89 82 07-11-78 Peckham Leeds U
6 Wes Brown ENG D 1.85 75 13-10-79 Manchester None
7 Michael Owen ENG F 1.73 70 14-12-79 Chester Newcastle U
8 Anderson BRA M 1.76 69 13-04-88 Porto Alegre FC Porto
9 Dimitar Berbatov BUL F 1.88 79 30-01-81 Blagoevgrad Tottenham H
10 Wayne Rooney ENG F 1.78 78 24-10-85 Liverpool Everton
11 Ryan Giggs WAL M 1.80 68 29-11-73 Cardiff None
12 Ben Foster ENG G 1.88 80 03-04-83 Leamington Stoke C
13 Park Ji-Sung KOR M 1.75 70 25-02-81 Suwon PSV Eindhoven
14 Zoran Tošić SRB M 1.71 69 28-04-87 Zrenjanin Partizan Belgrade
15 Nemanja Vidić SRB D 1.88 82 21-10-81 Užice Spartak Moscow
16 Michael Carrick ENG M 1.86 74 28-07-81 Wallsend Tottenham H
17 Nani POR M 1.75 66 17-11-86 Praia Sporting CP
18 Paul Scholes ENG M 1.70 72 16-11-74 Salford None
19 Danny Welbeck ENG F 1.85 73 26-11-90 Manchester None
20 Fábio BRA D 1.72 65 09-07-90 Petrópolis Fluminense
21 Rafael BRA D 1.72 65 09-07-90 Petrópolis Fluminense
22 John O'Shea IRL D 1.90 75 30-04-81 Waterford Waterford U
23 Jonny Evans NIR D 1.88 77 03-01-88 Belfast None
24 Darren Fletcher SCO M 1.83 83 01-02-84 Edinburgh None
25 Luis Antonio Valencia ECU M 1.81 78 04-08-85 Lago Agrio Wigan Ath
26 Gabriel Obertan FRA F 1.86 79 26-02-89 Pantin Bordeaux
27 Federico Macheda ITA F 1.83 76 22-08-91 Rome Lazio
28 Darron Gibson IRL M 1.80 83 25-10-87 Derry None
29 Tomasz Kuszczak

 LIVERPOOL
 1 Diego Cavalieri BRA G 1.89 86 01-12-82 São Paulo Palmeiras
2 Glen Johnson ENG D 1.82 70 23-08-84 Greenwich Portsmouth
4 Alberto Aquilani ITA M 1.84 73 07-07-84 Rome Roma
5 Daniel Agger DEN D 1.87 75 12-12-84 Hvidovre Brøndby
8 Steven Gerrard ENG M 1.88 83 30-05-80 Whiston None
9 Fernando Torres ESP F 1.83 70 20-03-84 Madrid Atlético Madrid
10 Andriy Voronin UKR F 1.77 79 21-07-79 Odessa Bayer Leverkusen
11 Albert Riera ESP M 1.88 83 15-04-82 Manacor Espanyol
12 Fábio Aurélio BRA D 1.78 75 24-09-79 São Carlos Valencia
15 Yossi Benayoun ISR M 1.78 70 05-05-80 Beersheba West Ham U
16 Sotirios Kyrgiakos GRE D 1.92 85 23-07-79 Trikala AEK
18 Dirk Kuijt NED F 1.84 77 22-07-80 Katwijk Feyenoord
19 Ryan Babel NED F 1.85 78 19-12-86 Amsterdam Ajax
20 Javier Mascherano ARG M 1.78 77 08-06-84 Rosario West Ham U
21 Lucas BRA M 1.79 74 09-01-87 Dourados Grêmio
22 Emiliano Insúa ARG D 1.73 82 07-01-89 Buenos Aires Boca Juniors
23 Jamie Carragher ENG D 1.85 83 28-01-78 Bootle None
24 David N'Gog FRA F 1.90 79 01-04-89 Gennevilliers Paris St-Germain
25 José Manuel Reina ESP G 1.94 94 31-08-82 Madrid Villarreal
26 Jay Spearing ENG M 1.68 70 25-11-88 Wirral None
27 Philipp Degen SUI D 1.88 82 15-02-83 Basel Borussia Dortmund
28 Damien Plessis FRA M 1.92 76 05-03-88 Neuville-aux-Bois Lyon
31 Nabil El Zhar MAR M 1.75 72 27-08-86 Alès St-Etienne
32 Stephen Darby ENG D 1.82 79 06-10-88 Liverpool None
34 Martin Kelly ENG D 1.91 77 27-04-90 Bolton None

ARSENAL
1 Manuel Almunia ESP G 1.91 86 16-05-77 Pamplona Celta Vigo
2 Abou Diaby FRA M 1.88 75 11-05-86 Paris Auxerre
3 Bakari Sagna FRA D 1.76 72 14-02-83 Sens Auxerre
4 Cesc Fàbregas ESP M 1.77 69 04-05-87 Arenys de Mar Barcelona
5 Thomas Vermaelen BEL D 1.82 75 14-11-85 Kapellen Ajax
6 Philippe Senderos SUI D 1.90 84 14-02-85 Geneva Servette
7 Tomáš Rosický CZE M 1.78 67 04-10-80 Prague Borussia Dortmund
8 Samir Nasri FRA M 1.77 75 26-06-87 Marseille Marseille
9 Eduardo CRO F 1.77 70 25-02-83 Rio de Janeiro Dinamo Zagreb
10 William Gallas FRA D 1.83 72 17-08-77 Asnieres Chelsea
11 Robin van Persie NED M 1.83 71 06-08-83 Rotterdam Feyenoord
12 Carlos Vela MEX F 1.76 72 01-03-89 Cancún Guadalajara
14 Theo Walcott ENG F 1.75 68 16-03-89 Newbury Southampton
15 Denílson BRA M 1.78 68 16-02-88 São Paulo São Paulo
16 Aaron Ramsey WAL M 1.78 76 26-12-90 Caerphilly Cardiff C
17 Alexandre Song CMR M 1.84 76 09-09-87 Douala Bastia
18 Mikaël Silvestre FRA D 1.84 82 09-08-77 Chambray-Les-Tours Manchester U
19 Jack Wilshere ENG M 1.70 65 01-01-92 Stevenage None
20 Johan Djourou SUI D 1.91 83 18-01-87 Abidjan Etoile-Carouge
21 Łukasz Fabiański POL G 1.90 84 18-04-85 Kostrzyn nad Odrą Legia Warszawa
22 Gaël Clichy FRA D 1.81 72 26-07-85 Toulouse Cannes
23 Andrey Arshavin RUS M 1.72 71 29-05-81 St. Petersburg Zenit St. Petersburg
24 Vito Mannone ITA G 1.94 73 02-03-88 Desio Atalanta
27 Emmanuel Eboué CIV D 1.78 72 04-06-83 Abidjan Beveren
28 Kieran Gibbs ENG M 1.78 64 26-09-89 Lambeth None
30 Armand Traoré FRA D 1.85 82 08-10-89 Paris Monaco
32 Fran Mérida ESP M 1.75 70 04-03-90 Barcelona Barcelona

CHELSEA
1 Petr Čech CZE G 1.96 90 20-05-82 Plzeň Rennes
2 Branislav Ivanović SRB D 1.82 78 22-02-84 Sremska Mitrovica Lokomotiv Moscow
3 Ashley Cole ENG D 1.72 67 20-12-80 Stepney Arsenal
5 Michael Essien GHA M 1.78 84 03-12-82 Accra Lyon
6 Ricardo Carvalho POR D 1.83 76 18-05-78 Amarante Porto
8 Frank Lampard ENG M 1.83 90 20-06-78 Romford West Ham U
10 Joe Cole ENG M 1.76 73 08-11-81 Camden West Ham U
11 Didier Drogba CIV F 1.89 91 11-03-78 Abidjan Marseille
12 Mikel John Obi NGA M 1.84 85 22-04-87 Jos Lyn
13 Michael Ballack GER M 1.88 85 26-09-76 Chemnitz Bayern Munich
15 Florent Malouda FRA M 1.81 73 13-06-80 Cayenne Lyon
17 José Bosingwa POR D 1.83 75 24-08-82 Kinshasa FC Porto
18 Yuriy Zhirkov RUS M 1.80 75 20-08-83 Tambov CSKA Moscow
19 Paulo Ferreira POR D 1.82 76 18-01-79 Lisbon FC Porto
20 Deco POR M 1.74 73 27-08-77 São Bernardo do Campo Barcelona
21 Salomon Kalou CIV F 1.84 77 05-08-85 Oumé Feyenoord
22 Ross Turnbull ENG G 1.93 85 04-01-85 Bishop Auckland Middlesbrough
23 Daniel Sturridge ENG F 1.88 76 01-09-89 Birmingham Manchester C
24 Nemanja Matić SRB M 1.94 82 01-08-88 Šabac MFK Košice
26 John Terry ENG D 1.86 91 07-12-80 Barking None
30 Rhys Taylor WAL G 1.88 85 07-04-90 Neath None
33 Alex BRA D 1.88 92 17-06-82 Niterói PSV Eindhoven
35 Belletti BRA D 1.79 74 20-06-76 Casacvel Barcelona
39 Nicolas Anelka FRA F 1.85 77 14-03-79 Versailles Bolton W
40 Hilário POR G 1.88 86 21-10-75 São Pedro da Cova Nacional [POR]

  CITY
1 Shay Given IRL G 1.88 84 24-04-76 Lifford Newcastle U
2 Micah Richards ENG D 1.80 83 24-06-88 Birmingham None
3 Wayne Bridge ENG D 1.79 81 05-08-80 Southampton Chelsea
4 Nedum Onuoha ENG D 1.83 78 30-11-86 Warri None
5 Pablo Zabaleta ARG D 1.74 74 16-01-85 Capital Federal Espanyol
6 Michael Johnson ENG M 1.83 79 24-02-88 Urmston None
7 Stephen Ireland IRL M 1.75 68 22-08-86 Cork None
8 Shaun Wright-Phillips ENG M 1.66 64 25-10-81 Greenwich Chelsea
10 Robinho BRA F 1.72 60 25-01-84 São Vicente Real Madrid
12 Stuart Taylor ENG G 1.96 86 28-11-80 Romford Aston Villa
14 Roque Santa Cruz PAR F 1.87 80 16-08-81 Asunción Blackburn R
15 Javier Garrido ESP D 1.78 75 15-03-85 Irún Real Sociedad
16 Sylvinho BRA D 1.73 66 12-04-74 São Paulo Barcelona
17 Martin Petrov BUL M 1.80 76 15-01-79 Vzatza Atlético Madrid
18 Gareth Barry ENG M 1.83 79 23-02-81 Hastings Aston Villa
19 Joleon Lescott ENG D 1.88 83 16-08-82 Birmingham Everton
25 Emmanuel Adebayor TOG F 1.91 75 26-02-84 Lomé Arsenal
27 Benjani Mwaruwari ZIM F 1.82 78 13-08-78 Bulawayo Portsmouth
28 Kolo Touré CIV D 1.83 76 19-03-81 Sokoura Bouaké Arsenal
31 Adam Clayton ENG F 1.75 75 14-01-89 Manchester None
32 Carlos Tévez ARG F 1.71 75 05-02-84 Ciudadela West Ham U
33 Vincent Kompany BEL D 1.91 91 10-04-86 Ukkel Hamburg
34 Nigel de Jong NED M 1.74 72 30-11-84 Amsterdam Hamburg
35 Scott Kay ENG M 18-09-89 Denton None
36 Javan Vidal ENG D 1.78 68 10-05-89 Manchester None
37 Gunnar Nielsen FRO G 1.91 89 07-10-86 Blackburn R
38 Reece Wabara ENG D 28-12-91 None
39 Craig Bellamy WAL F 1.75 69 13-01-79 Cardiff West Ham U
40 Vladimir Weiss SVK M 1.75 68 30-11-89

THE COMPETITION

BARCELONA
1 Víctor Valdés ESP G 1.83 78 14-01-82 Hospitalet de Llobregat Barcelona B
2 Daniel Alves BRA D 1.73 64 06-05-83 Juazeiro Sevilla
3 Gerard Piqué ESP D 1.92 85 02-02-87 Barcelona Manchester U
4 Rafael Márquez MEX D 1.82 74 13-02-79 Zamora Monaco
5 Carles Puyol ESP D 1.78 80 13-04-78 La Pobla de Segur Barcelona B
6 Xavi ESP M 1.70 68 25-01-80 Terrassa Barcelona B
8 Andrés Iniesta ESP M 1.70 65 11-05-84 Fuentealbilla Barcelona B
9 Zlatan Ibrahimović SWE F 1.92 84 03-10-81 Malmö Internazionale
10 Lionel Messi ARG M 1.69 67 24-06-87 Santa Fe Barcelona B
11 Bojan Krkić ESP F 1.70 65 28-08-90 Linyola Barcelona B
13 José Manuel Pinto ESP G 1.85 82 15-11-75 Puerto de Santa Maria Celta Vigo
14 Thierry Henry FRA F 1.88 83 17-08-77 Les Ulis Arsenal
15 Seydou Keita MLI M 1.83 77 16-01-80 Bamako Sevilla
16 Sergio Busquets ESP M 1.89 73 16-07-88 Sabadell Barcelona B
17 Pedro ESP F 1.69 64 28-07-87 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Barcelona B
18 Gabriel Milito ARG D 1.79 80 07-09-80 Bernal Zaragoza
19 Maxwell BRA D 1.75 73 27-08-81 Vila Velha Internazionale
21 Dmytro Chygrynskiy UKR D 1.90 81 07-11-86 Izyaslav Shakhtar Donetsk
22 Eric Abidal FRA D 1.86 75 11-07-79 Lyon Lyon
24 Yaya Touré CIV M 1.91 90 13-05-83 Sokoura Bouaké Monaco

REAL MADRID
1 Iker Casillas ESP G 1.85 79 20-05-81 Madrid Real Madrid B
2 Álvaro Arbeloa ESP D 1.83 76 17-01-83 Salamanca Liverpool
3 Pepe POR D 1.86 72 26-02-83 Maceió FC Porto
4 Sergio Ramos ESP D 1.83 73 30-03-86 Camas Sevilla
5 Fernando Gago ARG M 1.78 69 10-04-86 Ciudadela Boca Juniors
6 Mahamadou Diarra MLI M 1.83 76 18-05-81 Bamako Lyon
7 Raúl ESP F 1.80 68 27-06-77 Madrid Real Madrid B
8 Kaká BRA M 1.86 83 22-04-82 Brasília Milan
9 Cristiano Ronaldo POR F 1.86 75 05-02-85 Funchal Manchester U
10 Lassana Diarra FRA M 1.73 68 10-03-85 Paris Portsmouth
11 Karim Benzema FRA F 1.82 74 19-12-87 Lyon Lyon
12 Marcelo BRA D 1.74 73 12-05-88 Rio de Janeiro Fluminense
13 Jerzy Dudek POL G 1.87 78 23-03-73 Rybnik Liverpool
14 Guti ESP M 1.85 76 31-10-76 Madrid Real Madrid B
15 Royston Drenthe NED D 1.67 67 08-04-87 Rotterdam FeyenoorD
17 Ruud van Nistelrooy NED F 1.88 80 01-07-76 Geffen Manchester U
18 Raúl Albiol ESP D 1.87 74 04-09-85 Valencia Valencia
19 Ezequiel Garay ARG D 1.89 83 10-10-86 Rosario Racing Santander
20 Gonzalo Higuaín ARG F 1.84 75 10-12-87 Brest River Plate
21 Christoph Metzelder GER D 1.94 84 05-11-80 Halten Borussia Dortmund
22 Xabi Alonso ESP M 1.83 75 25-11-81 Tolosa Liverpool
23 Rafael van der Vaart NED M 1.75 74 11-02-83 Heemskerk Hamburg
24 Esteban Granero ESP M 1.79 77 02-07-87 Madrid Getafe

MILAN
1 Dida BRA G 1.95 85 07-10-73 Irarà Corinthian
4 Kakha Kaladze GEO D 1.86 76 27-02-78 Samtraedia Dynamo Kiev
5 Oguchi Onyewu USA D 1.92 91 13-05-82 Washington Standard Liège
7 Alexandre Pato BRA F 1.79 71 02-09-89 Pato Branco Internacional
8 Gennaro Gattuso ITA M 1.77 77 09-01-78 Corigliano Rangers
9 Filippo Inzaghi ITA F 1.81 74 09-08-73 Piacenza Juventus
10 Clarence Seedorf NED M 1.76 76 01-04-76 Paramaribo Internazionale
11 Klaas Jan Huntelaar NED F 1.86 80 12-08-83 Drempt Real Madrid
12 Christian Abbiati ITA G 1.91 92 08-07-77 Milan Monza
13 Alessandro Nesta ITA D 1.87 79 19-03-76 Rome Lazio
15 Gianluca Zambrotta ITA D 1.81 76 19-02-77 Como Barcelona
16 Mathieu Flamini FRA M 1.78 67 07-03-84 Marseille Arsenal
17 GianMarco Zigoni ITA F 1.88 80 10-05-91 Verona Treviso
18 Marek Jankulovski CZE D 1.83 82 09-05-77 Ostrava Udinese
19 Giuseppe Favalli ITA D 1.81 77 08-01-72 Orzinuovi Internazionale
20 Ignazio Abate ITA M 1.80 73 12-11-86 Sant'Agata De' Goti Torino
21 Andrea Pirlo ITA M 1.77 68 19-05-79 Brescia Internazionale
22 Marco Borriello ITA F 1.80 73 18-06-82 Naples Genoa
23 Massimo Ambrosini ITA M 1.82 72 29-05-77 Pesaro Cesen
25 Daniele Bonera ITA D 1.83 74 31-05-81 Brescia Parma
30 Marco Storari ITA G 1.87 76 07-01-77 Pisa Messina
31 Flavio Roma ITA G 1.92 89 21-06-74 Rome Monaco
33 Thiago Silva BRA D 1.83 79 22-09-84 Rio de Janeiro Fluminense
44 Massimo Oddo ITA D 1.82 76 14-06-76 Città Sant'Angelo Lazio
49 Davide Di Gennaro ITA F 1.80 72 16-06-88 Milan Genoa
50 Filippo Perucchini ITA G 06-10-91 Bergamo None
51 Rodney Strasser SLE M 30-03-90 Freetown None
58 Simone Verdi ITA F 12-07-92 Broni None
77 Luca Antonini ITA D 1.82 70 04-02-82 Milan Empoli
80 Ronaldinho BRA M 1.82 80 21-03-80 Porto Alegre Barcelona


INTER
1 Francesco Toldo ITA G 1.96 90 02-12-71 Padova Fiorentina
2 Iván Córdoba COL D 1.73 70 11-08-76 Medellín San Lorenzo
4 Javier Zanetti ARG D 1.78 75 10-08-73 Buenos Aires Banfield
5 Dejan Stanković SRB M 1.81 75 11-09-78 Belgrade Lazio
6 Lúcio BRA D 1.88 84 08-05-78 Brasília Bayern Munich
7 Ricardo Quaresma POR M 1.75 75 26-09-83 Lisbon FC Porto
8 Thiago Motta BRA M 1.88 77 28-08-82 São Bernardo do Campo Genoa
9 Samuel Eto'o CMR F 1.80 75 10-03-81 Nkon Barcelona
10 Wesley Sneijder NED M 1.70 67 09-06-84 Utrecht Real Madrid
11 Sulley Muntari GHA M 1.79 76 27-07-84 Accra Portsmouth
12 Júlio César BRA G 1.86 79 03-09-79 Rio de Janeiro Chievo Verona
13 Maicon BRA D 1.84 77 26-07-81 Criciúma Monaco
14 Patrick Vieira FRA M 1.92 82 23-06-76 Dakar Juventus
15 Rene Krhin SVN M 1.89 78 21-05-90 Maribor Maribor
18 David Suazo HON F 1.82 75 05-11-79 San Pedro Cagliari
19 Esteban Cambiasso ARG M 1.77 78 18-08-80 Buenos Aires Real Madrid
20 Joel Chukwuma Obi NGA M 22-05-91 Lagos None
21 Paolo Orlandoni ITA G 1.86 78 12-08-72 Bolzano Piacenza
22 Diego Milito ARG F 1.83 78 12-06-79 Bernal Genoa
23 Marco Materazzi ITA D 1.93 92 19-08-73 Lecce Perugia
25 Walter Samuel ARG D 1.83 83 23-03-78 Firmat Real Madrid
26 Christian Chivu ROU D 1.84 81 26-10-80 Reşiţa Roma
30 Mancini BRA M 1.83 82 01-08-80 Belo Horizonte Roma
39 Davide Santon ITA D 1.87 77 02-01-91 Portomaggiore None
45 Mario Balotelli ITA F 1.89 88 12-08-90 Palermo Lumezzane
46 Luca Caldirola ITA D 01-02-91 Desio None
47 Denis Alibec ROU F 1.87 77 05-01-91 Mangalia Farul Constanţa
48 Lorenzo Crisetig ITA M 20-01-93 Cividale Del Fruili None
49 Mattia Destro ITA F 20-03-91 Ascoli Piceno None
51 Vid Belec SVN G 06-06-90 Maribor Maribor
52 Antonio Esposito ITA D 05-09-90 Naples Spezia
53 Luca Tremolada ITA M 25-11-91 Milan None
54 Simone Dell'Agnello ITA F 12-04-92 Livorno None
55 Samuele Longo ITA F 12-01-92 Vidor None
56 Marek Kysela CZE D 10-07-92 Viktoria Plzeň
57 Sebastian Carlsen SWE M 09-01-91 Helsingborg Helsingborgs IF
58 Giulio Donati ITA D 05-02-90 Pietrasanta None
59 Andrea Romano' ITA M 23-07-93 Como None
60 Riccardo Cocuzza ITA M 27-01-93 Vizzolo Predabissi None
89 Marko Arnautović AUT F 1.92 83 19-04-89 Vienna FC Twente