Premiership greatest goals (Part 1)

THE FA Premier League is celebrating 20 years of sensational action, with many controversial moments, classic matches, title clinching deciders and transfers that shook the world.  However, there is always the debate of what is the greatest goal to have ever be scored in the Premier League.  Well, here is my selection of favourite goals in the world's greatest league and why I think they are special.

Matt Le Tissier - SOUTHAMPTON v Newcastle United (October 1993)

Matt Le Tissier had been dropped from the Southampton side after being accused of acting 'lazy' by unpopular Saints boss Ian Branfoot.  Here is Le Tiss's response against newly promoted Newcastle and for me, it is one of the best individual goals in the 20 year history.  The finish might not have been the cleanest, but the execution was stunning.

Wayne Rooney - MANCHESTER UNITED v Manchester City (February 2011)

I'm never going to be a big fan of Wayne Rooney, but he does produce moments of unbelievable skill and his goal in February to win the Manchester derby at Old Trafford was deserving of any goal to win such a crucial match.  The ability to produce what he did is something that not many players in the world can achieve.  As Martin Tyler said in his commentary, this goal defies description, so just sit back and watch.

Paolo Di Canio - WEST HAM UNITED v Wimbledon (March 2000)

If I was choosing the greatest goal in Premiership history, it would be this sensational strike from Paolo di Canio infront of the Sky cameras.  As ever with the Hammers, there was some lovely build-up involving Trevor Sinclair and Marc-Vivien Foe, but Di Canio stole the show, by leaping off the ground with both feet and striking the ball in mid-air which left Neil Sullivan grasping for thin air.  This was genius at work.

Robert Pires - Aston Villa v ARSENAL (March 2002)

Robert Pires seemed to have a ridiculous ability of scoring 20 goals a season from midfield and he was the perfect foil for Thierry Henry.  On a damp afternoon at Villa Park, he showed cheek in lobbing the great Peter Schmeichel with a piece of sublime skill.  No wonder why Arsenal won the double this season, when you take a look at this finish.

Eric Cantona - MANCHESTER UNITED v Sunderland (December 1996)

Eric 'King' Cantona was one of my favourite ever foreign players to play in the Premiership and I always felt he retired far too soon from The Beautiful Game.  This goal against Sunderland not only completed a 5-0 rout, but the celebration of him just standing there, seeming to indicate; 'See if you can do better!' just summed up Cantona.  A true Premiership foreign great and the finest player for me to have worn United's coveted No.7 jersey.

Cesc Fabregas - ARSENAL v Tottenham Hotspur (October 2009)

There was a time when Arsenal were actually the leading lights in North London.  Tottenham had been improving under Harry Redknapp, but they were left shell-shocked in this derby by two quick-fire goals from the Gunners.  Robin van Persie put Arsenal infront, before Cesc Fabregas went on a brilliant mazy run and finished impeccably past Hereulho Gomes.  One of the finest solo strikes you will ever see.  (Both goals on the embedded video)

Tony Yeboah - LEEDS UNITED v Liverpool (August 1995)

Ghana's first star in the Premiership was Tony Yeboah.  He arrived at Elland Road in January 1995 and left Leeds fans with some great memories in his two years at the club.  The pick of his goals was this sensational volley at home to Liverpool.  The connection with the ball is so sweet, no goalkeeper in the world would save it.

Claus Jensen - Arsenal v CHARLTON ATHLETIC (November 2001)

In one of the biggest shock results of Premiership history, Charlton came to Highbury and beat Arsenal 4-2.  Claus Jensen was an enigmatic player, who never really fulfilled his talent, but this is what the Dane could do and he did it in style, robbing Patrick Vieria of possession, then chipping Richard Wright from a tricky angle.  This was a special goal on a special day for the Addicks.

Maynor Figueroa - Stoke City v WIGAN ATHLETIC (December 2009)

Some might say that Thomas Sorensen shouldn't have been caught out, but I think this was a brilliant piece of vision from Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa.  For him to even try something like this is fantastic and he got the right result.  No luck in this, just supreme vision and great accuracy from so far out and a deserved winner of Goal of the Season in 2009/10.

Danny Rose - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v Arsenal (April 2010)

Quite possibly the best ever goal to be scored in a North London derby?  What an introduction into the first-team for talented youngster Danny Rose, with a strike that he will always be remembered for, no matter what he does for the rest of his career.

Stan Collymore - BRADFORD CITY v Leeds United (October 2000)

The career of Stan Collymore was controversial to say the least.  His best time came at Liverpool, but he rolled back the years on his debut for Bradford City, with a glorious overhead kick against Yorkshire rivals, Leeds.  It was only a brief spell at Valley Parade, but Stan the Man had made his contribution to the Bantams relegation battle.

Barry Horne - EVERTON v Wimbledon (May 1994)

Everton badly needed a hero as they desperately tried to cling onto Premiership status in 1993/94.  They were trailing 2-1 to Wimbledon, when Barry Horne became their unlikely saviour with this rasping drive.  Graham Stuart went on to score the winner and Toffees avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth.  Not a famous goal in the Premier League archives, but a very important goal on the Blue half of Merseyside.

Dallian Atkinson - Wimbledon v ASTON VILLA (October 1992)

In the first season of the FA Premier League, Aston Villa were serious title contenders.  Dallian Atkinson scored the pick of their goals in the inagural campaign, including this breathtaking run and delicious finish at Selhurst Park.  His career stalled after leaving Villa, but in those days, Atkinson could come up with some great predatory finishes.

Stan Collymore - NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Wimbledon (October 1994)

Here's that man again; Stan Collymore with a tremendous run from the halfway line and given all the time in the world by the Wimbledon players, punishes them with a great shot.  This goal was Sky Sports goal of the season in 94/95 and it highlighted the huge talent that Collymore had available to him, which sadly he never really built on.

Cristiano Ronaldo - MANCHESTER UNITED v Portsmouth (January 2008)

Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world, until a certain Lionel Messi came along and his ability to strike a ball from a free-kick is world class.  This is his best example, against Portsmouth, in quite amazing fashion.  David James just had to stand, admire and so did the whole of Old Trafford.

So, that's part one of the greatest goals to have been scored in 20 years of the FA Premier League, but if your favourite isn't here, then don't worry just yet.  I will be doing two more blogs, sharing my favourite selection of 'good goals.'

FA Barclays Premiership Round-up (1st - 2nd February)

MORE engrossing action took place in midweek from the Barclays Premiership, as the competition settled back into some form of continuity, following the craziness of deadline day on Monday.  Here is a quick round-up;

POWER: Wayne Rooney looked back to his best in midweek

Manchester United maintained their unbeaten record, as they recorded a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.  It took the pacesetters just 49 seconds to score the opener, as Wayne Rooney smashed home his first home goal since August.  United doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Rooney tucked in his second goal; his first brace since March 2010.  A typical Darren Bent goal bought Gerard Houiller’s side briefly bought Villa back into it, but their hope only lasted five minutes, as Nemanja Vidic killed the game off with a finish that Rooney would have been proud of.  Had it not been for Brad Friedel, the scorelines could have been even more emphatic.

Arsenal came from behind against Everton to win 2-1 at the Emirates and keep their title hopes alive.  On a controversial night, which ended with David Moyes accusing Cesc Fabregas of meeting the referee in the half-time interval, the Gunners showed real character to overcome a gritty Everton unit.  Louis Saha’s recent revival continued as he fortuitously put the Toffees infront midway through the first half.  He was in an offside position, when he latched onto Seamus Coleman’s pass.  Arsenal got on terms with twenty minutes to spare.  Fabregas’s clipped ball flicked off Jack Rodwell and was vaulted in by the woefully out-of-form Andrei Arshavin.  Four minutes later, an unmarked Laurent Koscieny met Robin Van Persie’s corner to head home his first Premiership goal and consign Everton to another defeat.  They now haven’t won at Arsenal since January 1996.

Chelsea are beginning to return to their best after their winter wobble, highlighted by an excellent 4-2 win at Sunderland.  The Black Cats were ahead inside of four minutes, as Phil Bardsley ghosted past an invincible John Obi Mikel and left Petr Cech with no chance.  The left-back second goal in a month was cancelled out by a Frank Lampard penalty and Salomon Kalou’s first goal in the league since November.  A third goal in two games for Kieran Richardson has the game tied at 2-2 with just 25 minutes gone.  It was all Chelsea though after the interval and they gradually pulled away from their opponents.  Craig Gordon produced a brilliant save to deny Lampard, but the Scottish international could do nothing about the follow-up from John Terry on the hour mark.  In time added on, the impressive Nicolas Anelka put the seal on a fantastic away performance, to move Chelsea to within two points of third placed Manchester City.

City dropped more points, this time away to Carling Cup finalists Birmingham City.  The home side were behind early on, when top scorer Carlos Tevez scrambled home an opener, which Ben Foster probably could have done better dealing with.  Nikola Zigic turned home from close range for Birmingham midway through the first half, only for a beautifully flighted free-kick from Aleksandar Kolarov to restore the visitors lead.  Birmingham have only won one of their last eight Premiership matches, but showed great character and deserved their point.  Kevin Phillips was pushed over in the penalty area by Patrick Vieira, allowing Craig Gardner to smash home the penalty and earn a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw.

DREAM: Luis Suarez is off and running at Anfield

Liverpool began life after Fernando Torres with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Stoke City at Anfield, their third successive league win.  After a frustrating first half, it took Liverpool less than two minutes into the restart to grab the lead.  Steven Gerrard’s free-kick was deflected into the path of Raul Meireles, who scored his third goal in four matches, finally starting to justify his massive price tag.  The moment Liverpool fans wanted came with 11 minutes to go, as Luis Suarez scored his first goal for the club, having come off the bench.  He rounded Asmir Begovic and after scuffing his shot horribly, it needed help from Andy Wilkinson to cross the line.  He will score prettier goals, but at least the Uruguayan is off and running as the Reds new No.7.

DEBUT: It was a dream start to Robbie Keane's new life at West Ham

At the bottom of the table, West Ham United moved off the foot of the table, courtesy of a 3-1 win at Bloomfield Road over Blackpool.  Robbie Keane scored on his debut for the Hammers and could turn out to be a very valuable signing for Avram Grant.  Wolves replace West Ham at the bottom, after suffering another morale-crushing loss, this time 1-0 at Bolton.  The winner came in the 90^th minute, from another deadline day signing, Daniel Sturridge; acquired from Chelsea on loan until the end of the campaign.  An entertaining 2-2 draw on Tuesday night did little to help West Brom or Wigan Athletic in their quest to move out of the danger zone, but one club going in the right direction is Fulham.  Damien Duff scored the solitary goal of a tight and dire match at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening to beat his former employers, Newcastle United.  To round-off the midweek action, Tottenham earnt their first win since New Year’s Day.  Peter Crouch’s fine first half header was good enough to beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. 

More weekend matches on the way, including Chelsea v Liverpool, West Ham v Birmingham and Newcastle United v Arsenal.  However, can anyone stop Manchester United?  On current form, it’s a tough ask.

FA Cup 4th round review - Crawley continue their stunning run

Non-league Crawley Town took the main plaudits after another pulsating weekend of FA Cup action and now, have a dream tie at Old Trafford as a major reward.

HISTORY: Crawley are the first since 1994 to reach the last 16

The Blue Square Premier side, conquerors of Swindon Town and Derby County in earlier rounds, took their third league scalp of the competition in the form of Torquay United.  The League Two side were beaten 1-0 at Plainmoor, with the only goal coming from Matt Tubbs, his 25^th goal of a prolific season.  Some of Crawley’s playacting wasn’t welcomed by the opposition, with two red cards and the non-league side also seeing two penalties being saved by the experienced Scott Bevan.  Nevertheless, they deserve their day out at Manchester United in round five, becoming the first non-league side since Kidderminster Harriers in 1994 to reach the last 16.

Manchester United got to round five after another efficient if unconvincing performance, this time at Southampton.  Sir Alex Ferguson had to bring Nani and Ryan Giggs on to turnaround a match that they looked destined to lose, once Richard Chaplow had fired the Saints into a lead on the stroke of half-time.  Once they had width available, the Premiership leaders were on top for large parts of the second half, with Michael Owen equalising and poacher Javier Hernandez snatching another goal from Giggs cute pass, sealing a 2-1 victory.  If the Mexican continues his rich vein of form, Wayne Rooney will be getting concerned about his place as a permanent fixture in the Manchester United starting 11. 

Crawley weren’t the only side to do some giantklling at the weekend, as both Leyton Orient and Brighton dumped out Championship opposition away from home.  Orient put in an incredible performance at Championship promotion contenders Swansea City, and ended up on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline.  They needed some luck, courtesy of an 88^th minute own goal from the Swans skipper Alan Tate.  You had to feel for Tate; it was the perfect own goal, which he probably couldn’t execute any better if he had done it another 90 times!  Brighton, League One leaders went to high-flying Watford and won 1-0.  Like Orient, they needed some fortune.  Ashley Barnes’s 14^th minute winner was a tame effort, which Watford goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin let through his fingers like a bar of soap!  Even Peter Enckleman could have saved Barnes’s shot, it was that bad!

Leyton Orient will now encounter a London derby against Arsenal in the next round.  Once again, the Gunners needed a late Cesc Fabregas penalty to keep them alive.  This time, it was enough to see off a brave Huddersfield Town challenge, 2-1 at the Emirates.  Nicolas Bendtner broke the deadlock, but once Sebastian Squillaci was sent off, Arsenal looked on the backfoot throughout.  Alan Lee equalised for Huddersfield, but Fabregas broke their hearts and keeps Arsene Wenger’s side fighting in all four competitions.  

THRASHING: Fulham crushed Spurs, with Danny Murphy on target twice

At least they didn’t crumble like North London rivals Tottenham.  Spurs put in a defensive display of such inepitutde, it will put smiles on the faces of their next Champions League opponents, AC Milan in a fortnight’s time.  Tottenham lost 4-0 at Fulham; Danny Murphy scoring two penalties against his former side.  Michael Dawson made two rare errors and got sent off for the second mistake, whilst Sebastian Bassong and William Gallas looked disorganised and disjointed throughout; terrorised by the power of Moussa Dembele.  Dembele completed the rout before half-time and the dejection could be written all over Harry Redknapp’s face.

RESCUE: Edin Dzeko's first goal saved Man City at Notts County

Another high-profile side that struggled was Manchester City.  Roberto Mancini’s millionaires struggled to a 1-1 draw at the oldest club in the Football League, Notts County.  For the likes of David Silva, it must be seen as a nightmare to play at Meadow Lane, when it was Soccer City in Johannesburg last summer.  Neil Bishop headed County infront with an hour gone, and Paul Ince’s side got within ten minutes of an upset, before £27million January signing Edin Dzeko spared City’s blushes, with a priceless equaliser.  Notts County showed great commitment throughout and deserve their second bite at the cherry.  Cup holders Chelsea also have to play again, scrapping to a 1-1 draw in Merseyside against Everton.  Louis Saha took advantage of some slack marking by John Terry to head the Toffees infront, just as he did in the 2009 final between these two sides.  Carlo Ancelotti turned to Salomon Kalou to rescue a replay.  The Ivorian scoring just three minutes after coming off the substitute’s bench.  Ramires hit the post in the dying stages, but a draw was the fair result.

Coventry City may not have won in eight Championship matches, but they came mighty close to upsetting Carling Cup finalists Birmingham City.  Having been 2-0 up in 25 minutes, through Marlon King and Richard Wood, Aidy Boothroyd will be disappointed to have not forced the Premiership side at least back to the Ricoh Arena.  David Bentley scored a stunner before half-time, and in the second half, Birmingham had recovered from their hangover, with the pesky Kevin Phillips scoring the winner in a 3-2 victory.  Nottingham Forest also came close, but not quite good enough.  They were defeated 3-2 at West Ham; Nigerian Victor Obinha scoring a hat-trick.  Elsewhere, Reading won a bruising match at Stevenage Borough, coming through 2-1; Shane Long scoring an 87^th minute winner and Stoke City won 1-0 at Wolves, through the head of lanky German defender Robert Huth.  The Potters can have Thomas Sorensen to thank though, for saving a stoppage time penalty from Nenad Mijias. 

Nineteen teams remain, with three replays required.  Wembley is getting ever closer in the 2010/11 FA Cup sponsored by Eon, and Crawley Town can see it as; ‘We’re only 2 games away!’  Well done to them, they deserve all the plaudits as the romance of the cup continues to inspire us all.

Premiership festive football round-up

THE festive football period has bought its usual share of drama, controversy and spectacular action that is simply loved by passionate football fans in the Barclays Premiership.  Despite the best efforts of the weather, most of the matches went ahead, which saw the tussle at both ends of the table tighten up even more.

SOLE: Danny Wellbeck's goal beat Bolton on December 18

The final weekend before Christmas saw matches blighted and wiped out by the Big Freeze.  Just three out of the scheduled ten matches beat the weather, with Chelsea v Manchester United being the biggest casualty.  On Saturday December 18, Sunderland went up into sixth spot, with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers.  Danny Wellbeck scored the solitary goal and Craig Gordon pulled off several spectacular stop to deny the visitors.  Steve Kean’s first match in charge of Blackburn Rovers saw his side struggle to a 1-1 draw with bottom side West Ham United.  Despite Junior Stanislas late equaliser, the Hammers remained bottom of the league on Christmas Day, meaning that with regular patterns, they were written off by most experts and bookmakers.  Two nights later, Manchester City missed their chance to go top, slipping to a 2-1 loss against Everton.  The Toffees came to Eastlands with an excellent record in previous years and goals from Tim Cahill and Leighton Baines in the first twenty minutes helped them to a fourth successive victory over Mancini’s men.  Victor Anichebe and Kolo Toure both saw red in the second half.

HOLY: Fabregas looks to the skies, as he fires Arsenal to glory

Blackpool v Liverpool and Everton v Birmingham City fell by the wayside on Boxing Day, but the pick of the fixtures was Arsenal v Chelsea on Monday December 27.  Chelsea’s worst run in the Premiership for a decade continued at the Emirates, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side producing a limp attacking display and diabolical defending display, to lose 3-1 to their bitter London rivals.  West Ham climbed off the bottom of the table, producing a stirring 3-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day.  Carlton Cole scored twice, his first brace ever in the Premier League.  That loss dropped Fulham into the relegation zone, replacing Wigan Athletic, who won the other six pointer clash with Wolves, 2-1 at Molineux.  Two horrible defensive misjudgements in the first ten minutes allowed Manchester City a comfortable 3-1 success at Newcastle United, while Tottenham kept the pressure up; Rafael van der Vaart’s double saw Spurs winning 2-1 at Aston Villa, despite playing for more than an hour with ten men after Jermain Defoe saw red for elbowing James Collins.

LATE: Lee Bowyer rescued a last-gasp draw for Birmingham

Two nights later, a controversial equaliser from Lee Bowyer earnt Birmingham City a priceless 1-1 draw with league leaders Manchester United.  Bowyer could have been penalised for a possible offside call, whilst Nikola Zigic looked to have handled and fouled Nemanja Vidic in the build-up to the goal.  Manchester City went level on points with United, hammering lifeless Aston Villa 4-0; Mario Balotelli hitting a hat-trick, although two of these strikes came through penalties.  The pressure intensified on Roy Hodgson after Liverpool crashed to a shock 1-0 loss at home to bottom side Wolves.  Despite earning another hard-fought point, 1-1 at home to Everton, West Ham sank to the bottom of the table again.  Arsenal missed the chance to hang onto the coattails of the two Manchester sides, drawing 2-2 at Wigan Athletic.  Arsene Wenger’s decision to make eight changes from the Chelsea game badly backfired on him.  Blackpool’s first match in sixteen days ended with a rewarding 2-0 triumph at Sunderland and lifting the incredible Tangerines into the top eight.

TIME: Joe Cole bought Roy Hodgson some much-needed time

On New Year’s weekend, Joe Cole scored his first Premiership goal for Liverpool, as they showed real fight and charisma to overcome Bolton 2-1 at Anfield, and lift some of the major pressure that had been placed on the beleaguered Hodgson.  Manchester United won 2-1 at West Brom to stay top; but lucky to survive not going down to ten men at the Hawthorns, when Gary Neville chopped down Graham Dorrans when the Scot was in on goal.  Wayne Rooney scored the opener, his first goal in open play this season.  For Chelsea, their struggles continued, after they were held to a 3-3 draw by Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.  Villa led 2-1 with eight minutes to go, but late strikes from Didier Drogba and Captain John Terry looked to have got the West London side’s season back on track.  However, a stoppage time equaliser from Ciaran Clark rescued a point for the Villains, and left Ancelotti fuming.  A solitary Adam Johnson goal beat brave Blackpool at the City of Manchester stadium and another strike from the outstanding Gareth Bale helped Tottenham to a 1-0 triumph over Fulham.  The main winners of the festive season were West Ham, who beat Wolves 2-0 at Upton Park to climb out of the bottom three for the first time this season.

So, there is a brief lookback at the festive action and there’s more this midweek.  Who will win the league and who will go down?  At this stage, no-one knows.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 - Mixed Fortunes for English Clubs

Europe’s premier club competition made its annual return this week, with mixed fortunes for the English clubs, though the gulfing class between Europe’s best and the minnows was still in full evidence for everyone to see.

Tottenham Hotspur made their bow, with a thrilling draw in Germany against Werder Bremen, though they will be disappointed to have thrown away a 2-0 lead.  It was a dream first twenty minutes for Harry Redknapp’s side, who charged infront courtesy of a Petri Pasanen own goal, and a fantastic header from Peter Crouch.  Spurs were giving their more established opponents the run-around on their own pitch.  Sadly for them, the momentum swiftly turned once Hugo Almeida headed Bremen back into the match two minutes before half-time.  In the second half, Marko Marin quickly bought the game level, and despite Crouch missing a great chance late on, Tottenham clung onto their precious point at the end.

Tuesday was also a flat night for Manchester United, as they were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Scottish champions Rangers at Old Trafford.  Sir Alex Ferguson made ten changes for this match, with his focus clearly on Liverpool’s Premiership visit at the weekend.  His gamble backfired, as his side misfired badly.  Long-range efforts from youngster Darren Gibson were the order of the night, as Rangers very negative tactics took any form of class out of the game.  Wayne Rooney made his first club appearance since the revelations about his private life had been exposed in the newspapers, and he was left a forlorn figure throughout.  A dismal night for the 2008 winners was compounded by a horror injury to Antonio Valencia.  Valencia’s ankle buckled underneath the Old Trafford turf whilst competing for possession with Kirk Broadfoot.  The instant reaction for his fellow professionals could tell that the Ecuadorian winger was in agony, with Sky television refusing to show any replays of the unfortunate incident.  Valencia has been diagnosed with a broken ankle, and is likely to be out of action until February at the earliest.

Whilst Tuesday was a frustrating night for the English clubs, Wednesday’s action was seamless.  Arsenal crushed Sporting Braga 6-0 at the Emirates; with another vintage performance from Arsene Wenger’s chargers that rolled back the years.  Cesc Fabregas was fantastic all evening, scoring twice and unlucky not to score his first professional hat-trick.  Carlos Vela came off the bench to score a late double, and there were also strikes from Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh.  Having beaten Celtic and Sevilla in qualification for the group stages, Braga were desperately poor and folded once Chamakh had made it 3-0 after half an hour.  Consequently, although Arsenal’s performance was magnificent, it will be difficult to judge their potential this season until they meet a far better opponent.

Chelsea continued their goal scoring spree in Slovakia, winning 4-1 against MSK Zilina, making their debut in the Champions League.  The match as a contest was over inside half an hour, with the Blues 3-0 up, through Michael Essien and a Nicholas Anelka double.  After the break, they relaxed a fraction and Zilina deserved their goal for effort and commitment.  Daniel Sturridge scored his first goal in Europe for Chelsea, and with a side missing Frank Lampard to injury and Didier Drogba due to suspension, this is was a signal of intent from the West London side.

Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona fell a goal behind, but showed their pedigree, with a 5-1 demolition of Panathinaikos in the Nou Camp.  Defending champions Inter Milan stuttered to a 2-2 draw in Holland, against Dutch champions FC Twente.  Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid got off to a winning start in Group G, beating Ajax 2-0 in the Bernabeau, courtesy of a double from Gonzalo Higuain.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals in AC Milan’s 2-0 success against Auxerre of France, and German World Cup stars Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose both netted in Bayern Munich’s convincing 2-0 triumph over AS Roma in Germany.

After the first set of games, the jury is out on some and there is still a long way to go, before anyone can predict the finalists at Wembley in May 2011.  However, do expect the usual suspects from Spain, Italy and England to be in the reckoning in the latter stages of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League.

FA Barclays Premier League Preview 2010-11

Two days to go now until Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City get the ball rolling on the 2010/11 FA Barclays Premier League campaign, which could turn out to be the most compelling and competitive seasons in the league’s history.  Here is a brief round-up of what we can expect between now and the end of May.

The Leading Contenders

Chelsea won the double last season and starts the season as the favourites with most pundits and bookmakers.  Carlo Ancelotti has stuck with the same formula from last season, with the exception of acquiring Ramires and Yossi Benayoun.  The squad may be ageing considerably, despite getting rid of the likes of Deco, Belletti and Ballack.  I can’t see them being a main force in the Champions League, but they remain the best domestic side on paper, so don’t be too surprised if they become the team to beat.  Sir Alex Ferguson will be desperate to bring the title back to Manchester United.  Their impressive performance at Wembley last week in the FA Community Shield will have raised a few eyebrows.  United have a nice blend of experience and youth, which could see them become England’s most successful club for league titles this season.  Much will depend on the form of Wayne Rooney.  Can he bounce back from his miserable summer?  He should be supported really well by a formidable attack line of Nani, Ryan Giggs, Antonio Valencia, the returning Michael Owen and new signing Javier Hernandez, who could turn out to be a real surprise package.  They certainly have all the ingredients to snatch the Premiership back from West London.

The Challengers

Much will be expected of Manchester City this time around, so the pressure will be on Roberto Mancini from the word go.  He has spent £77million in the summer, desperate to end a very lean period of no silverware at Eastlands.  David Silva, Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov are the latest on the payroll and it will be interesting to see how Mancini can keep the squad all happy, especially with the new squad regulations for the Premiership.  The top four is a minimum requirement.  Arsenal need to show the real guile and spirit this season, otherwise it could be another frustrating season for the North London fans.  Arsene Wenger must get the best out of his youngsters and no excuses can be made now, especially as it has been six long years since any silverware made the Emirates trophy cabinet.  It has been a distracting summer for the Gunners, as Cesc Fabregas has dithered over his future.  Not the best preparation then, but if Marouane Chamakh can smash in the goals like Ian Wright and Thierry Henry used to, then Arsenal can never be discounted.  Liverpool had an awful time last season, and Rafa Benitez paid the price with his job.  This is Roy Hodgson’s big chance, as he finally gets a deserved shot at the big time.  Joe Cole’s signing is quality, especially on a free, as is the signature of hard-working Dane Christian Poulsen.  Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have committed their future and the boardroom struggle could also be coming to a swift conclusion too.  The Reds are still probably slightly short of a title challenge, but they should be in the mix a bit more this season.  Their Merseyside rivals Everton have barely spent, but don’t have the injuries that crippled the beginning of last season for David Moyes side.  It will be interesting to see Jermaine Beckford perform at the top level, and with the likes of Louis Saha, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman, Yakubu, Maroualine Fellani and Mikel Arteta around to back him up, Everton could turn out to be a very formidable opponent this season.  Tottenham may have finished 4^th last season and deservedly so, but Harry Redknapp has really struggled to use his position of Champions League football to acquire new blood in the transfer market.  Although Tottenham are still a very dangerous side and can beat anyone on their day, I don’t see them being a title contender, as they still lack the modern consistency needed for a proper title tilt.  Aston Villa has been rocked by Martin O’Neill having walked out on the club just five days before the start of the campaign.  There is a lot of uncertainly around at Villa Park at the moment, they need a new manager and fast. 

Surprise Packages

If anyone can break into the European places, don’t look much further than UEFA Europa League finalists Fulham.  Mark Hughes has a chairman who loves him, the funds to splash and a managerial reputation to restore.  Fulham are serious dark horses to break into the top seven.  Birmingham City was a revelation last season and despite being very quiet in the summer, Nikola Zigic will cause fear and tremors through Premier League defenders, due to his towering height.  If Zigic can provide the cutting edge that Alex McLeish missed last season, then Birmingham could become the best of the Midlands sides.  This is Steve Bruce’s second season at Sunderland and improvements are required, as the Black Cats have underachieved massively for far too long.  They need support for Darren Bent in the goal scoring department to move up the order significantly, but should be luckier than they were last season with injuries.  Both Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City have solid sides, without many world-class players, but have lots of team spirit in abundance.  Both need major improvements in diabolical away records to reach the next level.  With Avram Grant onboard and a more settled approach from David Gold and David Sullivan, West Ham United must improve on last year’s narrow miss with relegation.  They should do so, with Grant having pulled off some impressive captures in the transfer market over the summer.

Relegation Candidates

Blackpool surprised everyone with their shock promotion last season.  Ian Holloway deserves a shot at the big time, but the club have not strengthened at all of note, and could be in for a very tough struggle at the basement of the Premier League.  West Brom returns to the top flight and is the biggest yo-yo club around.  Like Blackpool, they haven’t spent much and are relying on the side that got promoted last season, which I think shows some real naivety from Roberto di Matteo.  Their Black Country neighbours Wolves have added Steven Fletcher to their strike ranks and did well to beat the drop last season, but it could be tougher for Mick McCarthy this time around.  Unless they manage to shore up the leaky defensive that shipped a bunch of goals last campaign, it could also be a very tedious and frustrating campaign for Wigan Athletic.  I would expect these four to fight it out for the relegation places, though Bolton Wanderers & Newcastle United could also be in the shake-up at the wrong end of the table come the end of the season.  

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final, 1st Leg Review - Injuries Harm The English

The final eight of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League all put in valuable performances and gave good accounts of them.  The first legs were full of stories of anguish, style and what might have been.  For the English clubs, it was a week full of mixed emotions and though, both are still in the game, injuries to their red-hot key men could have the final ultimate say in their future participation this year in European competition.

For at least forty-eight hours, the hearts of Manchester United, England and Fabio Capello must have been racing, when Wayne Rooney hobbled off in the Allianz Area, then was spotted outside the United team hotel on crutches.  Had England’s World Cup dreams dies with this latest injury trauma?  Fortunately, scans revealed the good news, minor ligament damage which meant all Three Lions fans could breathe a huge sigh of relief.  For United though, the prognosis is not so good and a three week lay-off means we may not see Rooney in Europe until the final in Madrid, should United get there.  That’s a big ‘should,’ as Manchester United’s night in Munich turned into a nightmare.  Rooney scored a very early goal, cancelled out by a deflected Franck Ribery free-kick.  Then, Bayern got ultimate revenge for the 1999 final, by scoring a deserving injury-time winner through Croatian Ivica Olic.  Olic fully capitalized on a rare error from the consistent Patrice Evra, which pretty much summed up the evening for Sir Alex Ferguson.  They do remain favourites for the return at Old Trafford this Wednesday, but any mistakes will be punished, which could lead to a surprising exit.

For sixty-five minutes, Arsenal had been given a football lesson at the Emirates by the masters from Barcelona.  It was like men versus boys and had Manuel Almunia not produced an inspired first-half showing, the game would have been out of reach.  Less than thirty seconds into the restart though, Zlatan Ibrahimovic proved all of his doubters wrong with a delicious lob over the advancing Almunia, then powered home a second before the hour mark.  It looked like curtains for the Gunners, until an inspired move by Arsene Wenger.  Theo Walcott was thrown on and he changed the game in an instant, causing the Catalan defence some horrendous issues.  He scored straightaway from his introduction, then played a part in the debatable penalty won by Cesc Fabregas, which saw Carlos Puyol dismissed.  Fabregas smashed home the spot kick, to complete the comeback, his last action this season, after scans on Thursday confirmed a broken leg.  This is a hammer blow for the return as far as Arsenal is concerned, especially with William Gallas and Andrei Arshavin also facing long injury lay-offs.  However, they have given Barcelona enough to worry about for the rerun of the beautiful game this Tuesday.

Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho remains still on target for their ultimate aim, after trouncing CSKA Moscow at the San Siro.  However, they only managed to net one goal, through Diego Milito in the first game and with a tricky assignment in Moscow; a 1-0 advantage looks very risky indeed.  So, must morale in the Inter dressing room after Mourinho’s pre-match comments claiming he hates Italian football.  Finally, in the all-French tie, Lyon benefited from some dodgy decisions and cataclysmic Bordeaux defending to take a 3-1 lead back for the second leg.  However, like CSKA, Bordeaux will still feel they have a chance in this tie, although it is now a hard road from here.

All four ties remain in the balance then for this week’s second legs.  The question will be how well can the English cope without the loss of their key players, Rooney and Fabregas.