The Kids Are Alright? The Kids Are Bloody Superb!

United placed a starting 11 out with an average of 23 against Tottenham and this same team then demolished Arsenal. The team included 4 up and coming English players in the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck. If you also include in that list Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney, the future for not only Man United, but for England, looks very promising.

Phil Jones had the composure, power and strength to make it seem like he had been at United for years. Apart from one tackle on Gareth Bale in the first half against Tottenham which could have led to a dangerous free-kick (that the referee missed), his game was flawless, pair this with a dominating display against Arsenal and he has merited his call up to the England senior side. To have such a young defender playing alongside another youngster in Jonny Evans was a bold strategy in both games. Defoe and Van Persie may not be brutally strong but both have a degree of pace and can be labelled as top strikers. The good news for United is that neither centre back looked out of place in the first team and marshalled the attacking threat levelled at them.

Evans has bulked up and worked on the physical side of his game and this showed against Spurs more so than Arsenal - although it will be interesting to see what he will be like against stronger opponents such as Drogba and Kevin Davies. The downside to Evans’ game is the lack of pace he has shown, he was at fault for Arsenals penalty, but then not many centre backs can read what Theo Walcott will do as he is running, let alone keep up with him. But if he is either played next to a pacey centre back or can adjust his positioning skills to cover the lack of pace he’ll be at United for many years to come.

Phil Jones strikes me as a centre back that comes as a complete package. He seems as if he could handle the biggest of centre forwards, he can pass, he can bring the ball out from the back and most importantly he can tackle. In my eyes, he should warrant a place in the starting eleven, even if Rio is fit to play. Rio will have to work very hard in training to get his place back.

Another youngster who has shown he has the tenacity and commitment to play for United is Chris Smalling. Having been thrust into the first team last year due to injuries and suspensions, Smalling took his opportunity with both hands and has never really let go. He has the composure of a centre midfielder and the passing range of one too, and even better for United, he has shown the willingness to run up and down the right flank to support Nani or Ashley Young. He has delivered good crosses from deep and has shown that he is a very capable right back in terms of attacking and defending.

Danny Welbeck was unfortunate to pick up a hamstring injury in the Arsenal game, but it looks like he has matured into a very good, athletic and intelligent centre forward. His touch is superb and his heading ability has come on leaps and bounds since the last time I saw him in a United shirt. I will be brutally honest about myself and predicted him to be a bit part player that wouldn’t warrant a starting place – how wrong I was. I hope that he can recover from his injury relatively quickly a challenge for that starting spot again.

Another player that I predicted to do not-a-lot for United this season was Tom Cleverley. In my pre-season review, I was adamant (like most) that United needed an attacking creative midfielder. But, with the emergence of Tom Cleverley, and Anderson finally showing what he can do there is a huge amount of creativity coming from the United midfield. Tom Cleverley appears to have been given huge faith by Alex Ferguson and is given a licence to roam with Anderson picking up the pieces – although saying this, Cleverley has shown he is not afraid to put his body in the way and make some good tackles. Hopefully this midfield partnership will blossom in the upcoming games and Park, Carrick and Giggs will have to be used to being impact subs.

Of course, it is always easy to get carried away with the club you support especially when you see youth players coming through the system such as Cleverley, Evans and Welbeck. But, the future is bright for this generation and the fact they have so many years ahead of them, it will take a lot to destroy the self-belief and confidence they have in themselves and are gaining with every game they play.

Dave

One week left and these players have to move clubs

After I read today on a popular football website about 10 players that had to change clubs, I found myself disagreeing with a few of their choices. So, here are mine.

10 Adam Johnson - The winger is far too good to be sitting on the bench at Man City, and should not be happy with 20 minute cameo appearances. He has shown plenty of skill, shooting ability, flair and great pace for City when he has played. He needs to be playing regular football if he is to command a place in the England team. It will take a high-price bid to take him from Etihad Stadium but for someone it will be worth it.

Johnson is desperate to get some...game time

9 Nicklas Bendtner – The ‘Great’ Dane, as he would call himself, has to move from the Emirates. Mainly because he said so himself at the beginning of the transfer window “it is 100% certain I will not have another season like that, I will leave Arsenal”. Great, encouraging words for someone that thinks he could be the best striker in the world. Moves to foreign clubs have broken down and no-one in the premiership seems to be interested. A team like Bolton could take a punt on him, but it’s more than likely that if he moves, it will be abroad. He needs the game time and goals to prove he is as good as he thinks he is.

8 Darron Gibson – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described Gibson as “the central midfielder with a shot like a Porsche engine”... and, unfortunately for him, that's all he seems to have. Yes, he can pass, he can move and he can tackle, but not at the standard expected of a United player. Teams like Stoke, Bolton, Villa and Everton would relish having him as an option in their midfield. And, for his career to progress it is vital he moves away from the Champions.

7 Wayne Bridge – Wow. What a fall from grace. Going from challenging Ashley Cole as England's left back to relegation with West Ham and sitting back in City's players lounge. Not even making the bench is tough for any player, but Bridge clearly has something left to offer in the Premiership or to a Championship aiming for promotion. He simply must move on.

Bridge has resorted to playing by himself

6 Federico Macheda – With a strike force of Welbeck, Rooney, Hernandez, Berbatov & Owen. Minutes on the pitch will be hard to come by. After bursting onto the scene against Aston Villa, Macheda has gone from potential superstar to relative obscurity. A poor loan spell at Sampdoria did nothing to help his cause. A move, whether on loan or permanent could be good for the young Italian. He needs to redevelop that spark that he showed in the earlier parts of his United career. Again, teams like Bolton or Everton could be sniffing around a loan deal. For a permanent transfer, look back towards his home nation.

5 Nedum Onouha – After a progressive loan spell at Sunderland, going back to your parent club and saying you're going to challenge for a starting spot was probably the right thing to do... unless it’s Man City. With a defensive line of Clichy or Kolarov, Lescott, Toure or Kompany, Micah Richards or Zabaleta, Onouha will always struggle to break into this squad. Add into the bargain Man City can go out and buy nearly anyone they please, it is very unlikely that he will play again for the Blue side of Manchester. A move to Sunderland, Blackburn or anyone else in the Premiership would be a great for his career.

4 Daniel Sturridge – The Chelsea forward has to go on loan somewhere where he will be the focus of striking options. He showed at Bolton that he will flourish when given responsibility up front. And, much like Onouha at Manchester City, it looks like he will struggle for game time at Stamford Bridge. Experienced Premier League players such as Drogba, Torres, Malouda, Kalou and Anelka alongside the new arrivals of Lukaku and Mata will give Chelsea an abundance of attacking options. Sturridge will struggle to break into this team and a loan move will keep him on track to fulfil the great potential he clearly has.

Does Sturridge need to kiss goodbye to Chelsea and move on?

3 Joe Cole – Another fall from grace. Being called the most technically gifted footballer in the England squad to a red card on your debut for Liverpool and becoming a forgotten man. Not starting under Kenny Dalglish this season should give Joe Cole a big hint that he may need to consider a pay cut and move clubs for regular football. He should have a plethora of clubs after him based on past reputation alone. QPR, Swansea and Norwich should do as much as possible to get him. Everton would be a good choice but crossing Merseyside may not be advisable, and money may not be available. Spurs have been mentioned but I feel this would depend heavily on the sale of Modric. Joe Cole has become England's forgotten man, he needs to do something to revive his stagnant career.

2 Jermaine Jenas – When your own fans are questioning why you're still at the club, you should probably move on. However, who will take him? I can't remember Jenas having a good game for spurs except when he plays against Arsenal. A move to a newly promoted team could work in everyone's favour, Jenas would get first team football, the team would get valuable Premiership experience and Spurs would get a little bit of money for a player they don't use.

1 Shaun Wright-Phillips – If there was one player that has to move in the remainder of this transfer window, it’s Wright-Phillips. Talks of a move to Bolton have been on-going for some time and talks that go on this long normally indicate a problem in negotiations (with either club or player). Making a grand total of 18 appearances in all competitions last season, he is definitely not in Mancini's plans. If he has any sense, he will move to Bolton and try to resurrect his career – after all, he is now 30, and is coming towards the end of his career as a winger. Clubs other than Bolton will be interested; Blackburn, Swansea, well... anyone that needs a fast winger may try to snap him up. Much like Joe Cole, he has become a bit of a forgotten man and may need to lower his wages if he wishes to get his career back on track.

Dave



Hearts 0 - 5 Tottenham

Well that was a very comfortable win wasn’t it? Before hand some may have been a little wary of an upset, but that fear soon went out the window. By the time Spurs were two nil up, Hearts had probably touched the ball twice. The passing was sublime - short sharp and incisive play. It can sometimes be frustrating when Van der Vaart roams deep into midfield but last night, along with Kranjcar, dictated the tempo beautifully. What made a nice change to last season was that Spurs played well and scored goals! The first goal early on in the game it set the tone, so many times in recent seasons they’ve huffed and they’ve puffed but if an early goal didn't come it often spelled disaster.

With it being a whole team performance last night it makes sense to look at each team members game individually starting from the back working forward. 



The whole team played their part last night

Gomes, how with so little to do, did you still manage to look like a dodgy ‘keeper? With him still at the club the pending dread of seeing his name on the team sheet is still there, let’s just hope it’s not there on Monday night. In front of him was Kyle Walker. A very good player, he just needs to calm down a little, as everything seems a little rushed. Going forward he needs to utilise his teammates a little more as he is often found running, head down, into a dead end. When defending he needs to do the simple thing but overall though it was a pleasing performance. The centre back partnership of Dawson and Kaboul was solid, but it was clear early on that it wasn’t really going to be tested to its full capabilities. Kaboul can really become a top player, he was looking immense alongside Gallas last year until injury struck, let’s just hope he can really push on this year. Assou-Ekotto, so underrated by others but he’s one of the best left-backs in the league, no problems last night and oh so composed (a touch of the Chimbonda about him at times, not sure if that’s a good thing or bad).

In central midfield there was a new partnership, beforehand you would have been forgiven for thinking that it would have been Spurs’ weakest area, but it proved to be very strong. Livermore kept it simple and showed his composure to score his first goal for the club. On that showing he could be considered Spurs’ 5th choice midfielder with Jenas being shown the door...if there are any takers! Lennon is a bit of a mystery; he didn’t really do much until setting up Defoe, and still never really burst into life. Does he realise how quick he is? I’m often found screaming at the TV begging him to roar past a player on the outside but he just doesn’t do it as much since his groin injury, *sigh*.

Up front, Van der Vaart, a class above and a joy to watch, he just needs to build up that match fitness and try to be effective over 90 min throughout the season. His partner last night was Defoe, now with all the talk of a new striker, it seems like everyone has lost hope in Defoe, but remember his goals fired Tottenham into the top four two years ago, why can’t he do it again? He was looking really sharp at the start of last season until he got injured; there are early signs that he will be back on form again this year...until he peters out as usual around February of course.

Spurs fans got to see big Tom Huddlestone come on and show his class. Some lovely touches, some not so lovely. But he set up Bale with ease and hopefully he'll shake of this persistent ankle injury and get fit, then become a force to be reckoned with this year. The sky is the limit for him. Pavlyuchenko came on and...was frustrating. Heavy first touch, no awareness, poor overall technique. More performances like this and he'll be edging closer to the exit door. Finally Andros Townsend came on for Bale, the lad is quick and can dribble, and he could do a job on loan for a newly promoted Premiership club. With two fantastic crosses last night they could have been easily have led to two goals.

Overall Spurs fans can’t be anything but happy with last night’s game, perfect preparation for Monday when they’ll somehow get cheated out of a win against Man United (you know it’s going to happen so prepare yourselves for the refereeing error now).

Josh

PS - If you don't use 101 great goals already to catch up on the goals you may have missed...do!

Players I’d love to see in The Premiership

The Eden Project. A terrific talent, and head and shoulders above his team mates at both Lille and Belgium, better than Romelu Lukaku. Lightening fast and with bags of skill and technique, he would easily walk (or run, full tilt, with the ball stuck to his boot) into any first team in the Premiership, especially Arsenal. Arsenal, are you listening? Pull out all the stops, throw bags of cash at Lille, take their daughters out for a nice sea food dinner, and dammit- call them again. Do whatever it takes, this boy is just what your side needs (apart from a centre back). Eden Hazard definitely someone I want to see setting the Premiership alight.

Owain

Eden Hazard at his bamboozling best!

Premiership 2011 Predictions

Winners:

(Dave) Manchester United. I feel the red side of Manchester will tally up a 20th top division title by the slimmest of margins ahead of their blue city rivals. United's mixture of youth and seniority, fast paced attacking play with a strong defence is the perfect combination to win the league.

(Josh) Manchester United. They have got the know-how and the incessant determination. They’ve strengthened their squad with quality rather than quantity combine that with a fully fit Wayne Rooney and they’ll be even more equipped this year than last. Some may feel Chelsea lost it instead of United winning it last year, but with Chelsea going through somewhat of a transitional year I’m not sure they’ll be able to cope with United’s consistency.

(Owain) Manchester City. I’m going out on a limb here, but I think that Man City are a team in the ascendency surrounded by teams who are stagnating. The millions thrown at the squad in the past few seasons has eased off and a more settled formation and line up has been established. Dzeko’s goal in the Community Shield could be a signal of intent and with the excellent ‘Kun’ Augero leading the front line, this could easily be City’s year.

(Jim) Manchester United. United have a winning mentality, they are calm and don't panic. Will it be closer than last year? Yes. Will it be another championship title at Old Trafford? Most probably, yes.

Champions League:

(Dave) Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool

The strength of the City squad on paper is unbelievable. However, there are problems. Mario Bibotelli is the main one. Chelsea have the experience to get into the Champions League. However a lack of youthful exuberance could seem them struggle, the potential signing of Lukaku is a step in the right direction but more signings are needed. Liverpool ended last season with a flourish, if they can carry this form into this season then they stand a great chance. They’ve been busy in the transfer market so it will be an interesting season for the Merseyside red... as long as Carroll can score.

(Josh) Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham

The nearly men of the title. I think Man City and Chelsea will fight a good fight for the top spot but just come short. Chelsea may need some adapting to the new manager and system, and with Man City I still think they are searching for their true identity. Tottenham with a few more signings before the window shuts will have the quality and the drive to finish in the Top four once again.

(Owain) Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal

Man United (at the time of writing) haven’t dealt with their obvious lack of quality in central midfield and have an uninspiring midfield pairing. Chelsea’s squad is exactly the same as last year and the difficulties in playing Anelka, Drogba and Torres haven’t been resolved either. Arsenal are becoming the Premiership’s nearly men, and I haven’t seen enough investment to convince me otherwise.

(Jim)  Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal

In my opinion the only two teams who can get close to United in winning the league are Chelsea and Manchester City. Chelsea have a new charismatic manager and potentially a great impact sub in the teenage Romelu Lukaku, however, despite the advancement in the development of Josh McEachran and Daniel Sturridge, the squad is predominantly a older one. City are the much more intriguing prospect; despite the wealth, creating a winning team takes a little time. The qualifying place is a tough call. Much will depend on the shape of the Arsenal squad. If Arsene can retain Samir and Cesc for another season, I believe they will grab this place. A strong *yawn* centre-back will cement this position. Otherwise Arsenal will face tough opposition from their North London rivals, and a rejuvenated Liverpool.

Europa League:

(Dave) Tottenham Hotspur. Just edging out Arsenal of 5th place. It’s not a case of Tottenham being better, I think it’s a case of Arsenal not venturing enough into the transfer market. Spurs will perform strongly under Harry Redknapp's guidance once again, where as I feel Arsenal have stagnated somewhat under Wenger.

(Josh) Arsenal. With no trophies for six years, possibly losing key players and the lack of a strengthening to the obviously flawed areas of the team Arsenal are quite clearly on the decline. Culminating in them finally slipping out of the Top four this season to be replaced by their local rivals, shame.

(Owain) Liverpool. They’ve poured bucket loads of cash into rejuvenating their squad and despite over paying have bought some excellent players. Their previously weak left side has been strengthened and they should see off competition for 5th place.

(Jim) Liverpool. They seem to be a club on the up. If ‘Arry can get a proven forward to squiggle on a contract and then lead the line, then Spurs will be strong contenders too.

Relegation:

(Dave) QPR, Swansea, Wolves

There is too much going on behind the scenes at the Loftus Road club to allow the club to flourish. A sneaky feeling is that they will start well, and come Christmas will struggle. Another one of the promoted teams that I think will go straight back down is Swansea. The lack of a proven Premier-League goal scorer will be a big problem. Scott Sinclair has a lot to prove and if he was to leave, would create a big hole at the Welsh club. After struggling last year and not improving the squad, I can only see Wolves in the relegation zone come May. They may not finish bottom, but they will go down.

(Josh) Swansea City, QPR, Wigan Athletic

Swansea and QPR for me are in a similar situation, they both played good football in the Championship and scored plenty of goals. However the Premier League is a different kettle of fish. Their passing game won’t be as successful here and I think they’ll both find goals hard to come by, but not into their own net. Wigan have sold their best player and there is talk of Rodallega being sold as well. Martinez is revered as a good manager and I’m yet to be convinced, they’ll be struggling no doubt about it.

(Owain) Wigan, Swansea, Blackburn

With the loss of their key man, N’Zogbia, Wigan are in trouble, they narrowly escaped last season and this season will probably be too much for them. Swansea haven’t invested enough and have a team that will just falter too much against Premiership opposition. As for Blackburn, their time is finally up, despite their overseas’ owners and ‘investment’ they have a poor manager and mediocre squad who just don’t have it in them to really break away from the rest of the league’s basement teams.

(Jim) Wigan, Swansea, Blackburn

Wigan play attractive football, but the loss of N'Zogbia who was their top goal scorer last season and was perhaps the only player on their team capable of a moment of magic is a massive blow for a club that only just avoided relegation last season. Swansea snuck up through the play-offs with a team that weren't huge goal scorers, or had the tightest defence. The team don't seem to have invested much in the squad and I think the premiership season will prove too long and too tough an undertaking. The last place is trickier but I'm going to have to plump for Blackburn, despite a number of teams who are likely to flirt with this position come the final day. Even though they apparently have cash to spend and a decent core squad, they are only a couple of injuries away from having a stupendously weak squad.

FA Cup Winners:

(Dave) Chelsea. Chelsea, strong squad and lots of experience they will win one cup.

(Josh) Chelsea. They have a new manager eager to get off to a trophy winning start and I see this as their most viable option.

(Owain) Manchester United. They enjoy a cup run do United, and will add to their silverware collection this season.

(Jim) Chelsea. A blend of old and new coupled with a core who know what winning is all about; it’s going o be Chelsea’s year. And also this means that Man City aren’t going to win anything which is nice.

League Cup Winners:

(Dave) Fulham. With Jol’s determination to prove himself again England. He'll do very well with the squad he has.

(Josh) Arsenal. Always a difficult competition to predict as it’s a lottery as to who will take it seriously. For me Arsenal will end their hunt for a trophy this season by winning what they will describe as an “important competition”.

(Owain) Bolton. Total stab in the dark. It was unlikely winners Birmingham last year, why not Bolton? Owen Coyle is a fine manager and as long as no-one else breaks a leg, they have a decent team capable of a cup upset.

(Jim) Sunderland. Stoke are going be mired down in the Europa League; that glistening leviathan of UEFA pointlessness will surely prove too tempting (despite the 94-game run in to the title) for the buoyant Potters. Ultimately they’ll lose to a better Spanish side and their form will dip leaving the Carling Cup to a resurgent Sunderland. Whilst Brucie’s transfer policy does seem to be to gather as many of SAF’s cast-offs as possible, he does seem to be putting a team together capable of clawing their way up the league, and winning this cup.

First Manager to be sacked:

(Dave) Steve Kean. A man with an impossible job at Blackburn, impatient owners and a rubbish squad and stupidly high objectives.

(Josh) Neil Warnock. Ever since he took over at Loftus road there have been many a rumour that he’s set to be relieved of his duties and I think this year it’ll finally come to fruition. QPR will be struggling and the impatient money men at the club will be quick on the trigger.

(Owain) Alex McCleish. It’s got to be tough when you arrive at a club and fans are already calling for you to be sacked! Alex McCleish needs results fast otherwise he faces the boot.

(Jim) Alan Pardew. I'm going to go out on a limb here. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, where do you turn? Mike Ashley’s pie-stuffed belly and his bizarre backroom decisions, and rebel without a clue Joey Barton make this man’s job very tricky indeed.

Top Goalscorer:

(Dave) Wayne Rooney. Tough, very tough. I'll take a punt at Wayne Rooney, a great striker in a great team.

(Josh) Wayne Rooney. He had a torrid season last year, but then again so did quite a few strikers. After a summer of rest, recuperation and hair transplants I see Rooney being back on form and leading the pack on the goal scoring charts.

(Owain) Wayne Rooney. I’d love to break from the trend here, but a summer of rest should enable Rooney to recapture the form that made him so deadly.

(Jim) Fernando Torres. An obvious choice might be Wayne Rooney. However, I'm not going to follow the crowd. Season 2011-12 is going to be the year Fernando Torres rediscovers form after a summer break.

Overachievers:

(Dave) Norwich & Wigan. Avoiding relegation will be a big over-achievement for both, more so for Norwich.

(Josh) Norwich City. On paper they may have a technically mediocre squad, but mentally I think they will be very strong. Last year they won games by grinding out results and winning the games at the death. Couple this with the continually impressive Paul Lambert at the helm and I think they will spring a few surprises this season.

(Owain) QPR. A lot of people are predicting a tough time for Rangers, however since signing Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell and so far hanging onto Taarabt QPR have a front line who can cause real problems, avoiding relegation will be enough to give them the mantle of overachievers.

(Jim) Norwich City. In that they will start strong and avoid being drawn into the relegation dog-fight for the entire season, finally finishing in a very respectable 14th. (He’s a Norwich fan. Ed.)

Underachievers:

(Dave) Arsenal & Newcastle. Arsenal missing out on silverware and not qualifying for Europe will be a big disappointment for the team and their fans. Newcastle will generally struggle, they will be deep in a relegation battle and will need to keep Ben Arfa as fit as possible.

(Josh) Aston Villa. The Villains had a season of disappointment last year under Houllier, and I don’t expect that to change under Alex McLeish. With more 1st XI players leaving than being signed the squad looks thin on the ground for the arduous season that awaits. The players they’ve bought in have been quality but they need more.

(Owain) Tottenham Hotspur. After last year’s heroics in the Champions League, a 6th place finish will be massively disappointing to Spurs fans this year, but without a top class striker, they are always going to struggle. The Europa League will be seen as an unnecessary distraction too.

(Jim) Newcastle United. Surely in that I don't think either will win the league, perhaps both Man City and Chelsea, but probably Newcastle United; they'll avoid relegation, but only just.

Champions League Winners:

(Dave) Real Madrid. Possibly, maybe, or Manchester United.

(Josh) Real Madrid. It’s a well-known fact that no-one has ever retained the Champions league trophy. With Mourinho’s Champions League experience and another summer of development undertaken at the Bernabeu I think this will be the competition where they will topple Barcelona.

(Owain) Barcelona. They say dedication’s what you need if you want to be a record breaker. It probably helps to have Xavi, Messi and Iniesta too. This year will see the first team to retain the Champions League trophy.

(Jim) Barcelona. They just look a little too good and have too many players capable of magic to be ruled out of winning this one. While I think La Liga will be a tighter affair than previous years, indeed there are some who think it could be Real’s year, Barcelona surely can’t be ruled out of the prestigious European competition.