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szólj hozzá: Everton vs Arsenal 0.1 MOTD

Thomas Vermaelen may have his critics. Not quite the centre back with the best anticipatory instincts, he always seems to be reactive in his responses, caught in between no man's land and Van Diemen's land. There is enough footage to prove that statement true.

Give Vermaelen credit because he's also come up with all the big goals when needed most, it seems as compensation for his defensive shortcomings. He's the next best thing to RVP, literally, when it comes to scoring. And so it was with Everton on a set piece as Vermaelen powered in a header from the corner giving Arsenal an early lead and as it turned out the winning goal. George Graham would be rightly proud with the very recent incarnation of an Arsenal eking out unglamorous wins.

Aaron Ramsey back in the squad had two glorious opportunities spurned, once through his own profligacy, the second through some superb last ditch defending by Tony Hibbert. Arsenal were dominant in the first half but Everton were desperately unlucky when a perfectly good Nikica Jelavic goal was ruled offside. That was not the end of the erroneous offside decisions as fully five of them were called. Referees and linesman once again proved they have the foggiest when it comes to the offside rule or now termed Offsidegate.

Everton poured back in the second half but the much maligned Arsenal defense pulled off a magnificent display. The Gunners also benefited from Chelsea falling to City and was Spurs drew Stoke, went ahead of their bitterest North London wannabes with a point to save. It is now Arsenal in third place. A perfect evening as they say.

Meanwhile Aston Villa fans are contemplating selling their season tickets should Alex McLeish become their manager as is anticipated.

Alexander "Skip" Spence? No, it's Luka

Chelsea's £22m offer for Luka Modric is ridiculed by Harry Redknapp. The only player of genuine quality at Spurs is not exactly a wantaway so Chelsea will have to up their ante.

It maybe business as usual but the number of cases so far seem to suggest league rivals are more pro-active raiding the locker rooms of others in recent memory. One remembers the firestorm three years ago between Liverpool and Man Utd over a potential Gabriel Heinze transfer. Which if it had happened would be the equivalent of sighting Halley's comet.

Barcelona might be preparing for its annual summer tempest involving Cesc Fabregas but the Arsenal captain introduces his moment of Zen saying in so many words if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.

"Barcelona are the best team in the world and going there guarantees titles. But I owe myself to Arsenal."

These are dutiful words. But these are also words spoken by someone who knows a bit about reality and i.e., Barca is a club operating under financial duress.

They are serious about reducing their approximately €480m debt which they hope to accomplish by introducing leaner transfer budgets. Accordingly, a significantly reduced amount of €45m has been outlaid. Arsenal expects an amount in the region of €40m for Fabregas. There is the usual chatter through third party sources but so far the Catalonians have not approached the London club. After two failed attempts and living beyond their means - its go slow for them. Fabregas might eventually leave but it may not happen this year. Xavi is 31 years old but the way he plays he's good for another three.

It would be unseemly given these circumstances for Fabregas to try and force the issue and risk all the goodwill built up after 8 years. And give him credit when he says he feels frustrated at the lack of titles. He's speaking for all the fans. However the words he speaks thereafter suggest a player still very much involved.

"There is a good team and a good manager and one of the most faithful fan bases in Europe. With those I believe we can make progress and one day win an important trophy."

These are not the words of a player who's checked himself out. He's still offering the good old "we" as part of the solution.

Lille has confirmed that it is negotiating with Arsenal over the sale of their star striker Gervinho. The sale price being bandied about is between £8- £12m. The Cote D'Ivoirian scored 15 goals in their Ligue winning season. Other clubs interested are moneybags City (which probably pushed up his sale price a few million with their interest), Spurs, and Newcastle. PSG are also keen on Gervinho but Lille are not interested in selling to their rivals.

Here is a clip - the immediate thing that strikes one is the bursts of acceleration, some very neat dribbling, and an ability to finish. Gervinho likes to take the ball wide on either flank and then cuts in using pace and foot skills. The other thing noteworthy is his ability to create his own goals. Here is a prime illustration at 1:50

He appears to be a bit of a free spirit and one hopes that is allowed to continue if his transfer succeeds because Arsenal can swallow you whole with its passing when a spark of individualism is all that is needed. Andrey Arshavin in his first season was just that before he became a cog in the machine.

Alex McLeish joins the growing list of Judases in the Premiership. His terse resignation by email has set off a lot of teeth gnashing. Adding more fuel to the fire is Birmingham's concern that he's moving across to Villa Park. Their rivals are on the lookout for a coach but the odds are getting a bit long.

Mark Hughes with a similar backstabbing story shot his chances, Roberto Martinez stays put at Wigan, and Steve McLaren joined Nottingham Forest. Carlo Ancelotti prefers to take a year off. Former coach Martin O'Neill's controversial departure also takes him off the short list.

One can understand McLeish's attraction to managing Villa. The uncertainty of Birmingham return's to the Premiership for a club that has padded its presence there is really no choice. But that is not likely to happen without protracted legal action and overloaded emotion not to mention expensive compensation for his two years left in his contract.

Besides from a philosophical perspective, a manager like McLeish would deaden the attractive and attacking quality of Villa football. The Scotsman has a steel trap mindset that plays not to lose matches and his second season in charge saw a mid table club take a nosedive to relegation. Under him the attack dried up with Birmingham unable to buy a winning goal as they churned out 15 draws. The Blues were an exercise in attacking futility scoring just 37 goals in the Premiership's poorest output. Their Carling Cup win was genuine enough but it comes with an asterisk. The first club to win that title also gets relegated the same season.

Villa on the other hand have attracted managers with international credentials whilst maintaining an attractive quality to their football. Its largest salable commodity is its attacking players. Even as they resign themselves to losing Ashley Young and possibly Stewart Downing they have a stable of young talent that should grow and prosper under the right guidance. Gerard Houllier's management is not littered with tactical gems but he has an established track record mentoring and developing youth players through his long association as technical director of the French Football Federation. McLeish on the other hand has no such visibility.

There are other candidates out there who are more in tune with Villa's style of football including Gianfranco Zola, Chris Hughton, Roberto Di Matteo, and even Claudio Rainieri who might fancy a return to the Premiership.

On August 5th the NY Cosmos led by Eric Cantona will play Paul Scholes's testimonial at Old Trafford.

Cantona, the coach of the Paul Kelmsley owned Cosmos hopes nostalgia will help gain a foothold in the MLS but featuring in the testimonial of a player the stature of Scholes in one of football's most hallowed ground might translate into something more tangible.

Twenty seven years after the actual NY Cosmos folded the new version founded two years ago founders despite the backing of former talismans like Pele and Giorgio Chinaglia. Part of the problem is that it potentially wants to locate in NYC where real estate is in short supply and constructing stadiums is not just stupendously expensive but runs afoul of a plethora of zoning laws and robust community resistance.

The battle over key demographics is yet another issue. Over the years New Yorkers have pledged allegiance to the NY Red Bulls, a nominal part of the city while actually being square in the bridge and tunnel existence with its home at Harrison, NJ.

The long and short of it is the Cosmos exists in name only without a physical presence. It's akin to seeing a unicorn, narwhal, or yeti. Take your pick. You're certified insane or clearly under the influence because the larger rational world clearly believes these are apparitions. You're obviously part of a Roswell cult or a throwback to the 70's to find succour in these claims. Which is why it is a big deal having an entity called the Cosmos actually usurp the rest of the world to get to play a testimonial the magnitude of Scholes's even as they rely on players begged, borrowed, and stolen.

Here is hoping we can get the NY Comsos back on track. Just to get a team so intimately associated with the city's history will be a huge deal - it will convince all the fence sitters.

Gael Clichy is obviously on his way out. His contract negotiations have broken down and with a year left Arsenal are keen to avoid a Bosman. He's been mentioned before as a sweetener to a rumoured Karim Benzema transfer. But this is the first concrete offer and it comes from a rival Premiership side.

Without a sugar daddy to bankroll Arsenal, Wenger has to add to his transfer kitty by offloading players and this would be a good start. £5m is about right.

Arseblog has an Eden Hazard item in his new feature. Apparently, we've made contact with the Belgian whizkid. We would love to see Hazard at Arsenal just for his name. Almost as good as Steed Malbranque. Riding a rutting steed can be a hazard to your health and ego.

In fact, Arsenal should people their squad with newsworthy names like Bent, Speed, Pound, Blank, Crapp-Pants, Bottle, WTF, Happënd, Pisov, Beuy Van Cleue, Flappyhandski (I forget he's already there). Arsenal in attacking bent of mind pound Newcastle but WTF Happënd crap pants in the second half as Arsene throws another bottle.

Carl Jenkinson or Karil Jenkinpää as he's known in Finland

If Carl Jenkinson is the a harbinger of transfers Arsene is going to make then expect no big name signings or at most the one. All that talk about Karim Benzema and Gary Cahill might just be that.

Phil Jones signed with Man Utd for £16m and Jordan Henderson valued at £20m is now a Liverpool man. Ashley Young is to follow from Villa to Old Trafford for a similar price. You're looking at clubs who have signaled their serious intent to rebuild their squad in the immediate term and are putting money in these purchases.

Jenkinson is who Arsenal turned to when it became obvious they could not match Blackburn's demands for Jones.

He's a classic Wenger signing at 19 years. Initially appeared for England's youth squads but later opted for Finland in the senior categories with eligibility gained from his Finnish mother.

His usual position for the Addicks was right back with an odd appearance or two at centre back with his 6' 1" frame which makes him more valuable to Arsenal. Deja vu - a promising young player for the future. We can hope to see more of him or he could become another Havard Nordtviet.

Whatever the reason, the club supporters having screamed from the rafters for big name players to transform a side from also rans will not be heartened. Personally, the Jenkinson trade (no knocks on him) was probably timed to tamp down on the grumbling. There may be less inclination to move in the market right now because the Samir Nasri negotiations are taking up the oxygen.

The Cesc Fabregas saga is also kicking into ominous overdrive. Wenger's energies are devoted trying to keep the duo at the Emirates. With a self sustaining model funds for transfers and increased wages come from a pre-existing pool/ player sales and not borrowed money. If one guesses correctly, the priorities then are in this order:

1) Keep Nasri and Fabregas 2) Get the best deal from a possible Fabregas/Nasri departure 3) Sell players like Denilson, Bendtner, Clichy, Rosicky, and Eboue 4) From that generated money make one or two reasonably big name signings and some smaller ones. I could well be absolutely off base but we're looking at the latter half of the transfer mayhem before Wenger delves into his kitty to fist out serious cash. He very well maybe interested in Gervinho, Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill, Christopher Samba, Benzema, Falcao, and a million other players but he's equally adamant about deficit reduction and adhering to those financial fair play rules. He's actually a Tea Party dream candidate.

Looks a bit more quiet on the Samir Nasri transfer buzz as the player plays down the rumours. Hopefully negotiations can get back on track without the distractions of the last few days.

Meanwhile Liam Brady, in charge of youth development is optimistic that Nasri will still be at Arsenal. There is also talk of getting Gervinho and Eden Hazard from Lille to bolster the attack and the Gary Cahill rumours resurface to strengthen the defense. Arsenal have already signed Carl Jenkinson, the right back from Charlton Athletic.

Arsenal's position vis a vis Samir Nasri is weak. He's obviously after more wages and with a year left in his contract, the club gains nothing for him once he leaves on a Bosman. There are a couple of different options a.) Give him the money he seeks, extend his contract but build in some performance clauses b.) Let him go and recoup part of his transfer fee.

So far it has been Nasri's France team mate talking up an Old Trafford move and there is nothing official from Man Utd yet. Wenger himself categorically ruled out Nasri moving to Utd. But Nasri has taken up the ball.

"Let's find out if their interest is true first, and then we'll talk about it," he said.

Utd are obviously monitoring the situation and being rivals the last thing they need is to get into a ugly situation with a whiff of tapping up. Whether he really is the answer to Paul Scholes is a matter of conjecture. He dazzled the first half of the season but Sir Alex might have noted his fading performances in the second half where he laboured to make an impression.

Further negotiations with Arsenal will probably hinge on a Cesc Fabregas transfer move. Personally, Wenger might be more amenable to Nasri moving to a rival club if the captain stays put. But a threatened move would put Wenger under pressure to increase Nasri's wages. He can't afford to lose both and then look for a brand new midfield as well as other transfers in crucial areas where the squad needs to strengthen.

If Fabregas leaves Nasri should be shifted centrally where he's far more effective. He was far less of a threat stuck on the left where he spent too much time on the ball and had less success cutting in. Arsenal were slower in committing to numbers in the box which increased the pressure on Nasri to score.

All signs point to Stamford Bridge

The ready answer to Mark Hughes's Fulham departure: He was angling for the Aston Villa job after it became clear that Gerard Houllier's health would not permit continuing as manager. But for the clearly ambitious Hughes was this really a step up going from midtable to midtable?

In the light of a gentlemen's agreement between the CEO's of the two clubs this was a move that was never going to happen. Hughes's agent is the controversial Kia Joorabchian who introduced the English league to the murky world of third party ownership through Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. He has an arrest warrant out for him in Brazil for off shoring accounts and tax evasion.

Joorabchian was pushing to get Hughes more money at Fulham and using the Villa job as leverage. Meanwhile Hughes activated a break clause in his two year contract and walked out insisting he was not influenced by "an outside party". It is hard not to be cynical when it seems to be too much of a coincidence with the Villa job falling vacant and his departure. But this seems to be too trite an explanation. Why would he do that and endanger both jobs unless his target lay elsewhere?

Right on cue, John Terry comes up with a statement saying he would welcome either Guus Hiddink or Mark Hughes.

"Mark Hughes would have the qualities, I think he has shown that for sure, [he is] someone the club will hopefully be talking to. I know Mark and his staff. The understanding of the club and what it means to the supporters will come naturally to those guys. If he is linked in, it will be welcome to the players."

The Dutchman seems to be inching towards a managerial takeover but his preference all along has been taking over the less onerous role of director of football operations. A back office resource person who could supplement whoever was in charge.

Now Terry is being a bit disingenuous by saying he has no influence over the club's choice of manager. One remembers clearly the role Terry had in getting Mourinho fired. It was presented to the Chelsea board as an ultimatum and then CEO Peter Kenyon was faced with the choice of the club's talisman potential departure or the manager who scaled unprecedented heights before finding feet of clay in his third season. Mourinho was let go. Sounds familiar?

Terry's remarks are not all that off the cuff. It's a calculated plug - there are literally five other names who might be potential managers but Hughes is the one mentioned alongside Hiddink? And then he practically welcomes him to the locker room.

Hughes's qualities were less appreciated at Man City and the unseemly manner of his departure from that club seems to have burned him - it seems to have fueled a desire to jump ship for another set for an upwardly mobile trajectory. One of the problems at City was the management of all those big name egos thrown together for the first time. A task that could have been eased if Hughes had found a locker room leader. In Chelsea, clearly that will not be the problem. In Terry's words he finds an ally.

Villa has for all practical purposes ended their interest in Hughes and the choices mentioned include Martin Jol or Steve McLaren. So does Hughes represent a real possibility for Roman Abramovich?

The first choice remains Hiddink obviously but the Russian owner has shown he's not afraid of the quixotic with his managerial choices - Avram Grant replaced Mourinho and managed Chelsea for a year and Big Phil Scolari was reeled back to a club career after spending a number of years coaching national teams. None of them worked out but Hughes might feel he's ready once again for a big club and this time with the necessary tools and craft to succeed. He clearly could have another club in mind when he said he was not influenced by "an outside party."

Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel moves to Spurs after his contract was set to expire this month.

The long standing Blackburn goalie joined Villa in 2008 and made 113 appearances. In his stay he broke the league record of consecutive appearances made with 275. A testimony to his durability.

Now 40 years old, he shows no signs of hanging up his boots and could very well become the oldest goalkeeper to play in the Premiership. John Burridge at 43 years, 4 months and 26 days holds that record when he came on as a half time substitute for Manchester City v Newcastle United on April 29, 1995.

Heurelho Gomes has not engendered too much faith with his mistakes. Both Friedel and Carlo Cudicini will be fighting for a start. There is a very good chance we could see a number of Friedel appearances at Spurs.

Paging Yao Ming: Wenger is looking for height

Arsenal gave up 23 goals from set pieces the same as last season. This amounts to 53.5% of goals conceded, the highest in the Premiership. The explanation given by Wenger after Arsenal's humiliating loss to Stoke.

" We have conceded, I think, 21 from set-pieces and only 17 in open play. That is something we have to correct. It is the easiest thing to correct in the game but you still must understand the flight of the ball and want to be first to the ball. I feel we are sometimes a bit naïve."

There was no mention of height as a factor then. But now three weeks later, Wenger issues another eureka moment.

"It's something that's easy to correct. We need to improve the size of our squad. We need a bigger variety in the height of our players. We need to be more capable of fighting against some characteristics than we have been this season."

There is a scattershot quality to these solutions. Such statements only further the woolly headedness and confusion that characterize Arsenal's defensive efforts in the last few years.

Both solutions point to different defensive aspects that are "easy to correct". What is missing in Wenger's "feeling his way through" is the associative component. This is where Pat Rice should step up with his input but Wenger seems to putting more of premium on a comfortable relationship.

Height is an obvious prerequisite for a central defender but to put that attribute to its best use you need exceptional positional sense and speed. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the NBA. The best tall men are those with an uncanny ability to be at the right place and time.

David Robinson aka the Admiral with his commanding 7' 1'' frame also had the quickest hands and excellent spatial sense around the hoop on his way to becoming one of the NBA's best rebounders and shot blockers. His defensive efforts lifted the San Antonio Spurs to their first championship ring. Yao Ming, 6" taller than Robinson, came into the league with much fanfare; over time, has proven far less accomplished.

These qualities are honed through experience and it is small wonder centre backs start peaking towards the mid to late 20's.

Kolo Toure is a good example. In his last season (2008-09) at Arsenal, the side conceded just 12 set piece goals as Toure cleared the ball 129 times, more than any player in the present squad. With Sol Campbell as partner in 2006, the Gunners only gave up 9. Campbell was already 30 years old and Toure five years less. This segues us to crucial aspect of set piece defending - it is a collective effort where each trusts the other to stick to their assignment. In the NFL defensive breakdowns are aptly called "blown coverage". Much of Arsenal's woes can be pointed to someone who forgot to do their job.

The best in the business Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have played five seasons together with the former close to 30 and his partner two years older. After this time spent together they epitomize discipline and focus.

Sticking Thomas Vermaelen with a raw 6' 6" centre back is not going to solve matters. Going to the French Ligue for a cut rate bargain is not going to solve the problem of experience and the learning curve. What you need is someone who gives you all these qualities in one package and proven themselves at the highest level. That someone should be a Brede Hangeland type with stats like 424 headed clearances topping the league. Fulham conceded just 10 set piece goals, the fewest in the league. That 13 goal difference could have been the difference between 4th place and the title. Therein lies the solution.

Patrice Evra acting as an instigator (what's new?) encouraging his France team mate to dump Arsenal and come aboard a "winning team" like Man Utd has generated an expected reaction.

These maybe alarmist words but with Paul Scholes retiring and Ryan Giggs approaching the twilight of his career Man Utd are looking to replenish their midfield.The foot dragging centred around Nasri's contract only fuels these speculations.

However it appears dissatisfaction with the side is not causing the hold up but Nasri's insistence he be paid in line with the club's top earners. He has one more year left on his contract but Wenger is keen on extending his stay which could mean a whole set of new financial terms.

"Are we still in discussions with Nasri? Yes, but we are still in disagreement over the financial contract on offer, which we haven't settled. We are trying to extend his deal."

Wenger has categorically ruled out selling Nasri to Man Utd. Last season's Fabregas transfer saga has been on mute so far which is encouraging but these are early days and Barca can obviously come up with an offer that might be hard to overlook. Up front Gervinho is mentioned as a possible transfer from Lille.

Also on the anvil an established centre back and this is probably the first time one has heard Wenger specifically mention "maybe one who is already used to life in the Premier League" which should revive the Brede Hangelend, Gary Cahill, Christopher Samba rumours.

The first Welsh side to make it to the Premiership. They join already promoted QPR and Norwich City. In the playoffs against Reading the Swans scored three first half goals with Scott Sinclair, the Championship's highest scorer scoring a quick brace and Stephen Dobbie (video link)adding a third.

After the break Reading fought back as Noel Hunt (video link) and Matt Mills (video link) headed home from two successive corner to make the match very interesting. But eventually Sinclair was not to be denied his hat trick as he scored from the spot (video link), after Andy Griffith clumsy challenge brought down Fabio Borini.

Swansea's march to a 90m payoff couples a stunning turnaround for a club financially dead a decade ago and bought for a pound. Brendan Rodgers, the manager also had an emotionally satisfying afternoon after he won against his former club. He was sacked by Reading after 23 matches in 2009.

Much of their success has to do with the Swans adopting a Barcelona type of passing game with dynamic movement down the channels and a fair depth in midfield creativity. Paul Fletcher explains why they will be a welcome addition to the Premiership.

The club they beat out yesterday had its share of glory under Steve Coppell in their 2006- 07 Premiership initiation when the Royals defied everyone's expectations by finishing eighth, the best result by a debutante.

The ginger haired maestro retires after spending 17 years as a Red Devil where he clocked 676 appearances and scored 150 goals. His career will continue at Utd in a coaching capacity.

Throughout his years Scholes proved to be an excellent goalscorer despite his shifting roles within the squad. Earlier he played as second striker to Andy Cole, later moving to midfield when Roy Keane was injured, and back again behind Ruud Van Nistelrooy after Juan Sebastian Veron joined the squad.

The video shows a lot of his goals and one is reminded of Scholes's blindingly quick feet and ability to burst out of almost nowhere. In later years he slowed down but he continued to dazzle with his precision passes and lovely through balls. In the 2010 World Cup England's lack of midfield creativity and cohesion was thoroughly exposed. In retrospect, Fabio Capello's desperation to woo Scholes back from international retirement after a dizzying display of delectable passing was fully understandable. But by then Scholes had also become somewhat of a liability for his poorly timed tackles.

His halting demeanour in his few TV appearances showed a man less surefooted in his public appearances. That low key temperament was part of the charm. Part of that too was his fealty to Utd where he spent his entire playing career. Scholes:

"I am not a man of many words but I can honestly say that playing football is all I have ever wanted to do and to have had such a long and successful career at Manchester United has been a real honour."

They rarely make them like Scholes anymore. He will be missed on the pitch not just by Utd but by all fans who love the game as it should be played.

Zinedine Zidane, no slouch when it comes to the label of the greatest midfielder paid the ultimate accolade in 2009, "Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest of his generation.". Enough said.

Man Utd were the real caricatures in the final

In a nod to the Guardian one will attempt five things we learned from the Man Utd vs Barca Champions League final which will for obvious reasons not go down as a classic. It takes two teams to make one. And I will clench my fists a la Sir Alex and resist the urge for redundancies like, " Messi is a genius."

The system won: The aftermath has led predictably to finger pointing. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have been slagged most charitably as "old" and at its most vituperative "crap". There is some weight to the former as Giggs and Scholes are now in their late 30s but the adage "old" in this case is synonymous for "ineffective". Nothing could be further from the truth. Giggs was celebrated as a genius till the last day of the Premiership as part of Sir Alex's vaunted man management. He is still very much so and this match should not be used to belittle a player of his quality.

Instead lets look at why Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi will not play for another side other than Barca. It is precisely days like these. Xavi would be a fish out of water at Man Utd or Real Madrid because of their premium on counterattacking. Messi does not score enough for Argentina burdened with the creation of his own goals. All those triangles work because they have honed a system which has been in place for four decades. Without that system these footballers would be merely technically gifted. With it they're practically geniuses. Giggs on the other hand would improve an attack in any side he's on.

Rinus Michels's football philosophy put into place at Ajax in the late 60's was brought to Barca over the years through Cruyff and Louis Van Gaal. Pep Guardiola played under that system and he now is its most visible practitioner. Behind the scenes Liverpool is quietly putting together their version of tiki taka under the tutelage of two former La Masia assistants as are fifteen other teams. Laurent Blanc guilty of racial perversion last month insists on a similar direction for Les Bleus.

Barcelona are not a cheating, diving, whingeing team: The final saw one player with his hand on the ejection button and it was not a Barca player. Antonio Valencia failing in his attempt to be a Pepe. The usual suspects Pedro, Sergio Busquets, Mascherano, and Dani Alves were part of the upstanding citizens brigade letting their feet do the talking. They did not crowd Viktor Kassai and badger him about his decisions as previously feared.

Giggs was marginally offside when he passed to Wayne Rooney for the equalizer but the Blaugrana instead of moaning used it to put in one of the most commanding second half performances. The ugliness of El Crassico left everyone in need of a cold shower. Jose Mourinho used the Stockholm syndrome to batter Barca's reputation on and off the pitch. Yesterday's final saw Barca put to rest all that negativity.

Chicharito Hernandez has a lot to learn: He cannot hold up well, he cannot create his own goals, and he's naive about the offside rule. Sir Alex was still right in playing the Mexican up front because that is not what he was there for. He's a goalscorer and if he jumped the gun it was because the lack of service rightly made him anxious. Again the debate wrongly centres around whether he's ready for the big league.

He's just 22 years old and some of those goals he scored proved pivotal to the Premiership and Champions League. Dimitar Berbatov might have had a prolific season but by the same token scores a lot of garbage goals.

Sir Alex had little choice: The 2009 Champions League final saw Barca execute their tactics of "sterile domination" to perfection. Their form of defense was to keep the ball away from Man Utd while doing enough to win. After that display, Sir Alex vowed not to repeat the same mistakes. But playing in the Premiership in its present form is probably one of the toughest tasks at hands with considerable resources and craft devoted to winning it.

One can get sidetracked from European ambitions having to contend with Chelsea, Arsenal, and City with the last two years proving it is only going to get harder with an even bigger group now clamouring for the top spots. La Liga has no such illusions. The gap between the top two clubs and the rest is now a rift valley and getting bigger. Barca is relatively less distracted in its quest for world domination.

Sir Alex's patchwork midfield worked well enough to win them the Premiership but came apart at the seams faced against Barca. It brings to the surface questions that first surfaced a couple of years ago. Who exactly are the heirs apparent to Messrs Scholes and Giggs? Nani and Anderson have shown improvement but at the same time are works in progress. The Portugese is shedding his showboating but continues to lack the craft and vision. Anderson has arrested his decline into a tough tackling clean up man but he lacks the passing abilities of Scholes. Holding onto the veteran duo was an imperative forced on by the exigencies of the Premiership. Now comes the hard part of replacing an era.

The Premiership came off second best: Barcelona comes to Wembley and contemptuously dismantles the league's top team. We could examine from that narrow perspective but in its broader implication it puts the rest of the league under the microscope.

The corollary to the most competitive league is that it also suffers in quality. Supporters love to point to the number of Premiership clubs in the final stages of the Champions League as an indicator of its omnipotence. But running numbers is not a sign of that at all. It's a bit like saying the USA produces the largest amount of beef but going to an Argentinian steakhouse for its cut.

The best passing English club Arsenal has had its fair share of encounters over the years with Barca and come out looking like Stoke. Utd were more like Birmingham. And one would be really stretching if Chelsea would have made more of a match. If Giggs, Carrick, Park Ji Sung, and Valencia were no shows think of where that would leave John Obi Mikel, Malouda, Lampard, and Essien. City with its stable of three holding midfielders might have formed a bulwark to keep the score down but then there again is the question of Mancini's attacking intent.

I'll add one more: The ABU crowd is huge and growing. They were out in full force yesterday. And yes, Messi is a genius. There I said it - now I can unclench my fists and bowels.

Kolo Toure is banned for six months from all football because he took pills that belonged to his wife.

Arsene Wenger on his former protege:

"He wants to control his weight a little bit because that's where he has some problems and he took the product of his wife."

Toure had problems controlling his weight while he was playing football. Imagine what will happen sitting on the sidelines. Hopefully this time around he gets to a Stairmaster.

Falcao's use of telekinesis makes him very dangerous

It is bewildering how Arsenal is one club which manages to get linked to every player despite the ever decreasing number of transfers.

The latest is Radamel Falcao whose performance in the Portugese Liga has everyone raving. He comes with a steep price tag. Part of the problem is his €30m buyout clause. Arsenal need to strengthen considerably in other key positions and blowing most of their transfer money on one purchase is not prioritizing effectively.

This is standard operating procedure for agents wrangling for a better deal. Porto will have to cough up more money to keep Falcao. 90% of the market works that way.

Blackbum may rule the roost with him in charge

Carlo Ancelotti successfully removed the clause that stipulates he cannot be employed by another Premiership club by agreeing to a smaller severance amount. The Italian humiliated by Chelsea's crass gesture shows his serious intent to continue coaching in England counting redemption as one of his motives. Chelsea's new found acquiescence may also have to do with their rivals locked into their managers.

Ancelotti could have moved to City if Mancini had failed to get them to the Champions League or the FA Cup. Harry Redknapp shows no inclination for the Chelsea job and Liverpool have been revitalized by Kenny Dalglish. Arsenal is Arsene and vice versa. Lower down too most clubs appear stable at the helm. Every indication is that the league unlike their European counterparts will see little managerial movement.

It would then have to be a club with outsize ambitions in terms of success as well as marketability, fairly deep pockets to afford Ancelotti's salary and transfer choices, and importantly for the Italian represent an opportunity to showcase his coaching nous. An educated guess would put Blackburn in the running as a destination.

Venky's, the Indian owners despite their less than surefooted landing in the Premiership have made it clear they see the club in the top echelon. Sam Allardyce was infamously sacked after the owners decided he was not their man to lead them to a Champions League spot. Given the talent depth this would be the equivalent of finding Sergio Busquets upright the whole duration of a match.

Steve Kean, the caretaker manager was given a measured vote of confidence before the season was over but his less than compelling efforts saw a side positioned 7th at the end of January fighting till the last day to stave off relegation. The side slid five places down from their 2009-10 finish. Not exactly where the new owners wanted to be.

An Ancelotti arrival at Ewood will signal Blackburn's serious desire for a U turn while the Italian gets a shot at glory for effecting that upward mobility. Having a managerial resume as impressive and internationally credentialed as Ancelotti's should make signings easier. It's a much quieter market but the low key Italian might prefer that after the bruising London spotlight. The caveat of course is Kean's recently signed two year permanent contract which the owners will have to pay out or alternatively a managerial assistant position could be created by mutual consent to work under Ancelotti. The Indian owners have shown a taste for unpredictability. This is not as left field after the first look.

At Arsenal next season?

Arsene Wenger has been a long time admirer of the former Lyon striker now at Real.

"His movement is always intelligent, he is able to combine well with other players to make a difference, and also make individual strikes. So, in my opinion, he is one of the best in the world."

"He could be a possible signing"

This is all in the realm of speculation but Sergio "Kun" Aguero has been strongly linked with a move to Atletico's crosstown rivals. Which means Benzema sparingly used by Mourinho could become surplus. There is chatter that Real could be offered £ 20m plus Gael Clichy.

Wenger has indicated he wants to move fast in the transfer market because the "store may close" with the financial fair play rules kicking in from next season.

Benzema with Van Persie playing just behind could be a lethal pair. The French striker will not be starved of service with all the chances Arsenal create. They just need someone more direct.