There Is Only One Sinnacle

Just using this to look back on today’s Champions League action.

- When Edin Dzeko scored to briefly gave Wolfsburg a lead was thinking how teams don’t seem to fear Manchester United anymore and are willing to give them a go. This may be the case but what is also the case is when Manchester United need to step their game up they find a way to get it done. Be it in extra time or with 30 minutes left you almost expect United to overcome a deficit and today’s 2-1 victory was no different.

- Marseille must be wondering what hit them right about now. After following the game plan to a tie in the first half, talent simply took over and once Real Madrid opened the scoring they kept on rolling along.

- One of the many questions people had about Real Madrid going into the season was how Kaka and Ronaldo would play together considering both players are used to having the ball at their feet all the time. It’s almost scary to see how well they have blended in together so soon.

(Don’t think the clip will last long)

- A.C Milan is just awful, simply as that. F.C Zurich losing 5-2 to Real Madrid was unfair as they gave Real Madrid a pretty good test. Regardless at home A.C Milan should not be losing against Zurich. It’s almost embarrassing what A.C Milan is turning into.

- When the Champions League draw came out mentioned how I didn’t like Porto being paired up against Atletico Madrid. My feeling was Atletico was going to get some revenge this season on Porto for knocking them out of the Champions League. Thanks to Atletico poor start and Porto always being a tough team to crack at home the Portuguese champions got a huge 2-0 victory. This win gives them the drivers seat for second place in Group D.

- Been looking forward to Falcão coming over to Europe for awhile now. Even before he was linked to Porto. Now that he has arrived Falcão is wasting no time turning heads. I’d be shocked if his name isn’t linked with a big European club by season’s end.

Manchester United are the latest club to track Bolton defender Gary Cahill. Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan are also interested in the 23-year-old. The Sun

Tracking and making a move for Cahill are two different things. With United’s backline and suddenly looking a little thin they could see Cahill adding depth.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is keen on Atletico Madrid forward Keko, who has been likened to Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Daily Mirror

Shocking how a 17 year old player no one outside of Madrid has heard of is in Wenger radar. The kid has only made one start with Atletico but since he has long blond hair it makes sense to compare him with Fernando Torres.

Tottenham and Arsenal are two of the clubs willing to offer midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker a way out of Aston Villa following his bust up with manager Martin O’Neill. (Daily Star)

Have a feeling Reo-Coker will enjoy reading this news even if nothing ever comes from it.

Hull boss Phil Brown is desperate to land Sol Campbell in the January transfer window, following the former Arsenal defender’s decision to leave Notts County last week. Daily Mirror

A cynic may say Phil Brown may not even be around by January.

Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies is set to land a new contract, despite being out for five months with a shoulder injury. The Sun

Davis is still deserving of a new deal. Before his injury Davis was showing the promise which lead Villa to pay West Brom close to £10 million for his services back in 2007.

Liverpool’s American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, say they are ready to water down their control in the club. (Various)

Any new investor would be silly to pump in a lot of money into Liverpool yet still give Gillett and Hicks a majority share.

Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez has explained his reasons for not celebrating his goals against West Ham on Monday, saying that “part of me will always be a Hammer”. However, following the treatment he received at Old Trafford recently, the Argentine says he will not extend the same courtesy if he scores against his former club Manchester United. The Mail

Tevez’s first goal for West Ham when he jumped into the stands at Upton Park was memorable. Could understand why Tevez will always be bitter over his final season at United. Should not talk openly about it to the press every chance he can however.

In my years of following football I’ve come across a lot of sharp minds on the game. What separates the likes of you and me to someone actually working in football is patience. A fan for the most part looks solely on the 90 minutes and not the big picture. Countless times I’ve watched Emmanuel Eboue and said to myself, “there is no way this man should ever wear an Arsenal jersey. He is horrible.” Then he scores but usually it’s to make it 3-0 in what will turn out to be a 4-0 game however that is a different article.

Everything went right for Roy Keane the second he got into coaching. It almost went too easy for him even having some people feel he could be the next Manchester United manager one day. From taking Sunderland to the Premier League in his first season. Beating Tottenham on the opening game of the next season. A season which Sunderland comfortably stayed up. Things were looking bright, even whispers of European football were being bantered about. What Keane failed to understand is that being a football coach much like being a player is a series of ups and downs. How well you handle the downs will determine how high “up” you will end up achieving.

Keane walking away from Sunderland last year is a perfect example of being impatient and missing out on the big picture. Keane blamed his relationship with new ownership for the split but ask Steve Bruce how Sunderland ownership has acted in letting him purchase Darren Bent and Michael Turner for close to 25 million pounds?

Now Roy Keane has taken over Ipswich Town and has guided a team that just missed on the playoffs last year to the bottom of the table. Going winless in 10 games to start the season will get a lot of people talking and a lot of people like make writing. There is still time for Roy Keane to turn the season around but I must wonder if he looks back on his decision to leave Sunderland with any regret? The last low Keane encounter he decided to walk away. With this new current low hopefully he can find his way out of without quitting or worse, being fired.

Fiorentina 2 – 0 Liverpool

Liverpool’s Champions League hopes took a shattering blow as Fiorentina claimed an impressive victory in a delirious Stadio Artemio Franchi.

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Liverpool were caught looking ahead to their match against Chelsea on the weekend. Simply as that. Fiorentina are a good team but they don’t have the clout of an Inter/A.C Milan or Juventus. Liverpool must of been thinking they could walk in there and come away with the three points. Sadly they were mistaken.

Rangers 1-4 Sevilla: Stunning Second-Half Gives Spaniards The Spoils

A sparkling second half performance gave Sevilla a tremendous 4-1 win over Scottish champions Rangers at Ibrox to cement top spot in Group G of the Champions League.

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One game a country should not be judged on. Following that advice however is no fun. So with that how bad did Scottish football look today? Time and time again you hear Rangers (and Celtic) talk about how they don’t have the financial muscle to complete with EPL teams. All that is well and good but here you have a team in Sevilla who are pretty much on the same financial footing as Rangers. Coming away with a 4-1 victory in supposedly one of the most feared grounds in Europe isn’t a ringing endorsement of Scottish football.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is considering a £3m move for Aston Villa’s 25-year-old midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker in the January transfer window. Daily Mirror

Nigel Reo-Coker will most likely be shown the door at some point but Villa is not going to offload him for £3 million.

Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper Rui Patricio, 21, is a target of Manchester United, according to the player’s agent. United are keen to recruit a new keeper, with Edwin van der Sar set to retire at the end of the season. The Sun

You can never put too much stock into what an agent says. Has Manchester United scouted Patricio? Yes, Do they like him? Most likely. Are they going to make a move for him? Doubtful at the moment.

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is resigned to losing Franco Di Santo in January. The 20-year-old Argentine striker is on loan at Ewood Park from Chelsea and Allardyce expects the Blues, who have been hit with a transfer ban, to recall their player. Daily Star

It’s not like Di Santo will change the fortune of either Blackburn or Chelsea’s season no matter where he ends up going in the new year.

Arsenal’s Mexican striker Carlos Vela is a shock transfer target for Spanish side Xerez. The 20-year-old fears he could miss next year’s World Cup unless he earns a regular starting place. The Sun

It would be a shock if anything more came from this. A loan move is possible if Wenger is in a good mood but he isn’t going to sell Vela anytime soon.

Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is ready to return to Champions League action for the Blues against Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus on Wednesday. Fellow midfielders Michael Ballack and Jon Mikel Obi are out injured, so Cole is set to make only his second start in 10 months after a knee injury. The Sun

Perfect spot for Joe Cole to be eased back into the Chelsea lineup.

Burnley fan Jason Taylor is being forced to travel 50 miles to watch his team play Blackburn next month, despite living round the corner from Rovers’ Ewood Park ground. Clarets fans have been told that they must report to Turf Moor four hours before kick-off and travel the 13 miles to Blackburn by coach. After the game, the transport then returns them to Turf Moor. The move comes in the wake of recent crowd trouble at the derby game between West Ham and Millwall at Upton Park. The Sun

Talk about being fan friendly. Thanks West Ham and Millwall supporters.

Enjoy

Manchester United Eye Sporting Goalkeeper Rui Patricio – Report

The Red Devils are in the market for a new shot-stopper, and they are reportedly considering the Portuguese youngster…

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Manchester United do know Patricio from facing him in the 2007-2008 Champions League campaign. While United did win 2-1 on a late Ronaldo free kick, Patricio had a good showing being able to handle the pressure of playing in Old Trafford. Patricio is young and with that come inconsistency. He makes the incredible save but too many times he let’s in a goal that most keepers should of stopped.

Stevan Jovetic’s Agent: No Talks With Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester United Or Bayern Munich

The player’s representative insists there have not been any talks with Europe’s major players…

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Jovetic spent last year mostly getting use to playing in the top league. After scoring against Sporting Clube de Portugal to lift Fiorentina into the Champions League, the goals have kept on coming for Jovetic.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is monitoring Tottenham right-back Alan Hutton ahead of the January transfer window.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Hutton is currently wasting away on Tottenham bench. It appears he is out of favour with Harry Redknapp at the moment. It wouldn’t shock me if Hutton finds himself at a new club in January if someone is prepared to bid close to the seven million pounds Tottenham paid Rangers.

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie has told owner Sulaiman Al Fahim to prove that a £50m loan has been organised to keep the club out of administration. The Sun

I’d never understand the logic of buying a club only to see it go into administration. (bankruptcy) The Al Fahim era hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts. It took him way too long to buy the club this summer which appears to have harmed this club beyond repair.

Manchester United Nani winger will turn to his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo for advice after being substituted against Stoke on Saturday following a poor display. Nani will ring Ronaldo – now at Real Madrid – before Wednesday’s game with Wolfsburg and added: “Cristiano and I talk a lot.” The Sun

Nani won’t have to worry about being substituted on Wednesday against Wolfsburg since it’s unlikely he will start.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, who has been out of action since June because of a lower back injury, has told boss Arsene Wenger he is fit to start Tuesday’s Champions League match against Olympiakos. The Sun

Great talent but it’s worrisome when at an early age Walcott is missing tons of games each season due to injury. This doesn’t bode well the older Walcott gets.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has declared he is completely happy at the Blues and stated: “Chelsea is the first club I can call home.” Anelka’s former clubs include Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and Real Madrid. The Sun

Anelka has usually outlived his welcome by his second year in a club. Took him long enough but it’s good to see Anelka finally being able to find a club he can excel at.

- Weird weekend in the Serie A as Inter Milan fell to Sampdoria who now sit on top of the standings. The main reason for this is due to Juventus dropping points this time to Bologna thanks to a late Adailton goal. For those of you who may still care about A.C Milan they drew Bari 0-0 at home.

- Any weekend Inter Milan loses can’t be considered a good weekend for Jose Mourinho but he can take comfort in the fact Juventus weren’t able to punish them. Same trend as last year. It seemed everyone time Inter dropped points the other top teams quickly followed suit.

- Not the biggest surprise Inter were tripped up on the road against Sampdoria. Last year Jose Mourinho opened his Serie A account with a 1-1 draw against them. Add to that current Sampdoria coach then of Atalanta the previous year Luigi Del Neri handed Inter their worst loss of last season beating Inter 3-1.

- Got to stay focused for the entire 90 minutes Juventus. Hopefully they learn this lesson early and don’t drop points in the same fashion later on this season.

- You think David Beckham is calling his agent right about now telling him to find another club to join in January? Currently A.C Milan are in 11th place. Yes they are in the Champions League but if they don’t advance to the group stage I wouldn’t be shocked if Beckham joins another club in the new year.

- One of the many problems with A.C Milan and granted little of this is Leonardo’s fault is the fact A.C Milan didn’t go far enough in cleaning house. This is a team caught in two minds. One mind is playing the way they have played for so many years under Carlo Ancelotti and the other is trying to play under Leonardo’s system. Despite Kaka being sold and Maldini retiring a further changing of the guard was needed.

- Make it five for five as Zlatan Ibrahimović scored again for Barcelona against Malaga. If you had the computer those kids from
Weird Science used after creating Kelly LeBrock and now focusing on creating a striker you’d be hard pressed to come up with a skill or physical tool Ibrahimovic doesn’t have already.

- It’s still early in the season but I don’t recall two teams with such elite level skill than Barcelona and Real Madrid. Forget about the gap between them and the rest of La Liga at the end of this season we could easily be talking about the gap between them and the rest of Europe. The previous two weeks it was Ronaldo, this week it was Benzema who was the difference against Tenerife. This club can beat you with so many weapons.

- Despite being at home not many people would of figured Hamburg to take the points against an in-form Bayern Munich squad. Congrats to them as they held Bayern off the score sheet and grabbed a 72nd minute goal by Mladen Petrić to stay on top of the Bundesliga along with Bayer Leverkusen.

- Great to see Vedad Ibišević grab a hat trick for Hoffenheim in their 5-1 rout of Hertha BSC. Before he got hurt last season Ibišević was quickly becoming one of the best strikers in Europe. Hoffenheim’s season never recovered once he went down just after the new year.

- Things may be looking pretty for Charlie Davis when it comes to the U.S national team but his first taste of French football isn’t going as well. After starting the season well Sochaux now find themselves in the regulation places after losing 2-1 to Nancy.

- Last week I told you about Sporting Braga in Portugal. Well make it six in a row as Braga scored on an injury time goal by Alan to beat Olhanense 1-0. If you missed this game must admit you didn’t miss too much.

- Benfica 5 Leixoes 0. I’m really hoping they can make in a run in the Europa League. For a team not in one of the major leagues in Europe, Benfica have a great team. Aside from Barcelona and Real Madrid they are the most entertaining team to watch this season. (Entertaining and being the 3rd best team in Europe are two different things.)