There Is Only One Sinnacle

- The different between Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid Manuel Pellegrini was on display this weekend. Pep Guardiola can bench Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. While eyebrows will be raised, few would question Guardiola. Pellegrini does so much as to bench Guti and he is second guessed by everyone. You know one is in full control of a club when Guardiola can bench those players under the guise of needing rest but really it’s due to their poor performances against Osasuna and Rubin Kazan mid week.

- What a series of saves by Real Mallorca goalie Dudu Aouate before Barcelona finally beats him on the 4th point blank shot (1:30 mark of the clip.)

- It’s tough to make your mark when you are a new coach coming in mid season. Quique Flores so far hasn’t turned around Atletico Madrid and it will be interesting to see how Sergio Agüero is going to deal with coming off the bench.

- Sergio Ramos needs to keep his cool. His straight red card gave Atletico Madrid the belief they can make a game of it down 3-0 at the time.

- Time for my brief look at Portuguese football. With Braga losing their derby match against Vitoria Guimaraes, Porto losing on the road to Maritimo and Sporting only being able to draw against Rio Ave, Benfica has a glorious chance with a win on Monday against Naval to create some space against their rivals.

- I may of jinxed Ajax after praising their recent form as they went down to defeat against FC Twente 1-0. It would be a great story if Steve McClaren could turn his image around by winning the league.

- Last year’s winning coach in the Dutch Eredivisie Louis van Gaal isn’t having the same type of fortune with new club Bayern Munich. Another draw this time against Schalke must leave many within the club shaking their heads. Also not a good sign when Luca Toni storms out, leaving the entire stadium after being subbed at halftime. Vice captain Phillip Lahm has also been fined for negative comments about the team after the game.

- Damn you NFL Sunday or else I would of caught some of the Lyon-Marseille 5-5 draw with five goals being scored after the 79th minute. Must of been some game with former Everton target Stephane M’Bia scoring for Marseille at the last kick of the game.

- I was wrong about Lisandro Lopez. Not about the player himself as I’ve always held him in high regard but the amount Lyon paid for him. A couple of months into the season and it’s clear Lyon would pay that price again and even paid more if they knew what type of player they were getting.

- Juventus and Atalanta was looking like one of those cold, wet games that end in a draw. Then Mauro Camoranesi scores two goals in two minutes and Juventus were on their way to a 5-2 victory.

- Mentioned on twitter that Roma was in a good spot to trip up Inter ahead of the international break and they did. Good for Claudio Ranieri to hold Inter at bay considering the amount of goals they have been scoring in recent weeks.

Overkill? Maybe but this guy still has me laughing out loud. I’d love to see a close up of his grill. I’m sure this guy is his dentist favorite patient. Something so silly, yet so genius at the same time.

- Season is far from over but after today’s win Chelsea must feel the EPL title is theirs to lose. A true measure of a championship team is being able to grind out a 1-0 result.

- John Terry may walk away with the headlines thanks to his game winner but Ricardo Carvalho was outstanding. From blocking shots to getting under Manchester United skin. It almost surprised me Rooney didn’t give Carvalho a stomp ala the last World Cup. Johnny Evans mind you did trip up Carvalho which got him a yellow card.

- It also amuses me how Carvalho in his opinion has never committed a foul in his life. Even when it was a clear foul he’ll still wag his finger.

- What is this man doing bringing a toothbrush to a football match? Where is the toothpaste?

- Wayne Rooney was United best player but again against a top four club Rooney is unable to left his game further and no, his goal in the community shield does not count. The English press and announcers are rarely going to say anything negative about Rooney. Fair play since he does bust a lung out there but when he is being praised for running back and playing right back I’m thinking what in the world is Rooney doing back there? Fabio Capello has it right when it comes to Rooney. All he wants Rooney to focus on is being in front of goal.

- It must be of some worry to Sir Alex Ferguson that his Manchester United side has been second best to Chelsea and Liverpool already this season. Granted both of those were on the road and they did beat Arsenal at home but against the top four you are looking for draws on the road and wins at home. Dropping points against Chelsea and Liverpool now makes the return matches on home every more important.

- Arsenal fans are feeling confidence week by week and now sit in a tie for second place with a game in hand on Manchester United. This Arsenal team is playing like the Gunners of old. This Arsenal team is killing off games early. Usually by halftime Arsenal has already wrapped the game up. This weekend’s game against Wolves no exception.

- Jody Craddock is in the form of his life with four goals in two games. Shame for him one of them was an own goal on an unlucky chip shot from Eduardo which bounced off his head.

- Nice way for Aston Villa to rebound from their mid week defeat to West Ham by outclassing Bolton 5-1. What must been seen as good news for Villa fans is how all their top players factored into the score sheet.

- Came across this stat the other day how Emilie Heskey hasn’t had a shot on goal all season. This blows my mind. While he isn’t a starter you would think even coming from the bench he’ll give it a go on goal. No wonder Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen love playing with him on the national team. Some strikers go nine games without a goal and they start having nervous twitches. Heskey can’t even be bothered to shoot on goal.

- Going into the game Blackburn under Paul Ince had two more points than they did this year with Sam Allardyce. Then Portsmouth came to town and changed all that.

- Also going into the weekend Portsmouth had conceded one less goal than Liverpool. Another telling stat for the type of season it’s been so far. Thanks to Blackburn scoring goal three on the weekend means Liverpool just has to prevent two goals from being scored in order for this stat not to carry over for another week.

- Poetic Justice some would say with Darren Bent missing his penalty kick after earning it on a dive. On the flip side Sunderland fans would say Bent should have been awarded a penalty kick in the first half.

- Nice goal by Tom Huddlestone to put the game away. That rocket of a shot may still been rising if it didn’t hit the net.

- When does Mark Hughes feel the heat again? Manchester City only has one defeat this season but drawing six straight is not going to get it done. A lack of focus is clearly on display when watching Manchester City and that is on the coach. There is no way a team with the talent on City should make themselves 2-0 down against Burnley. Lescott and Toure are clearly not on the same page out there. No one could tell me what in the world Wayne Bridge was doing out there, playing every position but his own.
Then the light snapped back on for Manchester City and credit to them fought back to lead 3-2. What bugs me most about letting Burnley tie the game up is the fact City should of learnt this lesson when they dropped a two goal lead against Fulham.

- Tip of my cap to Owen Coyle and his Burnley team. They could have let their heads hand low and let Manchester City run over them once up 3-2. Instead they kept fighting and earned a well deserved point.

- Players like Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink are part of the reason Hull City are crying poor due to having too many players but thanks to his 90th minute goal against Stoke Phil Brown should have a huge grin going into the international break.

- Look forward to see Alberto Aquilani play some against Birmingham. Aquilani has had to deal with a double case of bad luck. One with the injury itself, the other is having every other key player for Liverpool injured which will put even more pressure on Aquilani to hit the ground running once fit.

CAS suspend Chelsea transfer ban over appeal

Chelsea were initially handed a FIFA ban over the next two transfer windows after they were found guilty of inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens in 2007, but the Blues appealed to CAS against the punishment and, as part of their appeal, requested the transfer ban be ‘stayed’ until the case had been dealt with.

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Hate dealing with the world of football when it’s being played out in a courtroom. Carlo Ancelotti may say differently but you know with this case still pending Chelsea are going to spend like it’s a boxing day sale once the transfer window opens up.

Paulo Bento Resigns As Sporting CP Coach

The former youth team boss had been facing calls for his head following a poor run domestically that has left last season’s runners-up seventh in the Portuguese Liga and last night’s result was the final straw for Bento.

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About time was the first thing to pop into my mind. Clearly Bento was given enough rope with Sporting. After awhile it becomes clear when a team simply does not like playing for their coach as was the case here. Sporting lack the talent of Benfica and the belief of Porto but they should still be chasing at their heels. Being seventh in the Super Liga just grinding out wins and ties isn’t where this club should be.

Cristiano Ronaldo Injury To Heighten Tension Between Portugal & Real Madrid – Report

The fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to heighten tensions between Real Madrid and Portugal once again with his national team set to call him into the squad for their World Cup play-off, despite Madrid saying he is injured.

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Ronaldo may miss the first game however my feeling is Portugal will give Real Madrid the finger and place him on the subs bench for the first game. Barring surgery I’d be shocked if Ronaldo misses Portugal’s second game against Bosnia.

Tottenham are keeping tabs on striker Ruud van Nistelrooy’s situation at Real Madrid as the Dutchman is out of contract at the end of the season. The Sun

Considering van Nistelrooy wouldn’t be asked to start weekly there is a fit. Another option for van Nistelrooy is to pull a Roy Makaay and end his career back home.

Liverpool are lining up a January move for Hamburg’s Dutch midfielder Eljero Elia. Daily Mirror

That should save Liverpool’s season.

Chelsea look set to follow Newcastle’s example and become the latest club to sell the naming rights for their stadium. The Sun

Shocked it took English clubs this long to sell naming rights. English football has been sold to the highest bidder in every other fashion.

The Blues want £100m for the Stamford Bridge naming rights. Daily Mail

Or, the club could demand up to £150m to tie a sponsor into a 10-15-year deal. The Independent

Hard to turn down that type of money.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has accused Atletico Madrid of ‘tapping up’ Arsenal’s young midfielder Fran Merida. Daily Mirror

Funny considering this is coming from Arsene Wenger.

Manchester United keeper Tomasz Kuszczak has claimed that fellow Old Trafford stopper Edwin van der Sar offers him no advice and believes the Dutchman does not like him. The Sun

Making this comment isn’t going to change that either. It’s not often goalies like one another unless their is a clear understanding of whose number one and number two.

Manchester United are planning a £12m January swoop for Benfica’s Argentine winger Angel Di Maria, who impressed in the Europa League against Everton last month. Daily Mirror

A laughable amount considering Manchester United paid £18m for Nani close to three years ago. Also no way Benfica sells Di Maria in the middle of a season. Last year every time Di Maria’s name came up in transfer rumours kept saying he should first excel in the Portuguese top division before moving on. Well, this year everything is rounding into form for Di Maria so it won’t shock me if he is sold in the summer.

German side Hertha Berlin are trying to sign former England defender Sol Campbell, 35, on an 18-month contract. Daily Mail

Considering Hertha Berlin are a bottom of the table side they can use all the help they can get. German clubs do have a history of playing well however.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce hopes to strike a cut-price £4m deal for Nacional Madeira midfielder Ruben Micael. Daily Mirror

See people look what I have been telling you about the talent coming through Portugal? Ruben Micael has benefited from playing well in the Europa League but Nacional don’t want to sell him for anything less then 10 million euros.

Bolton are ready to launch a £4m bid for Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll, who Wanderers boss Gary Megson sees as a long-term replacement for Kevin Davies. The Sun

Newcastle is not going to sell Carroll in the middle of a promotion push. Bolton should of cut the cheque at the start of the season when Newcastle were selling players like Martins, and Damien Duff.

Notts County have handed a trial to 31-year-old former Porto, Deportivo La Coruna and Juventus defender Jorge Andrade.
Daily Mail

Class defender before his knee gave out on him. One of the standouts of Portugal’s Euro 2004 run.

Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa is facing a knee operation which could keep him out for up to a month. (Daily Express)

Not what I want to read going into the match against Bosnia.

Reds’ hearts broken late on

Liverpool’s hearts were broken by a cruel last-minute equaliser that has all but ended their Champions League dreams for a traumatic season.

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No denying this Liverpool side is flawed. This was made clear long before Lisandro Lopez pretty much ended Liverpool Champions League chances. One thing that has been bugged me about Liverpool the last couple of weeks. Why is Andriy Voronin starting? More to that why wasn’t David N’gog given Voronin spot in the starting lineup against Fulham and Lyon. After scoring against Manchester United N’gog must of been on a high. How does he get rewarded for his goal? By being on the subs bench. What can of message does that send to a young player?

Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Inter: Late Goals See Nerazzurri Earn Priceless Victory

Inter jumped to the top spot in Champions League Group F with a courageous 2-1 win away to Dynamo Kiev.

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How big was this win for Inter Milan? With Barcelona only being able to draw against Rubin Kazan this win means Inter Milan can walk into the Camp Nou knowing they don’t need a victory as a draw would still set themselves up nicely going into their final game. Lesson on the day here boys and girls. When you are a home team, it’s foolish to sit on a lead for an entire half like Dynamo Kiev did. Once Inter tied it up Dynamo just couldn’t get it in gear again.

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish will return to his former club Rangers to sign £3m-rated midfielder Steven Davis and striker Kris Boyd, who could be available for £1m. Daily Mirror

Considering the mess Rangers are in, Alex McLeish could do worst than pick off some players from his former team. With the fact Birmingham has trouble scoring this year plus Kris Boyd being out of contract in the summer a move south does make sense.

Portsmouth are battling Birmingham and Ipswich to sign Benfica defender Miguel Vitor in January. Daily Mirror

Benfica is not going to sell Miguel Vitor to any of those teams. A loan? perhaps but even that is unlikely.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has joined Real Madrid and Everton in the chase for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson – and could start the bidding war with a £3m offer. The Sun

Some bidding war with that £3m offer. I’m sure that would scare away Real Madrid.

Fulham hope to sign Roma’s former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise for £3m in January to team him up with his younger brother, midfielder Bjorn Helge, who is already at Craven Cottage. Daily Express

It appears Fulham’s transfer budget is £3m.

Blackburn are willing to sell striker Benni McCarthy in January but will not allow him to join any of their relegation rivals in the Premier League or move anywhere on a loan deal. The Sun

Unlikely a top half of the table team will want McCarthy. Not even with Chelsea losing players in January, its doubtful they would make a move for the moody McCarthy.

Former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes, who was sacked by Tranmere Rovers in October after only four months in charge, is close to being appointed the new national boss of Rwanda. Daily Mirror

How much does this gig pay is what I’m curious to know?

West Ham may have to pay former manager Alan Curbishley £4m after he won his case for constructive dismissal over his departure from Upton Park in September 2008. The Sun

The Hammers will have to pay Curbishley a year’s salary – a basic of about £1m – plus legal costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Daily Telegraph

Good for Curbishley as West Ham did just about everything to push him out the door. A contract is a contract.

Hull City are lining up Curbishley as a replacement for under-fire boss Phil Brown, who could be sacked if the Tigers lose at home to Stoke on Sunday. Daily Mirror

Alan Curbishley does have a long history of keeping clubs like Charlton in the top division.

Arsenal fans fear for the future of their club after Stan Kroenke increased his stakeholding in the Gunners.
Full story: The Times

Kroenke has no immediate plans to try to seize control of the Arsenal boardroom with a full takeover bid.
Full story: The Independent

Must be like water torture seeing how this Arsenal ownership saga is playing out.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was “devastated” when Xabi Alonso left Liverpool and admits the Reds have missed the Spaniard. (Four Four Two)

According to rumours last week Gerrard always has the option to link up with Alonso at Real Madrid next season.

Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has had another setback in his recovery from a cruciate knee injury and could remain sidelined until the new year. (Various)

Miss watching him play. Great player.

Manchester City are ready to make a move for Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure in January. The Sun

Arsenal always used to be linked with Yaya Toure. With his brother Kolo Toure now moving on to Arsenal it only seems fitting Manchester City is the one lined with the Barcelona midfielder.

Reports in Holland claim City have joined the chase for highly-rated Ajax striker Luis Suarez. imscouting.com

Took awhile for Suarez to find his form but there is no denying he has been one of the best strikers in Europe this season. Shame that Ajax doesn’t get any TV coverage over here.

Chelsea target Angel di Maria, the 21-year-old Benfica winger, has admitted he could be tempted by a move to England.
Full story: Various

File this under no shit. Of course he’d be tempted by a top four English club.

Former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko could be set for a shock return to the Premier League with Birmingham. Ambitious new Blues owner Carson Yeung wants to sign the 33-year-old from Dynamo Kiev in January. Daily Mirror

Strange enough that it could almost make sense. If Dynamo Kiev doesn’t advance in the Champions League the door is slightly open for Shevchenko to make a move in the new year,

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola will make a January move for Bordeaux’s Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh to bolster his attack. (Daily Express)

Chamakh didn’t jump at the chance to join West Ham in the summer and he won’t do so now with the hammers in a regulation fight.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres could be forced to undergo surgery on a groin problem and may face two months on the sidelines.
Full story: Various

Torres’ problem is a hernia and it might require surgery if he is over-played, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been warned.
Full story: The Times

In other words Rafa is thinking, “Lay off me for subbing off Torres against Fulham.”

Manchester United striker Michael Owen believes playing Champions League football with the Old Trafford club will help him secure a place in England’s 2010 World Cup squad : The Sun

Scoring goals helps the most. Owen needs to pick up the pace a little in that department.

United defender Rio Ferdinand is set to miss his side’s meeting with Chelsea on Sunday and England’s World Cup warm-up against Brazil on 14 November with a calf problem. Daily Express

Is this a good thing or bad thing for United and English fans?

Chelsea will make a £33m bid for Valencia striker David Villa – but the Spain international would prefer a move to Manchester United. Daily Mirror

I realize with a slew of players leaving the African cup of nations in January that Chelsea wants to bring in new players but with the transfer ban in place only Franco di Santo should make the move back form his loan spell at Blackburn.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has identified Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as the candidate he believes is best qualified to succeed Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford. Daily Mail

Sir Alex Ferguson could do a lot worst than Neuer as his replacement for van der Sar.

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is keen to sign Osasuna’s £10m-rated right-back Cesar Azpilicueta. Daily Mirror

City winger Robinho could be on his way to Barcelona after Hughes attended Barca’s draw with Osasuna on Saturday and met with club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Tiki Beguiristain.
Full story: El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish)

You knew these rumours were going to flare up when Mark Hughes showed up to watch the Barcelona-Osasuna match on the weekend. Nice to see the press mix it up by throwing in an Osasuna player to the rumour mill.

Former Liverpool midfielder Ronnie Whelan believes Reds manager Rafael Benitez’s days at the club “have got to be numbered”. Full story: Various

Injury problems mean Benitez could be without 12 players for Wednesday’s critical Champions League meeting with Lyon. Full story: Daily Express

Can’t see Liverpool biting the bullet with 20 million owning to Benitez. He’ll get to see the year out and if Liverpool really wants to get rid of him they will allow other clubs to speak with him during the summer.