The Soccer Scribe

Will European Experience Help the USA Soccer Team?

When English fans glance through the US squad roster for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa, many will be forgiven for thinking that the squad wearing the USA soccer apparel look somewhat familiar.

While the MLS continues to grow in popularity Stateside, the real test for American players seems to be making it in the rarified climes of European soccer and in particular in the English League.

Of Bob Bradley’s 23 man squad, almost half have experience of playing in English soccer. The three goalkeepers,  Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves) and Tim Howard (Everton) all ply their trade in the English Premier League, as does defender Jonathan Spector (West Ham United). So do midfielders Clint Dempsey (Fulham) and Stuart Holden (Bolton), while striker Jozy Altidore (Hull City) and playmakers Landon Donovan (Everton), Oguchi Onyewu (Newcastle United) and DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City) have all spent time on loan at Premier League sides in recent times.

Add to that the fact that defender Carlos Bocanegra enjoyed a lengthy spell in England before signing for French side Rennes last season, not to mention Jay DeMerit who plies his trade in the Championship with Watford and it is just under half of Bob Bradley’s squad that has direct experience of life in England as a professional soccer player. Let’s not forget too that Maurice Edu plays soccer just across the border in Scotland with Rangers.

However it is not just in the UK where the top American stars are heading to prove themselves. Steve Cherundolo (Hannover ’96), Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Ricardo Clark (Eintract Frankfurt) play soccer in Germany. Lynchpin centre back Oguchi Onyewu is at AC Milan, Benny Feilhaber and Clarence Goodson play in Scandinavian soccer for AGF Aarhus and IK Start respectively and two other players, Jose Torres and Herculez Gomez play in the Mexican league for Pachuca, which means that only four players, Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas), Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle (both LA Galaxy) and Robbie Findlay (Real Salt Lake) can claim to play regularly in the MLS.

The experience gained by these US stars of playing abroad will, no doubt, stand them in good stead in the finals. Manager Bob Bradley will be counting on the experience of this core group of players to push the US team on from the first phase and into the knockout stages of the competition.

Certainly the European experience gained by many of their squad will be a bonus to the US World Cup dream. Playing in competitions such as the Bundesliga, Premier League, Champions League and Europa League will have given some of the US squad members an experience which can only help them achieve their dreams on the fields of South Africa this summer.

It won’t be easy. England will be tough first opponents and the US will be pleased to take anything from the game against Fabio Capello’s much fancied Three Lions. However with subsequent games against Slovenia and then Algeria to follow, Bradley’s men will be confident of achieving the results needed to progress into the second stage of the competition for the first time since 2002 and the experience many of their squad have gained in playing in Europe, will only help their cause.

England’s Greatest World Cup Team : 1982 – Present

There are many who will argue what is England’s greatest team. However for a slightly different take on this, we are going to select England’s finest XI based on performances only from World Cup Finals, from 1982 up to 2006. It is only from their performances in the finals tournaments in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002 and 2006 that we will select our team and there are, perhaps, one or two surprises in the team as a result...

1. Peter Shilton                                (1982, 1986, 1990) : There’s no arguments here. Shilton may have been outjumped by the hand of god, but he was as reliable as they came during the three tournaments he represented England at. He lacked a little agility in 1990, most obviously in the Semi Final against Germany, but he is fitting and deserving as the obvious choice as goalkeeper.

2. Paul Parker                    (1990) : Right back is the most open spot on the team, you can make convincing cases for Mick Mills, Gary Stevens and Gary Neville to get this spot, but in the end I feel Paul Parker’s performances at Italia 1990 were just about the best of any English right back during the finals.

3. Ashley Cole                   (2002, 2006) : Cole has distinguished himself very well at both finals he has participated in and in doing so, has proved himself as one of the best left backs in World football today. His stamina, pace and rampaging runs down the left, combined with his excellent defensive skills make him a clear candidate at left back.

4. Terry Butcher                (1982, 1986, 1990) : The rock at the heart of the England defence throughout the 1980’s, Butcher led by example. He typified the ‘bulldog’ spirit of the England team. Powerful in the air and a good all round defender, he anchored the defence during three finals and fully merits his place in the team.

5. Sol Campbell                                (1998, 2002, 2006) : Although he barely played in 2006, in the two World Cup finals prior to it, Campbell was a rock at the heart of the English defence. Commanding, powerful and physically strong, he was a powerful presence at the heart of the English defence and was recognised widely as one of the world’s finest central defenders during this period.

6. David Platt                     (1990) : Platt only played in three full England games at a World Cup finals, but his impact was immense. Scoring the last gasp extra time winner against Belgium cemented his place in English football history and further goals against Cameroon in the quarter finals and Italy in the 3^rd place game ensured Platt of a place in the team.

7. David Beckham            (1998, 2002, 2006) : The clamour for Beckham to start for England began in 1998 and when finally selected by Glenn Hoddle, Beckham didn’t disappoint. A fantastic free kick against Colombia announced his arrival and his petty kick at Simeone announced his departure from the 98 finals. He returned in 2002 changing the World Cup history books, scoring the penalty to defeat Argentina in the group stages and was once again utterly vital to England in 2006.

8.Peter Beardsley            (1986, 1990) : It is fair to say that Bobby Robson’s masterstroke at Mexico 1986, after a dismal start, was to bring in Peter Beardsley to partner Gary Lineker. In doing so he transformed England. Beardsley and Lineker were simply outstanding together, Beardsley’s craft, intelligence and cleverness often creating the chances for his partner. So it’s no surprise that at number 9 is...

9. Gary Lineker                 (1986, 1990):  Arguably England’s finest performer at any World Cup in the stated period. Top scorer at Mexico in 1986 and he also scored crucial goals in 1990, such as the goal against Ireland, two penalties in the quarter final with Cameroon and the equaliser in the Semi Final with Germany. Lineker walks into this team and rightfully so.

10. Paul Gascoigne          (1990) : The 1990 World Cup for England was the pinnacle of Gazza’s achievements in an England shirt. At times, Gascoigne carried England on his shoulders, providing moments of such quality and class that he looked a class apart. It should have been the start of something special, sadly for Gazza and England fans, it was the highlight of his England career.

11.Chris Waddle              (1986, 1990) : Waddle didn’t enjoy a good World Cup in 1986, overlooked for the industry of Steve Hodge, but in 1990, Waddle shone, in particular in the semi final with Germany. His penalty miss is often all people remember from that game, but Waddle could so easily have been the hero, his incredible shot from the halfway line that was tipped onto the bar and his rasping left foot shot that hit the inside of the post both could have cemented his place as a true World Cup hero.  That said, his performances were still more than good enough to earn a place in this team.

LIONEL MESSI : GENIUS?

If you are like me, you may be rather bored with the way football commentators and pundits bandy the word “genius” around so thoughtlessly these days. I have grown tired of seeing a worthy and commendable piece of skill, a very good goal or something slightly out of the ordinary labelled as the work of a genius by a lazy TV pundit seemingly desperate to make some form of outlandish statement.

Rarely is the term deserving of use. Pele was a football genius, Diego Maradona was a football genius and perhaps, just perhaps, Lionel Messi may be the third person to add to that category.

I know precisely who I am overlooking here. Such luminaries as Alfredo Di Stefano, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, George Best, Marco Van Basten and Zinedine Zidane. As awful and heartless as it may seem and as talented as these players were, they fell just (in some cases, a hairs breadth) short.

The difference between them and the likes of Maradona and Pele cannot be measured in purely football terms. It is a mystique, an aura that these players have. The expectation fans have when they went to see them knowing that they may well witness something that they have never seen before, or will ever see again.

For me Pele’s genius is confirmed not in any of the 1000+ goals he scored, his world cup medals or his status in the game. One moment for me confirms Pele’s genius and that is when he dummies the Uruguayan goalkeeper late in the World Cup quarter final, allowing the ball to run past him and the keeper, while he raced past the keeper on the opposite side before hurtling round to drag his shot wide.

It didn’t matter that it didn’t go in. We’d witnessed a moment of pure genius then. The outcome didn’t matter, it was the moment that sealed his place. The genius was in the thinking of it and the execution. The result...well it didn’t matter that it went wide in the end. In some ways it makes it even more poetic.

Maradona’s status is earned on his raw, unsurpassed talent alone and the fact that it was his abilities solely that elevated what was an ordinary Argentinean team to lift the 1986 World Cup. It wasn’t just his performances in games, it was the level he performed at in most of them from start to finish. It was the greatest set of performances by an individual in a World Cup competition that we will ever likely see. That comes from an Englishman who still winces at that handball goal, but who can fully recognise the genius of his second against England that day. That summed Maradona up for me, the first we saw the rotten cheat and the second we saw the genius that showed that he didn’t really need to. Poetic once again? Perhaps, but not for an Englishman!

And now we have Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s 22 year old Argentinean following in the footsteps of his national team manager. Messi’s performances for the last two years for Barcelona have elevated him to being unquestionably the best player in the world at the moment.

However Messi has some way to go. His genius at club level has been proven. Now he needs to take the next step and prove it at the World Cup finals. If he can do that in 2010, Argentina will be anointing a new football God and Diego Maradona may well have to make space for a companion on the throne of Argentinean soccer.

Lionel Messi is a genius, he just hasn’t proved it to quite everybody at international level just yet.

But I have no doubt that soon enough, he will.

CANA THE MAN AT THE STADIUM OF LIGHT

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce seems to have an uncanny ability to pick out some of the best talented holding midfielders in British football. When he was manager at Birmingham City he acquired the services of Wilson Palacios a Honduran international midfielder on loan. Palacios impressed Bruce enough to sign him when he had left Birmingham and joined Wigan and in one season at the JJB Stadium, Palacios was hugely impressive at the heart of midfield. Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were all linked with the midfielder before Tottenham moved quickly to secure a £12m deal for the player.

One and a half years on from Palacios leaving Honduras to join Bruce at Wigan, in the summer of 2009, Bruce made another excellent signing. Newly appointed as the manager of Sunderland with an ambitious new board backing him, Bruce was given, for the first time in his career, a healthy amount of money with which to spend on players. Remembering the positive impact Palacios had at Wigan, Bruce felt a similar kind of player was needed for his new charges at the Stadium of Light. However it is hard enough to turn up one gem from abroad without going out and doing it again barely 18 months later.

But then again, Steve Bruce is Steve Bruce isn’t he? And he went out and spent just over £5m on Marseille midfielder and Albanian international Lorik Cana.

Although Cana isn’t a name that would immediately leap to mind when thinking of great European midfielders of the current generation, his impact at Sunderland has been every bit as dynamic as Palacios’ impact was at Wigan. In just over a month after joining the club, Cana had impressed his manager and team mates so much that he had been named captain of the team. His performances in the early season were as vital to Sunderland’s early successes as the goals of Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones. Cana and another Bruce signing, former Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole, forged a fantastic understanding at the heart of Sunderland’s midfield and quickly the Albanian earned the acclaim of the Black Cats faithful.

His performances before he was ruled out for several weeks with injury, were of such high standing that several commentators felt that it would only be a matter of time before Cana was snapped up by a top four Premier league side. There has even been quiet speculation linking Cana with a move to Liverpool in the summer. The Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has first hand experience of Cana’s many abilities after watching him turn in a domineering and goalscoring performance at the heart of Marseille’s midfield in the 2008/09 Champions League against the team from Anfield.

But for the time being Cana will remain on Wearside and Black Cats fans can look forward to Cana and Cattermole recovering from their injuries and playing a leading role once again in leading Sunderland on a charge up the Premier League table.

And Steve Bruce can reflect on the fact that once again, he has pulled a rabbit from the hat.

Manchester City Transfer Targets? Hope of Hype

seems that new manager Roberto Mancini hasn’t been slow in naming his targets for his paymasters at the club to go and squander, sorry, I mean spend, vast sums of money on in the next few weeks and months.

If you read the frenzied press reports that have accompanied the news and believed that every player in the press that was linked with City, was going to sign. Then City would have a squad the size of China.

However let’s sort the wheat from the chaff for you and give you our lowdown on the big stars that have been linked with City and whether City do have a hope of landing them, or whether it is all just overblown hype...

1. GIORGIO CHIELLINI (Juventus) £30m – Rated at around £15m by some experts, but Italian international defender Chiellini will cost a lot more. Not that Mancini will baulk paying this. Juventus don’t have too much to spend at the moment and with Inter racing away with the Scudetto, they need money to make changes. Our verdict : HOPE – Chiellini is a good fit for Mancini and City.

2. FRANCK RIBERY (Bayern Munich) £65m – The Frenchman it seems, is on his way out of Bayern Munich after talks between his agents and Bayern hierarchy. City have been linked with a £65m bid for the player which would interest Bayern...Or would it? Our verdict : HYPE – Ribery will be off from Bayern, but it will be to Spain in the summer with Real Madrid the likeliest destination.

3. MARCO BALOTELLI (Inter) £20m – Mancini is a firm admirer of the young Italian who has had a bit of a chequered past few months with disciplinary problems. However he is a real talent and would no doubt be a player Mancini thinks highly of. Our verdict : HOPE – Inter say they won’t sell. They will for the right price for a player who has been a bit of a liability for them in recent times.

4. ANGEL DI MARIA (Benfica)  £35m – A target for both Manchester United and Chelsea if you believe the rumours. The Argentinian youngster has been really impressive for Benfica this season and a big move beckons. If Mancini doesn’t like the look of Craig Bellamy... Our verdict : HOPE – Benfica are in no position to turn down the huge offer likely to come their way for the young winger. The only doubt in my mind i-s whether Mancini would want him in City's soccer jersey.

5. THIERRY HENRY (Barcelona) £10m – Has been in and out the Barcelona side of late and seems to be reaching the crossroads of his time at the Nou Camp. But is he right for City? Our verdict : HYPE : If Henry goes anywhere, it will be to the MLS to “do a Beckham”. Eastlands is not in his plans.

6. FERNANDO TORRES (Liverpool) £80m – Reported to be more than happy at Liverpool despite their form and the fall out if Liverpool do sell would be horrendous for any manager or board member. Unless of course, financially they have no option. Our verdict : HYPE : For now, but if Liverpool don’t qualify for Europe and Man City are in the Champions League come the summer, watch this space.

7. SERGIO AGUERO (Atletico Madrid) £40m – has been linked with a move away from the club for a good while now with Chelsea and Manchester United both linked with him. Could City’s late interest prove decisive? Our verdict : HYPE : Aguero’s set for Chelsea come January and it seems little else would persuade him otherwise.

ARSENAL SET TO MAKE £9m MOVE FOR COLE?

Arsene Wenger’s long and protracted search for a striker could be coming to an end if reports are to be believed as the Gunners boss moves in on securing a deal for West Ham United striker Carlton Cole, reportedly for a fee of around £9m.

Cole has been subject of intense transfer speculation since the beginning of the season. The strikers improved form for West Ham United, combined with his elevation into the England squad and the fact that West Ham United are struggling with severe financial difficulties, has led to intense speculation in the press over his long term future. Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with the player pretty much for the duration of the 2009-2010 season and now it seems Wenger may finally have landed his man.

It’s not really known if Cole was Wenger’s first choice if he does manage to conclude a deal. Although the Arsenal manager has acknowledged the clubs need to bring in a striker given the long term injury to Robin Van Persie and the problematic injury suffered by Nicklas Bendtner that seems set to take longer than expected for the Dane to recover from, he has so far remained coy in the press about naming his targets. There was intense speculation at one time that Wenger was keen on Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, but it seems that interest from other clubs, notably Milan, Chelsea and Manchester United have pushed the Bosnian international striker’s price tag, initially thought to be around the £10m - £14m mark, up to a reputed £35m, a price that Wenger is rightly unwilling to pay.

Cole himself has had something of a chequered career himself. He began his career with Chelsea, making his debut in 2002 and began the 2002-2003 season in good form. Claudio Ranieri, his manager at Chelsea at the time stated that Cole was “fantastic, even though he hasn’t really started his career yet. He has a very long contract and, in my opinion, a very big future at Chelsea.”

Unfortunately for Cole, given that Chelsea boasted the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gianfranco Zola and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in their squad, Cole’s chances in the first team squad were limited and he was loaned out to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa in successive seasons in order to gain first team action. Each season Cole found his way blocked to the Chelsea first team by a succession of expensively signed strikers and in all the time with Chelsea, he made just 31 league appearances for the club, scoring eight goals, before West Ham United signed him in July 2006 for an undisclosed fee.

After a relatively slow start at Upton Park, Cole gradually began to find his feet. Proving an able deputy for the often injured Dean Ashton, he really made an impact for the Hammers in the 2008/09 season, scoring 12 goals in all competitions and he has continued the good form into this season scoring 7 league goals from 13 league games before he was sidelined through injury. Such was the improvement in his form that Fabio Capello handed Cole his international debut for England against Spain in 2009.

Now Cole’s rise to the top could be set to continue in an arsenal soccer jersey as the focal point for their attack. He will be well suited to Arsenal’s style of play, given that he has good first touch and excellent ability on the ball and he will provide much needed foil for the clever Arsenal attacking midfielders like Arshavin, Walcott and Fabregas to play off.

Wenger will be hopeful that a deal can be concluded for Cole within the next few days.

Toffeemen Have Plenty Of Positives From Their Loss To BATE

Despite a 1-0 reverse in the week to BATE Borisov, Everton progressed into the knockout phase of the Europa Cup and were drawn on Friday against Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, in a game which has the potential to be a classic encounter.

Everton’s last trip to Portugal ended in a 5-0 thumping at the hands of their Europa Cup group rivals Benfica, who also defeated the blues at Goodison Park. However come February, David Moyes will hope to have several of his injured stars back, fit and playing ahead of the game. With the winners of the tie facing off against either Spanish side Atletico Madrid or Turkish giants Galatasaray, Moyes will be hoping his squad is at full strength for the crucial games coming in February.

However defeat to BATE Borisov masks many positives that can be gleamed from the game. Manager David Moyes fielded a very young Everton side, resting many first teamers ahead of this weekend’s crunch Premier league clash with in form Birmingham City. Despite facing up against far more experienced opponents, Everton’s youngsters showed that there is great hope for the future with many putting in excellent performances against their Belarussian counterparts.

However one sour moment for the Goodison Park outfit came just nine minutes into the game when the highly regarded youngster Jack Rodwell limped off the field with what looked like a hamstring strain. Rodwell looks certain to be sidelined for a couple of weeks at least as Everton’s injury problems continue to worsen.

The team Moyes selected however contained seven teenagers, five making their full debut and all five showed that they have a future in the game. Young left back Jake Bidwell became Everton’s youngest ever player in Europe on the night and had a decent game against some fine Belarus international quality players. In attack Kieran Agard showed pace and a willingness to run that worried the experienced BATE defence at times while in midfield young Adam Forshaw and Hope Akpan were tidy in possession alongside the more experienced Leon Osman.

However three youngsters really stood out for the team on the night. Right back Seamus Coleman, who made a stunning impact in the league game with Tottenham previously when he came off the bench to deliver a man of the match performance, looked tidy and showed great tenacity and pace down the right flank. He certainly looks to have a bright future in Everton’s soccer apparel.

The same can be said of centre half Shane Duffy. The tall Irishman, 17, was the unfortunate cause of the deflection which gave BATE their only goal, but that doesn’t tell the story of the young defenders night. A towering presence in defence at times, he showed maturity beyond his years on occasion, making a fine goal line clearance and several last ditch tackles to keep BATE out. There was still an undoubtedly raw edge to his game, but there is also undoubted potential for the future for this young defender.

Finally Evertonians will be glad to see Jose Baxter making headlines for the right reasons. The stocky midfielder was at the heart of Everton’s best moments. He looked comfortable in possession and showed a vision and maturity in his passing that cannot have failed to impress the sparse Goodison Park crowd. It is easy to see why Everton’s youth coaches rate the youngster so highly and it seems likely that he and a couple of other youngsters will be part of the Everton first team squad sooner, rather than later, based on their fine showings in this Europa Cup league clash.

Is Chelsea In Crisis?

Four games without a win after yesterday’s 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge against Everton, are Chelsea in the midst of a dangerous slump at just the wrong time of the year?

Several reporters following the Everton game suggested to manager Carlo Ancelotti that the club could be suffering a “crisis”, which is a little strong given they actually improved their position at the top of the table by a point following Manchester United’s home loss to Aston Villa, and manager Carlo Ancelotti was quick to dismiss the notion that the club are suffering from a lack of form and a crisis of any sort;

“Who can say we are in a crisis? I don’t think so.

“I want to be objective and when I look at the game (against Everton) and the way we played, I saw that my team played very well.

“We didn’t win but that can happen in football – you can draw at home.

“We still have the same chance to win the title. It will be a long race until the end of the season. The Premier League is very competitive.”

Despite the remarks, and United’s loss, Ancelotti must be increasingly concerned with the defensive side of his team at present. They shipped three goals in their Carling Cup defeat on penalties to Blackburn, two last weekend at Manchester City and five at Stamford Bridge in the past week, two in the Champions League against APOEL and three yesterday in the 3-3 home draw with Everton.

Much of the criticism for the draw yesterday will fall on the shoulders of the man wearing the Chelsea goalkeepers jersey Peter Cech once again. The keeper was roundly criticised at times last season for his less than assured performances and he was certainly at fault for at least one of the Everton goals yesterday.

The fortunate thing for Chelsea and Ancelotti at the moment is that the teams who are likely to challenge them for the title, Arsenal and Manchester United, are also starting to drop points. Arsenal suffered a poor run of form recently and Manchester United’s loss to Aston Villa saw them lose the chance to close the gap on Chelsea completely. With Arsenal facing a tough encounter at Anfield against Liverpool, it could well be that Chelsea’s home draw may well yet prove to be vital, edging them a point clearer of their two main rivals for the title.

However the feeling will still pertain that this was two points dropped, rather than a point earned.

Next up for Chelsea is a meeting with their former manager, Avram Grant’s Portsmouth should not offer much more than a token resistance against the Blues and unless Chelsea can register a solid victory, perhaps with the aid of a clean sheet, then questions will be continued to ask in the press whether this team is genuinely good enough to win the title, especially with the difficult Christmas period looking on the horizon, and then several player disappearing to the African Cup of Nations in January to try and change soccer history.

Who Are Liverpool’s Realistic Transfer Targets In January?

As we move toward the January transfer window, the frenzied speculation in the press continues unabated with player after player being linked with a move to every Premier League club you can imagine. Given their poor campaign so far, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding who might be wearing the Liverpool soccer jersey next year. The names linked have ranged from the scarcely believable to the potentially viable and today, we are going to look at some of the names who Liverpool could realistically target during the transfer window.

The first thing to note at this juncture is that Liverpool are not in a position to spend vast sums of money on players. Talk of a move for a player like David Villa are pie in the sky. Despite signing the most lucrative sponsorship deal in the clubs history a month or so ago, Liverpool’s financial situation remains dire, with a leaked document suggesting that Rafa Benitez has £20m maximum per season to spend on players AND wages. Given that he has already spent more than that in the summer, it seems unlikely that Rafa, even with the new sponsorship deal in place, will have a great deal of spare cash to flash in the January sales.

As such loan deals appear to be a more viable alternative than spending a large sum on one player. Liverpool’s needs, at present, are many, but top of the list for the club has to be signing a striker, or possibly two, to help out Fernando Torres and David Ngog.

Three names have been strongly linked over the past few weeks and all could have a degree of authenticity to the story. Tottenham’s out of sorts striker Roman Pavlyuchenko was first mooted as a possible loan deal a few weeks back, but today stories are surfacing of a possible deal for the Russian hitman involving out of favour Ryan Babel as a possible swap deal.  The second name to have been linked is Real Madrid’s out of favour Dutchman Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The former United man is believed to prefer a move to Liverpool over Arsenal and with Real ready to sell at a knockdown price, Liverpool could possibly afford the player if his wage demands are not excessive.

The final name to be linked is a little more untested. Barcelona striker Keirrison has spent the first half of the season on loan at Benfica, but the Catalan giants are unhappy at his lack of first team action at the Portuguese side. They seem set to recall him from loan there and loan him out again to another top flight side in Europe. Liverpool, who were very keen to land the striker in the summer, would be an excellent choice, given their need for a striker and the fact that they are now out of the Champions League.

It may not be all one way traffic at Anfield either. Ryan Babel is being linked not only with Tottenham, but also with Bayern Munich and a potential return to Ajax. His outburst, reported in the Sun a while back, has not endeared him to Rafa Benitez or the Anfield faithful and the Dutchman is living on borrowed time at Anfield. The same can be said of Andrea Dossena, who seems set for a cut price return to Italy with AS Roma being strongly linked with the Italian national soccer team left back.

The big worry for Liverpool fans however has come in the past 24 hours, where midfielder Javier Mascherano has reportedly refused to commit his long term future to the club. This will no doubt alert Real Madrid and Barcelona who could come knocking in January and given that they are out of the Champions League and struggling financially, could Liverpool turn down a big money bid in the knowledge the player could agree a deal to leave for free in 12 months time? Interesting times!

Alex Ferguson Sings Browns Praise Before Pompey Trip

Sir Alex Ferguson has heaped praise upon oft injured defender Wes Brown ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth this Saturday. Ferguson, who has used Brown as cover for the injured Rio Ferdinand in recent weeks, showered the 30 year old defender with praise ahead of the clash with Portsmouth;

“Wes and Nemanja have been absolutely fantastic in recent games and it just reminds you that Wes, when he is fit, is the best natural defender in the country.

“Wes and Nemanja are natural defenders and they have the experience of course. But Wes is as good as any of them and most people recognise that.

“You have to pay tribute to the lad because he keeps coming back from the injuries that he’s had in his career.

“He’s had two cruciates, a broken ankle and other injuries. Last season, he had a very staggered season in terms of his injuries. But the season before that, he was our most consistent defender on the way to winning the European Cup in Moscow.”

Brown’s importance to United could become even greater over the next few months. With reports that Nemanja Vidic is unsettled at Old Trafford, due to his family being unable to settle in England and rumours that Doctors have informed Sir Alex that defender Rio Ferdinand’s back problem is likely to chronically reoccur throughout the remainder of his career, United look particularly short of cover at the back and although the impressive Johnny Evans has come through the ranks to bolster numbers, it is Brown who Ferguson would like to rely on most, especially in the key games.

Not that Ferguson should require a great deal from Brown and Vidic on Saturday against Portsmouth. Even the appointment of former Chelsea manager Avram Grant to replace the sacked Paul Hart, may not be enough to turn around the fortunes of the cash strapped south coast club. Last season a single Darren Ferguson strike was enough to give United victory at Fratton Park and it seems likely that with Chelsea now five points ahead, Sir Alex would take that ahead of this key game.

Fratton Park has been a traditionally tough place for United to win. Pompey have won three and drawn one of the meetings between the two at Fratton Park, although those victories have come with the team in a much stronger team at present and despite that poor run of results, United will start strong favorites to win the game.

Sir Alex is expected to return to his strongest team for the trip after the midweek defeat to Besiktas when he fielded a largely young and inexperienced side. Dimitar Berbatov should return to the attack from injury in place of Michael Owen, while Anderson should earn a recall to the side.

Portsmouth’s probable team (4-4-2) : James, Ben-Haim, Wilson, Kaboul, Hreidarsson, Brown, O’Hara, Mullins, Boateng, Dindane, Piquionne

United’s probable team (4-4-2) : Van Der Sar, Brown, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Valencia, Berbatov, Rooney