Unfortunately that happy story was quickly shouldered aside and no surprise when the News of the World and Sunday Mirror continue to disgrace our presence.  It really is none of our business what footballers or any other celebrities do in their spare time or with whom they do it.  Like as not, the fish wraps had just as much proof (see nada) in making these allegations as they did in the Bridge/Perroncel/Terry case.

Kudos to Milner for standing behind his mate.

Wayne Rooney hasn’t made a statement on the matter yet but the rest of the media has jumped on board, speculating on such ridiculous things as his World Cup form suffering because he was afraid this story was about to break.  If that’s the case, he must have confided in his teammates because their performances were every bit as abysmal as his.  At this point it won’t really matter what, if anything, the United star has to say.  The majority of the public is only too willing to give credibility to a young woman whose only prospects in life are her equally loose morals and tongue.

What we need is the Beeb, or some other reasonably ethical news source, to follow NOTW and Mirror employees around surreptitiously, dig up their pasts and expose all their peccadilloes.  Unfortunately, even their own houses were exposed as being constructed of glass, they’d probably continue throwing stones.  Anything for a few bob in the pocket.

Fortunately, my parakeets have just finished eating a pound or so of seed and I can shove these sorry excuses for newspapers where they belong, at the bottom of the cage, shit to catch shit, and get on to the weekend highlights.

Enjoy!

Geoff did say he was growing a beard ahead of this trip.

Geoff Edwards (Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?)

Geoff is still on holiday and he will be sorry to have missed:

Belgium 0 -- 1 Germany

Once again, it was Klose but Germany pulled out a 1-0 victory over  Georges Leekens’ Belgians.   The home side was very frisky early on but could not find a way past Manuel Neuer.  They would regret that, as the three headed World Cup monster of Lukas Podolski, Thomas Müller and Miroslav Klose began to attack the Rote Teufel goal.  Six minutes into the restart, an inattentive Vincent Kompany was dispossessed on the edge of the box.  The loose ball caromed directly to Müller, who quickly found Klose, alone with the space, time and precision to find the corner of goal.

Germany continued their half century mastery over Belgium but Leekens can take heart in the overall play of his squad.

Tapesh Patel

Tapesh Patel

France 0-1 Belarus

A French pundit called this result “la douche froide” (a cold shower) and France certainly received a rude awakening from a very average Belarus side. There were many positives – Florent Malouda sparkled as captain, while Yann M’Vila again belied his tender years – but ultimately Belarus seized upon France’s profligacy in front of goal. Midfielder Sergey Kisliak horrified Les Bleus with an 86th minute winner, and France have now lost four in a row, their worst run since 1937.

Lithuania 0-0 Scotland

When previewing this match, I called it a tight six-pointer and that’s exactly how it panned out. Scotland undoubtedly had the better of the game, but did not have the tools to unlock their opponents, who frequently disrupted the Scottish rhythm with some tough tackling. This was a missed opportunity for Scotland, and only a win will now do against Liechtenstein on Tuesday.

Editor’s note:  So, we were thinking… Why post some drab highlights from a nil-nil snorefest(?) when there was a more entertaining international taking place nearby that we thought you might like to see!  The camera-man’s work isn’t the best and neither is his English but it’s good fun nonetheless.

Chris Mann

Chris Mann

Avi Goldberg

Avi Goldberg

San Marino 0 -- 5  The Netherlands

Bert Van Marwijk waited to release the names of the starting 11 until the game is about to start.   Opting for a consistent formation, he hasn’t changed much, even though he could have played a more aggressive shape against  a lightwieight side.  Johny Heitinga, suspended for his red card v Spain, was replaced in the heart of defence by Hedwiges Maduro.  First half difficulties made it obvious that the Oranje had used up a lot of emotional energy, being in a long and ultimately fruitless chase of the World Cup. A little time was needed to get back together on the pitch and start again.

Minutes after a goal was ruled offside, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was brought down in the box and Dirk Kuyt converted the penalty. On the 26th minute, however,  there came a scary moment for keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.  Andy Selva shot from afar and almost caught him off guard. That brought the focus back to the side, though, and a quickly taken free kick from Wesley Sneijder gave the opportunity for Kuyt to cross for Huntelaar to tap in 2-0.

Not a phenomenal first half but the second introduced more creativity in the field, when Rafael van der Vaart put Huntelaar to his second and third for the night. The moment of return then came, as Kuyt made way for Ruud Van Nistelrooy.  Van ‘The Man’ couldn’t be happier, after scoring a nice volley in extra time, to make it a final 5-0.

Okay, it was against a much weaker team but the Oranje got their first 3 points and will look to continue with the same solid and successful formation against their next opponent, Finland.

Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto

Major League Soccer

The swing match in the weekend spate took place at Rio Tinto Stadium, in Salt Lake.  The Red Bulls came to town without defender Rafa Marquez, who was captaining Mexico to a loss against Ecuador, and were completely disorganised in the first half.  Fabio Espindola’s strike, for Real, should have been one of many but the home side didn’t take their chances.  New York found their shape in the second 45 but not an equaliser.

With the LA Galaxy managing a draw in Chicago and the Columbus Crew taking care of business, with a 0-1 victory at cellar dwelling DC United, the Western Conference became much tighter, while the gap in the East widened.

Salt Lake, the MLS Cup holders, are now positioned to snatch the Supporter’s Shield, for best overall record.  The Galaxy have been bleeding points since their upset loss to Puerto Rico Islanders, in the CONCACAF Champions League qualifiers.  David Beckham’s rumoured return can’t come soon enough for manager Bruce Arena.

That Chicago managed only a draw against the fallen Angelinos doesn’t bode well for thir fading playoff hopes.  They do still have 2 games in hand on the field but will have to take maximum points from them to be a factor at season’s end.  meanwhile, watch out for FC Dallas coming out of the west.  Despite sitting 5th in the table they have gotten results out of more games than any other side, thus far, having lost just twice.

Real Salt Lake v NY Red Bulls

..

Chicago Fire v LA Galaxy

Mexican Apertura

Chivas de Guadalajara 3 -- 0  UAG Tecos

The Goats are definitely baa-a-aa-ack!  Before a packed Estadio OmniLife. in Guadalajara, Chivas put the horns to derby rivals Tecos.  Having spent the early part of the Apertura season more concerned with chasing the Copa Libertadores in South America, Jose Luis Real’s squad knew they had work to do, if they are to figure in the first half of the split season.  They quickly got down to business, showing the difference between themselves and last place Tecos.

On 37 minutes, midfielder Marco Fabian connected with a perfect long distance backdoor cross to Omar Bravo, who headed the Goats into the lead.  In the second half, the skies opened up and so did Chivas.  After seeing several chances denied by Tecos keeper, Mario Rodriguez, Ricardo Vasquez Gallien finally found a way past him to double the lead.  The skies would clear but Chivas continued to rain shots on Rodriguez.  At the death, Marco Fabian would cap off the scoring, after a mad scramble around the Tecos box.

Argentine Apertura

Velez Sarsfield 2 -- 1 River Plate

Faced with a herculean task, needing to defeat city rivals River Plate, to both leapfrog them and keep pace with cheeky Arsenal de Sarandi, Velez Sarsfield made full use of their home pitch advantage to earn a hard fought victory.  Juan Manuel Martinez opened the scoring for Velez, just after the half hour but Diego Buonanotte pegged the home side back just before time.  It was a rough match all around, with both sides earning 4 cautions.  Santiago Silva’s penalty conversion, in the 58th minute put El Fortin on top once more but they had to circle the wagons when Leandro Somoza was sent off with almost 20 minutes remaining.

Eliot Rothwell

Eliot Rothwell

Montenegro 1 -- 0 Wales

It’s fair to say Wales will be disappointed with this result. Montenegro ran out winners from a Mirko Vucinic goal that was celebrated emphatically by his countrymen.  John Toshack’s side never really looked threatening going forward and lacked a creative outlet in midfield, to assist the attacking players.

Wales will need to improve to have any hope of qualifying.

Editor’s note:  According to reports, John Toshack has decided to throw in the towel.  In two years, he’s been unable to make any progress with the squad and apparently alienated the most talented of his players.  As his decision caught the FAW by surprise, there is no successor in the frame and Toshack has agreed to stay on until one is found.

England 4 -- 0 Bulgaria

A great win and a good performance. Not spectacular but good. This doesn’t makes England world beaters but certainly shows that the players were capable of achieving more at the World Cup.  Hopefully,as a result, certain facets of the press may now take a step back from their mindless Capello baiting.

Jermaine Defoe looked lively upfront and England reaped the rewards of some tidy finishing. There are still question marks to be solved for England, the largest of those being the bumbling Glen Johnson who, apart from having superb physical attributes, has an astounding lack of technique, tactical awareness and positioning. Onwards we go.

Slovenia 0 -- 1 Northern Ireland

A 1-0, backs against the wall, away win. It can only be Northern Ireland. Nigel Worthington’s men overcame the lacklustre Slovenian’s through a combination of smart tactics and fighting spirit. The younger of the Evans brothers, Corey, netted the winning goal in a game that saw Northern Ireland illustrate that they may be a force to be reckoned with.

Kris Dwyer

The Oz Files with Kris Dwyer

Socceroos 0 -- 0 Switzerland

Well that was dour wasn’t it? A nil-all draw, but good signs, as Australia moved away from the dredge of a 1 man strike force, something we’ve been succumbing to for years, under Dutch management.

Scott Macdonald has a lot to answer for, having missed many gilt-edged chances.  However, Helger Osieck has defended the striker, claiming he admired his work rate.

Perth Glory 2 -- 1 Wellington Phoenix

This game was always gonna be big, and the crowd of the round showed up in force in Western Australia with 10,844 fans filing into nib Stadium.  The game got off with a masterpiece of brilliance, Robbie Fowler turning and placing a lobbed through-pass onto the boot of Todd Howarth, from the centre of the park.  Howarth then crossed it straight to Mile Sterjovski, for a tap-in in front of the adoring ‘shed,’ after just six minutes  The Glory were then denied a second by the referee who incorrectly called Sterjovski offside, and both sides went into the break, with the Glory 1-0 up.

On the restart, the Glory again came out fired up.  This time, Mile Sterjovski proved to be provider for marquee man Robbie Fowler, who headed it graciously into the net for his second Perth Glory goal and first in front of a home crowd.  There was a late rush home by Wellington Phoenix, however.  In the 76th minute, Ben Sigmund rose above the Glory defence, to nod home past Velaphi, but the Glory ran out winners in an end to the game that left fans on the edge of their seat.

Interviewed during the break, former Glory player and fan favourite Eugene Dadi provided a moment of hilarity.  ”Well I’m waiting for a contract and it’s Fathers Day.  Dadi is here!” quipped the 37 year old Ivorian.   Comical Brilliance.

Melbourne Heart 1 -- 0 North Queensland Fury

Not much to say about this one, other than the stock of Nick Kalmar continues to rise. His meteoric ascent from the second tier VPL has been one of the stories of the year, with the young player already off the mark, with two goals.  Kalmar’s well timed header, in the first half, was enough for the Heart to secure their first win of the season and they jump up into sixth place with 5 points.

Once again, we’ve been happy to put the World in World Football Columns.  Just in case you haven’t had enough video, we’ll leave you with a clip from the Glory Shed in Perth, where the home supporters welcome their Kiwi visitors with a short verse.

It’s not very cultured but, last I checked, the Opera House was in Sydney, not Perth.

See you on Friday!

This week, that means the first spate of qualifiers for Euro 2012, as well as plenty of fixtures in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and the US.  If you didn’t catch our big Euro preview midweek, it’s right here.  The upcoming matches aren’t all that has fans of the European game abuzz this week, though.  The transfer market has closed, although not without a flurry of last minute business.

Now that Alex has this transfer thingy down, maybe he can find a decent barber.

If you see a smiling Harry Redknapp walking about London, during the break, don’t ask him for an autograph.  His hands are still swollen from a last desperate grab, just as the transfer window slammed shut.  His grin is genuine,  though, because coming away with Real Madrid’s surplus midfield magician, Rafael van der Vaart, for Tottenham, was certainly worth the pain.

In Birmingham, Alex McLeish has no need of painkillers.  His timing was much better than Redknapp’s, as he landed Barca benchwarmer, Alex Hleb, Chilean World Cup winger Jean Beausejour and the towering Spartak Moscow centre back, Martin Jiranek, all earlier on deadline day,.  With the trio joining the likes of Matt Derbyshire and Ben Foster as newcomers to City, the Blues are looking good to improve on their ninth place finish, last term.  Now chairman, Peter Pannu is on the hook to sign the Scot to a new deal, after having made some unflattering remarks regarding his ability.

Most players only do this after scoring a goal; For Robinho, this is his reaction to everything.

While McLeish and Redknapp were adding to David Cameron’s headaches over immigration, Man City provided some relief for the Tory PM, shipping the red tagged Brazilian, Robinho, to AC Milan, at well over a 50% discount on his £32M purchase price of two years ago.  Although Silvio Berlusconi will need to find some spare change hidden under his mistress, sorry, mattress to exercise the option to purchase Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Barcelona, for €24M in one year’s time, the suddenly economically minded Italian president at least broke even on the Robinho deal, by sending Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to Schalke 04 for €13M.  With the aging squad he has, if the lecherous Berlusconi can keep getting these kinds of players through the door without cracking open his wallet, maybe he does deserve to continue running the entire country for a while longer.

Back in England, all twenty Premier League clubs submitted their 2010 rosters on Wednesday.  Despite all the kerfluffle, no one seemed to have much trouble complying with the Homegrown Rule.  Many clubs simply named less than the maximum 25 non-homegrown players to their squad and supplemented those they did with a bevy of youngsters.  In fact, Arsene Wenger, who is known the world over as a despiser of the rule, got in one last dig, by naming just a 20 man roster, accompanied by a whopping 56 under-21′s.

Oh, and we almost forgot.  Mikel Arteta won’t be playing for England.  The FIFA archivists, working long into the night in their Zurich vaults, uncovered an obscure rule which prevents the Everton midfielder from featuring for the Three Lions.  Apparently, since he played for Spain as a wet-behind-the-ears teenager, without holding a UK passport at the time, it won’t matter if he obtains one now.  That’ll teach us to write a feature article on the subject.

Not a person to be reasoned with.

The  international matches, all scheduled on Friday, make for an early weekend in Europe,  but Monday is the Labour Day holiday in North America.  For MLS fans, that’s not a reason to celebrate.  To them, the holiday is like some horribly mutated version of Groundhogs Day.  The difference, in this case, is that instead of a cute little bucktoothed rodent popping out of a hole, hoping to avoid its own shadow, a pair of terrifyingly large and hideous monsters, known as the NFL and NCAA football emerge from their lairs and stomp on anyone not wearing a football jersey decorated with large numbers on both sides.

Outsized and outnumbered, MLS will soldier on with a full slate of fixtures this weekend.  Mexico, however, features just a single match on its calendar.  Experts believe this has direct relation to the fact that most US Border Patrol agents are massive grid-iron fans, who would never miss opening day.

In the southern half of the Americas, Corinthians legend Roberto Carlos can rest easier tonight.  After years of study, French physicists have confirmed that the incredible bend that the former galactico put on his infamous 1997 free kick against their home side, was indeed no fluke and that the Brazilian deserves every accolade for greatness he receives.

It’s one thing for a planet full of pubcrawlers to argue that you’re the most amazing left back of all time but it’s another when science is on your side.  Forget string theory and quantum mechanics, this is research grant money well spent.

Now to what’s on tap this weekend.  The WFC gang is back to serve it up but you’ll have to supply your own pretzels.

That mad Baggins is off again...

From the desk of the vacationing Geoff Edwards

Belgium v Germany, Euro ’12 Group A

Given that many of the day’s headline matches are of the killer whale versus minnow variety, this tilt stands out at first glance.  Unfortunately, Geoff notes that Die Mannschaft haven’t lost to the Belgians since 1954, which, and I don’t get to say this often enough anymore, is before I was born.  In that match, the Rote Teufel (think ManU or AC Milan) caught the Germans with a major hangover, it being the champions’ first game after winning their initial World Cup.  Thomas Vermaelen wears the armband for the hosts, while Philip Lahm, now officially caretaking for Michael Ballack, leads out the visitors.  As well, Manuel Neuer’s stellar turn in South Africa has earned him the Nr. Ein for Germany.

Chris Mann

Chris Mann

Liechtenstein v Spain Euro ’12 Group I

Undoubtedly the biggest mismatch of the week, newly-crowned world champions Spain will travel to Liechtenstein (population 34,761) on Friday, where they will face a country ranked an incredible 140 places below them in the FIFA rankings. Vicente Del Bosque has named a full-strength team despite the lowly nature of Spain’s opposition and it would hardly be surprising if David Villa, Fernando Torres and friends racked up a double-figure margin of victory at the Rheinpark Stadion.

Estonia v Italy Euro ’12 Group C

The Cesare Prandelli era begins in earnest tomorrow evening, as the Azzurri take on Estonia at the Lillekula Stadium in Tallinn. If a new-look Italian side can gel from the off, led out by redemption minded Daniel De Rossi and Giorgio Chiellini, then Prandelli’s men shouldn’t have a problem with their Baltic opponents, but Estonia -- ranked 94th in the world -- should not be underestimated. Players such as Tarmo Kink and Andres Oper are more than capable of punishing the Italians should they lose concentration. It should be an straightforward victory for the Azzurri but, as we saw so clearly in South Africa, Italy can be prone to self-destruction.

Eliot Rothwell

Eliot Rothwell

Slovenia v Northern Ireland Euro ’12 Group C

The Slovenians, under Matjez Kek, have made real progress, of late. A play-off victory over Russia cemented their rise to the top table of global football and rocketed them up 60 (yes, 60!) places in the FIFA rankings, all the way to 19th.  The rangy figure of striker Mile Novakovic may cause the likes of Jonny Evans problems, as the slippery Köln striker looks to evade the clutches of his markers.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland have a problem. They never seem able to get out of a group situation. Even in their last World Cup qualifying group, they were pipped by Slovakia and (you’ve guessed it) Slovenia. Manager Nigel Worthington will no doubt be scratching his silver mane trying to fathom how his side can conquer the likes of England and Spain, yet fail dismally against weaker teams. The Northern Irish cause should be aided by long-time saviour David Healy who, reminiscent of Lukas Podolski, remains out-of-form with his club side, while invariably turning up in spades for his country.

When not whipping Wales into shape, Toshack sings lead on PS Guitar Hero.

Montenegro v Wales Euro ’12 Group G

Recently established on the international stage themselves, Montenegro, host John Toshack’s Wales, in what could be a contender for match of the week.  The Welsh posses an in-form Gareth Bale, lightning quick and blessed with a traction engine in his left boot.  Montenegro, meanwhile are blessed with two goofy-footed technicians of their own. AS Roma’s Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic, of Anfield goalscoring fame, are more than a match for the weary defence of James Collins and Danny Gabbidon.

With both sides blessed with attacking menace and cursed with frail defences, the highlight reel should be lengthy.

England v Bulgaria Euro ’12 Group G

With the retirement of talisman Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgaria have adopted a 4-2-3-1 in recent matches, with the clear aim of controlling the ball for as long as possible. Martin and Stilian Petrov, in the midfield, should provide the Bulgarians with some creative spark against the too often lacklustre English.

With the English press heavily criticising Fabio Capello of late, the knives will be out should England not win this game and comfortably. Unfortunately for Capello, his side are suffering from any number of injury problems, most notably missing first choice centre-backs John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, as well as rangy impact sub Peter Crouch. This leaves the Italian the tough choice of relying on his out of favour World Cup squad or blooding unproven youngsters in a game that actually matters.

England have often struggled against possession minded sides and whilst they may run out eventual winners, I predict it to be a frustrating one, with the Bulgarians combining technique and tactics to stifle Englands attackers.

Tapesh Patel

Tapesh Patel

France v Belarus Euro ’12 Group D

While this match ushers in a new era for the French, Laurent Blanc probably still doesn’t know his best eleven.  We can therefore expect wholesale changes from the World Cup team.  Philippe Mexes will likely team up with Adil Rami in defence and Loic Rémy with Guillaume Hoarau in attack. The formation Blanc will play is also a complete mystery; the 4-4-2 diamond deployed against Norway will probably change to a straight 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3, due to the lack of an attacking playmaker (with Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery and Yoann Gourcuff all ruled out). The diamond in the rough is undoubtedly Florent Malouda, who has arguably been the best player in the Premiership so far this season.

Belarus will look to spring a shock on France if the hosts start slowly, but it may prove a difficult task, as key winger Aliaksandr Hleb has hardly played since April.  To be honest, though, I wouldn’t like to predict how this will pan out.

Lithuania v Scotland Euro ’12 Group I

Lithuania are still seen as minnows but Scotland will undoubtedly know the threat of their opposition, with many of the home side being current or former practitioners in the Scottish Premier League. Aberdeen’s Andruis Velicka leads the line for the hosts, while former Hearts man Saulius Mykoliunas is sure to get a hot reception, after being banned for play-acting the last time both sides met.  Eight changes have been made by Craig Levein for the match. The most notable are the omission of James McFadden and the inclusion of 40-year-old David Weir, who will become the oldest player ever to have donned the Tartan Blue.

This match will undoubtedly be a tight one, with both sides seeing the match as a proverbial six-pointer.

Avi Goldberg

Avi Goldberg

San Marino v The Netherlands

For their first qualification game, Netherlands coach Bert Van Marwijk must like the thought of San Marino.  The Oranje can afford to play more attacking football but the question is will coach Van Marwijk change the formation and test the new boys, midfielders Hedwiges Maduro, Theo Janssen and the ‘old’ come back of Ruud Van Nistelrooy? The coach has not given any hints whatsoever on the details of the line up but one thing is sure, the fans are expecting a lot of goals.  Playing with a 3 man defence will definitely increase their chances for a nice goal fest.

Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto

Major League Soccer

As the season hits the stretch run, with most clubs having played 22 of their 34 matches, the top clubs in both conferences are feeling some pressure.  In the east, Columbus are clinging to a four point lead over the hard charging NY Red Bulls.  The Crew are in the capital, hoping to take 3 points from lowly DC United, while Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez face a strong challenge out west, in Rio Tinto Stadium, versus holders Real Salt Lake.

Real are trying to reel in the west leading Galaxy, who have cooled of late, and would like to take more than a draw from a home match, no matter the opponent.  At the same time, they must look over their shoulders, as FC Dallas have risen out of the midden heap and are breathing down their necks.

LA are in Chicago to face a Fire side that, with the addition of Freddie Ljungberg, has rediscovered its spark.  Fully 13 points behind the 2nd place Red Bulls, with two clubs to climb over before they can even consider the New Yorkers, the Fire have a great deal of work to do.  The good news is that, through some scheduling quirks, they have 3 matches in hand on the rest of the field.  They need to make every one of those count, however.

The Mexican Apertura

If you absolutely, positively can’t do without some Mexican football this weekend, you’ll have to settle for the Guadalajara derby; it’s the only show in town. Chivas and Tecos are propping up the Group 1 table, so if it weren’t for the local rivalry, you might not think much of the prospects for entertainment.  On the other hand, Chivas haven’t really been taking the Apertura seriously, chasing, as they were, after the Copa Libertadores.  Having come up just short in that pursuit, the Goats can fully focus on butting heads with their neighbours and serving notice to the rest of the league that they are baa-a-a-ck.

Argentine Primera Division

On Sunday, Velez Sarsfield, battling it out for second place, with who else but Arsenal (de Sarandi), are confronted with a golden opportunity.  They go into Estadio Jose Amalfitani to face top of the table River Plate.  It’s a heavy-weight battle and the winner will rule the Primera Division roost.  On the other hand, if the aforementioned Argentine Gunners take an inviting 3 points at home against minnows Argentina Juniors, a draw in Buenos Aires could see both of the big boys looking up at a surprise leader.

Kris Dwyer

The Oz Files with Kris Dwyer

After last weekend, when the A-League took a ‘dive’ it’s only fitting that theres some tasty matches coming up.  First though, it’s the Socceroos.

Australia v Switzerland in Qatar

It’s a big game for Holger Osieck, the new $2million man at the head of the Socceroos.  However the ‘Roos have been dealt a blow with injuries to Michael Beauchamp (ankle), Josh Kennedy (back) and Harry Kewell (groin) limiting the squad for the upcoming international friendly match against Switzerland.  After consultation with the  three players and their clubs, Osieck has decided that they would not be required in camp.  Instead, the German has added Jon McKain and Tommy Oar into the squad.

On to the A-League, then…

Apparently, Perth have this nice chap named Fowler in their squad. Supposed to be famous or something.

Grudge Match -- Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix @ nib Stadium

Last season, the two play-off debutants faced each other in the first round, with the Phoenix taking out the match in a heart breaking penalty shootout.  The Kiwis ended up going all the way to the Preliminary Final only to be knocked out by eventual champions Sydney FC, whilst the Purple Army from the west seethed and dreamt of what might have been.

With the home side branding this as their chance for revenge, you can only expect fireworks, especially with former Glory players Jade North, Leo Bertos and new signing Nicky Ward, all making the trip west.  The Glory are at near full strength, with only Michael Baird (suspension) and Victor Sikora (long term hip injury) unavailable.

One to Watch -- Melbourne Heart v North Queensland Fury @ AAMI Stadium

Melbourne Heart are desperate to get their first win ever in the Hyundai A-League and North Queensland Fury are a team desperate to get back to winning ways.  Both sides play fluid Euro-esque attacking football, and, without a doubt, have two of the most passionate, flamboyant managers in the league, making this match a real cracker for the neutral.

..

Well, that about wraps it up.  We’ll be back on Monday with more news, reaction to the matches and, if we can twist the right arms, even a few highlights.  Enjoy the footy and we’ll see you then!

]]> http://www.worldfootballcolumns.com/2010/09/02/catch-them-if-you-can-3-5-sept-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.worldfootballcolumns.com/2010/09/02/over-a-pint-mikel-arteta-making-sense-of-the-rules-of-eligibility/ http://www.worldfootballcolumns.com/2010/09/02/over-a-pint-mikel-arteta-making-sense-of-the-rules-of-eligibility/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:01:19 +0000 Martin Palazzotto http://www.worldfootballcolumns.com/?p=5315 ..

Editor’s note:  Just as this article was being made ready for posting, Mikel Arteta’s ineligibility was announced.  However, WFC still believes the issues of player eligibility remain unresolved, even if Mikel Arteta’s case has been.  So, please read on and decide for yourself.

In South africa, England was lacking a creative spark...

Do you remember way back, in the springtime of England’s 2010 World Cup dreams, when anything seemed possible?  Brazil and Spain were within reach and the only real problem that Fabio Capello had was the lack of a proven goalkeeper.  Oh, to be young again.  Sadly, another generation of England fans have been forced to grow up too quickly, discovering that the footballing world is a cruel, hard place.

Now it’s autumn and the FA are trying to pick up the pieces of a crumbled dream.  Under pressure from fans and the media to not make the same mistakes and perform as is expected of an England team when the Euros arrive in 2012, new chairman Roger Burden, Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League overlord, and the rest of the board have had to consider suggestions from all quarters on how best to go about it.

The FA has made several decisions quite quickly, in laying plans for the reconstruction.  Should they let Capello go? (No, he stays)  What to do to resolve the poor pitch issues at Wembley? (Install a real and artificial hybrid blend)  What can be done to accelerate the development of young English players? (To begin, the implementation of the Homegrown Rule on 1 September)  The shape of the Euro squad has slowed them up, however.

In their first action since waking up from their pleasant dreams to the horrible realities of Rustenburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and, at the last, Blomfontein, the Three Lions took to the pitch against Hungary, receiving an ambivalent welcome from those faithful who did decide to come.  Much like their greeting, the squad was a mix of the fallen heroes and new faces eager to make their mark.  Unfortunately, Phil Jagielka’s own goal didn’t do much for the hopes of the youngbloods, although their blushes were spared by a brace from captain Steven Gerrard.  The England team, despite the win, seem trapped in a dark place, casting about for some light.

...but would Arteta bowing to the Queen, rather than a king, truly make him an Englishman?

Last week, however, there came either a ray of hope or an oncoming train, dependent upon your worldly outlook.  Everton’s wonderfully talented midfielder Mikel Arteta, who has had the misfortune of being only the ninth or tenth best player at his position in his home country of Spain, suggested that he might be very pleased to play for England, where he would likely be considered in the top three, alongside Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

Amongst the many who raised their half full glasses and drained it to the health of the Toffee’s playmaker (and took up a petition for his canonisation), there were a few old gaffers, frowning at the barmaid’s tardiness in topping off their empty looking mugs, whilst muttering thatsomething just wasn’t right about this.  Unfortunately, WFC editor Martin Palazzotto falls into the latter category , while new writer Tapesh Patel is firmly in the camp of the former.  In the interests of world peace and the general entertainment of others, the pair have agreed to sit down together, sample some Tucher’s on draught and see if they can come to an understanding.

Tapesh: When we talk about Mikel Arteta, I think we should talk about the player himself, before approaching the whole nationality issue. The key point is: if he obtained dual nationality and became eligible for England, would he get into the squad? In my opinion, he most definitely would. In fact, I personally would put him into the starting eleven.

There's no question the Three Lions would welcome him, as well.

One of England’s current problems is a perceived lack of creativity in midfield. This is strange, because the main pairing, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, are both fairly creative players. What we have seen over the years, though, is that both like to get forward when possible.

What England have lacked, then, is a foot-on-ball playmaker, with the ability to pass to a Gerrard or a Lampard.  Hence the outcry for the return of Paul Scholes (who, by the way, is too old). This lack of such a passer meant that Wayne Rooney tended to drop deep to make the play, which left the now departed Emile Heskey (yikes!) up front.

I believe Arteta is the solution. His ability to dictate play, combined with excellent technique and outstanding passing ability, cannot be matched at the moment by any English player. Tom Huddlestone or Jack Wilshere might become that player in the future, but they are not ready to be regulars yet.

Also, the guy takes a decent penalty!

...but are mercenaries what we want at the World Cup?

Martin: You’re not going to get any argument out of me on Arteta’s ability or where he would fit in with the England squad.  If he were from just about anywhere other than Spain (Brazil and Argentina spring to mind as exceptions), he might very well be a veteran of three World Cups by now.  But the plain, unvarnished truth is that he is a Spaniard.  As such, he should not be available to play for England.

Mikel Arteta is far from the first player to be considered for inclusion in a foreign squad.  There have been several before him and many more are likely to follow.  Some, like Kevin-Prince Boateng, Lukas Podolski and Giuseppe Rossi are doing it for the love of the nation they represent.  I applaud and welcome that.  On the other hand, there’s the onetime Chelsea midfielder Deco, a Brazilian, who just concluded his international career with Portugal and promptly returned home to play out the string with Fluminese.  As his tenure with the Iberians went on, it was rationalised that the two nations were, culturally speaking, close cousins.  That is true enough and if Deco had made his permanent home in Portugal, I would have been content with that line of reasoning.  Yet, the abruptness of his return to Brazil laid bare his true intent.  He was playing for himself, rather than for love of country.  We should never forget (Ashley Cole) that the latter is what the World Cup is about.

Tapesh: I definitely agree with you that this question is ultimately one of pride.  So, these questions really need to be taken on a player-by-player basis. We live in a world where many people have divided identities, especially in football. In fact, the case of Kevin-Prince Boateng is one of the best examples of this.  Infamously, he did not talk to his brother Jerome before facing him in the World Cup. That really goes to show that people from the same background can view their identities in completely different ways.

Unlike his countryman, Senna settled permanently in his adopted country.

A case very similar to that of Arteta, was Marcos Senna. The Brazilian began playing in his native country before moving abroad, to further his career. He went to La Liga, with Villareal, settling there, before gaining citizenship and playing for Spain.  One could not doubt Senna’s commitment to the cause; it was something integral to his role.  Starring in Euro 2008 as midfield enforcer, his displays led many to name him as one of the players of the tournament.

Coming back to Arteta, he seems a very loyal player, as well as a person of substance, having stated that he wouldn’t want to move to clubs like Arsenal or Manchester City in the hope of reaching the Spain team. He’s braved Scottish winters in Glasgow, having played for Rangers from 2002-04, and has learnt the intricacies of the Scouse accent. Given his background, I think he would be proud to step out for England, the country where his career has really blossomed.

Martin: I can appreciate that Arteta seems to be a more honourable candidate than Deco. It’s very loyal of him to publicly decline a possible move to another club, after Everton has treated him so well,  even though it might help him crack the Spanish lineup.  Still, by his own statement, his preferred choice would be Spain.  And there lies the rub.  Boateng’s first choice was Ghana, even though Germany, where he was both eligible and wanted, offered a better chance for glory.  That’s what I mean by love of country.

That he is a ‘person of substance,’ as you put it, and a great player certainly garners Arteta my sympathy and while these cases do have to be judged on individual merit, the criteria used to decide the matter must ultimately be whether or not the candidate has cultural ties, of some kind, to the nation he would represent.

Georgie may be the best of but not the only great to have never been to the World Cup.

Take George Best as an example.  The Northern Irishman was perhaps the greatest British player ever.  Yet, with his country being minnows, he never played in a World Cup.  For most of his adult life, he lived (and partied) in England and was a stand out for United.  What if he had pulled a Stephen Ireland, early in his career, and declined to represent his homeland, instead repatriating to England.  Think how that would have lessened his legacy within the game.  Sometimes, your greatness is also measured by what you weren’t able to accomplish.

Andy Carroll, for all his supposed immaturity, has passed this test by declining the invitation of Craig Levein and the Scots.  No, for me, Mikel Arteta must make do with the cards life has dealt him.

Tapesh: I think cultural ties are usually fixed at a young age, but can also be gained or transformed later on in life. The fact is that naturalised citizens will always face the question of when their identity shifts to that of the nation in which they live.

Different people, understandably, have different views on the matter but I think government is designed to represent the views of a nation. As such, I think that Arteta should be considered an Englishman since he now qualifies for dual-nationality by law. The country has a long history of successful assimilation of immigrants, which I think is also demonstrated within the domain of sport. For this reason, I think that most English people would welcome him playing for our national team.

If managers are eligible, why not players?

It’s also fair to argue that the England team lost part of its identity in 2000, when Sven-Goran Eriksson became the first foreign manager of England. This then set the precedent for Fabio Capello to manage the team, and while many opposed the very idea of a foreign manager, at first, no-one was complaining when England flawlessly gained qualification for the World Cup this summer. If there is one person who symbolises the team, it has to be the England manager, who takes a post frequently described around the world as ‘the toughest job in football’.

I was one of those that felt English patriotism took a blow with Eriksson’s appointment. The fact is, though, that the game is different nowadays – even at international level. Therefore, if Arteta wished to become part of the national setup, I see no reason for denying him what is rightfully his.

Martin: I’ve got no truck with foreign managers being involved in a national program; it helps develop the game, especially in the far corners of the football world.  Let them have at it, I say.  They can coach, advise and play the figurehead all they like, because when you get right down to it, championships are won on the pitch, by the players.  That simple fact puts them into two different categories.

As for Arteta, I’m not sure what you mean by rightfully his.  He’s been in England long enough to apply for a passport, yes, but hasn’t actually gotten, or even asked for one yet.  There is a process to go through, after all.  It’s not like he’s trying to buy a Premier League club.  If that were the case, then, naturally, you’d just hand it to him with no questions asked.

I take your point, though.  If he had an English passport, he’d have the right to play for England, given that he’s good enough, and who am I to deny him?  That is the letter of the law.  What I’m trying to champion, however, is its spirit.  In order to do that, I don’t believe FIFA can be as trusting, even judging on an individual basis, as you would have them be.   I don’t like to be redundant but the ‘alright, you seem like a nice guy’ policy hasn’t worked out too well for the likes of Liverpool and Pompey and won’t, if things continue as they are, for Manchester United.

...Greed is good.

In football, like any other big business...

That English fans would welcome him with open arms goes without saying, as well.  It’s human nature, after all, to take advantage in any way we can.  We got to the top of the food chain by adapting, being innovative and turning any opportunity to our advantage .  Winning at all costs in business and sport is just a product of evolution.  And that’s where you’re wrong about government.  It’s not there to give us what we want but to make sure we don’t kill each other trying to get it.  Allowing foreign players who can’t get a game in their own country to play for any country desperate enough to take them will eventually kill the World Cup.

Look at the America’s Cup of yachting.  It was going along nicely for the better part of a century until big money became involved.  Suddenly, rules began changing at an alarming pace, until you had the Swiss being crowned champions two times running.  The last time I checked an atlas, Switzerland was still a landlocked country.  If it had been bankers’ sons, raised on Lake Geneva crewing the Alinghi and its successor, I’d have no complaint.  Unfortunately, it was the best Kiwi and Aussie sailors that the Swiss Franc could buy.  So much for the battle of nations.

Is that what you want for the World Cup?

..

Of course, while Tapesh and Martin were busy having at it, FIFA weighed in and ruled Arteta ineligible due to a little known rule:

Article 18.1.a within the Fifa statutes outlines that any player who has represented their country in an official competition, at whatever level, would at that time need to have held a passport for the country they later wish to play for in order to be permitted to make the switch. –BBC report on Arteta’s eligibility to play for England

Arteta did play in an Under 16 competition for Spain and, of course, didn’t have a British passport at the time.  So that’s that.  Unless, of course, FIFA were to decide to change their rules or make an exception to an existing one, as they’ve been known to do, on occasion.  After all, Sepp Blatter is quite happy to have the UK represented by the separate home nations but is unwilling to sanction the Basques or Catalonia to field teams separate from the rest of Spain.

Meanwhile, having been informed that all their arguing was moot, Martin and Tapesh have resolved to go back to the bar and get falling down drunk.  How do the rest of you feel?  Answer the poll below and, if you like, add a comment through the Intense Debate comment section.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And the surprise winner for Countries Who Don't Have Anything To Spend Their Tax Dollars On But Shiny New Stadiums is...

..

It’s often said that variety is the spice of life.  Well, when it comes to UEFA qualifying, for any tournament, if you’re on a bland diet, then you’d best grab the antacid now.  Once again, Michel Platini and his boys have come up with a new set-up to decide the fourteen clubs that will join the hosts, Poland and the Ukraine, in June 2012.

You might need your calculator for this.  Are you ready?

Okay, this time around it’s nine groups, six consisting of a half dozen nations and the other three containing five apiece.  Of course, it’s the same home and home round robin within the groups, as in the past,  but this time the nine first place countries and the best overall runner-up will automatically advance to the finals.

Now, because some groups have six squads and others five, there is a special ranking system to determine the best runner-up.   Essentially, any matches played against a sixth place finisher will not count in deciding the automatic qualifier.  Which means that whoever is eventually crowned champion, one thing is certain:  as the final group qualifying matches approach, sales of headache medicine will rise sharply in several countries, as fans without mathematical doctorates attempt to calculate their side’s chances.  For instance, even if your team is certain of finishing second, the results from matches involving minnows in other groups, may affect your standing.  If the wrong team suddenly falls into sixth position or climbs out of it, the fortunes of  your boys may drastically change.   We’ll wait for those of you heading to the medicine cabinet now to return before continuing.

Right then, moving on…  Once the single runner-up and nine group winners have qualified, that leaves eight other second place countries to be seeded into two-legged ties, with the winners claiming the remaining four places in the final tournament.  Yes, we did say seeded, because that’s what UEFA have solemnly promised, mindful of the furor last autumn, when they exercised their prerogative to change their minds, at the last minute, and held a draw for the World Cup play offs.  Fingers crossed but it’s likely they’ll keep their word this time.

It's a little known fact that Einstein flunked out of Group Qualification Theory.

Still, even with their vow to remain consistent going forward, Platini’s crew have managed to fudge things just a little.  You would think that, having concocted this complicated system for deciding the best runner-up, UEFA would use it to rank the other eight.  Unfortunately, that would be too easy.  Instead, the sufficiently more intricate and confusing UEFA National Team Coefficient rankings will be used to decide the playoff matchups.

I’m sorry, but if you’ve raised your hand to ask us to explain the coefficient, please put it back down or we shall be forced to club you to death.  Thank you very much.

UEFA made two other decisions, before the draw, of which one came to the fore when the balls were drawn.

First, minnows, or should we say piranhas(?), Azerbaijan and Armenia were precluded from meeting each other in the group stages.  These two nations simply don’t like each other on any level, never mind football, and so common sense prevailed over bureaucracy, with provisions being made, just in case.  As it happened, ‘in case’ reared its ugly head and the two were both drawn into Group A, whereupon UEFA moved Armenia over to Group B.  What would be done if the two nations both progressed and were fated to meet in the later rounds of the competition would really not be an important consideration.  There are plenty of other things which take precedence when the Apocalypse arrives.

Second, it was decided that should France be drawn with the Republic of Ireland nothing would be done.  According to Platini such an event “would be great.”  It would be even greater if Les Bleus would be required to not only recall, but start, Thierry Henry in both matches, were the sides to eventually meet again. Sadly, though, it was the luck of the Irish to be placed in a group with Slovakia and Russia.  Any plans of revenge will have to wait for another day.

It should also be noted that one match has already been played and Estonia, on the strength of a 2-1 home victory over the Faroe Islands, has actually been atop Group C since 11 August.  Technically then, we are a little late with this preview but are, nonetheless, happy to bring you a summary of the nine groups with our ratings for each of the nations involved.

Beginning with:

Group A…..(Geoff Edwards)

The group looks to be a straight fight between Belgium, Turkey and Austria for the honour of going through alongside Germany, who have to be favourites following their World Cup exploits.  The only dilemma for Joachim Low, at the moment, is the tug-of-war between Michael Ballack and Phillip Lahm, over the captain’s armband

Belgium, under the stewardship of Georges Leekens, certainly possess enough quality to emerge from this group. In Marouane Fellaini, Steven Defour, Axel Witsel, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, Belgian fans will hope there is the nucleus of a squad that could rival their 80s and early 90s vintage, when a side containing the likes of Enzo Scifo and Jan Ceulemans was prominent on the world scene.

Hiddink's merlinesque effect may bring Turkey back into prominence

Turkey will hope to ensure that Euro 2012 is a tournament too soon for Belgium’s youngsters. Guus Hiddink’s men have a nice blend of youth and experience and a few survivors from the squad that reached the semis in Euro 2008, including Arda Turan and the Altintop brothers. Most importantly, they have Hiddink. If anyone can get the Turks performing consistently it’s the Dutch alchemist, who will want to put his previous campaign with Russia behind him.

Austria look to be a little behind Turkey and Belgium in the race for 2nd but, with a forward line boasting Martin Harnik, Erwin Hoffer, Marko Arnautovic and Marc Janko, they certainly have the potential to derail rival campaigns.  Although they can both be classed as the minnows of the group, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are certainly far from no-hopers. They’ll each look to take maximum points off the other and nick a point or two from their more illustrious opponents.

Group B…..(Eliot Rothwell)

This looks to be a two horse race with the footballing thoroughbreds of Ireland and Russia battling it out for the top spot.

Russia, under Dick Advocaat, will look to continue the progress made by Guus Hiddink.  With such players as Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko, the Russians do have the horsepower . The one question is the defence and its inept talent for conceding silly goals when it matters most.

Giovanni Trappatoni relates the amount of times his stomach had to be pumped last month, after he ingested a bad batch of bangers and mash.

Ireland, under the stewardship of Il Trap, are looking to qualify for their first international tournament in some time.   The resolute defending of Richard Dunne, et al, will form the basis of their bid to claim top spot. With an attacking force of Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle up front, the Irish are capable of doing damaging but they lack depth and could lose their way should injuries to key players arise.

Any surprises might come from Vladimir Weiss’ Slovakia, who triumphed over Italy at the World Cup. The potent menace of striker Stanislav Sestak re-enforced by a tremendous team spirit could pose a serious danger to Russia and Ireland. The win over Italy was greeted with jubilation in Bratislava and combined with the progression of Zilina to the Champions League group stages, a good European campaign could round off a very satisfying year for Slovakian football.

Bringing up the rear are Macedonia, Andorra and Armenia, the whipping boys of the group. Macedonia present the biggest threat, as England fans will know.  Inter Milan’s Goran Pandev shoulders much of the attacking burden.  The fight for bottom of the group will be interesting as Andorra and Armenia slug it out to see who can accumulate a lesser amount of 5-0 defeats, with Andorra sweetening the pot by welcoming away teams to Barcelona for a spot of R and R pre-match.

Group C….. (Eliot Rothwell)

The Cesare Prandelli era begins for World Cup ’06 winners, Italy.  The Italians will be favourites to qualify , yet also intent on regaining their opponents’ respect after their dismal showing in South Africa. Daniele De Rossi and Giorgio Chiellini will be looking to get their international careers back on track. If rumours are proven correct, there could be much re-shaping of this Italian side.  With former captain Fabio Cannavaro now playing in the Middle East and Luca Toni and Francesco Totti definitely on the outs, expect a new crop of Italians to come to fruition this season.

Where Vidic leads, his band of Serbs will follow.

Featuring a wealth of attacking players, Serbia will present the biggest threat to Italy’s chances. Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic will provide width and incisive wideplay for the Serbians, who benefit from the extremely strong defence of Nemaja Vidic and Branislav Jovanovic. Serbia could finish top of the group, providing they find their goalscoring boots with 6’5″ Nikola Zigic backing up the towering talent of Marko Pantelic.

Slovenia are the next team in line. They were unlucky not to progress from their World Cup group and Mateja Kez’s side will be looking to continue the second golden age of Slovenian football by claiming a place at the Euros. With a resolute defence and, in Valter Birsa, an ability to score spectacular goals, the Slovenians are capable of scraping out 1-0 wins away from home.

Northern Ireland, perennial nearly men, will be relying on the goalscoring talents of David Healy once more as they attempt to scrap their way through the qualifying stages. If they are to progress, expect a spate of 1-0 home wins.  In August, Estonia struggled to a 2-1 extra time win, at home,  against the Faroe Islands.  The result hardly inspires confidence that they’ll prove any impedance to the big boys.

The Faroe Irelands, themselves? Surely they have no chance. Well that may be true but with the uncompromising Faroese air, the wayward Danes may just be able to nick a result here and there.

Group D….. (Tapesh Patel)

France is the only team from this group which qualified for the World Cup and therefore must go down as favourites. Laurent Blanc’s rebuilding job has, to date,  been largely praised but it will come under closer scrutiny (though not from Ireland), with inexperienced faces joining the World Cup dropouts. Some may expect Les Bleus to struggle but their pool of talent is surely far too large for qualification to be a problem.  Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Jeremy Menez and Pillippe Mexes will all return after being omitted from the South Africa squad by Raymond Domenech. However, it won’t be if, but how France qualify that will be most telling.

Dzeko wants to put a charge into Bosnia-Herzogovina

A talented side is Bosnia-Herzegovina but very top-heavy in attack.  The focal point of the team is the prolific Edin Dzeko, ably assisted by Zlatan Muslimovic, Vedad Ibisevic and raw midfielder Miralem Pjanic.  Unification of Christian and Muslim team members has instilled pride and patriotism in both the squad and the country itself, which will aid their qualification campaign.

Romania are solid but unspectacular. Captain Cristian Chivu has experienced colleagues in defence, such as Gabriel Tamas, Razvan Rat and Cosmin Contra. A lack of firepower up front, however, may create problems.   Belarus could be unlikely wildcards in what is a fairly weak group. Aliaksandr Hleb provides a touch of class, Vitaly Kutuzov some finesse, and Sergei Kornilenko the goals, having been prolific in the Belorussian League.

Meanwhile, Albania are strong in midfield, led by Lorik Cana and Altin Lala, but lack quality elsewhere.  Luxembourg are, of course, the very definition of minnows.

Group E …..(Avi Goldberg)

The nice moments of the World Cup in South Africa are over and it’s time for the Dutch to qualify for the Euro 2012 through Group E.  While I’m an unashamedly huge fan of the Oranje, there is no doubt that they’re the favourites in this group, with an impressive 25 games unbeaten, until the final, thanks to Bert van Marwijk’s decision to field a solid midfield.  A new challenge lies ahead, however, with two important players leaving, in captain Geovanni van Bronckhorst and veteran centre back Andres Ooijer.  As well,  seeing Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben falling off the team injured, they’ll need to prove again why they went so far in the World Cup.

Fans of the Blågult are hoping that Ibra is happier to return to them than he is to Milan.

Sweden, after missing the World Cup, will do their best to win all their games and try to settle an account with the Oranje, over their loss in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. Now that the time for friendlies has past and the matches count, the Swedes can rely once more on the experienced striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Finns aren’t to be forgotten, fielding a decent team despite never qualifying for the Euros. They adapt to every game differently and are unafraid of going for the win. Hungary, with their new coach Sandor Egervari and experienced midfielders Balazs Dzsudzsak & Roland Juhasz, can hurt their opponent badly through the counter attack & are not a team to think of as the weaker side.

The lesser known teams in this group, Moldova, ranked 89th worldwide by FIFA and San Marino, 202nd, have never qualified for the World Cup or the Euros but are determined to make matters as difficult as possible and prove themselves to the serious contenders.

Group F…..(Tapesh Patel)

After the disappointment of not reaching the World Cup, Slaven Bilic will be out to make amends. He has the squad to do it, too. Croatia are a solid all-round side, boasting talented playmakers in Luca Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Nico Kranjcar, as well as a potent strikeforce consisting of Eduardo da Silva, Ivica Olic and Maladen Petric. Bilic has created good teams from his players in the past, and although the Croats will need to be on their game to win this group, any other result would be a big upset.

Samaras is just praying for a chance to play.

Good news for all purists: Otto “Anti-football” Rehhagel has officially resigned from his post as Greece manager. In his defence (pun intended), he has secured his place in Greek footballing folklore. It now falls to the Portuguese, Fernando Santos, to attempt qualification – if he is to succeed, younger players like Sotiris Ninis and Georgios Samaras must be given chances to impress.

Israel have an outside chance at a playoff spot. They’re a young squad led by the experienced hands of Yossi Benayoun and Tal Ben Haim. Dekel Keinan, Tamir Cohen, Ben Sahar and Biram Kayal are all talented players, known to followers of the British leagues, and teenage midfielder Eyal Golasa has drawn admiring glances from Lazio and Bayern Munich. Latvia still possess some of the players who helped them qualify for Euro 2004, such as Maris Verpakovskis, who famously bagged six goals during that campaign. Nor should it be forgotten that they came third in World Cup qualification.

Georgia features a strong defence, led by Kakha Kaladze and Zurab Khizanishvili, but otherwise won’t linger in anyone’s mind. Malta are very much the outsiders, in this or any group in which they’re drawn.

Group G….. (Matt Dalton)

With England‘s ridiculously poor performance in South Africa all but a distant memory, it’s now time to focus on the next international tournament and, indeed, the future of the England national team. Having been drawn alongside Bulgaria, Montenegro, Switzerland and Wales, England have been granted a route to qualification which is far from easy. The Three Lions will be desperate to get off to a good start at Wembley against the Bulgarians on the 3rd September, with the second match quickly following, away to Switzerland on the 7th.

Ottmar's first priority is always that the bus is properly parked.

For the other teams in Group G, there is optimism. Never before have England appeared to be quite so weak; morale is at an all time low, key players are regularly underperforming and the fans are on the squad’s back like never before. Of course, England still expect, and are expected, to secure qualification from the group.  Yet, if ever there was a chance for the likes of Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Switzerland, with its bunker mentality, to spring an upset, surely this is it.  Bulgaria, even without the retired Dimitar Berbatov, and Montenegro are not to be taken lightly, either.

There is also the presence of an up and coming Wales side. Their resources may not be equal to England but there is no doubt that they’ll be up for the games. The rivalry between the two countries is massive; you only have to look at the rugby.

Ordinarily, there would be at least four “easy” games in a qualification group. This time around, however, there will be no ‘working vacations’ to ease the way.  With only five nations, instead of six, there are no minnows and it’s clear that there will be surprises before all is said and done. Every team in this group is hopeful of a place at the European Championships in 2012, and rightly so!

Group H …..(Tapesh Patel)

"Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin'!" Ronaldo needs to get it together on the international stage. (w/apologies to the great Keith Jackson)

When it comes to Portugal, all eyes are on one man, which is just the way the twinkle-toed Cristiano Ronaldo likes it. After the major disappointment that was his World Cup, featuring a single unflattering goal, the Real Madrid man (his current injury aside) will hope to get back to what he does best: running rampant over inferior opposition. The Iberian midfield now has a young core of Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso, while left-back Fabio Coentrao also gives the side an added dimension going forward.

The Danish World Cup squad had an aging look to it, with players such as Jesper Gronkjaer, Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson all visibly past their prime. Denmark needs an infusion of new blood.  Luckily, manager Morten Olsen can call upon such rising stars as Daniel Agger and Christian Eriksen to replace those on the wane. Goals will be needed from Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner to bolster a side which lacked a consistent offensive threat in South Africa.

If the recent 2-1 friendly victory against France is anything to go by, Norway have blended their youth and experience  into a capable outfit.   With the likes of captain Brede Haageland, the brothers John Arne and Bjorn Helge Riise and Morten Gamst Pedersen, the Norwegians possess talent across the team.  They could well beat fellow Scandinavians Denmark (and Iceland) to second place.

Led by the likeable Eidur Gudjohnsen, Iceland may produce  some shock results.  Sadly there are no Stjarnan players in the squad, so don’t hope for any interesting goal celebrations.  Cyprus are unknown quantities with all of the squad currently playing their trade in the country’s domestic league. While not as isolated as the North Koreans, they are just as unlikely to stage an upset in this competition.

Group I….. (Steven Jones)

After completing a World/European double, there are no signs of the end of the ‘golden age’ for Spain.   In fact, it looks like they might go from strength to strength and betting against them finishing top of the group would be borderline insane.  No, the group ultimately comes down to the battle for second place between the Czech Republic, Scotland and possibly Lithuania.

Whatever Darren Fletcher may think of McFadden's choice of anti-perspirant, he is happy to have him in the lineup.

Recent campaigns have done Scotland no justice, as they are again 3rd seeds in their group. Managing to avoid Sweden (who tore them apart a month ago) as well as Serbia and Turkey are major plusses but the Czech Republic will want to do considerably better than their World Cup efforts when they lagged behind Slovakia and Slovenia.

In Tomas Rosicky, the Czechs have a top player.  If he can string together a run of games for his club side, Arsenal, he may also prove pivotal in his country’s qualifying campaign.  James McFadden still remains Scotland’s standout player, with the side exhibiting a noticeable lack of creativity when he’s missing. Craig Levein’s tenure as the Scottish boss actually started with a home fixture against the Czech Republic, back in March, with a 1-0 win.

However, it will be the away fixtures that will pose the most problems for Scotland; recent matches in Norway and the Ukraine spring to mind as games where Scotland were outplayed with full strength sides.  Although, one can look to a certain night in Paris for some reaffirmation.

Lithuania can sometimes punch above their weight class but other than featherweights Liechtenstein, they are not likely to bully anyone about.

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We hope that fills you in on the various groups, where your country fits in and how they may or may not be able to progress.  In conclusion, we’d like to thank Professor Stephen Hawking, Carol Vorderman and Marcus du Sautoy for their help in unraveling the UEFA Group Theory Formula.

Enjoy the action and see you in Kiev!

Aerial tussle: Kutuzov and Lampard

England eventually ran out comfortable winners but, for more than fifty minutes, the former Soviets showed composure, movement and incisive passing that surprised even the most knowledgeable followers of the Eastern European outift. In the absence of talisman Aleksandr Hleb, Vitali Kutuzov proved the most menacing threat to the English. His running and eye for the acute reverse ball gave the bumbling Glen Johnson more than a tough night, as the Liverpool right-back saw his movement reduced to a metaphor for Bambi On Ice.

Metaphors aside, the match presented an all too familiar feeling for the millions of Belorussians watching, up and down the country, from the northern voblast (province) of Viciebsk, to it’s southern counterpart, Homiel. That feeling? It was the sense that however good their opening impressions might seem, Belarus always lose when it matters.

Having come up with BATE, the former Gunner, Hleb, is currently returning to Barcelona for a second go 'round.

The simple fact is that Belarus have never qualified for a major international tournament. For all the development as a nation and the youth structure that has produced technically proficient players, such as Hleb and Kutuzov, Belarus remain a failure.  They boast the unenviable record of being the first team, since 1983, to score three goals away against Italy, in an international qualifier.  However, in true Belorussian fashion, the team contrived to somehow leak four goals and sink into unsanctimonious defeat.

The country, whose name derives from the phrase “white Russia,” borders their much larger namesake, as well as Poland, the Ukraine and the Baltic states of Latvia and Lithuania.  Along with the Lithuanians, they represent the largest international flop from that less than successful group. Since their declaration of independence in 1991, Belarus have been involved in eight international qualifying campaigns and, as previously mentioned, qualified for none. Their group stage record is consistently inadequate, with one 6th placed finish,  three 5ths, another trio of 4ths and a lone 3rd.  Internationally, Belarus have been a constant failure but, this year, the nation has enjoyed surprising success at club level.

The 2010/2011 season marks the first time that three Belorussian teams have reached the Europa League qualifying play-off. BATE Borisov, Dinamo Minsk and Dnepr Mogilev make up the pioneering trio. At the time of writing, the three sides have each contested the first leg of their play-off ties, in which victory would see them into the group stages,with varying degrees of success.

Bate-Borisov

Dinamo Minsk

Dnepr Mogilev

Minnows Dnepr, enjoying their first European campaign for ten years, had the misfortune of drawing Spanish giants Villareal and were roundly flattened 5-0, in Spain.  Dnepr, who overcame the odds to claim third place in the national championship, cruised through to the play-off with a 3-1 aggregate win, over Banik Ostrava, in the previous round.  After that match, manager Andrei Skorobogatko conceded that his side were perilously ill-equipped to face a team of Villareal’s might.

“Most of our players have never played in such an important game and it is hard to say when they will have another chance to test themselves at this level… (yet) We have nothing to lose following the wins against Stabæk and Baník.” — Dnepr manager, Andrei Skorobogatko

My recent trip to the Jan Breydel Stadion

Dinamo Minsk and BATE Borisov fared better, although Minsk went down 2-1, to Club Brugge, at least escaping from the Jan Breydel Stadion with an away goal and a degree of solidarity. BATE, perhaps the most successful of Belorussian teams in recent years, claimed a 3-0 home victory over Madeira’s Maritmo.

A glowing testament to the development and the establishment of clubs by the FFB (Football Federation of Belarus) is the fact that, realistically, Belarus could have two sides in the group stages of the Europa League and, with the stringent aid of  a minor miracle at Dnepr, the former Soviets could have three.

Despite the fact that Belarus have only recently become established in the continental club game. BATE President Anatoliy Kapsky maintains that the landscape of Belorussian football has been strong for many years:

We always have many gifted players in our country. Now it has started to yield results on the international club stage. What is more, our league has become more competitive since it was reduced [for this season] from 14 clubs to 12. – Anatoliy Kapsky, BATE President

Happier times await?

The feeling throughout Europe is that Belarus are growing stronger, both at international and club level.  With this in mind, it’s surely only a matter of time until they cross the breach from perrenial international failures to plucky minnows, boasting names that the BBC and ITV pronunciation departments could fret over at upcoming international tournaments. With the 2012 European Championships being hosted by neighbours Ukraine and Poland, Belarus may feel that their time as a serious footballing nation is on the horizon.

Michael Ballack returns to the Bundesliga

Barely five weeks after the conclusion of proceedings in South Africa, it’s time for the Bundesliga to open its doors for the new season. German football has been walking with a spring in its step since the national team’s performance in the World Cup.  That has helped raise the overseas profile of a league which is Europe’s most watched and most profitable, not to mention being very fan friendly and awash with promising young players.  Furthermore, following recent Bundesliga  performances in Europe, the league looks set to overtake Italy’s Serie A in the UEFA Co-Efficient standings, which would afford it an extra Champions League place in the near future.

Perhaps conscious of the rise of the Bundesliga, longtime Madridista Raul and Danish international Simon Kjaer chose to ignore offers from England.  Instead, they’ll feature for Schalke and Wolfsburg respectively, whilst German legend Michael Ballack will make his long-awaited return in the colours of Bayer Leverkusen.

Doubtless, they’ll all be hoping for a tilt at the title come May.  Do their sides have what it takes?  Let’s have a look.

The Championship, Champions League & Europe League Contenders

Having won eight titles from the last twelve, Bayern Munich deserve the tag of perennial title favourites and it will be hard to see them as anything other than champions this time around. With a settled squad and formation, the early part of Bayern’s season will not be characterised by coach Louis van Gaal constantly tinkering with tactics and personnel, as he did in 2009/10.

Bayern’s squad is by far the most talented in the league, teeming with world class players, including Phillip Lahm, Mark van Bommel, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. Van Gaal has also shown that he is not afraid to give promising youth players a chance.  So, expect to see the likes of Diego Contento and the young Austrian, David Alaba, who starred recently in the EURO U19 Championships, feature more heavily in 2010/11, alongside the already-established Thomas Müller and Holger Badtsuber.  Toni Kroos, returning from loan at Leverkusen, will also expect plenty of match time.

Bayer Leverkusen, despite the loss of Kroos, look perhaps the best equipped to challenge the Bavarians. Runaway leaders before the winter break, they started to  fall away in February, plummeting all the way to fourth place. Most put that down to a lack of depth and experience in the squad.  Jupp Heynckes will hope to have addressed that, with the signing of Ballack, who will serve as another on-pitch leader, teaming with Sami Hyypia.

Also, the return to full fitness of Renato Augusto, in midfield, and Patrick Helmes, in attack, should offer additional competition for places, which was lacking last season.  A host of young players are pushing for places in the first team, most notably Burak Kaplan (whom Heynckes likens to Mesut Ozil), promising young Dane, Nicolai Joergensen, Marcel Risse, who is returning to the BayArena from a loan spell at Nürnberg, and Sidney Sam, signed this summer from Hamburg. If Leverkusen can keep their squad fit this season, a challenge for the title and a Champions League place look well within their reach.

McClaren and Friedrich are the impressive new arrivals at Wolfsburg

Vfl Wolfsburg should provide one of the most interesting Bundesliga stories in 2010/11. Last season was extremely disappointing for the Wolves, who went from champions to eighth place also-rans, practically overnight.  The capture of centre-backs, Arne Friedrich from Hertha Berlin and Kjaer, formerly of Palermo, will go a long way towards addressing the defensive frailties that were at the heart of last season’s slide down the table.

However, there is still work to do at the other end of the pitch for Steve McClaren, the league’s first ever English coach. Their two most talented attacking players, Edin Dzeko and Zvejzdan Misimovic, have made no secret of the fact that they want out of the club. If they are kept on board, it could mean another journey into the Champions League. If they are sold, success or failure will depend on how well they are replaced.

According to media reports, Diego could be on his way from Juventus. His signing would more than compensate for the potential loss of Misimovic.

Diego’s former club, Werder Bremen, did well to pick up third spot last season, making it their sixth podium finish in seven seasons. Can they repeat that feat in 2010/11 without Mesut Ozil? The wide-eyed wonderboy will leave a big creative whole in the Bremen attack following his move to Madrid, having racked up a far from shabby 17 assists and 9 goals in the last campaign. Losing his star playmaker is a situation to which coach Thomas Schaaf is used and he should have a replacement up his sleeve, Ozil was just such a replacement for the outgoing Diego, who, in turn, had made up for Bremen’s loss of Johan Micoud, in 2006. However, time is running out to get that man signed up and bedded in quickly enough for Bremen to be genuine challengers. Fans at the Wesrstadion may have to settle for a Europa League place this season.

Schalke will have to adapt to get the best out of Raul.

Over in the Ruhr, the Schalke 04 clubhouse has featured a revolving door during the close season.  Kevin Kuranyi, to Dynamo Moscow, Heiko Westermann to Hamburg, Rafinha to Genoa and Marcelo Bordon to Al Rayyan, are the notable players to have exited, while some high profile names such as Raul and Christophe Metzelder, from Real Madrid, along with Tim Hoogland of Mainz and young Japanese full-back, Atsuto Uchida, formerly of the J-League’s Kashima Antlers, have come in.

Can Schalke maintain its Champions League status, despite all this turnover? Much will depend on how the new signings gel and how, accordingly, the team adapts its playing style. With Raul up top instead of Kuranyi, Schalke will have to change to a shorter passing style, which will put a lot more pressure on their creative midfielders, Ivan Rakitic and Alexander Baumjohann.  Both will be required to take responsibility on a more consistent basis than they previously  have done.

There is a good deal to admire about Schalke’s Ruhr rivals, Borussia Dortmund. In Juergen Klopp, they have a talented young manager who has gone about assembling a young, hungry squad. At the time of writing, Dortmund’s squad looks to have a very solid spine with Roman Weidenfeller in goal, American ex-pat Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels at centre-back, Nuri Sahin and Sebastian Kehl in midfield and the precocious Paraguayan World Cup debutante, Lucas Barrios, in attack.

A lack of big money, however, means they may have trouble holding onto their best players. Subotic and Barrios have been eyed by big clubs from England and Spain for a while now. Perhaps feeling a little jealous, Mats Hummels has recently been seen giving old flame, Bayern Munich, his best come hither gaze. A lot, therefore, will depend on whether their squad is still intact, at the end of August. If so, a third successive finish in the top five will be the least of expectations.

The Bundesliga’s notoriously slow starters, Vfb Stuttgart, will be without two important figures for the start of the new season. Sami Khedira has departed for Madrid, and Jens Lehmann has retired from the game. Lehmann will arguably be the bigger miss. Following Khedira’s exit, Stuttgart still have the likes of Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Christians Gentner and Traesch, all full internationals, to pick from in central midfield. Lehmann’s replacement however, will be the 20 year-old Sven Ulreich. Talented but inexperienced, Ulreich has huge boots to fill in marshalling the Stuttgart defence.

Can Veh get the best out of a talented Hamburg squad?

It looks to be another season of underachievement for Hamburg SV. ‘The Red Shorts,’ aptly, if not intentionally named, do tend to see red and exhibit a short fuse, in the hiring and firing of coaches.

I don’t have much confidence that the new man in charge, Armin Veh, fresh from a disastrous spell at Wolfsburg, will buck that trend. Veh will not be helped by rumours of a divided dressing room, with goalkeeper Frank Rost being an especially difficult personality.

Hamburg do have a very talented squad, boasting internationals such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mladen Petric , Eljero Elia and David Jarolim. They have also bought very well, having raided Hertha Berlin for goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny and Serb midfielder Gojko Kacar, whilst Westermann should shore up their defence following the departure of Jerome Boateng to Manchester City.

It remains to be seen however, just how well Veh will be able to galvanise the squad, having officially announced the use of a 4-2-3-1 system, which will leave both Paolo Guerrero and Petric playing out of position. It would be a brave man to bet on success for Hamburg this season.

Mid-table, But Far From Mediocre

Holtby hopes to make an impact at Mainz

Eintracht Frankfurt , Hoffenheim, Borussia Moenchengladbach, 1.FC Koeln and FSV Mainz 05 will be the most likely contenders for the ‘golden pineapple’ come May 2011, but they shouldn’t be dismissed from putting themselves in the running for the Europa League places.

For FSV Mainz 05, the season could go one of two ways:  progression or the dreaded ‘second season syndrome’. Following an excellent 9th place finish last season, they have lost influential defender/midfielder Tim Hoogland, to Schalke, and powerful striker Aristide Bance, to Al-Ahli, but, in their dugout, boast one of Germany’s most talented young managers, 36 year-old Thomas Tuchel.  New signings Haruna Babangida, from FC Kuban Krasnodar and Lewis Holtby, on loan from Schalke, promise to bring some excitement to the Bruchweg Stadion.

Eintracht Frankfurt have undoubtedly made progress under Michael Skibbe and can boast a forward line of genuine quality, further bolstered by the signing of Theofanis Ghekas, from Bayer Leverkusen, and the permanent capture of Halil Altintop, away from Schalke.  They also have high hopes for youngsters, like midfielder Sebastian Rode, signed from Kickers Offenbach, and Greek full-back Giorgios Tsavellas, late of Panionios Athens. The key for Frankfurt will be to achieve a higher level of consistency than last season, in which they were victorious against the likes of Bayern and Dortmund, but disappointed, all too often, with losses against the smaller sides.

If Borussia Moenchengladbach are to return to the upper echelons, they will have to improve their porous defence, which leaked an unacceptable sixty goals last season. To remedy this, they have signed Bamba Anderson from Duesseldorf, dubbed the best defender in Bundesliga 2, last season. Going forward, Gladbach should look very exciting, once more, with Marco Reus and Juan Arango pulling the strings in midfield, backed by another promising youngster, Patrick Herrmann. Up front, the Foals also look well set, with two new signings, Igor de Camargo, from Standard Liege and Mohamadou Idrissou, from Freiburg, accompanying Argentine Raul Bobadilla.

Podolski, ironically, must translate his international form to club level

Hoffenheim still have the nucleus of the squad, which took them to the ‘Herbstmeisterschaft’ (autumn championship) at the back end of 2008.  That core includes players of such quality as Carlos Eduardo and Vedad Ibisevic. Since early 2008, however, they have flattered to deceive, too often looking devoid of leadership and confidence. The loss of Timo Hildebrand, in goal, will further hamper their European aspirations.

For 1. FC Koeln, this could be a season of struggle. There is a feeling around the Cathedral City that coach Zvonimir Soldo is too negative, in his outlook, and doesn’t know how to get the best out of German international, Lukas Podolski. Whilst their second half, last year, was a slight improvement on the first, they were unable to secure the permanent signing of Zoran Tosic,in the offseason. Koln are hopeful that the new Croatian signing,  Mato Jajalo, from Siena, in Italy, will take up where Tosic left off. It’s a big ask, however.

The Newly-Promoted Teams

1. FC Kaiserslautern and St. Pauli will bring plenty of colour and character to the Bundesliga, this season. With large and loyal fanbases, visiting sides won’t have it easy at the Fritz Walter Stadion or the Millerntor. Supporters aside, the clubs do not share much in common, having taken different approaches in their transfer market strategies.

Kaiserslautern have dived right in to the fray, with key figures in their promotion, such as Erik Jendrisek (Schalke) and Sidney Sam (Leverkusen) moving on, to be replaced by the likes of loanees Jan Moravek (Schalke) and Erwin Hoffer (Napoli), the most notable of 11 new summer signings.

St Pauli, on the other hand, have hardly dipped their toe in to test the water. The only players of note coming in are Gerald Asamoah and Carlos Zambrano, from Schalke, the latter on loan, along with Moritz Volz, finally returning home after a long spell in England. Will that be enough to keep them out of the relegation dogfight and safe in mid-table?

In my opinion, if either side is to ‘do a Mainz’ it will be Kaiserslautern, whose squad has more quality running through it.  St Pauli will, more than likely, be facing a relegation battle.

The Relegation Battlers

Joining St. Pauli, as Bundesliga basement tenants, will be SC Freiburg, Hannover  96 and 1. FC Nurnberg. Anything more than survival, for these clubs, will be a pleasant surprise.

Each suffered a poor 2009/10 and were saved, arguably, by the ‘even worseness’ of Bochum and Hertha Berlin. Moreover, none of the trio have made any outstanding additions to their squads.

Ilkay Guendogan, a poor club's Mesut Ozil

The most likely to push on, from last season, appears to be Nurnberg, who have taken some talented players on loan, such as Mehmet Ekici (Bayern), Julian Schieber (Stuttgart) and Jens Hegeler (Bayer Leverkusen), whilst there are high hopes for their young German/ Turkish starlet, Ilkay Gündogan. The loaning of young stars is a strategy that coach Dieter Hecking adopted to good effect last season, when the likes of Maxim Choupo-Moting (Hamburg), Andreas Ottl and Breno (Bayern), contributed to a mini revival during the latter half of the season.   The late season surge allowed them to escape relegation, via a play off victory over second division Augsburg.

Phew, there you have it. If you’ve managed to follow this far, you must be an avid Bundesliga fan indeed, with your own opinions on how the season will pan out. Why not share them with us in the comment field below?

Normally the English version of the Energiser Bunny, Rooney’s batteries seemed drained in South Africa.

Given the utter completeness of England’s disappointing performance in South Africa this year, after so much was expected, it’s little surprise that there’s been no end of opinion as to who or what was to blame. One of the more interesting theories is that the grueling schedule in England, with two domestic cups, the Champions and Europa Leagues, international duty and an extremely competitive and physically demanding Premier League table, wore down the British players before the World Cup even began.

Fabio Capello, the embattled but retained England manager, has publicly called for a winter break in the English schedule. Is there weight to Capello’s lament that his side was simply too tired to show their best? The other major European leagues all take time off over the Christmas season. Should England?

Our intrepid writers, Geoff Edwards and Eliot Rothwell have gotten together to kick off a new WFC series, Over a Pint. Every so often, a pair of our columnists will meet in a virtual pub, to pinch the barmaid and debate a polarising football issue. In the first segment, Geoff will try to convince a skeptical Eliot that a little time off would be good for English football.

Geoff: As a follower of the Bundesliga, I’ve become familiar with the winter break. In Germany it tends to run for about 4 weeks, from late December, well into January.

The Germans call their national team a ‘Tournament Team’, as the Mannschaft always seems to progress further than many expect. The main reason for this, so they say, is their preparation, which starts with this winter break. The break serves to divide the season up into 2 parts, giving players a chance to recharge both physically and mentally, and making the latter session less of a slog.

I don’t see why this couldn’t be introduced in England. The England team invariably arrives at tournaments looking unfit and jaded.

Are footy and Xmas inseparable?

Eliot: Being a teenager brought up in the English culture and, more importantly, the English football culture, I’ve experienced the magical time that is Christmas for football fans. The holiday serves as a feast of football for us, from the early anticipation when the Christmas and Boxing Day fixtures are announced in July, to the feeling upon awakening Boxing Day morning and readying yourself for the short drive to watch Bury in an away fixture at Accrington.

The experience is less about the football and more about the banter, being able to share the experiences of the past few chaotic days with your mates and fellow fans. It would be a shame for such a vital social ingredient in the English footballing recipe to be taken off the menu by the big-wig bureaucrats at the FA.

Fergie says, "Bah, Humbug!"

Geoff: I was brought up in the English culture, too (although, unfortunately I’m no longer a teenager) and love the Christmas fixtures as much as the next fan. I’d hate to see the end of them in the English football calendar.  On the other hand, I’d like to see the Three Lions challenge for another World Cup in my lifetime.

That’s why I would propose the last fixture before the break actually be the FA Cup 3rd round at the beginning of January. The action would then kick off again with the the FA Cup 4th round on the last weekend of January.

In this way, we could keep the Christmas calendar intact and still give the players a few weeks to recover from what is a very busy period; the “worst period of the year” according to Sir Alex Ferguson, as poor weather conditions and pitches take their toll on players’ fitness, leading to the inevitable burnout at the business end of the season.

Eliot: The problem I see with that, is the fact it would mean a prolonged break over the January transfer window, when managers may want to see the current form and fitness of prospective new signings in a competitive match-day environment.

On the subject of national team stars being “tired” when it comes to major tournaments, surely a more sensible and less controversial move would be to rid ourselves of the Carling Cup. We already have the FA Cup and the league season, so the extra cup competition is just seen as a distraction to the top clubs.  Hence Arsenal and Manchester United fielding weakened/youth teams.

One less competition would limit traveling and the amount of competitive games played far better than a winter break.

Or this?

Wouldn't you trade this?

Geoff: I think, in this day and age, clubs have players well scouted before the January window. They should already know a player’s capabilities when they move in to sign them. A winter break would give clubs more time to take care of the administrative side of signing players and give the players themselves time to bed in before making their debuts.

I do agree with your point on the League Cup, though. If anything was possible, I would also advocate abolishing it. However, I don’t see it as a viable option. The Football League would never agree to dropping its most prestigious competition, especially as its flagship league is England’s second tier, the Championship.

Maybe a reform of the League Cup could be workable then? A whole host of things could be changed, such as abolishing two-legged ties, or getting the majority of League Cup matchdays in before Christmas.

To relive this?

Eliot: Maybe a winter break is not the issue here. Maybe it’s the whole concept of the extremely long English season. Training for the league season starts at the beginning of July, while Spanish and Italian leagues start much later, giving the players extra time to recover from the previous season before they have to push their bodies to the limit again.

Another remedy to this is to reduce the number of teams in the Premier League to 18. This would lessen the season by four games, giving four extra weeks to national team managers for working with players and four added weeks for the players to regain fitness.

Geoff: I agree in principal but, again, I can’t ever see any of the clubs, or the Premier League, agreeing to reduce the league down to 18 teams, as they would miss the revenue that comes with those 4 lost games. Also, the domestic leagues of the previous two world champions (Italy and Spain) are contested by 20 teams.

With that in mind, I’ll reiterate my belief that the winter break is the best alternative available to help England’s players recharge their batteries both mentally and physically, to help get them in better shape to contest major tournaments.

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At least, no one blamed the WAGs this time!

Now that you’ve heard what Geoff and Eliot think, whose side are you on?  Do you believe they’ve covered all the relevant points?  Give us your opinion.  Vote on whether English football should take a holiday break, wait a few weeks, eliminate or lighten part of the domestic cup schedule or leave well enough alone.  Voice your opinion in the comment section below.

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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

With Ashley Cole facing a battle to be fit for the tournament and an out of position Steven Gerrard occupying the left-hand side, width isn’t England’s strong point.

N’Zogbia is soon to complete the required residential period of leaving in England for five years, making him eligible to be considered for the national side.

The ex-French Under-21 midfielder has yet to be selected for the French senior side and his manager has suggested he should be considered by Capello.

Martinez said: “I asked Charles the other day about England and he said he was hoping. I think he is definitely open to playing for England.

“I thought he wanted to play for France but he’s been living in England so long now he’s ready to present whichever country asks him.”

The left wing position has long been the thorn in any England managers’ side.

Sven Goran Eriksson even resorted to playing Emile Heskey wide left, a player not known for his pace, as resources were limited.

With Joe Cole failing to establish himself in Chelsea’s first team and James Milner playing most of his club football in the centre of midfield, this leaves Stewart Downing as England’s only option.

N’Zogbia is left footed, usually deployed on the right hand side on Wigan’s midfield, showing versatility on both sides of the field.

The former Newcastle player has also filled in at left-back during his spell in the North-East, therefore offering Capello cover.

Not only scoring goals but creating them this season for the Latics proves N’Zogbia possesses more than enough quality to be selected.

But would Capello really consider taking a Frenchmen to wear the three lions shirt this summer?

Well this isn’t the first time a foreigner has been considered for an England call up.

During Eriksson’s reign, the Swede wanted to bring Carlo Cudicini, Louis Saha, Steed Malbranque and Edu into his England squad after Euro 2004.

The fear of an outcry from English supporters of an Italian, a Brazilian and two Frenchmen representing the national side prevented the players from being considered.

Isn’t it about time English football stopped living in a bubble and stopped hampering their own chances of success?

Other sports in this country have adapted to the rules and regulations that allow foreign players to represent the national teams.

Lesley Vainikolo, the most prolific try scorer in Super League history, was called up to England’s rugby union national side, despite originating from New Zealand.

And the ‘Barmy Army’ don’t mind cheering when South African born Kevin Pietersen scores a century for England.

So why should it be any different for the national football side?

Fabio Capello isn’t shy of making big decisions, proved by striping John Terry of the England captaincy.

The Italian could make his boldest move yet by selecting the first overseas player to represent the English this summer.

Fabio Capello has claimed several times that Beckham’s appearances in his England team are based purely on current merit. This seemed a touch doubtful as Beckham made numerous substitute cameos to overtake Bobby Moore’s 108 international caps, but even with the steely Italian in charge, there is always room for a touch of sentimentality in football. But, for the first time in years, competition in the England squad is genuinely fierce, particularly in midfield. A plane ticket to South Africa for David Beckham would leave a lot of fans pleased, just as many sceptical, and some good premiership midfielders spending the summer at home.

It is a common assertion that any successful squad requires the mix of youth and experience. Beckham’s knowledge and experience would be very useful to the younger players in the squad, but his own world cup record is far from flattering. A now infamous sending off against Argentina in 1998, carrying an injury against the much slicker 10-man Brazil in 2002, and struggling in the heat of Germany in 2006, it’s clear Beckham’s best moments at World Cups have been in qualifying. The almost one-man show against Greece in 2002 will always be used as the example of Beckham’s determination and will to win. And rightly so, it was a memorable performance. But by the end of the 2006 tournament, Beckham’s international career seemed over. Owen Hargreaves’ performance against Portugal showed that perhaps Beckham was no longer required. Hargreaves took it on himself to carry the 10-man England team through 120 minutes against Portugal with a display of real leadership. It is arguable that this is what makes Beckham such a hero to many England fans, there have always been technically better players than Beckham, but for many years, he was England’s most important player and the heartbeat of the team.

For the large number of Beckham-cynics however, identifying Beckham the footballer has become increasingly tricky. The move to Los Angeles Galaxy only reinforced the longstanding idea of Beckham’s desire for celebrity status and that football had become just one part of “Brand Beckham.” This is not meant as a swipe at Beckham’s career or marketability. He quite clearly possesses an acute business brain, but it makes it difficult for fans to take him seriously as a world cup candidate while his rivals are competing in the Premier League.

Beckham has just returned to AC Milan for a second loan spell in two years. It is testament to either his personal levels of fitness, or the level of intensity in the American league that he is even attempting a full MLS season, then half a Serie A season plus a Champions League campaign, all to be followed by a world cup. Should Beckham impress again at Milan then the bandwagon for 2010 will rightly gather momentum. If David Beckham still possesses the ability to play at one of Europe’s top clubs, especially in the European cup, then his place in the England squad will be much easier to defend. It does however beg the question: were there any real football motivations behind his move to the MLS if he was still good enough to play with Europe’s elite every week?

Regardless, the months to come are crucial to Beckham’s bid for a fourth world cup place, and inevitably he will apply himself with great professionalism and determination to achieve a squad place. And it would be a magnificent personal achievement for Beckham. Michael Owen has struggled to make any sort of impact at Manchester United, and the form of his rivals for England’s striker allocation should mean that his place on the plane to South Africa has already been provisionally taken. Beckham also faces stiff competition. As the world cup draws nearer, many fans will be working out their own versions of what the squad should look like. On current form, it is tricky to fit Beckham in the top 8 or 9 English midfielders, which is roughly the number that would be taken in the squad, particularly on the right hand side, Aaron Lennon for example has shone for an attacking and pacey Tottenham side so far this season.

An England squad that could move on from the likes of Beckham and Owen and finally look to build a new, younger side would be an exciting prospect, but it is also risky and it is unlikely that the World Cup and all the expectation that comes with that for England will be seen as the best time to take such a risk. Finding a place for Beckham is a safe move for Capello, although many would question the decision on purely football terms, there are few who would begrudge a great servant such as Beckham one last shot at international glory. His ability on the set-play and incredible accuracy on long passing and crossing never seems to wane.

Sure, Steve Mclaren’s decision to omit David Beckham now looks premature and it is not out of the question to suggest it was taken with the primary aim of trying to cement Mclaren’s own influence over the squad. But, now Beckham’s important to the first team has surely started to diminish. To many, myself included, Beckham seems to have taken on the role of glorified cheerleader recently for England. He rises from the subs bench with around half an hour to go and re-energises the fans, inevitably his introduction always greeted with a great reception. But it has to be said that, that while the fans are happy to see him; opposition defenders, with 20 minutes to go in the World Cup quarter final, might not be so pleased to see David Beckham.