First sign of a bad player is always having to prove his critics wrong and for as long as I could remember, Michael Owen has been trying to prove his critics wrong.

For the past 5 years of his career, Owen has done nothing; his form has gone from bad to worse. He peaked 10 years too early and is half the player he was when he first arrived on the scene.

In my opinion Michael Owen is a average player at best, he’s a good finisher, he’s injury prone, he lost his pace years ago, hasn’t got a first touch, isn’t technically gifted and has dismal spells and goal droughts.

The only thing that Michael Owen has is a reputation for scoring goals and if ever one goal has shaped a career, it is that wonder goal he scored against Argentina when he was 18 years old at France 98. Now that was 10 years ago.

What else has Michael Owen done in a world stage, how bout his club career?  He did well at Liverpool, he did ok at Madrid but at poor old Newcastle, he’s been injured the entire time. He has scored 30 goals in his last 75 club appearances including both stints at Real Madrid and his current club Newcastle.

Michael Owen will score goal however he is not a prolific striker and he does nothing in 90 minutes, he is weak, defenders find him easy to deal with, there are no signs of that blistering pace he possessed as a kid.  The only positive aspect of his game is that he still harbours that predatory style which gets him goals in the box.

Fabio Capello does not rate him, Rafa Benetiz never did, and the only person who thinks he has something to offer is the ever-deluded Kevin Keegan.

It’s well known that Michael is an avid gambler and horse racing enthusiast, perhaps he should hang up his boots early and focus on “sports” he’s better at.

When Tottenham splashed out £10 million pounds on a 25 year old virtually unknown Bulgarian striker from Bayern Leverkusen, the name Serhiy Rebrov came to mind. A big money signing that went horribly wrong for the North London side back in 2000. Rebrov arrived at White Heart Lane with a big reputation mainly because he was Andriy Shevchenko’s old strike partner at Dynamo Kiev and the two shared a prolific partnership.  Spurs had spent £11 million on Rebrov and he turned out to be a total failure with 10 goals in only 60 appearances, he left in 2004 and has since returned to Dynamo Kiev.

 So you could forgive me and the rest of the football world for being slightly sceptical when we collectively heard the news that Tottenham had purchased Dimitar Berbatov for what seemed like a huge amount of money for an unknown at the time (£10.9 million). In hindsight of course, it turned out to be a bloody bargain.  The classy Bulgarian did have a slow start to his career in the Premiership but it wasn’t long before he showcased his world-class talent.

I could list the qualities and traits of what separates the good players from the great players, what makes a footballer special, what separates players like Zidane, Cantona, Ronaldinho, and Maradona from your regular European class footballers and in my opinion Dimitar Berbatov possess those attributes so instead I’ll list his skills.

 The one of many great aspects of his game I noticed was his close control, he amazes me with his first touch, it is so deft, it’s magical, he can control a ball no matter its height, pace or angle, and he holds the ball up and creates space for himself. It is like time stops when the ball is at his feet and  like all great players, he has ample time on the ball, he can dribble and go past players although he isn’t particularly lightening quick. His vision, his eye for goal, he is a direct threat, a natural goal scorer yet he sets up as many as he scores. (11 assists last season) Another trait of his game that impresses me is his build up play, his passing range, He is incredibly unselfish and likes to slow the game down and play at his own pace, his body language suggest how natural it all is to him.

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Berbatov’s ability to strike a ball from all angles with both feet is another trait a few footballers can claim; he has already acquired a ridiculous catalogue of goals in his still very short Tottenham career. (Think back to his effort against Middlesbrough) he can even header, he is an all-round striker and in my opinion the best in the premiership and among the best players in the world.

His great strike partnership with Robbie Keane keep players such as Jermaine Defoe and Darren Bent out of the Tottenham side, their understanding of each others games makes it a joy to watch Tottenham sometimes bar their awful defence.

Its often printed in the papers that Manchester United were interested in Berbatov previous to him joining Tottenham but never mad a bid, and rumours circulating suggest that United may make an offer in the summer 2008. The never-ending reports linking Berbatov to United seem to suggest that there is truth to the story as it has since emerged that Sir Alex had enquired about his availability a number of times.

 If there is a negative thing to say about Dimitar Berbatov is perhaps due to the on-going media speculation about his future, he seems unsettled. His body language isn’t great, he has a slight attitude problem when things don’t go his way and he is sometimes quick to demand a free-kick. Like most European players, he does not attempt to track the ball especially when he has lost possession himself, he exudes a silent arrogance that only truly great players can get away with, in that sense he reminds me of the great Eric Cantona, tall, sophisticated, mute and abnormally calm in any high-pressure frenzied footballing situations. 

Another credit to his class is his record on the international stage; Berbatov has scored 39 times in 62 games for Bulgaria which is a phenomenal record for a player who is not an out and out striker. 

There is no doubt that Dimitar Berbatov is a world class player, a special player who deserves to play in great competitions such as UEFA Champions League alongside great players and win trophies, no disrespect to Tottenham but he wont win anything other than the Carling Cup with Spurs and at the age of 27, he needs to move to a big European team in order to truly fulfil his potential. 

 I’m a huge admirer of the Bulgarian forward and think he has made the premier league so much more exciting, I love to watch him play; his technical ability is of such a high standard, there is nothing he can’t do with a ball. He’s effortless and a real pleasure to watch.  It’s quite well known that Berbatov’s childhood hero was Alan Shearer who ironically turned down a move to Manchester United back in 1996; hopefully Berbatov won’t be stupid enough to make the same mistake as his childhood hero.  

Barcelona 0- 0 Manchester United

The two giants of the European stage met tonight at the first leg of the Semi Final of the Champions League.

After all the pre-match build up and hype surrounding the tie, the game itself was an anti-climax. Considering the attacking style of both teams; there were no goals, few chances but plenty of penalty appeals, mainly for Manchetser United.

A penalty was rewarded to United after just 2 minutes and perhaps the pressure of the occasion finally got to Ronaldo as he side footed it high and wide.

Although the whistle happy referee was determined to stop the flow of the game at every chance he got, he turned down some pretty strong penalty appeals by United. He also appeared to favour the home side and awarded every free-kick to Barca.

Barcelona dominated possession throughout the match and United saw little of the ball however these were the exact tactical manoeuvres which Sir Alex had executed, intending to keep a clean sheet but at the expense of scoring no goals either.

Barcelona looked a side lacking a cutting edge and ran out of ideas and couldn’t get passed United’s solid defence.

Paul Scholes won his 100^th European cap tonight and played magnificent in midfield,

His passing accuracy and surprisingly his tackling were among his finest traits in a game which he didn’t dictate with his passing.

Ronaldo was United’s only hope of a threat as Rooney was forced out right, practically playing as a right back at times. The Portuguese prodigy and no doubt the best player in the world played alone up front and caused havoc when he could.

It was a defensive, professional and disciplined performance by United but they hardly troubled a weak Barcelona defence and must score at Old Trafford to commence to the Final in Moscow.

I must confess, European nights at Old Trafford at knock out stages are notoriously nervy and with a team like Barcelona coming to town, they may just cause an upset.

I think Sir Alex got his tactics wrong and was way too defensive, should have started with either Giggs or Nani instead of Park and played a traditional 4-4-2 attacking formation.

Hopefully come next week, Ronaldo wont live to rue that penalty miss.

Liverpool 1 – 1 Chelsea

 It takes a lot for me to feel sorry for Liverpool but tonight after watching them dominate against a predictable Chelsea team which lacked creativity, I genuinely felt bad for Scousers all over the country.

Chelsea will see this as a vital advantage and one they will not want to lose come the second league.

It was an interesting game and it seemed as though Liverpool were going to record a well deserved victory before an own goal by John Arne Riise gifted Chelsea a crucial away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge.

The match was dominated by Liverpool who played better football and had better chances however credit must go to Peter Cech who kept the London side in the game with some superb stops.

Fernando Torres was the main threat as usual and had good chances in both halves and had been given extra “attention” by Chelsea Captain John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho who got rather psychical with the Spaniard.

The battle in midfield between “England Golden Boys” Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard was won by the Liverpool Captain. Lampard was awful; he was virtually non existent in the middle of the park and saw nothing of the ball. In deep contrast Gerrard lead his side right to the very end and has a few shots on target making Cech work.  

Considering Chelsea’s immaculate home record and stubborn defence and after the last gasp unlucky away goal conceded by Liverpool, you have to put your money on Chelsea to go through to the final at Liverpool’s expense at the third time of asking.

Who will they face? Barcelona or Manchester United, either way it should make for thrilling viewing.

Paul Scholes is a perfect player, a professional on and off the pitch, he embodies the traits of players such as Bobby Charlton, Roy Keane and is a credit to English football. A fantastic ambassador of football and I am an intense admirer of the man.

 Why you may ask?

Because he is a world class English player… yes ladies and gentleman an ENGLISH player whose technique, vision and natural ability rivals the greatest players to ever graced a football pitch.

Because much similar to issues in real life… it’s the small unnoticeable things that matter, the small things which are not noticeable to the “human” eye. Or should I say Sven Goran Ericson’s so called footballing eye. Don’t get me started on that idiot.

Looking back four years ago at Euro 2004, when the entire country had jumped on the “Lampard & Gerrard” bandwagon (courtesy of most of my peers of course) even I had disregarded the Manchester United soon to-be-legend.

But I see the quality the man possesses.

His first touch is damn near perfect, his vision, passing range, movement and not to mention he’s got a rocket of a shot and a catalogue of goals which prove it.

My argument is this; how rare is it to see a world class footballer who is not tempted by the flares and glares of modern day football, a player who stays loyal to one club throughout his career, a player who consistently performs week in week out for years on end. Few come but so many go; Diego Maradona, Paul Gascoigne and more recently Ronaldinho have all self-destructive.  Just look at Ronaldinho a man so talented it could actually make you cry yet he lacks the passion and mental strength to deal with the pressure of top-flight football to the point where he is looking to play in an Italian league!

Paul Scholes has been an established first team player sine 1997; he has won 13 major trophies for Manchester United including seven Premiership titles and now it looks as though he will win 8.

Paul Scholes is a player with such endless talent and yet such modesty, respect and possess natural passion for the game, he shuns the media spotlight; he does not have an agent and lives a humble life off the pitch.

A player so underrated by the Media but true football fans, ex-players and pundits agree he is the most gifted England player since Paul Gascoigne; however he has achieved so much more and in my opinion is a much greater player.

He retired from the international stage at the age of 29, which broke my heart but I could understand why, Scholes is a huge family man and knew that England were going nowhere with Sven.

What manager would sacrifice getting the best out of Paul Scholes in order to play Frank Lampard?

Scholes was fished out on the left of midfield even though he isn’t left footed or a particularly quick, the words “retard” come to mind when I think of Sven Goran Eriksson.

I remember Sven’s final press conference after the 2006 World Cup where he said sorry a thousand times. If only he could apologise for inadvertently shortening the international career of Paul Scholes. 

What a player, what a man.

After another Super Sunday win for Manchester United over their arch rivals Arsenal effectively ending the gunner’s title bid. The Arsenal have now gone four seasons without a title and you have to wonder why is that?

Once again the Gunners went ahead but could not win in another big game, perhaps lacking a leader. (William Gallas is a man who lacks credibilty and natural leadership qualities) And also lacking experienced high quality players who have contested in these important high pressure games before like Thierry Henry or Robert Pires.

Wenger in a post match interview hinted that there was some kind of refereeing conspiracy against his team which made him look even more pathetic and self pitying than ever before.

Arsene Wenger is no doubt a great coach but he has never been a great man to man manager.

He avoids buying big-name players with egos and reputation to avoid confrontation; he has no discipline over his players, which is why throughout the years Arsenal have had such awful disciplinary records.

Wenger cannot blame anyone but himself for his team’s lossess.

In my opinion, this “young” Arsenal side have over-achieved and if they want to succeed anytime soon, they need to invest in some quality experienced players as opposed to buying players when they are in their teens and then raising them as youth players.

If you look at Arsenals first eleven you’ll see their average age is  25 which isn’t as young as Wenger and Arsenal fans like to think.

Thanks to Arsene Wenger’s “youthful” fetishes, Arsenal have no become a selling club and you have to wonder how long before world class players like Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie are sold to bigger clubs.

Almunia (30)

Cliché (22)                  Gallas (30)                 Toure (27)                           Sagna (25)

Hleb (26)                     Flamini (24)                 Fabregas (20)              Rosicky (27)

                                    Eduardo (25)               Van Persie (24)

Arsenal’s first eleven lacks experience, natural leaders and big strong players. (Both mentally and physically)

Wenger needs to buy and buy big.

RESPECT THE REFS!

Javier Mascherano was sent off for decent after getting on referee Steve Bennet’s nerves. After all the hoo-haa with Ashley Cole incident midweek, this was no doubt a direct backclash. Cole should have seen red for the challenge on Hutton and the FA should have taken extra action on his ass for his blatant arrogant disrespect for the ref in the aftermath of the tackle.

The FA need to remember that these stupid footballers are role models to millions of kids across the globe.    Even though footballers haven’t been showing respect to refs since as long as I’ve been watching the game. I couldn’t help but notice a particular incident with Steven Gerrard, effin n blindin at referee Steve Bennet, but the Liverpool Skipper wasn’t even spoken to,

CERTAIN PLAYERS PROTECTED!

God forbid any England golden boy would receive a yellow card in this day and age, talk about protected, yeah sure… Bennet didn’t hesitate flashing a second yellow at a foreign player who barely grasped the English language; the Argentine quite simply enquired “why” Fernando Torres was booked even though he was the player fouled. Mascherano should have stayed clear but Steven Gerrard did a lot worse and went unpunished.

 Footballers should look at rugby players for examples of professionalism and respect, for a game so brutal and aggressive; rugby players sure show respect to the umpires and referees, its bout time footballers did too.  

Now back to real football issues.  Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 at Stamford Bridge after going a goal down and after their amazing unbeaten record at home being in threat, Didier Drogba made a nuisance out of himself and scored two scrappy trademark goals, the Arsenal defence just couldn’t deal with him. So Chelsea climbed to 2^nd place whilst Arsenal lost only for the second time all season but the North London side are yet to win in 5 premier league games.

WHINING WENGER

 Wenger this past week admitted the Eduardo incident had affected his players but I think that that Wenger’s team have run out of steam and excuses. They may be young but definitely lack experience and after their eventful 2-2 draw at Birmingham, it became evident they lack a leader too.

WILLIAM GALLAS – CAPTAIN PATHETIC!

 I wonder what was going through William Gallas’s mind during his reaction to the penalty. Why he decided to act like a stroppy teenager who was refused his weekly allowance is beyond me? It was pathetic and no doubt sent a message to Arsenals title rivals that they had cracked under the pressure.  

  No doubt that this was a major turning point in Arsenals season but Eduardo incident is now 6 weeks old, the lad himself has gotten over it, come on Arsene… just admit it; your team is full of tired kids who has over-achieved and should now focus on the Champions League.  So after this weekend, what did it tell us, Manchester United are hitting form just at the right time and are favourites? Are Chelsea serious contenders? Is it just a one-horse race now? Are Arsenal totally out of it? With seven games to go, I wouldn’t bet against Manchester United now, The Godfather Sire Alex has been there and done it 9 times and nobody would begrudge him of his 10^th title. 

Love him or loathe him…. He is a legend. 

Under performing, over-paid, over-rated, these kind words describe the state of England’s best footballers. Fabio Capello has his work cut out after the laid back regime under the likes of Keegan, Sven and most recently Mclaren have taken its toll over the years. These so-called “world-class” English players have had it more than easy the past 10 years, now the Italian job is underway.

First casualty is David Beckham; Former England Captain has been dropped purely because of lack of fitness, some say there is room for sentiment in football, (Keegan thinks so) but I disagree, Becks knew the moment he signed for L.A Galaxy that he would risk his international career, as well as his actual club career. Why? Because the standard in America is the equivalent of League 1, some of his peers are semi-pros, not even close to premiership class. Now he is agonisingly one cap short of joining the 100 club, I don’t think we have seen the last of Beckham however he needs to be fit and playing well because come May, he will be 33 and not playing at a higher enough standard to contest at international level. No doubt, David Beckham is still a world class player; he just needs to focus on football instead of being a UN ambassador/celebrity/model/ and put this Brand Beckham crap on the backburner.

Next casualty is Paul Robinson, and let’s face it, he has been pretty awful for a pretty long time. Not even playing under Ramos at Tottenham, his howlers have helped cost England a place at Euro 2008. Robinson needs to lose weight and sort out his reflexes, go back to goalkeeping basics before he can reclaim a place for club & country.

Steven Gerrard was named captain against Switzerland as John Terry was ruled out, he revealed that Capello has installed a winning mentality into the players, lets get real, these guys need more than a winning mentality, they need discipline, decent tactics and they need to focus and they need to understand that no player can walk into the team, every player needs to earn their place. Gerrard has let his standards slip and hasn’t played great in an England shirt for ages. (I am not counting his double against Andorra, he scored but hell, England should be beating teams like Andorra without needing a Stevie G double)

Michael Owen has a great England record, almost 1 goal in every 2 games but Owen’s footballing career for the past 5 years has consisted of injuries, lack of form, lack of games, lack of goals for his clubs. He doesn’t deserve a place in the squad because he isn’t good enough, sure he scores goals every now and then, but Owen starts purely because this country hasn’t possessed a natural goal scorer since Alan Shearer.

Something which has plagued the selection of England teams is the media, former England managers who have tried to keep the press, the fans and the players happy. Fabio Capello will not care for reputations, the word “untouchable” does not exist in his vocabulary however, the fact he hasn’t fully grasped the English language isn’t good but considering he hasn’t got a professional game until September means the man has plenty of time to learn his English.

Call up’s for the likes of David Bentley is encouraging for England, an English player who has great technical ability, vision, a great right foot, and he can take a quality free-kicks, in my opinion Bentley is a more suitable long term replacement for Beckham than Shaun Wright-Phillips .

Jermaine Jenas has been instrumental for Tottenham, a great passer of the ball, aware of his surroundings, drives up and down the pitch and occasionally scores goals too, he will only get better. Upson has been great at the back for West Ham, deserves his call up but will be naturally replaced when Terry recovers.

Owen Hargreaves has 40 caps for England, most of them substitute appearances, his sudden popularity among fans and media alike is mainly due to one good performance against Portugal in 2006 World Cup quarter finals. Whether he should start in debatable, Hargreaves has been injury prone of late and has yet to get his Manchester United career off to consistent start; he was substituted against Tottenham at half time a few weeks back which is a testament to his poor form, he was replaced by Michael Carrick who I believe should start for both club & country.

Carrick executes the perfect pass much like his Manchester United team-mate/mentor Scholes, he is known for his creativity and vision. Alex Ferguson didnt spend £18 Million on him for no good reason. He’s a complete midfielder, he can shoot, cross, pass, defend, tackle, his work rate goes unnoticed; he carries out his defensive duties as well any conventional holding midfielder. Carrick may not be an England Golden boy or a prolific scorer but he more than makes up for it with his dynamic range of passing. However he needs to be more mobile, more of a box-to-box-Roy-Keane type midfielder and dictate the the game on a more consistent basis but if Capello picks him ahead of average Frank Lampard, his quality will flourish.

Everyone is aware of England’s lack of quality up front, Defoe, Crouch, Bent, Owen, Johnson just haven’t done the job at international level. Rooney needs to be more prolific for club and country, his teamwork and work rate is world class, but in front of goal, Rooney needs to score more goals than create and perhaps be more direct and selfish in the box.

I don’t understand why certain players are over-looked in the England set-up, Phil Neville is constantly left out of the squad although he is captaining and leading an exciting up and coming Everton side, Wes Brown has been a great cover for Gary Neville during his absence, and deserved his place against Switzerland, Gareth Barry has been amazing for Aston Villa and a consistent performer but it has taken years for him to get noticed.

The likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Michael Owen embody everything which is wrong with England as a footballing institution, lazy under-par performances, lack of passion, and of course they are under the impression they can walk into the first eleven, attitudes need to change, big name players need to be dropped, younger, hungrier players need to be selected because the reality is this… the so-called golden age of English football never existed, it never arrived, we have won nothing since 1966, even though we have possessed great players such as Paul Scholes, Paul Gascoigne, Paul Ince, Alan Shearer, Gary Neville, Teddy Sheringham, David Beckham, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney… the list can go on.

I have to refrain from a personal attack on Frank Lampard, he may be a decent bloke but he’s a player I believe hasn’t got the basic technical skills a “world class” player needs to possess, he hasn’t got a first touch, he isn’t particularly quick, he needs to lose weight, hasn’t got the ability to spot a pass, he shoots and hopes and mostly scores for Chelsea but a player who shoots 100 times a match, is going to grab a brace. His good points are this; he rarely gets injured, he’s determined to get on the score sheet. And that’s it. I feel there are nearly ten English players ahead of Lampard in midfield, and if Paul Scholes hadn’t retired early, he wouldn’t stand a change against the ginger genius. Tom Huddlestone, Jermain Jenas, Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Scotty Parker, Jamie O’Hara, Steven Gerrard, all of the above are superior to him and he just isn’t good enough, I feel his luck is about to run out and at 29 years old, the next tournament he will be 32, I think his time is up.

England do have a great wealth of players, some are overrated, some are underrated, unfortunately some are ridiculously injury prone, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Kieron Dyer, Michael Owen, Scott Parker to name a few.

I feel England need to change instantly under this new era with Capello, if we are to qualify for a major championship let alone win a one.