A look ahead to pre-season

Yesterday, the players began their second week of pre-season training, in preparation for a match against Alfreton Town and a tour of Ireland. But what will pre-season have in store for us?

Whilst good results would provide important confidence boosts for our young team and be pleasing for us, the fans, it’s not the be all and end all. The key will be putting in encouraging performances, getting players back up to full fitness, and introducing another crop of youth players to the first team squad. I would be happier if we do all of these things and drew every game, than do none of them and win.

Fitness is a vital issue. Just 11 players in the squad who will be available to play this summer, are those who made 5 or more appearances for us last season. 7 of them are into their 30s, and 3 of them – Mullins, Lovenkrands and King – have been made available for a free transfer! We are very limited in terms of strength in depth, so our players will be required to play week in, midweek, week out constantly, thus attaining full fitness will be essential.

Another factor will be integration. We have brought in 6 (soon to be 8) new faces this summer, which may fill in some of the gaps left by those departed. But each of them will inevitably need time to settle. Although, it seems that this summer’s squad overhaul won’t be as dramatic as the previous two – and it’s happening earlier.

Last season, we got off to such a poor start because Clark only came in almost a year ago today. This season, he’s already sorted out most of his squad, so pre-season will be a time for improving the general cohesion of the team, rather than redesigning the team itself.

The final factor will be the introduction of youth. The structuring of our pre-season schedule gives me an inkling that our younger players, even those who didn’t make a name for themselves last season, will be given a chance. Our opening two friendly matches are 2 days apart, yet looking at our squad, I’d estimate estimated that we’ll only have around 17 players who can be regarded as part of the first team at the moment. It may be less depending on when the loan signings, likely to be Dan Burn and Kyle Bartley, are confirmed.

At very least, we’ll need 22 players to be able to sufficiently compete in these games, on a physical level. Either we’ll split the squad into two groups to play separate matches, or the whole squad will play 45 minutes each in both games. It’ll be interesting to see how Clark approaches this, especially considering we have another match played behind closed doors shortly afterwards. What’s for certain is that Clark will have to promote certain members of our youth team, as a temporary measure to fill in the space.

We have decent a gap of 9 days from the Shamrock friendly, to the run up to August. We play Swindon on the 17th, then have 4 friendlies in 10 days before the Watford game. Therefore, my theory is that part 1 of our pre-season innings, Clark will use largely as a time to assess the quality of our undiscovered youngsters, such as Ryan Higgins and Reece Hales. He can then finalise his decisions on the best way forward, whether to move them into the development squad, send them out on loan, or further introduce them to the first team in the latter friendly matches.

As fans, we inevitably want to see our team win. But I don’t want us to attach to much importance to our results this summer, as assembling the basic infrastructure of our team for next season must hold emphasis. The integration of the squad in terms of the youngsters and new signings, and our key players returning to fitness, should be paramount in Clark’s thoughts.

By Gabriel Sutton

Moyes's United Tasklist

David Moyes has been faced with a very difficult job: to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. As an admirer of the man, I genuinely fear for him in these circumstances. Although the United fans have vowed to stand by him at Ferguson's final speech, it's easier to get carried away in commitment with Ferguson on the pitch, after winning a 20th title, than to rally behind Moyes if the going got tough.  If Moyes is to make it as a top level manager, there's no better opportunity than going to Manchester United. If Moyes doesn't want his reputation tarnished, there's no bigger risk. Here's what Moyes needs to do.

Can Moyes change his mentality?

1- Be prepared to alter his mentality Moyes may come with this reputation of being a good 'underdog' manager, someone who will take obscure players and drag the best out of them. But this approach alone, won't work at the top level. From the off, Moyes must indicate a willingness to compromise his philosophy, and perhaps a couple of big money signings early on in his Old Trafford career, could act as a statement of intent. 

In addition to this, at Everton he made a habit out of treating every player equally, and ensuring there are no egos in the squad. Over the past couple of decades, United have relied on players like Cantona and Ronaldo, who are a bit arrogant. Moyes may need to change his treatment certain players, to get the best out of his superstars, that ultimately win the top teams trophies.

Key squad member - Giggs

2- Earn the respect of the older players And in particular, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand. They've been at Manchester United for years and the younger players will look up to them, so it's important that Moyes wins over their trust early. Whilst they are professionals, at other big clubs, managers have paid for failing to control the dressing room, such as Scolari and Villas-Boas at Chelsea. The likes of Giggs and Ferdinand will be accustomed to playing under Ferguson, and Moyes must take an element of responsibilty to make the transition as smooth as possible, in order to then gain the support of the rest of the team.

Aging Ferdinand

3- Find a long-term replacement for Ferdinand Vidic and Ferdinand are aging quickly, whilst the likes of Jones, Smalling and Evans don't seem quite ready to provide an immediate line of replacement. 26-year-old centre-back Ezequiel Garay may be a good investment. Last season, he was part of a Benfica team with a strong defensive record, that finished just one point below winners Porto, and lost just one game.  The only problem with this would be his price tag, as Real Madrid have a 50% transfer turnover clause for Garay, meaning Benfica only get half the money United would pay. Whether Moyes would be prepared to part with a big sum to bring Garay in is up for debate, but United do need a centre back; their defensive record last season left much to be desired.

Not cut it - Anderson

4- Cash in on Anderson Anderson's main problem is that his Brazilian, forward-minded nature doesn't suit United's system. When playing with two wingers, as United did for much of last season, it's important that the two central midfielders are able to hold their shape. Anderson breaks too far forward, on too many occassions.

The Brazilian has had 6 seasons to prove himself since signing for Man U in 2007, and he's not produced the goods often enough. His contract runs out summer 2015, and with Porto possibly interested, there'll never be a better opportunity to sell him. Whilst Anderson has at times added a dynamism and an increased tempo to the midfield, he has done so far too inconsistently. Moyes should bag £10 million for him now, and use that money towards bringing in players with more potential. 

Overpriced - Young

5- Look to use Ashley Young in a swap deal Why Ferguson parted with around £40 million in transfers and wages to sign Ashley Young is beyond me, with better quality available abroad. He only got 3 assists and no goals in 18 games for United last season, which represents a very poor return. With Wilfried Zaha coming in, his position won't need filling, so United can let him go without the direct need to raise funds. He could be a good weapon for bringing in players in future, as his contract doesn't expire until 2016. If United want to buy a player with big potential, they can use Ashley Young in a part-exchange deal, to knock down a price tag, and get a ludicrous £90k a week off their wage bill.

Thiago - replacement for Scholes?

6- Buy a playmaker Thiago, who had little chance under Vilanova at Barcelona last season, could provide a long-term replacement for Paul Scholes. Whilst Michael Carrick's passing range is impressive, his role incorporates a more defensive aspect, and he spends a lot of time positioning himself behind the ball to make interceptions when opponents are on the offensive. United could benefit from a player designed solely to be  looking for the space to spray balls forward and to the flanks. The underused Thiago, who will be looking to boost his 2014 World Cup hopes, would be the perfect solution.

Time to go - Rooney

7- Get rid of Rooney My opinion on Rooney has changed drastically over the past few months. I initially thought he'd be the eventual Scholes replacement, and drop deeper into midfield, as part of United's future plans. But now, I definitely think his time at Old Trafford has come to an end. He has disrespected Manchester United on so many occassions, handed in two transfer requests to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world, and is on £200K a week. Rooney's relationship with David Moyes ended on bad terms by all accounts, and it's difficult to see him being wholly motivated to play for the Scot again.

The rich clubs, such as PSG and Monaco, would be prepared to sign a blank cheque to bring in a player of Rooney's reputation, and perhaps surprisingly, Barcelona have expressed an interest too. United could get £25 million for him, and also save around £10 million a year in wages. As well as the financial benefits this would bring, it would mean United get rid of a potentially negative character in the dressing room, and send a warning message to the other players.

The most important thing, will be that Moyes hits the ground running. Included in his first five games, are Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City, all of whom are United's rivals. If Moyes wins 2 of those matches, and can pick up 10-13 points from his first 5 games, the United fans will get right behind him, which will make life a lot easier for him, and the fans would be able to put memories of Ferguson aside. But if he loses 2 or 3 of his opening games and gets off to a difficult start, then it'd be difficult to see a way back for him. Manchester United's season go either way, as Moyes embarks on the hardest job in football.

Mourinho's Chelsea Tasklist

Jose Mourinho, with his eccentric demeanor and win-at-all-costs mentality, is a man who divides many football fans. Some love him for his ability to win 20 trophies in 11 years at the top level, whilst some scorn him for the way in which he has done so. I for one, am in the first category. Whilst the ethical side of his managerial career has been far from perfect, it's not as if it's the only factor in his success and as I have argued recently, ethics plays very little part in modern football. Mourinho is a great psychologist, and as his track record proves, everywhere he's been he's been able to motivate and bring the best out of his players. A man who has the talent to do this must only be admired.

So what needs to be done in Mourinho's latest task: to bring the glory days back to Stamford Bridge? I'm going to run through the Chelsea squad, and analyse what he must do before the Blues have a team that can win the title next season.

1- Hand Courtois the no.1 jersey

Deserves a chance - Courtois

To give Courtois a start in the team is a no-brainer. The Belgian won the Zamora (least goals per game conceded) Trophy and set a new all-time defensive record with a successful Atletico Madrid team in La Liga, keeping 20 clean sheets, Cech played most games for a Chelsea team that conceded 81 goals last season, in all competitions. Unfortunately, Cech hasn't been quite the same goalkeeper since his nasty collision in 2007, and his shot stopping seems to be getting worse with age, rather than better. This incredible season Courtois has had with Atletico, at the age of just 21, tells you his potential, and he is clearly worthy of a first team role.

2- Offload David Luiz

A misfit - Luiz

A controversial decision this would be, yet an essential one nonetheless. The number of quality attacking midfielders Chelsea have, dictates that it would suit them to play 4-2-3-1, to make enough space for the 'three magicians'. Having an attacking quartet of players means that the rest of the team, except for fullbacks providing width, must bear a responsibility to be roundly defensive minded. If one of the sitting midfielders (a role recently suggested for Luiz) started getting forward, not only would that disrupt the pattern of the more creative player's play, but also the team won't be able to retain control of the midfield, when attacks are broken down.

The departure of the Brazilian would suit all parties, and I include any club who buys him in that. He would be perfect as a roaming libero in an Italian team, such as Juventus. A player that starts off technically as a sweeper, but who is given a free role to drive forward as and when to dictate play. To be able to do this though, Luiz needs a team that is built around him, he's not a good enough player for Chelsea to opt to do that. Mourinho must therefore cash in on this unfortunate product of Villas-Boas's plans which didn't materialise, and bring in more team-orientated defensive players.

3- Sign a centre-back

Varane - Chelsea target?

For central defence, Chelsea currently have Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (and Luiz) on their books. Given that Terry has lost a yard of pace over the past couple of years, and Cahill is hardly a world-class defender, investment in the central defence department will be necessary. Seeing as Internazionale fell away from the Serie A title race so spectacularly last season, perhaps a move for Andrea Ranocchia would prove fruitful. Mourinho has been linked with a move for young Madrid defender Raphael Varane, who would provide a long-term solution, if lacking in experience. Either way, Chelsea's central defence is in definite need of a revamp.

4- Find a long-term replacement for Ashley Cole

The task to replace the arguably best left-back in the world over the past 5 years, is easier said than done.

Shaw - long-term Cole replacement?

My solution though, would be Southampton's teenage prodigy Luke Shaw. 25 Premiership games last season is an impressive feat for a 17-year-old, and he is known to have good technical ability, which will fit Chelsea's system. The one downside of having 3 attacking midfielders, is that occassionally, the play becomes too narrow and defences find ways of forcing congestion. When Chelsea find they need that extra width to variate play, Shaw would come in useful. Furthermore, he would be joining Chelsea at the perfect time. Cole, at 32, has a couple more seasons left in him, but can be gradually faded out of the team and become a tutor for Shaw, to be gradually introduced. An £8 million punt on this kid would be well worth Mourinho's time.

5- Sign a new Makelele

Bender - holding midfielder needed?

When they have the ball, there's no better team out there than Chelsea. The missing ingredient in their midfield, is having someone who does the job when the team hasn't got the ball. They need a player who is naturally pessimistic, selfless, will never break from the halfway line, and prepared to do the dirty work to enable the flair players to grab the headlines. Going back to Mourinho's first stint in charge, I thought Makelele was Chelsea's best player. His mere presence in the midfield gave the likes of Lampard, Cole, Duff and Robben, the mental freedom to get forward and interchange at will, knowing that if they lost the ball, Makelele would be there to provide cover and buy time until the others got back into position. Having him in the side released all pressure.

Defensive midfielders are indirectly multi-functional. When teams attack you, a good defensive midfielder can provide that extra numerical advantage needed to break down the attacks. What's more, they can pass the ball short for the more creative players to start an attack, with the opposition defence caught unprepared. Either Daniele de Rossi of Roma, or Leverkusen's Lars Bender may want the pay rise a move to West London could offer, whilst this Chelsea midfield would greatly benefit from their defensive mindset.

6- Keep the attacking midfielders happy

Pointless buy - Schurrle

Mourinho must get his rotation policy right this season. With Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Marin, De Bruyne and Moses all vying for a similar role, the confirmed signing of Andre Schurrle may well make life harder for Mourinho, rather than easier. It seems as though Chelsea have 4 players who are carbon copies of themselves: attacking midfielders who have good first touch, are able to beat a man, and effective on the counter attack. It may be a wise move for Mourinho to offload Moses and either De Bruyne or Marin, to reduce the intensity of the competition, and give these developing prospects the consistency of gametime required to fullfil their potential. Whilst competition for places can be healthy in places, too much of it can be cause for an unsettled dressing room, which Mourinho will be keen to avoid.

7- Sign Edinson Cavani at all costs

A goalscorer - Cavani

Europe's top striker outside Spain would complete this Chelsea team. The creativity is there for all to see, they just need a player who can stick the chances away consistently. The prolific Uruguayan has scored an excellent 29 goals in 34 games for Napoli last season, almost a goal per game in a more defensive league, and in a team that doesn't create as many chances as Chelsea. Selling the disappointing Demba Ba would be a good start to further increase funds, and perhaps Chelsea could knock off some of Cavani's price tag by offering a swap deal with Fernando Torres re-uniting with Benitez at Napoli. The task for Mourinho is simple here: do what you have to do to bring Cavani in.

If Mourinho can do each of these things successfully, Chelsea are my pick for the title. Whereas Moyes and Pellegrini will have the pressure on them from the off at Chelsea's title competitors, Mourinho already has the respect of the players and fans. If he can use his contacts to bring in some world-class defensive players and Cavani, it's difficult to see anyone in the Premiership stopping Chelsea.

Why morality does not exist in football

Such an obvious statement, given everything that has happened in the game over the last 20 years or so. And yet, it is a statement that so many football fans up and down the land find so hard to accept. 

I'd like to start with this. Barcelona seem to pride themselves on the fact that they are much better at building and creating teams than Real Madrid, even though they've still spent approximately €700 million over the past 10 years. This idea that people should respect Barca because they're 'the ethical team', is ludicrous. Here is a video of Barcelona players diving. I found it quite painful to watch, but it has helped me understand that players will do anything to gain any sort of advantage for their team. This is the stark reality of elite football.

When Gareth Bale or Luis Suarez dive, it creates a media circus and becomes a main discussion point on Match of the Day. I don't mind pundits talking about whether it was a dive or not, but those who constantly, obsessively, slate the players for diving will never be satisfied. Until FIFA or UEFA stamp out cheating, it will always be an unwelcome part of the game. There's zilch that, as fans, we can do to change that. Therefore, we'll only be having the same conversations over and over again, i.e.:

"Was it a dive?"

"Yes, probably."

"Should he have dived?"

"No"

And if you're utterly disgusted by a player diving, you simply shouldn't follow football. You should follow a sport like golf or cricket, where there's no aggression or charge to games. Because I am sure, that underneath most footballers and managers, are bastards who couldn't care about anything other than money and winning. There are clear reasons why this is.

In their upbringing, footballers have obviously spent more time focusing on their football than their education. Very few footballers say anything interesting in interviews. In their professional career, they have a 'win-at-all-costs' mentality ingrained into them by managers and coaches. This means they have very little grasp of ethics. Therefore, if the majority of footballers see an opportunity to gain an advantage for their team, they will take it. They won't consider the moral implications, they won't hesitate as to whether it's the right thing to do, they'll dive instantly, without thinking.

I'm not sure I buy the rule about, being 'entitled to go down if there's contact'. It's all diving. If a player is poked in the back, they'll look to fall over. What's the difference between light contact and no contact at all? The player has more than the capability to stay on his feet, but chooses to fall over. Diving is diving, and there aren't different levels of it.

Adding to this, it's not just Bale and Suarez who do it. I've seen one of my favourite players at Birmingham City, Chris Burke, diving on several occassions. And going back a few years, Blues played Preston at home in December 2006. It was a top of the table clash, and we were 2-1 up in the last 10 minutes. Our player Gary McSheffrey was dribbling inside the box, but not in a shooting position, so he held the arm of the Preston defender and tumbled over, dragging his opponent with him. He did this in a way that made it look like the Preston guy had hauled him to the floor, from the referee's viewpoint. McSheffrey took the penalty, completed his hat-trick and we won 3-1. I could recall a number of examples. Players dive.

Another aspect of ethics in football - or lack thereof - is player wages. On how many occassions have you seen a player disrespect their club, to get a bigger pay packet? Twice, Wayne Rooney has handed in a transfer request at one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United. Alex Ferguson showed enough faith in Rooney to part with £30 million in 2004, when he was 18. Most people in that situation would be unceasingly grateful to Ferguson, for giving him the opportunity to become one of the best players in the world.

Yet 'most people', aren't like footballers. In October 2010, Rooney handed in a transfer request. But in a matter of days, he made a dramatic U-turn a signed a new 5-year deal with United. He obviously gained a pay-rise, and I can't help but think that his transfer request was merely a ploy to get more money. And that's the way he repays someone who showed so much faith in him as a teenager!

In May 2013, Ferguson announced that Rooney had handed in a transfer request, and had asked not to play against Swansea. Rooney's antics in the title celebrations seemed to confirm this. My own opinion on Rooney is that he doesn't love Manchester United, or any club now, he loves money and has become entirely ego-driven. 

The root of the problem is, footballers are paid far too much money, far too young. They don't know how to deal with it, and they let money take a hold of themselves, losing sight of what they value. I find it interesting that if you are one of the select few talented enough to play football in the Premiership, you are considered a very lucky person. 

To some extent, I can understand it because of the idea of becoming rich and famous, for doing something you love. But I would question just how lucky footballers are, in a personal sense. Firstly, they are taught to pathetically dive and con referees, which would look extremely childish and almost sad to an outsider. They play in front of fickle fans who will love you one minute and slate you the next, they're desperate not to be the one that makes a mistake and becomes the target for opposition supporters. Finally, they are paid more money than they can handle. It's clear that too much money and power changes people. 

This is perhaps the most important point. Premiership footballers are known to develop expensive lifestyle habbits, simply because they can afford it, and people are in awe of them when they're spotted in public. This inevitably gets to their heads eventually, and they begin to think they can get away with anything. It's difficult to argue with the number of nightclub incidents and cheating on girlfriends that footballers do, which normal people wouldn't. Because a lot of girlfriends will stand by their footballing boyfriend if they're cheated on (probably for the money and fame), footballers get dragged into thinking that it's sort of okay. 

Of the footballers who are initially good people, very few manage to stay humble. They get dragged into feeling that winning at all costs and money matter more, rather than fair play and people they're close to. Because TV companies will pay Premiership clubs more and more money, these clubs pay players bigger and bigger wages, as well as encouraging cheating, to try and stay/get into the top flight. Because of this, footballers gradually lose touch with reality. 

This is an unfortunate facet of how our game is, and will continue to be until something is done about it.

Why next season will be the greatest title race ever

Where now?

Let's face it. 12/13 was a rubbish Premiership season, in many ways. We knew the bottom two teams were down in about mid-March, and Wigan's relegation was confirmed before the final day, despite their shock FA Cup win. At various times in the season, the likes of Norwich, Southampton, Aston Villa, Stoke, Newcastle and Sunderland looked like genuine relegation candidates. To the credit of those teams, they all managed to put a run together before they became 'the chasers', rather than the ones being chased.

The Premiership title was an entirely different matter. United ended Chelsea's positive start by clinching a dramatic win at Stamford Bridge, and from December onwards, there was never any doubt as to which part of Manchester the title was going. United stormed to an 11 point lead, Manchester City didn't show up. The interesting thing is, City and Chelsea have better individual players than Manchester United. This leads me to the logic that the difference last season, between City and United, was Mancini and Ferguson. 

Ferguson departs

Ferguson ingrained a winning mentality into that Man U team, integrating the perfect blend of determined youth and calm experience. Looking at their results last season, it strikes me that every time United lost a game, they would win their next 5 in a row. Apart from at the end of the season when the title was wrapped up, they never went on a bad run, and were always able to drastically pick themselves up after the occasional loss.

Hughes/Redknapp at QPR aside, Mancini has had the worst season of all the Premiership managers. After winning the league title by only goal difference the previous year, he foolishly allowed his side to get complacent. This, when competing against a team like Manchester United, was the one thing Mancini couldn't afford to do. His tactical nous had been poor, initially switching the system to 3 at the back, when the tactic they had was working well. In the game against Tottenham, he failed to come up with a plan to deal with Gareth Bale, as Ferguson did successfully. His 2012 summer transfer activity, bringing in the likes of Sinclair, Rodwell and Garcia, weakened the squad. Sergio Aguero and David Silva showed merely glimpses of what they did last season, and Nasri didn't come to life until the final quarter of the campaign. 

Poor season - Mancini

Many say the difference for United this season was the signing of Robin van Persie, yet the stats suggest otherwise. They finished with the same number of points as they did the season before, only City have 11 less. On that evidence, the capitulation of City has to go down as the reason United won, and because City have more world-class players, the blame must lie squarely on Mancini's shoulders. They were right to fire him.

So how will things change this season? What I'm very excited about is that each of the top 3 clubs are bringing a new manager in, and it's tough to call what effect the new men will have. With both Mancini and Ferguson leaving, it'll be a lot closer between City and United. Throw into the mix the highly-anticipated return of Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, with around £100 million to spend, and we've got one hell of a title race on our hands.

A challenge for Moyes

I have my inner-doubts about David Moyes as Manchester United manager. What he's done for Everton is fantastic. He's developed players brilliantly, ingrained a strong work ethic into the team and to spend a net total of £16 million over the course of 10 years, and still establish them  in the top 7 of the Premiership is a fantastic job. I've got a lot of respect for him. However, a big part of how he's done this is by employing a 'no ego' approach. Everton can't attract the pre-Madonnas in football, so their path has been to build a team of humble, hard-working players, who strive to become bigger than the sum of their parts. This involves getting rid of players who believe themselves to be 'bigger than the club'. And this type of management will only take you so far. 

United can be confused with a club that has won so much, because of the desire and work ethic in the team. Of course this certainly helps, it has provided them with the bedrock for their success, yet it's not the key factor. Manchester United won 3 titles and 2 domestic doubles between 1992 and 1996, because of Cantona. They won the Premiership three times in a row between 2007 and 2009, and 2 Champions League finals, one of which they won, because of Ronaldo at his peak. Without these legendary superstars who are a little bit arrogant, but whom Ferguson has made allowances for, Manchester United would not have anywhere near as many trophies as they do.

If the equivalent of Cantona first walks in and decides not to do any physical training, or the new Ronaldo doesn't want to head the ball, how will Moyes respond? It would be a brief relationship! Conversely, Ferguson had an excellent knack for reverse psychology. He recognized that because of certain players' talent, they needed to be pampered and treated in a special way. Because of this, Cantona did begin to participate in physical training out of respect, and Ronaldo ended up notorious for being a great headed goalscorer. As far, Moyes lacks that ability to treat his best players differently, and will need to compromise his philosophy if he wants to succeed at Old Trafford.

Pellegrini is clearly going to Manchester City, who have already confirmed the signing of Jesus Navas. That's a decent appointment for City. Pellegrini has established Malaga in the Champions League, quarter-finalists unbeaten in the group stages, he had experience at managing Real Madrid, and guided Villarreall to the Champions League semi-finals. I would also argue against criticisms that he hasn't won a trophy. The Copa Del Rey is the only achievable trophy at a club like Malaga, which is hard with Real Madrid and Barca always in the competition. Having no trophies is a reflection on his circumstances, not his ability.

Pellegrini will introduce a careful, methodical style to City's play. His previous teams have looked to take control of games, rather than hit the opposition with waves of attacks. Apparently he'll be asked to create a 4-3-3 tactic by chief Txiki Begiristain, which he's never operated before, although he's often been prepared to create systems in accordance with his best attacking players. Furthermore, Pellegrini has been known to like playmakers, which may give David Silva a more significant role.

So how will City's new Spaniard fare? I'd expect him to be an improvement, and perhaps his method of attempting to control games will thrive in Europe, an area Mancini failed. Teams such as Bayern and Barca, who have achieved sustainable European success, have had the ability to outclass most opposition, and stamp their authority on games. With a couple of quality signings, perhaps City will be able to do this.

However, spending isn't the main issue for City this summer. Whilst they need to improve the team, it must be partly done by getting the most out of the players they have, which Mancini couldn't do. Splashing out £100 million on 5 or 6 new players isn't the answer for them. They must go through a brief period of assessing the squad, getting rid of the flops who turn up for their wage packet, before buying players to enhance the team. It's essential they bring in players who are intrinsically motivated, and will help install a work ethic within the side, which seems to be missing at the moment.

If Pellegrini can bring in a long-term replacement for Yaya Toure, a 25-goal a season striker and a solid centre-back to partner Kompany, and get the best out of their key players, they'll be a force to be reckoned with in the title race.

Finally, it's the return of the special one. Jose Mourinho is back at Chelsea. Whilst some people

Return of the Special One

might knock his arrogance, or disapprove of his touchline antics, to me he'll always be a footballing legend. In this next title race, the one thing Mourinho will have in his favour, is immediate support from the fans. Man United supporters were sad to see Ferguson go, and the pressure will be on Moyes to live up to him. Most City fans didn't want Mancini to go, and Pellegrini will be judged from the off. Few Chelsea fans were particularly sad to see Benitez go, and they'll be delighted to see Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge. He will have the respect of the fans and players from the outset.

Of the 3 managers, he'll definitely have the biggest advantage in the transfer market. Having won league titles in Portugal, Italy and Spain as well as England, he'll have the best contacts, and the top players in Europe will want to play under him. It's obvious that more players would choose to play under Mourinho than David Moyes, for example, and the financial power at Chelsea should give Mourinho no problems in bringing in the players he wants.

Tara for Torres?

So who will he buy? Well, Chelsea need to do some reshuffling up front. Whilst scoring more than 20 goals last season was a respectable feat for Torres, most of them were in continental competitions against much weaker teams. This, in itself, suggests that Torres would fare better in the latter stages of his career, to be playing in a foreign league, maybe back in Spain. The Premier League is too physical a game for Torres to compete, he'd be better off leaving. Just 6 goals since signing in January represents a poor return for Demba Ba, and I'd look to move him on. If I was Mourinho, I would keep a hold of Lukaku, but buy a world-class forward, such as Cavani or Falcao, to increase the goal rate. A powerful forward would get the best out of their attacking midfielders, such as Hazard and Mata.

Alongside this, Chelsea are in need of long-term replacements for John Terry and Ashley Cole, and a solid holding midfielder, although Michael Essien could fill this role when he returns from Madrid. Mourinho has emphasized the need to develop the squad he has, yet on the 4 new players which will be necessary, I could see him spending up to £100 million.

No spend, no trophies, Mr Wenger

I don't give Arsenal or Tottenham a shout. Arsenal are in need of significant investment in their squad, but even if Wenger chooses to spend, the squad overhaul will either be done over the course of a few seasons, or in one summer, in which case new players will need time to settle. Tottenham don't hold the luxury of Champions League football to appease the top players with, and have become far to much of a one-man team in Gareth Bale, who will probably go to Real Madrid.

So it's a case of 'take your pick' from the top 3. I'm prepared to wait until August to make an official verdict, but my first instinct is that the title will go to Mourinho's Chelsea. I think he'll immediately glean the respect of his players, and through his multi-cultural experiences, will have matured to an extent that he won't be ruled by past glory. From his interview, he has said that he wants to build a team over time rather than be a 'quick fix' at Chelsea. That will go down well amongst the Chelsea faithful, and you'd have to say he's in the best position to get off to a good start in terms of summer signings, and early results.

12/13 Blues Season in poetry

In late-June did young Clark arrive,
Nice record at Galpham perhaps on his side,
But August the Blues picked just one point from three,
And sat in the drop zone uneasily,

September improved us, or was this quite so?
3 strong performances, one horror show,
Blues hit for 5, no spirit or fight,
We’re simply rolled over, by Barnsley tykes

A win at top Brighton, was this the reply?
Well 4 games no wins, but Paladini to buy?
The comeback at Millwall, and win at Leeds proved,
There was yet life, in languishing Blues,

With inconsistency November arrived,
We’d falter in one half, the second we’d thrive,
A hectic month for the boys in blue,
Of seven wins we picked up just two,

Christmas came of a similar style,
The only good note was struggling Vile,
One win in five was no happy new year,
We drowned our sorrows in mulled wine not beer,

A sad sight to see was Pack on the floor,
But we soon came to life, with a win at Turf Moor,
We followed that up, Burke found his niche,
A win over Forest, and judas McLeish,

In training Zigic was giving no spark,
In media outed, he was by firm Clark,
In the match after, Blues again swept aside,
By Zola’s Watford, that team seemed to glide,

Eighteen games now without a clean sheet,
But back-to-back, they came as quite sweet,
Next game we’re mullered, became it quite dull,
At promotion chasing Hull,

Fear not though as Easter drew nearer,
Our relegation safety was clearer,
Three straight wins and we’re out of the dark,
With 4-0 thumping of Selhurst Park,

Post this result could play-offs be on?
Stranger things have happened, it wasn’t yet gone,
Defeat to the Dingles put sharp end to that dream,
As Blues prepared for mediocrity,

Two wins, three draws, and the one loss,
We played the remainder not giving a toss,
For the job was done, the Blues were safe,
To fight another year, in exactly the same place,

Now the task over summer it seems:
Offer new contracts to those who could leave,
Get atmosphere back, get rid of the moaners,
But more importantly, change the owners.

West Brom 5-5 Man United: a 'neutral' viewpoint

For yesterday afternoon, my Baggies-supporting cousins had a spare ticket for the West Brom-Man United game. Seeing as it was Sir Alex and Paul Scholes’s last ever match, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I generally think the majority of Blues fans have a good-natured attitude towards West Brom, myself included. I meet up with a few West Brom fans in the pub before games, and we think of them as our pestering local neighbours, more than our enemys. As that chant to the tune of Led Zeppelin goes: “I wanna destroy… Villa and Wolves (but I’m not so bothered about the Baggies, because they’re sort of alright)”. Having said that, I lied about saying I was ‘neutral’ going into the game, I was secretly desperate for United to thrash them, so I could have a bit of a dig.

I decided to have a 50p pre-match bet inside the ground, on Manchester United to win and van Persie to score. Sensible. But apparently you had to collect your winnings online rather than at the end of the game, so in the end I opted out. It’d be a bit tedious to claim a pound online. Once I got in the stands, I began to really appreciate the sheer creativity in the West Brom fans’ lyricist. 2 or 3 of their chants involved the repetition of the word: ‘Albion, Albion, Albion’, I think one of them was: ‘You are my Albion’, and, just for a bit of a change, one of the songs was: ‘We are the Albion’. Presumably that one was composed in response to the opposition chant: ‘Who are ya?’. Genius. One of their chants though, was: ‘We know what we are, we know what we are, (no, they didn’t say Albion again) pride of the Midlands, we know what we are’ That one I didn’t enjoy so much.

Both teamsheets looked a little bit surprising. Lukaku wasn’t starting for West Brom, which seemed like a strange move seeing as he was their top scorer. But United’s team, despite being Fergie’s last, had a very much renovated, forward-looking feel to it. Jones and Evans had been confirmed at the back, although Rafael wasn’t playing, so I was intrigued to see how they’d fill the right-back position. Carrick, Cleverley, Kagawa and the questionable Anderson were all starting, as well as Buttner rather than Evra at left-back, and Chicharito partnering RVP up front.

Ferguson’s strategy seemed to employ a slightly Italian-style tactic, with shades of Juventus. Valencia and Buttner were used as wingbacks, with their work ethic to get up and down the flanks, whilst Carrick played very deep. When United had the ball, he would intermittently drop behind Jones and Evans for them to go slightly wider, allowing the two wing-backs to get further up the pitch. The plan seemed to be that when West Brom won the ball, the players would try to clam in together instantly, so Carrick would start to close down, the wingbacks would drop back and the centre-backs would move back inside.

For the first half hour, this worked a treat and Manchester United were extraordinary. They looked simply unplayable. The vision, speed and mobility in that team just overawed West Brom. Because of Carrick’s deep protective role, Cleverley and Anderson had the freedom to ball-chase, and provide numberical advantages wherever the play was, and pass the ball short, to create that extra inch of space. Shinji Kagawa’s intelligence in the ‘false 9′ role was key too. He would drift towards either side of the pitch, where Valencia or Buttner were, and then quickly run inside, dragging a marker with him. This left the wingbacks with room for a one-on-one duel against their fullback, who they would always beat for pace.

Kagawa’s opening goal was created simply by a clever dart to the near post. Many Baggies fans with me were cheering as the ball looked to be going out of play, but Hernandez’s acceleration allowed him to keep it in, and his pinpoint cross for Kagawa was timed perfectly. Their second was not dissimilar to that, as Valencia put in the cross for Hernandez, whose timing of movement  was of the same killer nature as Kagawa’s, to head in at the near post. At that point I leaned over to my uncle and said, with a rather wry smile: “well, enjoy your afternoon, then”. I really wish I hadn’t, now.

United continued to dominate after that in the same fashion, and 20 minutes later, a short sequence of passing focused United’s play towards the right-side of the middle, before Cleverley played a reverse pass to Buttner unmarked on the left, and he fired in for 3-0. The Baggies did managed to grab a goal back before half time, at which point they put on Romelu Lukaku for ex-Blue Liam Ridgewell. Although I knew Lukaku had undoubted quality, I thought the loss of Ridgewell at left-back would give Valencia the room to tear the Baggies apart down the right. But it was West Brom who scored the first goal of the second half, and Lukaku had a placed shot that seemed to slip through the hands of Lindegaard, who had a torrid afternoon, and into the United net.

Just a few minutes later though, United went up the other end and Valencia drilled a ball across for the prolific Robin van Persie to score his 30th goal of the season. Giggs was then brought on, and it seemed telling that he was the one to provide a goal for Javier Hernandez towards the end, in a game that looked to be the perfect finish to Ferguson’s reign. At 5-2 Paul Scholes was brought on, and received a standing ovation from myself alongside most of the 26,000 West Brom fans. An incredible player. A part of me was hoping to see a goal for Paul Scholes, just for the icing on the cake, but the events of the next few minutes were a bit disgruntling, and very uncharacteristic of Manchester United.

Well, what wasn’t uncharacteristic was a terrible tackle from Scholes on Billy Jones 2 minutes on the pitch, which earned him a booking. He might miss the next match. But United, from a very commanding and comfortable position, began to look sloppy and complacent at the back. Before they even got a goal back, West Brom had a number of guilt-edged chances, including Jonas Olsson missing an open goal, which gave me the somewhat reassuring feeling this wasn’t going to be West Brom’s day. But United failed to learn from this, and gave away two scrappy goals in quick succession. Phil Jones didn’t have the positioning, and Jonny Evans didn’t have the strength to combat Lukaku’s massive aerial threat. Michael Carrick dropping deeper, instead of bringing calmness to the defence, caused confusion, and it led to a number of ricochets in the box, so the United defence weren’t able to clear their lines. Another problem was their defence wasn’t compact enough in regular play, and they pressed too far up the pitch, when they should have rested on their laurels and dropped deeper, to just hit the Baggies on the break. But their high-line allowed Lukaku to run onto a through ball, and slot past Lindegaard for 5-4.

Ferguson then brought on Rio Ferdinand for the final few minutes as an experienced head in defence, but there was another goalline scramble, and Lukaku poked home on the rebound to tie the scores up. It was extraordinary. Either side could have nicked it at the end as well, and it was a game that finished 5-5, that could have finished 8-8! I got a little bit of stick for smiling to myself when it was 5-2, and my uncle said: “So, do you think you supported the wrong team growing up then, Gabriel?”
To which I replied, very quick-wittedly: “no, not really.”