On England: My reactions to their 4-0 Euro victory over Bulgaria

For those who don't know, the World Cup is not all there is to international football. No, each continent has their own tournament amongst their nations, and foremost among those, as one might imagine, is the Euro. The Euro happens once every four years, just like the World Cup. Qualifying began yesterday, and here are my notes on England's 4-0 route of Bulgaria.

In Wembley Stadium on Friday, Fabio Capello showed all of his critics what he can really do as a manager. For the most part, the 4-0 thrashing of Bulgaria was quite impressive, but a couple of things are still worrying me.

First, lets look at the positives in this extremely impressive victory:

1. Rooney: playing well, still might not be himself. It really got a lot harder to not be a fan of Wayne Rooney after his performances recently, especially for the English national team. Roo knows that he isn't in scoring form, so he's been selflessly setting up teammates for goal after goal.

Defoe (pictured above) came out, as he should have, today to thank his strike partner for his hat-trick success yesterday, saying that he couldn't have done it without Roo. We'll get to how good Defoe was later, but the point is important. Rooney set up Defoe perfectly several times, with balls flipped over hapless Bulgarian defenders, clinically weighted through balls, and clever play all over the field.

Roo has also done a great job dropping back into the midfield to help distribute play to the attacking players. This was always one of his major strengths as a striker, and he seems to have gotten at least that part of his game all the way back.

As for his drive, how could you say it isn't there? Roo will always give everything he has, chase down any defender that comes within ten feet of him, blow defenders to the ground when he's on the ball. He's just a tryer, and for that reason I've never understood his mixed reception by English fans. With that said, it seemed like the Wembley faithful were very much behind their star man, so that's good.

2. Wide players: creative, fast, hard-working.

A problem for the English national team in the world cup was a lack of any players out wide. Somehow, there was simply no width to the English attack, and Aaron Lennon and others like him weren't able to get it done for the Three Lions. This was a cause for major concern, as delivery from out wide is key for a side that has players like Crouch at their disposal.

But, yesterday, the guns were out on display. James Milner, in particular, was an absolute work horse. Chasing down every ball, providing a great creative touch, and bringing a lot of width to play, Milner looked exceptional at Wembley.

Walcott is still struggling to play the right ball consistently, but he looked promising, particularly with his lethal speed.

Coming in at the 73rd minute, Manchester City's Adam Johnson was the high point of Capello's strategy in this match. Johnson was quick, thoughtful, and full of explosive energy. His goal cemented the win for England and was a low, driven ball at the near post. A perfect winger goal for what was a perfect day for the wingers of the Three Lions.

3. Jermain Defoe: Oh yeah, he's really good. As promised, let's look at Jermain Defoe, without question the man of the match in this game and his three goals. Defoe proved today why he is, was, and always has been a top class striker. He is the only English striker with the giddyup to get in behind defenders and he showed that skill quite well in the match. It helps when Rooney, who has great vision, is feeding you the ball with every run you make.

Defoe is also a top class finisher, and showed this skill quite well as well. If Defoe had a bad run of form last season, then he is certainly in the twilight of his career this season. His presence alongside Rooney makes England an almost definite shoe-in to qualify for Euro 2012.

4. Other notes: Gerrard seems to be struggling a bit, giving the ball away quite a lot. However, he looks more and more comfortable in central midfield and gets better and better every time I see him in his new niche.

Central defenders: two new faces. Jagielka and Michael Dawson are two of the up and coming stars in English football, and both of whom were starting on friday. Unfortunately, Dawson suffered a ligament injury in this game and will be out for six to eight weeks.

Ashley Cole: answering for his mistakes. Ashley Cole was a notable absentee in terms of form in South Africa a few months back, but he's clearly back in top form for his country and club. His speed, defensive abilities, and passing skills were on display and he proved how vital he is to the Three Lions attack with his brutal overlapping runs coming out of right fullback.

Joe Hart is a beast. It seems that all of the goalkeeping questions have been answered for England with Joe Hart. His reaction time, size, skill with his feet, and jumping ability all are top class. He will probably be England's number one for quite a while.

Now for the bad things. There aren't many, but they are worth mentioning.

1. Glen Johnson doesn't really know how to play football. Johnson is arguably one of the best athletes in the world. His stamina, strength, and speed are all there. But something about Johnson has always been a little off, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Some of the balls he plays are absolutely head-scratching. His clearances are never consistently safe. He doesn't seem to be on the same page with the rest of the players around him. His defensive abilities have always been suspect. These are the main critiques of Johnson, and they're as old as his career, but that's because he doesn't seem to be getting any better.

2. Still questions in the back. In defense for England, there were numerous miscommunications that could have cost goals, and it's been that way for a while now. These guys just don't seem to be on the same page half the time.

And the speed in defense just isn't there. This has always been a problem for England, and they've always combatted it by keeping a razor thin offside trap, but they need to be careful when they play sprightly, quick teams like Germany or Holland.

3. Gareth Barry is a sissy.

Barry is a secure, strong player to have in the center of the field. But my complaint of him will always be the same: he's a pansy who has no quality in the final third. Barry's only strategy in the final third is to seek contact and take a dive. He did it at least three in this game that I could see. He has no offensive lethality whatsoever, and just should stop taking the ball into the danger area.

All in all, it was an impressive display from the Three Lions in their debut Euro game, and I am optimistic for the future of English football.

Other news from Euro qualifying: France loses 1-0 to Belarus, Klaas Jan-Huntelaar gets a hat trick for Holland, Spain, Germany, and Italy win, Scotland ties Lithuania.

Thanks for reading!

On the Premier League: Match Day number two.

Match day number two in the Barclays Premier League was full of goals and full of excitement. I'll be giving you my impressions of the major clubs, as well as my reactions from some great games today.

Without further ado, let's see how the Gunners faired today:

1. Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool.

Blackpool found themselves in Emirates Stadium today after defeating Roberto Martinez's Wigan Athletic 4-0 last week. This was the first victory for Blackpool in top flight English football since 1973.

However, Blackpool were brusquely shaken from their dream today with a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsene Wenger's ailing Arsenal side.

The man of the match today, quite obviously, was Theo Walcott. Walcott got a hat trick today and each goal was well deserved. He showed off his blazing pace and finally demonstrated that he can strike the ball with his left foot. This was a big match for Walcott, who has fallen out of favor with the Emirate faithful in recent years. But he showed today exactly what it is that makes him a special player in top flight football.

But Walcott would have never been able to get some of these goals were it not for the marvelous and tireless efforts of Tomas Rosicky, who was the orchestrator of nearly every Arsenal attack and was breathtaking on the ball.

Indeed, the one touch football was on display in a big way for the Gunners, as Rosicky, Chamakh, Diaby, Wilshere, and Ashravin passed circles around the hapless Blackpool defenders.

Speaking of those players, let's evaluate their performances. Jack Wilshere, the promising young English starlet, was impressive today. He was all over the field and had a great work rate. Abou Diaby was, as he was last week, untouchable on the ball and was monumental in linking play. He also ended up with a well deserved, well finished goal. Andrei Ashravin continued to not impress me today, with a relatively timid performance. He mishandled a number of balls and really didn't seem like his old self. He got a goal from a penalty which left Blackpool with only 10 men, but other than that, the Russian looked rusty. Marouane Chamakh, until finally connecting with his head on a cross to get the sixth goal, was miserable. Mishandling balls left and right and an absolutely comical miss on an open goal made the Frenchman look a little ridiculous. Hopefully he'll find his form before too long.

Cesc Fabregas finally made an appearence late on in the game, but still didn't seem to be totally fit. Robin Van Persie also came in and continued to fail to live up to expectations. Both looked flat footed and out of shape. But, they have Arsene Wenger coaching them, so these things, you'd think, will change soon.

In the back the Gunners were rock solid, particularly the returning Alex Song who chased down every ball and cleared his lines without fail.

2. Chelsea 6-0 Wigan Athletic

Not to be outdone, Chelsea also put half a dozen on their opponent, the woeful Wigan managed by Roberto Martinez.

Of particular note were the Chelsea center backs Alex and John Terry, who extinguished any hope that Wigan had in the match throughout. Florent Malouda got his third of the season to start the scoring, but that was the only goal in the first half. In the second act though, Chelsea piled on the goals, with two for Nicolas Anelka, two for Salomon Kalou, and Yossi Benayoun finished off Wigan soundly.

3. Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Stoke City

Both goals in the match for Spurs were scored by Gareth Bale, the young talented Welshman. His first goal was hilarious, bouncing off his head, unbenownest to him, into the goal in a fray in the 18 yard box.

His second, however, was sublime. A cross from Aaron Lennon found Bale on the left flank. Then Bale swung with his left foot, catching the ball beautifully and sending it on it's way to the upper 90.

Tottenham were helped greatly by this win in their hopeful quest to stay in the top four, and also gain some confidence ahead of their Champions League bout with Young Boys, whom they trail 3-2 in the aggregrate.

Other news: West Ham lose again 3-1 to Bolton at home with Upson starting the scoring with an own goal, West Brom debut boy Peter Odemwingie (signed two days ago) gets the only goal in their match against Sunderland providing a welcome victory after their thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, Everton continue to disappoint drawing 1-1 with Wolves, Birmingham surprised Blackburn with a come from behind 2-1 victory.

That's all from me today, stay tuned tomorrow from comments on MANCHESTER UNITED's second match against Fulham, on at 11 AM on the Fox Soccer Channel.

On Bayern Munich: Notes from their classic opening game against VFL Wolfsburg.

German giants Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg faced off today in the opening match of the world's top scoring football league: the Bundesliga. And all of the bells and whistles were clanging and clattering. In my feed from an Italian television station, I saw the opening ceremonies. These consisted of children in giant plastic balls running around the field in Bayern and Wolfsburg jerseys. It was amusing, as German culture often is.

But now, to the match. This was a tale of two halves, as some football matches turn out to be. I will first break down the major events of the game, then get more in depth:

In the first half, Bayern totally dominated possession. I believe the tally was 72% to 28%, which is absurd.

Bayern wasted no time getting on the scoreline, as in the 8th minute clever one-touch interplay between youngsters Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller (the World Cup's Golden Boot winner) generated the first goal. Muller's finish was clinical and left Wolfsburg's Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio flat-footed in disbelief. It seemed that the world would be in for another Bundesliga season dominated by the boys in red and white stripes from Munich.

Other than this, no real chances were generated in the first half, as Bayern knocked the ball around looking for a way through.

The second half found Wolfsburg very much on the front foot, mostly because of a substitution of midfielders Tolga Cigerci for Zvjezdan Misimovic. I personally don't know why Misimovic wasn't starting, as I consider the Bosnian to be an absolute artist with the football at his feet. But here I was saying I'd save the analysis for afterwards.

Anyway, Wolfsburg generated two great chances, the first for Mario Manzukic, whose effort agonizingly hit the post. The second came from Edin Dzeko, who forced a great save from Bayern keeper Jorg Butt with an extremely impressive driven shot that menacingly dipped halfway on it's way to the upper 90.

The corner that followed would produce the equalizer, as Dzeko rose unchallenged, flicking the ball into the top right corner.

From here, things quieted down again, as Bayern once again dominated the game. Bayern soon changed out an all but absent Miroslav Klose for Mario Gomez, and switched in Danijel Pranjic for Kroos.

It looked as if the game would finish level, and Wolfsburg seemed happy to let it do so. But, in the 91st minute, Franck Ribery whipped in a cross that looked too far, something that plagued him all night. But sliding in on the back post was the man of the match (not arguable), Bastian Schweinsteiger (pictured above), who got a touch on the ball, slotting it into the goal. Jubiliation for Bayern, who were playing in front of a lively and bursting to the seams Allianz Arena, and dejection for Wolfsburg followed.

And now for the analysis, first for Bayern:

First we'll start off with the bad stuff. The problem for Bayern in this game is a problem they struggled all last season with. Of course, they still won a double and got to the final of the Champions League, so I guess "struggle" isn't really the right word. But at any rate, the fact is, Klose barely touched the ball in this game. He looked to be totally lost and just didn't seem to be a part of the gameplan to begin with. However, he wasn't helped by Ribery, who, I think, had a less than great game, until the last minute of course. Every ball he played in was over everyone's head, and he seemed to have no pace at all with the ball. He just didn't look lethal in any respect.

Even when Klose was taken out for Gomez nothing was happening up top for Bayern. The one striker that I think really fits in this team is Ivica Olic, who was unavailable for this game. Here's why: he's fast, can pass well, and works well in structured environments. Klose and Gomez are good for teams that rely on a defense-counter system, so they can stand on one end of the field, get into the box when their team has the ball before anyone else can get back, and out muscle the one man on them and head it in. All of Klose's 14 goals for Germany were made inside of the penalty box. He needs good service, and that's not how Bayern works.

Let me explain further with this game as an example, Bayern work best when their talented wingers: Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, and Thomas Muller, cut inside, or when they're working the ball through the middle with Schweinstager and Van Bommel.

One more bad thing and then I'll tell you why Bayern are incredible: defending set pieces. In almost every set piece today Bayern were outboxed and outjumped by Edin Dzeko. That's how they conceded the only goal for Wolfsburg, but Dzeko had plenty of other opportunities to convert from these situations. I think Bayern really missed Argentine giant Martin Demichelis inside. Demichelis didn't play because he was basically the reason why Argentina were eliminated in the World Cup, and why Bayern lost the Champions League final against Inter. And all of the fans hate him. Hate him or love him, the guy's big and he's good at set pieces. It's a give and take, really. Quid pro quo.

Now, good things, starting with the best: Bastian Schweinsteiger. Schweiny is a general on the football pitch. It's the only way to describe his ability to organize his side and play exactly the right pass every single time. Not to mention his rare-but-genius runs into the box, the penultimate one being the one that won Bayern this particular game. Schweiny is the Scholes of the Bundesliga, he dictates the game almost single-handedly. He also has the work ethic of two men and will take an inhumane beating for the good of the cause. But of course he always gets up, cuz Schweiny ain't no bitch. Bayern fans must feel assured in knowing that their brightest star is still shining, selflessly, in the Allianz Arena.

Also in midfield today was Mark Van Bommel, who was good. It's hard to really say anything else, because he was just adequate. He did exactly what he had to do, no more, no less. He took a shot at one point that sailed ten yards over the cross bar and I saw him mouth "That's not me." You have to admire his honesty.

I also got a chance to see Toni Kroos today, who was very impressive. The most impressive thing about this new German starlet was his ability to link play between the midfield and the attackers. It was this ability that resulted in Muller's goal. Kroos has pretty good field vision, and also plays with a great speed that gives Bayern a certain lethality in the final third. I look forward to seeing this young man progress, and perhaps even become a 90 minute fixture for them. The Italian commentators seemed to be relishing in the fact that Kroos and the Italian word for cross are quite similar sounding, as they said his name and then that word in quick succession whenever he crossed the ball. It was humorous.

Pranjic coming off the bench and replacing Kroos was also quite good. He's a similar player to Kroos, but just has that bit of experience that I think manager Louis Van Gaal thought would be enough to give Bayern the edge.

Let's move up to the attacking players before we go back. Ribery, despite his game winning cross, I didn't think was very impressive in this game. Most times he was the one who would have generated the chances for Bayern, but he lacked any quality in the final third today to generate those chances until that final minute. As I said earlier, each ball was pretty well over the heads of the Bayern hopefuls in the box, and his shots were tame to say the least. Benaglio sort of flopped on each of them as they rolled toward him, almost mockingly. When Bayern's attacks ended, it was often because of a misplaced ball or a selfish play by the aging Frenchman.

On the other side Muller was phenomenal. Other than his goal, Muller flew around the pitch with the same ease that he showcased in the World Cup. He and Kroos also seem to be on the same wavelength, which I think will be an extremely interesting connection to watch throughout the season. Muller was also the only one making a valiant effort to get the ball in to Klose or Gomez. The problem is that both of them make such nebulous, truly worthless runs in the box, that Muller would often look, and then try and take it himself, knowing that he would just give it away if he tried. I believe that the Italian commentators were saying that Manchester United have interest in Muller, because every time he got the ball they mentioned the club. I hope that doesn't happen. Even though I'm a Man U fan, Muller belongs in Germany and he belongs at this club. I hope he stays.

I won't talk about the strikers, I've already chewed them out enough.

To the back. As I mentioned, Demichelis was out of this match, as Van Gaal preferred another German youngster Holger Badstuber. Badstuber was impressive today. He stormed out of the back and was the starting point of some of Bayern's more promising attacks. He had a few lapses in defense, but overall had a solid debut.

Daniel Van Buyten appeared as usual alongside Badstuber and also had a good game. He hardly wasted a ball and was often where Wolfsburg attacks ended. The Dzeko goal was his fault, I'm pretty sure, but forgive and forget I suppose.

Philipp Lahm was a little less impressive today, not making as many of his infamous overlapping runs out of the back. He was solid in defense, but the usual flare from him wasn't quite there.

Perhaps the most interesting performance was from debut boy Diego Contento. Despite his name, this young man (20) was born in Germany and I personally think he could be the future left back for Germany. I also don't particularly like Boateng, but that's another story for a different day. Young Diego was the fullback on display for Bayern, making a number of audacious and successful runs from the back. He seemed to be everywhere for Bayern. I look forward to the double pronged fullback attack from Lahm and Contento this year.

In goal, Butt was solid, as to be expected. He stopped a shot with his foot, tipped over a howler from Dzeko that would have surely scored, and had good distribution, despite one terrible giveaway.

On to Wolfsburg, which will be more brief:

Midfield: Brazilian Josue and Algerian jackass Karim Ziani (remember him?) were reduced to Van Bommel and Schweinsteiger's tackling dummies. They might as well have been spectators.

Misimovic, when he came in for the second half, was the high point. His passing was brilliant, his moves were slick. His finishing however, would cost Wolfsburg the match.

Cicero was committed almost entirely to defense, which he actually performed valiantly.

Conspiculously absent was star Thomas Kahlenberg. I don't know where he was, maybe he's hurt or something.

Attack: Edin Dzeko is one of the hottest players in the world. He will not stop scoring this year, I promise. His header was sublime and the shot that Butt tipped over I don't think would have been stopped by any other Bundesliga keeper.

Mandzukic was a workhorse and did the work that Josue and Ziani shamelessly didn't do. I'm not sure why Brazilian Grafite didn't start for him. Speaking of Grafite, he came on for like five minutes and did nothing. In case you were wondering.

Defense: Andrea Barzagli was the dominant performance, who was probably the one thing keeping Muller from a brace.

Slovakian Simon Kjaer was also quite good, and played a major part in rendering Klose and then Gomez useless.

Riether and Schafer were the other two, and I honestly barely learned their names.

I've already talked a lot about Benaglio, who was decent. Sucks for him that they lost.

These are all of my reactions from today's match. I'm sure you have some thoughts. You don't need an account to comment, you can be anonymous.

Stay tuned tomorrow for match day number two from the Premier League.

On Mario Balotelli: His debut goal for Manchester City and why I still hate him. (And other news)

Mario Balotelli (pictured above, being a dick). This young man (now 20) made his debut at Inter Milan, which means he has won a treble. He has continually been praised as one of the top up and coming talents this side of Mesut Ozil. At Inter, Mario gained a reputation for being a complacent, cocky, ill mannered player. Not a lot has changed.

At one point in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona, Inter manager Jose Mourinho didn't think Mario was defending adequately. He yelled at Mario to do better at closing down on the ball. Balotelli stepped off the pitch and refused to play the last minute of the game. So the kid has a bad attitude. And, frankly, I don't think he's particularly great.

This summer when Manchester City began their temptation of the young Ghanaian, Balotelli said that he would accept no less than 180,000 dollars a week and full image rights. Now I'm not sure how much Man City felated that offer, but to offer some perspective, Robinho is currently the highest paid player in the world at 150k a week. Robinho, incidentally, also plays at Moneybags City. At any rate, Balotelli was signed at City for a reported fee of 24 mil, which is relatively high, but not Ronaldo high.

Those are the bad things about Balotelli, here are the good things: He's got a big body that he knows how to use, he's got impeccable balance, has a pretty decent shot, and has skills on the ball as well. This is also a pretty smart signing by City, since Shaun Wright-Phillips isn't getting any younger and is probably no longer a 90 minute player.

Now, as for this late winner that Balotelli scored, I have to say that I'm much more impressed with the play of Emmanuel Adebayor. It's late in the day, and he's still able to get the ball, take it to the byline, and whip in a ball that hits Balotelli in stride. Really, all Mario had to do was be in the right place, fight off the Timisoara defender, and swing his foot. But, a wise man once said a goal is a goal is a goal. One of my rising favorite players, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez of Man U recently scored a goal by bouncing it off his face, so I'm not really one to talk.

But let's really break this goal down. First of all, City had to dip into their bench against FC Timisoara in the first leg of the Europa League. If that's not evidence of how wrecked this team is, I don't know what is. But, maybe Super Mario has found his home amongst the egotistical jackasses at Man City. First among them being Roberto Mancini.

That's all I've got on Mario, on to other news.

1. William Gallas has moved to Tottenham. This is massive news, I think. This means that Sebastien Bassong may never get to play again, because Spurs now have Ledley King, Michael Dawson, and Gallas. This move is also huge because it's stolen a key defensive man away from Arsenal. Arsenal also just lost Samir Nasri for a month to knee surgery.

Furthermore, King's knee will no longer be the most closely watched three major ligaments in London, because they know that even if he goes down, Gallas will be there. Which brings up the next point, I don't think Gallas will start for this team. I think Redknapp still has great confidence in King and Dawson in the middle, and they are actually one of my favorite pairings in the Premier League. Mostly because they're both actually English.

Anyway, I think Gallas is one of the physically strongest players in football, and he's got a firey temper. Because of that, I think Redknapp will want to play him and King together when he can, since King's cool collected approach will offset the raging Frenchman.

2. Liverpool slip by Trabzonspor. Because of how strange the team's name is that played the Reds, we're going to refer to them as "Trabbles." Awesome. Anyway, the only goal in this game was scored by Ryan Babel in injury time of the first half. Which is a big lift for the Reds because Babel is a long time fan favorite and getting him a goal is never a bad thing. Also, it's his last goal for the Reds, as he was linked with a move to Wolfsburg earlier this week.

However, the major story from this game was Joe Cole missing a penalty. Cole took the penalty because Gerrard wasn't there, but I doubt Roy will give him the opportunity again. This is yet another major setback for Cole after his dismal first game ended 45 early because of a red card. However, it was his great pass that put Babel in on goal, so perhaps the Englishman is breaking into his stride. And you have to applaud Cole's comments afterward, which were that he wasn't going to dwell on it. Hopefully Joe's time at Anfield will get better.

New signing Christian Poulsen apparently had a great game, getting a few chances and passing quite well.

That's all I've got for now, stay tuned tomorrow for comments on Bayern Munich's first game against Wolfsburg.

On Tottenham Hotspur: Evaluating their 3-2 defeat in the Champions League against Young Boys.

First, some background: Tottenham Hotspur have never made it to the Champions League in their club's history. Harry Redknapp accomplished this for the first time for the club this season. But, there's a catch, they had to play one qualifier to get into the group stage. Shouldn't be a problem, right? They just have to get by Swiss club Young Boys. Wrong.

Today: In the 28th minute, Spurs find themselves down 3 goals in Bern. Let's look at why this happened:

1. No Ledley King. Ledley King is the usual captain of Spurs and the central defender who starts alongside countryman Michael Dawson. However, King has a bad knee, and the Young Boys' stadium is Astroturf. So manager Harry Redknapp decided to play it safe and not play him. A great move, I think. But, King is usually the one on the team after they get scored on to calm everyone down and get back to business as usual. With him not there, Dawson was the captain. And he took it upon himself to yell at Benoit Assou-Ekoto and King fill-in Sebastien Bassong. Which they may have deserved, but the effect was spooked defenders and more goals for Young Boys.

But let's talk about the defenders for a moment. Benoit Assou-Ekoto, I guess, used all of his "good" in the match against Manchester City. He got straight up beat in one breakaway that led to a Young Boys' goal, and really couldn't even complete a pass. Bassong saved himself with that goal, because the other two goals were completely his fault. Sub-par marking and a complete ineptness with the ball at his feet were his big fallouts. Dawson looked just as bad in the first half, but he really pulled it together in the second half and looked like his old self. Vedran Corluka actually got forward pretty well in attack and didn't have a half bad game. Other than though, a poor defensive effort from Spurs.

All this to say, Spurs will be happy to get King back on the field at White Heart Lane next week.

2. No Huddlestone in starting line-up. I'm convinced that Spurs are frozen stiff without Tom Huddlestone. The 6'3'' hulk dominates play when he's on the field, and they clearly struggled without him in the starting line-up. I know why he wasn't there though, he plays so damn hard that asking him to come back after playing on Saturday is just too much. However, he did come in for Assou-Ekoto in the 35th minute, and things went better for Spurs from there.

3. Poor performance from Modric. I don't know what Croatian Luka Modric is doing before games these days, but he looks less like the "maestro" he's reported to be and more like a stoner. He really doesn't do anything and gave the ball away multiple times. The testiment to how bad he was was that Redknapp replaced him for Niko Kranjar at the break, who had a great game. I think that Modric at his best is a definite need for this team, but when he's off, he's really off.

Also in midfield, Wilson Palacios didn't look like he had a clue all game. He was giving the ball away left and right, and just didn't seem to know where to position himself on the field. Maybe Redknapp will consider using Jermaine Jenas next match.

4. Astroturf. English boys like grass better. Nuff said.

5. Strikers. Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavyluchenko (before his 83' goal) were struggling, big time. Defoe couldn't get on the end of anything and looked like he had bricks attached to his cleets his touch was so poor. Pavy just kept diving for fouls and was basically worthless. It wasn't until Robbie Keane came on that things really started clicking. He's so good at linking play between the midfield and attack and he did that so effectively late on in this match. It was his pass that put Roman on his way to his thunderous goal. Crouch needed to be rested in this match, and probably wouldn't have done well in this match anyway because of the Astro and the lack of Aaron Lennon. Which brings me to my next point.

6. No Lennon. Aaron Lennon is a speedy little bastard, and he's got pretty great service too. Any side would miss his pace, and this was a team that was constantly struggling to find a final ball. When they found one, such as Gareth Bale's service from the left, things seemd to be going well. But on the other side, Corluka and Dos Santos just couldn't quite get it right. Lennon will be a welcomed return next week at White Heart Lane.

This is what I think went wrong in Berne today, hopefully things will go better next week for Spurs. The good news is, they got two away goals. So really all they have to do is win by at least one next week at White Heart Lane to win in the aggregate score and advance to their club's first Champions League tournament.

On Manchester United: How good their 3-0 victory was today.

It took about 20 minutes, but by the time Manchester had settled in against what proved to be the lesser United (Newcastle), it was easy pickings at Old Trafford. There was a lot to see and take in today for the Red Devils, but here are my main impressions.

1. Old dogs still have plenty of tricks.

Paul Scholes (pictured above) and Ryan Giggs are the old wise men of United at this point. And they proved today that they are still a formidable force in the Premier League and that they will continue to be leaders of the team.

Scholes dictated the entire game. His long balls over the top of the hapless Magpie defense found Nani, Valencia, Berbatov, and so on. Scholes had to be man of the match today just because of his sheer ability to read and influence the flow of play. He was involved in each of United's goals with his vital running off the ball, and, of course, his work with the ball at his feet.

Ryan Giggs entered play at the 70th minute to record his 19th consecutive season in the Premier League. The 37 year old is still clearly in top form though, as it took him a short fifteen minutes to score. A beautiful Scholes ball across the 18 found Giggs at the edge of the area on the left hand side. Then, in one masterful moment, Giggs one-timed it with his left foot. The finish was top class and glided into the side netting, with Newcastle Harper completely off-guard.

Giggs wasn't done though, and continued to display his mastery of the game with incredible one touch play and great field vision.

These two grizzled warriors are well into their twilight years, but that hasn't stopped them delivering at the highest level in a big way for United.

2. Strikers: questions answered, still more raised.

A major concern for Man U this year is who is going to be the top goal scorer. With Rooney still without a goal since May, and Berbatov still trying to prove himself, it's an important question.

Berbatov helped eliminate some doubt by scoring the opening goal for United. The finish was superb, as Berbatov glided it in his trademark fashion across the face of the goal and into it's cheek, so to speak. But he would struggle from here, but sometimes it was good struggling. A number of times, Berbatov was clearly attempting to set up his strike partner, whether it was Rooney or Javier Hernandez. But when it was the wrong kind of struggling, it was ugly. Berbatov's problem, for me, has been his continued obsession with being an artist. Berb always complicated finishes, often going for the ultimate finesse, the ball that just barely squeeks into the goal. It's beautiful, but, as we saw today, it can be embarassing when you look less beautiful and more like a jackass. But I am still a big Berb supporter and I think things can only get better for him from here, as long as he gets at least 20 goals.

Wayne Rooney. The revered best striker in England. Power, speed, aggression, intensity. These are the things that we have heard about the Red Devils' number 10. But what else do we see? We see inconsistency, a lack of ability to perform at the international level. So what does his performance today tell us? I think it's all positive. Roo has remained completely selfless, setting up workhorse Darren Fletcher for a rare goal, and setting up others on numerous occassions. His finishing today, it's true, was a little less than adequate. But he wants so badly to succeed, and he's still brimming with desire and that competetitive fire. Hopefully Rooney will be back in scoring form within the next couple of weeks, and today's performance was a good start. The next step will be getting his confidence back.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez makes debut, does well. Despite slipping and falling in the box, and mishandling a back heel pass, the Mexican looked good on his debut. Though he didn't have a good shot on frame, Chicharito looked great in the build-up play in the final third, and was barely caught offside on a breakaway chance. I expect very bright things from "The Little Pea" in the future.

3. Out wide: the strength of the United attack.

On the receiving end of those Scholes' balls, Luis Valencia, Nani, Patrice Evra, and John O'shea looked great for United out wide. Valencia was the weak link among them, but he made up for it with great hustle and good build-up play. His problem was getting the final ball into Rooney. Nani, however, looked absolutely magical. His cross led to the Fletcher goal, and quite a few were just barely off. Both of the wingers had a great work rate and overall looked great. From the fullback position, Evra and O'Shea did a great job pushing forward and getting involved in play. When these two are up, watch for the goals to rain in.

4. Defending like mad dogs.

The way to tell if a team has got what it takes to finish in top three in the Premier League is if they can complete more than five passes in the final third in Old Trafford against United. The defense, led by Nemanja Vidic, did a great job getting the ball back and distribution was top class as well.

The only question mark for me was Johnny Evans. He's an ambitious fellow, but his clearances had me scratching my head occassionally. He didn't seem to mark as well, particularly in the air. All I'm saying is, it'll be nice to have Ferdinand back when he's fit.

Van Der Sar was perfect today, as usual. Great distribution, makes saves look easy, still one of the best keepers in the Premier League.

These are my major notes from the game today. What did you think?

Other news: Mark Shwarzer looks to be on his way to Arsenal, Scott Parker likely to sign 5 year deal for West Ham, Middlesborough keeper Brad Jones on move to Anfield, AC Milan show interest in Pompey's Kevin-Prince Boateng, in demand defender David Luis gets 40 million price tag at Benfica, questions raised over legality of Chelsea's approach of Brazilian starlet Neymar.

On Liverpool vs Arsenal: Thoughts on a classic Premier League match.

Red cards, own goals, drama, injuries, physical confrontations, this match had it all. It's a little absurd that a match could get this good this early in the season, but I suppose that's just what happens when the Gunners roll into Anfield.

What I thought I'd do since this match ended level at 1-1 was unfold the positives and the negatives for both sides. So without further ado, let's begin:

Liverpool.

Positives: David Ngog looks to be a decent option up top while Torres gets his form back. While Ngog is prone to making ridiculous mental errors, and occassionally seems to completely zone out on the pitch, it's obvious that he's a very gifted player. His finish to add Liverpools only goal on the scorline was absolutely montrous. The angle was so tight, and the ball was driven in with such power that Almunia was no match. Ngog also showed his abilities in the air, which I always liked about him. He times headers suprisingly well, and has a knack for flicking on headers into the nylon.

Jovanovic is well liked, and playing hard. Milan Jovanovic made his Premier League debut for the Reds today, and quickly gained a following in the sixth minute. You see, Milan was driving down the center of the pitch and youngster Jack Wilshere was bugging him, so Milan put one of his brawny Eastern European arms out and threw the Englishmen to the ground. The crowd roared in approval. Jova seemed to take a cue from Anfield hero Gerrard, hurrying to every ball and giving his best effort throughout the match. His exit in the 78th minute to make way for Maxi Rodriguez was met with a standing ovation. There may be a new Serbian in the Premier League, other than United's Nemanja Vidic.

Gerrard: still the best player on the pitch. The Red faithful were a little disenfranchised with their golden boy last season, but "Stevie G" (pictured above) will always lace up and give it his all, you can bet the house on that. Gerrard, the captain of the Reds, simply has to be one of your favorite players. Completely selfless, chases down every ball with a never-say-die attitude, a rare combo of grace and power that only comes around once every couple of generations. Gerrard proved today that he will always wear the Reds kit with pride and that he isn't going away until they drag him off the pitch.

Glen Johnson proves his worth. Glen Johnson, coming off a dismal performance for England at the World Cup, proved just how valuable he is to his club side today with great service and great skill on the ball. His sallying forth from the right back position has proved to be invaluable to Liverpool's game, and is what earned them their goal. Any doubts about his value to the club were put to the sword today.

Kuyt is still a workhorse. Dirk Kuyt is another reason to respect Liverpool. The man's work rate is absolutely incredible, and his service is always spot on. The Dutch sage showed that he is no pushover, and won't be replaced by Maxi Rodriguez anytime soon out on the wing for the Reds.

Carragher and Skrtel. Both of these men, long time Red Jamie Carragher and Slovakian maniac Martin Skrtel, defended like mad men today. They were a nightmare for Chamakh on his debut, and rendered Van Persie's substitution into the game absolutely worthless. Liverpool will get a big boost from having a solid center two in these two men.

Mascherano got a good exit. So all of the signs point to a move to Real Madrid for defensive midfielder Mascherano. He went out in style today with a great, physical performance that is his trademark. His substitution late on was also met with a standing o, which he appreciated.

Negatives: Torres still seems out of form. It was all Fernando Torres could do to make it down the pitch with the ball, it seemed. His explosive pace, his lightning quick feet, still just don't seem to be there. It was good to see the Spaniard out on the pitch, and a clever cross toward the death of the match proved that he is still one of the most creative players around, I just still have doubts about his fitness.

Cole's red card. Joe Cole made his Premier League debut today for the Reds. He seemed to be absolutely worthless, despite one incredibly impressive back heel flick. His job was to link the midfield play and the attackers, but he was absolutely dismal in that respect. He really just crowded Gerrard and went down the pitch too early most of the time. And then, the kicker. In the 44th minute, Cole made a dangerous challenge on Laurent Koscielny, taking out one of his legs with both of his own, got a red card, and was sent off. Not exactly the best way to make your debut, especially when people have been talking about how you could be better than Messi all week.

Reina's own goal. I feel genuinely bad for this one. Jose Reina played an absolutely flawless game, he dealt with every corner, stopped a venomous strike from Rosicky, and just looked to be in top form. Until the last minutes of play. A cross came in, and Reina came out to deal with it. Chamakh got it away, and the ball bounced, quite unfortunately, into Reina's own goal off his hands. A tragic end to a hard fought game.

Arsenal.

Postives: Jack Wilshere looked good. English youngster Wilshere made his debut for the Gunners today, and seemed to do a great job. He took every opportunity he could and was really impressive in defense.

Subsitutions were vital. Theo Walcott and Rosicky provided the only real chance the Gunners had at coming back. Rosicky had perhaps the best chance in the game, a lethal strike that was tipped over by Reina in the 86th minute. Walcott looked daft occasionally, but for the most part got good service and looked more sound on the ball than last season.

Diaby and Nasri. These two men, who may not have started were it not for an Arsenal injury crisis, looked well in form and were important parts of the match for Arsenal. Diaby was untouchable on the ball and did well to hold play back while other players got in postion around the goal. Nasri did basically everything, shooting, passing, defending, set pieces, and performed pretty well, I thought.

Negatives: Laurent Koscielny. The most recent transfer in for the Gunners, Laurent's contribution to this game was two yellow cards (equals red) and going to sleep to allow Ngog's goal. Furthermore, his suspension puts more pressure on Arsenal's wounded defense. Wenger's looking pretty thin back there.

Ashravin out of form. I love Andrei Ashravin, but he looked pitifully out of shape and out of sorts in this game. His passes never seemed to be weighted correctly and he wasn't getting any pace at all out of his legs. Hopefully the Russian will be able to snap out of it for the Gunners' next match.

Chamakh was less than impressive. Marouane Chamakh, perhaps Arsene Wenger's most promising addition to the Arsenal side, was pretty absent in his debut today. He lost the ball in the box on a number of occassions and didn't seem to be in sync with the other players. Perhaps more time is needed for Chamakh to get used to Premier League game speed, so I suppose we'll have to see.

Van Persie did nothing. He was only on for a half an hour, but Robin Van Persie did effectively nothing for the Gunners with his brief time on the pitch, touching the ball maybe twice.

These are my thoughts on today's match. Have some of your own?

ALSO: Manchester United premieres tomorrow in their match against Newcastle United on ESPN 2 at 2:55 PM.

On the Premier League: Notes from Opening Day

It was opening day today for the world's best league in football, the English Premier League. There were plenty of things to take away and still plenty more to comment on, so I won't waste any time.

1. Opening match. The first match of the Premier League season pitted Premiership hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City against one another. Though the game ended in a scoreless tie, there were a couple of things to take away from the match.

Mancini is a diluted ass. Roberto Mancini, I'm convinced, is the worst manager in the Premier League. And I mean worst not in the sense that he's bad, which he is, but I mean worst in the sense that he's just a dick. Mancini started some of his recent signings, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Alexsander Kolorav in this game. All of them were sub par. Admittedly, this is to be expected of players coming from other leagues trying to get used to Premier League speed, but I still expected better.

There was absolutely nothing lethal about City's game, with Tevez most of the time being the only player who was even in the box at all. They played for the scoreless tie throughout the second half, and kicked the ball around in their own area like the poor sports that they are.

Perhaps the most striking thing though, was the news of what Mancini said after the game. After an extremely impressive game from keeper Joe Hart, who made 8 saves and single handedly earned City their point, Mancini said he would refuse to allow Shay Given to leave City. What an asshole. Given is one of the world's best goalkeepers, and it's a complete waste of talent to keep him on the bench. This again shows how little respect Mancini, and the City administration, has for any of their players. Then Mancini said that he fully expectes Stephen Ireland, who didn't even get a chance to play today, to "play his part" in a deal with Aston Villa's James Milner. Which means essentially, he expects Ireland to leave the club that raised him and the club that has defined his life. Can you tell that I hate Manchester City?

Also in this game we saw the full potential of Tottenham Hotspur's leathality. Gareth Bale looked absolutely unstoppable from the left midfield, and Defoe and Crouch also seemed to be well in form, despite their inability to get one to hit the back of the net.

There was also a pretty great performance on display from Michael Dawson, who I think should replace John Terry at the World Cup 2014.

Benoit Assou-Ekoto completely annihilated my expectations with top class service out of the left back position and a great defensive performance. He could be a treasure this season for Spurs.

Moving on from the opening match.

2. Aston Villa: Just fine without O'Neill. So I didn't cover this much, but earlier this week Aston Villa manager O'Neill up and left the club, frustrated with the deal between Milner and City. Everyone thought this, along with a hamstring injury to star forward Gabby Agbonlahor, could spell a flop for Villa this year. But today, Villa proved everyone wrong with a 3-0 thumping of West Ham United.

Villa did everything right in this game, securing 10 corners in the FIRST HALF. Additionally, Ashley Young looks to be in top form in his new role as the right winger for the club. But there were other great performances from the likes of Stewart Downing, who's excellent service into the 18 yard box and first half goal won him Man of the Match. Stiliyan Petrov also scored on a great strike and James Milner got what could be his last goal in a Villa kit to round out the scoring.

Villa are not to be ruled out by any means in the Premier League this season, especially not after this start.

3. Chelsea: Drogba nets hat trick in 6-0 thrashing of West Brom.

Recently promoted from the English Championship, West Bromwich Albion never knew what hit them. A Drogba hat trick and a brace from Florent Malouda, capped by a goal from ever-in-form Frank Lampard made for the ideal day for the Blues.

Drogba's goals couldn't have been better: one from a set piece, one from a defending error following a corner, and one from about 23 yards out. These are his trademark goals, and he netted each one in excellent style, and proved himself to still be in rich form and to still be one of if not the best striker in the world.

Also on display today was central defender Alex, coming in for recently departed Ricardo Carvalho on his way to Real. Alex seemed confident and on the few chances West Brom had, it was more often than not him who steered them off target on their hopeless quest.

Other notes: Another recently promoted team, Blackpool proved today that they cannot be trifled with a 4-0 rout of Wigan Athletic. Tim Howard made a terrible mistake that cost Everton a 0-1 defeat to Blackburn, and apparently left the American goalkeeper in tears. Stoke City's record signing Kenwyne Jones was taken out of their match today against Wolves just 14 minutes into the match. Stoke would lose 2-1.

Upcoming: LIVERPOOL AND ARSENAL ARE PLAYING TOMORROW AT 11 AM. If you are looking for a way to watch it, here you go: http://myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=83711&part=sports

Some of those feeds go offline occassionally, so if you want a more reliable one you might want to download Veetle or Sopcast. Both are media players and are 100 percent virus free I promise. However, if you have Fox Soccer Channel, you can just watch it there.

Also upcoming is Manchester United's debut against recently promoted Newcastle United on Monday. Kickoff at 2:55 PM on ESPN 2.

Questions? Comments? Insults? All are welcome.

On Barcelona: Holes that need to be filled.

Barca needs to sign some people. In the offseason, they've lost Yaya Toure to Manchester City (which is good, in my book) and they've lost Rafa Marquez to the New York Red Bulls. This might not be so bad if center mid and center back were the two positions that Barca will shallow at all along.

With those two guys leaving, you've basically got Busquets and Xavi at center mid, and that's really it. Sure they can call guys up, but you need production in every game, especially if you're Barca and especially if you're competing with Real this season. And Busquets is 20 years old and has, in my mind, yet to prove himself as a legitamate starter.

Barca kept a spot warm for Fabregas all offseason, but now that the preverbial cow has stayed home, Barca's a few CMs short. So what to do? Barca is apparently in the money for Mesut Ozil, even though Soccernet has said that has been "rubbished." Apparently Mascherano wants to go there too, which would be great because he could link up with fellow argentine Messi. If it's not Ozil or Mascherano, Barca needs to find somebody else to fill the gap. Someone to maybe even push Busquets onto the bench, at least until he doesn't look like a kid who can't find his mom in a crowded mall.

But there are other problems. In the back, Barca have Dani Alves, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, and Eric Abidal. This is one of the best back fours in the world. However, Puyol is a hot head and is also getting up there in age, so he won't be available all of the time. Pique already played more than anyone else as it was and Abidal has trouble finishing games a lot of the time. Behind them, there are a bunch of nameless drones some of whom haven't even been assigned numbers they're so worthless.

This is the area where I truly fear for Barca. Quality center backs are a little hard to come by these days and they've spent so much time and so many resources trying to get Fabregas to come to the Camp Nou, that I think they may have a difficult time getting someone with quality in. I'd go for Mertesacker, even though Werder Bremen have stoutly said he isn't for sale.

Even if Barca has a laundry list of extremely talented players up top (Messi, Ibrahimovic, Pedro, Villa, Bojan, Iniesta) if they don't have the support play, they're too top heavy. They may be good for a 8-0 thrashing of Real Sporting, but if you put them in the Champions League against a team with depth like Liverpool, they will surely crash out.

These are my thoughts on Barcelona's needs going into this season. What do you think?

On the FA Community Sheild: What we found out about Manchester United.

So today Manchester United won back the FA Community Shield from Chelsea 3-1. This was a huge match because it shows both teams where they are in comparison to one another, and Man U's win tips the balance in a big way. Let's look at all of the great (and perhaps not so great) things we learned from today's game about Man U:

1. Rooney's as hungry as ever. Though he didn't score today, and didn't even have a shot, Rooney was all over the field and looked as fiesty as he usually is. This was epitomized when he lost the ball cheaply and proceeded to chase down Nicolas Anelka and rip the ball away from him with a perfectly executed slide tackle.

He also set up United's first goal, slotting a ball perfectly across the six for Valencia to finish. Rooney hasn't found the goal for any side, Man U or England, since March, but something tells me that is going to change in the season opener against Newcastle.

2. Van Der Sar's still got it. Edwin Van Der Sar is the current 37 year old number one for Man U. Some were questioning his fitness this year and were calling on manager Sir Alex Ferguson to look for a new keeper, perhaps Federico Marchetti. But Alex waved his finger in front of all of us and pointed to Van Der Sar's performance today, showing his immense capabilities in both reflexes, reach, and skill on the ball.

Old Edwin is as adroit as ever, and he will certainly not be a problem for United this year.

3. Chicharito is a beast. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is the newest signing for Man U. He's a 22 year old Mexican (the first to play at Man U) who comes to Old Trafford from Chivas Guadalajara. So far, Chicharito ("The Little Pea") has played in four games sporting the Man U crest. He's obliged Sir Alex by scoring in all of those appearences.

Today, Chicharito recieved a ball fed low and hard with pace by Valencia in front of the gaping goal, flicked it up, and knocked it in off his face. This is a young man who literally cannot help scoring, it just comes naturally to him.

Another thing I love about Chicharito is the way he hugs the offside trap. This is a fad in Central and South America (currently practiced with great results by Diego Milito of Inter) and is a good sign of a great player. Even if he is called off once or twice in a game, this technique shows that Chicharito is absolutely salivating for goals and is also an intelligent footballer.

Chicharito is already winning comparisons to Hugo Sanchez, the legendary striker from Mexico. So that's awesome.

4. Michael Owen's out of gas. Poor Michael is a 30 year old legend for United and England and is a hometown favorite. Unfortunately today he showed his age in more than one way.

He simply wasn't thinking about scoring, he seemed to be in another place for the whole half he was in. John Terry threw him around like a rag doll and he could barely pass. I think we might be seeing the dying embers of Michael.

5. Berbatov is a great player. Dimitar Berbatov's chip to add the third goal for United and the final nail in Chelsea's coffin was simply immaculate. It's difficult to describe Berbatov's style of play, because everything is so percise and yet so off the cusp. He weighs every touch so perfectly, every minute detail of his play is so finely tuned. And yet, he's merely reacting to what's happening around him. Berbatov has scored four goals in six games, and I think we could be looking at his breakout year for United.

6. Man U will win the title. What we saw today from United was everything that a team needs to win the title in the Premiership. They have depth, class, competetive fire, the right mixture of inspired youth and experienced elders, and they've got a great manager to light the way. I think Man U's short hiatus away from number one will end this season.

On Breakouts: Top ten players to watch for this season.

As a general rule, it seems like a changing of the guard is imminent in world football. Household names are on their way out and a new class of spry youngsters are stepping in. This is my list of the top 10 breakout players to watch for. But they're not all young upstarts, some of these guys have been in the game for a while. They've just needed a good shove in the right direction.

Let's not waste any time and get right to number 10:

10. Andy Najar. LW (Left winger)

Andy Najar is an 18 year old Honduran national who currently plays for DC United. He is the pinnicle example of the first class of youth program grads in the United States. This kid has got it all and could be the spark that DC has needed to break into the MLS elite teams.

Najar was the youngest player selected for the MLS All Stars team that faced Manchester United last week. I think he could stand to become one of the MLS' elite players, especially in midfield.

Other news on Najar: he recently decided not to commit to Honduras in international play. Which means that the United States could land him for what could be one of the biggest breakout streaks from a Honduran national in history.

9. Gareth Bale. LM

This Welsch youngster currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur. Bale has immense speed, strength, and field vision. His service into the box will be vital to get Crouch and Defoe on the scoresheet for Spurs.

Bale also has immense prowess with his left foot and a lethal free kick ability, both are things that Spurs could definitely use on their first team.

I think Bale could become one of the best left backs in the Premier League, and you will probably see him explode this season.

8. Gabby Agbonlahor (pictured above). ST (Striker)

Along with having one of the most fun names in soccer to say, Gab has the immense distinction of being considered the fastest player in the Premier League. Agbonlahor has been at Aston Villa for a long time and has always been a good player, but this could be the year that he breaks into becoming great. There are two reasons why:

-Heskey's old. Emile Heskey retired from international play after the World Cup and he's on the way out, one would think, from club play as well. That means that the goal scoring is going to fall on the Bong.

-Motivation. Gabby has been vocal after the World Cup about wanting to be Wayne Rooney's strike partner. At this point, Capello has to take his thumb out of his ass and think about that. Rooney always claimed that he liked playing with Heskey the most, but obviously that isn't going to happen anymore. The thing about Rooney is that he needs room. And maybe Gab will let him have it, he'll be so busy zooming around the field making runs that maybe he'll be the perfect fit for the Roo.

Agbonlahor may have the season of his life, and could even crack the top ten in Premier League goal scoring.

7. Angel Di Maria. LW (Left winger)

Di Maria is an Argentine national who was just transfered to Real Madrid. If Mourinho wants you, you know you're good. But there's one major reason why Di Maria is going to be so important this year for Real: Kaka is out for four months after his knee surgery.

Di Maria is going to have to bring his creative spark, set-up play, and passing ability to Real Madrid and break out in a big way for them.

6. Stefan Keissling. ST (Striker)

Keissling is a German who currently plays for Bayern Leverkusen. Last year, he was just behind Edin Dzeko in goal scoring in the Bundesliga. Keissling needs to make his claim this season to leave Leverkusen for a premier club in Europe, and he can certainly do it.

Keissling has plenty of critics that call him a fluke, but the fact is, he produces when he has to, and he could be on the brink of greatness.

5. Alexandre Pato. ST (Striker)

The prime example of the changing of the guard, Pato is a Brazilian national, who, at the tender age of 20, could stand to be the key player in the 2014 World Cup in his home country at Rio.

But Pato is just breaking onto his club, AC Milan, where sages Marco Borriello and Inzaghi are preferred to him. But this season he's going to be absolutely vital to this team, and he needs to make an announcement to his country that he can and will produce glory for them.

4. Fernando Llorente. ST

This 20 year old Spanish national was only a couple of goals behind Higuian, Messi, and Ronaldo in the Spanish Primera Division. A Benfica man, Llorente is another one that could be just weeks away from the biggest audition of his life for a dream move to a bigger club with worldwide exposure.

Scouts should be drooling over this guy, he's a big target who's also got pace and a good football IQ.

3. Joe Hart. GK

Hart's been sitting on the bench at Manchester City for years, and I for one am ecstatic that he's getting first team exposure. Hart will give City the best chance they've ever had in the Premier League, I can guarantee that.

This is also a vital season for Hart because he has to announce himself as the number one for the English national team. He's long been the favorite of experts, but Capello is a bit challenged, as we've all learned by now, about squads, so he hasn't gotten a chance. But now he has no choice. Robbie Green can most likely never play for England again after he fumbled away the victory over the US, and David James is 40 years old.

2. Winston Reid. FB (Full back)

I should probably explain why Reid is my number two. I personally think that West Ham United is on it's way up in a big way in the Premier League, and I think the addition of New Zealand hero Winston Reid is a big step in the right direction. Reid scored the first goal that New Zealand has ever scored in the World Cup, and also handed them their first point in his miraculous stoppage time goal against Slovakia. Reid was also integral in the Kiwi's tie with Italy, knocking the Azzuri out of the group stage for the first time in 8 World Cups.

Reid is now probably the most famous New Zealand footballer in the world, and he could become a lot more than that this season. You might want to think twice about looking over the West Ham v. West Brom match in your stream list, that's all I'm saying.

1. Joe Cole. RAM

This is the obvious choice for the number one breakout. I watched Liverpool's second leg match against Rabotnicki in the Europa Cup today and I have to say, Cole looked incredible. In the 22nd minute, he arced a perfect cross to Ngog that was finished with an upper 90 header. I think he took like ten shots or something, and all of them looked threatening.

He also showed a great amount of creative grace on the ball and really inspired his team during the build-up. And I don't know what Ancelotti was whining about, because Cole looked tenacious as hell on defense and created a lot of chances by doing so.

This is my list of the biggest potential breakout players this season. Have some of your own? I'm sure you do. Let's talk about it. Thanks for reading.

On Liverpool: What their takeover by Kenny Huang means for the Reds and for world football.

Today, it was announced that a Chinese billionaire named Kenny Huang (pictured above standing next to a beverage rich people love: water) wants to buy Liverpool. He's buying it for 240 million pounds, and he's buying the club outright, so all of that money will go into the team itself and none of it will go to lining the pockets of the owners. Here's what this monumental takeover means if it happens:

1. Torres is staying. Also coming out today was the news that Fernando Torres is staying at Anfield. Coincidence? Impossible. Can you blame him though? He's got the financial security here, the fanbase, and the promise of a possible dynasty on his hands. How could he leave?

As a sidenote, I just realized today that Torres has scored 40 goals in 41 games for the Reds. Which is incredible, and really puts into perspective how invaluable he actually is. Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery from his retweeking of his injury recently in the World Cup Final.
And Torres isn't the only player whose security is definite with this move, guys like Gerrard, Lucas, and possibly even Mascherano will also be more encouraged to stay.

2. Anfield: out with the old, in with the new. Anfield is getting on. The stadium hasn't been renovated for almost a century and it's getting a little rickety. These days, it's really unheard of for a Premier League club to not play in a modern stadium.

Liverpool has been pointing to the tradition of the stadium for years to legitimize it's existence, but now it's looking like they're going to have to update things. It's too small, too old, and too clunky. This new money is a major step in the right direction toward a new home for the Reds.

3. Roy Hodgson: the best squad man in the world with the most money in the world. New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is renowned for his squad management capabilities. He's already worked wonders with what limited funds Liverpool had, adding attacking potency with Joe Cole, and some much needed support and defense players in Danny Wilson and Milan Jovanovic, as well as resigning an impressive Fabio Aurielo. He only needed 2 million to do that. Imagine him with 240 million at his disposal.

Here are some players he may go for:

Mesut Ozil. Werder Bremen's young starlet in central midfield Ozil admitted yesterday that he has been tempted by some offers from English clubs. Why the hell not if you're Hodgson looking at aging prospects Lucas and Mascherano, both of him have been speculated to be moving this summer anyway?

Carlos Salcido. Liverpool said they wanted this Mexican star at right back, why not go get him? Sure Aurielo's back, but who's to say he won't drop the ball again this year?

John Paintsil. More defenders, but Liverpool's central defense was a revolving door last year. Maybe you want a big tough African in there. Paintsil has been outspoken about his love for Roy Hodgson, maybe these two can reunite.

Clint Dempsey. This is just something I want to happen. It's kind of bullshit. It'd be awesome though.

4. Manchester City will get their asses kicked. I would just love to see the look on City's faces as they lose almost a billion dollars going after players with terrible attitudes and ludicrous wages to just get completely outboxed by one of the classiest clubs in England. That would just make my day.

On Clubs: The three most villanous clubs in the world.

This is my list of the top three most villanous clubs in the world. Allow me to explain: some clubs are just absolute villains on the world stage. These clubs are hated the world over and most of them with good reason. It could be for any number of reasons, but these three have a lot in common.

These are the clubs that you love to hate, but in a sense that isn't bad. In fact, it's what makes world football so great and fun to watch, that you can have these clubs that you absolutely despise. And so, without further ado, here is my list of the top three most villanous clubs in world football, starting with number three:

3. Internazionale Milano.



Inter are the most successful club in Italian football. It's difficult to argue otherwise. Last season, the club took home the treble (UEFA Champions League, Seria A title, Coppa Italia) under Jose Mourinho.

But, that greatness comes at a steep price. Inter's starting eleven under Mourinho, and even in the years before he got there, field no Italian national players. Not one. This is a club literally made up by absolute stars. Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti, Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Wesley Sneijder. This is not the kind of roster that any old team can field.

And then the Italian players that are actually on the roster are guys like Materazzi, who will dive at the slightest touch and roll around on the ground like a baby. This is the man who incited the Zidane headbutt by calling Zidane's recently hospitalized mother a terrorist whore. These are not classy players.

And that's a point you can make about the style that Inter has played throughout their history. It's defend defend defend, and then get some bullshit goal on a counterattack that happens to roll past the keeper. These are wins in the smallest of margins and in the least impressive of ways, and it's the way Inter has played for years. I'm sorry, I just don't want to see a team whose entire eleven plays defense behind the ball and makes no attempt to challenge the ball until it gets to the final third and then counterattacks. It's not beautiful football. And that wouldn't be so frustrating if this team didn't field guys like Eto'o and Sneijder, who are capable of the most beautiful of passes, shows of skill, and arcing runs across the field. On an Inter side, they're just a body to stand in the way of the opposition, and then run aimlessly down the field when the ball comes to them.

This is what makes Inter a villanous squad, they're complete lack of respect for the sportsmanship of even attempting to play an open game of football coupled with a star-studded cast of players that you kick yourself everyday to see playing for them.

But there is a silver lining. Hatred of Inter means more passion for Seria A sides that challenge them. My personal favorite is AC Milan, who are city rivals with Inter. Milan are famous for getting great players in their final twilight years, like Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldhino, Andrea Pirlo or Gianluca Zambrotta.

Or maybe you like Roma, who played Inter in the Coppa Italia. Roma has Italian greats like Francisco Totti, or Luca Toni. And then they have underrated greats like Rodrigo Taddei.

Or even still you could like Juventus, who have a great history of fabulous players like Zinedine Zidane and continue that tradition with some of the best players in the world, like Gianluigi Buffon.

All of that to say, hating Inter does have it's bright spots.

2. Manchester City.



Manchester City are one of those clubs, like Everton, Tottenham, and Aston Villa, that have been consistently bubbling just under the cusp of Premier League greatness. They have never won the Premiership, and have generally struggled in major tournaments as well. And the reason for that is in the way they manage their team.

It's really kind of shameful the way Manchester City approaches the business side of their team. They have a turnover rate of about ten to fifteen players each year, which means that literally almost a third of their squad is entirely new each year. What that means is that their teams have no chemistry or footballing abilities, meaning that they have to rely on the efforts of one man, like Carlos Tevez.

The principle of "throwing money at a problem until it goes away," applies to how City manages their squad in the Premier League. They will literally buy whoever is good and seems to be reasonably unhappy.

THe best evidence of this is their relentless pursuit of Inter's Mario Balotelli. Other clubs turned away when they observed his horrible attitude (Balotelli refused to play defense in the Champions League semi-final and could be seen arguing with his manager Mourinho, who evenutally got fed up and walked away). Balotelli is not a team player, but City could care less as long as he can do a rainbow flick and shoot a ball at 30 kilometers an hour.

City will never be able to challenge Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal (or Liverpool, for that matter) if they continue dealing with their squad the way that they do. But the fact that they do this and the fact that they have the wads of cash that they do puts unnecessary pressure on recent transfers, inflates the transfer fee in the market, and wastes the talent of players like Aleksander Kolorav and Jerome Boateng, who may ride the bench during their time at City.

1. Real Madrid.



It's really ironic that Real Madrid have to be the undisputed number one biggest villain in world football. It's ironic because world football as we know it would not exist without Real Madrid. They were the first real honest to God football club and for a long time they were the only good one. The tradition of this club alone is a staggering achievement.

But, with all of that said, this is a club that has fallen prey to it's own tradition of success.

At the end of practically every season now, if Madrid didn't win the treble or at least La Liga, the manager is fired. That's just the way they operate. They gut the entire system and start over.

But when you look at Real Madrid, you can't talk about hating them without talking about the players they field nowadays. Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Arjen Robben, David Beckham, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso. The list goes on. A lot of these guys are very professional, and are great players. But others, like Ronaldo, have come to typify the Madrid attitude of superiority.

As the former manager Pellegrini said, Madrid are a team of guitarists. If you asked them to play piano, they couldn't do it. They all just play lead guitar. And for that reason, their game is about high powered attack with a lot of holes in the back. Now, those holes are plugged by Iker Casillas, but before quite possibly the greatest keeper in history was in front of goal, Madrid scored 5 and let in 4 every game.

The silver lining of hating Real Madrid is, that you get to love Barcelona. This rivalry known as El Clasico is probably the biggest rivalry in the world.

This is my list of the three biggest villains on the world football club stage. Do you have others/think these clubs are heros? Let's talk.

On Roy Hodgson: Why he could win the title for Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson took over for Liverpool after the unpopular Rafa Benitez was sacked. Since he has taken over, Hodgson has brought Joe Cole in his prime years, smoothed things over with Torres (to some extent), and has been pumping up his team to make a run for the title. I'd like to use this opportunity to look over what it is that is going to make Hodgson (possibly) succesful this year in the Premier League.

1. Put up or shut up time. There are a number of players on Liverpool's squad who have been in quite a slide as of late. Particularly Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, and Glen Johnson. These players have been basically absent for the Reds, for injuries or otherwise.

For a lot of these guys, it's time to put their money where their mouth is. They're coming off one of the worst seasons in Liverpool's history, and failure this season could mean a long, slow decline for the Reds in the future.

Especially Gerrard and Torres, both of him it is becoming more and more likely are going to stay at Anfield. These two guys have had ample opportunity to explore other options at other clubs, so their decision to stay certainly adds pressure.

Hodgson himself is coming off the biggest moment of his career turning unfancied Fulham into Europa finalists. And his only really big job before this was Inter, where he didn't last long at all. He's got a make a stake to be this club's manager for a long time, and I think he may be motivated enough to do just that.

Anyway, moving on.

2. Man-management, smart financial decisions, and doing what's best for the team. Hodgson is known for being extremely gifted at man-management, and to that end he could be the best of the Big Four clubs at handling the institution of the new Premier League rule that puts a 25 player maximum on each club and that a minimum of 8 of them have to be English.

Hodgson so far added Danny Wilson, who is a very talented young central defender who is more than likely a long term replacement for Jamie Carragher. This probably means that Reds veteran Daniel Agger will be pushed out to the left, where Liverpool are notoriously short. But this was a very cheap, very money concious transfer, and it's exactly what Liverpool needed.

But, I just learned that the Reds are looking at Mexican defender Carlos Salcido from PSV to go to Liverpool to play left back. Great. I love Salcido, he's really good. A problem though: Salcido is also adventerous as hell, and with him and Glen Johnson constantly being out of the barn, who's going to guard the prize horse? And Mascherano won't be around next season to clean up the mess, either. Though I think Hodgson is fully capable of instating some discipline, so maybe we won't see a problem there.

Another one I've heard muttering about is German left back Marcell Jansen, but apparently Hamburg are just having none of that.

Then he added Joe Cole. Cole is going to have to be Hodgson's boy. Wenger had Fabregas (and Thierry Henry), Benitez had Carragher, Sir Alex Ferguson had Giggs, now Hodgson's going to have to have Cole. Cole's raw potential is, apparently, practically bottomless. It's said that his ball skills rival Messi, which I'll still have to see to believe. The attack of Torres, Gerrard, and Cole is potentially so star-studded and powerful, that no one would stand a chance, but it's all theoretical at this point. It's all riding on Cole. He knows it, and I think it will drive him. He's been riding the bench at Stamford Bridge behind Saloman Kalou for three years, I think he's ready for his shot.

Now, speculation is afoot that Hodgson will add Park Chun-Young, the South Korean goal maniac. Chun-Young could be the magic touch for the Reds this season. Let me explain: Hodgson uses a 4-4-2. That "2" in the front means "Torres can't be alone anymore." And I think that's good. I really think that Torres works better when he's splitting time with someone else, he's just that kind of striker. And Chun-Young could be just that "2." This is another example of Hodgson being a money concious manager that still has the best interest of the club in mind.

3. Finally, Hodgson knows how to motivate a team. Liverpool may need a kick in the rear end. I think a lot of their guys are tired, unmotivated, and discouraged. And we're looking at a season that could see a lot of younger guys stepping up for this team, like Aquillani and Wilson. I think Hodgson has the ability to get these young guys to use their heads and really learn how to win.

I think he can also pull Gerrard and Torres up by their boot straps and give recent transfers like Cole a real fighting chance in the starting eleven.

These are my basic indicators as to why Hodgson could be able to drive Liverpool on to win the Premiership.

On Today: Transfer battles, disgruntled management, future commitments and more!

So today was kind of absurd on the football news front, so I thought I'd just do a rundown of what happened today. So without further ado:

1. Robinho ordered back to Manchester City. This story combines two parties that I am not a fan of: the (in my opinion) cry baby Brazilian striker Robinho and the spend-happy, cocky-player-having, cocky-in-general Manchester City.

Robinho left last season on loan to play for Santos in Brazil after literally pleading to return to play in his home country because he hated Man City so much. He was never particularly impressive in my book anyway, people just go crazy over him because he does a lot of step-overs and dances with the ball at his feet. Other than that he's a pretty mediocre striker, in my opinion.

Anyway, news came across the wire today that Manchester City were "ordering" Robinho back to Manchester to settle his future. Something tells me he still won't be keen on staying in Eastlands.

2. Mascherano leaving Liverpool. Javier Mascherano is always the key man on whatever squad he plays for. He's 5'6'' but plays like he's 6'2''. This guy is the definition of tenacity and confidence and clubs love him for that. But the Reds unfortunately are not going to be able to hold on to him, as he will probably go to Inter from here to play with Argentine teammates Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito.

What this means for Liverpool is that they are going to be relying heavily next season on Italian youngster Alberto Aquillani. I personally like Aquillani, I think he plays with a lot of heart and is never afraid to take a shot. He also seems to be a clinical finisher and to that end is also a highly accurate passer.

I think that the move of a bored, unmotivated Mascherano could actually have a very bright silver lining for the Reds in this young man.

3. Aston Villa talk to James Milner. So what happened earlier this week with Milner was that the Villa manager who's name I don't particularly care to learn threw Milner under the bus by claiming that he was definitely on his way to Manchester City. What makes comments like this absolutely pin-headed is that sometimes contracts can't be agreed upon, so a player may stay at a club for a little longer than one might expect.

What this means is that the fans, as they did to Garreth Barry when his contract was being debated before his move to City, are going to be pissed at Milner. That means Milner will be sad and Villa will suffer. So today, I guess in an attempt to smooth things over with the recent breakout English national, Aston Villa sat down and maybe had some tea with Milner. Just so he knows that he's still their boy.

It's a nice gesture, but a little underhanded at the same time.

4. Luis Fabiano (pictured above) commits to Sevilla. This was kind of a disappointment for me because I was looking for Fabiano to make a Premier League move. However, I always respect when a star commits his future to his less than star-powered club. That makes me like Fabiano a little bit, though his play-acting and general lack of sportsmanship still make him one of my least favorite Brazilians, second only to Lucio, who would probably spike someone in the face if it was legal.

Fabiano could have gone anywhere, but the most recent (today) rumor I heard was Tottenham, which could have been awesome. As I said yesterday, the Spurs need a striker, and Fabiano could have been just that for them. This news comes as a bit more of a shock because Fabiano released what amounts to a "come and get me" statement to Liverpool and Chelsea earlier this week. But, I guess that's just the way it goes. I suppose Fabiano will keep netting 20 or more goals for a team that will continue to just flounder below Barcelona and Real Madrid.

5. Loic Remy, going somewhere, just don't know where. Can we just talk for a minute about how crazy rumors have been about where in demand Nice striker Loic Remy is going to end up? Every day there are headlines that Redknapp's sealed it for Spurs, then Hodgson's got a contract in the works for the Reds, then West Ham shows up out of nowhere today. This guy is wanted, and he's going to end up somewhere. If it was me, I'd hope for Hodgson, maybe they can get a dual striker set-up going, which may help ease the burden for Torres (if Torres is still a Red, which we'll discuss in a moment).

6. Rafael Van Der Vaart, professional flip-flopper. Yesterday Van Der Vaart was saying basically that he'd rather be at any team with Champions League football that could offer him first team status he was so miserable at Real Madrid. Today he's saying he's ready to stay and "succeed" there. Sorry Rafael, but you can't get on the first team with Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in your spot. You might want to look somewhere else, because you aren't going to be playing first team football. Oh well, maybe he'll change his mind again tomorrow.

I guess I'm learning that players make these statements so that they'll get a new contract. Learn something new everyday, I guess.

7. Manchester City aren't done yet. City guru Roberto Mancini reported today that he's not only still eyeing a disgruntled Fernando Torres very closely, but that he's also getting ever closer to a deal with Inter youngster Mario Balotelli.

Balotelli is another one that everyone's been after this summer: United, Chelsea, Man City, Real Madrid. He keeps holding out though. I don't get it, the couple times I saw him I wasn't particularly impressed.

As for Torres, Chelsea has always been in my mind the most likely place that Torres could go. They can offer him first team (I'm pretty sure), a massive contract (50 million), Champions League football, and a little respect, for God's sake.

I think within the next 24 to 48 hours we could see a big deal go down in favor of Eastlands.

8. Stephen Ireland hoping to stay at Eastlands. This is yet another reason why I hate Manchester City. They bring in Kolarov and are still saying "oh Wayne Bridge, don't worry, you're still important to us!" Bridge is ready to fight for his spot, and maybe it puts some healthy competition in him, but how much confidence do you think he thinks you have in him now? It'd be one thing if you were just bringing in some new striker and telling Adebayor and Tevez to fight for it, but these are English nationals they are just repeatedly standing up at the whipping post.

Stephen Ireland came from Manchester City's own academy. He's been their boy forever, literally. Now with every deal they propose, Man City just shamelessly says over and over again "Oh, well we can give you Ireland if that'll smooth things over." And Stephen Ireland has been one of the most consistent, well traveled bastions that City have on their whole roster. And they're just throwing him to whoever will take him.

So today, poor Stephen issued a kind of "twiddling my thumbs" statement, that he hopes he gets to stay at the club that he's defined his career at.

These are my reactions to a very busy day in football news. Did I miss something? Let's talk.

On Tottenham Hotspur: The keys to their Champions League season.

Last season, Tottenham Hotspur broke into the top four in the Premier League and have earned a Champions League berth as a result. This is a big moment for Tottenham, because the last team that unexpectantly finished fourth in the League was Everton, and they finished the next season in ninth. It's important that Tottenham make a claim for themselves as one of the contenders in the Champions League.

But it is not going to be easy. In fact, if these key things don't happen, it's going to be damn near impossible:

1. Tom Huddlestone (pictured above). Huddlestone is the most important player on the entire Tottenham side. This guy could play linebacker for the Chicago Bears that's how big he is. But he's got a great touch on the ball, terrific field vision, and really understands the game. He's also in the best form of his life.

When this team goes into big games like Liverpool or Manchester City, they're going to need to look at this man for inspiration. Tom's the one who's really wary about the upcoming season, and for now that perspective is good. But you can bet your life that when he laces up, he's going to go into every game with all the confidence in the world. And that's exactly what this team needs, especially a team that's got blossoming young upstarts like Gareth Bale.

He's an absolute rock in defense, and they need him, as in my view the Spurs have a relatively weak back line other than the highly underrated Michael Dawson.

All in all, you will be able to trace this team's success or failure by watching how the rest of the players react and work with Huddlestone. His presence is absolutely vital to this team, and is perhaps the biggest key to them finishing in the top four again.

2. Stay ahead of Liverpool and City.

It's really no secret that Liverpool's season this year was flukey as hell. It really did come down to the coaching aspect as well as the injury aspect. I'm sorry, but Benitez just couldn't motivate Steven Gerrard enough. You know things are bad when Reds stalwart Lucas has to come out literally every week and make a statement about how the team is still holding together, that Gerrard is still vital to the team, and that they will be fine without Torres.

It really puts in perspective how bad Benitez was when it was revealed today that Torres would only want to leave because of a beef that Benitez started with him. Benitez was literally such a dick to the best player on the entire squad, quite possibly the best player in the world, that he doesn't even want to be a part of the squad even after he's gone.

But, with all of that said, Liverpool does have a new manager in Roy Hodgson. And Roy knows how to win. He made Europa finalists out of Fulham for God's sake. I think Roy's made some gutsy decisions that are either going to work or flop this season, and I'm mainly mentioning Joe Cole here. I read where Robben said that Cole is as good on the ball as Messi is. If that's even half true, Liverpool are going to be the team to beat in the Premier League. However, early on in the season Tottenham are going to have to put the screws to them and keep them down.

As for Manchester City, they could be making a move to win the Premier League for the first time. That's their goal for this season, it's a very immediate goal. And with that in mind they've started writing checks for anyone they can get their hands on. Including David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Aleksander Kolarov. Before it's all said and done they'll probably have Milner, too. They even made an offer to Drogba, rumor has it.

They also play City in the first game of the season in August, and I'll tell you right now, they need to win that game. It was their win in the first game of the season against Liverpool last season that got them going, and they need those good vibes to happen again.

In any case, Tottenham needs to keep these two extremely talented and extremely capable teams below them on the table, and that won't be easy. But they've shown they can do it with that win over Chelsea last season.

3. Strikers strikers strikers. Last season Jermain Defoe couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for Tottenham toward the end of the season. Peter Crouch only showed up to play every once in a while, and Robbie Keane was out most of the season on loan to Celtic. SO, with that in mind, a striker needs to come to the forefront for Spurs.

Maybe Roman Pavlyuchenko comes out of nowhere. Maybe Keane will catch on fire, maybe Defoe will remember how to shoot. Whatever it takes, Tottenham desperately need a goal scorer. They will most likely not be able to rely on their defense any longer, particularly with Liverpool and Manchester City out for blood.

Spurs need two guys with 15 or more, or one with at least more than 22 if they are going to have a shot.

These are my keys for Tottenham this season. Think these are dumb/have some of your own? Let's discuss.