My Premier League Wish List...

Five players i would love to see strutting there stuff on a saturday afternoon in a stadium near you!

Lionel Messi - Obvious isn't it, but how can you start a list like this without mentioning the greatest player of our generation. Domestically Messi has won it all, two champions league titles, four la liga titles, one coppa del ray all at the ripe old age of 23. The last two seasons at Barcelona have yielded 85 goals and 32 assists in 104 appearances, in anyone's book thats world class. But its not the stats that get you jumping out of your seat for a player like Messi, its the way he does it. Blistering acceleration, a low centre of gravity and exceptional ball control mean that Messi is almost impossible to stop in full flight. I think this video of Messi as a 14 year old says more than words ever could...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI8GC6bqnpM

Xavi Hernandez (above) - Xavi has been and continues to be the most complete footballer in the world. The driving force behind Spain's Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 triumphs, he has it all and would be a joy to watch in the EPL. Xavi has lit up every major competition in the world game over the past two years. What is most interesting is that he is a player which English clubs do not seem to be able to develop. He plays in an almost quarterback role, distributing perfect pass after perfect pass, gliding up the field and then producing the killer assist. The chances of Xavi ever playing in the ELP is very slim, but with Manchester City's endless pot of gold you can never say never...

Sergio Aguero (above) - The Atlético Madrid frontman is renowned around Spain for his quick-feet, finishing ability and close ball control, making him a fans favorite at the Vicente Calderón at the ripe old age of 21. Although Aguero struggled to make an impact at the recent World Cup dont be fooled into thinking this man is not one of the worlds best footballers, he is and will be even better in the future. With Aguero plying his trade at Atlético Madrid the chances are he could be on the move within the next 2 years, with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all chasing his signature.

Danielle De Rossi - A tough tackling central midfielder in the mould of Roy Keane no less, De Rossi is renowned for his physical approach and powerful midfield displayers. Whilst being a very tough character De Rossi is also blessed with a fantastic passing ability and a wonderfully powerful shot, regularly scoring up to ten goals a season for his club, AS Roma. This wonderfully cheesy video from youtube should show all you need to know about De Rossi;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdzsxCOZWWM

Ronaldo (above) - Okay i know he is past it now, but he really is the one that got away for the ELP. In his peak he was the best around, holds the world record for most goals scored in World Cup matches and overcame 5 knee operations to play for some of Europe's biggest clubs, but none from England. Ronaldo had it all, with his best years generally regarded as having occurred before his first knee injury, during his time at PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and early years at Inter Milan. He was literally the perfect striker, pace and power, wonderful finishing ability, great strength and majestic in the air as well as wonderful ball control. He was Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole and Paul Gascoigne rolled into one. He is now still (apparently) playing in Brazil for Corinthians of Sao Paulo, although anything more than one game a month in considered to be stretching it. One last video link from youtube displays what the EPL missed out on;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iXOMPo7cEI

Great Expectations

By our Master in charge of Rugby Union Sam Forbes:

Sam speaking to Martin Johnson earlier this week

When England’s beloved Red Rose stands arm in arm against the Haka on Saturday afternoon, Twickenham as ever will expect a dramatic upset...

I put a question upon you: How many other countries in the World, apart from England, have a consistently competitive team in all major sports? I’m sure I will hear a resounding ‘none’. Our cricket team are holders of the ashes, we finished second in the medal tables in this summer’s Commonwealth Games, our rugby team were finalists in the last two World Cups, and our football team... Well I don’t need to go into that. With competitiveness comes expectation, and with expectation comes pressure, and this is exactly what has affected our rugby team since that glorious evening back in 2003.

Since that day, the England management have issued out no less than 75 new caps. In my view this is ridiculous. If one takes a look at The All Blacks, since the World Cup in 2003, they have built their team around a core eight players in all key positions- Woodcock, Mealamu, Thorne, McCaw, Carter, Nonu, Rokocoko and Muliaina. This has helped them maintain a consistency in team management- selection, and therefore a consitenecy in results. In contrast to this, the England selection team has not settled for these same values. The cause for this perhaps is the constant pressure from the fans, therefore causing the management to panic and make drastic changes. A perfect example of this is Matt Tait, in my view one of the most talented players in world rugby, yet after one UNLUCKY (not bad) game, Andy Robinson was pressured into dropping him. If the pressure was eased and the expectation was not so much, perhaps it would have been a different story for Tait and equally England since 2003. 

It seems now that Johnson and his staff have settled on a ‘core’ team, with the likes of Sheriden, Moody, Easter, Youngs, Ashton and Foden. The talent is certainly there and I hope that if we lose to New Zealand on Saturday (and i believe we will), Johnson does not feel pressured into making changes for Australia the following Saturday. After all, in 105 years, we have only beaten the All Blacks six times. 

So, back to the original point, Twickenham will expect an upset as always. However I ask otherwise of you, I ask you to not to have great expectations as it will inevitably end in bitter disappointment. Believe in the team we have, ease the pressure and perhaps something great might happen in the coming weeks at Fortress Twickenham.


Comments welcome...

What Next For Manchester United?

With the 'Rooneygate' saga now behind us, it seems the burning question is where do Manchester United go from here? With the future of Rooney secure (for now at least) United have the chance to silence the doubters who claim that there is no money to spend at Old Trafford. With the £80 million the club received from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo still (apparently) lying unspent surely United must now strengthen there squad. Here we are going to have a look through the possible transfer targets of the Old Trafford club.

Wesley Sneijder (above) - Linked with Manchester United over the summer after a sterling world cup where he finished joint top scorer. Would seem to be able to adapt to the ELP if the form of his fellow Dutch international Rafael Van Der Vaart is anything to go by, it begs the question as to why there wasn't more interest in Van Der Vaart before he signed for spurs. Can play either central midfield or as the 'link' between midfield and attack, would seem to fit the perfectly for what United need at the moment with their midfield struggling to impose themselves on games. Scholes and Giggs can not be expected to produce performance after performance anymore and with Hargreaves still struggling to gain fitness it leaves Anderson and Carrick - enough said. Fergie has bought on reputation before and been bitten (Veron, Kleberson), therefore its unlikely he will splash the cash, preferring in my view to buy potential and develop it, like he has done so successfully over the past 24 years.

Arjen Robben - Teammate of Sneijder and fellow World Cup runner up, talk seems to have died down linking Robben with a move back to the EPL since it was first mooted early in 2010. Robben's sparkling form for FC Bayern, lifting them to the final of the Champions League almost single handily last season, raised his credibility once again after a indifferent spell at Real Madrid. Robben's reputation as being a difficult personality to control may count him out of a move to Old Trafford.

Kaka - I am sure i am not the only one who would love to see Ricardo Kaka strutting his stuff on Match of the Day on saturday evening, but i cant see this move ever happening. In my mind if Kaka wanted to move to England he would have signed the golden and oil smelling cheque Manchester City offered him last year. With Jose Mourinho now in charge at Madrid it seems unlikely any player in their right mind would leave the club unless told too. 

Steven Defour (above) - The Standard Liege midfielder has been out of action for more than a year after breaking his foot, but now coming back to fitness United seem ready to pounce. A Belgian international renowned for his physical pedigree is exactly the type of player United require and desire. In my eyes highly likely to make the move to Old Trafford sooner rather than later, providing he proves his fitness.

Alexis Sanchez (above) - A highly rated front man who prefers to operate from wide positions, Sanchez has been in europe for more than 4 years and is only 21 years of age. After a good world cup showing for Chile it seems the stage is set for Sanchez to make a move from Udinese to one of Europe's elite clubs. His size may count against him moving to England, with spain a preferred destination for many of the world's smaller, more skilful players. Having said that he is exactly the kind of player Fergie loves, quick, an eye for a goal and mature beyond his years, dont be surprised to see Sanchez end up at Old Trafford.

Ibrahim Afellay -The highly regarded 24-year-old playmaker is another player off the conveyer belt of production at PSV. Blessed with two strong feet and an eye for a goal this is another who seems to be destined to play in the EPL at some point, whether or not United are willing to pay a large fee for him remains to be seen, must impress in Europe over the coming months to gain a move away from Holland.


In conclusion, dont expect Manchester United to splash the cash in January or the summer of 2011, Sir Alex will do what he has always done in my mind, have faith in the development of young players (Hernandez) ready to create his final team to take on the ELP and Europe. The next question is really how long does Sir Alex have left in him... 


Comments Welcome...

Hello and Welcome

Hello and Welcome to the exiting new All Sports Blog! As i am sure you can guess from the title this blog will be covering the burning issues in a variety of sports, specifically concentrating on football, cricket and rugby union from a British and European perspective, although no sport is out of bounds! The blog will also aim to explore the role sport plays in todays society around the world and to air the views and opinions of our writers, readers and followers! The blog will also feature guest writers and publications, anyone wishing to contribute to the All Spots Blog should contact me @ mtheslop@gmail.com.

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