England 2 Netherlands 3 - England show signs of encouragement despite defeat

The match against the Netherlands on Wednesday night rounded off a highly turbulent month on our shores – Fabio Capello quitting in a huff, the search for his replacement, and the captaincy dispute. It was a relief to see some of the questions answered this week as England put in a spirited and brave display against the World Cup 2010 finalists. However, there was a stark gulf in quality between the two sides as the Netherlands completed what should have been a comfortable victory.

The Netherlands had too much experience and class for England, led by currently-interim manager Stuart Pearce, as they slipped into a 2-0 lead through Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. This individual ability could not be matched by Pearce’s men, who were valiant in their efforts but were unable to show sufficient quality in the final third. This was a performance pouring with blood and sweat, epitomised by captain on the night Scott Parker and the rangy Danny Welbeck, but the world class gilted edge normally present in a team of traditional calibre was largely absent.

England will not be one of the favourites at the Euros, and it would be foolish to believe otherwise. The group stage alone will provide a stern test in the shape of France, who were victorious in Germany on Wednesday, Sweden and Ukraine (each won their respective friendlies). There will be no margin for error like there was in South Africa, and it is vital that the players in the eventual squad know where they stand before they begin the campaign.

The situation cries out for stability, and it is paramount that the FA chooses its man soon. Trevor Brooking’s idea of “parachuting” in the next manager mere weeks before the tournament starts is folly, the players need to have trained with the boss for a far longer time to feel comfortable in big games.

Pearce has stated that he is “ready” to lead England in the Euros, and although he is still relatively inexperienced he has been in the England setup for five years. His tournament experience includes taking the U-21 team to tournaments in 2009 and 2011, and he would need the least bedding-in time in May and June.

Harry Redknapp has been the favourite to take over since Capello gave his leave, and is still the people’s choice in the wake of Wednesday’s friendly. Although vastly experienced at club level, Redknapp has never been involved in the national setup and would need time to understand the different systems. England fans may think he can wave his wand and transform the country into sudden contenders, but the last few years have proved a successful club manager isn’t always a shoe-in.

It was refreshing to see the captain’s armband given to Parker, who has been a wonderful servant to Tottenham since his summer transfer. His sheer determination and force of will have helped drive his club into the Premier League’s top three, and on Wednesday he led by example with some excellent blocks from the Netherlands’ deadly forwards.

Now it is time to move on much of the old guard, with the smell of failure absent from the match. Steven Gerrard looks like he is winding down at Liverpool, and for England he seemed a relic of the revered-then-ridiculed ‘Golden Generation’ that sucked the joy out of watching England. With a clean slate and new leaders, Pearce may have kick-started a new era of optimism. No longer will our country be falsely proclaimed a ‘big gun’ on the international scene. Wednesday’s game was an acceptance of the superior team, but with fresh faces and new talent, coupled with a brave leader in Parker, the future might still hold rewards for a country in need of a good summer.

Turmoil on the continent – England falling behind mainland competition

The days of three English teams easing into the Champions League semi finals every year have never felt more distant than now, as Chelsea became the latest Premier League outfit to receive a thrashing from a rising Italian force. With the two Manchester teams now plying their trade in the Europa League there is the very real possibility of there being no English sides in the last eight for the first time since 1996. This rapid change in scene, epitomised by the group stage fall-out by last year’s runners up Manchester United, has allowed clubs from the mainland who have resembled spectators in the latter stages of European competition to step up.

Until the last year Napoli was a throwback to the era of Diego Maradona, who is practically deified at the club, but now three names spring to mind: Cavani, Lavezzi and Hamsik. The revered attacking trident of Serie A pierced Chelsea’s defence ruthlessly last night as they left the Londoners’ requiring a 2-0 home win at least to keep the English flag flying.

Almost as difficult a task as Arsenal face in their tie with AC Milan, who blew Arsene Wenger’s men away at the San Siro last week, Chelsea would still have to prevent Napoli’s ‘Three Tenors’ from creating goals. This would be a first in this year’s campaign, and something Bayern Munich, who are in ruder health to say the least, failed to do this in a 3-2 home win last autumn.

Chelsea’s own triumvirate – Drogba, Mata and Sturridge – showed nothing like the cohesion demonstrated in Napoli’s front line. What’s more, the Italians have a system tailor-made for away matches, possessing a turn of pace that has so far been unrivalled in Europe. No frontline has looked sharper than that of Napoli, and on last night’s evidence the odd couple of Gary Cahill and David Luiz will again have their hands full.

Manchester United and Manchester City, the front runners in the Premier League this season, were banished from the continent’s top table disappointingly early. Such is the campaign of two halves, however, that they will be the happier of last season’s top four having adopted commanding positions in their Europa League ties.

Both have reacted extremely well to being dumped out of the Champions League in December. Unlike Arsenal and Chelsea, both Manchester teams have consistently produced wins in the league, and both secured a return to Europe’s top tier weeks ago.

Now it would be fair to say they will be England’s greatest hopes of glory in 2013, with 2012 looking to be a fallow year. City will almost certainly have a simpler route to the knockout stages, while Ferguson will ensure his men take the group stages more seriously this time. However, it looks to be the blue half that will make the biggest steps forward over the next few years. City are blessed with a bottomless pit of wealth, and unlike similarly financially endowed Chelsea have opted for stability by sticking with Mancini.

Despite the likelihood of an absence of English representation in the Champions League quarter finals, the UEFA coefficient for the Premier League will remain one of the highest in Europe. This guarantees four English teams for next year’s tournament, while Italy’s undoubted progress will be checked by the loss of its fourth slot to Germany. The years when English progression was a formality, however, are gone. From UEFA’s perspective this is good news, as they see the success of a greater number of countries healthy for the growth of the game.

The fans of Manchester United and Chelsea, however, may not meet again in a Champions League final for quite some time.  

Wenger’s snub to Chamberlain returns to haunt Arsenal in San Siro slaughter

What was witnessed in the San Siro last night wasn’t a footballing contest. It was a massacre that covered every inch of the pitch, from AC Milan’s irresistible attacking verve to Arsenal’s alarming defensive fragility.

The most painful aspect of Arsenal’s performance was that it could have been avoided had the manager called the right shots in his team selection. The win over Sunderland at the weekend, which must now feel a lifetime ago for Arsenal fans, provided a blueprint for success over the next one or two months. While Thierry Henry, Arsene Wenger’s prodigal son, will be missed after making a positive impact since last month’s loan move from New York, the team has been garnering good results over the last few weeks.

What hasn’t helped the cause have been injuries to defensive regulars Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, the latter’s likely absence for several weeks leaving Arsenal once again threadbare at the back. In general however the team has been clicking well, and one player who was bafflingly left on the bench last night (until the tie had long been put to bed) has given a fresh attacking impetus and incisiveness to his team’s endeavours.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been gathering momentum faster than anyone on the English stage, and it is no coincidence that his absences in certain games have costed Arsenal in attack. His rampaging runs out wide and deadly crossing meant that Ivory Coast’s Gervinho wasn’t badly missed during the Africa Cup of Nations.

Despite his obvious assets and value to the team, in key games Wenger has elected to demote the winger to the bench. Well documented was the decision to replace Chamberlain with Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal’s basket case forward, against Manchester United in the second half of last month’s league encounter. The Englishman had just instigated his team’s equaliser having completed a mesmeric darting run into the United box, squaring the ball beautifully for Robin van Persie to tap in.

Now in the ascendancy, Arsenal were hunting for a winner, with Chamberlain the driving force. Wenger then inexplicably removed his team’s fulcrum, a decision that cost Arsenal the game. The crowd’s, and Van Persie’s, dismay at the change was palpable. Arshavin’s inertness allowed Antonio Valencia to run unopposed into the Arsenal box, who slipped the ball to Danny Welbeck to fire in the winner. The manager has experienced his toughest year yet in English football, but he has invited much of the criticism with his increasingly frequent poor decision-making.

That decision transformed that game, and a perhaps more mystifying decision was to leave Chamberlain out of the starting line-up at the San Siro last night. It has been well documented that Milan are strongest through the middle, with full backs that struggle to keep pace with zippy wingers. This should have played into Arsenal’s hands, in particular Oxlade-Chamberlain.

As it was, he made way for the out-of-form Aaron Ramsey, who has looked out of his depth this season. Arsenal’s only other change was to bring in Kieran Gibbs at left back, with Thomas Vermaelen, who has been played at left back a lot lately, moved into the middle. This was understandable given the lack of cover in the full back positions, but Ramsey’s inclusion mocked Wenger’s determination to send out a potent attacking team.

The midfielder, along with the rest of the side, was flattened by the runaway freight train of Milan’s attack. Theo Walcott was a letdown again on the right flank, where along with the left flank the turf had been relaid, but the set-up of Arsenal played straight into Milan’s hands. Mark Van Bommel shielded the back four faultlessly, but Wenger would have been long aware of his, and Milan’s other midfielders’, qualities, but did not exploit their weakness on the wings.

Tomas Rosicky, who has lately given a good account of himself in midfield, was wrongly put on the left wing, the place where Oxlade-Chamberlain should have been put. Credit where it is due, Milan were brilliant, and the wrongly maligned Zlatan Ibrahimovic was imperious as Milan’s spearhead. Mocking the myth that he goes wanting in big games and against English opposition, the giant Swede ripped open Arsenal’s defences and fairly destroyed Vermaelen. A man-of-the-match performance was deservedly capped with a penalty to give Milan their fourth and put the Gunners to bed.

Had Wenger got his tactics right, this tie could be delicately poised by now, perhaps even in Arsenal’s favour. The inclusion of Chamberlain in the starting line-up may have seen his team pick up one, perhaps two, away goals, but now the manager will be left to wonder what might have been. With Gervinho back in England and set for Saturday’s FA Cup encounter against Sunderland, Walcott’s place in the starting berth could at last be under threat from a fellow compatriot. It seems only Wenger would feel otherwise.    

Fernando Torres – what happened to Spain's mighty conquistador?

The legendary vanquisher of Manchester United in their own back garden was the pinnacle of Fernando Torres’ blinding first two-and-a-half years in English football. From the moment he arrived at Liverpool he looked to be the ultimate goalscoring talisman so craved on our shores.

Although the Spaniard had a good reputation on arrival on Merseyside in 2007, the impact of his first season caught pretty much everyone off guard, leaving the likes of Ferguson wondering what might have been should they have competed harder for the forward’s signature.

With a record of 33 goals in 46 games in the 2007/08 season, Torres capped off an incredible year by scoring the goal which won his country Euro 2008. It would have been hard to follow up these achievements, despite Liverpool not winning a trophy that season, to continue this impeccable form into 2008/09. And true to this his goals return was not as impressive as in his debut year, at least not initially.

However, the second half of this season saw him take up role of chief tormentor to Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United’s otherwise impeccable centre back. In an astonishing two months for the club Real Madrid were put to bed by a ferocious Liverpool, a 4-0 victory for the reds at home in March sealing a 5-0 aggregate win in the Champions League. This made the club many people’s tip to win the competition should favourites Barcelona stumble, and this was followed by one of the biggest results in the Premier League era.

The way Liverpool humbled Manchester United on their home turf was something that hadn’t been witnessed in the Premier League era. Although they had conceded the lead to their rivals in the title race in January, Liverpool were coming back strong and, fuelled by the Madrid euphoria, went on to fairly demolish the defending champions. This included a masterclass by Torres in making United defender Vidic look desperately out of his depth. Despite not reaching the goal tally of his first year in the EPL, the striker was still unmatched for pure centre forward qualities, and his value soared with each passing year while remaining Spain’s most effective striker.

Fernando Torres showcased everything that makes a world class centre forward: poise, guile, strength and power. These were galvanised by a deadly potency in front of goal, making him perhaps the most feared striker in English football. However, the task was made harder for him in the next season.

In the summer of 2009 Liverpool dispensed with Xabi Alonso, arguably the best midfielder in the league and an indispensable member of the club’s resurgent form. As a result, despite being many people’s tip for the title in 2010, all the good work of the last two years came undone over four months.

Although Torres was still scoring at a decent rate, he couldn’t prevent Liverpool crashing out of the Champions League group stage and falling away from the title race altogether in the autumn. His class was evident in his brace against Man United, again tormenting the unfortunate Vidic, and the problems lay in midfield with no able replacement for Alonso.

What may be seen in the future as a watershed moment for Torres was the decision to undergo knee surgery in the following spring. When the operation was carried out in April 2010, Liverpool announced their star would miss the remainder of the season, having scored 22 goals in 33 games in all competitions. Once again the club’s top scorer in a season, it was imperative that Torres was brought back gradually to ensure he could pick up where he left off.

What stood in the way was the 2010 World Cup, in which the striker was expected to play a key role.

Although Spain emerged as the eventual victors in what many saw as a below-par tournament, Torres’ own performances drew criticism from many in the footballing profession. This may have been down to a lack of match sharpness, but there was an alarming paucity of confidence in the once larger-than-life player and this endured the return to match sharpness.

Liverpool under Roy Hodgson didn’t get any better, and this time Torres had to take his share of the blame. Once the serial terroriser of defences, he looked a shadow of his former self and attracted much criticism for his negative body language and startling sloppiness in front of goal.

A brace against Chelsea was expected to mark a return to form, but like every goal since then much expectation has been dashed by long runs of indifferent displays. In January 2011 Liverpool made £50m off the striker’s departure to Chelsea while recruiting Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. Although the defending champions had attracted a player of unquestionable talent, the big picture showed that Liverpool were the real winners in the deal.

Unlike Torres, Suarez’s presence lit up the world cup, and combined with an incredible scoring rate in the Dutch league he was a big signing for Liverpool that winter. The Uruguayan went on to become perhaps the club’s best performing player for 2011, while Torres’ fortunes took a marked downturn following his move to the capital.

A run of 903 minutes without a goal for Torres ended in April against West Ham United, but this failed to revive the striker’s form and was followed by a goal drought for the rest of the season. The price tag for the move, which made him the most expensive player in British transfer history, was coming under heavy scrutiny.

The 2011-12 season began with a promisingly sharp display from Torres, who showed some of the verve of old with some incisive runs at Stoke City, although the goalless run went on. A fine finish against Manchester United in September whipped up the fervour once more, but the striker’s open goal miss in the second half at Old Trafford was symbolic of the start-stop nature of his form since the 2010 knee operation.

A goal against Swansea City the same month was again followed by disaster with the player’s subsequent sending off. Since then Torres’ performances, bar a brace against a capitulating Genk team in Europe, have failed to meet the mark. He hasn’t been helped by his team’s inability to supply a conveyor belt of chances in front of goal, but it is a long time since the former Spain hero has looked world class and, at 28, Torres may find opportunities harder to come by in the future.      

Capello quits – what comes next?

What has seemed a maelstrom of scandals and fallouts ended last night with the spectacular fall of Fabio Capello from the England football team. The announcement was met by surprise by most, but not heartbreak. For many the move signalled the start of a new era, nicely unveiled in the lead-up to a tournament.

The hot favourite, Harry Redknapp, will have gone to bed yesterday with his head spinning after the most eventful day of his professional life. Beginning with the conclusion of a five-year tax evasion trial and ending with his name thrown in the hat of next England manager, he would have found it hard to put his mind on the Newcastle game on Saturday, but this must be the focus as Tottenham cannot be victims of a media storm.

Tottenham are riding high and will have been looking forward to the weekend as they continue to chase thin hopes of a maiden Premier League title, but the events of yesterday threaten to destabilise the bandwagon, especially if the manager is hounded over England. Redknapp should not find it difficult to focus himself on the job in hand but the fact is this new saga will run till May, meaning he will have plenty to think about for a few months.

It cannot be assumed that the FA will seek Redknapp out, although it is hard to imagine otherwise. The lack of alternatives is palpable, with the list having shortened with the withdrawals of Martin O’Neill and Alan Pardew, who have worked wonders this season with their respective clubs. Stuart Pearce will probably see the team through the friendly with Holland this month, although his lack of experience will likely count against him in the long term.

It has been well publicised that the England team has been blighted with underachievement and ill feeling for way longer than the last two years, with the last time there was genuine hope and excitement over a tournament back in 1996. With the popular and successful Terry Venables in charge this was a time when good feeling and excitement welcomed England games, with the feeling that the players were together and playing to their potential. The 4-1 against Holland was the perfect demonstration of what talent married with harmony can bring, and although the prize was still elusive it came amid what many feel was bad luck, as well as penalties against Germany.

One man who epitomised what playing for England should be about came out with his own views yesterday. In a rare public appearance Paul Gascoigne told Sky that Redknapp should get the job, but should the Spurs boss be unavailable then Venables would be the right choice. Although he has been out of management for some years this would make sense: he has done it before, leaving only due to a series of unresolved court cases, and was very popular with the players.

What Venables and Redknapp both embody is the talent, authority and charisma needed to be a good England manager. These three qualities must be at the top of the criteria list in the FA’s search: who can restore the feel good factor? Focus must be taken away from statistical accomplishments and put on gut instinct. Stuart Pearce does not feel like the right choice in the gut, Redknapp does, and it is likely the FA will hammer the door down at Tottenham to get him. If this becomes too difficult, there is a perfectly good alternative who has tasted the poison chalice, only to emerge unscathed. 

John Terry – the captaincy saga part II

In a year when England’s build-up to a tournament is proving to be typically turbulent, the John Terry racism saga took another step up with the news that his trial, following an incident with QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match in October, will take place on July 9. As this falls after the Euro 2012 final, there is no way the captain can clear his name before England play which opens up another world of problems for their beleaguered manager.

Fabio Capello must be thinking how a seemingly successful reign as England manager was so spectacularly turned on its head two years ago, when a heady optimism surrounding the team was brutally stripped away in the midst of scandal and injury. Terry was a big cause of the disturbance then as well, his affair with the ex-wife of compatriot and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge leading to Capello’s first taste of the uniqueness of managing England.

No other country’s football team seems to be so embroiled in hysteria and controversy as England, with the infamous media machine playing no small part in this. It can be said that many potentially world class sides have been scuppered by off-field issues and a self-defeating mentality, which put paid to the recent ‘golden generation’. The emergence of young talent such as Phil Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have given hope to a new start, but the weight of media scrutiny won’t go away while players like Terry are part of the set-up.

Even if Terry is found innocent in July he will remain a focus of speculation right through his playing days. Nothing like the media darling his predecessor David Beckham was, Terry has had to deal with a string of controversies throughout his career. None of these have involved racism, but they have seen a deterioration in the player’s credibility, making it increasingly hard for Capello to support him. Jason Roberts, a Reading forward and campaigner for Kick It Out, commented that the England dressing room would be “toxic” if Terry is taken to Poland. These fears would be heightened if Rio Ferdinand, Anton’s brother, is included in the squad.

Phil Jones and Chris Smalling will be watching events very closely, having been touted as a future defensive partnership for England, to see if Capello and the FA decide their captain’s selection would be too great a risk. The player will not step down voluntarily, having released a statement saying he is “sure” of his innocence, but regardless of the true nature of the events he will be under enormous pressure to bequeath his leadership. If he is sure of his own innocence, Terry would have wanted to get the trial over with well before preparations for the summer. Instead he will have to play the PR offensive of his life in order to lead England out for perhaps his last tournament.  

Jack Wilshere - the nightmare continues

As the days and weeks roll away in the lead-up to Euro 2012, all the worst news is coming at the wrong time for one of England’s brightest hopes. Jack Wilshere was told today he had suffered another stress fracture, this time in his right heel, which threatens to put him out of action for the rest of the season.

The remarkable saga that kicked off in June, following a small injury picked up in England’s friendly against Switzerland, has reached new levels of absurdity as the Arsenal midfielder’s agonising wait on the sidelines continues. Hopes of a return to action by the end of February have been dashed, with the earliest date back deemed to be April. Any later than this will surely be too late for the summer’s footballing showpiece.

Wilshere posted on his Twitter account: “I can confirm I have a stress fracture but it is not in the same area as my first injury which has healed very well which I am happy about.

“I have developed a stress fracture in the heel now and I do not want to put any time scale on it as I do not know how long it will take.”

Arsenal confirmed: “This is a recognised complication of a complex rehabilitation process and, of critical importance, Jack's initial injury is recovering well.”

Last Friday Gunners manager Arsene Wenger revealed Wilshere "felt pain again in his ankle" while running, and had arranged to see a specialist on Friday. “I am so sad that at that age you have to be out for such a long time with not any obvious reason,” Wenger said. “If you had told me that Jack would not have played one game by February, I would have said 'that is impossible'.

“We miss that little burst from Jack. Let's hope it goes well and we have good news from the specialists.”

The news is a bitter blow to Arsenal’s top four hopes, with the club in sixth place heading into tonight’s match away to Bolton. The team has been frequently criticised for relying too heavily on the form of striker Robin Van Persie, and the return of Wilshere would have seen the pressure ease on the Dutch maestro.

The emergence of another prodigious talent, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in recent weeks has been a well-timed boost to Arsenal’s depleted squad. The young winger gave a good showing of himself in the league defeat to Manchester United and the FA Cup win over Aston Villa, and has even been talked of as a potential England squad member for the Euros. Moreover he may threaten former bright hope Theo Walcott’s place in the first team when Ivory Coast winger Gervinho returns from the Africa Cup of Nations, should he continue to outshine his fellow compatriot.

England manager Fabio Capello must be thankful for the continuous stream of talent running from Arsenal’s youth ranks, as he seeks to bring in the next generation to succeed the team’s failed stars. Free from the trauma of past tournaments, stars such as Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as Manchester United’s Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck, would invigorate and ageing squad. Germany showed in South Africa the importance of youth integration, not just for the ability of the players but the competition this provides to established stars. Although John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, the seldom available first-choice defensive partnership for England, may be called back again if fit, the likes of Jones and centre-back Chris Smalling will provide fresh impetus and options.

The rise to fame for Wilshere began in 2008, when he scored his first goal for Arsenal in Carling Cup a win over Sheffield United, but really gathered pace throughout last season. The club’s most used player in the 2010-11 season, his performance in the first leg win over Barcelona in the Champions League second round earned him plaudits all over Europe. England’s bright hope was developing nicely.

By the time of that fateful match in June Wilshere was an undisputed member of the England first XI, and it was his burst into the box that led to England’s first goal when 2-0 down, a penalty by Frank Lampard. Indeed, it was the Chelsea man whose place was under most threat from the young gun. The niggle picked up by Wilshere in the same game, seemingly minor at the time, has ended up setting the tone for the 2011-12 season. Arsenal fans will be praying for an April comeback, but know the only confirmation will be the sight of him driving that midfield again as he did so often last year. 

The Fight on Three Fronts – Premier League Super Sunday 22.1.12

A potentially season-defining matchday takes place this weekend as the title race continues to gather momentum. The matches taking place involve the three front runners and one ex-front runner, with leaders Manchester City taking on third-placed Tottenham in the Etihad before Arsenal entertain Manchester United.

In years gone by the latter would have been the fixture of the season, and the return of veterans Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes will provide a reminder of the class these players had at their peak. The axis of power has now seemingly shifted completely to Manchester, but the London teams can still prove to be major thorns in their sides, particularly now that the pressure’s easing off.

The complexion of the game in London could be radically altered by events in Manchester. This will be no repeat of Tottenham’s 1-5 humiliation in August, with Rednapp’s side embarking on a blistering run from September to put themselves in the frame. Despite last week’s setback against Wolves they are still in the hunt, with much of the credit perhaps going to the manager’s reluctance to announce his team’s arrival at the top.

Under a different manager Spurs would have become giddy after a few good wins and choke when the pressure cranked up. This side has eluded the pressure rise by adopting a grounded mindset, that is to ensure Champions League qualification is achieved. Anything else would be a bonus. This will of course become harder to do if Spurs maintain their form into the spring, but if the players display enough resolve to deal with this, without getting too sucked into the race, they certainly have enough quality to pull it off. Injuries could change everything, but Spurs have dealt with knockbacks and kept going over five months.

Manchester City are learning how a title race works, and despite containing league-winning players from other teams have never been here before a s a collective. Last week’s win over Wigan was significant as it halted a run of two defeats, but gone is the feeling they should have scored five or six. City’s play has become laboured over the last month, perhaps attributed to the realisation that they are expected to win the title. This is a far greater pressure than just being involved in the title race – they have taken two big steps up in ambition this season.

City’s form at home in the league remains imperious, having won all of their games since February last year, but cup defeats at home to United and Liverpool prove that they can be vulnerable. Players like Rafael Van der Vaart and Jermaine Defoe will be licking their lips at the likely inclusion of Stefan Savic, Vincent Kompany’s shaky replacement, and Joe Hart has had to make at least one extraordinary save per game to guarantee the points for City. There is no doubt he has been their most important player of late.

The result of this game could have a significant bearing on how the game in London is played out. The Emirates has been a happy hunting ground for United over the past few years, barring their 1-0 defeat last season, with Ferguson usually setting his team up in a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 formation. This has been designed to soak up the pressure, playing on Arsenal’s tendency to push up with the ball, before slicing through on the break with players like Nani and Wayne Rooney adept at picking out runs.

The most significant threat posed to United is Robin Van Persie, who has remained fit and has ominously set down the marker for 2012 with a goal against Swansea. The remarkable record set in 2011 shows no sign of abating, and as long as he is well Arsenal have a shot at the top four. Rooney’s claims that they can still win the title are a bit far, but he knows the effect a wonderfully in-form striker can have on a team’s season having almost carried United to the title in the 2009-2010 season.

Just as pertinent is the effect an injury to said talisman can have, with Rooney’s subsequent injury sustained against Bayern Munich leading to a crippling loss of confidence throughout the team. If anything like this were to happen to Arsenal the results could be devastating.

United have been a hard team to predict this season. Crushing wins at Fulham and at home to Wigan and Bolton have been matched by baffling defeats at home To Blackburn and at Newcastle. Before that the team ground out a string of 1-0 wins, and even since November their form has lurched into a new dimension. To an extent they have coped with the losses of Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher for the season, but too often losses of concentration and carelessness have cost them. Cut out these character flaws and the leading team would be red, not blue.

We are set to find out further character elements at the top of the table on Sunday. Wins for Spurs and United would turn the race on its head, while two home wins would put City six clear.

The stage has been set.  

Dan Bone

Premier League preview 14/1/12

Premier League preview, 14/01/12 – the title race heats up

As the season enters the second half we are learning a little more of the aspirations of the ‘big six’. The story so far has been Tottenham Hotspurs’ gatecrashing of the title race, for a while seen as a face-off between Manchester’s finest.

Many predicted at the start of the season that there would be two Manchester clubs and one London club sparring at the top. However London’s most consistent team for the last 8 years, Chelsea are now clinging on to what has become a routine involvement in the title race.

It seems unlikely that the Blues’ fluctuating form of late will cost manager Andres Villas-Boas his job, with the view that owner Roman Abramovich installed him to overhaul an ageing squad. However, one quality that has been persistent throughout this squad in past years, the togetherness and team ethic, have seemingly vanished amid well-documented tensions between established players and manager.

Frank Lampard is the most prominent example, having seen his playing opportunities severely limited for the first time in his career. This may have been less emphasized had Villas-Boas taken his team into the midst of a title challenge, but the team’s stuttering form has increased media speculation and turned the heat up on this unorthodox approach. As a result today’s game against Sunderland takes on added interest.

Both Manchester United and Tottenham are expected to join Manchester City at the top of the table, taking on Bolton and Wolves at home respectively. The radical nature of the Premier League over the festive period, including a similarly routine fixture for United against strugglers Blackburn leading to shockwaves with a dismal home defeat, means there will be hope for the underdogs but there should be no slip-ups for the high-flyers.

Alex Ferguson’s claims that Tottenham are currently playing the best football looked like mind games in the build-up to their FA Cup victory over City last Sunday, but the midweek game against Everton confirmed these words. Playing like a team oblivious of the stress of a title race, Tottenham have melded their dazzling attack with a steadfast defence – their eight clean sheets so far equals the eight from the whole of last season. Redknapp has quietly assembled a squad with impressive strength in depth, having coped with injuries much more impressively than City and United so far, and in Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart have consistent world-class performers.

Arsenal fans will have difficulty digesting their bitter rivals’ surge through the ranks but their tie against Swansea on Sunday represents the two silkiest sides in one game. Swansea have the tightest home record this season (conceded four) and will be a match for the Henry-inspired Gunners.

City and United should win their games but neither has looked consistently convincing since Christmas. Upturns in fortune have been matched by disappointing defeats and they will want to stem the rise of Spurs by delivering routine victories.

Liverpool should overcome Stoke at home despite the presence of Andy Carroll, with Steven Gerrard’s return perfectly timed to soothe the absence of Luis Suarez. A sensible apology to Patrice Evra is not forthcoming.