No Dice

A few hours after my previous post in which I urged Kaka to resist City's seduction, it was announced that the Brazilian maestro is staying in Milan. Coincidence?

Very much so, but still. I can dream...

Kaka's decision not to join the richest club in the world will possibly have as much future impact as a decision to join would have had. If he moved to City, one can only assume that a few other very good players would have joined him, thinking "Well if it's good enough for Kaka..." However, now that he has decided not to leave he will most likely be praised for his loyalty and willingness to forfeit incredibly large piles of cash. Given this praise, will other big name players want to face the ridicule of failing to do what Kaka did?

I think that Kaka's decision was always going to set a trend, and unfortunately -- from a Manchester City perspective -- it's not going to be a promising one. Well, at least they got Craig Bellamy....[???]

I think that the only way of salvaging this situation is for the Abu Dhabi group to sack Hughes and bring in a big name manager. That sounds a bit harsh and knee-jerkish, but I think we all know it's inevitable, so the sooner the better in my opinion, before Man City's squad starts to consist largely of mid-table standard Premier League players...and Nigel de Jong, about whom I know absolutely nothing. I remember a John de Jong however, who was quite good in one (or several) of the old Championship Manager games, but that's neither here nor there.

Finally, with Kaka refusing City, does this mean Arsenal's plans of signing Arshavin will come undone? I don't think I'm taking a wild stab in the dark by saying that there's a good chance Man City will make a move for the Russian playmaker, but will he want to involve himself in a relegation fight? Very intriguing times ahead indeed.

Big Deal At Man City

Apparently Kaka wants to know Manchester City's recruitment plan before signing on the dotted lines and selling his soul to Satan (if you believe some doom-mongers). Well Riki, if you're reading this -- and I assume you are since this blog has had quite literally dozens of hits over the past 5 months -- then here's the latest on City's spending policy: They've just signed Craig Bellamy for an "undisclosed fee" (read: A fee so enormous that frankly we're a little embarrassed to announce it).

Yes, that's Craig Bellamy, formerly of almost every other club in the Premier League. One must ask the simple question 'Why?'. Why would any team with ambition sign Craig Bellamy? If the papers are right and City do have a two-track transfer policy -- one for the Sheiks and one for Hughes -- then it's safe to assume that this signing comes from the latter track, in which case Mark Hughes really doesn't have a clue, does he?.

I've heard people expressing doubts about Hughes recently, and I have to say that I'm beginning to take that stance myself. Is he really qualified enough to be handling players like Kaka and Robinho? The football that City play doesn't suggest as much, nor does his eagerness to have Santa Cruz spearheading his attack.

As Sean Ingle said on Football Weekly concerning footballing style under Mark Hughes, it's "as cultured as Luton on a Friday night". I don't know what Luton is like on Friday's, but I'm guessing it's not very cultured, which is an apt description of the kind of football generally played under Hughes' tenure. Cesc Fabregas would certainly agree anyway, having famously (and rather tastelessly) asked Mark Hughes how he could ever have played for Barcelona given the fact his Blackburn side were in effect the anti-Barcelona.

I haven't been sure whether Kaka moving to City would please me or not, but with City's capture of Bellamy my mind is now made up. Kaka coming to the Eastlands would be horrible to see. The thought of him playing alongside the hazard that is Craig Bellamy makes my skin crawl, and it's something I hope doesn't happen for the sake of everything good and pure in this world. However, if Kaka can see past the badness in Bellamy (and I'm sure £500, 000 a week will aid him in gaining this perception) and thus decides to come to Manchester, then I have but one piece of advice for him: For the love of God do not bring your golf clubs with you. You'll only end up regretting it in the long run.

On a more serious note, I don't see why Kaka would want to come to Manchester City, and why A.C. Milan would want to sell him. I can't envisage the money being a factor in Kaka's decision due to the economic theory of diminishing returns if not his religious convictions, and so in my mind there is no other reason to join City. Champisons League football in one and a half years is the very best they can offer him, but with acquisitions such as Bellamy being made and a vigorous pursuit of Santa Cruz seemingly ongoing, it doesn't seem like City are buying the kind of players that win you Champions League football, and Hughes doesn't appear to be the kind of manager capable of orchestrating a team of that standard.

And so on a personal level it will most likely represent a major step backwards in the career of Kaka. Should he get out of Milan? I think so. After all, if they are prepared to sell one of the best players in the world then they really don't have any footballing ambition whatsoever and so it is time to get out of a sinking ship - a sinking ship that entertains players such as Senderos and Beckham no less...or more accurately, a sinking ship because it entertains such substandard players. I mean would Barcelona sell Messi? I honestly don't think they would for any amount of money, unless of course Messi himself wanted to leave. You just can't put a price on such talent, because it is one of a kind and therefore irreplaceable.

The bottom line is that football clubs don't exist to make money. There is nothing wrong with them making money of course, but first and foremost a football club exists in order to win trophies (unless you're Newcastle of course), and out of that the money and prestige comes. The Abu Dhabi group are trying to turn the game on its head by forcing clubs to value money more than talent and trophies. They're turning Indecent Proposal into a real life scenario, offering clubs $1m dollars to sleep with their best player...or something. Yes they are trying to score genuine talent, but so was Robert Redford. The means however is at the very least unconventional, and at worst extremely unethical.

I genuinely hope it doesn't work. Seeing Kaka in the Premier League would obviously be a major plus, but a potentially dangerous precedent will be set if a team battling relegation can acquire the services of one of the top three players in the world. I wouldn't blame Kaka for getting out of Milan, nor would I even blame him for joining City. Ultimately, the blame lands on those who choose to sell him. If Kaka feels expendable, then by all means leave. But by leaving to Manchester City he will be potentially wasting the prime of his career, and this is time that he will never get back.

It's a tough situation for all involved, and I'm still not sure what I think about it, even though I just said that I'm definitely sure what I think about it a few paragraphs ago. Something's not right about it though. I'm just not sure I can pinpoint it exactly. If anyone has any similar of contrasting opinions then do share. I'd be extremely interested to hear them.

What Money Can Buy

Man City have made their first signing, bringing in ex part-time left back Wayne Bridge for £10m. It's not a bad piece of business, although I'm sure Bridge's wages are astronomical what with City having to lure him out of the Winston Bogarde-founded retirement home at Chelsea. Still, Bridge is a player Man City need, and so the small matter of money was never going to get in the way.

The question is, who else do City need? Or at least where else do they need to improve on? Against Hull a couple of weeks ago their starting team looked like this: Hart, Zabaleta, Dunne, Richards, Ball, Wright-Phillips, Kompany, Ireland, Elano, Robinho, Caicedo. Ball is gone and Bridge is in, so that's one necessary step up, but who else should be making way for someone overpriced and overpayed?

Hart is not a bad goalkeeper, but he's not a great one either. He's only 21 so he certainly has time on his side, but right now City need someone experienced and dependable. They need a Reina, a Cech, a Van der Saar, an Almun...er, that may be pushing it, but they need someone between the sticks who isn't just barely elligible to buy a beer in America. It's no coincidence that Villa's acquisition of Brad Friedel has seen them mount a thus far successful push for fourth place, and if City are to make similar inroads then a goalkeeper with oodles of experience should be high on their agenda. It does seem rather unfair to Hart, but when it comes to goalkeeping, there is no substitute for experience. Hart will have his era in the sun, but right now his place is not in the starting eleven of the richest club in the world.

At right back, Zabaleta is reasonably solid, and not bad going forward either. He's not exactly Sagna or Bosingwa, but he's no worse than Arbeloa of Liverpool or, um, right back of Villa (Cuellar? Reo Coker? It's hard to know what with Shorey proving himself to be so incompetent). The problem with Zabaleta is that in the modern game it seems that you have to be black to be a good full back, but to paraphrase Mayor Tommy Carcetti, Zabaletta is white in a position that ain't (suited to white people). For now I think he'll do though, so no immediate change required.

Centre half was where City excelled last season, but this season Dunne and Richards are having a hard old time not conceding goals, and in Dunne's case, not scoring own goals. Dunne is a good centre back, but is he good enough for a top four club? He wouldn't make it into any of the top three's central defenses, but he might make it into Villa's or Arsenal's, so I'm going to say "Yes" for now. With regards Richards however, the jury is still out. He was of course hyped up to the max last season by the British media, but for once they got it wrong [?]. Richards may come good, but as with Hart, City need someone who is ready to make an assault on the big boys immediately. When Liverpool have Carragher, Skrtel and Agger fit, one of them will not be playing regularly, with one of them being Skrtel or Agger. Can City prise one of these two away? Or perhaps someone like Chiellini from Juventus would do the trick, or Alex of Chelsea.

Left back has been covered, so to the midfield we go. In my opinion, Steven Ireland and Vincent Kompany are well equipped to be City's central midfield partnership for the time being, but perhaps City need someone else in there as Barcelona always do. In their current setup, they boast 5 attack minded players and one defensive midfielder. They could do replacing Elano with someone more solid, and frankly, someone from outside of the British Isles. Someone like Aquilani perhaps. They're on the right track with Marcus Senna, but since he has turned their wads of cash down they just need someone who can do a similar job - i.e. move the ball from back to front. This person represents to key to City's success, and so they must get the right man. His quality will decide whether City will be an Arsenal or a Tottenham.

Wright-Phillips represents somewhat of an enigma for me. I know he's decent, but I'm not quite convinced he's good enough for top 4 status. For me, he's one of those players that you probably just need to bite the bullet with and replace him, even though he's not a bad option. City should hold on to him for the time being, but his place should come under threat with a couple of new signings. As I said in a previous post, Diego should be one of those, and perhaps someone like Gourcuff too. These would be "gambles", but then you're not really gambling when money isn't really at stake. The gamble I suppose is whether they will prove good enough for the Premier League, but if you're not willing to take that chance then you will end up with a squad like Sunderland's, and nobody wants that.

Up front, a striker is a must. But not just a goalscorer and nothing else. They need someone who can link up well with Robinho and Ireland. Someone with presence, who can run in behind defenders but can also get out in front. David Villa might be just that person, or perhaps they could go for someone in the same mold of Adebayor and Drogba. Karim Benzema will probably be on the market next summer, so they could really make a splash by buying one of the hottest prospects in world football. That would certainly be a signing worthy of the wealthiest club in the world.

With these signings, City's starting 11 would look something like this:

......................................Experienced Goalkeeper......................................

Zabaleta....................Dunne.....................Chiellini.................Bridge.........

...............................Kompany..................Aquilani......................................

..................................................Ireland........................................................


Diego.....................................................................................Robinho.........

...................................................Villa............................................................

Whether such an eleven is within the realms of possibility is another matter, but when you have as much money as the Abu Dhabi group have, there's very little it can't buy. There's no doubt that a team resembling the above would break into the top four, and possibly even challange for the title if managed very well. Will it look anything like this come February, or even September. Only time will tell.

Another Year Over

Since it's that time of year, I thought I'd compile a list of some memorable football moments over the past 12 months. This is a totally subjective list, so bear that in mind before leaving angry comments about the exclusion of so-and-so. I don't doubt that I've left out some footballing nuggets, but these are what came to mind in the 10 minutes I spent thinking about the year gone by. I'll try and include relevant Youtube clips where possible, because that's the kind of guy I am. And also, the list has no order. So without further adieu...

Fabregas v Milan

It was the second leg of the first Champions League knockout round. Milan had gotten a slightly fortuitous 0-0 draw at the Emirates, where Adebayor somehow managed to miss a header roughly 7 inches from the goal line. Most people thought Arsenal had blown their chance. The old dogs of Milan were said to be too wily to let this youthful Arsenal side get the result they needed on Italian soil. Cesc Fabregas and co. proved most people very wrong.

It was a team effort of course, with even Philip Senderos playing well for a change. But it was the little Spaniard that ran the show from beginning to end. His tackling was tenacious, his workrate second to none, and everything we've come to expect from Fabregas -- his impeccable decision making, his precise passing, his ability to control the tempo of a game -- was on song. He had been quite laboured in the weeks that led up to this game, and quite laboured afterwards as well, but in these 90 minutes he was the complete midfielder, showing the once imperious Pirlo how it's now done.

Discovering Football Weekly

I can't quite remember when exactly I discovered Football Weekly, but I know it was some time in 2008, so that's good enough for it to make the list. I've championed this podcast on the blog already, but I have no problem doing so again.

To put it plainly, my football experience is not complete until I hear the opinions of "the pod" on Monday afternoon and Thursday evening. For anyone who says that football is their favourite sport, Football Weekly is practically required listening. If you haven't yet discovered the joy of it, then do so as soon as possible. There will be a new podcast up on Monday the 29th. I strongly encourage you to listen to it.

Arsenal v Liverpool

Another Arsenal related moment. This time the Gunners were faced with a tricky tie against Liverpool at Anfield (Liverpool in the Champions League and all that jazz) after coming out of the first leg at the Emirates with an unjust 1-1 draw (it should really have been 2-1, with Bendtner blocking a goal bound effort from Fabregas, and the referee denying Hleb a stone wall penalty after the Belarusian had danced his way into the box with his patented nimble footwork). Arsenal had to score at Anfield, and boy did they do just that and then some.

They completely dominated for 30 minutes, playing some of the best football of the season. The goal came from a neatly worked move, and at that point it almost looked like it was just a question of how many Arsenal would score. But then the Senderos factor kicked in. Having completley lost one of the most dangerous aerial threats of the last 10 years in the form of Sami Hyypia at a corner, Senderos then went on to give about 3 yards of space in the box to one of the most potent finishers in the Premier League, and Torres accepted the gift by guiding the ball into the top corner.

The game seemed to just drift away from Arsenal, until Theo Walcott produced a moment of unbelievable brilliance. Never did I think him capable of such things, but he proved me and a host of other people very wrong. It was just incredible to watch, and a moment worthy of winning any tie. Unfortunately for Walcott and Arsenal, it wasn't sufficient to win this tie. In keeping with their season, Arsenal managed to overshadow their attacking prowess by switching off mentality, and allowing Liverpool to go straight back up the field and win a (soft) penalty. A fourth Liverpool goal followed, and Arsenal's Champions League dream was shattered.

Still though, this was easily the game of the season for me, and one that will live long in the memory. If I did have an order to this list, this game would probably be at the top.

Terry Penalty

England's lion heart. England's war hero. Chelsea's rock, their heartbeat, their captain fantastic. John Terry has received all sorts of praise over the years, but in my opinion he has been vastly overrated. He is a good defender, but he's not even the best at his own club. That honour goes to Ricardo Carvalho, and it seems that it is the Portuguese defender's absence which is alerting people to this fact ironically enough.

Terry's missed penalty has of course nothing to do with his defensive capabilities, but you can forgive me for taking a certain amount of pleasure from seeing him completely fluff the chance to win Chelsea that much coveted Champions League trophy. Why he was the designated fifth penalty taker I do not know. The nasty part of me thinks that he just wanted the chance to be a hero, and selfishly decided to step up to the plate rather than letting someone with actual penalty taking abilities to the job. But then maybe no one else wanted the pressure, so JT took it upon himself when all else cowered at the chance.

Either way, he missed, and at that point you just knew who was going to go on and lift the trophy. The only disappointment was that had he scored the penalty, then Ronaldo would have been to blame for United's loss, and on a schadenfreude measuring device, I don't think anything could top that.

Messi v Ronaldo

When Man United and Barcelona were pitted against each other in the semi final of the Champions League, football fans' collective mouth began to water. The games themselves didn't quite work out as people thought they might. They were supposed to be end-to-end affairs, feasts of attacking football, but instead they were slightly cagey, with Barcelona having most of the ball and United defending superbly.

However, the subplot in this tie was equally intriguing. This was billed as 'Ronaldo vs Messi', the battle to see who really is the best player in the world. Of course all of this was sheer hype, and the best player in the world was never going to be decided during the course of two games. But that didn't stop people from getting worked up, with many probably seeing this as the chance for Ronaldo to show that he is the superior footballing specimen.

Well, he did nothing of the sort. If this was indeed Ronaldo vs Messi, then there was only one clear winner, and it wasn't the player who plucks his eye brows. Messi had been out for a month or so before the two games, but he was a constant thorn in United's side over both legs, producing some vintage 'Messi' moments along the way, some of which you can see here. There was a priceless piece of play in the first leg when Messi faced Ronaldo with the ball, waited for the pristinely groomed playboy to make a tackle, and just jinked by him in the blink of an eye. It served as a microcosm of the duo's battle.

The good news is that finally, after many, many months of hearing about Ronaldo's status as best in the world, people have woken up to the fact that the Camp Nou is the home of the world's best football player. The irony is that this realization was only cemented in popular belief around the time Ronaldo picked up the Ballon D'Or. That must really hurt the winker's ego..No wonder he's lashing out at everyone in sight.

Spain

It's very rare these days that the team who play the best football win a major trophy at international level. Since France's victory at Euro 2000, there hasn't really been a team worthy to be considered the best in the world/Europe. In 2002, Brazil won what was a distinctly average World Cup, 2004 saw a resolute but technically limited Greece side lift the European Cup, and the same can be said about the victorious Italian side of 2006, who were excellent in defense but quite laboured in the final third of the pitch. In each of these tournaments the quality was subpar, and only the Argentine team of '06 sticks out as being truly world class.

Euro 2008 broke the curse of dodgy international football, and it saw Spain break their long lived curse of being supreme under achievers. In truth, I think Spain have been vastly overrated in previous tournaments. Players like Etxeberria, Albelda, Baraja, Luque and Joaquin were getting games in 2004, but they were not really good enough to ever win anything. Compare them with Xavi, Iniesta, Senna, Villa and Fabregas and it is clear that the Spain team of 2008 really was a much better team than those of previous years. This was a team with genuine talent, a team that could have been justifiably branded as having under achieved by getting knocked out in the quarter finals.

However, this was to be their year, and never has a team so richly deserved to lift a trophy. They played the best football in a tournament full of good football, and I don't think there is any football fan who would begrudge them their victory. The defining moment of their tournament has to be the win over Italy in the quarter finals. This would usually have been the point for Spain to exit stage left, and having outplayed the Italian's for 120 minutes it seemed all set up for Italy to snatch victory courtesy of a penalty shootout. However, Fabregas was given the chance to exorcise a host of demons, and the former Barcelona prodigy made no mistake, cooly slotting the ball past one of the best goalkeepers ever to grace the sport.

This monumental win lifted the heavy burden off of Spanish shoulders, and they went on to dispatch Russia by playing their best football of the tournament, and ended proceedings by completely outclassing Germany in the final.

Euro 2008 was not only a victory for Spain though - it serves as a victory for football in general. The Spanish team didn't contain any immense physical specimens like Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo. This was a victory for brain over braun. A victory for intelligence over physicality. Spain showed that playing football the way it should be played, the way that makes it the beautiful game, is the best way to win things. They have set the bar when it comes to international football, and given the relative youth of the side, it could be a while before they are knocked off their perch.

Barcelona v Athletico

There is no doubt as to which is the best club team at this moment in time, despite what the Fifa Club World Cup (or whatever it is called) might tell you. Barcelona have won 13 of 16 league games, scoring 48 goals and conceding only 10. If they were in the Premier League, they'd be third, 4 points behind Liverpool and 1 behind Chelsea, with four games in hand. As it is, they are first in La Liga, a massive 10 points clear of their nearest 'rivals' - hardly surprising given that they are averaging 3 goals a game, and have just beaten four of the best teams in Spain by an aggregate score of 11-1.

I've watched a lot of their games, but the one that stands out is the tie against Athletico Madrid. While Athletico were missing a few players, what Barcelona did to them was just catastrophic. The Catalan giants were 3-0 up after seven -- yes, seven -- minutes, and 5-1 up after twenty eight. It finished 6-1 in the end, but only because Barcelona didn't want to embarrass their opponents.

At the beginning of the season when Barcelona had lost and drawn their opening two fixtures, the ever excellent Sid Lowe (who will be in the pod today on Football Weekly) said that it's only a matter of time before Barcelona start clicking and beat someone 24-0. Well, they haven't quite managed 24, but they have won 6-1 (x2), 6-0, 5-0, 4-0, 4-1, and have generally looked unplayable.

While people are saying that Barcelona pose the biggest threat to another Champions League of Anglo domination, it seems more correct to say that the English teams pose the biggest threat to Barca domination. A slightly shakey defense still leaves a large question mark looming over their Champions League-winning credentials, but if they continue on this form in the new year and get past Lyon in the last 16 of the CL, then they will be the team that nobody (not even Liverpool) wants to draw.

Abu Dhabi Group

The comical tales of Messi and Kaka going to City aside, this takeover could well be the start of something very serious in world football. While Manchester City hover in and out of the relegation zone, the events of August 31 await their fulfillment in the January transfer window, and in the summer ahead. Nobody quite knows what's going to happen. Who will move to the Eastlands? Will players such as David Villa want to go? Or will City just end up buying the Shevchenko's of this world - former great players who are looking for a hefty retirement package?

There is talk of players like Bellamy, Defoe, and Parker moving to City, but if the Abu Dhabi group and Manchester City are serious about getting into the Champions League then they must overlook such third tier players. They need to look outside the Premier League for the players that they need, starting with Diego of Werder Bremen. A striker will most definitely be sought after, but Defoe and Bellamy don't represent good options. City should be looking to play a 4-2-3-1 formation (all the cool kids are using it these days), and I don't think such a formation will suit Defoe, and if Bellamy wasn't good enough for a bad Liverpool team then he shouldn't be good enough for a side looking to eventually break into the top 4. He's a mid-table player, nothing less and nothing more.

By signing Robinho, City have set the standard pretty high. I had my doubts about him -- some of which remain -- but you can't deny that he is a first or second tier player; his wonder goal against Arsenal and his last minute strike against Blackburn prove as much. But he needs good company (no pun attended). Will the Abu Dhabi group be able purchase the required personnel? We await with baited breath.

Ireland's goal v Hull

While Robinho has been quite the success story for City this season, he has actually been eclipsed by a 22 year old Irishman in the form of Steven Ireland. The former Cobh Ramblers youngster has been nothing short of excellent so far this season, and if the award for player of the season was given out now, he might well be the favourite to pick it up.

He has had many great moments in a City shirt so far, a personal favourite of mine being his performace against Hull on Boxing Day when he scored one and assisted three, giving me 38 points in Fantasy Football since I had him as captain.

However, the moment that encapsulates his season so far is his second goal against Hull back in November. He controlled the ball outside the box, and as it landed to the ground he just guided it into the bottom corner on the half-volley. It was a Robinho-esque piece of magic, and yet it was produced by someone who can play for the Irish national team. Speaking of which, if Steven Ireland isn't in the next Irish squad then Trapattoni needs his large head examined. At the moment he's the best Irish player I've seen since Roy Keane, and if we are to acheive anything then Steven Ireland must be reinstated, no matter how many grannies he's killed off.

Movers and Sheikhers

Do we now have a 'Big 5'? Or are one of Arsenal or Liverpool going to be replaced in the 'Big 4'? This would appear to be Man City's intention, because you don't spend £33m on a player to guarantee yourself Intertoto football, that's for sure.

When writing about the transfer deadline day, I can only really start with City. Being taken over by Arabs certainly had an immediate impact for the lesser Manchester club. City were reportedly putting in bids for all kinds of big names - Villa, Gomez, Berbatov, Robinho. With the exception of Gomez -- whom nobody else seemed to want -- they were competing with Real Madrid, Man Utd and Chelsea in the transfer market. That's just crazy talk. City? In bidding wars with the Madrids of this world? Surely not.

And what's even crazier is that Man City actually managed to out-bid Chelsea and land Robinho for a cool £33m. In other words, they out-Chelsea'd Chelsea! The question is, was it a wise thing to do?

On paper, I don't think it was. People are calling Robinho 'one of the best in the world', but he's not. He's got unquestionable ability no doubt, but he has yet to produce a very lengthy run of form to suggest that he's up there with players like Messi, Fabregas, Deco, Kaka etc. Ask yourself these questions - why would a player move from Madrid to Man City? Why would a club like Madrid sell 'one of the best players in the world'?

One of the possible answers to the first question is that he knew he wouldn't be getting games for Madrid. He knew they didn't want him. An answer to the second question is that Madrid simply wouldn't sell one of the best players in the world. They'd pay him whatever he wanted in order to keep him in a white shirt. It's perfectly obvious that Madrid are in the habit of pursuing the players considered 'the best in the world' when you look at their shenanignas throughout the summer and down the years. So if in fact they already possessed one, why would they let him go? Again I say they wouldn't, which is why I (nor Madrid) don't consider Robinho to be one of the best, and therefore he's not worth anything close to £33m.

I would say paying that kind of money is a massive risk, but that would be the equivalent of me saying that buying a choclate bar I've never before tasted would make me a risk lover. I can afford to splash 80c on some unproven confectionary, and this Arab group can easily afford £33m on some unproven players. While that makes me a little nauseus, it's nevertheless a fact of life.

Robinho could turn out to be a real star of course. I'm not saying he definitely won't. All I'm saying is that he's not yet the finished article, so expectations need to be kept down a touch.

A reliable source of mine says 'Man City to fall to pieces...you heard it here first'. I find that to be a little premature, because City were a pretty decent side before Robinho signed, so there's no reason to suggest they'll suddenly collapse. They can't buy anybody else until January, but maybe that's the best thing for them. It will give them a chance to properly examine the squad and see where the need to strengthen things up a bit. I mean could you imagine what would have happened if City had more time to spend this summer than a day? Merely adding Robinho to the mix is a much easier task than adding 5 or 6 big names (duh), so this will give City a chance to get their feet wet in terms of dealing with the big names of world football, and not be overwhelmed.

Will they crash and burn? Will they become a real footballing force? Their next game (against Chelsea, which is just perfect) will shed a little more light on those questions, that's for sure.

And if City turn out to be only an average team this season, then as Barry Glendenning said on Football Weekly, we'll be reading in the papers that they're 'No Great Sheikhs'. Heh...Sheikhs.

As for the big 4, Liverpool didn't really do anything special. Just the usual business of securing yet another deal for a winger who costs between 6 and 10 million, and in all likelihood will be a major disappointment, just as the preceeding several dozen were.

Chelsea didn't really do anything either, except not sign Robinho, which may turn out to be a blessing for them. The last thing they needed to do was to spend another collosal amount of money on someone who isn't worth it, so they've at least avoided the potantial of that happening anyway. And if any of the big 4 are adaquetly supplied in the midfield department, it's Chelsea, so the non-capture of Robinho isn't really a blow to their title credentials me thinks.

United signed Berbatov for something like £30m, which is again crazy money. I've made some of my feelings known on Berbatov already in this blog, but what I will say is that if it was between Berbatov and no one at all, then they had to get The Moody One. He's a nice player to watch, and he could do very well for United, but I would have serious question marks over his attitude and his big game temperment. I've seen him give up on too many occasions not to be concerned about it.

Also, what will this mean for Rooney and Tevez, and even Ronaldo for that matter? Will Ronaldo finally start crossing the ball again? Will Tevez or Rooney play on the left, or will one of them be benched? Can Tevez or Rooney play on the left to good effect? We shall wait and see.

As for Arsenal, well they did sod all on the deadline day, which is not especially surprising given that, unlike me, Wenger probably wouldn't spend 80c on a chocolate bar, not to mention a few million on a player.

I said before that they needed to buy a central midfielder. They didn't, and they will most likely pay for that against the big teams. Out of all the candidates for the position, I think Song might be the best equipped, but Wenger seems content to start him on the bench every game. Right now Denilson is the starting midfield partner for Fabregas, but he has yet to prove himself worthy of the position. He's promising, but he's not there yet.

Eboue has been good so far this season, but you can't ignore the fact that Arsenal have played 5 very easy games. When Eboue comes up against the big guns, his incompetence is plain for all to see.

Because of the lack of a steady, reliable partner for Cesc, I think Arsenal will struggle to make a title challenge this season. They may prove me wrong, like they did many last year, but Wenger is gambling with his teams chances. There is of course the possibility that someone will step up to the plate, much like Flamini last year. I mean if you had told me a year ago that Flamini would be an integral part of the Arsenal midfield I'd have burned you at the stake for heresy. Maybe someone like Song, Denilson or Diaby will prove the doubters and the sceptics wrong. But that's what Arsenal are relying on - maybe's.