FFP ONLY BOLSTERS ELITE BRAND CLUBS

Every football club in Europe must operate within the parameters of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations but the rules do not encourage competition and seem only to serve teams with a global brand already in place.

D. Ray Morton, 16th January 2015.

British transfer record signing Ángel Di María will not be Manchester United's last mega purchse

Some comparisons were made in the past week about the managerial records of Manchester United's current manager, Louis van Gaal, and last year's horror show ran by David Moyes. At this stage of last season, United had accumulated the same amount of points (though their league position is superior). It begged the question, just how well is van Gaal really doing and how can United push on and become the force, again, that they were under Sir Alex Ferguson? Their solution? Cash. Having spent a fortune last summer, including the British transfer record signing of Ángel Di María, they are set to do the same again between now and the end of next August. There is talk of spending €150m on three targets: AS Roma's Kevin Strootman, Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels and Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne.

In this supposed period of austerity and responsibility in football, how is it possible for United to shell out such vast amounts of money whilst other clubs remain hamstrung by revenue limitations? It is all about the size of the brand. There are maybe a handful of teams with this luxury. United are one of them. A huge corporate brand that flogs merchandise throughout Asia in the manner of which smaller clubs can only dream of. Barcelona, Real Madrid and arguably Bayern Munich are also amongst this elite. Nouveau riche sides like Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris St. Germain do not have this luxury as their spending comes from wealthy individuals as opposed to generating revenue through merchandise sales and sponsorship deals. Although Chelsea, City and PSG aspire to dominate Europe, they are still outside that top bracket when it comes to flogging replica kits globally.

This global brand gravy train for the few brings about many questions. Seeing as these few clubs can continue to spend massive amounts of money thanks to the strength of their brand, does it not make football less competitive from a strictly capitalistic sense? Spend all you like as long as it is not from some rich man's pocket. This is something that is new to football. Though many clubs would produce their own players in the past, teams really only improved considerably when they were bankrolled by a wealthy owner. Who could imagine a Brian Clough in this era, a great manager famed for bringing small provincial clubs from the lower divisions to challenging in the top flight? That was done through old-fashioned investment and sound coaching.

Brian Clough, though a socialist politically, cleverly used his owners' capitalist endeavour to reach success

FFP removes this possibility because every investment made needs to be backed up. There are inconsistencies, such as the building of Man City's development centre which does not fall within the jurisdiction of FFP. The idea is to try and spend a fortune developing home-grown players rather than spending it in the transfer market. Either way, such projects will just become "player factories" where young players will get moved on in order to generate money for the main team. These players will never get a look in. Since City have funded this ambitious youth system, not a single player from it has made a first-team appearance. Chelsea do similar things in that many of their players get loaned out to feeder club, Vitesse Arnhem, where their price rises without any true chance of breaking into Chelsea's real first-team.

So there is a glass ceiling there for these just-off top clubs. Is this really good for football? Is it just financial reshuffling that ensures the rich stay rich? When UEFA came out with the idea for FFP, it seemed like money in football was finally going to be cleaned up. It has not been. It has only been moved around differently leaving smaller clubs with a sense of limitation, frustration and confusion.

A STINKER TONIGHT COULD MEAN CURTAINS FOR JOE HART

Manchester City face AS Roma in a crucial Champions League group match at the Etihad tonight. Having lost to Bayern Munich in their first game and with the side from the Italian capital in impressive form, all eyes will be on the returning Joe Hart who needs a solid performance to remain as City's no. 1 choice between the sticks.

D. Ray Morton, 30th September 2014.

Joe Hart has found himself on the bench for Manchester City of late and must channel any frustration into a positive performance given another chance to prove his ability tonight

I wonder what a man like Manuel Pellegrini thinks of Joe Hart. The Chilean manager, who you cannot imagine to be a believer of English hype, must surely have his reservations about the bleach-headed stopper evidenced by the fact that he has openly dropped him for the second time since taking over as Manchester City's boss. Hart is a media-friendly and hard-working, all-round nice guy. This alone cannot cut the mustard with the expectations City have set themselves. If they want to become a true continental and global power, they need the best as their last line of defence.

When not dancing on nightclub tables or shooting Head & Shoulders ads, Hart is certainly an above average goalkeeper with a good aerial ability and quick reflexes. The weakness in his game is his propensity to do something crazy when City are in command of games. Perhaps he becomes over-eager to prove himself in matches where he has very little to do. He has been dropped for the last two games, Pellegrini favouring Willy Caballero - a goalkeeper he trusts from his time in La Liga. Caballero may not be as imposing a figure as Hart but he has a tendency to pick up a lot of man of the match awards thanks to his ability to pull off impossible-looking saves. It is actually something of a puzzler why he was not selected for Argentina's World Cup squad after having a great season with Málaga before making his move to the Premier League.

Willy Caballero is proving to be the real competition in the City squad which Hart did not really have last season

The match against Roma tonight is absolutely crucial to City's hopes of making an impact in this season's Champions League. Though they are favourites, defeat would mean staring down the barrel of very possible elimination at the group stage, something this team has been familiar with during the Roberto Mancini era. The time for excuses is over. City have one of the most expensively-assembled squads of all-time and stating that they lack experience in the competition would simply be a fallacy now. Were they to lose, there would be no more second chances after that. They would probably need to win their remaining four matches barring an unlikely capitulation from either Roma or Bayern. Keep in mind that Roma have won all of their matches so far this season.

The pressure would hit Pellegrini were they not able to put the Italians away. Even a draw would hurt. With Chelsea looking strong in the league, elimination from Europe's greatest club competition could spell major trouble. A bad performance from Hart tonight, a nervous moment or an error, would surely end any remaining trust of his manager. There would be an escape plan for Hart, possibly offered by Liverpool who are sniffing around as they are not entirely satisfied with Simon Mignolet's performances at Anfield. If Roma give City a game tonight, this could be Joe Hart's D-Day.

HAVE CHELSEA SEWN UP THE EPL ALREADY?

Chelsea avoided defeat and tormented their greatest challengers for the Premier League title on Sunday. Despite conceding late on, you get the feeling that this will be José Mourinho's year and the other sides are noticing it too. Here are some thoughts on this weekend's matches in England and on the continent.

Frank Lampard may have reluctantly saved Manchester City's skin at the Etihad but Chelsea fans should not be upset as avoiding defeat and dampening their opponents' spirits was key

Chelsea manager José Mourinho must be a rather pleased man. Pleased, that is, in spite of his former player, Frank Lampard, denying him a win at the Etihad in the Blues' visit to Manchester City. Thing is, a victory would have sealed the Premier League title race shut. A draw is fine, however, especially the manner in which it was achieved. City were desperate and even resorted to weak criticisms of their opponents after the game. Manuel Pellegrini insisted that Chelsea play like Stoke! A classic case of sour grapes, the Chilean perhaps frustrated at the signs that this City side has lost that bit of hunger that delivered them the league title last season.

Manuel Pellegrini's post-match comparison of Chelsea and Stoke was both outdated and inaccurate

Onto Manchester United. To anyone that watched it, my words here will not even begin to describe the autrocity that befell them. Cruising to a 3-1 away win at little Leicester City, United's woeful defence conspired to throw away a commanding lead and ended up losing 5-3 in what was arguably the most entertaining game of the season so far. Attacking play ruled the roost and United's attempt to put the game away fizzled pathetically. Young Tyler Blackett was screamed at by captain Wayne Rooney after conceding the equaliser. Rooney had been the one who lost the ball to set up the goal. His confidence damaged, Blackett was later sent off for a professional foul in the penalty area, one of two United conceded on the day. It was a mess all-round, credit Leicester, as Louis van Gaal appeared shell-shocked answering questions post-match.

Tyler Blackett's confidence must be crushed after being screamed at by Wayne Rooney, giving away a penalty and getting sent off. A bad day at the office overall for the youngster

Liverpool also lost out. This time to West Ham at the Boleyn Ground. Without Daniel Sturridge, they are missing something and the players Brendan Rodgers has signed in order to cover the Luis Suárez void are hardly filling their fans with confidence. Good manager that he is, some feel he got a tad lucky to have inherited the world class Uruguayan and perhaps only achieved last season's second place finish thanks the transitional nature of the campaign where many top teams changed managers.

Bubbles in your face: Brendan Rodgers will have to rethink things after going down 3-1 at West Ham

Tottenham flopped in front of their own fans in a very AVB-like performance in their 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. It was back to sterile possession, moving the ball slowly from side-to-side without any real aggression. This pattern of play is still rooted in the Spurs squad despite two managerial changes since André Villas-Boas was shown the door.

Mauricio Pochettino showed more passion than his players at White Hart Lane on Sunday

North London rivals Arsenal had more joy when they put away plucky Aston Villa thanks to a barrage of three goals in the space of no more than seven or eight minutes. Mesut Ozil was back to his best playing in his preferred central role though many will still write him off as a flat track bully no matter how Arsene Wenger portrays him.

Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck did enough to keep their critics quiet against Aston Villa

 

Across Europe, there were goals galore in Spain as clásico rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona both recorded high scoring victories away to Deportivo and Levante respectively. Real won 8-2 thanks to a storming hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo and Barca notched up five and kept a clean sheet in a game where Lionel Messi starred in something of a playmakers' role despite missing a penalty. In Italy, Juventus showed they are still the team to beat despite a change in management. They visited Milan at San Siro and came away with a 1-0 win thanks to a Carlos Tevez strike.

Lionel Messi has become creator-provider...penalty misser under Luis Enrique in his deeper playmaker role

 

Without Champions League or internationals and only minor cup competitions to be competed in this mid-week, this gives teams an ample opportunity to refresh and rethink now that the major European domestic campaigns are starting to take shape. We are not too far off October, the month before the sack race. Giddy up!

PREMIER LEAGUE WRAP-UP AFTER WEEKEND 2

The English and Welsh Premier League is past its second weekend as title co-favourites Manchester City and Chelsea dominate whilst the supposedly revitalised Manchester United continue to falter.

 

D. Ray Morton, 26th August 2014.

Stevan Jovetic put in arguably his finest Premier league performance thus far last night as he scored twice to help Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-1 at the Etihad

The Good

Last night, Manchester City swept aside a defensively frail Liverpool side thanks to a fine brace from in-form Stevan Jovetic and another from substitute Sergio Agüero in an exciting clash at the Etihad. Liverpool scored one of their own through another sub, Rickie Lambert, but it was not enough to claw back against the defending champions. Jovetic's performance was particularly impressive demonstrating the pace and technique he had shown at his former club Fiorentina but was not seen much last campaign as he struggled with injuries. Edin Džeko is another luxurious forward option and with Álvaro Negredo yet to come back, one imagines goals should not be a problem for Manuel Pellegrini's team as the campaign wears on.

Tottenham are sitting pretty on top of the Premier League table thanks to a storming win against Queens Park Rangers at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino's men strolled to a 4-0 victory against former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp's newly-promoted relegation candidates. The manner of the victory was worth taking note of. Spurs pressed extremely well and managed to keep possession beautifully throughout. This was the brand of football the Tottenham faithful wished for last season but it never materialised under André Villas-Boas or the man who followed him, Tim Sherwood. Érik Lamela impressed again and the club record signing is starting to show signs that he will not continue to be the flop that he was last season. New recruit, Eric Dier looks like an early candidate for signing of the season. Pochettino is developing a collective confidence at Spurs and as long as their players continue to grasp his philosophy, they will push hard for a Champions League spot. 

Tottenham celebrate during their 4-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers

Speaking of Champions League spots, we move onto...

The Bad

 

Another disappointing weekend for Manchester United. This was the side that was supposed to pull up its pants this season, attack the top four spots and maybe even make a run for the title. Instead, two weeks in, they look like a shambles. Louis van Gaal's three at the back continues to struggle and their 1-1 away draw to Sunderland was lucky if anything as the Black Cats played the better football. Marcos Rojo and Ángel Di Maria (a reported €80m record signing) are set to come in soon and the other major clubs will get stuck into their European campaigns but big questions are being asked already. Is three at the back the way forward in a league that predominantly features lone striker formations? Will doubts creep in? Will the new players bed in or become expensive failures? Right now it is looking grim. Even if they continue to throw their money around and go after further targets before 1st September, such a rapidly slapped together XI could struggle some more. Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Rojo and Di Maria are all fine players but are not the types to run things on their own.

Di Maria in at Manchester United but that is no guarantee of immediate success

We have already mentioned Liverpool but did not mention the signing of Mario Balotelli. At €20m, it represents a potential bargain but the entire deal is somewhat puzzling. AC Milan were very quick to show him the door despite not having that many great strikers at San Siro already. Filippo Inzaghi became disillusioned with his presence and felt he was a poisonous presence in the dressing room. Brendan Rodgers has dealt with some bad boys in the past but "Super Mario" brings that to a whole new level. Even if he behaves himself off the pitch, he can be a right nuisance on the pitch when things do not go his way. Last season at Milan, he tended to sulk and move around very little if he felt the team was not playing well. Such arrogance, laziness, whatever you will call it, could simply not be accepted under the glaring cameras and the loud-mouthed reactions of the Premier League machine. Balotelli brings his best in patches. That is what he has done throughout his whole career. He may score a free-kick or two but do not expect a Luis Suárez replacement.

Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli and Kenny Dalglish all happy...before Liverpool proceeded to get thumped by Manchester City

Results

Saturday

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

Chelsea 2-0 Leicester (D. Costa, E. Hazard)

Crystal Palace 1-3 West Ham (Chamakh; Zaraté, Downing, C. Cole)

Southampton 0-0 West Brom

Swansea 1-0 Burnley (N. Dyer)

Everton 2-2 Arsenal (Coleman, Naismith; Ramsey, Giroud)

Sunday

Hull City 1-1 Stoke City (Jelavic; Shawcross)

Tottenham 4-0 QPR (Chadli 2, Dier, Adebayor)

Sunderland 1-1 Manchester United (Rodwell; Mata)

Monday

Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool (Jovetic 2, Agüero; Lambert)

ANOTHER CESC SAGA ALBEIT DIFFERENT

D. Ray Morton, 6th June 2014.

Though not a horror signing, it has not been all smiles and sunshine for Fàbregas at Barcelona

Cesc Fàbregas has been the subject of a number of transfer sagas over the past few seasons. In the summer of 2011, Barcelona finally pried him away from Arsenal for £35m plus add-ons amounting to amother £5m. Last summer, speculation mounted that Manchester United were hot on his trail as he only managed to register two steady seasons with Barça, failing to take Camp Nou by storm. After another decent but unspectacular campaign, speculation is mounting about his future again.

The dynamic is slightly different this time, however. Fàbregas has been seen as something of a flop. His addition to Barcelona's squad unsettled the Busquets-Xavi-Iniesta midfield axis and his presence hastened Thiago Alcântara's departure from the club, moving to Bayern Munich in search of more first-team opportunities. Fielding Cesc became more of a problem than a solution. Do you fit him in instead of Xavi or Andrés Iniesta or do you play him in Lionel Messi's false 9 role? Whichever position he was put in, it never seemed as natural as it did at Arsenal.

Spending £40m on an ex-youth player also created an awkward dynamic. It was a vast fortune to spend on a player that the club did away with in the past only to take him back like a prodigal son. Such lavish spending happens at Barça but not for their La Masia contingent. Blending expensive signings with in-house talent has been the club's way, not spending a king's ransom on once homegrown fledglings. One could point to Chelsea's expensive re-signing of Nemanja Matic as a good example of this kind of deal but Roman Abramovich's team are known for their vast consumption and do not have a philosophy or a fanbase that they have to answer to like that of the Catalan clubs'.

New manager Luis Enrique deems Fàbregas surplus to requirements and wants to generate money through sales in order to secure his own transfer targets. I wrote on the interest in Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic lately and recent reports do suggest he is very close to signing for Barcelona, snubbing both Atlético and Real Madrid in the process. They will want to add a defender, another midfielder and an attacker to that therefore Cesc has become a target for Manchester clubs City and United, Chelsea and maybe even old club Arsenal. There seems to be an odd reluctance amongst these clubs to make a move materialise, however, and only Chelsea's José Mourinho has publicly stated he is monitoring the situation despite Fàbregas' possible reluctance to work with a former Real Madrid manager who managed to rub quite a few Catalans the wrong way during his time at the club.

Wherever he ends up, Fàbregas is still a player with plenty left to offer. He must be used in his best role, however, and that is in an advanced midfield role with protective players behind him and a recognised striker ahead of him, not as a deeper lying metronome or as false 9. He does not have the pace to lead the line and does not have the positional discipline to play too deep but he is a fine attacking playmaker. He needs a good World Cup to give his career another kick-start and some fine performances in Brazil could ignite some more aggressive bids for his services.

IVAN RAKITIC IS RED HOT PROPERTY

D. Ray Morton, 2nd June 2014.

Ivan Rakitic was the star of Sevilla's Europa League triumph and was named player of the competition

Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic may be one of European football's hottest properties right now. Having guided his side to Europa League glory, the Croatian international is on the radar of several major clubs in need of a creative midfield presence. Rakitic offers the characteristics of a classic Balkan playmaker in spades. His playing style has been compared to legendary schemers like Zvonimir Boban and Dragan Stojkovic. According to his father, Luka, the top three Spanish clubs of Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid are hot on his trail and hinted that Barça may be his preferred choice should an offer materialise.

His buyout clause comes to about €40m though it is believed that his contract features a reduction of that price were an offer made by a "big club" which could mean reducing his cost to about €25m. With Cesc Fabregas being put up for sale and Xavi now 34 years old, Barcelona will be looking for quality to add to their midfield options. Atlético's Koke may be their number one choice but the Croat would be a fine alternative. Rakitic has a good head on his shoulders, genuinely loves the game and would fit into Barça's possession-based, communal philosophy. This is a guy who owns a minor Swiss club, NK Pajde (Croatian for "Buddies"), as a hobby such is his passion for football.

Many eyes will be on his exploits at this month's World Cup. His Croatian midfield link-up with Luka Modric should keep Brazil on their toes in the tournament's opening game on June 12th. He brings a lot to the table tactically. He can play anywhere across the midfield, in the hole or even as a second striker. He is deadly from long range, retains the ball very well and is highly technical. Last season, in 41 starts, he scored 13 goals and made 12 assists at club level between league and European appearances. At 26 years of age, he is just coming into his prime and, given the right push, can be one of the Europe's best playmakers in the years to come.

Premier League clubs will cast glances at him but there does not seem to be a realistic deal to be made there. Chelsea are already stacked full of attacking midfielders and a manager that distrusts players without defensive priorities as mentioned here in yesterday's article in regards to Eden Hazard. Though Rakitic is versatile and adaptable, he is not exactly a player that excels in the nitty-gritty side of things. Very much an artist as opposed to a destroyer. Manchester City can offer riches but this alone would not interest Rakitic one would think. The allure of a Barcelona or a Real Madrid cannot be matched by Sheik Mansour's wheelbarrows full of cash.

PRE-WORLD CUP VACUUM IS TEDIOUS

D. Ray Morton, 1st June 2014.

The World Cup will be here very soon, finally, amidst fears of unbuilt stadiums

We have entered June and the World Cup will hit our TV screens in eleven days. This period between the end of the domestic football season and the world's biggest international sports event has been downright tedious, however.

Rumour mills have been overloaded and changes are afoot. Possibly the most ridiculous story that has broken out over the past couple of weeks is Yaya Touré's demand for a move away from Manchester City because the club did not acknowledge his birthday. That is one for the ages. An eight year-old could come up with a better excuse and if Touré and his agent do successfully negotiate a mega-bucks move away from the Etihad, City fans will feel both frustration at having lost a great player and the frustration of having egg on their face. Questions will be raised as to why a player like Touré, a freshly-crowned Premier League winner, would flee Manchester despite the riches on offer there. He has flirted with the idea of a return to Barcelona though the Catalan club are unlikely to approach him. Paris St. Germain are the favourites for his signature.

Eden Hazard is not exactly feeling the love at Chelsea right now

Speaking of PSG's attempts to further strengthen their growing empire, Eden Hazard could also be in their cross-hairs. Chelsea's Belgian winger is unsettled at Stamford Bridge due to manager José Mourinho's public announcement that Hazard does not play for the team. A puzzling statement about an extraordinary attacking talent, a future Balon d'Or winner in the making. Could there be some massive clean-up going on behind the scenes at Chelsea? PSG are throwing caution to the wind with their spending but Chelsea are tightening that belt and raking in the cash as evidenced by their swift decision to offload David Luiz to the Parisian giants last month. Are Chelsea forced to sell Hazard for, say, €70m? They are giving the impression that it would a tactical decision which could appease their supporters rather than showing it would be for financial stability. The sale of Hazard would cause waves, however. Bigger waves than a Yaya Touré move considering his age and vast potential. It would also demonstrate that PSG really are on the up and up and Chelsea are stagnating somewhat.

Poor Montolivo. Here is a token "sickening leg-break" snap

Another feature of this pre-carnival vacuum are the World Cup warm up matches. Such drudgery, understandable I guess, but dire to watch all the same. The level of excitement between a late season international friendly and an actual World Cup match is incomparable. These friendlies come at a cost too. Italy have lost Riccardo Montolivo to a horrendous leg break in last night's exhibition against Ireland at Craven Cottage. A huge blow for the azzurri as the AC Milan midfielder was expected to play a key role in their upcoming games against England, Uruguay and Costa Rica.

The only real points of interest so far have been some major managerial appointments. Manchester United have appointed Louis van Gaal, though it is becoming clear that he was not their first choice as the Red Devils sniffed out Borussia Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp and Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti before their futures had been determined. Van Gaal will be flung into an arena of high expectations, that is after he is done with the Netherlands' World Cup campaign which features a tough group with defending champions Spain, Chile and Australia.

Much-loved by the Barcelona faithful, how will he do now as a manager in the Camp Nou hot-seat?

Another fascinating appointment is Barcelona's decision to hire ex-player and ex-Barcelona B coach, Luis Enrique. Leaving his role at Celta Vigo, Enrique will bring a more familiar brand of attacking possession football to Camp Nou but it should be interesting to see how his "fitness freak" conditioning systems will rub off on what is a somewhat rattled squad that could not pick up any significant silverware last season. It will also be a key season for Lionel Messi, some having accused him of taking his foot off the gas to save himself for Argentina's World Cup. Can he recapture his status as the world's finest player or will Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo seize the glory again? Winning a World Cup in-between might be just the tonic Messi needs.

With Tottenham Hotspur poaching manager Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton, one of the funnier quotes this week came from Real Madrid's Angel di Maria: "It hurts when you're always doing your best for your club and then you hear that you might be going to Tottenham." Inadvertently humiliating to Spurs, Pochettino will need to give his squad the kick up the backside to make them a serious club again. He has been challenged with providing that holy grail of a top four finish, a familiar tune from Daniel Levy, and the pressure will be on if results do not match expected standards.

So between preposterous big money transfers, broken legs in friendlies and more managerial merry-go-round, we just want to get on with the World Cup at long last. Will the stadiums be up to scratch? Will Brazil triumph as expected? Bring it on for goodness sake.

SOCCERSTASH MINI-HITS: MONACO DITCH RANIERI

SOCCERSTASH MINI-HITS: MONACO DITCH RANIERI

D. Ray Morton, 21st May 2014.

Ranieri ditched by Monaco despite steady progress

"New horizons", or something along those lines. Super-rich Monaco have dumped Claudio Ranieri in search of some great new managerial genius capable of delivering to the principality-located side what newfangled Parisian rivals Paris St. Germain threaten: Billionaire-fuelled Domestic and European Dominance! For some reason, this reminds me of Mark Hughes at Manchester City.

"CRYSTAL" PULIS MASTERMINDS LIVERPOOL COLLAPSE

D. Ray Morton, 6th May 2014.

 Dwight Gayle reels away in celebration after scoring Crystal Palace's late equaliser

The travelling Liverpool fans belted out "we're going to win the league" around Selhurst Park last night after their side had taken a commanding three goal lead against Crystal Palace. This happened before Tony Pulis' team completed the shock comeback of the season in order to crush any last hope of the Premier League title going to Merseyside. Perhaps the opportunity had already been blown but this 3-3 draw was one of the final nails in the coffin. They can still, mathematically, win the league but Manchester City would have to fail spectacularly with only Aston Villa and West Ham to play, both at the Etihad.

A true fall apart, some have described last night's action as "Istanbul in reverse". Cruising to the point where the foot was mildly off the pedal in terms of finishing, the visiting fans yelled "attack, attack, attack!" in anticipation of another high-scoring, dominant victory. Tony Pulis had other ideas, however. A good manager will still have a game plan when his side are trailing by two goals going into the last twenty minutes but rarely can a boss change things when three behind. Pulis saw a weakness in Liverpool's defence and his impact sub, Dwight Gayle, was deployed to devastating effect. The ex-Arsenal youth player, who had to drop down to non-league football at one stage, ripped The Reds' defence apart with his pace and bagged a superb brace to crush Liverpool's spirit.

Pulis deserves massive credit and should probably be awarded the Manager of the Year prize which had been booked for Brendan Rodgers had he been able to secure a long-awaited but unlikely league title win. With nothing to work with resources-wise, Pulis has turned this Palace side into one of the most stubborn in the Premier League, a complete transformation from the Ian Holloway-led relegation candidates that started out the season.

Long-ball Stoke jokes are out of fashion as Pulis demonstrates his managerial chops at Palace

Luis Suarez had to cover his face after the final whistle as captain Steven Gerrard put his arm around him and shoved cameramen away as he attempted to console the Uruguayan. Only weeks earlier, Gerrard had been kissing cameras, so optimistic was the mood around the club. We can't tell whether Suarez was even crying beneath the veil of his jersey. He could have just as easily been laughing hysterically in irony, incredulous that Liverpool could concede so many after he and strike partner Daniel Sturridge ripped apart opposition defences with their combined 52 league goals this term.

This entire whirlwind of events has left audiences puzzled, neutrals unsure how to take it all in. A month or two ago, Liverpool had become many fans' (Manchester United and Everton followers excluded) second team with their dazzling displays of attacking football. Now their defending has become so farcical that it's hard to respect their almost suicidal insistence on only attempting to outscore their opponents. The positivity has soured and hope went from cockiness to what is currently despair. On the whole, however, Liverpool should still consider this season a success looking at their improvement in league position. They would have happily taken second place when asked at the start of the campaign.

What happens next season is intriguing. Having missed out on the title, Suarez will be more tempted than ever should Real Madrid come knocking. It's a once in a lifetime chance to play at the world's most successful club and it will be very hard to keep him. The received fee could be astronomical and that would allow Brendan Rodgers to invest in some real defenders and a Suarez replacement. Someone like Juventus' Carlos Tevez would be ideal should he become available. The restructuring need not be dramatic but it will need to take place with the possibility of a resurgent Man United competing with and against City, Chelsea and Arsenal next season.

HAVE LIVERPOOL BLOWN THEIR BIG CHANCE?

D. Ray Morton, 27th April 2014.

 Demba Ba scores Chelsea's opener capitalising on Gerrard's mistake

Sunday's Premier League action saw Chelsea defeat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield as Manchester City later put two past Crystal Palace on their travels to add yet another twist to this incredible title race.  City have three remaining matches and barring an unlikely turnaround of their goal difference advantage, a trifecta of victories will hand them the championship crown.

Manchester City's destiny is now in their own hands
 

Liverpool's horror afternoon was largely due to the poor performance of their captain, Steven Gerrard, whose erroneous slip cost them Demba Ba's opener. Chelsea sat very deep with the second string side Jose Mourinho had warned he would field in order to rest players for their second leg Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid in mid-week. The underdog mind game comment worked a treat.

 

 Captain Gerrard's performance was poor at the time they needed him the most

Gerrard's game was panicked and he wasted possession several times with speculative long shots. Reds' talismanic striker Luis Suarez struggled to make an impact and was marshalled effectively by rookie defender Tomas Kalac.  Daniel Sturridge couldn't find spaces and his dismal showing lead to Chelsea's second when substitute Fernando Torres combined with Willian on the counter who walked it into an empty goal.

Willian had all the time in the world after he broke free with Torres during a late counter attack
 

Liverpool will take part in the Champions League next season and it should be interesting to see how they will deal with the busier schedule. Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are used to that situation but Brendan Rodgers' squad will have to be strengthened in the summer. Mourinho's Chelsea will be very strong as soon as they sign a world class striker, most likely Atletico's Diego Costa. City will spend too. Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton will also do their best to improve.
 

The chance of winning a title for Liverpool doesn't come along too often and there is now a sinking feeling about this season and that maybe the talk of it being their year had been too premature.

MOYES MUTINY MOUNTS AFTER MANCHESTER DERBY

MOYES MUTINY MOUNTS AFTER MANCHESTER DERBY

D. Ray Morton, 26th March 2014.

As soon as Yaya Toure fired home Manchester City's third goal in their three-nil away slaying of cross-city rivals Manchester United last night, the home fans parted like the Red Sea and left Old Trafford in their droves. That is, apart from the few stewards asked to guard the "Chosen One" banner attached to the Stretford End in fear of it being ripped down. Anger was the main reaction from United fans in this most woeful of displays in the 167th Manchester derby.

"I take responsibility. I have to be the one who plays them, picks them
 and that is what it is. I think there are a lot of really good players there,
 some can play better, but there are a lot of really good players in the squad,
 a lot of international players and players who I think on their day
 can be a match for most players."

David Moyes' reaction post-match revealed desperation. His absolute failure to motivate his squad is a gaping inadequacy. In football, struggling managers are often accused of "losing the dressing room". This is not so much the case with Moyes as he maybe never had the dressing room in the first place. Sir Alex Ferguson sold the fans on Moyes' appointment but the same cannot be said for senior players who simply have not performed for the 50 year-old Scot. This is the same Scot that Tottenham Hotspur once considered hiring before opting for Andre Villas-Boas feeling that the young Portuguese essentially had more to offer on the basis of having actually won something despite being younger than several of the first-team squad players.

If Moyes was to be the long-term appointment, Sir Alex's old backroom staff would be there to bed him in, that is unless you terminate all of their contracts as Moyes did in an attempt to bring in his own people and feel independent in his role. The poor starts in either half last night demonstrated that Moyes' team talks are not working. Edin Dzeko had given City the lead after 43 seconds. He bagged another just eleven minutes after the restart.

"I just think we never came out of the blocks. You prepare the players,
 you warm them up, you do all the things to have them ready
 but we just never started. It gave them a real big lift to get a goal so early on."

The game was a true walk in the park for City. They never had to lift a gear. Fernandinho spoke of how easily they beat them earlier on in the season and this was no different. Nasri hit the post during their first attack and Dzeko knocked in the rebound.

City's second came off a Nasri corner. Rio Ferdinand's hatchet marking job on Dzeko meant the big Bosnian striker had plenty of space to volley home his second of the evening.

Yaya Toure, who added the third, ensured an end to the home fans' attempt at a  loyalty sing-song.

Moyes felt the hostility all night. At one point during the game, he was accosted by a furious fan who shook his fists at the United manager just several feet away from the dug-out.

Moyes looked to try and ignore it but it's rather obvious he would have heard all of this angry fans sentiments from that close difference. A cringesome moment if there ever was one.

Fans outside the ground chipped in on the dissatisfaction also. This one enraged fan, interviewed by United online fanzine FullTimeDEVILS , dubbed Moyes as "the biggest fool in Manchester" as April Fools' Day approaches:

The rest of the season will be a right struggle for United and Moyes from here on in. They face Aston Villa at home this weekend and considering how awful their home form has been, there will be no easy matches in that regard, playing in front of their evermore frustrated fans. Bayern Munich come afterwards and even the most optimistic of followers can only see that as a write-off now. The defending European Champions just secured their second Bundesliga in a row last night and will be licking their lips at the prospect of thrashing a disorientated United. Once that European campaign goes down like a lead balloon, meaningless league matches will remain, a managerial nightmare in terms of motivating already demotivated players. I still see Moyes lasting until some stage after the summer but it should be fascinating to see how he deals with bad results before then. How far can the outrage go and how long will that banner stay on the Stretford End?

CITY DUMPED OUT OF EUROPE AND SHOULD HAVE NO COMPLAINTS

CITY DUMPED OUT OF EUROPE AND SHOULD HAVE NO COMPLAINTS

D. Ray Morton, 13th March 2014.

Barcelona have booked their way into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 home win at Camp Nou against Manchester City last night which gave them a 4-1 aggregate victory over the two legs. City now only have the Premier League to play for after being unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup by Wigan Athletic last weekend.

Barcelona opted to field a side that would focus on possession and this was seen in the omission of Pedro and Alexis Sanchez from the starting line-up. Neymar, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi was the front line listed on the teamsheet with Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta operating in midfield. This selection was enough to bring about confusion in any opponent as it was hard to determine where Messi and Fabregas would position themselves on the pitch. Was Fabregas set to play in the false 9 role pushing Messi out on the right where he played in his formative years? In the end, it appeared Messi was simply everywhere, given complete tactical freedom and tormenting the visitors.

With Martin Demichelis suspended after his first leg sending off, Manuel Pellegrini opted to play Joleon Lescott at the heart of his defence alongside Vincent Kompany. Sergio Aguero was played as a lone striker, City hoping to catch Barca on the counter attack on the huge Camp Nou surface.

Both sides shared chances in the first half as the Catalans, predictably, kept most of the ball. Messi came close after 12 minutes when his mazy dribble led him into the City penalty area where they were just about able to get enough bodies back to prevent the Argentine from opening the scoring. Neymar also came close six minutes before the break by turning gracefully past Aleksandar Kolarov but shot wide. Samir Nasri had City's best opportunity of the half two minutes later but was only able to fire straight at Victor Valdes. HT 0-0.

Aguero must have been frustrated with his first half supply. As revealed by FourFourTwo he only received five passes during the entire first forty-five minutes. Replaced by Edin Dzeko at half-time stirring fitness worries, City could be without Aguero again for part of their Premier League title run-in. Barcelona's game plan appeared to be working to perfection as City simply racked up foul after foul and couldn't build anything of note.

The second half began with Messi hitting the post on 50 minutes with Dzeko's header forcing a marvelous save from Valdes down the other end only a minute later. Their long-term goalkeeper, who has announced his departure at the end of the season will be sorely missed.

Especially considering their replacement, Borussia MGB's Marc-Andre ter Stegen, is capable of this:

"Keeper sweeper" indeed.

On 67 minutes, Barca finally got their breakthrough via, who else, but Lionel Messi. Fed in by Fabregas, who actually played in more of a classic No. 10 role, the little Argentine dinked it over the on-rushing Joe Hart with glee. Hart, to his credit, looked fired up throughout and pulled off some fine saves but to no avail. Alongside the battling Vincent Kompany, he was amongst City's better players on the night.

On 78 minutes, Pablo Zabaleta picked up a second yellow card and was given his marching orders seconds after what looked like a clear-cut City penalty when Gerard Pique took down Dzeko. City were unfortunate in this regard and captain Kompany made his feelings clear about this in his post-match interview but they shouldn't overlook the fact that Lescott clearly fouled Messi inside the penalty area in the first half. Messi, a class act, didn't make a meal of it at the time.

With a minute of normal time remaining, City managed to equalise to make it 1-1 on the night when Kompany managed to turn in after a goalmouth scramble where some bodies had been in offside positions. During the confusion, the big Belgian did stay onside as the replay proved. That consolation goal was undone two minutes later however, as Daniel Alves, like he did in the first leg, stole down the right, receiving Iniesta's pass and getting on the scoresheet to put the final nail in City's coffin.

It was a game charged with emotion for City. The underlying feeling might be that their Premier League assault is slipping away from them, even with their three games in hand to catch up, and that doing well in the Champions League offered something that could console them were they to surrender the title to Chelsea or even Liverpool. Barcelona were by far the better side over the two legs however and much work is needed to turn City's billion dollar project into a legitimate European success story. One would wonder how safe Pellegrini's job is were he not to add to their Capital One Cup win this season.

Player Ratings

Barcelona

Valdes 7.5; Dani Alves 8.0, Pique 7.0, Mascherano 7.0, Jordi Alba 7.0; Busquets 7.0, Xavi 7.0, Iniesta 7.5; Messi* 8.5, Fabregas 8.0, Neymar 7.0 Subs: Alexis Sanchez -, Sergi Roberto -.

Man City

Hart 7.5; Zabaleta 6.5, Kompany 8.0, Lescott 5.5, Kolarov 6.5; Milner 6.0, Nasri 6.0, Fernandinho 6.0, Silva 5.5, Toure 6.5; Aguero 5.5 Subs: Dzeko 6.5, Negredo -.

* = man of the match