Where did it go wrong for Chelsea?

Chelsea can only win the league if Liverpool and Manchester City lose both of their last two games and the Blues win their final game - not going to happen, and it caps a miserable few weeks for Jose Mourinho's men.

But who is to blame? It's hard to look past Mourinho - especially as his mind games (which used to rile everyone) have turned on him and seem to be in his head now.

Jose doesn't seem to know his best team, what tactics to play or how to manage his young stars. Mourinho never used to turn on his own players - and his players always backed him to the hilt. But Eden Hazard speaking out on Chelsea's negative tactics would never have happened in Mourinho's first spell at Chelsea, or his time at Inter Milan.

He's always been good at getting everyone on board, and he usually does it by picking on one of his team's stars or someone who thought they were immune from criticism, as he did with Juan Mata this year.

Chelsea will no doubt strengthen over the summer, and this will be the real test of the Special One (a term I am loathed to use). They need two strikers - Torres, Eto'o and Ba will have to go. Maybe not all of them, but at least 2. If it's Romelu Lukaku, Diego Costa, Edinson Cavani or Didier Drogba (he will be back at Stamford Bridge) who comes in, they need to know exactly where they stand. There can't be a sham like this season. It's hard to watch Fernando Torres so low on confidence - he's a shell of the player he was. And for once, Mourinho hasn't backed his own players.

They also need to strengthen in midfield. Lampard isn't the same player and Nemanja Matic has to become the focal point of the team. Sure, sell David Luiz and get someone more disciplined in, but then Oscar, Hazard, Schurrle and Willian need to produce more. Ramires is a box-to-box guy, but there's not a great deal of quality there. Also, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech have to accept smaller, or non-existent, roles too. They are past their best. There, I said it. Jose needs to build again, although those three will be very hard to replace.

For once, I think Mourinho's team lacked identity this season, and reverted to negative tactics to grind out results. It's not that different from what Rafa Benitez was doing - and Jose won't want to carry on like that.

It's almost like Jose didn't want to win anything this year, read into that what you will.

 

Would Liverpool take a point?

It's not their style right now, but Liverpool should be content to take the draw at home to Chelsea on Sunday. They will beat Newcastle at home on the last day, and although away to Crystal Palace is tougher than many would have expected, you'd have to think Liverpool should win there too.

Not that Brendan Rodgers should play for the draw. Do that and they'll lose - players just don't know how to play for a draw from the start of a game. If it's 1-1 with 10 minutes left, fine, shut up shop. But Liverpool are top and are playing fantastic football - they need to stick with what they know best.

Plus, if Jose Mourinho plays a weaker team, you have to get after them. Mark Schwarzer is 41, he can only dive so many times before he breaks a hip!

Then there's the other end of the spectrum. Sunderland at home to Cardiff. The visitors may take a point, but Sunderland need all three. Games are running out and while it's hard to see Norwich or Aston Villa getting many more points, they do already have points on the board.

No one can win the League this weekend, and no on can go down, but don't take your eyes of the games this weekend - unless you were going to watch Stoke v Tottenham. It will probably end up 5-4, but no one will care.

Is there a favorite in the Champions League?

Real Madrid are 1-0 up, but there are few of us who think Bayern won't score at least once in the second leg.

Chelsea are very hard to watch, but Jose Mourinho knows how to win the Champions League, and he got exactly what he wanted from the first leg.

So are the teams that were away from home in a better position than the Madrid clubs? Or is it all still very even?

Real surprised Bayern with their counterattacking approach in the first leg, but with Ronaldo at 50% and Bale sick, maybe Ancelotti did the right thing. They soaked up the pressure really well and Bayern didn't have many great chances. Gotze has one and Muller another, but they were late on once Real had to reshuffle after Pepe's injury. Cristiano had a great chance to make it 2-0, and I feel they may rue that miss. Bayern won't be as blunt again in attack at home, and one goal there could bring three. They may have to score 3 though as Bayern's defense was brutally exposed by the pace of Ronaldo, Bale and Di Maria - and you have to think they'll try and exploit that again.

It's hard to discuss the Atletico Madrid v Chelsea game without wanting to fall asleep. Chelsea played 6 at the back for most of the game and limited Atletico to deep crosses to the back post where Terry and Cahill bossed Diego Costa. Chelsea offered nothing going forward, and may as well not have played Fernando Torres up front. He gets a lot of criticism, but was so isolated he must have wondered if Jose was just hanging him out to dry. But having kept the clean sheet away, the impetus will be on Chelsea to attack at home. I don't think they will unless Eden Hazard plays. Atletico are very dangerous on the counter, but Mourinho's set-up showed that they don't have that many ideas if you get lots of men behind the ball. Expect more of the same with one goal settling the tie.

So to answer my own question, no there isn't a favorite. I predict the overall winner coming from the Real Madrid/Bayern Munich tie, but I can't even pick a winner of either semi-final.

It wasn't just Jose who got a little excited!

Fair play to Chelsea, and especially Jose Mourinho.

He threw on extra strikers and put PSG under pressure, proving that more teams should go for it earlier in the game. Jose put Demba Ba on with 25 mins plus stoppage time to go, and then Fernando Torres with 10 left. PSG should have won the tie when Cavani was through on goal, but at that point Chelsea were making all the running.

Mourinho is now 8-0 in Champions League semi-finals, and Chelsea are in the competition's last 4 for the 7th time in the last 11 years.

Tell that to David Speedie, John Bumstead and Kerry Dixon.

Maybe they'll get as excited as the players did last night!!

English Football Didn’t Start in 1992

History is a good thing, but it's just that, history

Manchester City haven't always been as fashionable as they are now.

Hi. My names's Ash.
"Hi Ash!"
And, um...
"It's okay, we're all friends here, take your time."

Thanks. I'm, um, a football supporter and I, uh... [clears throat] I don't... I don't support a team in the Premier League.

A hush descends on the room, there are a few quizzical looks, a couple of sad nods and shakes of the head and even one quiet but audible gasp.

Yes, friends, this is what it often feels like to support a "lower" league team. You are an aberration. You're fooling yourself, You must have a Prem team, you simply must! How do you even live?!

It's hard not to hate football almost as much as I love it because of precisely this kind of fandom.

Like Sloan once sang, "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans."

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to watch all kinds of football. I'd be lying if I didn't say I appreciate and often enjoy a hard fought game in the top tier or the You-don't-have-to-be-Champions League. But it's the superiority complex of many fans, the attitude that my opinion cannot count because I don't support a 'proper' team. Because I don't deck myself out in every possible combination of club clothing at any given moment. Because the team I support had the temerity to have their heyday before the Premier League juggernaut really got going. (Often conveniently ignoring the fact that that applies to their team too). Because I happen to think that, in comparison to truly world class players, objectively, your star player and man-crush isn't that good and it's not because the national team manager is "playing them out of position." Because it can't possibly be that without the absurdly talented (and equally absurdly expensive) foreign import there to make your hero look good, he frequently fails on the biggest stage. Because at some point, the World Cup - the biggest stage - became overshadowed by club football.

And because I've never stopped supporting the team I grew up following; from dizzying never-again-attainable-heights and mind-numbing, soul-scarring lows. Instead, presumably, of keeping half an eye on them and hitching my wagon to the latest crop of fancy-dan, stepover merchants. Convincing myself that the Man Citys and Uniteds of this world are and have always been 'our' rivals, instead of the Countys and Albions.

The thing is, rightly or wrongly, I think your opinions are just as suspect for precisely the same reasons.
As I've mentioned, football did not start in 1992. Many clubs had success before this time, some of that number have had some since.

But the lopsided way some fans harp on about history is often perplexing. It's no good glorying in the exploits of Wolves or Forest or Leeds. The majority of their success came pre-Premier League and they're not a part of it now. An important distinction from, say, Liverpool who've had some success since the League's foundation but who would have seen winning the Football League Cup as the least of their achievements 25-30 years ago.

I'm not usually one for anecdotal evidence, but bear with me just this once. I was lucky enough to live in Nottingham in 1979/80. Most of the kids I went to school with followed Liverpool. You'd think it impossible that a club with so much history and success, not to mention  unbridled enthusiasm from the media would have fans that genuinely feel they are somehow underdogs and that the football establishment is out to get them but, they're out there, I've met some of them. Like I said, it's very hard not to hate football sometimes. Having history is often a good thing but it's just that, history. For all the success and trophies, it can often be a millstone around supporters necks. They struggle to reconcile with the mediocrity (or worse) of the present and so the club can never realign itself to the new football reality and be as good as they remember it.
That reality for the vast majority of clubs is either find a very rich owner with no desire to make money from the club but still happy to throw vast sums at it or be content with mid-table obscurity and the occasional tilt at a domestic trophy.

Success or failure can often be relative but year-in, year-out, fans of "unfashionable" clubs get bombarded with hyperbole about how terrible it was that a 'big' club missed out on Europe. It's hardly comparable with relegation or administration but you'd think they were cakewalks compared to missing out on all that
m̶o̶n̶e̶y quality football.

And the 'big' club moniker is bandied around in ever more perplexing ways. There's no solid definition. Amount of fans? Trophies? Richest owners? Man City have three stars on their crest because it looks more 'continental', not because of European success. Forget Wolves or Leeds or even Forest being considered big clubs, the new football hierarchy would exclude old giants like Ajax and Celtic.

I think a lot of the blame, if that's the right word, can be partially attributed to the creation of the Premier League and most to the media. Now armchair fans across the globe are not only treated to seeing their team every time they play but are also bombarded with facts and figures and hyperbole that strains credulity and makes a run-of-the-mill wet Wednesday night mid-table clash seem like the World Cup Final. It's no wonder there's no sense of proportion. And then we all get to do it again next week.

I can genuinely remember a time when fans would get behind any English club that got into Europe. Not hardcore support or changing allegiances but just hoping for a good show from one of our own. The football landscape has changed so irrevocably that i find myself actively wishing for some 'home' clubs to be knocked out just to get their fans and the media to shut up for a bit.

It's because of this constant coverage, the belief that certain teams are untouchable or the evergreen 'to good to go down' (tell that to Rangers, Pompey, Leeds, Charlton, etc.) that nothing matters as much, that history is only relevant when it's your club, that records only count post-1992 or since the creation if the Champions League, that spending incredible amounts of money on fair-to-middling players is somehow acceptable, that getting into the top four is an achievement on par with winning... anything at all.

It's because of these things that I'll watch top flight football but I'm sometimes glad the team I follow isn't a part of it.

"But the skill, the showmanship, you don't see that in the lower leagues."
You mean showboating? [clears throat]

"Well I bet you don't see goals as good."
I'll take that bet.

"It can't be exciting with nothing to play for."
Wrong and wrong.

-Ash Hawthorne

(Ash is a guest writer for the Geezer; he is the author of the Miserable Batsteward blog and you can follow him @VieuxPoissons.)

Change at the top is good for everyone

Everton smashed Arsenal this weekend, and it was refreshing to see. Not because I want to see Arsenal suffer, but because the league can get stale if the same teams dominate every year.

It's the same reason it's great to see Manchester United struggle. It's about time their fans saw an average team, a manager who is struggling to pick his best side, and (most likely) a year without a trophy.

If you support anyone but United or Arsenal, you can probably remember a time when your team was rubbish, and sneaking a 1-0 away win against a team in the bottom 3 was a great result. Arsenal, Manchester United (and the more recent versions - Manchester City and Chelsea) have expected to beat teams like West Brom, Stoke, West Ham and Aston Villa for years. There were surprise results for those teams against the big boys, but they were becoming few and far between.

And there's where it can get boring and repetitive.

If you can predict the top 2 ever year, it's not a great spectacle. If you have 5 or 6 teams competing for the Champions League places, then you engage so many more fans.

City and Chelsea have a lot of money to make sure they are up at the top, but Liverpool and Everton have really crashed the party this year, and many think that Tottenham should have done the same.

It's great for the health of the game in England. United and Arsenal will come again, but eating some humble pie for a season or three will help them refresh their approach. They may not be able to attract the big stars without Champions League football, but that poses new questions and the search for solutions.

Football is an ever-evolving game and we need a shake-up every now and then. Relegation and promotion between the leagues helps, but the teams at the very top need to be reminded that their won't dominate forever - and fans of smaller, less-successful teams will enjoy every minute of seeing the Uniteds and Arsenals of this world struggle.

Who will join Real in the last 4 of the Champions League?

Real Madrid are 99% in the semi-finals after their 3-0 win in the first-leg against Borussia Dortmund, but who will join them in the last 4?

It's a sign of the times that Manchester United's draw at home against Bayern Munich is seen as 'valiant' and 'brave'. Yes, they are playing the best team in Europe who are also the defending champions, but you're in the last 8 of Europe's top competition for a reason. Geezer predicts United won't make the last 4 as they are celebrating a draw at Old Trafford. You have been there before, act like it. United won the Premier League last year - they seem to have forgotten that.

Conceding in the last minute to make it 3-1 makes Chelsea's task a lot harder, but they may make it due to Zlatan's hamstring injury. Jose Mourinho's teams are fantastic at home, but they will have to go for it early and may be helped that PSG don't look great at the back. Neither do Chelsea though, and Lucus Moura's pace will cause John Terry and Gary Cahill a lot of problems. Petr Cech has too many mistakes in him these days too, so Chelsea will probably have to score at least 3 because PSG will get one at Stamford Bridge. Jose will say something about being a 3-legged chihuahua too, and there's only so much of that one can take.

Barcelona v Atletico Madrid is very tough to call. Barcelona have the experience and Lionel Messi, but they have no defenders. With Pique out, Puyol out and Victor Valdes injured too, they will need to score at least twice, as I can't see them keeping Atletico out and, hence, advancing on away goals. Barca thrive on pressure though, so don't be surprised if they boss Atletico at the Vincente Calderon.

So it's Real, Bayern, PSG and Atletico for me. Or Chelsea and Barcelona. Put your house on it.

Liverpool are going to win the league...

Stop fighting me on this, Liverpool fans. Stop analyzing. Let some stat jockey apply the science at a later date. Let the computer-generated player-rating algobots fight over who should have won the league. Liverpool might never win that argument, but who cares? Liverpool are going to win the league, even if they shouldn't.

Yes, the silken flanked Man City Galacticos should have left us in the dust long ago. Thank you for the lager-spittle heavy lecture on that point, Captain Analysis. Yes, Eden Hazard and Oscar should be dancing a Pasodoble on Steven Gerrard's career grave right around now. Brilliant, Professor Zanussi. I never said Liverpool were the favorites. I just said we were going to win.

I'm not going to draw specious parallels to the lopsided odds ahead of the battle of Stalingrad here, other than to say that Luis Suarez, on current form, could probably have beaten both sides in that conflict -- at the same time. I'm not making one of those reverse-psychology arguments, saying we're the underdogs so therefore we have less pressure, making us some kind of Gladwellian favourites. There are no underdogs at this point in the season. Giantkillers win the FA Cup. Giants win the league.

This is the Internet, where everybody turns into a persnickety debate judge. So I need some "evidence" to back up my "argument" or it will be "invalid." (I'd like to see some of these Internet hard men go down the local in Toxteth and start blithering about Steven Gerrard's pass-completion rate...I'm sure they would learn a new appreciation for a "strong argument.")

OK, let me lay this out on an airplane streamer. I believe Liverpool are going to win the league because...this is what winning the league feels like.

Don't forget, I am a veteran of the 1989 - 90 campaign. And I'm not talking about checking in with a couple of minute-by-minute game reports between texts here. I'm talking about sitting down in front of the telly and watching games all the way through, several times over the course of that campaign. I'm talking about 90 minutes of sheer hell. I'm talking about pulling out the middle pages of Shoot magazine with  my bare hands, and singlehandedly pinning a poster of the 1988 - 89 league champion team on the wall. I would have to check with my mum, but I may have even nicked myself with a Shoot staple during that operation.  As I said, I am a veteran so I know what winning the league feels like. It doesn't feel like you think it feels when you're watching Manchester United do it. From a distance, it looks like all you have to do is sit there, and watch your team score a lot against a wide range of opposition. And wince occasionally when Rooney misses a sitter. That's not the way it feels. This is the way it feels.

It's watching your whole team wobbling like someone who has just been put on a bicycle for the first time against Sunderland at home, looking like they're going to throw the whole season away until, somehow, they cling on for a 2-1 victory. It's teams like Crystal Palace popping up out of the basement to dance all over one of the favourites the day they looked like they'd run away with it. It's basket cases like Arsenal pulling themselves together to break the other favourite's stride. It's your brain turning into a little calculator that runs through every permutation of every game, and every game in hand, and then throws them all out when some crazy result comes in that wasn't even in your wildest scenario. It's people who probably would have been bit-player nobodies in another setting, people like Jordan Henderson or Craig Johnston or Ray Houghton, suddenly dribbling like cherubs and hammering in goals like Thor.

You probably think when Liverpool ran out on the last day of the 1985 to 86 season to take on then-lowly Chelsea that all the fans half-expected Kenny Dalglish to top off his first year as player manager by scoring the only goal. Rather, the assumption was that Chelsea would beat us 10-0, and that Everton would take the title from under our noses. You are convinced your team will throw it all away...you always think some other team could or would or should knock them off the top. This is what it feels like: it feels like shit until the final whistle in the final game. And then you start worrying about next season.


Teams have personalities. If the premiership run-in were a match on the local green, Man City would be the new kid with the shiny white boots, blowing everybody away with the way he juggles the ball on his heels during the warmup, and then fluffing a simple pass as soon as the game kicks off. Chelsea would be the lad who has reportedly had trials with "the pros," scores a couple of peaches early on, then throws a tantrum when he's dispossessed by a five-year old girl, and never regains his composure. Liverpool is the lad whose runners have almost eroded away because he hasn't left the green all summer, the lad who scores goals as naturally as fish swim.

Liverpool are going to win the league.

-Rob Curran

Tight at the top, but Arsenal are done if they lose

If Arsenal lost at Chelsea, you have to think they are out of the title race. They would be 7 points behind with 8 games left - yes they have a game in hand, but they'd probably have to win all 8 to even have a chance of finishing above Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. They could finish 2nd, but overcoming all 3 rivals at this point will be tough anyway.

Arsene Wenger is desperate to end the trophy drought, but the FA Cup is looking like the more realistic option. And perhaps that is what Arsenal have lacked - options. Giroud has been out of form, and Walcott out injured - without them (or Ramsey's goals from midfield), Arsenal have struggled. I am just not sure they have enough options to mix it up should they go behind. But here's a game that they have to go for it if they go behind. There is really nothing to lose if they go down 2-0, 3-0 or 5-0 - some pride maybe, but Spurs, Everton and Manchester United aren't catching them for 4th.

As for Chelsea, a draw isn't terrible, but they are still in Europe and will be confident of progressing against PSG in the quarterfinals of the Champions League - although why anyone is confident of beating a team with Zlatan in is beyond me. Chelsea are getting old and slow at the back, but they have more than enough going forward to exploit some of Arsenal's weaknesses (and yes, I do mean Mikel Arteta in the defensive midfield role).

Manchester City have a tough week coming up, with United and then Arsenal to come - failing to beat Fulham should mean they don't win the league. Fulham have been awful all season, and City should be beating them 4-0 or more.

Liverpool have to win away at Cardiff and home to Sunderland in midweek if they are to realistically compete. Two of the league's bottom three have to be dispatched if Brendan Rodgers' team expect to win the title.

It's an interesting weekend at the top - no one can afford to lose, but if Arsenal do, we may be down to a 3 horse race. If any of the others lose (and Arsenal don't) they have to be right in the mix. The top is getting as interesting as the bottom - and I'm willing to hear all schoolboy jokes on that!

The Last 16 - Straight Knockout Son

Not quite straight elimination, but it's time for Europe's top club competition to get interesting.

Geezer can't pick all the winners (or I'd be in Vegas rather than at my 'real job'), but I'm going to try and pick the best team from each country (that has a realistic chance of winning it) and see if they end up as our Final 4.

The German option is easy. Bayern Munich are the best team out there right now. The fact that they are playing Arsenal means that Arsene Wenger's team have little chance of progressing. Bayern are a beast of a team right now, and only complacency can stop them advancing in my opinion.

For Spain, I'm taking Real Madrid. Barca and Atletico are two great teams, but Real have an easier tie to start with and are playing some great football. Teams seem to have a plan against Lionel Messi and Barcelona (although only Bayern have really pulled it off), but Cristiano can't be stopped. He creates so much by himself, and I think he may carry Real all the way to the semi-finals this year.

The English team is very hard to pick. Chelsea and Manchester United have easier draws in the last 16, but the latter can't win it. Moyes is just not tactically aware - he can't deal with Fulham, so no way that Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans can keep out Real, Barca or Bayern. Chelsea have a shot - it depends on the draw, but they may be a striker short from really competing. I've already ruled out Arsenal due to them playing the holders, so Manchester City are my pick for the last 4. It means beating Barcelona, but as long as Martin DeMichelis doesn't play, then they have a chance.

Of the remaining teams, I like PSG. They are more solid than in recent years and can score against anyone. Zlatan seems to know it's his time to shine, especially as he won't be in Brazil in the summer.

So it's Bayern, Real Madrid, PSG and one other for me. I said Manchester City, but I don't even buy it myself. I don't think an English team will make it to the last 4 this year, but it all depends on the draw. At this stage, you only need to win 3 ties to make the final. And that's why we love it.

Chelsea's future looks very bright

(Update: Seems Jose listened to the Geezer. Glad he went for it, and they really should have scored more than one. City threatened, but Chelsea really dictated the game and played to their strengths. Should they have Lukaku, Falcao or Diego Costa next season, Chelsea's future looks very bright.)

This was published before the 1-0 win over Manchester City...

If Chelsea lose away at Manchester City, they'll be 6 points behind the league-leaders with 14 games to go - win and you're level on points. So a draw it is!

Everyone is already writing Arsenal off for some reason, but this game is by no means a title decider. 14 games is a lot of football, and all 3 teams will drop more points along the way.

Chelsea face a tough task at the Etihad, there're no denying that. City have won 11 of 11 in the league, scoring 42 goals in those games. Taking a point from them will be tough, and trying to defend for 90 minutes isn't the way to go. Chelsea have look vulnerable this season at the back, but have real quality going forward.  Let Hazard, Oscar, Willian and Lampard get on the ball. Test Joe Hart, and even more so, run at Martin Demichelis - he's the obvious weak link.

Mourinho is usually very solid tactically - he's not Special or the Chosen One, but he knows what he's doing. He can't outscore City, but he can put pressure on them and try and establish a his team on the front foot. Quite simply, if Chelsea sit back and try and play the counter-attack, they will lose.

Get Ramires on the ball, let Lampard dictate a slower pace (that's the only gear he has). If Yaya and David Silva start bossing it, the game is lost. Chelsea need to dominate possession and get the ball wide - and not mess about at the back.

Be bold Jose. You can't win or lost the title today, but you can make a statement as to what your Chelsea team are going to become.  

Monday night football - Good or Bad? Discuss...

It's hard to argue that Manchester City v Chelsea is the game of the weekend. Well, you could argue that it's not actually at the weekend.

We have to wait until Monday night for the clash, which won't decide the title, but could give one team a huge psychological advantage - especially if Chelsea manage to win.

But should these games be delayed until the Monday so that everyone can watch them on TV? It's great for the neutral after a boring day at work, and even better for those in the US who get to break up the work day for 90 minutes, but fans going to the game can't be happy.

The atmosphere at night games is usually really good, but travelling to Manchester from London on a Monday probably means taking a day off work, getting home at 2am on the Tuesday, feeling rough after a few beers on the train back. And it's all fine if you've won, or seen a great game. But then there's Sunderland v West Ham getting moved to a Monday night. That's a monster journey to watch an average game - Sunderland fans rarely even fill half the stadium on a Saturday afternoon.

But realistically, the Premier League is a TV league now. The execs don't care about the fans who go to the games, just the ones who are on the sofa, or in a bar. Ticket prices are ridiculous, match day times are constantly shifting and soon enough we'll be having time-outs for adverts.

Yes, the best games are becoming easier to watch for everyone, but the league needs to remember the actual match-day experience. Because a game with no fans in attendance is a real possibility one day - and once the atmosphere goes, so does the Premier League.

Is Rooney key to Chelsea selling Mata to United?

It doesn't make any sense to me to sell your best player from last season to a rival, especially if that rival is struggling for creative players.

So why would Chelsea sell Juan Mata to Manchester United? They don't need the money, they don't want to help United improve and although Mata wants to get into the Spain squad for the World Cup, Chelsea don't care about that.

All I can think is that United are giving Chelsea first refusal on Wayne Rooney. I can't see Rooney staying at Old Trafford if they don't make the Champions League - and there would be lots of teams interested in the fat, bald man (although he may have just had his hair done again).

He'd be a great fit at Chelsea, and Jose Mourinho is a long-time admirer. I think Mourinho would love to take Wayne back to Old Trafford as his player too - he's just that type of vengeful villain we all love to hate, but actually quite like.

Selling Mata won't have any impact on Chelsea, and they can always buy him back if he start to be really good again (as they did with Nemanja Matic). But if United are even contemplating putting Rooney on the table as bait, then they can only lose from here. If Rooney goes, so will RvP, then they'll be in a world of trouble - or realistically, they'll just become another average club like Liverpool have been for the last 20 years.

Are Arsenal and Chelsea already playing for 2nd?

There's no doubt that Arsenal v Chelsea is the big game this weekend in the English Premier League - that's why it's on a Monday night so that people living in the US (me) can watch it at work. I'd rather be in the pub, but it will be full of Arsenal and Chelsea fans. Back to the flask in the drawer I suppose.

But are these two already playing for second place? Manchester City look fantastic. They score so many goals that they can afford to give away comedy own goals like Vincent Kompany did against Fulham.

Here it is in case you haven't seen it enough...

Don't forget City are without Aguero right now, haven't even played Jovetic, are just getting Kompany back and are playing DeMicheles. They are fun to watch, unless your team is playing them and are going to take some stopping.

Arsenal have been fantastic, but may not be able to score enough goals once Giroud has a dry spell. Chelsea concede too many and have had a dry spell from their strikers all season.

Liverpool are buzzing after another great performance from Luis Suarez. They are not a one man team, and have Gerrard and Strurridge to return, but they won't be able to stop City from scoring. In fact, no team in the league will. And this kamikaze season of goals seems to be playing right into City's hands. If Joe Hart can't be relied on as much, just allow him one mistake a game, and then score 2 or more yourself (or about 6 based on current form!).

Who the English teams could get in the last 16

The draw for the last 16 is on Monday. This is who the English teams may play:

Manchester United will play either:

Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Schalke, Zenit St Petersburg or Milan

Chelsea will play either:

Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Zenit St Petersburg or Milan

Manchester City will play either:

Real Madrid, PSG, Dortmund, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona

Arsenal will play either:

Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona

Shows how much easier it looks when you finish top of the Group.

I'm working on the other possibilities, but the Geezer has been busy!

Where are we with the Champions League?

Qualification for the Champions League knockout stages is almost done. There are a few loose ends to tie up, but that's about it - and the rich are about to get richer as almost all the big teams are through to set up some fantastic ties in the last 16.

But it's all about winning the Group. Qualifying for the knockout stage is a success for some, but should be the minimal requirement for those who spend unthinkable money every year. Not just the English teams, but all the big boys have splashed out, and if you can't beat teams like Viktoria Plzen, Austria Vienna and Anderlecht, then you have bought the wrong players.

So here's the breakdown....

PSG and Atletico Madrid bossed their Groups - and that's the price teams will pay for not topping the Group. Nobody wants to play them, Barca, Real or Bayern.

Bayern have won 5 from 5, and it's hard to imagine them not beating Manchester City at home in two weeks. City are through too, which counts as a success, but they may need an easier tie to progress past the last 16 - and there are no easy ties in the knockout stages of the Champions League. City can, and will, score against any team - but they look shaky at the back. I don't agree with Kolo Toure that they will rue selling him, but they do need a quality defender - someone like Vincent Kompany, not Kolo Toure.

Manchester United are through again. Their Group wasn't easy, but they made hard work of some pretty average teams. David Moyes will be happy to advance, but I can't help thinking that United are going to get spanked by someone. Rooney is playing well, but there is nobody in the midfield that other top teams would want. In fact there's nobody in the United midfield that any other team wants on their bench.

Juventus are going to have to get something in Turkey against Galatasaray - a draw will probably do it, but Drogba and Sneider may have something to say about that. Juve look so good in Serie A, but very inconsistent in Europe. Anything but qualification will be a huge failure for them.

Chelsea are in. Basel or Shalke will join them. Who wins that Group is still to play for - but it won't be Steaua Bucharest who are now 22 games without a win in the Champions League. Basel have got 6 of their 8 points against Chelsea - what seemed an easy Group has turned vaguely interesting. Chelsea need to win it, or they will face a tough task in the knockout stages against other Group winners.

Arsenal have won 4 of their 5, yet sit just 3 points ahead of Dortmund and Napoli. Should they lose to the Italians in Naples by 3 or more, they could go out - with 12 points! Marseille have lost to everyone, so that Group of Death thing didn't quite work out. All 3 teams will still be in Europe, and I'd say the team who finishes 3rd would be favorites to win the Europa League.

Ajax stayed alive by beating Barcelona, but they will have to beat AC Milan in Italy to advance. I can't see either topping the Group as the Catalans play the already eliminated Celtic on the last Group match day.

Of course van Persie would score; Don't rush Messi

Robin van Persie was bound to score the winner against Arsenal. It was a reminder that Manchester United are far from out of the title race, and Arsenal aren't the clear favorites for the league. Both teams will be there or thereabouts in the run up to Christmas, but much will depend on the strength of their squads when the league, cup and European games are coming thick and fast.

One player United won't be bragging about in their squad is Marouane Fellaini - if Tom Cleverly is coming on before you in a big game, you cant be that good. He doesn't fit in at Old Trafford, and I can only think that Moyes wanted him as a familiar face around the place - but he really wanted Leighton Baines, and seems to have ended up with Fellaini when he couldn't get anyone else.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs are 3 teams I just can't work out. Great one week, awful the next. Spurs probably haven't been great all season, but they should be so much better. They don't create anything, and Soldado looks completely lost. Andros Townsend was the savior of England a few weeks ago, but cutting in and shooting every time you get the ball is probably the reason he wasn't offered a second month's loan spell at Leyton Orient. In the words of John Barnes, 'there's only one way to beat 'em, get round the back.' Soldado needs crosses to score, surely that's why they have all these wingers.

City are a strange team. They have no excuses (Joe Hart wasn't playing) for not beating Sunderland. Smashing Norwich by 7 doesn't mean much if you are going to allow Phil Bardsley to bully his way into the box and finish (and yes, he did finish well, I'll give him that).

Chelsea were saved by a dive to maintain Mourinho's run at home. Get Lukaku back as soon as you can/play Mata/sell Obi Mikel/get Courtouis back to replace Cech. Because no one else can understand why you haven't done these things already.

***

PSG are going to win Ligue Un. Zlatan is just too good. End of.... Juventus are going to win Serie A. Not as certain on this one, but Roma are coming back down to earth after their amazing start, Napoli couldn't live with Juve yesterday, and Tevez, Pirlo, Llorente and Pogba have all the quality they need to compete in multiple competitions... Bayern Munich are too good.

***

Will Barcelona miss Lionel Messi? What do you think? But they need to be patient. His hamstring injury could keep him out a few months, but they still have more than enough quality to beat the majority of teams in La Liga. Xavi, Iniesta and Neymar don't become bad players because Messi isn't there. Real Madrid will be hot on their heels now that Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema seem to be clicking, but the overall quality of the opposition in La Liga means that Barca should be able to at least keep pace until Messi's return in late-January.

Liverpool out of the running, Roma disaster...

You'd think Liverpool had lost the league after their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday. They were away, against the league leaders, and didn't play well. Realistically, people shouldn't have been talking them up as title contenders anyway. Brendan Rodgers has done well to develop a team worthy of competing, but they are weak at the back and are not quite ready to compete with Arsenal, Chelsea or the Manchesters. They may be able to contend for that 4th spot, but they didn't force the pace against Arsenal and stood off when they needed to start dominating the game - with the second goal a key example.

Arsenal were good, and will contend. They haven't won anything yet.

Chelsea were bad, but will contend. Don't rule them out yet.

And Manchester United and City won games easily that they should when they spend the money they do. Let's not get carried away with that. Just be thankful you don't support Norwich.

***

Roma didn't win their 11th straight Serie A game. Most people probably thought they'd only win about 10 all year after finishing 7th last year, not qualifying for Europe and selling 3 of their best players. They are still top, although Napoli and Juventus are both looking good.

AC Milan are 19 points behind Roma, and just 3 above the relegation places. Mario Balotelli to Chelsea in January? Unlikely, but why not? He's going to lose his mind at some point, and maybe a few months away from Italy ahead of the World Cup will benefit him.

***

Zlatan didn't play, Monaco lost...not much else to say there! ...Bayern are now 36 games unbeaten in the Bundesliga - don't pretend there is anyone who can compete with them at the moment. A great side, and one that must still be favorites to win the Champions League too....Messi hasn't scored in 4, the world is going to end. Barcelona are still top, Atletico are holding on and Real Madrid are still a close third - but after that, the 4th placed Villareal are miles back - 14 points behind Barca with only a quarter of the season gone. Fair to say that La Liga isn't very competitive.

Perspective from the Geezer; Torres Back? Or Lucky?

Torres is back, we all knew he had to break his drought. Form is temporary, class is permanent, etc. etc.

Give it a rest. While she may not have been able to get there, my grandmother would have scored that 90th minute goal. He anticipated the mistake, finished nicely, but it doesn't put him back on form. You can say he set up the first goal, but counter that with the sitter that he missed.

But I'm happy for him, and hope he gets a run in the team and starts to rediscover his best - but the media really needs to tone it down. I should call the blog the Perspective Geezer.

As for Joe Hart, get used to some splinters from the bench. A few too many mistakes recently, and even if this one wasn't really down to you, your defenders are nervous around you right now.

***

Manchester United won a game and sit 2 points behind City and 8 off the top. Crisis over? No, there was never one in the first place. There was a huge overreaction from the United players, fans and David Moyes after their 3-2 comeback win over Stoke. Yes, the same Stoke that had scored 4 goals in 8 games prior to Saturday.

***

We should be talking about Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. They all stepped up over the weekend to win games that have troubled them over the past few seasons. Arsenal took care of Crystal Palace, when maybe last year Arteta's (harsh) sending off would have seen them crumble. Liverpool scored some top quality goals and have two strikers that are really on top form. They are enjoyable to watch, can't defend, but can score easily - they may be a little short in the title run, but the foundations are there. And then there's Chelsea. Mourinho is a nutcase, but plays his role really well. He jumped into the crowd, celebrated like a real fan and gets the juices flowing. He's the pantomime villain, and loves it. And it's great, how can you not like him, or hate him - and both work.

***

Sunderland won, but will still struggle. Palace have lost 8 of 9 (only beating Sunderland), and then there's going to be one other in my opinion. There are plenty of candidates, but Norwich, Cardiff and Hull are my picks at the moment, although it's still very early. 

Chelsea look to exploit missing Kompany

With our La Liga preview here (ok, so it's an El Clasico preview), we're going to focus on the Premier League matchups, while I continue to ask Tio Pelotas for his MLS preview - he's doing it apparently, but is hungover and needs something greasy in his stomach.

Arsenal and Liverpool will be looking to pick up 3 more points against Crystal Palace and West Brom respectively, and if either are to seriously challenge for the title, then they have to win games like these. I think both have good chances of making the top 4, but that's not good enough for Arsenal, although it may be for Liverpool this year.

The huge game of the weekend is Chelsea against Manchester City. Both are coming off good wins in the Champions League, but City may be a little more fatigues after a trip to Russia, and playing on a pitch that looked like it was from the 1980s.

City are a different team without Vincent Kompany, and I'd expect Chelsea to try and expose Javi Garcia or Joleon Lescott. Pace is huge, and Samuel Eto'o still has plenty of that, even if he is trying to steal the ball off the goalkeeper just to open his account. Fernando Torres may start after his two goals in the week, but reports of him being back are stupid - yes, he's judged on how many goals he scores, but he (and Eto'o) needs a run in the team as the main man. Strikers need confidence, and neither has it in abundance at the moment - maybe they should stand next to Sergio Aguero at the kick-off in teh hope of catching some.

The teams returning from European action need wins too. Spurs will be hoping not to repeat what happened to them last time they played after some Thursday night action, while West Ham will hope Swansea are as generous as Tottenham were.

If Sunderland lose to Newcastle, Poyet will be out. I'm just kidding, but Gus needs a win (or at least not to lose), and a local derby changes everything. Form goes out of the window and passion comes through - I don't care how many 'johnny foreigners' are playing, the crowd will inspire whoever is out there.