News of Jack Wilshere’s absence from the England Under-21 squad has set tongues wagging. The rumour mill rumbles into gear about a possible call up to the senior squad for England’s friendly against Hungary this Wednesday, and as well as Wilshere; Theo Walcott, Micah Richards and Lee Cattermole have all also been left out.

The fact that there is an England friendly three days before the start of the Premiership season is of course inexplicable, and a ridiculous state of affairs, however that debate is for another day and the fact remains that there is an England game, so Capello must get as much as he can out of it.

This should be a team that contains ideas concerning the 2012 European Championships: the qualifying for the tournament, as well as any friendlies played in over the next two years should all be geared to preparing a team for that tournament. And not just for that tournament, but for years after that. This last World Cup performance should be both a chance to build something new, as well as an opportunity for the country to lower the levels of pressure and expectation.

There is no point in playing the likes of Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney in this fixture. It would take a drastic set of circumstances for these players to not be in the first team come 2012, and they will be an important part of qualifying for the tournament itself. There is nothing to be gained from Wayne Rooney, playing an England game in between the Charity Shield and first Premier League fixture of the season. That said, I don’t believe there should a complete overhaul of the entire squad for this game.

Any player that Capello doesn’t believe will make the 2012 squad, even at this early stage, shouldn’t really be included. Players such as Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jamie Carragher and Emile Heskey (although his retirement has pipped me to the post) conceivably are not going to part of the evolution of the England team, and so maybe now is the time to sever ties.

This game should be used as an opportunity to try the system or players that Capello would have considered, but may have been wary to try in a major tournament. Any players from the Under-21’s that may or may not be promoted to the squad, should be complimented by the players who went to South Africa, but were denied the chance to make an impression, or players who didn’t make the trip in the first place i.e. Adam Johnson, Michael Dawson, Stephen Warnock, Tom Huddlestone and Theo Walcott. In the case of Walcott, he hasn’t improved at perhaps the rate people were hoping, but it is too early to write him off, and he still has the potential to be a very good player.

The actual result of the game is irrelevant. Even after the World Cup, fans will much rather watch fresh players trying to express themselves, playing without restriction and fear. It is time to stop thinking in the short term; England will be forgiven for a quarter-final finish in 2012 if there are signs, and clear ones at that, not just talk of it, of genuine progress. If in two years, the England side looks like it is on the way to creating something progressive and sustainable, then that will excite England fans.

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After six seasons outside the Premier League, Leeds United are in a position to get back to where a club of their stature belongs. Three years in the Championship, followed by three in League One, have been tough to take for Leeds fans; this is not what they are used to. Many are still old enough to have seen Don Revie’s dominance in the 60’s and 70’s or Howard Wilkinson’s era in the early 90’s, but there is a new generation of fans who have never seen their side compete with the best in the country. Unfortunately for them, it may suit in the long run, if they wait just that bit longer.

Regardless of how big a club is, successive promotions to the Premier League is a big ask, and holding grasp of that momentum to then avoid relegation is even greater. Under Graham Taylor, Watford reached the top flight after successive promotions in 1998 and 99, only to finish bottom the following year and head back to the second tier. Manchester City, a club with greater resources than most that come up to the Premiership, repeated the trick a year later, only to suffer the same fate.

It took Leeds three years to get out of League One because they were such a big scalp for teams; suddenly relatively small clubs had the chance to go to Elland Road in what must have felt like a cup tie, and try to take points off the big boys. This year the club may benefit from being more of a peer to the rest of the sides they face, despite still being one of the bigger clubs in the division.

As ever, the Championship remains one of the most competitive leagues going; any number of teams can lay claim to a promotion push including Hull, Burnley, Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Sheffield United, Forest, Bristol City, Derby and on and on…While Leeds have as good a squad as most, they are up against it, and it is a squad that would struggle in the Premiership, even with a few additions. Losing Jermaine Beckford is a massive blow, as strikers of that ability are a rare breed at that level, whether the likes of Luciano Becchio and Billy Paynter can score the 31 goals Beckford scored last season, only time will tell.

I still believe that Leeds’ promotion to the Premiership is a matter of ‘when’, rather than ‘if’, with that level of fan base, history and stature they will be able to attract better and better players to the club. Not being a fan of Leeds myself, it may be easier for me to say, but an element of patience is required from the Leeds fans. They can be secure in the knowledge that the club is moving in the right direction. After what must have been a pretty sickening few years in West Yorkshire, the club has turned a corner and is getting back on its feet. Fans also have to be aware how many clubs are trying to achieve the same goal. A season, maybe more, of consolidation is far better preparation for Simon Grayson’s men to have the armoury to survive the Premier League. The last thing the club needs is another relegation, and after such a topsy-turvy last five years, the relative boredom of a mid-table finish may provide a far more secure platform from which to launch their next great era.

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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

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There was a time when virtually everyone barring United fans liked Manchester City. The perennial under-achievers who were always in the shadow of their more successful brother were one of the most popular ‘second’ teams in England. Now though, the exact opposite is the case. When Manchester City lost against Sunderland on the weekend it provoked delight amongst most neutral football fans, a few years ago the manner of their last minute defeat would have been greeted with sympathy, there was none of that on show on Sunday. Have Manchester City now gone from being one of the nations favourite clubs, to one of the most hated?

For years it has been the other side from Manchester that has arguably been the most hated side in England. There is nothing like success to grate ones opponents and United’s unparalleled triumphs in the last couple of decades have undoubtedly made them one of the most loathed clubs in England. Leeds United have also been strong contendors for the title, with many fans still having a negative view of the club since the Don Revie glory years in the 60’s and 70’s, when what was considered by many to be ‘dirty’ tactics helped drive them on to great victories. Since the clubs relegation though, the dislike of Leeds has died down, primarily because they no longer pose a threat for the top English honours.

Chelsea provoked a similar backlash to what Man City are receiving now when Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003. The club went on to experience a level of success that far outstripped anything they had done in the past, but they were seen by many to have bought their way to the silverware they won and there were very few neutrals who were glad to see them lift a long awaited league title. More recently though, the antipathy shown towards Chelsea has lulled, perhaps in part due to the club not spending the vast amounts it did in the past, and the fact that before last season they had not won the title for three years.

Like Chelsea, Manchester City are experiencing a level of animosity from rival fans that is unmatched in the clubs history. City’s massive expenditure and almost limitless financial backing has lifted them to the upper echelons of the Premier League, but has also plumbed them to a new nadir of unpopularity. The one thing rival fans cannot stomach is another club’s success, it is far easier to like a team when they are not posing a threat to your club. What fans dislike about Man City is the fact it looks like they are going to be challenging for the top honours in the next few years, and the manner in which they have done this via vast amounts of spending, means they have become a club that is now widely unpopular in England. Another factor is jealousy, what Everton or Aston Villa fan for instance could honestly say they are not envious of the wealth of Manchester City, and the success that will in all likelihood be brought to the club.

Manchester City probably have a few more years to go before they match Manchester United in the ‘most hated’ stakes. So far they have not reached the Champions League or lifted a trophy under their new owners, and this is what is holding back the full force of invective from rival fans. Should they lift a major honour in the next few seasons though, you can expect that force to be released in full and Man City will be right up their with United. City fans though, will not mind one bit if it means success is brought to their club, and who can honestly blame them.

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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery

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Last Saturday saw a clash between two teams who are changing the face of the Premier League: Manchester City and Chelsea. With the aid of Roman Abramovich’s millions Chelsea have won three Premier League titles and now Manchester City are looking to follow this model with the finances of owner Sheik Mansour. On Saturday Eastlands saw a victory for the future over the present as City triumphed 1-0 thanks to a solo goal from Argentina international Carlos Tevez. Not only did the match see the Premier League’s richest two clubs meet, but it also saw two of the most influential Italians in the game go head-to-head: Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini. Here are Carlo and Roberto having a friendly meeting before kick-off, but what are the two Italians saying?

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Manchester City head coach Roberto Mancini remains confident that his side will reach the knockout stages of the Europa League, following their 1-1 draw at home to Juventus.

Adam Johnson slotted home an equaliser for the Citizens, after Juve had hit the front early on at Eastlands through Vincenzo Iaquinta.

Mancini told reporters:"I am confident. For me it is a difficult group, with Lech Poznan a good team and Juventus a good team – so it will not be easy, but I think we can go through.

"I think the draw was fair. In the second half we were not as good as we could have been near goal, but Juventus had a lot of players back in defence.

"We can do better than that first 20 minutes, but after that I thought we played some good football. Sometimes we must move the ball quicker than we do.

"I don't know why we started so slowly. I think we thought we could control the game, but after Juventus scored the match changed. They started well, then we took over the game.

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"Every game is different, but you must have the same attitude, the same concentration on the pitch as we had against Chelsea."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

The scene has been set for the emergence of a new superstar to win the hearts and minds of all those at the Emirates. Thierry Henry has long since departed Arsenal, and the chasm left by the French mans exit has never really been filled. However, hype now surrounds young Brazilian wonderkid Wellington Silva.

Wellington Silva signed for Arsenal on 31 December 2009 with the view of finally joining up with the North London club after his 18th birthday. At 17 years of age and currently plying his trade for Brazilian Serie A side Fluminense, Silva is showing signs of inconsistency but this is all part and parcel of a young man’s early career as he attempts to get to grips with the modern game.

This said Wellington Silva has previously shown exactly what he can do and is widely being tipped as the man to fill the boots of Thierry Henry when he eventually arrives at Arsenal. Having already spent a month at Arsenal acclimatising to his prospective surroundings the young Brazilian has already impressed Gunners manager Arsene Wenger so much that that “he’s going to fast track him into the Arsenal first team squad in January.” Check out this clip just to see how good this young Brazilian is!

[youtube 6FjKo3hEi7U&p=1A2EC2B0B325828F]

With the talent that Wellington Silva possess’ there is no surprise that he is being compared to former fan favourite Thierry Henry. However, at a closer look there seem to be vast similarities between the two. Wellington Silva has the ability to play in the wider positions or down the middle creating havoc for any defence that dare stand in his way, much like his predecessor. There is also no secret that Wellington has two good feet and when partnered with his blistering pace his efforts will capture the crowd’s attention evolving him into a fan favourite, much like his predecessor. And the similarities don’t stop here!

So much promise currently surrounds this Brazilian wonderkid and it would not be out of the question for this potential superstar to fall by the way side like so many others before him. Yet with Arsene Wenger his mentor I have high hopes for the boy. With Wenger’s track record of finding and developing young talent it would seem that the chances of Wellington Silva becoming the superstar that Thierry Henry was are incredibly strong.

So what do we reckon?

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I recently read that football shouldn’t be a game of ‘what ifs.’ The sentiment is an excuse, and can be refuted with old adages such as ‘you make your own luck’ or ‘decisions even themselves out over the course of the season.’ This is mostly true. But after Nani’s goal against Tottenham sparked a debate like no other, I started to think; what if?

Everybody has an opinion on what happened at Old Trafford on Saturday. Aggrieved Spurs fans are bemoaning the officials and Manchester United fans have the convenience of another age-old saying; play to the whistle.

Many have used the incident as a catalyst to re-explore the introduction of technology being used in football. The general consensus after Saturdays bizarre goal was if they used technology, Nani’s handball would have been spotted and Gomes could have restarted from a free kick. True. My argument would be if that was the case, though, what would we spend the rest of the week talking about?

Football is a fascinating sport which can be turned on it’s head with any number of variables, one of which being human error. But was Mark Clattenburg’s decision even an error? Did he merely interpret the rules differently to some people? Using technology to determine the ‘correct’ outcome of situations like these would go a long way to cancelling out any kind of debate many of us sub-consciously love to have. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could get quite so passionate whilst declaring Wagner should never have gotten so far in X Factor.

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But if technology does find its way into football, where do we draw the line? Many believe that it should just be used in the goal-mouth to determine whether the ball does cross the line or not. This would give us transparency on decisive moments, but what happens when managers start moaning about other pivotal decisions, like penalty claims which have been wrongfully given? FIFA will be under immense pressure to use the technology readily available and there will be no telling where it would end: free kicks, throw-ins, yellow cards. The game which puts us through a whole host of differing emotions could turn into a three hour replay which leaves nothing to chance.

This discussion instantly brings to mind Frank Lampard’s goal-that-never-was against Germany in the world cup. But even the most biased of England fans surely can recognise how inferior we were that day and the most probable outcome would have been a defeat even if the ball was deemed over the line.

Football has survived without the use of technology for so long and I don’t see the need to change that now. If the game did adopt the use of such facilities we would be left with no ‘bad’ decisions to hide behind, no entertaining post match interviews and very little to debate on a Saturday evening. Apart from X Factor, that is.

Football shouldn’t be a game of ‘what ifs’ but as long as this debate carries on, there will always be one ‘what if’ that worries me the most: What if football was boring?

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Mourinho has a history of misbehaviour. Yet, in Real Madrid’s last Champion’s League outing he took it to another level. Madrid were dominating a lacklustre Ajax, leading 4 goals to nil. With Real Madrid already booked into the knockout stages of the Champion’s League and the game drawing to a close, Mourinho appeared to send a message to two of his players. By the game’s end, both players received a second yellow card and were sent off for time wasting. It’s difficult to argue that this was a coincidence. This was Mourinho at his coldest and most calculating.

Sergio Ramos and Xavi Alonso, the two players in question will miss Real Madrid’s meaningless final group game as a result of their suspension, but will head into the knockout stages without any yellow cards to their name.

A number of people have come out in condemnation of Mourinho’s ‘tactics’. Arsene Wenger was foremost among them and keen to impart that Mourinho’s actions tarnished football’s image. Wenger told the Press, “Yes, I think there should be sanctions. I do not want to see that, it’s a pity to see that from a big club and, overall, when you see that it gives a bad image of our game – what we don’t want. I respect Real Madrid for their quality and for what they are doing but, whether it’s them or somebody else, you don’t want to see that on the football pitch.”

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There are plenty out there who have taken the opportunity to label Mourinho a ‘cheater’. Whilst I see where they are coming from, they are mistaken. Mourinho isn’t a cheat because he hasn’t broken any rules. He merely exploited a loophole. Whether or not Mourinho’s actions were right is another question entirely.

UEFA have subsequently charged both players and manager with improper conduct, but the fine simply isn’t enough. UEFA should act to ensure that this type of thing doesn’t happen again. The fines will raise little more than a nonchalant shrug from the players and barely put a dent in their bank accounts. I feel as though UEFA have missed a chance to make a statement here. They must get across to players and managers alike that this type of behaviour simply isn’t acceptable and will not go unpunished.

Yes, Mourinho’s ‘tactics’ were smart and they were within the boundaries of UEFA’s laws, but that doesn’t mean they should go without condemnation. If it were to become a regular thing, the Champion’s League would turn into a laughing stock. This kind of thing has to stop and only UEFA can make that happen.

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Click on Giorgia Palmas below to see her in all her glory

Saturday’s 2-1 victory over West Brom was met with a unified sigh of relief around the Aston Villa camp last weekend as the Midlanders finally record their first three points in the Premier League since October. However despite a very winnable clash away  to a lowly Wigan next weekend, Gerard Houllier’s men need to gear themselves up for a long, hard festive season as they will have to see out the year with tough ties against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.  With key squad members gradually returning to action, it is up to players and fans alike to pull together and weather the storm in the run up to 2011.

The Villa entourage will be hoping the return of Spanish centre-half Carlos Cuellar can help see them through as well as veteran striker Emile Heskey who this season has been given a new lease of life under his French manager. Both players’ presences clearly lifted the squad last weekend in their important derby victory and it is imperative Houllier can keep these stars fit during this difficult period.

Boxing Day especially will be a hard pill to swallow as they face Tottenham Hotspur, a side who just last season were fiercely competing with Villa for that coveted Champions League spot. It wouldn’t be advised to remind Villa fans of how much the gulf has widened between these two sides in terms of quality this season but they certainly have a point to prove and will go into this tie with every ounce of enthusiasm.

If Villa can make a good account of themselves this month, bolster their squad with some much needed January signings, they can look ahead going into 2011 as their real chance to finally get their season back on track. Is Mr Houllier the right man for the job? We will certainly have a better idea of that this time next month.

Football Highlights from Spanish Football

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Whether a player fulfils his talents or not is reliant upon our expectations and projections regarding his future. This fact makes this list a pretty subjective affair. Of course it’s sad to see talent go unfulfilled. It’s difficult to see players fail to live up to expectations. But it’s the natural instinct of a fan to feel disappointed when ‘the next big thing’ fails to fulfil their potential. This can happen for any number of reasons: Injury, disciplinary problems, lack of motivation, bad management.The list could go on.

Below are ten players that have yet to fulfil their potential. If you agree or disagree with my selection, feel free to say so and add some further names in the comment section below.

Click on Shola Ameobi to get the ball rolling

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