Premier League Team of the Year 2011

It's one thing to come up with a team of the season, but another thing entirely to come up with a team of the year. It has to take into account accumulated statistics, consistency over two separate halves of two separate seasons, and general overall performances for whichever clubs are fortunate to possess the players who make the difference. Add in a summer transfer and a new lavish contract and we have two clubs contributing to a player's inclusion in this prestigious blog. So, here it is.

Premier League Team of the Year (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper – Brad Friedel (Aston Villa and Tottenham)

In terms of consistency in 2011, there is no goalkeeper equal to the big American in the Premier League. He has not missed a league game since the 2004/5 season, and is subsequently the current record holder for the most consecutive appearances in the top-flight. Oh, and he is 40 years old. To have moved clubs in the close season and still managed to have kept his rightful position as Spurs’ number 1 (usurping Heurelho Gomes in the process) says it all about his temperament, approach to the game in the autumn of his career, and of course his ability as a shot-stopper.

RB – Micah Richards (Manchester City)

Roberto Mancini must have had good reason to offer Micah Richards a new five-year contract in the summer of 2011. An FA Cup winner’s medal aside, stellar performances, particularly in the latter part of the last campaign helped them keep a league-high 18 clean sheets and propel them to third. Again a consistent performer, Richards has been constantly on City’s team sheet this campaign while they challenge for the title, and his impressive performances have merited a regular place in a competitive line-up. His technical traits have all improved, while his beast-like strength and speed on the ball has made him a threat in attack as well as a top defender.

CB – Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

“He comes from Serbia, he’ll f**kin’ murder ya”, goes the song from the Stretford End. Very fitting. United’s team captain will challenge for every aerial ball and will most likely win. He makes block after block, times his tackles to perfection, and has been 2011’s best central defender in the league. Soon after scoring in the win against Chelsea which all but wrapped up United’s 19^th title, Vidic was named the Barclays Player of the Season. This season his return to the side after injury coincided with a run of clean sheets after United’s earlier uncertain form. News that he will miss the rest of the season is a huge blow for the club.

CB – Phil Jones (Blackburn and Manchester United)

It is hard to believe that this boy is not yet 20. The praise he has received from peers has been overwhelming. Now being talked of as a new Keane or Duncan Edwards, despite being a natural centre-back, Phil Jones has had a fantastic breakthrough year – not allowing the media hype to affect his performances for club, and now country. He finished his time at Blackburn in stellar fashion – notably keeping a clean sheet at Arsenal – prompting Sir Alex Ferguson to pay £16m for him in the summer. At United he has simply flourished, playing more games than any of his team-mates this season.

LB – Leighton Baines (Everton)

Being left out of the England squad to South Africa may have, on some level, helped Leighton Baines. Since that disappointment, and especially this year, he has, by a distance, been Everton’s best player. Baines is an ever-present on David Moyes’s team sheet, and for good reason. He has been the league’s highest assisting defender in 2011, contributing quality crosses from the left, while also taking responsibility for most of The Toffees’ penalties and free kicks. He possesses a wonderful left foot, and has often left Goodison Park applauding the left-back’s style and composure on the ball.

DM – Scott Parker (West Ham and Tottenham)

It is perhaps a little bittersweet that Scott Parker is playing the best football of his career after he has turned 30. This year has undoubtedly been his most productive year, despite undeservedly being relegated with West Ham. He earned the Football Writers’ Player of the Year due to his committed defensive midfield performances for the stricken Hammers. His subsequent transfer to Tottenham has given him the ability to showcase his passing and controlling of games in a team of real quality, forging in particular a wonderful partnership with Luka Modric in midfield. It is no coincidence that he remains unbeaten for Spurs when he has played for them.

CM/CAM – David Silva (Manchester City)

Since Manchester City became genuine title contenders, all the talk has been of this little Spaniard. Constantly referred to as the league’s best midfielder, he has it all: dazzling trickery, the ability to accelerate away from opposition players, fantastic determination, and a lethal finish – pretty much everything required to be a playmaker. He has chipped in with his fair share of goals, and has assisted with 9 already this current season. In Silva there is an air of a young boy just enjoying his football, while keeping his team flying high atop the Premier League as 2011 ends.

CM/CAM –Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham)

There was a time in 2011 when Rafael van der Vaart carried Tottenham single-handedly through games to victory. The exceptionally talented Dutchman produced the goods and the goals, at times from nowhere, to ensure Spurs had something to shout about come May. He ended last season as their highest assist-maker and top scorer; the latter is a stat that is all the more remarkable considering he is not even a striker. This incredible form continued after the summer break, when van der Vaart equalled a Tottenham record by scoring in five consecutive league games.

ST – Demba Ba (West Ham and Newcastle)

Another player who has benefitted from performing well for a relegated team, Demba Ba has been a terrific addition to English football. He is a no-nonsense striker with a devastating eye for goal, and since joining West Ham in January has scored 18 goals in the league – 11 of them this campaign. Alan Pardew at Newcastle has given him the perfect tactical set-up with which to add to his tally, and he has repaid his manager’s faith. He has two hat-tricks already this season for the Magpies, while his goals and link-up play has contributed to their best start in years.

ST –Daniel Sturridge (Bolton, on loan, and Chelsea)

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has recently questioned why Daniel Sturridge was allowed to leave the club in 2009 under old management. It is clear now that he would gladly have him back. Being loaned out by Chelsea to Bolton in January 2011 proved crucial for the 22-year-old, and has resulted in a breakthrough year for the speedy forward. He was magnificent for the Trotters, and scored 8 goals in just 12 appearances. He has returned to Chelsea with confidence and as a genuine goal threat. A further 8 league goals since August has kept the misfiring Fernando Torres sat firmly on the bench, which says much about Sturridge’s current form.

ST – Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

There are not enough superlatives to describe this player in 2011. A round of applause from Thierry Henry after his stunning volley against Everton might just do his year justice, for van Persie is one goal from equalling Henry’s club record of 34 goals in a calendar year, and just three behind Alan Shearer’s all-time record in the same period. 33 goals in 32 league games is the kind of form Messi and Ronaldo are so used to, so it is not outrageous to say the Dutchman is, in terms of form, up with the greatest players in the world this year.

Losing at Chelsea Won't Result in a City Train-wreck

Last night's entertainment - El Cashico, if you will - at the Bridge revealed what most of us knew, or at least thought. Manchester City are not unbeatable. I even called it myself, feeling Chelsea would overturn the shock concession of a goal less than two minutes into the game and come away with the three points. Of course, gut feelings from fans count for very little unless they are somehow in André Villas-Boas's inner circle. For the first 20 minutes, City were dominant, and for periods were unplayable. Sergio Aguero and David Silva looked sharp, as they should be with the talent they both possess. Behind them, Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry were passing through Chelsea's midfield with relative ease. It has been that way throughout most of the season. Before last night, the same, or similar setups in City's formation had seen them drop just four points since the beginning of the campaign. For all we can say about their unbelievable spending power, it is still quite a feat to manage, especially considering the potentially volatile individual egos strutting around the dressing room at the Etihad Stadium. Roberto Mancini has kept City on a steady course, and has not allowed his players to become too arrogant about the fact that they are many people's favourites to grab the Premier League trophy from the steely Govan knight who resides across Manchester.

It is perhaps more of what Chelsea did after the first quarter of their rain-soaked clash with City that changed the game. They dropped much deeper and their defensive line was much less at risk from any runs in behind from the tricky duo of Silva and Aguero, or from the raw pace and power of Mr. Balotelli up front, which was seen 98 seconds after Mark Clattenburg blew to kick things off. Tasting defeat for the first time thanks to Frank Lampard's substitute heroics from penalty spot may not be a bad thing for Mancini's men. It has showed them that they are vulnerable at times, and they will no doubt strive to right wrongs and plug defensive gaps that are there. There is little that needs reassessing in tactical domestic terms (their brief European adventure aside) because of the quality of their players and the subsequent quality of their play going forward: 49 goals scored in the league says as much. They have suffered little through injury: a huge factor for any championship-challenging team, and perhaps most importantly the strength of their squad will go a long way to guiding them through the difficult winter period. Mancini, however, must improve his side's discipline if they are to keep up their push for silverware. Against weaker teams losing a man will not, and has proved not to be too detrimental to their results, considering City have usually been in winning positions for large periods of matches. Against the stronger teams, it is a different story, as Gael Clichy's dismissal showed last night. For the final half an hour, there was a sense of inevitability that the ten men would succumb to AVB's boys. Yet losing at Chelsea will not spark a derailment of City's title aspirations. They are too good for that. Starting against Arsenal next week, we will likely see improvement and a powerful message that they are not going to be dropping down the table anytime soon.

Transfer Deadline Day

Just what is it that makes Transfer Deadline Day (TDD) so enthralling to watch as events unfold (and then fold back up as the inevitable “dead in the water” phrases are circulated on Sky Sports News and the Twitterverse simultaneously)? Is it Jim White’s many phones? Bryan Swanson’s special touch screen? Talks of helicopters flying from London to Newcastle at the eleventh hour? Or the dramatic cutaway to the chimes of Big Ben as the clock signals the end of another window? There really is nothing quite like it. Of course, we accept that it is massively hyped up by the media and by us fans who lap it up with glee, but it is extremely entertaining viewing when all is said and done. I personally would have given awards to SSN’s coverage of the summer 2008 deadline day, if there were such accolades - remember Berbatov and Robinho? Oh, and January 2011 wasn’t bad either...

Arriving at the present, it appears that the current TDD did not yield that marquee signing that leaves everyone talking, in terms of both reputation and transfer fee (though still managing to keep us sports enthusiasts on the edge of our seats beyond 11pm). An example of such a recent signing would evidently be Fernando Torres, a proven striker on the world stage, heading from the banks of the Mersey to the extravagance of the King’s Road in Chelsea for a British record £50 million (ignoring his post-transfer toil in front of goal). Others in this ‘elite’ band of players signed for ridiculous amounts of money include Andy Carroll, who, although not of the same reputation as his Anfield predecessor, managed to leave the country astonished with the drama that his move from Newcastle generated.

Yes, August 31^st did bring us transfers involving players of considerable proven quality, but it is unlikely that many will consider any of these world class talents. Instead, the bulk of these marquee arrivals to the Barclays Premier League, especially from abroad, were done, somewhat more sensibly, earlier on in the summer. Sergio Aguero stands out as perhaps the most high-profile signing of the summer with his £38 million move to the blue side of Manchester, while their rivals across the city acquired David de Gea for £18 million, undoubtedly a goalkeeper with world class potential. Liverpool and Chelsea also both strengthened their squads sometime before the deadline.

The names we saw flashing across the Sky Sports ticker last night were not particularly gobsmacking. North London appears to be an exception to the ‘get it done early’ policy, especially on last night’s evidence. Harry Redknapp seems to like it. Both Arsenal and Tottenham bought (and sold) late, the Gunners especially –and about time – but the names hardly jump out of the page: Mertesacker, Park Chu Young, Benayoun, Santos, Arteta, Parker. Perhaps the clearest indication that TDD wasn’t a blockbuster in terms of substance is the fact that the highest fee paid for any player was £12 million for Raul Meireles to go to Chelsea. It is probably the expectations of the modern football fan that wishes to see the huge fees paid for top players coming to England, but it was almost lukewarm content last night, and it is realistic not to anticipate such action every TDD. Only the season will tell whether all these deadline day signings help their clubs to success. However, TDD was, as a spectacle, as good as ever for viewing, and there is no doubt that we will be seeing more of the same from Jim White and co for many transfer windows to come. And we’ll love it.

Villas-Boas Needs Longer Than a Season, Roman!

New dream team? Villas-Boas and his coaching staff

With many players returning to their respective clubs this week to begin the rigorous pre-season fitness regimes that will undoubtedly rid them of all holiday thoughts, Chelsea's players will return to their Cobham base with a renewed sense of optimism following the ludicrous sacking of Carlo Ancelotti on the final day of last season. Despite the Italian's take-notice European record at AC Milan and a league and FA Cup double in his first season at Stamford Bridge, Roman Abramovich was dissatisfied by Chelsea's failure to win any silverware in 2011. The Russian oligarch has waved his wad of cash again to pinpoint the man he believes can replicate the great José Mourinho's domestic success, but surpass his semi-final woes in Europe.

As fate would have it, he has chosen another Portuguese and former protegé of the Special One, Andre Villas-Boas, formerly a scout when Mourinho ruled over these parts, and subsequently went on to manage Académia de Coimbra and Porto in his home country. His stint with the latter brought him tremendous plaudits and recognition by the European elite for an unbeaten league season in which they finished 21 points clear of Benfica. Throw in a Portuguese Cup and a Europa League triumph and you can see what motivated Abramovich to fork out £13.3 million for his services. Villas-Boas is breaking records even before his Chelsea team have kicked a ball in a competitive match. He is not only the most expensive manager in history but is, at 33, the youngest manager in Premier League history (the same age as Didier Drogba). Quite some feat when you also consider he had never played football professionally - highly unusual for any coach.

Apparently at Chelsea reputation now counts for very little. Inability to deliver on the big stage will cost a manager his job regardless of past triumphs, something that Ancelotti, Scolari, Avram Grant, and even Mourinho himself will testify to the high heavens. A record of five managers in seven years does little to disprove the notion that Abramovich is a very impatient man. What he covets more than anything is that elusive big-eared trophy that Barcelona currently have locked away in the catacombs of the Nou Camp.

With plenty of time (and more money) Villas-Boas can stamp his brand of football on the club and transform them into the force they have only sporadically been in the past four years. He possesses the charisma and enthusiasm that will be vital to reviving the club's fortunes in Europe. Key squad players such as Lampard and Drogba are in the autumn of their careers, and Abramovich must let Villas-Boas buy players of his own accord for that classic blend of youth and experience with a view to replacing the old guard. He must not intervene in the transfer market as he has done so in the past (the acquisition of a certain Spaniard smacks of it, and we all remember the shambles that was Shevchenko). Of course, having swamped the club with his own personal fortune Abramovich will feel he has the right to do what he wants, and this is acceptable to an extent but it should not be to the detriment of the team or the manager. If Chelsea fail to win any silverware this season Villas-Boas should not pay for it with his job. As has been repeated and proven countless times, stability is the first foundation for success. It would be a shame if Abramovich's ego and lust for footballing domination blinded him to this crucial ideal.

My Top Five Managers 2010/11

"Some complete... person..."

5. Ian Holloway (Blackpool)

Although the Seasiders felt the agonising pain of relegation on the final day of the season, no one can doubt the hugely positive impact they have had upon the Premier League, and none exemplified that impact more than their infectiously vibrant manager, Ian Holloway. From his not so serious rant over the World Cup in which he lampooned FIFA and UEFA (“you’re wrong!”) to the entertaining football his team displayed throughout most of the season, Holloway was a breath of fresh air to a league that has too often lacked the sincere characters willing to speak their mind. Let’s hope he’s back soon.

4. Tony Pulis (Stoke)

Pulis has turned Stoke from potential relegation candidates into a proven Premier League club. By coaching his players to play to their strengths, he has overseen a remarkably encouraging season in which the Potters reached the first FA Cup final in their history – thrashing Bolton 5-0 in the semi-final – and therefore a shot at European football for next season. This coupled with a strong 13^th place finish in the table, has firmly embedded them as a top flight club. He has made good decisions to develop his squad, notably with the acquisitions of Kenywne Jones and Jermaine Pennant.

3. David Moyes (Everton)

No matter how limited the Scot’s resources appear to be at Everton, David Moyes has proved season after season that he is one of the top managers in the country. Very few managers could guide the Toffees to consistently high finishes in the Premier League with such a small transfer budget. Of course, Moyes may wonder what might have been had Everton not endured a horrific start to the season and injuries to several key players such as Mikel Arteta. Regardless, Moyes knows the club like the back of his hand and has forged extremely strong bonds with his players. If Everton obtain investment in the future, who knows what could be achieved.

2. Roberto Mancini (Manchester City)

There may be those who suggest City should have achieved more than just a first trophy (the FA Cup) in 35 years and automatic qualification to the Champions League group stages after spending the best part of £500 million since being overrun by a gazillionaire in 2008. However, the Italian has still managed to meet expectations and City are now a serious force in English football, no matter how many detractors they may have. He has been under enormous pressure to deliver success and has handled it well. Question marks remain over his squad harmony, but further investment is likely and Mancini appears to be ticking the right boxes.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)

There are very few words to describe what Sir Alex has accomplished in the season he became United’s longest serving manager. A record 19^th Premier League title and a possible 4^th European crown is just the story of 2011. Indeed, it is impossible to forget the innumerable honours he has gathered unto the people of Old Trafford in the past 25 years. It has been repeated so often that this has not been his most ‘vintage’ squad, but in all honesty this only makes United’s glory sweeter. A phenomenal unbeaten home record was the foundation of success, as well as a certain Little Pea proving there can be no doubt of Ferguson’s mastery in the transfer market and in the dressing room. Sir Matt will be smiling.

Oh Arsene...

We've been here before. Extreme optimism and genuine belief turns into despair and resentment in the space of a few short (long, for Arsene Wenger) weeks. The last time such a collapse happened was in 2008, following Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Birmingham which memorably saw captain William Gallas sulking like a child on the floor in the opposition half alone while his team conceded a last minute penalty. It started a downward spiral that saw the Gunners' season crumble away. They were going well in the league and cup competitions before then, and now three years later I could substitute the same story and apply it to the present, with only minor details to change. The situation is still the same and the problem is still the same. Although the season is not completely over and I take the risk in writing them off too soon, many will agree, even Arsenal fans, that it is over after losing to Bolton on Sunday, and that they will finish their 38th Premier League game of 2010/11 without the title, and of course no other trophies as consolation. This will make it six years without any silverware, and for a club of Arsenal's stature, many will see it as unacceptable. Cesc Fabregas was even recently quoted as saying his manager Wenger would probably have been sacked from an equivalent club in Spain if he had presided over such a lengthy trophy drought. That is another matter, as this is England, and not Spain.

Some of the personnel may have changed since Arsenals 2007/08 late-season demise, yet the manager remains in place, the younger players that were on the fringes then and have remained at the club have arguably improved, and despite what may be made of Wenger's supposed reluctance to bring in 'big' players, the squad, I believe, is better than it was. Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin, for instance, are hardly unknown talents. However, the manager has remained, and the footballing philosophy is the same. With this unwavering Wenger philosophy of beautiful football inevitably comes the dissenting shouts of "frail" and "lack of maturity" whenever the excellent technical prowess that Arsenal possess as a team do not quite yield the right results that Manchester United or Chelsea would more likely be able to grind out. A valid summary of Arsenal's current predicament was aptly provided in two words on a football forum yesterday: "S**t Barcelona". Recent results have shown that Arsenal lack the grit to get the job done. I am not doubting the ability of any of the Arsenal players. On the contrary, I feel they have one of the best squads in the league in terms of ability. If the league was decided by mental state of mind, however, they would be mid-table at best, and I stress 'at best'. It is difficult to pinpoint the nature of this problem, though. Wenger clearly knows these players inside-out, yet when it comes to the crunch, it is left to him to come up with excuses about refereeing decisions or some other wild myths to account for the failings of those he sends out to win games.

People talk about the lack of big-money signings, and yes, they perhaps should be made in the summer to bring a bit more steel - psychological steel, if anything. Even one or two older heads would bring a balance to the squad, as too much pressure is heaped on Fabregas as captain to inspire and lead, and frankly he hasn't been consistent enough as a leader this season. The dire goalkeeping situation doesn't help either. Edwin van der Sar, for one, has shown that a championship winning team needs a world-class stopper, and the keepers that Arsenal have used this season have cost them more than they have saved them, most notably in the Carling Cup final. Stan Kroenke's increasing involvement with the club at a corporate level is an unknown entity. It is most likely the funds will be there for Arsene Wenger should he feel the need to utilise them, but his future, like the future of the club's ownership (with supporter shareholders unwilling to sell to the American) is uncertain. He still is the right man for the job, but those dissenting voices are not getting quieter.

The FA - A Paradigm of Incompetency

After yet another frenetic and unpredictable weekend in the Barclays Premier League that saw Arsenal and Chelsea's title hopes slide further away, Manchester United did what they have seemingly done all season by winning another game they might have lost. 2-0 down to West Ham at half time and looking as if they might hand their rivals a lifeline in the race for the championship, United conjured up that familiar resilient, never-say-die mindset and blew the Hammers away in the second half, thanks in the main to a hat-trick from the boy Rooney. I use the word 'boy' in this context to illustrate his reaction to scoring his third. With a Sky Sports camera hovering inches from his face, and, glowing with passionate anger, he stared into the lens and shouted, "What? F***ing what? F*** off." It was an outburst not unlike that of a young, angry teenager (pretty much all of the time).

Let me firstly say that language like this is not appropriate at any time, and I don't condone someone screaming expletives like that, especially when it is by a professional footballer to millions of viewers on the television. They are role models to thousands of young aspiring players and should act accordingly. Yet I would like to point out that such a reaction is understandable, particularly when someone shoves a camera down your throat. It's provocative and asking for trouble and the subsequent mass hysteria that has predictably emerged. Still, everyone loves a talking point.

However, it is not the actions of Rooney that I wish to discuss. It is the response of the Football Association to the incident. Rooney had, after the final whistle, immediately apologised for his outburst via the club's website. Sensible, yes. He apologised for his behaviour and that should have been the end of it. But no. Why? Because the British media love a witch-hunt. That it is Rooney makes it extra-special. It is not in the nature of the media to 'let it go', and so, on this occasion, they haven't. On the other hand, I very much doubt if it were a West Ham player - Carlton Cole, for example - who had sworn into the camera, the same would have been made of it. What if an overseas player had done the same thing, in a different language? I very much doubt there is a special room at the FA where dozens of translators are all sat in front of monitors waiting for a foreign player to swear on TV.

All of this, in turn, puts an enormous amount pressure on the FA to make an example of the player in question. It turns out that the player in question is Rooney, arguably England's most important player. They have charged him for using offensive language, and he now faces a two-match ban. By the way, who was 'offended' by his language? Was there a bloke called Steven sitting at home watching the game in Basingstoke with a can of Carlsberg who thought Rooney was actually telling him to "F*** off"? Rooney even said it himself in his apology: "It was not aimed at anyone in particular." The charge itself, therefore, is something to question.

Another issue is the FA's superb record of inconsistency. I agree that Rooney should have been banned for elbowing a Wigan player earlier this season, but the FA didn't take action. Perhaps the FA felt that because they didn't ban him when they should have done, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. But two wrongs don't make a right. It seems that whoever is dishing out these punishments has no sense of priority. There was a racism claim against the families of some West Ham players during Saturday's match - they could easily be monitoring that situation instead in conjunction with West Ham and the police. The countless other incidents that have gone unpunished, such as Steven Gerrard's elbow against Portsmouth's Michael Brown last season, merely exacerbates the problem, while the incidents that barely qualify as incidents (arguably Saturday's) are dealt with more severely. The problem for the FA is that if they don't act, they are jumped on by the media, but if they do, then surely they must continue to do so in the same vein. Therefore, banning every player that has ever sworn during a football match would be a good start. This, of course, is impossible and stupid and so what the FA must do is sort out the more petty occurrences in the game - which at most deserve a quiet slap on the wrist - from those that are unacceptable in this game and must rightly be extremely dealt with.

Easier said than done, and I feel that nothing will change for the foreseeable future.

A Quick Word on "Bibotelli"

Following Manchester City's disappointing Europa League exit at the hands of Dynamo Kiev on Thursday night, all the talk was of their £20 million summer signing, the Italian striker Mario Balotelli. Indeed, the boy got himself sent off for - and I could easily use expletives to emphasise what transpired -  a reckless and frankly idiotic chest-high foot on a Kiev player, causing his manager Roberto Mancini to voice his anger and doubt his place in the team for the weekend game against Chelsea. But it was not the only talking point from last night surrounding the undoubtedly talented, but at times volatile (and possibly mentally unstable) player. As ESPN's coverage focused on Balotelli during the warm up the presenting team had to watch and 'discuss' for over a minute the absurd sight of the Italian attempting to put on a training bib without success (see picture). Of course, this is not justification for any knee-jerk reactions along the lines of "modern footballers get paid thousands of pounds a week but are thick as two planks". Balotelli is not helping suppress any such opinions, however. This, combined with his exceptionally poor attitude - a reason for his well publicised spat with former manager Jose Mourinho - suggest he would not look out of place in a young offenders institute with a criminal record, no real education or any qualifications, had he not been fortunate enough to possess real footballing potential. This is a rather extreme view, but after City's European demise, Mario 'Bibotelli', as pundit Robbie Savage so eloquently commented, should at the very least reassess the manner in which he approaches his profession. Apologising today to his team mates for his dismissal is a good start.

Return of the Baby-faced Assassin

Arsenal pride themselves on the acquisition of young players from all over the world, in the hope of moulding them into Barclays Premier League stars of the highest quality. Kolo Toure is one example of how an obscure player, signed for a small fee, has developed into an excellent footballer. At 21, he signed for the relatively cheap amount of £150,000 in 2002 from his Ivorian club, ASEC Mimosas, and subsequently became one of the most recognised centre backs in Europe for his technical and physical prowess as a defender and role in the Gunners' 'Invincible' season of 2003/4. Arsene Wenger is masterful at times at moulding potential into the finished product, but after Manchester United's 2-1 win over Marseille in the Champions League last night, he may be cursing having missed out on one such gem.

Javier Hernández, now known almost universally as Chicharito, the 'Little Pea', is rapidly travelling upon a similar road taken by Toure and many others who have come seemingly out of nowhere to make a huge impact upon the clubs they sign for. He scored two goals at Old Trafford as United knocked out the French champions after two legs of their last 16 encounter. Sir Alex Ferguson was quite right in swooping for the 22-year-old Mexican striker in April, before the World Cup, during which Hernandez proved his scoring capabilities against established world powers such as France and Argentina. He was signed from Chivas de Guadalajara for around £7 million, considerably higher than Arsenal paid for Toure but understandable considering that the world's economy isn't in the best of health, and football transfer fees are, for the most part, hugely inflated nowadays. His transfer value has undoubtedly skyrocketed following his performances in South Africa, but more importantly during United's season - a season in which he has scored 16 goals in just 17 starts for the club. In this respect, £7 million appears more of a bargain by the day. Stood alongside the yet to score Fernando Torres, whom Chelsea bought for over seven times that amount, Ferguson has probably had a quiet chuckle to himself.

The Mexican's scoring ratio after his 33 appearances this season is about one every two games, remarkable for a player who has needed to adapt to the increased quality of English football, and who has made most of his impact as a substitute. The 'super-sub' factor has lead to inevitable comparisons with the most famous one of them all - Ole Gunnar Solsksjaer (type into Youtube 'champions league final 1999' if you need reminding).

It is not just the substitute role that has ignited the discussion. The two possess extremely similar qualities. Hernández is quick, if not quicker than the Norwegian was. His movement is terrific in the penalty area, he is adept at timing his runs behind the opposition to perfection, and as a finisher, he has the gift of the natural goalscorer, not unlike, for instance, Liverpool FC's great Robbie Fowler. Believers of fate may even point out that Hernandez looks much younger than he is. Solskjaer was called the 'baby-faced assassin' for the same reason - surely a sign that the phenomenon has returned to the Theatre of Dreams. The two goals Hernández scored last night were tap-ins from within the six-yard-box, bringing to mind the phrase 'in the right place at the right time'. He certainly is at the right place, and should his talent help United to more silverware in the years to come, the time will be right as well. Not for Arsene Wenger, though.