The Manchester Premier League

by Kareem Manning

The Premier League has officially become a two horse race after last weekend's enticing match ups which saw both Manchester City and Man United leave their opponents trailing and choking on their dust.

Balotelli scores at the death with a coolly taken penalty kick

This weekend pitted the best of London vs the greats of Manchester, with Manchester City gearing up against the in form Spurs, while the defending champions Manchester United took a trip down to London to face a rather off coloured Arsenal.  Going into the weekend it seemed to be an intriguing match up with favourable results that could have potentially caused a crucial mix-up in the title race. Contrary to the false consensus that was upheld by the majority, where critics and reports were counting on an upset, the Premier League title race continued to roll on as it has from the inception of this season as the Red Devils and City dispatched their London counterparts in stylish fashion.

City conjured up the win in injury time, throwing salt into fresh wounds of what was a very spirited Spurs side.  Looking at the positives, if Spurs can keep this more-than-capable side together with the addition of one or two investments they will definitely be considered a true heavy weight and would unarguably be able to match their rivals in Manchester City. With the citizens missing their two most influential defensive minded players in Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, I wasn’t too surprised with the eventual fight back from 2-0 down, but credit to both Redknapp, who instilled a burning hunger and fiery drive in his lads, who are now easily one of the most exciting teams in the league when on the attack. Man City however showed us that they indeed, were the team with the predatorial killer instinct, with a fantastic late win which only adds to their unbeaten home record, a crucial bonus for teams competing for the coveted title.

United's Rafael lunges in on an incisive run by Chamberlain

An extremely depleted Man United side expertly neutralised a sorry Arsenal with an important away win as they cruised to victory at the Emirates Stadium with a 2-1 scoreline. The final score did no justice to United’s performance as they created chance after chance and totally dominated Arsenal for 80% of the game, bossing possession and limiting Arsenal to half chances. At times many may have thought Arsenal was giving up as their performance showed. The killer instinct that I mentioned earlier - that core characteristic of what transforms a team from being just a team, to being champions is what the Gunners lack.  One must have the mentality of being a champion if one will ever be, and judging from the substitution made by Arsene Wenger, who swapped Arsenal's best attacking performer on the night, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the champion mentality is oblivious and the trophies will remain further out of reach unless this is mentality is altered. Wenger, belief is key.

United's win certified that the title race will continue to be battled out in the north of England as they collected three vital points that kept them within range of Manchester City. One thing going against United though, is the amount of injuries, as players crawled to the finish, giving Sir Alex Ferguson a massive headache for the huge fixture list in the coming weeks.

To be successful in this extremely competitive League, one quality is needed as games will be drawn and lost.  It is the ability to bounce back from unwanted results.  The ability to return to your best after you've been cut short is crucial to help get the team back on track, as teams like Arsenal and Chelsea show, who continue to string too many losses and draws, making them inconsistent and bereft of that champion mentality I keep mentioning. The two at the top of the tree in City and United, have proved that there are easily the two most consistent teams and are by far the strongest in the league in terms of the collection of players at their disposal and even management. It will be very difficult to predict this league finish as we can never count out Sir Alex and United but for now it is advantage to City in the MANCHESTER PREMIER LEAGUE.

The Future of England lies on their 5 lucky stars

For a very long time the England national team had attached to them a grubby reputation for being tournament chokers, and rightly so.  They never seem to fulfill the high expectations, and they never display the high pedigree we have been accustomed to see weekly in their respective Premier League games.



For the last decade, England have relied on the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and David Beckham. All of these players have had tremendous careers in regards to the many medals, silverware and personal achievements they have individually collected over the course of their sparkling careers, however, on the international stage they have always failed to deliver the goods.

This has led to ultimate frustration for many fans, including myself, and it has reached the point where it is time for the England set up implement a plan to introduce the young talent into the senior squad for the betterment of England's footballing future.

Introducing the following five fledgling players, while keeping the grit and experience of certain players can establish England as a young vibrant team that will be sure to offer more energy on the pitch whilst delivering a more attractive overall style of play.

Starting from the back:

Phil Jones in stride

Phil Jones - In this 19 year old, England can potentially have a world beater in their defence for the next 5-10 years, presuming of course he stays fit and maintains the high standards he has displayed so far in his budding. This season, he has been a revelation for Manchester United fans, with a string of dynamite, swashbuckling performances. He looks like he has been a United player for years.

Thus far Jones has displayed the ability to tackle strong; he possesses good pace, an excellent leap for heading, a keen eye to read the game and he is built like an ox to deal with the many types of players he will come across in his exciting future. His confidence is high, his boldness and natural leadership on the pitch is innate and England should address their problems from the back coming forward and starting here.

Smalling training with the England Under 21 squad

Chris Smalling - With this 21 year old lad, England have the perfect complement for Phil Jones. Smalling is surely the silk to Jones's steel.  He is a fantastic athlete with great pace and equal strength, but also possesses a good touch for a defender. Chris Smalling would prove a great asset to England and could be the future to Rio Ferdinand's Jersey for club and country.

Wilshere's future for England may not look this glum..

Jack Wilshere - Wilshere is the future of England's midfield and the odds are high for him to inevitably develop into a true star of world football. There is no doubt of his limitless talent, and that was only proven again in his terrestrial performances against, unarguably the best team in Europe and perhaps the world, Barcelona.

In the showdown, he was Arsenal's best player by a league, being the ventriloquist in midfield, pulling the strings and dictating the play like a sure veteran. Wilshere's sharp vision for a player his age  is a phenomenon quite rare.  Couple this with his ability to weight the perfect pass, and we know that he surely has a glittering  career in the sport. He is the ideal candidate for England's engine room as their terribly ineffective long ball style of play is destined to be changed.

Cool, calm and collected.

Tom Cleverley - With Tom Cleverley, England has a dynamic and versatile midfielder that can comfortably appear across anywhere in midfield. Despite his attacking passing ability not being in the same class as his England counterpart Jack Wilshere, he still exhibits great patience and confidence in his talent. He is a simple yet extremely effective footballer.

He received rave reviews for his prior two loan spells and has continued his first season in the Old Trafford starting squad  in the same fashion. For England, he would bring a simple pass and move tempo that would assist them in building a much needed passing game. He has a pretty good engine and usually finds himself in both boxes which, of course could only be a bonus.

Welbeck may well be England's golden boy in the coming years

Danny Welbeck - For years England have waited for a partner for Wayne Rooney. Too often Rooney had to lead the attacking line on his own as his plethora of partners which were experimented with by Capello, were never very effective. However, in Danny Welbeck, England are certain of what they are getting. A strong, fast lad with a deft touch who is more sparing on the ball and doesn't need it at his feet constantly. He can play great off the ball which is exactly what Rooney needs in a partner, take Javier Hernandez as an example. Offering a good physical presence in England's attack, his muscular, sweaty body can surely wriggle itself onto the end of a set piece.

All in all, the England national team has been a huge disappointment for decades, however with this emerging new crop all hope isn't lost, with the right management, the Three Lions have a pretty strong future.