Changing Times

December is just around the corner and from now on in, the football season will just keep increasing the pressure on managers, players and chairmen alike. Perhaps the most unusual thing this season is seeing the usual 'big boys' struggle- thank you to the blue side of Manchester for causing this panic. 
However with one more match to go for both Manchester clubs in the Champions League group stage, both clubs have contrasting deciding matches. Both clubs may need to gain a positive result on matchday 6, but what favours United having Champions League football in early 2012 is that they only need a draw in Basel whereas City would need to pull out a win at home against Bayern Munich and hope other results go their way.
Despite their dominant form in the Premier league all season, City have struggled in Europe with just two solitary wins over Villareal. This may have been considered a suprise to many, but when you look at their group it may well tell another story compared to the other English clubs whose recent history and seeding has led to an easier group draw. Drawing Napoli from the fourth tier of seeds is a rotten bit of luck compared to the other sides they could have got such as Genk, Otelul Gelati or Dynamo Zagreb who have put up very little resistance in their respective groups.
If you compare England's two other representatives in Europe's elite competition from London they may be in a slightly better position than their northern counterparts, this can't be said domestically however. Chelsea have lost five of their last nine games in all competitions and face other off field problems as well as trying to mould a new young manager into the 'New Mourinho'.

But this season's competition does show a shift in European football. Gone are the recent years of England's finest qualifying for the knock out stages with games to spare, with less 'pushover' teams and the drop in quality of the English sides it isn't a surprise to see them struggling their way through and could potentially face a tricky last 16 tie and possible early exit. Whether Andre Villas Boas survives through December and into a potential last 16 tie is another matter. Three of the defeats that 'AVB' has suffered recently were against Arsenal and Liverpool, two clubs who have also been muscled out by Manchester City and the impressive rise of Tottenham Hotspur. That makes six clubs fighting for the elusive four champions league places, it is sure to be some fight right up until May. Oh and don't forget Newcastle are still there causing upsets and the other domestic and European competitions which conclude at Wembley and abroad in 2012 along with the small matters of European championships and the Olympics to come too. Does it ever slow down?  

Brilliant Tomorrow?

So the final places for Euro 2012 have been decided and it's Portugal, Ireland, Croatia and the Czech Republic joining the 12 other, already qualified, nations in Ukraine and Poland next summer. Along with the joy of Ireland's win last night came the possibility of drawing England in the group stage, a tie that fans are craving for but wouldn't be ideal for either teams' chances of progression in the competition. With all the ifs and buts up in the air until the draw is made in a couple of weeks, you can only judge the teams by their own individual talents and people's opinions may well have been changed over the international break.


Stuart Pearce has overseen many of the younger players make their way into the senior side.

 The majority of countries played two friendlies over the 5 days, including England who managed to overcome the world and European champions and Sweden (still a notable win). Two very different performances with the same outcome of a 1-0 win but perhaps the most positive thing was the way the squad had a much younger and fresher feel to it. Despite the build-up not being ideal and with an unusual lack of support in numbers for the Sweden fixture, it was good to see the side still pull out two wins against a great side and a very solid outfit. Comparing this to their rugby counterparts at the recent world cup has seen their coach, Martin Johnson, pay the ultimate price with his job today. Perhaps it was the fact that England's football team had a lot more players with a chance to make their mark on the side, with a very little amount of the controversy directly being linked to them- just the captain. Unproven players got their chance such as Kyle Walker who has added his name the long potential right back list, along with strikers Bobby Zamora, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge who may not have had a direct impact on the pitch but have the potential to be in the squad this summer or failing that in tournaments for years to come.
With England fans getting the same old feeling of going into a tournament with false hope, perhaps it will be Brazil 2014 or France 2016 and not Poland/Ukraine 2012 where a young English team fulfils its potential. But the experience can only help whether its a first round failure, a run to the final or a traditional penalty exit at the quarter final stage.

The build up starts here

It may only be November but this weekend see's the start of the Euro 2012 build-up, most top clubs are probably dreading the thought of next summer more than most as it includes not only the European championships but the Olympics as well. With the inclusion of a team GB side for the first time more players than ever are going to be playing for two years straight, or in other words 'Arsene Wenger's nightmare'.

The main games over the weekend include the decisive play-offs for the four remaining places, with Ireland being seen as the most likely, out of the eight clubs, to be in Ukraine and Poland next summer. Not just because they have arguably the easiest tie (if there is an easy tie) out of the possible seven other sides, but they have two years of suffering on their shoulders from their last play-off tie in Paris and the infamous Thierry Henry handball.

Whereas England have already qualified there's no reason to think that everything is plain sailing with their preparations as a lack of fan support, misbehaving players and on going (justified) arguments with FIFA have been just a few cases of negative feeling leading into the upcoming friendlies against Spain and Sweden. John Terry (yet to be proved innocent or guilty of racist remarks against Anton Ferdinand) looks likely to be on the bench against Spain but return as captain for the game against Sweden- if that makes any sense? Surely Capello trusts him enough that the accusations aren't true and that he wants to play his captain both games to get more understanding amongst an ever changing back line. Or he wants to try and blood new players into the fold and give Terry the fortnight off and rest for what could be a defining few months for the player's career. With Frank Lampard believed to be stepping up to captain the side against Spain, it is also evident that it may be the last tournament for many of the old guard to perform in a big tournament if they even make it to the summer that is, with younger talent trying to push them out before then.

The decision of FIFA to finally back down on letting England players wear a poppy for Saturday's game is a minor victory in the ever increasing tension between the two associations. However even with the poppy being worn on Saturday evening by England fans at Wembley and around the country, far less than usual will be supporting in person at England's north London home. Whether it's the high ticket prices or poor performances recently produced by England's 'finest' but the national following of the England team seems to have dwindled since the world cup failure. Whether it will be rebooted in time for the Euros could well be dependent on the player behaviour that is displayed in the coming month, otherwise it could be another short tournament for the England side and their travelling faithful.

Don't play with fire!

As Bonfire night celebrations begin to finish for another year, another event was announced in detail involving something that just needs a little flame to cause a big fuss!
The Olympic torch relay route was announced with the headline being that 95% of the population will be within 10 miles of the Olympic flame at some point during the relay. This has always been a major operation by organisers to bring the Olympics to the whole country rather than just London and a few other cities that are hosting Football or Sailing With venues set to be sold out in the majority of sports is the torch more of a plan to make sure Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland citizens stump up the cash to buy the readily available group stage football tickets.
The magic of the 'flame' also seems to be disappearing, as a child you believed that the torch never went out and was always lit in Greece ending with a massive ceremony at the Olympic Stadium. However with the constant world we live in and with protests on the biggest occasions a regular occurrence, even Lord Coe has admitted if the flame does go out it will just be relit the traditional way and then be on its way again. It doesn't exactly inspire a young child if you see one of the symbols of the games being relit with a box of matches from Morrisons (protection of up to 35mph gusts doesn't seem a large guarantee that it will survive). This is just one of the early obstacles that may occur during the Olympic period next summer, but the main aim of getting an enthusiastic nation behind its athletes seems to be in full swing which could lead to an extremely successful games for team GB. Who knows maybe it will be the good old British weather that will dampen the Olympic spirit, does it rain in Britain during the summer?