Yeovil 0-4 Manchester United FA Cup 4th Round

Yeovil 0-4 Manchester United (Rashford 41, Herrera 61, Lingard 89, Lukaku 90+3)

Some debuts live long in the memory, like Rooney’s vs Fenerbahce, or Ronaldo’s vs Bolton. Other debuts barely ever register even to those who were there. Whatever he does in his Old Trafford career, there won’t be many people who will turn to the side and wistfully reminisce about Alexis Sanchez’s bow at Huish Park, of all places. Yeovil fought hard on their evening in the sun, with the match live on the BBC on Friday night, complete with Arsenal alumnus Martin Keown sniping at our new number 7 at every possible moment. But United were business-like, professional and progressed quite comfortably into the 5^th Round of the Cup, without ever utterly dominating Yeovil. 
That was noteworthy as Yeovil sat 21^st in League Two at kick-off, the lowest ranked team remaining in the draw, but the much anticipated giant-killing was never likely, even though the Red Devils had a nervy first 20 minutes on a cabbage patch of a pitch that looked more suited to a primary school field than a stage befitting Sanchez.

The new buy was obviously the star attraction, his name and picture splattered everywhere, be it the match programme, the newspapers, and the TV trailers. Even United’s own propaganda machine seemed to forget there were 10 other players momentarily. But then, if you weren’t an ABU weirdo, you knew what the result was going to be; it was only natural the ex-Arsenal winger was granted the column inches. What were they going to write about – Yeovil? The Somerset team were pretty much ignored in the build-up, not that they minded much with the TV pounds flowing through the clubs’ coffers. It was three years ago that United had been here in the 3^rd round, with Herrera scoring that great instinctive goal on the turn. The Basque midfielder must surely put Yeovil just behind Zaragoza in his list of favourite clubs.

Yeovil started brightly, pressing a nervous looking United, who had made 10 changes from the win over Burnley with only Juan Mata keeping his place. (The most important players - Pogba, Jones, De Gea, Valencia and MARTIAL (!!!!) - were left at home.) Gradually though the team from the higher division found their feet and got the passing game flowing. Sanchez, stationed on the left but always looking to roam, seemed desperate to impress and whenever he got possession he showed off that burst of acceleration that has left defenders behind all over the world for the best part of a decade. I’m well aware it was only bloody Yeovil, but there was something about the way the tempo rose when the ball fell to him that was reminiscent of early Ronaldo. He also attempted audacious switches of play and through balls looking for the centre-forward Rashford, but most were over-hit and drifted out of play, leading to mocking cheers from the home crowd. Ah, yes. Our new man was booed throughout, getting a bit of the Sterling treatment. I do think if you asked the Yeovil fans (the ones who only swelled the crowd to see United, not the regulars) afterwards why they were giving him such a hostile reception they wouldn’t have a fucking clue, with a 52-year-old bloke probably muttering something about Sanchez being a ‘mercenary’. Never mind, they won’t see another game for a couple of years – at least until the next big home cup tie.

Still, at least he was trying things, as it couldn’t be avoided that a very expensive United team were being, shall we say, thoughtful in their passing. That’s a euphemism for slow and dull, by the way. It took until the deadlock was broken to assert our dominance but the goal itself was lucky, with Rashford’s poor touch from Sanchez’s ball falling to a defender, who then contrived to allow the Mancunian kid to steal in and tuck away the opener after beckoning his keeper to come and clear the ball when it was clear he had no intention of doing so. Forget League Two, this was barely Essex Combined Counties Division Four (West) level defending. How can you have such a lack of communication? The away end didn’t care, breathing a sigh of relief knowing the game was already done. I would suggest Rashford, going through a rotten run of form for the first time in his precocious career, didn’t mind how scrappy his goal was either.

For all the shouting, it pretty much was. Sure, Darmian, making his first appearance since the humbling at Bristol City, contrived to make some League Two cloggers look good with his flat fucking feet. Moreover, a couple of agricultural reducers challenges were put in on Alexis to the smug glee of Keown. But it was easy street for us, with the home crowd now quiet unless Sanchez had the ball, spending their time taking photos of the players they were abusing a few minutes before. The United fans created the atmosphere, with special attention given to Michael Carrick and the ‘hard to believe it’s not Scholes’ chant in celebration of the return of the club captain. After a heart scare, the lanky Geordie was back, calming the midfield down, admittedly against the gentlest of opponents. But no matter, for it was his first outing since Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup in September, and it was just nice to see him come through unscathed.

The game still needed a second goal though, and it duly came from a slick counter from our own corner. The ball was cleared to Mata who expertly controlled before waiting for Sanchez to carry the ball forward. Rashford made the decoy run, and the Chile superstar made the right decision to pick out Herrera, who controlled before converting with his left foot. Cue an arms-pumping celebration from another player who will take confidence from a goal after a hard time of his own recently.

Our new signing had showed off his footwork and dribbling skills but he had tired. (only natural after not starting recent Arsenal games with the move imminent) A bit more zest was needed and Mourinho, on his 55^th birthday, sent on Lingard and Lukaku after a couple of chances were spurned. There was a wait for the next goal, but it was worth it, for it was yet another sublime individual goal from Lingard, his 12^th of the season. How can you not love this guy, academy graduate and all, when he runs into the crowd after a scoring the third against Yeovil. No meaningless games for this lad. His determination to make an impact would not have gone unnoticed back on the dugout, with Mourinho likely to be deciding between Lingard and Mata to make way for Sanchez. After this run and finish from the Warrington wizard, the Spanish blogger surely sits on the bench at Wembley against Spurs in midweek.

The fourth goal came almost straight away with Herrera spotting the run of Marcos Rojo, of all people, in the inside left channel and the Argentine’s cross was volleyed smartly into the roof of the net by Lukaku for yet another goal. But far more pleasing was the little run from Angel Gomes, who had come on for fellow academy kid Rashford for only his second United appearance. The u17 World Cup winner received the ball on the left and beat the defender Ribery-style only to hit the side netting. It was only a glimpse, but the confidence he plays with at such a young age is so promising. Although, he’s still a few meat and potato dinners away from taking a place in a premier league side.  

Yeovil deserve credit but our 6^th successive clean sheet was always going to happen, and United march on once more. Carrick, Gomes, the goal-scorers, and Mourinho’s new contract which was signed on Thursday – there was a lot to be content with, even without mentioning the first Chilean to play for Manchester United. But let’s finish with him anyway. It wasn’t Rooney vs Fener. It wasn’t even Hernandez in the Community Shield. But Alexis Sanchez is a Red.

United (4-3-3) Romero 7; Darmian 5.5, Lindelof 6.5, Rojo 7, Shaw 6.5; Herrera 7, Carrick 6.5, McTominay 6; Mata 6.5 (Lukaku 65, 7), Rashford 6 (Gomes 88), Sanchez 7.5 (Lingard 72, 7.5).

Manchester United 3-0 Stoke

Manchester United 3-0 Stoke (Valencia 9, Martial 38, Lukaku 72)

It had been 10 days since Manchester United had last kicked a ball in anger against Derby in the cup, a rare long-ish break in the middle of the season which Jose Mourinho had taken to full advantage, spending much of the time in Dubai. The Portuguese gaffer gushed about the warm weather and the facilities, and a previously jaded United arrived for the Monday evening game refreshed. Off field matters had taken up the journalist’s attention during the lull, such as Mourinho’s war of words with Conte, (‘I don’t act like a clown’ “He has senile dementia” ‘I will never be banned for match-fixing’ “He is a little man”) and United’s seemingly on a whim pursuit of Alexis Sanchez.

The wantaway Arsenal flier was the talk of the terraces, and a compilation of his goals was even shown on MUTV. But the game kicked off with no deal looking imminent, although the Red Devils were in the driving seat. City had balked at the wage demands of the Chilean, and we had muscled in. The day before, after Arsenal’s loss at Bournemouth, Wenger had said Sanchez’s future would be resolved within 48 hours, but the Arsenal chief does say a lot of shite these days. Mkhitaryan was left out of the squad, after Jose had said he would be involved, amid speculation the Armenian would be going the other way to Sanchez. He has almost certainly played his last game for Manchester United.

While no one is sure about who exactly will be at Carrington in February, what you can bet your life on is Paul Pogba being United’s best player for the foreseeable future. The number 6 was sensational.

There are people who don’t rate Pogba, or at the very least believe he’s overhyped. This is baffling, as Pogba’s strengths are so obvious, even on his bad days. You don’t have to study him, like you do Busquets, to truly appreciate his impact on matches. No one who has watched him for more than a handful of games can have any doubt about his talent, so it must be bitterness, jealously, or good old fashioned ABU syndrome, that explains why he is not feted like De Bruyne.  

Speaking of the two-footed ginger, Pogba equalled his assists record for the season against Stoke, putting them both on 9. The Frenchman has played 10 less games though, due to his injuries and suspensions. After this win,  and City's first loss of the season on Sunday against Liverpool, the gap between the Manchester clubs was 12 points; it’s tempting to wonder what it would be if United’s talisman had been available in all the league games this season. He really was an absolute steal at £89m, it was quite laughable how easy he found it to run this game. A complete footballer.

It was the returning Antonio Valencia who put United in front, a real collector’s item too: A goal from his left peg! He collected Pogba’s ball before shifting it and curling it home for his 3^rd league strike of the campaign. We’ve missed him in his absence. Perhaps it was the potential arrival of the dog-shagging weirdo that is Sanchez that led to such a high-tempo start, with the attacking players keen to show Jose what they were about. United, full of confidence after the early goal, started to dominate possession and push Stoke back.

It’s the first time I’ve mentioned the away side, despite them being full of intrigue as well. After four and a half years of Mark Hughes, Stoke had fired him and appointed Paul Lambert, amazingly after an underwhelming spell with Wolves. It’s great being a British manager isn’t it? So many failures, so many opportunities. Mind, the dour Scot (is there any other kind?) did a superb job with Norwich which shouldn't be forgotten, no matter how eye-scratchingly bad his Villa team were to watch. either way, the new boss was at Old Trafford watching his new charges for the first time, and there weren’t many on show who must’ve given him much joy.

The exception would be Stephen Ireland, making his first start since spring 2015 after a series of horrific injuries. Not that I would normally be one to show sympathy to an ex-city, grandmother-lying waster, but it was nice to see him back, and he was Stoke’s best performer, along with Moritz Bauer, the debut right-back January purchase. Ireland was unlucky not to score after making a few blindside runs into the area. Unfortunately for him, his more talented but work-shy wide men Shaqiri and Choupo-Moting were invisible throughout, making Stoke anaemic up front. Ex-Red Darren Fletcher was sadly off the pace.

After the second goal was scored brilliantly by Martial when sweeping in Pogba’s pass from the edge of the area, Stoke seemed to give up, and the home side were not going to relinquish control. The £89m man was dictating play, dribbling through the midfield, switching play at will, always doing the unexpected, always wanting the ball. The only thing missing was a goal. Matic was also calm and assured, with Jones impressive and resolute at the back, and also having the poise to bring the ball out of defence.

The second half featured United struggling a little up to the hour mark, showing a little lack of intensity. I said aloud that Mata and in particular Lingard should be withdrawn. They both obviously heard me as they combined three times in the space of 5 minutes to try and get a third. First the Spaniard stroked a shot wide after Lingard had carried the ball, then after an enterprising burst from Luke Shaw the man-of-the-moment tapped back to Mata in a similar move to the first goal at Leicester. Only this time Mata blazed it over, and not long after he flicked in Lingard’s volley but he was way offside.

In the end it was Romelu Lukaku who scored the third, chesting down Martial’s pass, which was pinged in at pace, before using his body well against two defenders to create a little opening and smash home clinically. Classic centre-forward play. The big man had been terrific all game, and he seems to be hungry for goals again. He has 17 for the season now in all competitions, and that's no mean record.

Once again my pleas to get Pogba off for rest was ignored, and you can bet a muscle injury will be forthcoming as his all-action, complete display didn’t stop when the score became 3-0. Maybe for Matic as well, who only when he went off against Watford has been spared 90 minutes since joining. Still, it was nice for McTominay to get more minutes, Fellaini to be back, and Rashford almost scored after beating two men easily in his short time on the pitch. The kid is pure quality, even when out of form. United were on auto-pilot for the last 10 minutes as we just saw it out. A lovely 90 minutes, even against relegation fodder.

United (4-2-3-1) De Gea 7; Valencia 8, Smalling 7, Jones 8, Shaw 7; Pogba 9, Matic 7.5; Mata 7.5 (McTominay 83), Lingard 6 (Fellaini 80, 6), Martial 8 (Rashford 80, 6.5); Lukaku 8.

Manchester United 2-0 Derby County Fa Cup 3rd Round

Manchester United 2-0 Derby (Lingard 84, Lukaku 90)

United were almost held to a replay by a determined effort from the Championship team and their keeper Scott Carson, but in the end, Jesse Lingard ensured the progression of the 12 times winners after yet another worldie. Lingard's brilliant 25-yard late opener was swiftly followed by a Lukaku goal after great work from Martial, making the final score look pretty comfortable, yet for much of this Friday evening the Old Trafford crowd were anxious that the win would not be forthcoming.

I didn't actually watch this game.* Neither did anyone else who wasn't at the ground (at least, not legally) as the BBC had put the Merseyside derby on instead, although United's kick-off time still had to move due to city being drawn at home as well. So the longstanding run of televised cup ties was at an end, but the idea that United didn't give a crap about the cup was quashed straight away when Mourinho picked a very strong XI, with only 5 changes from the Everton win. The keepers were rotated, Smalling and Blind came in at the back, and Marcus Rashford and Mkhitaryan replaced Martial and the rested Matic. A very healthy crowd of over 73,000, helped by almost 10,000 from the East Midlands, was further evidence that the club cared deeply about this competition. Just don't mention 1999/2000.

The game itself was essentially just an attack vs defence training exercise. Gary Rowett's team had very little ambition - although this isn't a criticism, just an observation on the realities of the match. Although the Rams are pushing for promotion (again), the sense that they would be content with a replay and money in the bank was palpable. They only ever attacked on the break, with ex-red Tom Lawrence showing his ball carrying ability. Nonetheless, it was a quiet evening for Sergio Romero, as it was Derby's organisation and structure that was worthy of praise rather than any offensive flair.

Rashford, out of form and going through his first real tough time, looked sharp and keen from the off. His pace was too much for the opponents and he was constantly asking questions of the defence. Trouble was, he never looked like making the net bulge. Instead he blazed over and wide, or found himself stopped by Carson, a bad touch, or the woodwork (twice). The focus of the anger on Twitter afterwards for his misses and perceived selfishness, Marcus would do well to ask himself the question of how many 19 or 20 year olds earn the trust of Mourinho. The kid is special, and never hid or let the misses effect him. He's played non stop since his debut for club and country, and my theory is he's tired. The lad just needs to be taken out of the firing line for a bit, and tune out from all the reactionary shit.

Having said all that, his miss in the first half from a Mkhitaryan cross (the only thing the out of sorts Armenian did before being hooked at the break, an act Mourinho apologised for in his presser, but one that hardly reflected well on the midfielder given he said Rashford was never going to score in the same conference) was a cast-iron sitter; he just had to nod it in from 5 yards, but managed to hit the post. He was hardly alone in his profligacy though, with Mata amongst the others also unable to find the onion bag. Both the Spaniard and Pogba went close with free-kicks, but Scott Carson was in inspired form.

More than a decade has passed since his error against Niko Kranjcar and Croatia, but you get the sense that he never truly recovered. Haunted by the spectre of that national humiliation that really that fake Dutch twat Steve Mclaren should take the blame for, his career has drifted after West Brom, but there was a flash of the old Carson here, showing off the athleticism and reflexes that interested Liverpool when he was barely out of his teens.

Tony Marshall's loving Jesse's form as much as the rest of us

As the game wore on, Derby grew in confidence, venturing out of defence more often. Mourinho had brought on Lukaku and Martial to try and force an opening, but it just made the Stretford End feel nauseous at the thought of a late sucker punch. Those fears seemed to be alleviated when Herrera and Lingard helped to play in Rashford, but the young tyro shot against the post with Carson finally beaten.

When Pogba dragged an effort wide after Lingard was denied by the keeper, it had the feeling of 'one of those nights', but United kept on trying, and Lukaku tapped back Martial's forward pass to Lingard, who rifled it in the top corner before any Derby defenders could blink. Terrific. That made it 8 goals in his last 10 appearances now for the Warrington Wizard, and the crowd (well, most of them) breathed a sigh of relief. Lukaku finished off a one-two with Martial, and the Reds celebrated hard as the win, and no replay, meant they were off to Dubai for a bit of warm-weather training. Well, that's the belated silver lining to the Bristol City loss then.

The attention afterwards, with a hat tip in the direction of Derby and Rowett of course, was very much focused on our number 14 who's in the form of his life. Mourinho waxed lyrical about Lionel Jesse post match. "He's in a moment of confidence where things go well for him. He's a good professional and a fantastic kid in the dressing room". It isn't just the goals - although they are important and of an outstandingly high quality - but the confidence he is showing, feeling like he deserves the stage of United now. At 25, Lingard can no longer be regarded as a promising youngster. It's time to deliver, and boy, currently he is rivalling the postmen in that department.

United (4-2-3-1) Romero 6.5; Lindelof 6, Smalling 6, Blind 6.5, Shaw 6.5; Herrera 6, Pogba 6.5; Mata 7 (Martial 67, 7.5) Lingard 8.5, Mkhitaryan 5 (Lukaku 46, 7.5); Rashford 6 (Fellaini 80).

*I was at the theatre, watching 'The play that goes wrong'. Would recommend it. Almost as funny as Liverpool's league drought reaching 28 years this year, in my opinion.

Zorya Luhansk 0-2 Manchester United

Zorya Luhansk 0-2 Manchester United

We’re through. So, job done. This Europa League group campaign has confirmed my contempt for the early stages of this competition, but after finishing second in our pool to Fenerbahce, we can’t claim that we’re too big a club for UEFA’s second competition.

In a way it was fitting that such a weird group stage – two of our best performances of the season at home to Fener and Feyenoord, two of the worst away to those teams – ended in such a dull game. Honestly, it was like a pre-season game out there. Mind, it wasn’t helped by the rock hard surface, with temperatures of at times -7 degrees contributing to the poor play. The crowd in Odessa could be forgiven for falling asleep. A classic, it wasn’t.

The supporters were in good spirits though, because quite frankly it didn’t matter that the game was total crap. The fact that Zorya, a tiny club who were languishing in the third tier of Ukrainian football as recently as 2003, were hosting United was a huge moment for the club. It was done to death by the commentators but it needs repeating: This ‘home’ fixture was being played 600 miles from the city of Luhansk, with Eastern Ukraine still deep in conflict. So for the club exiled in sleepy Zaporizhia (the stadium there is not up to UEFA’s standards) a game against Pogba, Ibrahimovic and Rooney was a landmark, a real moment of triumph.

Spending time on matters such as this avoids mentioning the football, which was dreadful. Mourinho played the ‘A’ team (although Carrick, Valencia and Darmian were left at home) but the 1^st half passed by with us having the ball and doing nothing with it. Romero made a decent save at some point, shortly before a flare landed near him. Thankfully, the deadlock was broken soon after the break with a superb individual goal from Mkhitaryan, his first in a red shirt. A delicious nutmeg, calm finish. Zorya were pretty poor so there was never a chance of an equaliser, and it was duly wrapped up when Pogba played in Zlatan who finished simply. That made it 7 goals in 6 games in all competitions for the big Swede. At 35. Jeez he’s brilliant. Eric Bailly made his comeback and looked good, late clash of heads notwithstanding. Fosu Mensah had a decent cameo. And that’s it. Onto Spurs, when I’ll actually be there….

England V Brazil

England 2-1 Brazil (Rooney 27, Lampard 60) (Fred 48)
England clinched a famous win over the most decorated national team in the world thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard at Wembley. This result doesn't mean that England will win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but it does confirm improvement under Roy Hodgson and that England are capable of beating anyone on their day. The match did confirm though, the emergence of Jack Wilshere as a player of wonderful talent. His ability was not exactly oblivious to me before, but since his long lay off only the F.A cup replay against Swansea has showcased just how young Jack can boss the midfield. As I predicted in my preview to the match, Roy picked Cleverley in the middle three, but I was surprised and somewhat pleased that Danny Welbeck got his chance, admittedly from the left wing. This gave England an attacking look, and at last England broke free of the rigid 4-4-2 to embrace a fluid trio, with the ever brilliant Steven Gerrard as the deep lying, controlling passer. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that I haven't quite seen as good a performance by the national team against esteemed opposition since, well, Argentina 2005? Or maybe the friendly with Germany in Berlin in 2008? I was fortunate enough to see England-Spain in November last year, which also resulted in a win, but the display by England was defensive and pragmatic, whereas the England performance on Wednesday was impressively offensive and possession was kept well. England started quite nervously as Neymar twice got behind the back line  showing his pace. But on Ashley's Cole's 100th cap, he was tested by his club mate Oscar in the first period. Welbeck blazed over from inside the box after great link up play between Wilshere and Rooney. Thankfully Wayne Rooney put England in front after Wilshere slid a pass through to club mate Theo Walcott, who's shot was parried straight to Rooney. This was after Ronaldinho's first game in England since a Champions League game in 2010 was ruined by an awful penalty that Joe Hart got a glove to. The second half featured more possession for Brazil but also a superb finish from Frank Lampard, but not before Wilshere and Rooney linked up again for a chance for captain Gerrard. Also before Lampard's intervention, came a great shot from Fred, after Cahill ran into trouble, and later the striker hit the bar after a catalogue of errors at the back. Cahill then promtly almost scored with a great header from a corner, and then came the winning goal. Little happened afterwards so we are left to reflect on a great win.
Player Ratings
Joe Hart England's undisputed number 1 saved a penalty and looked solid all match. Given his form for Manchester City this campaign, it remains a worry at just how far in front of all the rivals for the jersey he is-after all, Roy only named two goalkeepers in this squad. Nevertheless, Hart remains switched on for his country despite his lack of competition. Rating 7/10
Glen Johnson Neymar didn't exactly test him as some thought the Santos wonderkid might. The Liverpool man rarely looked troubled and displayed typical enthusiasm to get forward and link up with Theo Walcott. This season he has been standing out for Liverpool, and there has to be no argument anymore- he is England's best right back and an extremely reliable one. Rating 7/10
Chris Smalling Not a great display from Smalling, who was struggling for most of the second half. Wasn't as assured in possession as he is for United, but why select a player at centre back when aforementioned player has rarely played there for his club side? Rating 5/10
Gary Cahill Dropped a bollock for Fred's goal, dribbling into trouble, but overall a trademark Cahill performance of calmness on the ball, occasional dribble forward, an ariel presence at both ends of the pitch, and a bit of slack marking. Rating 6/10
Ashley Cole (Baines 46) 100th cap, fairly average performance. Rating 6/10
Theo Walcott (Lennon 75) Constantly caused Adriano problems with his pace and ball control. Walcott's ambitions to play up front are ridiculous when he can be so threatening out wide. Where has he scored all his goals this season? From the wing...Rating 7/10
Steven Gerrard Fantastic perfomance from the skipper as England dominated possession. Disciplined in his duties behind Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley and he was again a threat with his set-pieces. Looks to show no signs of slowing down yet. Rating 7/10
Jack Wilshere That was fantastic. Wilshere offered England a convincing threat through his dribbling from deep. His defence-splitting pass to Walcott in the build-up to the opening goal was exceptional and he struck up an excellent understanding with Rooney in the final third. With Wilshere in the team, England's midfield looks a much more cohesive unit. Rating 8/10 (my man of the match)
Tom Cleverley (Lampard 46) Roy Hodgson is a big fan of the Manchester United midfielder, but despite keeping the ball well he still has a lot to learn. Still, he has improved greatly this season.  Rating 6/10
Danny Welbeck (Milner 61)  Worked hard on the left flank but didn't offer great threat in attack. Also missed tow excellent chances. Rating 6/10
Wayne Rooney Rooney seems to rarely turn it on in friendlys, which is why it was such a pleasant suprise to see the striker chasing balls down, linking well with the midfield, and generally playing like he does for his club. There is no doubt that England will need this Wayne Rooney for the match against Montenegro in March. Rating 8/10
Subs
Frank Lampard Came on, passed well, scored a great goal. Pretty standard. Rating 7/10
James Milner As per usual, worked tirelessley but not great on the ball. Rating 6/10
Leighton Baines Been brilliant for Everton this season, but still second choice. A good one though. Rating 6/10
Aaron Lennon Capello gave up on the Tottenham flier after his woeful displays in the 2010 World Cup. He has matured since then and seems keen to take the chance offered by Hodgson. Has been an almost ever present for Spurs under AVB. Rating 6/10
Subs not used: Butland, Walker, Jagielka, Lescott, Osman, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Overall, we must be careful not to read too much into this result, but it was a pretty strong Brazil side that was beaten. It is a great result with key games coming up. Team Rating 8/10

Chelsea, Benitez, Clattenburg, and a great England win

And so the Chelsea manager carousel starts again. Roberto Di Matteo, in his few months in charge of Chelsea, managed to deliver the FA cup and, the Holy Grail for Chelsea and Abramovich- the Champions League. But that wasn't quite good enough for the Russian in charge, and after less than a day Rafael Benitez was installed as his interim replacement. Firstly, the speed of the appointment raises questions as to how much contact Benitez had with Chelsea before the sacking of Di Matteo. How long was Abramovich planning to get rid of the Italian? It appears ever since Chelsea beat Tottenham in a fantastic display back in October, their form hasn't quite been the same; with only 2 wins in the last 7, and one of those in the League Cup. To be honest, if, as it looks like, Chelsea crash out the Champions League, Di Matteo can't have any complaints regarding his dismissal. His lack of response to the Juventus substitutions and resulting comeback in Match-day 1 was predictable and also the depressing defeat to Shaktar Donetsk, when Di Matteo rushed back an unfit John Terry and paid the price.  And as good a side Juventus are, to be beat 3-0 without offering any threat meant that Gabriel Clarke on ITV was already asking the awkward questions post match. You would have thought a man who delivered the holy grail to Chelsea would be given more time, but such is the nature of being the Chelsea boss. Abramovich never really wanted the former West Brom manager anyway, but was forced to give him a contract for the heroics in Munich. Di Matteo did spend over 80 million in the summer, but then again...  can Rafael Benitez realistically expect to do any better?  We shouldn't- as is the tendency in England- think light of Benitez as a coach though. The Spaniard led Valencia to two league titles, an unthinkable achievement now. He also won the Champions League and the FA Cup at Liverpool (albeit both on penalties), and if Gerrard and Torres had been fit all year, would probably had delivered the title in 2008/2009. It appears that Benitez has been brought in to get the best out of 50 million man Fernando Torres, and boy, he needs to start firing soon with the big shadow of Falcao hanging over him.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City

Well, one think we've learnt from this dour, dreadful and dire game of football is that Benitez is hilariously unpopular so far. There was a clearly audible chorus of boos when Benitez was introduced by the stadium announcer, and Stamford Bridge was awash with banners and signs wishing for Di Matteo- as shown by the applause in the 16th minute, Di Matteo's number as a player. The new man claimed he didn't hear the hostile reception, saying "I'm just focused on the game" and also argued once results started to fall into place supporters would get behind him. On the pitch, Benitez oversaw a first clean sheet in 11 matches to deny City the win that would take them top. But Torres was again awful, and Benitez will have to work miracles to get the striker back to his 2009 vintage.

The Clattenburg debacle: Why are Chelsea not being punished?
In the aftermath of Chelsea's 3-2 defeat at home to Manchester United, a racial storm erupted- and John Obi Mikel was convinced he had been racially abused by the referee. It has been found out that Chelsea were horribly wrong, as no credible evidence was put to the FA. Mikel's involvement had been that he was told by Ramires(who struggles to speak English) that Clattenburg had insulted him, and Mikel understandably felt aggrieved. The fact that no other Chelsea employee heard the insult should have given Chelsea a clue on how to act. Chelsea implicated a referee in a potentially career damaging case based on the flimsiest of evidence. Clattenburg couldn't referee for weeks with the scandal hanging over him, and Chelsea have still not given an apology. It wouldn't suprise me for the referees' union to sue Chelsea later on.

Top two's defensive problems continue
You can't keep a good man down. And currently in the premier league it seems impossible to take the lead against Manchester United or City and hope to win, because Edin Dzeko and Javier Hernandez just can't stop scoring from the bench. I wrote a couple of weeks ago now about the frailties shown by both clubs at the back his season, and although they are by no means solved, they seem to have improved, with clean sheets against Swansea and West Ham pointing to he truly miserly defence of last year. Having said that, City's quite disastrous Champions League form including conceding 10 goals in 5 European ties is threatening to shorten Roberto Mancini's time in the hot seat. The slick interplay of Ajax and messing around with a back three did for them in Amsterdam, but what was more worrying was the 2-2 draw at the Etihad last Tuesday, with both Siem De Jong goals coming from poor defending at set-pieces. However United haven't improved either - conceding 2 against Chelsea and Stoke, being 2 down to Braga and Aston Villa, plus conceding first in Portugal on Wednesday. United then lost 1-0 to both Norwich and Galatasaray, as well as conceding first again, this time against QPR.  Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be actively forfeiting the chance of a clean sheet by playing a very offensive line up, but when you have such fire power as Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, super sub Hernandez, and the marginalised for now Danny Welbeck, perhaps you can afford to take some risks.

Superb win in India for Captain Cook
England's cricket team clinched a historic and hugely impressive win on Indian soil in the second test as brilliant innings from Kevin Pietersen and Alistair Cook led England to a total of 413. It was then a joy to watch Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann majestically beat India at their own game, namely, using spin to outfox the top order. With a personal best 11 wickets in the match, it is puzzling how Monty wasn't in the side to begin with, particularly taking into account the much improved performances in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan when he returned to the side. The selectors face an interesting dilemma as to whether or not Ian Bell returns to the XI straight away after his absence from Mumbai. There is also the issue of vice captain's Stuart Broad's patchy form with both bat and ball. Personally, I would like to see Onions be given a chance again. But anyway, roll on Calcutta, as England, led by the imperious Cook look to win in India for the first time since 1985.

A Comeback Seve would be proud of

Well that was exciting. As dark descends on Medinah in Chicago we are left to a reflect on a truly remarkable turnaround as Team USA were beaten, after being 4 points ahead going into the crucial singles matches. I don't claim to be a golf fanatic but I do follow the 4 majors and of course the Ryder Cup- but it puzzles me how a player like Ian Poulter, 26 in the world, can dominate a team containing 4 of the world's top 5 players.(McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and Rose). Intriguing further are the average Ryder Cup records of established players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods in particular, will be blasted by the US media for not getting a single point.
Much has been made of the Seve Ballesteros connection to this Ryder Cup. Indeed, Europe's captain Jose Maria Olazabal, a great friend and playing partner of Ballesteros, said that his memory, wearing his colours on Sunday, and the general feeling of 'we'll do it for Seve' pushed his team over the line. His team certainly thought so, Sergio Garcia saying "Today, obviously, everything came right. I've no doubt in my mind that he [Seve] was with me today, all the way. There's no chance I would have won my match if he wasn't there." Francesco Molinari said "This image of Seve on our sleeves today really did make a difference". Olazabal really wanted to win it, but luckily he had Poulter on his side, the only European to have an 100% record.

Thoughts on Football
One thing that has really surprised me about this Premier League season so far is the (lack of) form of the two Manchester Club's defenses. City's impressive 3-0 win over Sunderland, was incredibly, their first clean sheet of the season, (don't let that embarrassing fact stop the English media continually refer to Joe hart as the best keeper in the world though.)
Roberto Mancini prizes clean sheets over anything else, which is why it was a surprise to see his team concede 8 goals in their first 6 games. Of course there are many reasons for this, one being Mancini messing about with a back 3 formation when 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 worked so well for City last year, and his reluctance to pick Joleon Lescott in the big games, plus the switching of full backs for no apparent reason. Of course, the squad Mancini has at his disposal means he can rotate without any real drop in quality, but even so, a settled back four is a crucial part of any team. Having said that, Vincent Kompany is a certain starter due to his titanic performances last term, yet he has arguably been the worst offender this season- most notably ducking under Cristiano Ronaldo's late winner in the Bernabeu.

London 2012 and England-Italy review

London 2012
The once in a lifetime event truly delivered. Even though i didn't get any Olympic tickets, it was still an amazing experience to have the Olympics in your home city. I was able to attend two events- the men's road race and marathon- and both were brilliant to watch. For all the criticism thrown their way, in my opinion, LOCOG and Sebastian Coe did a fantastic job. The home Olympics has ignited a passion among the British public for minor sports that hopefully can be maintained. This will be the key feature in deciding in the future whether the huge expenditure on the games was worth it. It would be horrible if the venues turn out to be white elephants- indeed, the Basketball arena is one which will be dismantled. The benefits of sport participation among the population are well known and it will be interesting to see if David Cameron follows up on his promise to keep up his investment in sport.
On to the actual sporting achievements, the medal haul of 65 was sensational.UK sport did set optimistic targets, but the team hit them. And the scary thing is it could have been even better- Dai Greene, Phillips Idowu and Mark Cavendish were just some of the big names who failed to win a medal. A total of 29 Golds was a fantastic return, and 3rd in the medal table was also a great achievement. It was also fantastic to watch superb performances from foreign athletes. Mainly, Usain Bolt, who again won three gold medals. it was also another Olympics, more gold medals for Michael Phelps, making himself the greatest Olympian of all time. I thoroughly enjoyed the athletics in particular, and will look forward to the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

England 2-1 Italy (Jagielka 27, Defoe 80) (De Rossi 15)
However, despite the great sporting event it was, I am hugely excited for the new premier league season and this was only ignited by the midweek friendly between England and Italy. Club managers must hate having a 'meaningless' international friendly only a few days before the season starts, but i for one think that its a valuable opportunity to have a look at new players and Roy Hodgson proved that by handing debuts to Tom Cleverley, Ryan Bertrand, Jake Livermore and the two keepers, Ruddy and Jack Butland. Inspired by the return of the excellent Michael Carrick, England kept the ball far better than I've seen for quite a while.