The Rafalution - has the Spanish waiter delivered it on a plate?

Let me state something at the start of this post. I've said since early in his time there Rafael Benitez will never win the league with Liverpool.

Two months ago I started to worry that I was going to eat my words and it is still a distinct possibility as I refuse to accept the media outcries that the league is done and dusted. Chelsea simply have too much quality about them, Aston Villa just won't go away and Liverpool could turn it around again.

However, at this stage I believe that the league will be fought out between ourselves and Chelsea, as I believed all along (worries aside). Chelsea have good strength in depth and have the goals across their team to make up for their internal wranglings with Drogba.

But how did Liverpool get to the top of the league? Well, quite honestly it was through massive amounts of luck. They took advantage of dips in form of both Man Utd and Chelsea, but they themselves were not playing good football. One of their main success stories this season has been very similar to one of ours, Xabi Alonso has been in fantastic form mirroring our own Michael Carrick. He has controlled games for Liverpool and without him they lack cohesion across the park. I've found myself being very critical of Javier Mascherano since he signed for Liverpool. For a central midfield player of his stature in the game, his passing is quite simply atrocious and is too prone to be dragged out of position. Alonso is gifted with that rare ability to see passes where others would see nothing and his long overdue return to form has been the push Liverpool needed.

It says a lot that Liverpool were eager to sell Alonso during the summer and bring in the much more limited Gareth Barry.

Benitez's style can be summed in up one word. Stubborn. He is determined to show that like Wenger (who is now suffering from a similar stubbornness) before him he can impose his preferred style onto a league and have it flourish and to hell with those who say it can't. If it worked at Valencia, then damn you all, it will work at Liverpool. Two deep midfielders whenever possible, yet seemingly reluctant to play two proper wingers in the space the midfield set-up affords him. One striker is also a common mistake, though this may be down in part to his ineptitude at signing strikers. He quite simply can't pick them, Torres as the exception, but then we were courting him as well so Rafa could be fairly certain that we knew he was good enough, so he probably would be.

His treatment of Robbie Keane is extraordinary. If you don't want him, sell him. If you do want him, play him. In last night's game he finally felt it was time to introduce Keane after Wigan equalised and to the surprise of everyone, it was Gerrard he replaced. He had taken Torres off much earlier, though Torres was having a shocking game, still seemingly hampered by lack of match fitness.

So what does Benitez need to do, in my opinion?

1)Drop Skrtel, play Agger. It's so important to have a defender who's comfortable on the ball and Agger is. Skrtel is a very limited player and will never flourish alongside an equally limited ball player in Carragher and Carragher is basically undroppable.
2)Give your two central midfielders more scope to attack OR get two proper wingers
3)Two up front. If that means playing Gerrard in the hole, then do that at all times.
4)Sell Robbie Keane.

Do that, and you'll find yourself doing much better, Señor.
At this point I feel that his position at Liverpool is somewhat untenable. He clearly isn't a good enough tactician to take Liverpool where their fans want to be, and only their fans' blind devotion to him keeps him employed. I doubt his recent contract offer would have been forthcoming if the owners weren't desperate to ingratiate themselves to the fans. The fans' devotion stems from one thing only, the winning of the Champions League in 2005, the worst thing that could have happened to Liverpool Football Club at that stage. Now the fans have false hope in Benitez's ability.

Would he still be there if he hadn't won it?

Don't kid yourself.

In Rafa we trust.

West Brom - beaten with Style(s)? No, not at all.

I think everyone can agree that Rob Styles helped us immensely last night and, if we're perfectly honest, something should be done about a refereeing performance like that.

It all started with the game being put back thirty minutes to allow our fans to arrive. Without them, Styles surely wouldn't have felt NEARLY as pressured as he did, and so would have allowed Paul Robinson to stay on the pitch for his “tackle” on Ji Sung Park. We should all ignore the fact that Park was already to ground when Robinson finished his 30 yard dash with a flying lunge, catching the South Korean hard on the ribs leaving the returning winger prostrate. After looking around for some opinion on the red, I've found that Baggies' fans are divided in opinion, many accepting that the tackle was both late and reckless while some are peddling the age old myth that winning the ball removes any aspect of foul play. It doesn't. Winning the ball does not take away the foul element, as much as those ignorant to the rules of the game may well wish it to be. For me, it was possibly a harsh red but anyone who knows the game also must accept that on making that challenge he knew that he stood a chance of walking as soon as he left the ground. The fact that his trailing leg was grounded before making contact makes no different. It did leave the ground as Robinson threw himself in with all his weight.

Now that I've covered what was the most contentious issue of the night, might I rewind to what could have been had we not notched up the victory. As Gary Neville strode into the area, Chris Brunt took down the right back as Neville flicked the ball to his right to eye up a cross. This incident has passed by essentially without any real coverage or controversy, even though it would have put us 2-0 up and coasting before any red card (Brunt wasn't denying a clear goalscoring opportunity for me so he would have remained on the park). The touch Neville had on the ball to line up a cross was probably seen by the linesman as a touch from Brunt (Styles was unsighted), erroneously.

In honesty, there could have been a couple of early yellows for Vidic and Ferdinand, but both at a stage when Styles was trying to let the game flow. Perhaps the penalty decision would also have been given if it had occurred later in the game? One can only speculate.

Once Robinson had left the stage, the game became much more one-sided. The home faithful booed Park, for reason unbeknownst, but were only met with a free kick given in his favour towards the corner flag. Giggs provided the ammunition, Carson provided the clanger and Tevez put it in for 2-0 and essentially game over. Carson's first instinct was sadly all too familiar with keepers these days as he sought a foul for what he saw as obstruction or an elbow to his body. That elbow obstruction was provided by his own defender, though even that contact was not nearly enough to cause the spill from the ex-Liverpool stopper. He argued his point at half time, as another West Brom player requested Tevez's shirt, a strange scene to occur at the break.

West Brom were spirited when they came out for the second half and a Donk shot smashed against the woodwork as Van Der Sar surely thought the record was gone.

Soon after though the game was totally put to bed as Vidic stole in unmarked at a corner to head past Carson. The fourth goal saw good work from Giggs (who continues to bely his years) as he played a neat ball to Ronaldo to glide through the static defence and bag a much needed goal for the Portuguese player.

There was more faux-controversy soon after as an “offside” Berbatov, who actually timed his run perfectly, strode clear from the home team, looked to have lost momentum but then did well to time his pass to an “offside” Ronaldo, who also timed his run perfectly, to nutmeg Carson and end the rout. Of course, the WBA players did their evening long trick of complaining to Styles about it as the crowd cried foul.

All talk today seems to be about how Styles favoured us all game long but the facts just don't add up. The first really big decision was the penalty, which he got wrong in West Brom's favour, though he was unsighted. The second was the sending off, which by the letter of the law was absolutely correct. The third was the so called offside goal, which he and his assistant got right and the timing of the runs made that very difficult. The linesman should actually be praised for getting such a decision right, but it just isn't in football fans' nature to be so inclined.

The on-going issue was the way Styles handled the constant barracking from the home players, clearly riled up by their perceived injustices. Once he started booking players for dissent, he was left with no option but to continue, so it somewhat begs belief that Baggies players continued to constantly chirp away at the referee, knowing what was coming. I guess it is sometimes easier to play the victim when you're underperforming, but Mowbray will surely try to drum such behaviour from his team for the upcoming struggle to retain a Premier League place. They could have been down to nine men after Roman Bednar's “you're crazy” gesture to the referee after he was brandished with a yellow card for ignoring the whistle and putting the ball in the net, somewhat defiantly.

I stand by my start to this post where I stated that something must be done about that refereeing performance. That something should be praise for not being intimidated by the home crowd. Too many referees are accused of cheating, corruption and bias against the top clubs (especially us) but the facts speak for themselves. We get less penalties given against us because our defenders are better. We get more decisions in our favour because we force lesser players into committing errors.

Referees make mistakes. No one complains about those that work in their favour but demand blood for those that go against. Last night, what should have been the main one went against us. We still won 5-0. Were you watching Merseyside?

The Battle of Wounded Knee Part II

Ok, so my title isn't accurate for all involved, but you get my point. It's another day, another game. That seems to be the pattern at the moment. It was interesting to see Mowbray on the telly this morning pointing out that West Brom are struggling to get a team out, with up to twelve first teamers missing for tonight's game. I sympathise, Tony, but not too much. We can see each one of your injuries and raise you, though I doubt that our struggle to win the league compares to their battle for survival in their eyes.

We go into the game with the possibility of breaking the clean sheet match record, which would be extended to eleven games. Normally West Brom would be the ideal club to have a game like this against but the injuries once again make team selection difficult. Everton at the weekend will be a tough game, though they may have the Merseyside derby next week in mind, so we'd be looking to keep key players for that fixture, but can we? There's talk that Ronaldo may be held back for that match, with Nani and Tosic starting tonight. That would suit me just fine. I'd also keep at least one of Tevez or Berbatov on the bench with Saturday's match in mind, and if the choice was mine that would be Tevez. His industry would be more helpful against a tough Everton back four if he was totally fresh and raring to go.

Anyone of you nice readers have a pair of tickets for the Carling Cup Final going spare?

Nah...?

Thought not.

Kanchelskis finally replaced?

My prematch worries seemed to be on their way to being realised all too soon as Pavlyuchenko stole in front of Nemanja Vidic to steer an early header past Ben Foster, but after that our only real rival was our own profligacy.

Although he is credited as Man of the Match in many quarters, I still expect Tevez to put away some of the chances he had at the weekend. His effort can't be questioned, though, and he battled hard all game long. Danny Welbeck had a good game on the right, too, where he too seemed tireless and was a constant threat. He looks good with the ball at his feet and only an understandable lack of composure with his end product seemed absent on Saturday evening.

The makeshift backline was decent after this and Fabio looks a real prospect for his age. His step into the first team didn't slightly faze the lad as he carried the ball forward with confidence and flung himself into a few meaty tussles.

The match showed once more just how important Michael Carrick is for us. He controlled the game and that pass for Berbatov's goal was magical. The accuracy and pace on the ball with very little back lift was exemplar and Berbatov continues to surprise and impress me in equal measure with a cool finish and he just about stopped himself from wheeling off to celebrate in front of the travelling fans. The former Spurs midfielder's performance helped in some way to highlight the passing of the baton from Scholes to Carrick. A tendency is creeping in for Scholes to be just that little bit off the pace with his distribution and in Carrick we have the player we've been looking for for too long. I believe that Carrick's presence at the club will add longevity to Scholes' career here. I can see a lot of a younger Paul Scholes in Michael Carrick in the way he carries the ball in midfield, picks a pass and keeps it tidy as well as spotting the occasional Hollywood pass. The lack of goals from the younger player isn't an issue as we are a different beast now in terms of strike rate being spread around.

A word on Foster... After the Spurs goal, I felt he couldn't trust his back line and this also caused him to come out for a ball he was never going to get quite soon after. After this he settled and became much more assured and looked much more like the keeper we all know he can be on form. Mistakes happen and he needs to fully trust those in front of him. While Vidic did him no favours a few minutes into the game on Saturday, he will bail him out more often than not.

We also had our first look at Tosic. Can he be the first true heir to the hallowed number 14 shirt of Kanchelskis, probably the best player ever to grace the hallowed Old Trafford turf? He had a good run out on Saturday and I've already determined that he is seventeen and a half times better than Nani using the complicated match analysis software called MY EYES© .

It's busy, busy, busy in January as usual with a midweek trip to the Baggies and then Saturday's game against Everton, which has been brought forward to accommodate the third Scouse derby of recent times due to Everton's disgraceful attempt at not losing in the cup yesterday. I don't know how Everton fans can look themselves in the mirror knowing that they haven't lost at Anfield twice in a week. Surely Moyes is on borrowed time?

I've once again raided RAWK for my What's being said? quotes. It may be lazy but they provide such gems. Both are taken from their thread that covers the weekend's FA Cup ties. I will also point out that they post about 13 pages on the Man Utd game and about 2 pages on the rest of the fixtures combined, but then called us obsessed for having songs about them. You couldn't make it up.

Drink to the fallen

As nervous a fan as I am, match day doesn't usually meet me with quite as much trepidation as today. On what should be a massive day for two FA Cup giants (11 wins against 8), there are major injuries doubts and more pressing matters (West Brom and Stoke respectively, scarily) in midweek and both managers are set to field weakened teams, albeit after Redknapp somewhat retracted his claim that he will field a weak side in fear of the consequences passed down by the FA.

I couldn't even guess at a line-up today. We need Vidic to play, other than that it's a pick and mix at the back. Ronaldo is being tipped to score by Ferguson, so does that mean he'll be on the bench a la Carrick against Chelsea? Tevez should start, perhaps with Welbeck against a weakened Spurs defence? Berbatov will be dying to play against his old employers, so he's the better bet. I'll stop there, it's pure guess work. A win for either team is better than a draw, we simply can't draw today given the injuries we have to the squad.

Right – I'm off to do what I do best and try to drink the nerves away.

Spurs times two as City entertain

After a nail biter at Turf Moor, Spurs just about made it to Wembley to ensure we play them in both cups. It could have been oh-so different if Burnley hadn't switched off for just one second at the end of extra time but once Pavlyuchenko's goal went in, the second was almost inevitable as Burnley streamed forward looking for the goal to take them to penalties.

After the game, Harry once again demolished his team's fragile confidence (following his assertion that Cesar isn't good enough and that his missus could have scored Darren Bent's chance from the weekend) and has stated that he'll be fielding a weakened team at Old Trafford in the FA Cup game on Saturday. Mind games or will he really? Either way, he'll be facing a weakened team given our injuries. I've heard Ferguson has called a meeting to discuss ideas with Fletcher being touted as our fifth right back of the year. Five. Not so long ago I stated on one of my forums that we didn't need defensive cover. Seems I may be wrong, eh? Could De Laet step in at right back already? I'll not hold my breath.

On a lighter note, our friends from across Manchester are having an entertaining transfer window. Entertaining for us, at least. In Nigel De Jong they have actually signed a potential gem, he's a very solid player who could flourish in England. Bellamy is also a player who I think could do a really good job, if he stays fit. If he is joined by Santa Cruz, they shouldn't need to worry about relegation as they'll score enough to stay up, even with their hilariously bad defence. It's good to see that the rest of the footballing world seems at least to be catching on to the fact that Micah Richards is all about pace and power and not about any real footballing ability and rumours of a move to Bolton for £5m wouldn't surprise me. City must be annoyed that they didn't move him on when there was talk of great things, based on the back of a couple of lung bursting runs up their right flank. The refusal to admit defeat in the Kaká saga is the main source of hilarity. How they don't see that they're a laughing stock defeats even the most simple of minds. I'll also have a good laugh if they buy the massively overrated media darling that is Shay Given. If they replace a bright, young, English talent with a goalkeeper who never learned to command his box and is woeful positionally then surely it won't be because Mark Hughes wants it to happen. Maybe he's a stand in until Buffon or Casillas signs in the summer...

Top of the league, into a Cup final but so many injuries...

Monday night was a bit of a rollercoaster, watching the Merseyside derby. It played itself out as a proper old fashioned local derby, not much football on show, a few rash tackles, 99% of which early on were Phil Neville flinging himself into everything and everyone he could saw wearing red, in a reprisal of his old role against Jose Antonio Reyes. The almost inevitable Gerrard stunner threatened to ruin my evening but Rafa's zonal marking paid off a treat when Martin Skrtel (having a poor game) chose to let Tim Cahill take up an unmarked position in the box and Arteta put it on his head with aplomb. 1-1 and we stay top by goal difference while the bookies now have Liverpool as third favourites for the title. I agree should look at the facts and we are top of the table now on merit. Can't be unhappy with that.

Onto last night and our game against Derby. The team sheet didn't fill me full of confidence but I was almost glad to see Nani after putting a daft bet on him to score last night. I didn't think our performance in the first half was particularly stunning, it was more an insight into the difference between Premier League and Championship. We scored three without really doing a massive amount. Nani's thunderbolt, O'Shea ghosting into the box in a position that deserved to be offside but wasn't and a good Tevez header from a pinpoint Rafael cross seemed to put the game out of reach, even though Rafael was soon withdrawn with what is another hamstring injury.

The second half was a strange affair, reminiscent of the Hull league game and the Blackburn Carling Cup game. Foot off the pedal and the other team takes a chance, in this case a penalty, and they're one goal from extra time. The media seemed to think that Derby dominated the second half but this didn't match the game I was watching. By all means they improved on their first half display but they weren't really troubling us until the penalty. The penalty would never have happened if Jonny Evans wasn't limping around but Fergie's baffling decision to use all the subs left us no choice. Thankfully a Ronaldo penalty after a bad tackle from Carroll on Tevez (which he could have walked for) put us further ahead as the body count continued to rise. Anderson could barely take the weight on his ankle, Nani did his groin and couldn't even limp out the rest of the game and Evans was still hobbling about. Ten outfield players against seven and only one goal away from being forced to extra time, after Barnes placed a free kick inside Foster's near post. That lad could have a real future in football, if injury stays clear this time.

Job done just about, but at what cost? Rio, Brown, Evra, Rafael, Neville, Evans. All carrying injuries, leaving our back line massively depleted. Further up the park we now have Rooney, Nani, Anderson and Park all doubtful, joining the long term absentee Owen Hargreaves. We can only hope that Wes and Rio make their returns sooner rather than later after beginning training again. Anderson faces an X-ray to determine the extent of his injury. We need to clear at least some of these injuries quickly if we want to maintain an attack on all competitions this year.

Added a new feature to the site – What's being said? Whether it be from my favourite Liverpool site, the press, our players or another blogger, I'll try to keep it funny or poignant. I won't update it daily but I can't think of a better name for it.

One nil - scoreline of Champions?

It wasn't pretty and it has come at a large cost, but as I type we are top of the league pending the Liverpool derby this evening.

Rooney's goal against Wigan was massive given how lacklustre we looked once he left nursing his hamstring, which we are told will keep him out for three weeks minimum. I've always said and maintain that he is our most important attacking player. Without him, I would venture that Ronaldo wouldn't currently be World Player of the Year, such is the symbiotic nature of their link up play and the space they make for each other. Seeing Tevez and Evans limp off at the end wasn't a happy sight either.

Thankfully though, come Saturday, both had passed their fitness tests, though Evans required a painkilling injection in his troublesome ankle. This is never a desirable measure for any player but such is the importance of every game at present. In better news, Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown are expected to return for selection soon.

The Bolton game itself was yet another tense affair, with the home team good money for their half time draw but we had them heavily under pressure in the second half. After yet another poor game, it seemed fate was on Tevez's side as he wriggled between two defenders, made his way down the right channel and played a perfect cross for Dimitar Berbatov, who put it just above Jääskeläinen in an area he couldn't react to in time, even when in impressive form as he had been all game. Don't let the cross mask the fact that Tevez continues to play to a fraction of the form he showed last year. That wasn't good enough, and his current showings should do nothing to force a contract offer. He is playing on borrowed time now and he simply must take the chances Rooney's absence afford him. Berbatov, while not spectacular, has increased his effort massively and is starting to gel. His intricate play around the box is starting to pay off but he must start hitting the back of the net more frequently.

The Bolton game was the tenth league clean sheet in a row, which is an excellent statistic when you take into account the injuries and suspensions. Yet again Evans was fantastic and Vidic continuing his run of superb form. Personally I found Vidic's early season form a little worrying, but he has come into his own in the last couple of months and has been an absolute rock. His ability to cover ground has really impressed me, he has had to cover for his full backs quite often of late (as we struggle to keep a consistent right back) and has excelled.

There are a few worries in form. Anderson seems to be suffering second season syndrome. Many think a goal would spark him into life and there's no denying one is long overdue. Scholes has looked a bit jaded in his last couple of games, too. O'Shea is still having to cover other players but surely it is a matter of when and not if he costs us a vital goal. Nani will surely leave the club in the summer if Tosic shows any kind of form... Ferguson was very specific when he said that Tosic was a Nani type of player, not a Ronaldo type of player, in the Serb's introductory press conference. That was surely a statement aimed at Nani that he needs to improve and quickly.

Another big week of football lies ahead, starting tonight as Liverpool play Everton at Anfield, looking to regain top spot. Anything less than a win and they will remain in second place. After this we move onto the cup games, Derby first up at Old Trafford. Ferguson has already told certain players they have the week off, hopefully not enough first teamers to allow Derby to hold onto their slender 1-0 lead from the first leg. This trophy is certainly bottom on the wish list right now but when you get this far it is time for a club like ours to acknowledge that we should fight for it. Spurs at the weekend in the FA Cup will be a huge test. Their league form may not be anything to worry about but neither is our recent style of play. They always seem to pose a test now. The worst case is almost a draw. Should we beat Derby tomorrow and draw against Spurs, that leaves another two games to be rearranged and that is something we can do without.

I'll try to keep this factual

A few days have passed since the incident but I can't make a post without mentioning Señor Benitez and his comments made just before an important weekend. Clearly he has had this planned for a while now and he must have spent Friday night feeling delighted with himself and the pressure he had put us under.

What he somehow didn't realise was that we are the one team who thrive under this sort of attention. The siege mentality that Ferguson often builds on a title run in has largely been done for him, so thanks very much for that. Perhaps you were just ingratiating yourself to your own fans and attempting to manoeuvre that new contract that you're desperate for but so far isn't forthcoming. Perhaps if you actually manage to maintain a league challenge this year, you'll get that offer. If you fall away again, perhaps you'd be better off looking elsewhere for employment, lest you give the rest of the league hope once more.

The following day, Liverpool turned in one of their most spineless performances of the season and left the Britannia Stadium with a point. Job half done, Rafa.

Roll on match day and a midday phone call offering me a ticket to the game. Sadly, four hours just wouldn't have been possible I don't think, so I had to turn it down with great regret. Not long after I was tucking into some of Strongbow's finest in an attempt to dull the nerves a little. It didn't really help, especially when the team sheet was released.

I will happily admit that I was once again furious with a team that Ferguson picked. After claiming that Carrick was such a massively important player, he leaves our most inform midfielder on the bench. Clearly Chelsea would have prepared to play against Carrick, so as time would tell, Ferguson got his mind game of the weekend right. Take note from the master, Merseyside.

Rio Ferdinand is a massive loss, as to me he is probably the best centre-back in world football at present. His pace, his vision and his ability to link defence and midfield are all exemplar. However, Jonny Evans has been playing excellently and he stepped once more unto the breech and we didn't miss Rio at all. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give and it isn't slightly overstated for this game.

Ryan Giggs was excellent, he controlled the midfield with Fletcher doing the dirty stuff alongside him and, especially in the second half, Chelsea couldn't match his guile. Ji-Sung Park must take mention again as he did in my last post. Fergie must run him on Duracell, he gave Cole a torrid time, keeping him forced back for large periods of the game with another tireless display.

Even Berbatov seemed to come alive in the second half, with some good touches, great teamwork with Vidic for his goal and he even seemed happy to score. What's that all about?

Ronaldo was in great form in the second half, too. Probably his best performance this season and hopefully he can build on that. The newly crowded World Player of the Year is saying all the right things at present and hopefully it can translate itself onto the park.

To go back to the pre-weekend comments, was Benitez proven right? Do referees favour us? My favourite Liverpool site's (yep, I read RAWK and make no apology for that, it's nice to see how the other end of the East Lancs are thinking) general consensus is that once again they did indeed give us everything, as outlined by Rooney's constant mouthing off. As it happens, I agree with that. He should have been booked. Of course, this is roughly where their attention span ends. This is all the evidence needed, apparently.

This is ignoring a few things:

Ronaldo held down in the box by Carvalho – no penalty, Ronaldo booked for arguing with Carvalho when it was the defender who raised his hands to Ronaldo's chest. Now, I am not asking for a sending off, it was a nothing push, but by the rules, it was a red

Ashley Cole handles on the line – no penalty

We score from that corner – goal disallowed

Ronaldo breaks free and scores in second half – ruled offside incorrectly, goal disallowed

Drogba's constant diving – allowed to go on all game, no booking

No, wait... Forget all that. Rooney swore a few times. Haul him across the hot coals.

Moving on, we are five points behind with two games in hand. We have to get two wins this week to really hammer home the advantage. Not because Liverpool and Chelsea (why is everyone writing Chelsea off?) won't drop points from here on in, but because going top will give us a lift and demoralise both rivals. Knowing the lead they had and throwing it away so early will add to the current pressure (self-inflicted in some cases) on Liverpool and Chelsea.

Hopefully my next post will be made with us one point clear.

Toughest Derby of the year

To quote myself...

The league cup game against Derby this week should be a formality after their very fortuitous victory over Forest Green at the weekend. They appear as a club in disarray, having never really recovered from their disastrous spell in the Premier League last year, and are currently managerless after the resignation of Paul Jewell. Hopefully we'll see appearances from the likes of Possebon, Rafael, Nani, Evans, Foster and Tevez as all need games at present.

I think I was wrong, though my mind is slowly closing off the synapses that allow me to remember any of that embarrassment. I think I'm finally finished defending Nani. His selfishness and arrogance are not even slightly matched by his ability and when up against the easiest opposition he could really hope for, he continued his one-man attempted showboat and failed yet again. I said on a forum earlier in the week that a large part of our success is how everyone gives 100%. I should have added on that this is for the team. Nani most certainly gives 100%, but only to himself.

Other players such as Jonny Evans, Vidic, Rafael did themselves justice. Rafael wasn't helped by the baffling decision to place Gibson on the wing, where he was clearly lost as to defensive and attacking duties. Tevez looked rustier than ever. Welbeck didn't get much of the ball, so hard to tell if he could have made an impact. Paul Scholes looked terrible, which is a concern. The inverse team should play against Chelsea on Sunday – VDS, Neville, Vidic, Rio, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Berbatov.

It is a real credit to Park and Fletcher that I no longer cringe when seeing their names involved in such a big game. Park may not offer much in the way of goals and assists, but his tireless performances have so often helped us grind out results. Fletcher has been a revelation, and beside Carrick they have been keeping very tidy midfields of late. If we can out scrap Chelsea there, we have a real chance against a team who aren't setting the league alight themselves.

I see after pointing out that we were definitely finished in the transfer market after the Serbs were signed, Ferguson has brought in a defender that isn't good enough for Stoke. Baffling, but we'll see what happens. Didn't know reserves made signings yet.

Tevez money being allocated for Benzema? Hmmm.

Tis the season to win one nil

Well, there's much to catch up on...

Firstly the World Club Cup.

The first match was a typical exhibition affair. Do enough, get the job done, then open the game up and give the fans what they want. Nothing more really needs to be said.

The final was a much more tough affair. Quito were clearly right up for it and the fact that this competition means a lot to the South American teams was shown by the ferocity of some of the tackling and, at full time, Cevallos lying against the post, sobbing into his gloves. The game itself was nothing to write home about, but I felt we were comfortable even after going down to ten men. Therein lies a major worry come true over this competition; Vidic is now suspended for at least the away leg of the CL match and very possibly the home leg and the next game, too.

Jonny Evans has been more than capable when deputising this season, as he has done often in the CL, but the theatre of the San Siro on a heated European night is a step up again. I have confidence in my fellow countryman though, he looks a real prospect and has eased my worries about depth at CB since Pique left in the summer.

However, we returned with no major injuries and as world champions (though this title doesn't actually mean anything unless another English team has won it first, apparently) so as long as there was no knock on effect in the league, no short term damage will have been done.

Then we had the two demolitions(!!!) in the league of Stoke and Middlesbrough. The Stoke game was everything you could have expected it to be. They got stuck in all game long, especially on Ronaldo (whose petulant flick could/should have been punished) and Rooney, who was also lucky to escape punishment after what looked like an arm swung in the direct of Abdoulaye Faye. I don't agree with Ferguson's constant bleating for protection for his flair players but Stoke were clearly on a wind-up mission and our players need to learn to expect it and if it does happen, approach the referee with the captain and outline their thoughts. Believe it or not, a ref may respond to this kind of approach. The goal was an excellent move, culminating in my two favouritist of all time in the world ever players linking up for what was a worthy winner.

The Boro game should have been a much more cut and dry affair, but I felt instantly worried by the fact that Tevez had disappeared back to Argentina on family matters. I then got asked for ID in Old Trafford when trying to buy a Bud to drown the worry away. The fact I hate beer and that a bottle of this swill costs £3 should show just how nervous I was to be purchasing it, especially with my proximity to fans of the Teesside-club in everyday life, but being asked for ID? I'm 25, for what it's worth. Ah well, “it's a compliment”. The game itself ran the course of the majority of our season. Controlled the game, couldn't score. I sent a text message to a mate saying “We're never scoring here” about 30 seconds before Berbatov volleyed in the winner. Anti-scud. Nice. Although the words “barn door” spring to mind, I thought Ji Sung Park had a great game which is very important as he always seems to get games in the Champions League away from home when graft is as necessary as guile.

The FA Cup game on Sunday past was textbook, pretty much. Absolutely coasted it and goals for Welbeck, Nani and Gibson should give a lift to some of the younger players looking to establish themselves. All may well feature tomorrow night against Derby. Lots of bleating about our “offside” goal which wasn't actually offside, and to think people pay these commentators and pundits that much money. The incident is certainly a lot more complex than being just about where Welbeck was when O'Shea touched the ball. As O'Shea meets the ball, is Welbeck gaining an advantage by being offside? No, he doesn't interfere with the Southampton defenders running back or with the goalkeeper. Then when he does come into play (after a save is made) he is clearly onside, behind two defenders. He gained no advantage, came back onside before having any impact on play and is thus onside. The penalty decision was probably wrong but someone in the wall shouldn't jump with his arm raised like that lest he ask for a decision like that. Now we have Spurs in the next round. What? Us draw a Premier League club in the FA Cup? Never! At least it's a home.

The league cup game against Derby this week should be a formality after their very fortuitous victory over Forest Green at the weekend. They appear as a club in disarray, having never really recovered from their disastrous spell in the Premier League last year, and are currently managerless after the resignation of Paul Jewell. Hopefully we'll see appearances from the likes of Possebon, Rafael, Nani, Evans, Foster and Tevez as all need games at present.

Transfer news... after confirming that we won't be buying in January, Ferguson went out and bought Tosic and Ljajic for a reported £16.3m. There isn't much else to say about them. Hopefully Tosic puts real pressure on the likes of Ronaldo, Park and Nani for a spot on the wing. Competition for places shouldn't worry players, it should inspire them and the two Portuguese players seem to need inspiration at present. Bambi will stay at Partizan until next January to aid his footballing development. If the fee is true, I hope this wasn't to the detriment of money available for a forward (be that sealing the Tevez deal or someone else.).

On Tevez, over Christmas I seem to have warmed to him. Some of the statements he has made have been very promising though he has come out today and accused us of playing games over his contract. I would assume this means that we're still haggling with his owners, possibly over how the balance for him would be paid in installments and so on. Time will tell.