DISQUS

Zokora is the utility defensive player at present (DM, CB, LB, RB). If Spurs picked up Corluka or Veloso, Zokora would not feature for Ramos. Jenas played whenever fit for Ramos and was named vice-captain as previously stated. There is no way that Ramos would play Zokora over a fit Jenas. Also I would add that I think you are wrong about the riginess of Ramos. He is all about versatility as has been noted by some of the players and his willingness to play people out of their first choice position. I actually believe that Modric will play a deeper more defensive role than he prefers because Ramos wants him to pull the strings with incisive passes starting the counter-attack rather than score himself

Gomes in goal of course

here is the team

RB Hutton
CB Woodgate
CB King (c)
LB Bale

RM Bentley
CM Modric
CM Jenas
LM Lennon

CAM Dos Santos

ST Bent

this is contingent on the sale of berbatov. If he is sold, I think the chances of buying Arshevan increase and he would take the role of Dos Santos as CAM/support striker. The back four is really fluid and relatively thin due to fitness worries for all four players. The midfield is deep. Huddlestone, O'Hara, Zokora, and Taarabt all provide something different from the subs bench. The sale of Berba might finance several moves which should push at least one player to the bench and add depth at the back were a quality CB cover is needed (Corluka, Cuellar??). I don't think Dawson can cut it without the guidance of a great CB and after him Huddlestone and Zokora have been called in to play over Kaboul who is clearly unwanted by the manager. Overall I think six is fair but Ramos has the quality of the squad on the up.

surprisingly exciting match.

What I like about your plan is the opening of the fourth ucl spot which might act to break up the top four. Unfortunately, this will never happen due to traditionalists and the creation of uncertainty in financial planning for the fourth place club.

I hate to say it but I disagree with just about everything that you ever say Kartik. I don't know how you do it, I'm impressed really.

Finding online highlights is more difficult than it ought to be. If the PL had more foresight they would provide a legal and free/inexpensive highlights show online. I know there are international licensing agreements at play but I think that putting their best foot forward would only help to grow the brand and increase paying customers.

What would be a better selling point?
1) a highlights show that uses two minutes of film to make Derby v Wigan look exciting or;
2) the actual match bought on some sort of pay service

I have the same problem with professional boxing to a certain extent. If the sport can only be viewed on a pay-per-view basis, only die-hard followers will be attracted. Also, one live match a month on basic cable television would not hurt.

Kartik, what an awful and uninformed post. You see, that is the beauty of statistics. They are only as valuable as the person who interprets them. The right stat in an appropriate context is informative and the wrong stat out of context is useless (much like the recent retirement of an NFL quarterback which gave a lot of attention to his massive numbers that emerged from playing for 17 years!). It seems your mother didn't let you win any trophies as a youth.

JM makes a great point about the future of stats. The same visual recognition technology that is now being employed by civil engineers to track and monitor traffic patterns will soon be able to give a whole new array of statistics in from football matches.

Yes stats are prevalent in baseball but that does not mean they are fully accepted as a scouting tool. They are still only a piece of the puzzle and as Alex Hleb suggests they have to be translated when a player moves from one league to another. Unlike dodgy scouts, statistics aren't often wrong, they are just misinterpreted.

True. Without Ramos Spurs would be out of Europe next year.

You are right that making signings alone will not help league position if they are not good signings. The overall point was that West Ham have drastically improved from their calamitous 06-07. If they have a similar improvement next year due to player development and acquisition they could easily move up four into the top seven.

As for Spurs, they made some questionable summer signings which did not help their cause. Still they are in Europe again with the aid of January signings Hutton and goal-scoring Woodgate. So while I take your point, I think we can agree that signings can be a potential means of improvement.

Right because Spurs are already in the Uefa cup next year.

Think before you write. It makes more sense that way.

Chris is right. I think West Ham have to look at this season as a success considering their league position last year and the play of the likes of Robert Green. With some good buys for next season they will be in a Uefa cup place.

OK Hleb lets take apart your argument piece by piece.

The operative phrase is "last year." You see last year the aging Milan was a veteran team and this year they have become old.

AC Milan are struggling with or without Kaka. You might argue they are the Liverpool of Italy, playing well only in Champions League, but I doubt that is a comparison you would be eager to make. (How could any team with the formidable Gerrard be struggling???).

Also you confuse my argument about Pato. He is supremely talented. Milan still do not know how to play with him against top class competition. As a result, their attack was completely impotent in the final third (and you can't tell me that is due to the lead footed senderos).

As for the goals; Fabergas scored from distance on a very speculative (albeit skillful) effort. He is a great player but the goal had nothing to do with Arsenal's supposed dominance. The other goal came with Milan desperately pressing for two goals in extra time. Finally, the Hleb call should have been a free kick but by no means a penalty (read; he was fouled outside the box and fell into it).

Oh and I think that the English press are the best source to demonstrate the vast superiority of a victorious English club.

I guess that it is you who needs to consider silence until you have a cogent argument to make. ;-)

Credit to Arsenal. They were the better team on the day. That being said, I don't think they should get carried away after beating a struggling AC Milan club that are in fifth place in Serie A 18 points off the pace of Inter. I know they were the holders but they seem old and are really in a transitional period as they try to incorporate Pato. Aston Villa and Blackburn are 17 and 20 points of the pace in the PL for point of reference.

anyone who watched the "match of the 80s" video posted previously on this site will have noticed the extensive use of the term "soccer." The current trend against "soccer" is just that. Why are you so angry Hleb?

Still a bad result for Arsenal. Manchester United seem inevitable champions this year (hence the Gallas' sob fest during draw with Birmingham).