Top 5 talking points for the month for Football Addicts!! 1. Top four or bust for Liverpool Mario Balotelli would probably not have joined Liverpool if they werent in the Champions League. He hasnt performed, but that tells you how important it is to offer top-tier European football if you want to attract big names. Liverpool are therefore under serious pressure to achieve a top-four finish. Their history and pedigree count for nothing if they cant offer Champions League football. I see the top-four battle coming down to a fight between Liverpool and Manchester United. I fancy United to nick it, but Liverpool can seriously challenge if they strengthen in January. 2. Lionel Messi to United? Recent report shockingly links the worlds greatest left footer to Old Trafford as Adidas emerge as a willing sponsorer 3. Ballon dOr deserved for Cristiano Ronaldo?? . . . There was no choice but Ronaldo to win the Ballon dOr. He has scored goals freely and, together with Messi, dominated the game. That said, I think both Ronaldo and Messi have benefited from being overprotected by referees. Pele and Diego Maradona remain over Ronaldo and Messi and me, not just because they had it harder—playing in a tougher game and on worse pitches— but also because they won World Cups. 4. Aston Villa in freefall Im desperately worried about Aston Villa right now. Their loss to Leicester was their worst performance of the season, and theyre in genuine trouble. I think owner Randy Lerner needs to do what Mike Ashley did at Newcastle and stay the course to get them back on track. When you buy a football club, you need to commit for a decade or more. Im backing Villa manager Paul Lambert for now, but if Villa continue to flirt with relegation, hes in trouble also. 5. PSG proving money is not everything Theres no doubting the cash driving Paris Saint-Germains revolution in France, but its not showing in their current domestic form. PSG are fourth in France, a league they should be running away with based on resources. Unless their players start to scrap and show more mental toughness, I fear a big disappointment is on the cards for PSG this season
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:06:50 +0000
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