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Top five right-backs

Hello again and back to my series of my top five favourite players in every position, up next (a month later, totally my fault again.) is right-back!

Gianluca Zambrotta lining up for Juventus

Up first is Italy's Gianluca Zambrotta, who at the ripe old age of 35 is a free agent and still openly looking for a club. His marauding, over-lapping runs down the right flank have thrilled club and Italian fans for two decades. He was a World Cup winner in 2006 which was his first major international tournament final after he missed out on the 2000 European Championship final through injury. To date he has made 587 appearances, scoring 28 goals, for his hometown club - Como, Bari and three of the world's biggest clubs in Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan. He won four Scudetti (two of which he was stripped of after the match-fixing scandal) with Juventus, two Super Coppas and an Intertoto Cup - this was his most successful club spell, notching up 217 appearances and being part of one of the best teams in the world at the time. With Barcelona he won a Spanish Super Coppa before moving back to Italy and winning another Serie A and Super Coppa with Milan. He was a stalwart for the Italian national team, making 98 appearances and scoring two goals over an international career which spanned over 11 years.




Neville celebrating a Man United goal

Second up is a player who in his time at Manchester United I absolutely hated, but his reliability and professionalism in not only playing the game, but since retiring and becoming a pundit, has been admirable. Gary Neville is a player who is a one-club man, having stayed at Manchester United his entire career under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson. He was Mr. Reliable for United and was a key part of Man United's dominance in the English league for the majority of his career. By the end of his career, Neville was made Man United club captain on many occasions which showed Fergie's trust in him. Over his career, Neville made 602 career appearances for Man United, scoring seven goals., he won eight Premier League titles, three FA cups, two league cups, three Community Shields and two Champions Leagues, also winning a Club World Cup and an Intercontinental cup. Neville is also England's most capped right-back of all-time, notching up 85 caps for the National team.

Thuram turning out for Juventus

Up next is France's all-time highest appearance holder, Lilian Thuram. Thuram was a player who could probably have made the list at centre-back too due to his versatility and consistency in both positions. Thuram made a total of 681 appearances, scoring 13 goals for his respective clubs - Monaco, Parma, Juventus & Barcelona; for these clubs he won a French cup, three Supercoppa Italia, one Coppa Italia, a UEFA cup and a Spanish Supercup. He is France's all-time highest caps holder with 142 and is one of the 20 most capped players of all-time. He only scored two goals for France but they both came in the same match, against Croatia in the 1998 World Cup. He won the World Cup with France in 1998 and was part of the successful France Euro 2000 squad. Thuram was set to sign for PSG in 2008 but a heart defect was detected meaning he had to call time on his playing career.

Carlos Alberto holding the World Cup

Penultimately in my countdown is a man who is very unlucky to not have finished first. Carlos Alberto is one of the most highly regarded defenders of all-time, he was known not just for his great tackling and reading of the game but for his outstanding ball control and playmaking abilities - which were rare for defenders during that time. Alberto appeared for Fluminense, Santos, New York Cosmos and California Surf, his most fruitful time came at Santos where he made his name. After missing out on World Cup 1966, he was included in Brazil's 1970 squad after the national team manager noticed his leadership flair. He won four Brazilian Championships with Santos and two Brazilian cups. The thing people remember him most for is providing the emphatic finish for what was voted as the greatest goal in World Cup history which was the final goal in the 1970 World Cup final which Carlos Alberto captained Brazil to. In 2000, he was voted the greatest right-back of the century and is considered as one of the greatest Brazilians footballers of all-time.

Cafu lifting the 2002 World Cup

My favourite right-back of all-time could only go to one man, and that man is Cafu. Cafu was known for his bombing, tireless runs down the right flank and his ability in the defending third. He made 525 career appearances for Sao Paolo, Real Zaragoza, Palmeiras, Roma and AC Milan, scoring 18 club career goals. He won 11 titles with Sao Paolo along with an additional one at Palmeiras, he won the UEFA cup winners cup with Zaragoza, a Serie A with Roma as well as a Supercoppa Italia, his most fruitful time came at Milan where he won two UEFA supercups, one Serie A, one Supercoppa Italia, a Champions League and a Club World Cup. His international career was no waste either, he made 142 appearances for the Brazilian national team, scoring five goals; he also won two World Cups, two Copa Americas and one Confederations Cup. He is one of only two players to feature in three World Cup finals, having won two. He is also one of 11 members in the AS Roma hall of fame.

Positional top fives - Centre back

Up next in my positional top fives is centre back, sorry for the wait for this one as I had university work to finish and I was moving back home for a few weeks for Christmas!

Fabio Cannavaro captaining Italy

First up is Fabio Cannavaro. What Cannavaro lacked in stature, he made up for in strength, anticipation and positioning. He was given the nickname 'Muro Di Berlino' (The Berlin Wall) during his time in Italy because of his ability in the tackle. He made 690 career league appearances for seven clubs - Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Ahly scoring 19 goals. He is the record cap holder for the Italian national team after he surpassed Paolo Maldini's record in 2009. He announced his retirement from international football in 2010 after a poor Italy campaign, having amassed 136 caps, scoring two goals. Cannavaro won two Coppa Italias in his time at Parma, along with one Supercoppa Italia and a UEFA cup. He won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid as well as a Supercopa de Espana. With the Italian national team he won World Cup 2006 and due to his performances in the World Cup he won the 2006 Ballon D'or making him the oldest recipient of this title and the second centre-back ever to win it.

Franco Baresi turning out for AC Milan

Second is Cannavaro's countryman, Franco Baresi. Baresi played as a sweeper for AC Milan - the club at which he spent his entire career, making 719 appearances and scoring 33 goals. Oddly for an Italian defender, Baresi would often venture forward and become an attacking outlet for his team, though he would never neglect his defensive duties as he was part of what was known as one of Europe's meanest defences alongside Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Massimo Tassotti. During his career, Baresi won six Scudetti, two Serie B titles, two intercontinental cups, four Italian Supercups and three Champions League titles. After 20 years with AC Milan, they retired his shirt number of 6 due to his excellent service to the club.  He also managed 81 caps for the Italian national team, scoring just a single goal and winning the 1982 World Cup. In 1999, he was named as the greatest AC Milan player of the century, he was also named Italian player of the 20th century by FIGC. He is also praised for helping to develop Costacurta and Maldini into the great players they became during his later years.

Bobby Moore in his iconic pose after winning the 1966 World Cup

Third up is a man who all England fans will hold dear to their hearts, Bobby Moore. He captained West Ham United for over 10 years, also making appearances for Fulham and later on in his career at San Antonio Thunder & Seattle Sounders. He made 699 appearances, scoring 26 goals. He won an FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup but his greatest exploits were for England. He is the only player to captain England to World Cup glory, and it seems he will remain the only player to captain England to World Cup glory for the foreseeable future. Pele named him as the greatest defender he had ever played against and during his World Cup winning campaign he was voted the best player of the tournament by his fellow professionals. Franz Beckenbauer also called him the best defender of all-time. He won a total of 108 caps for England, which at the time was a national record until Peter Shilton broke it with 125 caps. Moore was the record holder for outfield players until David Beckham broke his record in 2009 with 109 caps, but unlike Beckham, Moore played every minute of every game he played in. Moore was posthumously inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.



Ronald Koeman playing for Barcelona

The penultimate player in my list is Ronald Koeman. Koeman was a defender who was not only known for his defending but his exploits going forward too, he had exceptional long-range accuracy, especially from free-kicks and an uncanny eye for goal. With 193 league goals in 533 league matches he is the highest scoring defender of all-time, a record which was helped by his set-piece mastery. He won four Dutch league titles, three Dutch cups and a European Cup during his time in Holland with Groningen and Ajax. During his time at Barcelona he won four La Ligas, one Copa Del Rey, one UEFA European Cup, one European Super Cup and two Supercopa Espana's. He also holds the record for the most successively converted penalty kicks with 25. He won 78 caps for Holland, scoring 14 goals. He won the 1988 European Championship with Holland. He is also the only player ever to score in two different consecutive European finals after he scored a free-kick in the 1992 Champions League victory.

Beckenbauer lifting the World Cup as captain of Germany

Last up is probably the greatest defender of all-time, Franz Beckenbauer. Nicknamed 'Der Kaiser' (The Emperor) because of his elegant and leadership and his dominance of any football pitch he stepped foot on, Beckenbauer is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and one of the most decorated footballers in history. Beckenbauer was a versatile footballer who could play as a centre midfielder as well as centre-back where he was most coveted, he is also often credited as having invented the modern sweeper role. Beckenbauer made 670 club appearances in his career, scoring 94 goals. He won five Bundesliga titles, four German cups, a Cup Winners' Cup, and three consecutive European Cups in his time in Germany, with Bayern Munich and Hamburg. He also won an NASL Championship during his time in America with New York Cosmos. He is the only player to win three consective European Cups as captain of a club, he is also the only player to have won the World Cup as both a captain and manager. He made 103 appearances for the German national team, scoring 14 goals. He won the 1974 World Cup, which followed a European Championship success in 1972. As an individual, Beckenbauer was a four-time winner of German footballer of the year as well as being a two-time Ballon D'or winner. He was voted the third greatest player of the 20th century, as well as second in the European player of the 20th century. He is also a member of the National Football Hall of Fame. His success at Bayern and for the German national team led him to later becoming the president of Bayern Munich.

Top five left-backs of all-time!

Up next in my positional top fives is left-back:



Roberto Carlos turning out for Brazil

First up is probably my favourite left-back of all-time, Roberto Carlos. The recently retired left-back is my favourite left-back of all-time simply because of his ability in both attacking and defending and he managed to epitomise the modern day full-back. Roberto Carlos greatest assets were his speed, long throw-ins and his unbelievable shot. He managed 606 career league appearances, scoring 75 league goals but he was best known for his spell at Spanish giants Real Madrid, who he was at for 11 years. At Real Madrid, he amassed 584 appearances in all competitions, scoring 71 goals (370 league appearances, 46 league goals). He played 30 or more league matches for 10 consecutive seasons and was one of the best and most consistent defenders in the world during this time. In 2006, he set an all-time record for Real Madrid for the most league appearances from a non-Spanish born player by making his 330th appearances, breaking Alfredo Di Stefano's previous record of 228. Roberto Carlos won 20 club trophies over his career: with Palmeiras, two Brazil Serie A's, two Campeonato Paulista, one Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo; Real Madrid, four La Liga's, three Spanish Super Copa's, three UEFA Champions League's, two Intercontinental cup's, one UEFA Super Cup and he won two Turkish Super Cups with Fenerbahce. Carlos is one of 19 players to have played 100 or more Champions League games. He also made 125 appearances for the Brazilian national team, scoring 11 goals, he also won two Copa America's, one Confederations Cup and World Cup 2002. Carlos' most famous individual moment was probably his 'banana shot' free-kickagainst France in 1997 in which he managed to score from 35 metres from just to the right of centre, hitting it with his left foot, which looked to be going well wide but managed to swing back into the net, leaving Fabian Barthez rooted to his spot. He also managed to score a goal from a seemingly impossible angle (pretty much next to the corner flag) against Tenerife in a Copa Del Rey match.

Paolo Maldini captaining AC Milan

Coming second is probably the most loyal footballer ever to grace the beautiful game. Paolo Maldini was the ultimate one-club man, spending 25 seasons at AC Milan, amassing a total of 903 appearances and scoring 29 goals. Maldini's ability to perform phenomally for 25 seasons make him recognized as one of the best defenders of all-time. During the 1990's he was able to form a formidable defence alongside Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta & Mauro Tassotti which is known as one of the best in Italian football history. Following Baresi's retirement, Maldini was able to form a successful partnership with Alessandro Nesta until his retirement. With Milan, Maldini was the receiver of seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Super Coppa Italiana's, five UEFA Champions League titles, five UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cups. Maldini made 126 appearances for the Italian national team, scoring 7 goals but he retired trophyless in 2002 as Italy's most capped player of all-time. In February 2008, he reached 1,000 career matches for Italy and AC Milan combined when he entered a match as a substitute against Parma. AC Milan retired the number 3 shirt in memory of Maldini's unbreakable loyalty to the club, but it can be brought out of retirement should one of his sons (who are signed to AC) make it into the first-team and pick their fathers famous shirt. Maldini's key strengths on the pitch were his ability to read the game expertly and make interceptions with his great speed which obviously dwindled the more he reached the twilight of his career. His strong leadership and influence both on and off the pitch made him the ideal candidate for Milan and Italy captain during his career.

Ashley Cole lining up for England

Third up is not one of my favourite footballers, because of obvious reasons. Ashley Cole is a left-back who is, for me, not just one of the greatest left-backs ever but England's greatest left-back ever. Despite multiple off-the-pitch controversies, Cole has continued to go from strength to strength in his career. Cole has so far made 504 career league appearances for Crystal Palace, Arsenal & Chelsea combined, scoring 17 goals. He broke into the Arsenal squad in 2000 and made 228 appearances for Arsenal in six years until he left for Chelsea after the "tapping-up" scandal in 2006. He was also involved in the Arsenal team that went 49 games unbeaten. During his time at Arsenal, Cole won two Premiership titles, three FA cups and two Community Shield's. Cole went on to join Chelsea in 2006 and has continued to cement himself as the best and most consistent left-back the Premiership has ever seen, so far making 276 appearances for the Blues and winning a further one Premiership title, four FA cups, one League Cup, one Community Shield and his most cherished of trophies, the Champions League which Chelsea managed to secure in May 2012. Cole has the most FA cup winners medals of all-time, having won it seven times. Cole is also a permanent fixture in the England national team set-up, having made 99 appearances so far. Cole's style of play is seen as the way of the modern full-back, using his terrific pace and energy to get involved in both attack and defence, but Cole has never been a player to shun his defensive duties for forward forays.

Giacinto Facchetti

Fourth up, is Giacinto Facchetti, who is the oldest left-back on this list. He is another one-club man, but unlike Paolo Maldini, he played for the blue and black half of Milan, playing 634 official games for Inter and scoring 75 goals. He is remembered as one of the first truly great attacking full-backs and one of the greatest in the position. Facchetti began his career as a forward but his first manager at Inter Milan launched him as a full-back, which ultimately turned into an excellent decision after the change of roles saw Facchetti turn into one of the most effective defenders in Italian football. With Internazionale, Facchetti won four Scudetti, one Italian cup, two European Cups (Champions League, for those who aren't sure) and two Intercontinental cups and he was part of the Inter team that was known as 'Grande Inter'. Facchetti was capped 94 times for Italy, (a record at the time which has since been overtaken) scoring three times and wearing the captain's armband 70 times. He was part of the Italian team that won the 1968 European Cup. Despite his position, Facchetti was only sent off once during his entire career, one he received for sarcastically applausing the referee. After his death in 2006 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Inter posthumously retired Facchetti's number 3 shirt.

Andreas Brehme lining up for the German national team

Last up is Andreas Brehme, who is best known for scoring the winner for Germany in the 1990 World Cup final. He is known to be one of the best set-piece takers and delivery specialists of all-time, also being equally adept at playing with both feet, making him a valuable outfield asset. He was one of the only players who would take penalties with his right-foot and free-kicks and corners with his left, which is now being utilized by both footed players to this day. Brehme racked up 509 career league appearances and despite being a defender he had a knack for scoring goals, finding the net 65 times and scoring for every club he played for; he played for Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Zaragoza.With Kaiserslautern, Brehme won the Bundesliga and the German Cup, he won an additional Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich and another German Supercup. Upon his move to Inter Milan he won one Serie A, one Italian Supercup and the UEFA cup. Brehme made 86 appearances for the German national team, scoring eight goals and winning the 1990 World Cup, in which he the only goal of the game in the 85th minute with a penalty kick. In 1996, after returning to Kaiserslautern three years prior, he scored an own goal which subsequently got the team relegated, but after sticking with them and helping them win promotion he was a key asset as they won the Bundesliga in 1998.

My positional top 5's - beginning with goalkeeper!

I've been thinking of new material lately and came up with doing my top 5's in every position, I'm going to do top five ever, then move on to my top five Premiership players in each position once the first series has finished. Starting us off are my top five goalkeepers of all-time! (These are in no particular order) Obviously these are up for debate, they are just my opinion:

Lev Yashin making a save at the 1966 World Cup

First up is the oldest goalkeeper on the list and one many of you might not have heard of. Lev Yashin was a goalkeeper who was a one club man, playing 326 games for Dynamo Moscow between 1950 and 1970, winning the USSR football championship five times and USSR cup three times. In 1953, he also won the USSR ice hockey cup as goalie for the Dynamo ice hockey team. He was capped 78 times for the USSR national squad and it is rumoured he kept around 270 career clean sheets, also saving around 150 penalties. At 6 foot 2, he was best known for his imposing stature between the sticks, he also had a superior athleticism despite his large frame and this led to his world renowned nickname 'The Black Spider' (Black because of the all black footballing kit he used to wear when playing), he was also known for making amazing reflex saves. He is the only goalkeeper to date to have won the European Football of the Year Award and the Ballon D'or, awards he won in 1963, He was also voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by IFFHS. He was the innovator of the 'sweeper keeper' role which many goalkeepers to this day utilize when a ball is threaded through past their defence. After his retirement he spent many years at an administrative role for Dynamo, his years of service to the club were recognized when a bronze statue of Yashin was erected at the Dynamo Moscow stadium.

Gordon Banks

Second is the second oldest goalkeeper and one whose name all of you will recognize. Gordon Banks is best known as one of England's best ever goalkeepers, he is of course the only England keeper to date to have played and won in a World Cup final but his career was so much more than that (even though obviously that was an outstanding achievement). Banks played 632 career games over a three club, 14-year span; he played for Chesterfield, Leicester City and Stoke City, he also won two League Cups - one with Leicester and one with Stoke. He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and is widely renowned as the greatest goalkeeper England has ever produced. One of Banks' finest moments outside of the World Cup triumph came during England's defence of the World Cup in 1970 in a match against Brazil. Jairzinho sped past Terry Cooper and swung a cross in which Pele met with a downward header which seemed destined to be a goal, Banks had other ideas and flew across his line and managed to palm the ball over his crossbar. Pele, who had begun to celebrate a goal when he headed the ball, described it as the greatest save he had ever seen. He was voted as the second best goalkeeper ever by IFFHS, behind Yashin.

Peter Schmeichel mid-flight for Manchester United

Third up is Peter Schmeichel, a goalkeeper who shot to fame during his time at Man United after being signed for what Sir Alex Ferguson called 'bargain of the century' at a fee of just £500,000. After finishing as a runner-up with Man United in the league in 1992, he helped the club to win their first ever League Cup, but this was not his peak of success for that year. Schmeichel won the 1992 European Championship with Denmark as their starting goalkeeper and his finest moment came when he saved a semi-final penalty kick from Marco Van Basten. Schmeichel went on to win five Premiership titles, three FA cups, four Charity Shields and he was also involved in the Man United team that so famously won the Champions League in 1999. Schmeichel made 740 career league appearances spanning six clubs - Hvidore, Brondby, Manchester United, Sporting CP, Aston Villa & Manchester City. He also won three league titles with Brondby and a Portuguese Superliga with Sporting CP. He is the most capped Danish player of all-time with 129 caps and also, bizarrely, managed 11 goals in his career including one for his national team. He holds the record for the greatest clean sheets-to-games ratio in the Premier League with 42% of league games he played in ending with his team not conceding. He was famous for his intimidating physique, at 6 foot 3 and 16 stone he was certainly a physical presence, even going up for corners when his team were behind. Schmeichel was named UEFA goalkeeper of the year on four separate occasions and was also inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Dino Zoff turning out for Italy

Fourth is Dino Zoff, a goalkeeper who is famous for being the oldest ever winner of a World Cup at the age of 40 years and 4 months. He sits fourth in Italy's all-time appearances list with 112 caps. He holds the record for the longest playing time without conceding in international tournaments, he set the record of 1142 minutes between 1972 and 1974. He was the second goalkeeper to ever captain a World Cup winning side, behind Giampiero Combi, a feat which was later repeated by Iker Casillas at the 2010 World Cup. He made 642 career league appearances combined in Italy for Udinese, Mantova, Napoli and most prominently for Juventus who he appeared for 330 times. He won five Serie A titles, two Coppa Italias and a UEFA cup title in his 11 year stint at Juventus as well as the 1982 World Cup and 1968 European Championship. He was voted as the best Italian player of the last 50 years in November 2003 by the Italian Football Federation. Zoff was well-known not just for his prowess between the sticks but also for his modesty, respect for his opponents and his ice-cool composure. He was voted as the third best goalkeeper ever by IFFHS behind two of my previous selections - Yashin & Banks.

Iker Casillas captaining Real Madrid

Last, but certainly not least, is current Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Casillas has made 646 appearances for Real Madrid, he was able to become their most capped goalkeeper by the age of just 27. He has won five Spanish league titles, one Spanish Cup, four Spanish Super Cups, two Champions Leagues and one UEFA Super Cup during his time so far at Real Madrid. He has also been capped 143 times for Spain - making him Spain's most capped player ever, he also holds the record of most international clean sheets, as well as becoming the first player ever to reach 100 international wins. At Euro 2012 he managed to beat Dino Zoff's long-standing record of 494 minutes without conceding a goal at the European Championships, setting a new record of 509 minutes. He is the only goalkeeper to be crowned IFFHS goalkeeper of the year four times and he was part of the historic Spain team which won three major championships in a row - World Cup 2010 and European Championships 2008 and 2012, becoming the third goalkeeper to ever captain a World Cup winning team, he was also the first keeper-captain to lift the European Championship trophy in 2008. In August 2012 he was the only Spanish captain to ever win all three domestic titles. He is also the most capped goalkeeper of all-time in the UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea - "We know what we are"

"We know what we are" is a chant that reverberates from Chelsea supporters mouth's following their Munich penalty shoot-out triumph in May after being heavily written off throughout their Champions League campaign. They came back from the dead to down Barcelona at the Nou Camp and Bayern awaited them in their home stadium - the rest as they say, is history.

The Champions League victory which came against all the odds followed an FA Cup victory which Chelsea seemed relatively comfortable in, downing Tottenham in a controversial semi-final and then beating Liverpool in the final. These victories cemented Roberto Di Matteo his job as full-time Chelsea manager after an initial spell as interim manager, in June after his trophy-winning exploits, Di Matteo signed a 2-year contract and the future looked seemingly hunky-dorey for the Italian and Chelsea, with Di Matteo being labelled the 'greatest caretaker of all-time', guiding Chelsea to the trophy which Roman Abramovich has spent over a billion pounds in investment trying to win. Chelsea then went on a typical summer spending spree, spending over £75million on the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar, Victor Moses, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marko Marin & Thorgan Hazard. The season started off well, with Chelsea's attacking midfield trio of Oscar, Hazard and Juan Mata inter-linking like they'd been playing together for years and the season started off well for the usually mis-firing Fernando Torres, it looked like Chelsea had well and truly moved on from the loss of Didier Drogba and the twilight years of John Terry & Frank Lampard, the future was being looked at with rose-tinted spectacles.

But where did it all go wrong? John Terry's court charge with racism after last season's spat with Anton Ferdinand provided what seemed to be the launchpad for a Chelsea downfall, Ashley Cole added his unwanted two cents by calling the FA a "bunch of twats" and then the Clattenburg-Mikel incident took place, making Chelsea probably the most unfavourable club in England. The media negativity seems to have thrown Chelsea into disrepute, they haven't won in their last four Premiership games and their only win in the last six was a last-gasp victory of Shakhtar. Another catalyst in their turn in form was no doubt the contoversial 3 - 2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United, the game which famously turned referee Mark Clattenburg into the most hated man in Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's decency has been questioned in the media, with the club refusing to apologize to Clattenburg and personally I think it was a claim made purely out of Chelsea's discontent at Clattenburg's (and the officials as a whole) decision after sending off two Chelsea players and allowing a blatent off-side goal to stand.

Di Matteo's controlling of his players (similar to AVB) was questioned, with top names being lost in the dressing room and his man-management skills being tested, which managed to run parallel with the loss of form. What of the future now for Chelsea? As we've seen, after Abramovich dishes out a cheque to get rid of a manager and a new one has been brought in it has bred success. Even though he has spent £86million on paying-off sacked managers it has led him to three Premiership titles, three FA cups, two league cups and the most coveted of all - the Champions League it seems it is almost impossible to satisfy Abramovich's unquenchable thirst for glory. He has invested over £1billion on making Chelsea a football juggernaut and their achievements since his arrival have been nothing short of incredible, taking them from the doldrums of near administration to European champions in just under a decade was surely something that even Chelsea fans (both old and new) couldn't imagine in their wildest dreams. It is also common knowledge that if you double-cross Abramovich you won't last long in the job, Jose Mourinho discovered this when an argument over big-money flop Andrey Shevchenko's place in the team added fuel to a burning fire of power struggles and rifts, it managed to result in 'The Special One' seemingly losing his job overnight - despite being Chelsea's most successful manager ever.

This leaves Rafa Benitez in a worrying position while he is interim manager, Chelsea have swung from one extreme to another - the most popular caretaker of all-time to the most unpopular are two quite different sides of the spectrum and it is clear that his entrance into the Chelsea hotseat isn't the one a lot of fans would have chosen. Liverpool fans have every right to feel a bit aggrieved but he did give the Merseysiders their best team in about a decade and also their most successful spell since the turn of the century. But for Chelsea, they are getting a manager with a strong pedigree, he is not their first-choice, but that isn't his fault. The only way Benitez can win over the Chelsea fans is proving his commitment to the cause and breeding further success, but the Chelsea guillotine will forever be hanging over his head because in the Chelsea managerial position it seems that no-one is safe.

Matchweek 12 Preview

Sorry about the two week gap between posts, I was going to do a matchweek 11 preview but I got chosen as a news-week editor for Staffslive and that sort of took priority over this past week or so, not to mention a night-out in Leeds last week too, but let's get started!

The lunchtime kick-off on Saturday is the highly anticipated North London derby where Arsenal will welcome fierce rivals to Tottenham to the Emirates Stadium. Last season's encounter saw Tottenham breeze into a 2 - 0 first half lead and it looked as if Arsenal's poor season would continue, but Bacary Sagna & Robin Van Persie goals before half-time got Arsenal level and after the break a goal from Tomas Rosicky and a Theo Walcott brace got Arsenal's season back on track and they ultimately toppled Spurs from third spot on the last day of the season.
Arsenal can welcome back Jack Wilshere who returns from a one-match suspension after picking up two yellows cards against Manchester United two weeks ago but Arsene Wenger will sweat over the fitness of Olivier Giroud (calf/hamstring), Theo Walcott (leg), Mikel Arteta (hip) and Bacary Sagna (leg) who will face late fitness tests but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is close to returning from the ankle problem which has kept him out. Gervinho (ankle), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Abou Diaby and Kieran Gibbs (both thigh) all stay on the sidelines.
Tottenham will be without Mousa Dembele again as the midfielder continues his recovery from a hip injury. Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Kyle Walker are all struggling with hamstring problems and will face late fitness tests while long-term absentees Scott Parker (Achilles), Younes Kaboul & Benoit Assou-Ekotto (both knee) continue their rehabilitation.

Liverpool welcome Wigan to Anfield looking for their third win of the season and looking to extend their seven match unbeaten run while Wigan will be looking to repeat their famous win at Anfield last season.
Pepe Reina is set to return in goal for Liverpool after missing the last four league matches with a hamstring injury. Midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is fit after a thigh problem while centre-back partnership Daniel Agger (groin) and Martin Skrtel (illness) are expected to be fit.
On-loan winger Ryo Miyaichi is available after missing five games with a hip injury. James McArthur is a doubt due to a dead leg while Albert Crusat (knee) and Antolin Alcaraz (groin) are still out.

High-flying West Brom will welcome third place Chelsea to The Hawthorns with the Londoners looking to return to winning ways after picking up just two points in their last three matches.
Steve Clarke will be without Ben Foster who is recovering from groin surgery and Gareth McAuley is a doubt after picking up a hamstring injury on international duty. The Baggies will be hopeful that Youssouf Mulumbu will be fit after a hamstring injury of his own while on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is not eligible to face his parent club.
Chelsea could welcome back Ashley Cole after missing two games with a hamstring injury, John Terry will be out for around three weeks with a knee injury he picked up after colliding with Luis Suarez in the 1 - 1 draw vs. Liverpool. Frank Lampard is a doubt with a calf injury and Roberto Di Matteo will assess all players who travelled with their national teams in midweek.

Aston Villa will travel to the Etihad Stadium looking for their second win in 14 games to face a Manchester City team that are unbeaten in the league this season.
The defending champions can welcome back James Milner and Joleon Lescott who have recovered from hamstring and back problems, respectively. Gael Clichy may also be fit after missing France's midweek international with a back injury of his own and Samir Nasri has recovered from illness. Italian striker Mario Balotelli could be in contention after being dropped last weekend but rumours surfaced of yet another rift between him and Roberto Mancini. Jack Rodwell (hamstring) and Micah Richards (knee) are not ready to return yet.
The Villains can welcome back defenders Eric Lichaj & Nathan Baker who return from suspension & injury respectively. Darrent Bent, Chris Herd, Richard Dunne, Charles N'Zogbia and Joe Bennett are all still out.

Newcastle United welcome Swansea to St. James' Park with the Swans having never won a Premiership match in November.
The Magpies could be without Papiss Cisse after complications over registering a back injury with the Senegal national team and they could invoke the FIFA five-day match rule, ruling the striker out of the match against Swansea. Alan Pardew will be without Yohan Cabaye (groin), Jonas Gutierrez (knee), James Perch (thigh) and defender Fabricio Coloccini who is suspended. But Newcastle can welcome back Danny Simpson (shoulder) and Demba Ba (shin) and Cheick Tiote who has served his three-match ban.
Swansea will be without summer signing Ki-Sung Yeung who will miss out with a hamstring injury, while Kemy Agustien is struggling with a toe injury. Leon Britton could miss out with a knock while winger Pablo Hernandez is recovering from an ankle injury, but Chico Flores could return from a dead leg.

Southampton travel to face QPR at Loftus Road in what is a proverbial six-pointer for the two bottom clubs, with QPR still searching for their first league win of the season.
On-loan Man United defender Fabio is back from his hamstring injury but club captain Park Ji-Sung (knee) is unavailable. Bobby Zamora is doubtful with a hip injury while Ryan Nelsen and Jamie Mackie should both be fit despite missing international games during midweek. Hogan Ephraim is available after a hamstring problem and Kieron Dyer could return from yet another injury. Andy Johnson is still out with a knee problem while Stephane M'Bia is still suspended.
Southampton will be withou Frazer Richardson and Richard Chaplow but Guly De Prado could return to the Southampton squad.

Reading will play host to Everton at the Madejski Stadium still looking for their first win in their return season in the top-flight while Everton will look to keep up their early season fight for a Champions League spot.
Reading could be without winger Jimmy Kebe who has a thigh problem, while Brian McDermott will definitely be without Alex McCarthy (shoulder), Danny Guthrie (thigh) and Jem Karacan (knee).
Kevin Mirallas will miss out with a hamstring injury, as will Darron Gibson who has a thigh injury. Victor Anichebe (hamstring) and defender Tony Hibbert (calf) are doubts.

Norwich welcome Premiership leader Manchester United to Carrow Road with a good home record having won three of their last four but Manchester United will be bouyed after coming back from two goals down against Aston Villa in yet another comeback.
Norwich will be without Russell Martin who has a back problem but Alex Tettey should be available after a back problem which kept him out of Norway's midweek friendly. On-loan striker Harry Kane continues his recovery from a broken metatarsal.
Forward Wayne Rooney (ankle) is a major doubt for Man United as is defender Johnny Evans (groin). Robin Van Persie is expected to be fit after missing Holland's friendly in midweek.

The only fixture on Sunday sees Fulham welcome Sunderland to Craven Cottage with Martin O' Neill's team looking to end their torrid run.
Kieran Richardson won't be fit to face his former club after picking up a hamstring injury in the 3 - 3 draw against Arsenal. Simon Davies (hip) misses out, as does Chris Baird who is suspended while Mahamadou Diarra (knee) and Mickael Tavaras (hamstring) are big doubts.
Steven Fletcher (calf) and Kieren Westwood (thigh) missed their respective internationals in midweek and are doubts for the Black Cats while Phil Bardsley (hamstring) and Lee Cattermole (knee) remain doubts.

The Monday night game will see West Ham welcome this season's draw specialists Stoke City to Upton Park with the high-flying Hammers looking to maintain their good start to the season.
James Collins could return to the West Ham starting line-up with Guy Demel also pushing for a start. Matthew Taylor has returned to training following a calf problem while Jack Collison (knee) and Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) are still out.
Tony Pulis is monitoring the fitness of Glenn Whelan who limped off during Ireland's friendly with a hamstring problem. Dean Whitehead is missing out due to suspension and Rory Delap (hernia) and Marc Wilson (broken leg) are definitely out. Michael Owen is a doubt for the Potters with a hamstring injury but Stoke manager Pulis will be hopeful that Jon Walters and Charlie Adam will be fit after both picked up knocks.