Van Persie Becomes An Arsenal Centurion

Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie bagged his 100th goal for the club today, on the way to leading his side to a 3-0 win against Bolton; only their second win in the Premiership this season.The Dutchman, then aged 20, signed for the Gunners on the 17th of May 2004 for a mere 2.75mil and was seen as a long term replacement for club legend, and fellow Dutch maestro, Dennis Bergkamp. 

Robin 'Centurion' Van Persie

Van Persie scored his first goal for Arsenal in a League Cup win against Manchester City. He went on to score 10 goals in his debut season, with a terrific brace against Blackburn in the semi final of the FA cup being his most impressive of the season. His brace sent Arsenal through to the final where he scores in the penalty shootout as they beat Manchester United, this is currently Van Persie and Arsenals last taste of silverware.
 
The 05-06 season saw Van Persie start in exhilarating form, scoring eight goals in eight games. However he only managed to add 3 more goals to his tally throughout the season, yet his 11 goals were an improvement on his debut season. Although the next season was plagued by injury, something the talented Dutchman has unfortunately had to endure throughout his career, he again improved on his previous tally, bagging 13 goals in the 06-07 season. The season included a wonder strike for the striker; a goal Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described as 'the goal of a lifetime', this was in reference to a quite unbelievable airborne volley scored against Charlton.


 
Prior to the 07-08 season Arsenal legend Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona, this saw Van Persie become Arsenals main striker. However the season didn't go to plan with the Dutchman only appearing in 23 games for the side. He still managed to score 9 goals albeit his worse tally for the club so far. The following season saw Van Persie score his 50th goal for Arsenal in a disappointing 4-4 draw against fierce rivals Tottenham. The highlight of his season came when he scored two wonderful goals against Chelsea, to give his side all 3 points after being 1-0 down at Stamford Bridge. The 08-09 season also saw him captain the side for the first time against Plymouth Argyle. He ended the season with, at the time, career best figures of 20 goals in all competitions.
 
The 09-10 season was another disturbed by injuries; Van Persie only playing 20 games. However he still managed to score an impressive 10 goals. 2010-11 saw Van Persie change his squad number to 10, the shirt previously worn by Dennis Bergkamp and it proved to be lucky for the Dutchman, as it was the his most prolific season yet ; 22 goals being scored in all competitions. This came in a season where he again spent long spells on the sidelines. Having not scored a single Premier League goal until January 1st, he equalled the record held by Christiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry by scoring 18 goals from the turn of the year to the end of the season. The season also saw him score many important goals, none more so than the equiliser against Barcelona; after a dinked ball over the top Van Persie exquisitely beat Victor Valdes from an impossible angle. This audacious strike saw him receive the teams goal of the season. He also scored Arsenal's only goal in an unlikely 2-1 defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup final.
 
This season has been Arsenal's toughest since he joined seven years ago. With the departure of Cesc Fabregas the Dutchman is seen as Arsenals best player, and rightly so. The Spaniards departure has also seen Van Persie given the captains armband. However the added pressure on his shoulders doesn't seem to have impaired his performances, with him scoring 5 goals in just 8 games. This including his 99th and 100th goals for the club today, goals which lead his side to victory; something he's consistently done throughout his career in North London.



Captain Fantastic celebrates his 100th Arsenal goal

Today’s feat sees him join an illustrious list of Arsenal players to have reached 1OO goals, Van Persie is number 17 on a list that includes the likes of; Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp to name a few. Due to injuries, it’s take him seven and a bit seasons to reach the 100 goal mark. However he has done so in fewer games than fellow Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp. Aswell as an impressive 100 goals, Van Persie has also got 54 assists in his time at the club: impressive statistics for a striker. His natural footballing brain and undoubted talent with the ball are key factors in him being successful at Arsenal. This along with his ruthless finishing and expertise at set plays, make him one of the best strikers in the world. If the club are to win trophies again, the Dutchman will be an influential figure. The style in which Arsenal play makes him the key man on the pitch and his quality means that he can pull the strings from any position of the front four. It may have taken 238 games for him to reach 100 but if he can avoid those unfortunate injuries the next 100 will follow in no time.

Jack Doone-Daniels

Premier League Team Of The Week

Formation : 3-4-3

GK - Shay Given (Aston Villa)
The pint-sized Irishman again
displayed why his £3million move
could be one of the buys of the summer.
He pulled off a host of world class saves
which earned his side a valuable point
against his former club.


CB - Phil Jones (Manchester United)
At only 19 Jones is already cementing
his place in the United first team. He has all
the ingredients to become a world-class
centre-half and he's sure to be a future England
captain. This weekend he was as solid as
ever against a strong Chelsea attack.

CB - Titus Bramble (Sunderland)
Bramble has been a very inconsistent
player in his thirteen year career. But
his performance against Stoke was one
of his best. He scored a goal and helped
his team keep a clean sheet as Sunderland
won their first game of the season.

CB - Phil Jagielka (Everton)
The Everton centre back played a blinder as
his side ran out 3-1 winners at Goodison Park.
Jagielka scored a vital goal as his team overhauled
a one goal deficit, and although his celebration was
some what awful, his overall performance was
top drawer.



Luiz Nani - Premier League player of the week

RM - Luiz Nani (Manchester United) *STAR PLAYER*

Nani terrorised Ashley Cole, arguably the best Left-Back in

the world, for much of the game at Old Trafford as his side romped

to a 3-1 win against title rivals Chelsea. He scored a

thunderbolt from 25 yards, aswell as creating a host of chances

for his side. The comparisons to Ronaldo are ever present

and based on his recent performances they're justifiable to
say the least.

CM - Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United)
Following his arrival from Lille in the
summer the French midfielder has
impressed the Geordie fans. He again

put in a performance that would have

delighted manager Alan Pardew. On the
day, Cabaye was unlucky not to have at
least two or three goals, the only reason he
didn't - Shay Given's magnificence in the
Newcastle goal.

CM - Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur)
Having put the transfer saga behind him,
Modric was influental as his side tore nine
man Liverpool apart. The Croatian scored
Spurs' first goal, with a sensational strike
as his side won 4-0.

LM - Joey Barton (Queens Park Rangers)
Everything you expect from Joey Barton
was on display as QPR's new captain lead
his side to their second win of the season
away at Wolves. The controversial England
midfielder scored with a nicely taken
finish from outside the box aswell as getting
into a scrap with Karl Henry. No surprise

there.

ST - Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Togolese hitman netted himself an
impressive brace as his side humiliated visitors
Liverpool at White Hart Lane. The big 27 year
old proved to be a nuisance for the Liverpool
back line all afternoon, a performance that

warranted the man of the match award.

ST - Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Having already scored six goals in his

debut season before this weekend, Aguero

continued his impressive goal scoring

form by bagging a brace at Craven Cottage.

ST - Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)

The Aston Villa striker maintained his

good start to the season. He proved to be a
constant threat to the Newcastle centre backs

throughout the 90 minutes and was rewarded

with his second goal in just 4 appearances for

the Villains this season.

Jack Doone-Daniels and Charlie Shanks



Manchester United maintain unbeaten start to the season

The score line may read 3-1 but that doesn't tell the whole story. Manchester United may leave today with all three points, but Alex Ferguson will know his side may not have kept their 100% record had Chelsea been more clinical in front of goal; Ramires and Torres missing sitters for the away side. Chelsea will be kicking themselves as they failed to convert chance after chance that fell their way; however Andre Villas-Boas will be able to take some positives from the game. None more so than the performance of under fire striker Fernando Torres. His performance today was a throwback to his days at Liverpool were he terrorised defences. His two assists in midweek seemed to have boosted his confidence and he gave United’s young defence all sorts of problems. His goal, seconds into the second half was brilliantly taken; after an exquisite pass from substitute Nicolas Anelka the Spaniard calmly flicked the ball over the oncoming David De Gea. Torres though will be rueing his missed chance with ten minutes to go. Having done all the hard work to get round United’s number 1, after selling him a brilliant dummy he somehow managed miss the target from two yards.

Chris Smalling gives his side the lead

Nothing should be taken away from the home sides attacking performance, although it may have not been as clinical as the 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal they still converted more chances than their opposition; scoring three of their seven chances on target compared Chelsea’s one from nine . The game started very open with both sides going on the attack, but it was United who took the lead after eight minutes. Chris Smalling heading in Ashley Young’s free kicking unmarked at the back post. The replays showed he was offside but the linesman’s flag stayed down. Half an-hour later the home side doubled their lead the impressive Nani receiving the ball out wide on the right, before cutting in and rocketing a right footed shot past the helpless Petr Cech. Again there was a hint of offside. The game seemed to be wrapped up on the stroke of half time when Rooney scored his 9th goal of the season after a fortunate deflection in the box allowed him to tap in from two yards. Torres scored only his second goal for Chelsea twenty-five seconds into the second half. Aswell as Torres' awful miss in the second half, Rooney managed to put his penalty wide aswell as hitting the post from 6yards.



Nani celebrates doubling Uniteds lead

Ferguson will be happy after taking all three points but there will be concerns about Javier Hernandez who hobbled off after an awful challenge from Ashley Cole. With City dropping points today United now lead the premiership outright and at the moment you can't really see anyone stopping the 19 times champions making it 20.

Jack Doone-Daniels



Tyson Fury extends unbeaten record

Just as he did in his last fight against Dereck Chisora, Tyson Fury excited fans on his way to yet another victory tonight in Belfast. It only took him five rounds to dismiss the challenge of American Heavyweight Nicolai Firtha.With a now impressive record of 16 wins, with 9 via knockout, to his name, the big time fights surely beckon for the 6ft9in Englishman.


Fury and Firth at the weigh in on Friday

After securing both the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles in his last fight Fury started the first round impressively with big shots consecutively connecting with Firtha’s face. The onslaught continued in the second round; blood covering the American. Credit must be given to Firtha though, in the third round he had Fury rocked, a huge right hook smashed into the side of the Englishman’s’ head leaving him shook up. Firtha continued to pile on the pressure trying to get that elusive knockdown however Fury survived till the end of the round. In the style of a true champion Fury came out in the 4th round as if the 3rd never happened. He reaffirmed is control over the fight and in the 5th with 51 seconds in the round to go the ref stopped the fight. After an onslaught of big punches rained down onto Firtha’s skull the ref deemed him unavailable to continue.



Fury has now gone 18 professional fights without defeat

Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessey said after the fight that he'll be fighting for a World Title in 18months and it’s easy to believe why. He seems to have everything a Heavyweight boxer needs; a powerful knockout punch, natural ability to use the jab and most impressively he seems to be able to take a punch. At only 23 times on his side, naturally the fighter within him would love to face the Klitschko’s of this world as soon as possible, but a steady rise to the top is surely the best route. His boxing style is quite similar to that of the Klitschko’s; continually working the jab to set up that big knock out shot. However he is not the finished article; work needs to be done to perfect his already impressive jab, something the fighter himself touched on when speaking after the fight. He has already adjusted his diet to improve his condition and he must continue this if he wants to be able to compete with the best.



Could Tyson Fury be the man to end the Klitschko brothers dominance?

A fight with one of the Klitschko brothers soon may be too early, but with a few more fights under his belt and time to master his jab he'll surely be a threat to the Ukrainians stronghold on the Heavyweight Division , sometime in the future.    

Jack Doone-Daniels

Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal; Match Report.

Prior to the early lunchtime kick off at Ewood Park, a section of the home fans stood united on the cobbled streets of Blackburn and called for their manager of ten months, Steve Kean, to be axed. This follows a dismal start to the Premier League season for Rovers which saw the club start the day rock bottom of the table having taken only one point from 4 games. Many predicted that things would not look too much brighter after this one either; as standing in the home sides way were a rejuvenated Arsenal team. However, there was a sense of optimism amongst the large part of the Riversider's supporters as their opponents had not had a great start to the season themselves. Arsenal though fielded a strong side as summer signing Gervinho returned from a 3 match suspension picked up at St James' Park, Aaron Ramsey returned from a light groin injury and Brazilian left back Andre Santos was handed his Premier League debut.

Blackburn fans outside Ewood Park protesting prior to kick off.

Arsenal fans would have taken much encouragement from the first 25 minutes of the game, they strung together a host of tidy, crisp passes and looked to be the free flowing side of years gone by. This was rewarded after just ten minutes when new boy Gervinho impressively tucked Alex Songs perfectly weighted through ball into the far corner of the home sides goal. Blackburn were stunned and it looked like the afternoon was going to be a long one for Steve Kean and his 'midtable' team. However after sustaining a number of failed Arsenal attacks, Rovers equalised through new boy Yakubu, the Nigerian was played onside by the un-organised Arsenal defence and took full advantage by slotting his early right footed shot past Woijcech Szczesny.

Yakubu celebrating his equaliser with new boss.

It was now the away side that looked stunned, Arsenal seemed to be under threat for a while and their defensive frailties began to show. Though Blackburn seemed now to be the most likely to score, a vintage Arsenal counter attack saw Aaron Ramsey set up Mikel Arteta for the Spaniards first goal since joining the club on transfer deadline day. Arteta side footed the ball high into Paul Robinson's net and from now up until the half time whistle, Arsenal were cruising.

Arteta netting his first for the Gunners.

Five minutes after the restart and Arsenal's defensive issues were on display again. Andrei Arshavin gave away a needless free kick on the edge of his own 18 yard area which Ruben Rochina delicately floated into the box only for Alex Song to knee into his own net. The goal prompted a familiar picture of despair amongst the Arsenal players, everybody walking away from goal, heads bowed, and looking clueless. A spell littered with a lack of urgency throughout the team and a host of miss played passes resulted in Yakubu causing further heart ache for the side in red and white. He netted his second goal of the game from close range, however, not too many of the Arsenal players were happy that the goal was awarded, they were convinced, as were the majority of spectators at home, that the goal scorer was offside.

Arsenal players after Alex Song's own goal.

Upon this Arsenal seemed to spring into life a bit more however by this time, Ewood Park was rocking and it seemed as if the Gunners had already lost hope. Bacary Sagna had to be replaced by Johan Djourou at right back, bad news for the Emirates outfit as the blonde haired Frenchman was having a good game and Djourou's incompetence even at centre back, his preferred position, had cost Arsenal before. It was not long before the Arsenal defence was at it again, Djourou failed to make a textbook challenge on Martin Olsson who skipped away from him with devastating speed. The Swede galloped into the Arsenal penalty area and unfortunately seemed to have delivered in a non-threatening low cross. An average Premier League defender would have swung their left boot at the ball and cleared the danger with relative ease, however Arsenal's number 6, Laurent Koscielny, famous for his involvement in his sides Carling Cup Final defeat in February, again cost his club a vital goal as he let the ball hit his right boot and trickle over the goal line for Blackburn's 4th.

Nothing changes - Laurent Koscielny ruing his own mistake.

With only 20 minutes left, Arsenal turned to Theo Walcott who came on in place of Arshavin to try and add some well needed pace and fire power to the Gunners' armory. Yet the inclusion of the lighting fast 21 year old changed very little. Time was ticking on and the away side knew that they needed to get one back quickly if they were to head back down to London with any share of the points. Arsene Wenger then sent on Moroccan international Marouane Chamakh, a sight many Arsenal fans would have thought was fit to epitomise the clubs recent turmoil as the 27 year old hadn't been on the score sheet in the Premier League since November 2010. Surprisingly though, Chamakh leapt in between two Blackburn defenders and latched on to Robin Van Persie's cross, he headed the ball home in spectacular fashion, giving his side a lifeline.

Chamakh installing some hope into the Gunners.

Blackburn now seemed to be on the back foot, they were looking nervous and failing to keep possession, Arsenal began to carry out a late onslaught in search of a dramatic equaliser. For the Ewood Park faithful it was 'squeaky bum time' as they saw the 6ft6 inch red and white figure, Per Mertesacker, head just over from close range, a chance that really should have been converted. The dust had still not yet been settled as Robin Van Persie drove into the heart of the Rovers defence, prompting Paul Robinson to make a vital save from a thunderous right footed strike. Arsenal's last gasp flurry included another header that should have been put away, this time from goalscorer Marouane Chamakh. The last of the action though came from an uncanny Arsenal long ball which Theo Walcott valiantly pursued, Goalkeeper Paul Robinson completely missed the ball and appeared to have brought Walcott down instead, however referee Andre Marriner waved away the penalty claim and Blackburn hung on to win the game 4-3.

Mertesacker after coming so close to making it 4-4.

Overall it was, for the neutral, a highly entertaining 90 minutes. But for the Arsenal fans it was the type of game that they have been forced to become all too familiar with. They saw their side create a host of chances which ended in another needless pass instead of a clinical finish. Yet having said this, Wenger's men managed to net 3 goals; an achievement that would normally be complimented with a victory. The bulk of the Frenchman's problems lay at the other end of the pitch where a host of schoolboy errors were their downfall and ultimately led to their third defeat in just five Premier League games, the clubs worst start to a league campaign since 1953. Steve Kean will surely be ecstatic with only his 6th win in the league as Blackburn boss since he took over from Sam Allardyce in December 2010. He saw his side leap above their opponents after the victory and I'm sure the Glaswegian will be delighted with the result; not only did it earn his side three points, but it could also have saved his job. For his opponents though, the general feeling amongst supporters 'is same old, same old', defensive frailties and a lack of conviction in the final third sees them return to the Emirates empty handed.

Steve Kean - A happy man.

Charlie Shanks 

Yossi Benayoun; The Gunners' secret bullet?

Saying that the summer of 2011 has not been a pleasant one for the fans, the manager or anybody else connected to Arsenal Football Club is something of an understatement. It has been one littered with transfer speculation surrounding the players that have shone over the past 6 trophy less seasons at the Emirates. Francesc Fabregas, the heartbeat of the club for the majority of those years and midfield wizard, finally left to return to his boyhood side F.C Barcelona after their two year pursuit of the player. Above this, Fabregas' former colleagues Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy departed in search of new challenges with Arsenals title rivals, Manchester City.

Wenger left hung out to dry after his sides 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool.

Many believe that these departures along with the 8-2 drubbing that Arsenal faced at Old Trafford in late August, lead Arsene Wenger to panic buy. The Frenchman brought in 6ft6 inch German centre back Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen, Spanish attacking midfielder Mikel Arteta from Everton and attacking Brazillian left back Andre Santos from Fenerbahce. The trio seemed to have lifted the spirits a little among the Arsenal faithful and have seemingly forged a couple of good results; a hard fought 1-0 victory over Premier League new boys Swansea City and a respectable 1-1 draw away to German champions Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Those three signings were also complimented by the whitty one year loan signing of former Liverpool and West Ham star Yossi Benayoun. 

Encouragement for the Arsenal fans.

Whilst there are a few fans that are over the moon with the addition of the Israeli captain, many seem to see it as a lackluster signing, one that underlines the clubs lack of ambition since the spine of Arsenals unbeaten team left for pastures new. However, I am one of the few fans that has been left delighted by Benayouns arrival.

Arsenals 'Invincibles' - None remain.

At a tender age, Benayoun conquered the Israeli Liga Leumit and in his 5 year stay with both Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Maccabi Haifa, he scored 70 goals between the ages of 16 and 21 years old. Following his success in Israel, Benayoun knew it was time to move on to better things and in the summer of 2002 he moved to La Liga outfit Racing Santander, where he would bag an impressive 21 goals for his club over 3 seasons, playing as a central midfielder. He then secured his dream move to the English Barclays Premier League, displaying his quality at West Ham United where he really made his name. The Upton Park faithful saw their new hero score 9 goals and contribute 13 vital assists between 2005 and 2007, helping them to retain Premier League status. Footballing giants Liverpool then moved for Benayoun after he impressed coach Rafa Benitez in the 2006 FA Cup Final bout between the two respective sides.

Benayoun in his West Ham days.

Anfield was the place where the Israeli international could weave his magic without any pressure as the big summer signings that were being spoke about amongst the Kop were Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel. However, Torres' success at Liverpool was largely down to his slender Israeli team mate. Torres praised Benayoun highly and frequently, stating "I need a player like him with a quality pass, always looking for the striker. I always say to him that if I was manager, he'd always play." After 3 years, 30 goals and 17 assists, Benayoun swapped red for blue as he put pen to paper on a contract at Stamford Bridge.

Torres and Benayoun combination results in another goal at Villa Park.

Benayoun's time in West London was plagued by injury, this lead to a long time on the sidelines and was the reason that he only managed one goal and one Champions League assist in the 2010/2011 season. Benayoun is now 31 years of age, however he looks to be over his injury problems that lead to his dip in form last season, yet the question still remains on whether or not he can recapture the form that had culminated in him being a fans favorite in years gone by.

Benayoun desperately trying to regain fitness at Chelsea.

I believe this is a fresh start for him, one that will allow him to express himself on the football pitch freely and the way he wants to. He may not be the 'Eden Hazard' or 'Mario Götze' type signing that would have took the Arsenal fans' breaths away, however he is a player packed with ability and experience, he most certainly has what it takes to prove a success at the Emirates and could play a vital role in the clubs attempted rebirth. Arsenal are well known for there free flowing attacking style of play, this and the fact that striker Robin Van Persie knows that additions to the squad such as Benayoun and Arteta can feed his craving for service that he has been starved of since Fabregas' departure, makes the combination of Yossi Benayoun and Arsenal Football Club a match made in heaven, I'm sure that the little Israeli will provide the ammunition that the Gunners so badly need in order to fire there way to the helm of European and World football once again.

Benayoun parading in his new colours.


Charlie Shanks

Man City Brought Back Down To Earth!

Last night we saw big spending Manchester city make their debut in Europe's elite competition; the Uefa Champions League. After securing third spot in the Barclays Premier League last season, City's billionaire owners finally got what they wished for three years after taking over at Eastlands.
 
After another window of splashing the cash City have got off to a great start domestically with only fierce rivals Manchester United outdoing them so far. Before the game there was huge confidence that the team would get off to a perfect start at home against Italian side Napoli. In some quarters they were being tipped to be Barcelona’s main challenges for the elusive trophy; however after 90mins of Champions League football reality would be in order. It wasn't expected to be a walkover with the Italians hosting a fierce front three of Cavani, Lavezzi and Hamsik whilst also having stars such as Inler and Paolo Cannavoro, younger brother of World Cup winner Fabio, in the side.
 
Mancini made five changes from the side that won against Wigan at the weekend with Zabaleta, Kolarov, Nasri, Barry and Dzeko coming in to the side. Napoli on the other hand stuck with there unique 3-4-3 formation. Euro fever gripped the City fans on this historic night with the players being greeted with a ferocious atmosphere when they entered the pitch.

Manchester City got off to the better start at the newly named Etihad stadium with Nasri firing an early chance wide. However Napoli posed a great threat on the counter attack, with Cavani also blazing a chance over the bar. Both sides continued to attack and both had there best chances of the first half on the counter. First the threatening Lavezzi wrong footed Kompany and curled a shot towards goal unluckily hitting the bar , moments later Yaya Toure broke from a poor Napoli corner and after neatly swapping passes with Aguero also thumped a shot against the cross bar.
 
The second half started much quieter than the first with both sides respecting each others quality on the counter. Napoli created the first real chance of the half, but Kompany atoned for his earlier mistake brilliantly blocking Marek Hamsiks shot on the line. Napoli seemed to be taking control of the match and on 69mins they took the lead. Barry carelessly lost possession in the middle of the park, Maggio robbing the ball before putting Cavani through on goal. The Uruguayan made no mistake calmly slotting under Joe Hart.



Cavani gives Napoli the lead

The goal seemed to lift city and moments later Aguero hit the bar. Then two minutes later City got their first ever goal in the Champions League, from the most unlikely culprit; left back Aleksandar Kolarov. The Serbian bending in a splendid free kick from 25 yards leaving the goalie motionless. The game from then on saw both sides pushing for the winner. The impact of Manchester City substitute Adam Johnson seemed to give them a new threat width; however the Napoli defence stayed resilient. It was the Italians that had the best chance to win it when Kompanys poor short back pass nearly gifted Pandev a goal scoring chance, but Hart was quick on the scene to get to the ball first. No real chances followed and the game ended with a well deserved point for both sides.
 

Kolarov celebrates after scoring his superb free-kick

The champions league is supposed to be a step up from domestic football and that was the case for Manchester City .Loads of hype surrounded them labeling them as untouchable but this would have brought them comfortably back down to earth. Many expected them to be contenders for the Champions League this year and although only one game is gone it’s too early for them. Yes they’ve got a squad full of quality both in the starting line up and on the bench but the team needs to be given time to mature and develop together. A tough tie in Munich awaits them on match day two, a game Mancini confidently said his side would win, I’d have to disagree. With the money spent it was thought that City would reach the latter stages of the competition but it looks like this will be a hard group to get out of and it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't make it to the knockout stages of the competition. However they’ve certainly got the quality to blow away there opponents in the remaining five group games, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Jack Doone-Daniels