WrestleMania XXVIII : In 6 Days

Things have just picked up at WWE Monday Night Raw for the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania XXVIII. The most anticipated most of them all, Icon vs Icon, Legend vs Legend in The Making, Movie Star vs WWE Super Star ... The Rock vs John Cena is getting intense every single day. Whether be it during press conferences, talk shows, twitter etc. these two have some beef with each other. Check out the videos below for some trash talk awesomeness before they collide at WrestleMania XXVIII.

See you folks in south beach Miami, Florida for WrestleMania XXVIII. It's gonna be electrifying!!!



Messi and Ronaldo: Paired in history

It may not seem like it, but more history was made at the weekend. And even more will likely be made over the next two nights in the Champions League.

It isn't just that both Barcelona and Real Madrid continued their irrepressible, incredible form as they challenge for all of the major honours - a situation that, despite the clubs' respective heritages and rivalry, hadn't actually been since the early '60s.

It's that that form was again fired by the scarcely believable goal ratios of their two most high-profile players. On Saturday, both Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored. Of course they did; as they will both probably this week. But, as with Messi's almost quotidian physics-testing quality, the routine nature of this ridiculous goal-scoring ensures that we nearly take it for granted. And, when you put the stats in their proper historical context, that clearly shouldn't be the case.

The goals against Mallorca and Real Sociedad, respectively, took Messi to 55 in 46 games and Ronaldo to 45 in 42 for this season. And, for the third campaign in a row, that has only been an escalation. In 2008-09, as both reached the Champions League final, their combined ratio was 0.62 goals a game. In 2009-10, it was 0.92. In 2010-11, it was 0.97.

This season so far, it's 1.2. It's also pretty unprecedented in football history, as the stats from the top levels of the club game reveal.

Player	Season	Club	Games	Goals	Ratio
Eusebio	1972-73	Benfica	32	43
Gerd Muller	1972-73	Bayern Munich	44	55	1.3
Leo Messi	2011-12	Barcelona	46	55
Cristiano Ronaldo	2011-12	Real Madrid	42	45	1.2
Jose Aguas	1960-61	Benfica	32	38
Uwe Seeler	1960-61	Hamburg	35	42	1.2
Ferenc Puskas	1959-60	Real Madrid	38	47
Laszlo Kubala	1959-60	Barcelona	23	20	1.06
Cristiano Ronaldo	2010-11	Real Madrid	54	53
Leo Messi	2010-11	Barcelona	55	53	0.97
Gerd Muller	1973-74	Bayern Munich	48	43
Jupp Heynckes	1973-74	Monchengladbach	40	38	0.93
Cristiano Ronaldo	2009-10	Real Madrid	35	33
Leo Messi	2009-10	Barcelona	53	47	0.92
Alfredo Di Stefano	1956-57	Real Madrid	43	43
Tommy Taylor	1956-57	Manchester United	45	34	0.88

As can be seen, there's simply never been a goalscoring rivalry like Ronaldo-Messi. Sure, Eusebio and Gerd Muller once outscored them - but that was a case of the careers of two great and unique strikers briefly overlapping. And, yes, Jose Aguas and Uwe Seeler once equalled them - but that it was in an era when goal averages were much higher while, for Hamburg, Seeler managed to translate his form from the then-amateur German league to the elevated quality of the European Cup. Overall, though, no two players have scored so consistently, over so many continuous campaigns, and at such a high quantity and quality while directly competing.

When Pep Guardiola was recently commenting on Messi's latest masterclass, he compared the Argentine to Michael Jordan. If that's the case, Ronaldo is Karl Malone. At least in terms of stark stats. And, along similar lines, this is Nicklaus-Palmer, Prost-Senna, Federer-Nadal. It also warrants greater explanation. For two players that aren't even pure centre-forwards - unlike Eusebio and Muller - why exactly are Messi and Ronaldo scoring so much? The most obvious answer is their sheer talent. But, clearly, this is far too simplistic. 

For a start, there's a stark difference when it comes to that talent. One of the players is only striving to be the best of his own time. The other has a very real claim to already be the best of [open itals] all [close] time. As such, there's naturally a bit more to it when other stars who were more or equally talented and played in just as advanced positions in more goal-laden eras couldn't get near the same stats. Indeed, those qualifiers are key. No player, no matter how talented, performs in a vacuum. No player completely dictates circumstances around him independent of teammates and opposition.

And that context is important here.

For a start - as we said at the beginning - both are part of two of the greatest Real Madrid and Barcelona sides there have ever been. There's rarely been a football pyramid as perfect as Barca's that is also managed by a man who so intrinsically understands the infrastructure as Guardiola. On the other side, there's never been a level of expenditure like Real Madrid's that has also been handled by such a brilliant short-term manager as Jose Mourinho.

So already, then, two truly brilliant players are on an elevated platform. Many, of course, like to claim that the Spanish league is sufficiently low for the duo to take easy pot-shots from there. But that seems a bit of a red herring. Most tellingly, both players maintain their ridiculous ratios into the Champions League. There is no drop-off between domestic and continental. Since 2008, Messi alone has scored eight goals in seven games against English opposition - including two in Champions League finals.

Rather, the quality of the two Spanish teams seems to render the opposition somewhat irrelevant. In that sense, the escalating, cash-conditioned nature of modern football ensures that there have never been such outlandish concentration of talent at two clubs. In the 70s, for example, both Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer played in slightly more democratic eras.

Secondly, there's the very shape of those Spanish teams. As goes without saying since the tactics of today are built on those of the past, the formations have never been so sophisticated.

Equally, there's no denying that Real are completely constructed to maximise Ronaldo's main talents - power, pace and athleticism. Playing on the break and in quick transitions, the Portuguese exquisitely exploits the sudden openings.

Indeed, it's arguable that Ronaldo is only truly exceptional when an attack is aligned for him along such lines. For those that doubt that, it's telling that the one drastic drop-off in his scoring over the last five seasons came in 2008-09, when Dimitar Berbatov disrupted Manchester United's perfectly functioning line. Previously, in 2007-08, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney had foraged and fought in order to absolve the Portuguese of defensive work and give him complete freedom to finish. That season, he hit 42 goals in 49. Taking that along with his three seasons at Real Madrid, Ronaldo has hit in 173 in 180 - almost a goal a game. In 2008-09 alongside the more ponderous Berbatov, he dropped to under a goal every two games: 26 in 53.

Mourinho's breakneck system, however, clearly maximises his marksmanship. By contrast, Barcelona are built around Messi rather than for him. But there's no denying that Guardiola's repositioning of the playmaker - in terms of both formation and as the club's figurehead - has seen his strike-rate shoot up. The Argentine has revelled in the greater responsibility.

As Messi himself has said, "from day one, he [Guardiola] told me what he expected and needed from me, that he wanted me to play higher up the pitch and closer to the opposition goal and to score more".

He has emphatically done that. 

Because, as much as the teams make the players, the players also make the teams. While the two clubs have enhanced their totems, Messi and Ronaldo have also stepped up. They've got older and better. Ultimately, the sum of all those parts adds up to some truly historic numbers. And, for once, we perhaps should get a little more hysterical about them.



No Longer Good

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard believes the players have no-one but themselves to blame for their current struggles in the league - because for much of the season they simply have not been good enough.

The Blues currently sit five points adrift of Tottenham in the race for fourth in the Premier League and the all-important final qualification place for the Champions League, after missing the chance to close the gap with a 0-0 draw against Harry Redknapp's side in Saturday's early kick-off at Stamford Bridge.

The club remain in this year's Champions League, however - with a good chance to progress to the semi-finals - but Lampard believes the side's struggles domestically have revealed a few home truths. "The fixtures and where we are in the table doesn't lie - we're not as good as we used to be," Lampard said. "We used to have a fortress here and, for whatever reason, we're just not doing it. It's something we must all put right.

"You know a derby against a very good Tottenham side is going to be tough. But I don't think we were at it enough. We had to play more with the urgency we showed against Napoli. "Against Tottenham, we didn't really do enough to lift the fans. We had the high of Napoli, then we got beaten by Manchester City and now we need to up it again." He added: "Chelsea should be in the top four. No disrespect to the other top-five clubs but, with the ability we have, we should be in there. "[But] There is no point being downbeat about it at the minute. It's five points and the gap has been bigger than that. It's up to us now to get ourselves right for Benfica and the league games coming up."

With just eight games remaining in the league, Lampard knows further slip-ups will prove especially costly. "[Our position is] due to dropping points throughout the season, not drawing with Tottenham at home. It's losing games we should have won home and away," he said. "We have to take all the league games now as knockout matches. It's very cliched but we're fighting from behind, and if we lose a game and lose points then the gap is bigger and the amount of games left is shorter.

Chelsea Consider Ronaldo Bid

Second thing I saw this morning (besides a Man Utd win) from the net was Chelsea is to bid for Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain, according to Daily Telegraph. Hahahahahaha.. Thank you for the early morning joke. That's NEVER gonna happen. Say it with me folks ... N E V E R gonna happen. Here's one reason why : Cristiano Ronaldo, a Man Utd LEGEND.

Chelsea are preparing to launch an audacious €100 million bid for Real Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonazalo Higuain. While the Blues' strikers have struggled for goals this season - Daniel Sturridge, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres scoring just 26 between them in all competitions - Ronaldo has scored 45 goals by himself to help Real to a six-point lead over Barcelona at the top of La Liga. And with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich thought to be planning a major squad overhaul this summer, Ronaldo and team-mate Higuain are both believed to top the list of players he wants to lead a Stamford Bridge revolution.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a potential £82.3 million move for the Real pair could depend on Jose Mourinho returning to manage the Blues, as he would need to persuade the players to leave the Bernabeu.  Should Mourinho not come back to Chelsea, the newspaper claims that Abramovich will turn his attentions to Napoli duo Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi, who could reportedly be prised away from the Italian side for a fee of €70 million (58.5 million).

If the Blues fail to qualify for the Champions League they may have to re-assess their transfer options, though, as it would certainly adversely affect their ability to attract players of the quality of Ronaldo, Higuain, Lavezzi and Cavani.

Ronaldo bagged a brace for Real at the weekend as the Primera Division leaders beat Real Sociedad 5-1 on Saturday, the Portuguese forward becoming the fastest player to reach 100 league goals in Spain as he took his total for the club to 101 goals in just 92 league games.

I'd Just LOVE IT!!!

Franz Beckenbauer once explained the secret of total football: it didn’t exist. ‘There was no such thing,’ he said, recalling the magnificent Dutch team built around the skills of Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and Robbie Rensenbrink. ‘It was just 11 great footballers in orange shirts. By the time the other teams had worked that out, the orange shirts had scored two goals.’

Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind games work something like that. They are the Keyser Soze of the modern game, and like the mythical and ruthless criminal mastermind whose legend is central to the film The Usual Suspects, their narrative power blurs our sense of reality.

So, on Saturday, when Roberto Mancini, manager of Manchester City, refused to shake hands with his counterpart at Stoke City, Tony Pulis, it was in some strange way first blood to Ferguson. Actually, Mancini was unhappy with what he saw as roughhouse tactics by Stoke, but that didn’t matter; he was cracking under pressure, because Ferguson’s psychological warfare was taking its toll.

The fact that Ferguson was quite possibly watching the game at home with a glass of something warming, and had about as much influence over events at the Britannia Stadium as Mancini will have over tonight’s match between Manchester United and Fulham, is irrelevant. The clocks have gone forward, so let the mind games begin. That is what always happens at this stage in the season; or at least we think it does.

Arsene Wenger got closest to the truth when he said that Newcastle United’s defence, not Kevin Keegan’s outburst on Sky television, handed the title to Manchester United in season 1995-96. The same could be said of Rafael Benitez’s famous list of facts in 2008-09. Both were sideshows that took on unreasonable significance because to list the many complex reasons why a title is won or lost is, well, a bit dry.

Far easier to pull a colourful strand of pseudo-logic from mid-air and adorn it with all manner of magical powers. At least Holland’s claim to play total football was built on a tangible philosophy, tactical and technical. Mind games are just ephemeral moments, a press conference quip, the unrelated exposure of vulnerability. We make the connections. We join those dots.

Keegan’s outpouring of pent-up emotion is often cited as evidence of the successful application of Ferguson’s mental vice. Their spat started on April 17, 1996, after Manchester United had endured a particularly difficult home match against Leeds United, who played with 10 men for 74 minutes but went down only to a Roy Keane goal with 18 minutes to spare. The fact that Leeds were in 13th place and had performed with an uncommon intensity affronted Ferguson.

‘I can’t understand the Leeds players,’ he said. ‘If they had played like that all season they’d be near the top. They raised their game because they were playing Manchester United. It was pathetic. We can accept any club coming here and trying their hardest, as long as they do it every week.’ One of Newcastle’s remaining games was away at Elland Road.

Ferguson continued this line of attack over the coming days, claiming that teams were trying harder against Manchester United. He singled out Nottingham Forest, another mid-table opponent on Newcastle’s to-do list.

Keegan was furious at this slight and both Leeds and Forest caretaker manager Stuart Pearce are mentioned in the less-quoted portion of the explosion that ended with him telling the world he would ‘love it’ if his Newcastle denied Ferguson the title. It was this loss of public composure that has, ever since, marked Ferguson as the master of the mind game.

In popular recollection, Keegan’s meltdown was the turning point in the title race. Yet, his words came at the end of a match that Newcastle had won — 1-0 away to Leeds. Furthermore, when Ferguson first speculated about the attitude of the Leeds players, Manchester United were already three points clear at the top, having once trailed Newcastle by 12.

So what happened between January 21 (Newcastle 54 points, Manchester United 42 points) and April 17 (Manchester United 73 points, Newcastle 70 points with a game in hand)? Simple. Newcastle lost away matches at West Ham United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers and, most importantly, were beaten 1-0 at home by Manchester United, thanks to a goal from Eric Cantona.

Before the mind games had ever begun, Manchester United had turned around 15 points. So getting in Keegan’s head wasn’t the clincher; getting in behind his back four was the key. As for the fateful night of Keegan’s fury, well that wasn’t exactly the stuff of popular imagination, either.

On March 31, Manchester United had reached the FA Cup final and were to play Liverpool. The staple Cup Final preview feature at the Mail on Sunday newspaper involved bringing the competing managers together for what was termed a ‘crosstalk’. A convivial lunch, a bottle of wine or two and a taped conversation full of, it was hoped, shared laughs, memories and the odd headline-grabbing quote.

Tuesday, April 30, was arranged as the day Ferguson would sit down at a posh Cheshire location with Roy Evans and the Mail. He came late, caught up at the training ground, but instantly ditched the chosen libation as unworthy, opting for something substantially more upmarket. Work done, he was determined to completely relax. And relax the managers did, for most of the day. Indeed, by the time Ferguson returned home he was so relaxed that Newcastle’s match with Leeds was over. He turned on the television, and was immediately startled out of his repose by the sight of Keegan, jabbing an angry finger at the camera and announcing he would love it if Manchester United’s title went down the tubes. So much for Machiavelli.

This is not to say Ferguson isn’t pin-sharp. He is a perceptive man who will attempt to gain advantage any way he can, whether it is applying pressure to a referee in Europe or seeking to pick at the perceived weakness of an opponent the way a fast bowler once worried away at a loose steam.

Yet he knows much of the work will be done for him, by a media anxious to find richness and depth in what is basically another two-horse title race.

So Ferguson mocks the return of Carlos Tevez — in response to Patrick Vieira of Manchester City deriding the return of Paul Scholes — and suddenly it is another masterful mind game.

This ignores the fact that Ferguson actually refused to answer the leading question about Tevez’s restoration, which was whether he would have done the same in Mancini’s position.

‘I don’t need to get into that,’ he said. Meaning, yes. It also ignores United’s status going into the weekend, a point clear of City having once trailed them by seven. One might say the hard work was done before the mind games started, considering United held a four-point lead after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers. United turned around 11 points without so much as a twirled moustache.City then dropped two points at Stoke on Saturday and Mancini ducked a press conference, leading to the instant abandonment of reason and rabid speculation that the mind games were already having an effect.

Of course, the events are unrelated. Ferguson didn’t get into Mancini’s head, Dean Whitehead’s forearm got into David Silva’s face, and the Manchester City manager thought not enough was being done by referee Howard Webb to protect his team. Is he feeling the pressure at the business end of the season? No doubt. Is he feeling pressure because Ferguson is messing with his mind? Unlikely. Stoke striker Peter Crouch caused more psychological trauma than Ferguson ever could, by scoring the goal of his life, and arguably of the season, to put City behind.

These are the moments at which even the most composed coaches lose reason. Had it happened against Arsenal, Wenger would have been doing his Basil Fawlty impression. It is possible that City will surrender the title in the coming weeks and, if they do, the explanation will be considerably more intricate than a little baiting between friends. The untimely injury to Vincent Kompany, the increasing exhaustion of Silva and Sergio Aguero, the momentum lost when Yaya Toure decamped to the Africa Cup of Nations, Mario Balotelli’s unpredictability, Tevez’s selfishness, all are tiny factors, plus a hundred others unseen.

Titles are won, not lost, remember. What of the return of Scholes from retirement and Rio Ferdinand from injury, the recent form of Ashley Young and, before misfortune again intervened, Antonio Valencia? That of the fact that Wayne Rooney is the greatest footballer this country has produced since Paul Gascoigne? Indeed, what of Ferguson’s position as the finest manager of this or any other generation?

Miami, Florida Is The Destination

The feud between the two — which began after Cena slammed The Rock on SunSport's WrestleCast in 2008 — kicked off again on the show, as Rock made his first appearance for many months. However the movie star's show-closing promo was nowhere near his typical dazzling best.  Rock seemed more pre-occupied with cracking wise with puerile name calling and referencing Twitter than talking up his huge Mania encounter with Cena. In a stilted promo — which admittedly the live crowd in Portland ate up — he even appeared to have notes reminding him what to say on his arm. Amongst other juvenile insults, Rock called Cena a 'Kung Pao bitch' and once more talked of his 'ladyparts'.

The star, real name Dwayne Johnson, told his foe that while Cena claims to be fighting for the boys in the back, he is fighting for the people. Rock said: "Those same people that are fed up with having a Kung Pao bitch shoved down their throat every single night. "Listen to them John, they are tired of you. They try to tell you every single night.  "But they are not tired of being entertained. And that's where I come in." Cena, though, interrupted The Brahma Bull with a stinging response. He shot back: "You're right, I'm the guy who runs you down when you're not here.  "But as usual you're only half right, because I'm the guy who runs you down when you are here.

"These people love 'The Rock'. I was one of these people until I got to meet 'Dwayne Johnson'. Dwayne Johnson is a self-centred, egotistical, see-through son of a bitch that wouldn't give a rat's ass if this company closed its doors tomorrow. "I'll tell you something. I don't need words like 'loyalty' and 'respect' to trend worldwide, just like I don't need my notes for my promo on my wrist. "On April 1, when the millions see John Cena versus The Rock, John Cena's going to be eyeing up Dwayne Johnson, and I don't like Dwayne Johnson. I'm going to be looking into the eyes of Dwayne Johnson and see a man afraid. "You're going to be looking a dude who may not have balls, but a dude that's going to beat the hell out of you at WrestleMania."

Many viewers watching felt the animosity between the two was real Kung Pao especially after Cena mentioned the notes on Rock's arm Kung Pao and that, at least, will carry on building momentum into WrestleMania 28. This year's Mania is shaping up to be a strong show, with Triple H v Undertaker, CM Punk v Chris Jericho and Sheamus v Daniel Bryan also on the card. 

United, After Sir Alex Ferguson

Written by Alan Shearer - IT seems like Alex Ferguson will go on for ever at Old Trafford but the moment will come in the next two or three years when even he decides it is time for a rest.

Then the biggest decision the club will ever have to make comes up — just who follows him into the Old Trafford hot seat? There is plenty of talk, understandably, about Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola and undoubtedly they would be leading candidates. But for me I would go half an hour up the road and offer it to David Moyes.

This past weekend he has celebrated an amazing 10 years at Everton. A decade in which he has turned strugglers striving to avoid the relegation trapdoor into a solid top 10 outfit. He has also done it on a net spend of £15million, quite remarkable in this day and age. Yesterday's 1-0 victory over Spurs at Goodison Park will have come as no surprise to anyone — which says it all. He has instilled a work-rate into his team that straddles any gap in individual class, as Manchester City found out when they went there.

United will want a seamless transition to ensure that the success created over Ferguson's incredible reign continues. I genuinely believe Moyes would provide this. A manager who knows the Premier League and knows how to win in it. A tough Scot with a similar background to Ferguson, he is a proper manager of men.

When was the last time you heard about a mutiny, bust-up or disciplinary problems at Goodison? While he has established Everton as a top-10 club he has also had to deal with downturns at times but come through and shown real resilience in the process. Against a backdrop of financial uncertainty at the club he has kept everything together. Similarly to Ferguson after the takeover of the Glazers. It is something special to last a decade at any Premier League club, but also to constantly create the teams he has on a shoestring budget. For me he exudes strength and commands the respect of his players. Listen to him talk and he clearly takes no nonsense.

People will point at his lack of European experience as a mark against him. After all, the Champions League is rightly where it should be at for a club the size of Manchester United. But are we truly to believe that somebody like Moyes does not know his European football and would not be able to turn his hand as ably to that as he has the Premier League?

At the other end of the scale, I believe he would also look to continue bringing young players through and look after the United Academy system, especially given his work on that side with Everton. This is as important to a club like Manchester United as a big signing and I am not convinced a so-called big foreign name would do that. Some might think it a brave move for United to go for Moyes. I think it would just be sensible It would also show that the biggest club in the land is happy to take a tried-and-tested British manager rather than go for the European option.

To often we believe the tactical geniuses in the game have to come from Spain, Italy and Portugal. As Chelsea have just found out and Tottenham before Harry Redknapp, that is not always the case. People claim the likes of Moyes would not be able to play the attractive football demanded by United. Why not? What he has done at Everton is get the best from what he has had and been able to acquire. With better players he would play better football. It's a major decision for United but in Moyes I believe they would make the right one.

Absolute Rubbish!!!

MANCHESTER UNITED are hanging on to their Europa League place by their fingertips. Only an injury-time Wayne Rooney penalty last night has left them with any hope going to the San Mames next week. But, in truth, they should be all but out as the Red Devils were devoured by the Lions. It was another nightmare night of European woe for United this season. The club that has contested three of the last four Champions League finals have looked like novices. Old Trafford, which was once such a fortress, was breached again just a fortnight after they lost here 2-1 to Ajax. They have now won only once here in five European games this season — and that was against Romanian minnows Otelul Galati. Indeed, but for David de Gea's heroics last night, Athletic could have had six.

Champions League elimination at the group stage was bad enough. But to be knocked out of the Europa League before it even gets interesting will be something else. If you had watched Barcelona the night before and United in this game you would not have believed they had shared the same stage in two of the last three Champions League finals.

This was no smash and grab from the Basque side, either. They dominated much of the game. Their slick passing football unstitched United time and time again. For the passionate 7,200 who had made the trip from Bilbao this was well worth the trip. For the United fans, this season in Europe has been something to forget.

Just as against Ajax a fortnight ago, they took the lead early on only to then be totally overawed. The warning signs were there from the start. Just four minutes in, the tormentor supreme Fernando Llorente single handedly pulled the United defence this way, then that, before releasing a shot that went just wide of the post. Then, when Chris Smalling pulled the same player's shirt in the area in the 19th minute, it could have been a penalty. United would take the lead against the run of play when, after Javier Hernandez twice exchanged passes with Ryan Giggs, he had a shot parried by Gorka Iraizoz.

Rooney was straight on to the loose ball and fired it home from close range for his 23rd goal of the season and first from open play in Europe. That should have settled United — but it only served to inspire the visitors all the more. When Oscar de Marcos played a through ball, Markel Susaeta sprinted away from Jonny Evans only to lift a chip wide of the far post. Andrea Iraola also had a powerful shot well saved at the near post by De Gea.

Then a minute before the break came the equaliser. Llorente is Bilbao's towering front man and hero of the Bilbao faithful. You could see why, too, with the problems he caused United all last night. Not least when he teed up and finished his goal. Receiving the ball on the top of the box with his back to goal, he laid it back to Iraola, who slipped in the speedy Markel Susaeta down the right. His cross was perfect for Llorente who had spun into a central position in the United box to head home. Within 10 minutes of the second half both Iker Muniain and Llorente once more had tested De Gea to the limit with shots that brought equally fine saves.

Another tight passing move put Muniain in and this time it was the legs of De Gea who came to the rescue. The second did come as another fantastic passing move from Bilbao undid United. It finished with Ander Herrera lifting the ball through for Oscar De Marcos and the 72nd-minute finish was sublime. Then, with a minute to go, a shot from De Marcos was palmed out by De Gea only for Muniain to hammer home the follow up. But there was then a late twist and a moment that may well come back to haunt the Basque side. It came in injury time when Hernandez's shot was handled just inside the box by De Marcos. Rooney stepped forward and thundered home the penalty. A shot powered by frustration as much as anything else. There is hope and United have the spirit and will to turn any situation around. They will have no chance, however, if they repeat this performance.

United Form Is No Fluke

Enough of the seemingly standard line that United aren’t playing well. BBC pundit Alan Hansen thinks the champions have been "woeful" for 18 months, an opinion that has rightly brought disbelief from Sir Alex.

Yet even the boss admitted the champions were ‘lucky’ at White Hart Lane and only a fool would dare disagree with the Scot’s assessment of a match. But just how fortunate were the Reds when reflecting on the events in the capital? Sure, Spurs played well – particularly in the first half. That’s probably why they are third in the table and would have still been in the title race but for a manic finale at the Etihad Stadium, even allowing for their derby defeat to Arsenal.

If the match had lasted 45 minutes instead of 90, it would have been a fair call to say this was a genuine smash and grab raid – Wayne Rooney’s header certainly came against the run of play. But can a team be called unjust victors when a couple of exquisite strikes from Ashley Young extended the lead to 3-0 with 20 minutes still to play? This was the toughest fixture, aside from the Manchester derby at City, that United could have faced. The manager was in no doubt of its importance in the build-up to the game. And yet, away from home, United were coasting and had the points pretty much wrapped up long before the end, unless Spurs were to repeat our own heroics at Stamford Bridge.

What a position to be in! In all honesty, holding out for a goalless draw would have been enough to remind City that the title will not be given up without a fight. Instead, another splendid away victory – compare our record on the road this term to last season – has really kept the pressure on our neighbours.

Ignore City manager Roberto Mancini’s assumption that United would definitely win at Spurs, it was far from a given – even allowing for our wonderful record against them.

So I, for one, was elated with the success on Sunday and puzzled by the response in some quarters. Much of the media focus has been on an Emmanuel Adebayor ‘goal’ that, in my mind (even allowing for bias), was rightly ruled out for handball. If it had been allowed to stand, wouldn’t the boot have been on the other foot and it be described as a ‘controversial goal’? I’m certain it would have – after all, he did handle it and gained advantage from that, and there were instant appeals from the Reds defenders in the proximity.

Furthermore, I saw some remarkable comments on Twitter from fans seemingly far from satisfied with negotiating this trickiest of hurdles. One wrote: ‘All that really matters is three points but we have come to expect more out of United, haven’t we?’ I find it hard to expect more from Sir Alex’s side than an away record that now reads: P14 W10 D3 L1 PTS33. And remember there is also a victory at the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup to consider.

Of course, if United don’t rattle off eight wins out of eight before the derby then many will feel vindicated in saying the team is not playing well. We all know, or at least should do by now, that facing sides fighting for their lives and traditionally awkward customers like Everton means it’s ridiculous to demand and expect 24 points out of 24 as though it's a God-given right. Even if that target is achieved, some will no doubt still be claiming it could have been done with more panache, a flawless defensive record and by playing sparkling football for every minute of every single game.

There’s nothing wrong with pursuing perfection. As United fans, we’re privileged in getting pretty close to that with some of the performances in the Sir Alex era. But titles can still be won on the back of numerous other qualities, qualities that the Reds show week in and week out. Almost a year ago to the day, a team supposedly in decline suffered defeat at Liverpool after losing to Chelsea and was largely written off. That team would go on to win a 19th title, rewriting the record books in the process, and reach a third Champions League final in four years. This time around, the Reds are close to keeping pace with a City side that is, let’s be honest, enjoying an extraordinary season – a 100 percent home record is a remarkable feat. Something tells me there’s more than sheer luck behind United's latest title bid.

Player Power Still Rules at Chelsea

Andre Villas-Boas's sacking from Chelsea at the weekend is another victory for player power at the club. While the results were poor for the Portuguese coach — he had both the lowest win percentage and points-per-game average of any Chelsea manager since Roman Abramovich bought the club — he was brought in with the long-term objective of making significant changes at Stamford Bridge. He was meant to not only oversee a transition from an ageing squad into a more youthful one but also to change the whole culture of the club, from the formation and style on the pitch to the way things operated off it.

Such things take time, a commodity rarely afforded to the man in the Chelsea hot seat. Villas-Boas was no different, despite his supposed forward-thinking brief. He would occasionally put some of the more senior players on the bench, and that immediately got them upset.

A big fuss was made every time Frank Lampard was not in the starting line-up but he has played in 23 of Chelsea's 27 league games so far this season, starting 20 of those. In fact, if you look at the team sheets for Chelsea's most disappointing results under Villas-Boas, Lampard started many of those games. But he and the other established stars at the club seem to be beyond reproach. It is always the manager who carries the can as far as Abramovich is concerned.

The players who had brought the trophies to the club over the past decade obviously got nervous at the thought of their positions being threatened, but you cannot stop the march of time. Every footballer, even the greatest ones, has to accept that eventually they have to start winding their involvement down.

If you look at players such as Ryan Giggs or Jamie Carragher, the reason they still have a place in the clubs they have served so well over the years is because they have made peace with the fact they no longer have an automatic place in the team, despite previous successes in which they were instrumental. They are happy to play whatever part their manager sees fit for them, and are ready to do so at all times. You cannot say the same for many of the current Chelsea squad.

For there to be so much player power at a club the size of Chelsea is, quite frankly, a disgrace. I have never seen anything like it before. I suppose it is a symptom of the age, with salaries so much greater than they were and egos to match.

Finding the right man to manage that below him and contend with such an impatient employer above him is very difficult. They say that managing England is the impossible job, but being in charge of Chelsea must run it a close second. With Chelsea seemingly going backwards and them no longer enjoying the same financial advantage over their rivals as they used to, it is a genuine concern that they will not hit the heights of a few years ago again any time soon.

The club needs a whole new ethos, cemented from top to bottom, if it is going to recover from this and meet the high standards set during the early years of the Abramovich era. However, that will take time, something that it is hard to see any manager getting at Chelsea.

Boss Hails Carrick

Sir Alex feels Michael Carrick's quiet personality is one of the main reasons why perhaps he doesn't always get the plaudits he deserves. The midfielder has been excellent for the Reds this term and could even be a contender for the club's Player of the Year award.

It has left many United fans scratching their heads as to why he isn't in the England team, let alone squad, ahead of Euro 2012 but the manager is only really concerned with Carrick's form for the Reds with the focus on the trip to his former club Tottenham.

"I think Michael and [Paul] Scholes are a good partnership," stated the manager. "Michael's form for quite a while has been absolutely superb. He always does well in the second half of the season. I know he disagrees with me on this but I feel the second half of the season sees him at his best and he's doing well so it's pleasing.

"He's not one of the guys who seeks publicity a lot. He's a quiet lad and goes about his life in a similar way to [Ryan Giggs] and Scholes. That doesn't mean to say he's not recognised by us. We get players like that - Denis Irwin was much the same.

"I think it's quite refreshing in the modern game to have players who can rely on their ability rather than wanting to project themselves. He has a different personality, a quiet personality and that can be misleading in the way that people think he has to be encouraged all the time. That's not the case. He's just quiet."

Carrick was clearly pleased to hear the manager's views and appreciates he is a senior figure these days at Old Trafford. "It is obviously nice when the manager speaks well of you," he admitted. "I have been here a long time now. I suppose I am starting to get classed as one of the more experienced ones now. Because of that, you have to set an example to the lads coming through."

"You have to keep the traditions of the club going. That is what I try to do. It is the manager's belief that we try to carry on."

AVB Deserves An Apology

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew believes Chelsea's senior players should apologise to Andre Villas-Boas for making life so tough at Stamford Bridge. Villas-Boas lost his job in the wake of Saturday's 1-0 Premier League defeat at West Brom, which followed weeks of speculation over his future.

Pardew had a great deal of sympathy for Villas-Boas, who was criticised for dropping experienced players such as Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, after experiencing a similar situation during his spell at West Ham. Speaking after the Magpies' eventful 1-1 derby draw with Sunderland, he said: "I have a lot of sympathy for him because that is a really, really talented coach we have lost in this country. "I know he is from Portugal, but he has had to take on a club there with a lot of senior  pros and in the background, probably had a very, very difficult job. "When you are in a transition year like that - and I have been in it because I was at West Ham when I inherited a lot of senior pros who had just been relegated, and it was very, very difficult. "They made it difficult for me, and one or two of them have apologised since, and so they should. "I hope one day that happens to that manager because I think he deserves a better turn than he has had."

Black Cats counterpart Martin O'Neill was also sorry to see Villas-Boas go. He said: "I am really disappointed for the lad, really disappointed. You don't get very much time these days and I genuinely couldn't be more disappointed. I feel for him."

Rafa Tipped For Hot-Seat

Rafa Benitez is the 5/4 favourite in Sky Bet's Premier League manager betting market to be in charge of Chelsea for the 2012/13 season. After a poor run of form, the Blues parted company with Andre Villas-Boas on Sunday and replaced him with assistant first-team coach Roberto Di Matteo until the end of the current campaign. Former Liverpool boss Benitez is the early favourite to return to the Premier League in August, but Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is 4/1 to return to Stamford Bridge.

Interim boss Di Matteo is 5/1 to get the post on a regular basis, while Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola is 8/1 to move to west London. Sky Bet PR director Dale Tempest said: "Benitez is the early favourite, but there is a sense of unfinished business with Mourinho. "He looks like he will win the Primera Liga with Real Madrid and he would surely be tempted to return to the club where he won nearly everything - apart from the Champions League." He added: "The fans would surely want him back as Chelsea enjoyed their most successful period when he was at the helm."