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Bolton boss Owen Coyle will be cursing his luck as his hapless Trotters side welcome Chelsea to the Reebok Stadium on Sunday looking to halt a run of five consecutive defeats.

Coyle’s men have failed to win a game since beating QPR 4-0 at Loftus Road on the opening day of the season and sending them plummeting to the foot of the table. Pressure is starting to build on the Wanderers boss as fans start to question whether he is the right man to take them forward although having to play both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea in their first seven games would prove difficult for any manager. However last week’s second half collapse at Arsenal and the spiritless defeat at home to Norwich seven days have seen fears rise in the Reebok stands that the club could be on the decline. The loss of Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong have proved to be bigger blows than first expected with Chris Eagles and Nigel Reo Coker struggling to replace the dynamic midfield duo. Retaning the services of Gary Cahill was also supposed to be a massive plus only for the England defender to see a dramatic downturn in form add to Coyle’s woes. The once steady Jussi Jaaskelainen now looks like a bundle of nerves every time the ball comes towards goal and the veteran may need to be benched if things continues to get worse. A clutch of players are ineligible for the game with David Wheater and Ivan Klasnic serving suspensions. Gael Kakuta is also unavailable as he isn’t permitted to play against his parent club. The Trotters have failed to score in their last five league and cup games against the Blues and have failed to win in the last 15 against their opponents.

Andre Villas-Boas will be intent on making that 16 on Sunday as he continues to remodel the side into a well oiled attacking machine. Gone is the patient approach adopted by Carlo Ancelotti replaced with a forward thinking mentality mixed with pace and guile. Juan Mata has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and is brining out the best in Ramires and Jon Obi Mikel in the holding roles. Raul Meireles has also added some much needed craft to the centre of the park and with Fernando Torres slowly but surely getting back to his best everything looks rosy at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard will miss the trip to Bolton after his sending off against Swansea last week meaning former Trotters favourite Nicolas Anelka or Didier Drogba will start up front. Frank Lampard could also be recalled after sitting on the bench last Saturday before scoring in Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Valencia. Daniel Strurridge could also return to the Reebok after spending six months on loan there but is likely to start the game on the bench after receiving from injury.

Key Players

Gary Cahill – Despite a poor start to the season from the England centre half he is still key to Bolton’s defensive game and will need to be on top form to snuff out the Chelsea attack. His pace and aerial prowess will be put to the test against Drogba, Anelka and Sturridge.

Ramires – After a below-par debut season the Brazilian midfielder has stepped up to become a key figure in Villas-Boas’ team. Despite his size he has a massive engine and puts in a lot of unnoticed running from the centre of the park. Took his goals well against Swansea last week.

Verdict: 0-2

Bolton’s Gary Cahill continues to be linked with a host of top European clubs this season, with Barcelona the latest to be linked with a January swoop. The defender is ranked 112th in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and is the 3rd highest Bolton player after Ivan Klasnic (ranked 31st) Martin Petrov (ranked 59th). However, Cahill is currently a part of the Premier League’s worst defence, with Bolton conceding more goals than any other this season (16) Ramires showed his goal scoring credentials netting twice against Swansea. The Portugese midfielder had 6 attempts on target on Saturday with 4 hitting the target and 2 goals. In his previous 5 appearances for Chelsea he had only had 8 attempts at goal, getting 3 on target. Ramires also covered more ground than any other Chelsea player against Swansea, with 12.32km (7.66 miles)

Fancy winning a million pounds??

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Real Madrid welcome Levante to the Bernabeu in La Liga on Saturday, as Jose Mourinho prepares to face a date with destiny.Should Mourinho’s men avoid defeat against the league’s 15th-placed side, it will be nine years since the Portuguese last lost at home as a manager. His last defeat on home territory came when he was in charge at Porto on February 23, 2002. When quizzed on the long-standing record, however, Mourinho insisted that his focus was on reducing Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga.”I don’t do anything to maintain my record. If we are drawing with fifteen minutes to go, I don’t order my team to defend in order to maintain my home record of nine years undefeated,” the former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss said. “If you journalists didn’t tell me how many games or years it is, then I wouldn’t really know. Tomorrow, what I want is to win the game – not to defend my record.””I consider Levante the most important match of my career, because it is tomorrow. The next 100 days are as important as the last 100 days.”Mourinho said the mentality of playing 24 hours prior to their title rivals Barcelona meant nothing, and all Real could do to better their hopes of catching the Catalans would be win.”That they give us the chance to play a day ahead of Barcelona is either to trick us or has no significance. Barcelona play on Sunday, and if we win then we will be two points behind, but if they win we will be back to five. It is the story of pressure … and this doesn’t create pressure,” he said.

During yesterdays half-time interval I, for one, sat listlessly gawping at the box as a litter of giddy, excited adverts espoused England’s World Cup chances; given the preceding performance, it seemed like a vulgar and untimely gag.

Friendly matches are always a bit of a drag and not really a fair reflection on a teams true features; especially one so close to the World Cup (injury worries, squad rotation, etcetera, etcetera). Plus, we eventually won, for whatever that’s worth, managed to overcome a deficit – a useful exercise in crisis management – and again proved we can play below par and prevail, so we shouldn’t get overly disheartened.

But, still, I foolishly sat down expecting to behold an England romp and to reaffirm my optimistic (deluded) belief that we could actually win the World Cup; a deluded belief which is persuading me to patriotically slam some money on England success.

Instead a limp lethargic display ensued, throughout which I unconsciously found my mouth making lots off huffing and puffing noises as England frustratingly dithered.

The first-half was particularly exasperating. Conceding from a set-piece is disappointing, but the defence looked a little rickety throughout. A long ball outwitted both Terry and Ferdinand as the latter was outmuscled, swung a limb, missed the ball, and offered a great chance for Japan to double their lead.

If we defend in a similar manner against stronger sides, you get the feeling they will ruthlessly strike a rusty shovel against our skulls, drag us to the bottom of the garden, spend the moonlit night digging before placing pretty little plant pot on the eventual perturbing, and protruding, mound of earth (i.e. kill the game, and England, off).

Johnson was responsible for a decent proportion of my huffy puffy noises; he sloppily lost possession on a number of occasions and still looks defensively defective. He is, of course, usually an outlet going forward and it seems there not many other options at right-back, though Carragher demonstrated that he can certainly put in a solid and steady shift in this position.

To highlight one player is probably unfair; everyone looked fairly sluggish. Walcott only reaffirmed my opinion that he is a great athlete but largely a frustrating figure of little end-product, but Lennon also missed the best chance of the half when Rooney played him through, so its ‘swings and roundabouts, mate, yeah?’ Yeah. Huddlestone and Bent didn’t get much chance to enforce and impress themselves on proceedings, you get the feeling it may be to their cost. The previously mentioned Rooney was, inevitably, probably the most imposing player throughout the game.

Overall, though, going forward we lacked any real potency.

Cue those cruel, sardonic half-time adverts.

The second half was a slight improvement, but it is also slightly worrying that we seem unable to thrust ourselves on the game from the outset and often require a half-time cuppa and a good old rollicking.

Changes of course ensued, with Joe Hart, Joe Cole and maybe Shaun Wright-Philips benefiting most. Indeed, Hart responded well when called into action and England emerged more direct and threatening offensively; Joe Cole providing the cross for Japan to score their second own-goal of the game and hand England victory. Certainly two own-goals aiding us to victory is not ideal but at least we were threatening and making a nuisance of ourselves.

Rooney and Gerrard linked-up relatively effectively on occasion, something we must utilize and exploit more often. It was also Gerrard’s cross which adeptly landed right at the head of the ineffable Emile Heskey. Heskey then dutifully demonstrated why he remains the butt of ‘couldn’t score in a brothel’ jokes; for a prospective England World Cup striker – or, indeed, any human – it really was a bad miss.

So, overall an unconvincing victory, but a victory nonetheless; going into the tournament following failure to beat Japan could have been a confidence sapper.

However, it did paper of cracks, against a very mediocre opponents; Brazil, Spain, Germany and all that crazy clan lay in wake, are you confident?

Still, it was a friendly, a lethargic friendly, a friendly we came from behind to win. The vitality and vim will surely materialize when the tournament begins; hopefully, or its going to be a thoroughly frustrating, huffing and puffing summer. Indeed, it’s the real thing now…the World Cup…it’s been a long wait, and I can’t wait…I’m excited again…I’m even smiling in giddy gormless expectation as a write…we’re gonna win baby! We are definitely, without any slither of doubt, gong to win! I’m off to throw my (limited) life-savings on England.

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I couldn’t help but notice something during the Arsenal v. Swansea match, and it made me quite unhappy at first: Mikel Arteta was sitting quite deep for someone who was practically a “false 9” at Everton. I’ve never pretended that my writing will shine a bright light on tactics or provide you with ground breaking insight into the “subtle nuances” of the game (because there are so many).

But there’s something about seeing a player who really thrived just off the forwards being asked to do what he was doing against the Swans that, even with his nice passing in the opening half, I find irksome in a squad so obviously desperate for chances at the goal.

I have no idea who made the decision for him to play as far back into the midfield as he did, but it seemed to me that as the game wore on, it left the forward line a bit isolated from the midfield. And of course I had to hear the standard line about how Theo isn’t really a wing player (he didn’t look like one in that match) and couldn’t deliver crosses in any kind of proper fashion and that he doesn’t have a footballer’s brain or spleen or pancreas, which if that’s the case then real chances and service to van Persie were going to be at a premium.

And yet, every account I’ve read says “Arsenal should’ve scored more goals.”

Perhaps, or perhaps Arsenal scored just as many goals as they could’ve scored. The magical footballing TARDIS doesn’t allow for the changing of events as they’ve already unfolded in a “fixed point in time.” So perhaps the lone accidental goal scored v. Swansea was exactly the number of goals such a pitiful attempts total merited?

I’m beginning to wonder how much Jack Wilshere’s injury is going to affect the tick-tock of the midfield, too. He adjusted to a “terrier” role last season perfectly and combined with Alex Song (mostly) to win as many balls and harass as many of the opposition as he could in every match in which he played. He did it with a skill that belied his age. And he did it in such a way that the midfield or the front 4 or whatever the formation was could generally get forward without worrying about being exposed if they lost possession.

I had assumed this season, with the transfers being what they were probably going to be, that he and Aaron Ramsey would begin to forge a partnership in the middle of a 4-1-2-2-1, with him handling the dirty work and pulling the strings in front of defence whilst Aaron continued developing as a more forward attacking type midfielder. Instead, because of this “unusual” (how can we call any bizarre injury to an Arsenal player “unusual” anymore?) swollen bone (is this a medical term?), Aaron has been forced into Jack’s role and I must tell you I think he’s particularly unsuited for it. I’m not trying to be rude because I think Aaron is gifted and will continue to grow as a player, but it’s just not his skill set to be chasing and harassing the opposition and winning back the ball.

Knowing this, I wondered, is this why Arteta was so far behind van Persie?

And then the boring, boring Arsenal of the lateral pass and the spurned goal attempt and the pass straight into a defender’s legs emerged. Incisive is the word I wanted to hope to use but what I saw was an off-road vehicle slogging through mud. And I started asking myself about the best formation for this group right now. And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the world’s least astute tactical analysis of the Arsenal Football Club.

I’ve said before that in order for a “continental” 4-3-3 to be effective, it has to quickly change to a 4-5-1 upon losing the ball. If you don’t play it that way, especially the brand of it that Wenger has employed because the fullbacks’ forays forward make it a 2-1-4-3, it will leave your team horribly exposed down the flanks. It may also force your centre backs to rush madly about and leave them out of position. The complaint about Meatsack losing that early challenge v. Swansea springs to mind–I think he’s been an excellent “positional” defender as long as I’ve been watching him.

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Making a catalogue of the players currently available, I started getting more frustrated with AW’s approach to yesterday’s match as it seemed that Swansea were tearing down the flanks and at the same time Arsenal were reaping no reward for playing the fullbacks in such advanced positions. Yes, there it is–the cry out for “Why not just use a bloody 4-4-2?” You know, the one where you have fullbacks who can defend, midfielders who can cross, and forwards who can score? Sod tactics, man, really, can’t we just put players in effective positions to “express themselves?” Are we turning football into gridiron where there are infinitesimal experts at the smallest details? “This is the 3rd down flanking running back who catches the six yard forward pass when isolated by the inside line backing specialist.” Bah! Watch other clubs–it seems like they just play football.

Whoever defends in the 4-4-2 doesn’t matter (of course it does, but you know what I mean). The middle 4 could be…

Wait, why was I so despondent?

Didn’t Arsène sign that Gervinho bloke? Didn’t Alex Song get suspended?

Winning the ball and getting back into attack is what the best sides–both club and country–do these days. It’s why the ones who are quickest at that transition seem to be succeeding so much. Yes, I mean those Catalan c***s and their predominantly Catalan national side.

Now I find myself back in the footballing time machine. What if Arsenal hadn’t faced Joey Barton in Week 1? I believe that Gervinho wouldn’t have been suspended and Arsenal wouldn’t have looked so toothless and Song would’ve lent experience that Frimpong lacks…

And we’d still be moaning about something. And maybe the hiding at Old Trafford wouldn’t have looked so horrible and maybe the Club doesn’t buy at the deadline like they did (oh yes, I know the story that they bought because they were always planning to, of course!)…

Arteta was a serious transfer target in 2008 when Cesc was injured, along with Arshavin, but Everton did not wish to part with him and if you recall, he ended up getting seriously injured himself and missed the rest of that season and much of the following one. If he had come to Arsenal then, and that had happened, what would we have said about him?

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You can’t ever tell what will happen when you miss the train. Perhaps that midfielder you needed becomes an afterthought. Perhaps a change in tactics becomes less urgent. Perhaps the status quo remains and it takes even more time to correct it.

Without an unlimited wage and transfer budget, it’s unlikely that Arsenal will surpass other richer rivals. That doesn’t mean that “something special” is impossible, whatever that may be. But we all need to remember that accidents, happy and unhappy, play as large a role as planning does in the fortunes of our lives and the fortunes of our football clubs. Maybe that sliding door you missed will make everything better. Maybe it’ll make everything worse. Either way, there’s no sense in cursing it.

1-0 to the Arsenal.

Article courtesy of Antonio Gramsci from the excellent Arsenal Mania

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Having had two days to consider the ludicrousity (yes, the events that transpired deserve their very own word) of what happened in Newcastle on Saturday, I have now made peace with the fact that no logical explanation will suffice: irrespective of a sending off, an injury, poor refereeing decisions and individual mistakes, there is simply no defence for losing a four goal lead.

But the optimists amongst Arsenal fans can also view this weekend as one which saw the deficit at the top of the Premier League table diminish. All is far from lost. And although logic might not provide the best arena to deconstruct Arsenal’s startling tendency for self combustion, a big question needs to be asked: at what point is this the players’ responsibility and not Arsene Wenger’s?

I have read countless comments from fans recycling the same anti-Wenger gambits when crucial losses occur or leads are relinquished: the team is his and therefore he should take ownership of their shortcomings. But what is certainly interesting from a neutral’s perspective is just how much Wenger is made culpable for his players’ mistakes. He appears, in my eyes anyway, to shoulder a greater burden than most managers when his team is publicly scrutinised.

I can understand the reasons for this: the evident conflagration of Wenger’s and Arsenal’s ideology, his obstinate adherence to a set of sporting and economic principles, and a fan base who invariably understand the magnitude of funding a new stadium whilst mounting a consistent challenge for silverware domestically and abroad. His is a unique circumstance in so far as everyone involved in football understand it to be a personal ideology which has translated into a club’s identity.

So, yes, I can see why there are those who hold him absolutely responsible. But in games against Tottenham or Wigan this season alone and, in particular, the extraordinary events of Saturday; what is he to do? The defensive frailties of the squad fall under his responsibility, there is no doubt about that, but the twenty-two minute collapse exhibited at St James’ Park is another matter entirely. The frustration of coming so far with this team, seeing the likes of Nasri, Song and Wilshere evolve, making telling strides (defeating Chelsea this season was one such significant moment), only to relapse into inexplicable periods of madness and hysteria is perhaps most upsetting for Wenger (and Arsenal fans).

The truth is that any team is an extension, and reflection, of its manager. And Arsenal’s continuing penchant for losing concentration is an unmistakable indictment on Arsene Wenger’s inability to instil ruthlessness into his group of players. However there also comes a point – like on Saturday – where the events that unfold are so unbelievable and perplexing that I can’t help but share Wenger’s frustration and simply ask the players (all experienced players, too): is this really the manager’s fault?

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With August almost upon us and the new Premier League season just weeks away, fans’ attention turns to their beloved clubs and the merits of their latest recruitment policies. It’s an exciting time for supporters as they debate the strengths and weakness of their squads and analyse new signings with meticulous detail.

Amidst the tension and drama of incoming players and pre-season preparations, there are also a number of forgotten players whose futures are shrouded with uncertainty. From returning loan players deemed surplus to requirements to over the hill former stars whose wages and lack of form make them an unattractive proposition, every Premier League team has a handful of excess players eager to find some first team football to aid their careers.

Not only are unwanted players keen for more regular action and one final payday but teams are looking to streamline their squads ahead of FIFA’s impending Financial Fair Play rules and as such many squad players are available for transfer. The precarious nature of sustaining a profitable business means there’s an increased focus on clubs reducing wage bills and spending within their means, so with that in mind it’s time to take a look at the 10 Premier League players in desperate need of a permanent move.

Click on Milner below to see the Top TEN [divider]

The Premier League returns this weekend after the rather dull international break. What also returns are the hours of worrying about your Fantasy Football side.

So let’s have a look at who should be in and around your side come kick off on Saturday.

The Captain

Leading the line for Manchester City with six goals in three games, Edin Dzeko has made it look easy so far. The team visiting the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday is Wigan Athletic. Despite an unbeaten start by both sides, you’d expect City to score a few and the way he’s been playing, you’d think the Bosnian international will get involved.

Honourable Mentions: Robin Van Persie, David Silva, Ashley Young

The Vice Captain

If in doubt, Wayne Rooney has to be worth a shout. Having scored in every game so far like his City counterpart, the United forward visits the Reebok Stadium in the early evening kick off on Saturday.  United have a habit of outdoing their neighbours and given that Manchester City scored three at Bolton and, the England forward could well be on the score sheet again. Bolton are not an easy side to roll over but it’s not hard to foresee United and Rooney winning well at Wanderers.

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The Outside Bet

Players have a habit of doing well against their old club. For that reason, you can’t help but feel Joey Barton will be in the thick of the action on Monday night. He will be making his debut for QPR against Newcastle and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he were to make an immediate impact for his new club.

Honourable Mentions: Grant Holt, Emmanuel Adebayor

Spot the 0-0

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Everton and Aston Villa have been OK so far this season. They’ve both beaten Blackburn but both are yet to be properly tested. What’s more, they’ve lost major creative talents in their sides over the summer. Mikel Arteta left Goodison Park for the Emirates whilst Stewart Downing and Ashley Young headed for Liverpool and Manchester United respectively. Both sides might still be adjusting to this and the defences could well be on top in this one. It might be worth getting a defender from either of these sides into your team for the weekend.

Deadline Day Signing

Arsenal needed a new playmaker after the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. It won’t be easy for Mikel Arteta to emulate what his fellow country man Fabregas did at the Gunners. However, he has a great opportunity to kick start his Arsenal career on Saturday afternoon against a Swansea side who shipped four in their first away game. As he’s priced less than some other playmakers and looking at Arsenal’s run of games over the next few weeks, he could become more than just a temporary addition to your side.

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Palermo scraped past lowly Brescia 1-0 in Serie A on Saturday courtesy of a late strike from defender Cesare Bovo, while Parma and Roma also won.

The hosts at Stadio Renzo Barbera dominated possession, with relegation-placed Brescia appearing to have few ideas going forward.

But it looked that Brescia would pick up the point they came for before Bovo’s free-kick curled past Brescia goalkeeper Michele Arcari in the 87th minute to move Palermo into seventh place on the table and equal on points with Juventus.

Two goals in the space of five second-half minutes was all Parma required to beat Catania at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

Antonio Candreva opened the scoring in the 57th minute before Sebastian Giovinco secured the win in the 62nd minute.

Roma moved to second on the table with a 3-0 triumph over Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico.

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Francesco Totti put his side ahead in the 22nd minute from the penalty spot, before Simone Perrotta scored in the 70th minute and substitute Jeremy Menez topped off the win with a goal late on.

As the hysteria surrounding Robin van Persie’s proposed move to Manchester United reaches fever pitch, there’s already been murmurings of where the Dutchman would rank ability wise within Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad. Would it be he or Rooney that take the title of most talented?

But however good both are as footballers, neither can take the title of United’s most important player. That belongs to Nemanja Vidic. As the big Serbian returns to the fold after a season decimated by injury, his teams’ title hopes have been boosted as much as any impact Van Persie may potentially have. It’s game on back in Manchester.

It’s difficult to look past the 6-1 demolition job Manchester City inflicted on them back in October, as United’s darkest day in recent times. But where as the pain and the symbolism of that day may take a lot longer to exorcise, it was events on a brisk Wednesday night in Basel, which had a more defining effect on their season. United were sent crashing out of the Champions League after an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to FC Basel, failing to reach the group stages for only the third time in 17 years. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

As Swiss striker Marco Streller flew into a challenge with Nemanja Vidic towards the end of the first half, you didn’t even need to listen to the Serbian’s cries of agony to gauge the seriousness of what had just happened. Vidic’s knee twisted at a horrific angle as it got caught under Streller’s body weight and the damage was significant. The diagnosis was a ruptured cruciate ligament and the result was his season curtailed in early December.

Some can point to the fact that United came as close as they did to lifting the title and suggest that maybe he’s not quite the be all and end all of Manchester United. And to an extent, that’s correct. To loose the title on goal difference alone, suggests that some of the critique aimed at Sir Alex Ferguson’s defence was perhaps misguided. Considering how much praise has been heaped upon the much vaunted-pairing of Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott at Manchester City, there are massive inconsistencies in the hammering of a defence that finished level on points with them.

But the point is that it could have been so much better for United. Jonny Evans has evolved and matured into the player that many doubted he could be last season. But he still isn’t Nemanja Vidic.

What Vidic brings to the United defence cannot be defined by simply wheeling out results and statistics. He brings a solidity, an air of invincibility to the team. He is a truly formidable competitor and an absolute bedrock for Sir Alex Ferguson. Like all great defenders, Vidic has a presence about him; when he plays, others raise their game and it’s impossible to speculate as to how different things may have been, had the Serbian been available.

Titles are won and lost on the presence of players like Vidic. It seems ironic that as Vidic spent a season on the sidelines, Manchester City charged to Premier League glory with the emergence of their very own version, in Vincent Kompany. And it’s not as if Kompany suddenly morphed into such an outstanding defender overnight. But as City won games, they began developing the sort of winning mentality that defines teams as champions. And similarly to the way Vidic is viewed by his peers, the sight of Kompany on the team sheet became a symbol of solidity.

But Vidic was needed more than ever last season. With the retirement of Edwin van der Sar, Ferguson had to replace a key component of one of the best defences in recent Premier League times. The immersion of a new goalkeeper was always going to be difficult and David de Gea’s entry into a new league and new style of playing was a baptism of fire to say the least. Although to loose the lynchpin of your defence in December did De Gea no favours whatsoever. Maybe Vidic wasn’t firing on quite all cylinders just before his injury, but he could have gone a long way to easing De Gea into his first season of English footballs.

Although two games in particular, seem to stick out as turning points last season. The games against Wigan away and in particular, Everton at home must have had the Serbian throwing his crutches at the television. It seems almost inconceivable that had Vidic been playing, United would have blown a 4-2 lead at home and potentially the Premier League title with it.

The lack of concentration at the back cannot be solely attributed to inexperience- indeed, the waning Rio Ferdinand has more appearances to his name than Vidic and still he played his part in simple mistakes. Jonny Evans showed so much promise last year, but he’s not seen out Premier League titles before. Vidic has. Nothing can be taken away from Manchester City, although they know all too well how much Vidic’s loss weakened their rivals. When Kompany saw out his four-match suspension back in January, City teetered as Stefan Savic struggled to come to the fore. Had that been for four months instead of four games, their destiny could have been very different indeed.

Of course, it’s pointless speaking hypothetically about the impact Vidic could have had. The most important thing is that he’s fit, hungry and raring to go for the new season. And all the indications coming out of the United camp during pre-season, is that it’s all systems go for Vidic.

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No one was ever in any doubt of Vidic’s importance to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, but last season was a pretty brutal demonstration to anyone who thought to the contrary. It’s a classic adage, but the best footballers aren’t always the most important players. Vidic may not be capable of ghosting past four defenders and putting it in the top corner but that doesn’t make him any less important than what Robin van Persie is/was to Arsenal.

Signing Robin van Persie will be a major coup for Manchester United. But however nice it’ll be to see him in a United shirt, it’ll feel just as good for fans to see Vidic pulling on the number 15 again.

Is Vidic’s return enough to see swing the Premier League tide back into United’s favour? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell me how you see it.  

UEFA have altered the terms of Jose Mourinho’s five-match ban from European competition following a hearing on Friday.Real Madrid coach Mourinho received the ban in May after being sent from the touchline during his team’s 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final first leg on April 27.

He then made post-match comments suggesting a UEFA bias in Barcelona’s favour, leading to a 50,000-euro fine and the five-match ban, with one of those matches suspended.

After considering Real’s appeal, UEFA have downgraded the sentence to a five-match ban, with two suspended.

“UEFA’s Appeals Body today partially upheld the decision taken by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body against Real Madrid and their head coach Jose Mourinho,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The original judgment related to Mourinho’s dismissal from the bench and the inappropriate statement made at the post-match press conference of the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the Spanish capital on 27 April.”

“After hearing the parties and looking at various pieces of evidence, the Appeals Body decided to modify the sanction.”

“The five-match ban, with the fifth game suspended for a probationary period of three years, is changed to a five-match ban, with the fourth and fifth fixtures suspended for a probationary period of three years. The 50,000-euro fine imposed on Mourinho stays.”

UEFA also rejected an appeal by Real against a 20,000-euro fine for the ‘improper conduct’ of some supporters during the same match.

Real, who went on to lose the semi-final 3-1 on aggregate, have the right to appeal UEFA’s decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.