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The men who could replace Xabi Alonso at Liverpool

Declan Warrington

Liverpool will permit Xabi Alonso to leave if he publicly expresses his desire to join Real Madrid and it remains to be seen whether or not Rafael Benitez will seek out a like-for-like replacement for the stylish Spanish midfielder.

The great irony is that Benitez would now actually love to keep Xabi Alonso, despite trying to sell him last summer in an attempt to fund a move for Gareth Barry. With Barry joining Manchester City, Benitez is forced to look elsewhere to boost his side's title prospects.

If the Liverpool manager is shrewd he could re-invest the proposed fee of about £32 million in a midfield replacement and other potential targets. Here are five men who might be considered as replacements for Alonso in Liverpool's engine room next season:

Patrick Barclay's debate replies: Should Newcastle fans buy the club?

 

Patrick Barclay

On Monday, our Chief Football Commentator wondered if Newcastle fans should buy the club to save themelves from years of underachievement. Here he responds to your many replies.

Unfortunately this ownership/Barcelona idea has been used before - to justify becoming a PLC. Cue Keegan's departure at additional interference, and while the Halls and Shepherds made a fortune over ten years - I mysteriously received nothing for my shares, being ineligible for Ashley's offer because I have moved abroad. Graham

PB: That's true. The lessons of the past must be learned. But that doesn't mean it's a bad idea, as many fans of other clubs, from Barcelona to Exeter, have discovered.

Is Glen Johnson worth £18.5m?

Times Online

Portsmouth have accepted Liverpool's £18.5million bid for Glen Johnson, the England right back.

The South Coast club bought the defender from Chelsea for £4m two seasons ago and nearly sold him to Liverpool in the January transfer window, but the Merseyside club couldn't afford the £8.5m asking price.

However, Liverpool's successful bid means that over the course of 72 matches Johnson's value has soared by £14.5m - a serious jump for a full back who is better at going forward than defending.

Debate: is Wayne Rooney the most important player in the England squad?

Richard Neale

Wayne Rooney again proved his worth to the England side against Andorra last night, scoring an opening goal after just four minutes to end any thoughts the European minnows had of producing a heroic rearguard action and going on to add a second for good measure.

So easy was the stroll for Fabio Capello’s side, that the manager had the luxury of resting the Manchester United striker for the second half.

That double for Rooney took his total to ten for England in his last seven games and drew him level with Sir Geoff Hurst on 24 goals for his country. Still only 23, Rooney said after the match that he had his sights set on surpassing the record of 49 goals currently held by Sir Bobby Charlton.

It is easy to get carried away, of course, and similarly easy to forget that Rooney has twice gone seven international matches without scoring a goal, one of those barren runs coinciding with the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. And that’s not to mention his short fuse when things are not going his way (also sent off against Portugal in aforementioned World Cup).

But on current form it might be fair to suggest that Rooney is the most important member of Capello’s squad looking forward to next year’s finals in South Africa.

Do you agree, or is there someone else whose loss England would feel even more acutely? And how would you compare Rooney with Hurst, the man whose international goal tally he matched?

Can England win World Cup? Patrick Barclay responds

In his latest debate Patrick Barclay asked if England could win the World Cup in 2010. Here our Chief Football Commentator responds to a selection of your comments:

Pros: England on paper look strong. There can't be many centre backs in the world better then Ferdinand and Terry. Along with Iniesta, Gerrard is probably the best midfielder in the world. Lampard is also a great midfielder. Rooney is one of the best strikers in the world. The Premier League is considered the best league in the world and most of England's players are in the starting line-ups of the Big Four - this must count for something. And Fabio Capello seems a good tactician.

Cons: This side lack chemistry and its rare they find any fluency in their game. As the old cliche goes, the game isn't played on paper. This could cost England. Spain are arguably better then England on paper but it was the way Spain's players connected with each other that made the real difference between the sides when they met. The young players except Rooney don't tend to perform at a high enough level for their country either.

Overall: England have a good team but I do not think they have what it takes. Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and France may not always play well but when these teams go into fifth gear they will overcome England as England never seem to find fifth gear. England will need a hell of a lot of luck to win the World Cup. They will have to rely on the opposition making mistakes.
Robert Edders

PB: Your ''con'' makes sense, Robert. Togetherness is very important at tournaments, as Croatia and Turkey as well as, of course, Spain proved in 2008. But England are getting there. The other countries you mention, with the exception of Italy, have let themselves down in tournaments from time to time. And Spain were deficient until 2008.

Will you bother trying to get to Wembley tonight?

 

Chaotic scenes are being predicted tonight as diehard England fans try to battle their way to Wembley Stadium to watch Fabio Capello's side take on Andorra looking for their seventh straight victory in World Cup qualifying group six.

With a 48-hour Tube strike ongoing and no mainline trains stopping anywhere near the national stadium, no park-and-ride scheme and precious little car parking, it promises to be the journey from hell. All to watch a team ranked 196th in the world (that's Andorra, by the way, not Fabio's boys).

The Football Association is preparing to take a £1 million hit, and have offered refunds to all those with tickets who are unable to attend.

If you were planning to go to Wembley (or indeed, still are) please let us know the reasoning behind your decision, and come back on Thursday morning to share your experiences with us.

Patrick Barclay's Debate: can England really win the World Cup?

 

Click here to read Patrick Barclay’s column in its entirety

Patrick Barclay

Six matches and not a point dropped, with Andorra at home to come, put England among the most impressive national teams of the World Cup qualifying season about to end, along with the likes of Spain, Holland, Brazil — much pressure on Dunga, the coach, was relieved by a 4-0 triumph in Uruguay at the weekend — and Chile, whose win in Paraguay gives them a serious chance of going to South Africa.

Capello’s men will be there and I see no reason to alter the view that they can be world champions 13 months from now, even though the Italian spent half of Saturday night rolling his eyes, throwing back his head and spreading his arms in frustration.

There is a lot for this team still to learn, not least patience in possession, but 13 months is a long time in which to close the gap on Spain, the most patient and — Capello must hope his players come to understand how little this owes to coincidence — best national team in Europe.

Debate: Are you starting to believe that England can win the World Cup in South Africa next year?

Can Liverpool knock Manchester United off their perch?

Times Online

Sir Alex Ferguson may feel that Manchester United's defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League final has only delayed the club's quest to match Liverpool's five European Cup triumphs, but there could be worse to come for the Premier League champions next season.

United and Liverpool will start the 2009-10 campaign as the winners of 18 titles apiece and the worry for Ferguson is Liverpool's development into genuine title contenders. If Rafael Benitez can recruit some top-class players to his squad in the summer then Liverpool have a good chance of regaining the undisputed record of English championships.

As Patrick Barclay writes in his commentary today, "The past two Premier League campaigns have been about Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Should the next be about Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, Liverpool will be not only back on their “****ing perch”, but chirping unbearably."

Can Liverpool take United's crown next season? What should Ferguson do to counter the threat from Anfield? Have your say.

Debate: Did Sir Alex Ferguson get his tactics wrong?

 

Kaveh Solhekol

It is difficult to question the tactics of a manager who has won more than thirty trophies, but it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson got it all wrong in Rome last night.

Chelsea – and United in the past - have proved that the best way to play against Barcelona is to be physical and strong. Give Barcelona time and space and they will destroy you.

For some reason, Ferguson decided to try and play Barcelona at their own game in the Stadio Olimpico and United’s fate was sealed when Samuel Eto’o scored after only ten minutes.

To make matters worse, Ferguson gambled at half time by bringing on Carlos Tevez, switching his formation and making the game even more open.

United did not turn up last night. They did not compete. There was no passion. There was no fire. There was no spark.

Ferguson does not owe United anything but if he had taken Barcelona more seriously last night the result could have been very different.

What do you think? Whatever you want to get off your chest regarding the Champions League final, this is the perfect platform to do so.

Patrick Barclay's debate replies on whether Roy Hodgson receives enough credit

 

On Monday, our Chief Football Commentator asked whether Roy Hodgson was getting due recognition for his work in getting Fulham to qualify for the Europa League next season. Here he responds to your comments.

He's been so long underrated he's now in danger of being overrated.He's done well so far at Fulham, but let's see if he can keep it up (unlike Blackburn). You said previously the only place Hodgson wasn't admired was England. Not true. He was seen by Inter Milan fans (I am one) as a joke, and was unpopular in Norway for being arrogant and condescending, so let's not propagate this myth too much. Marcia

PB: I'll take your word for it on the Inter fans (by the way, don't you hate the expression ''Inter-Milan'', an ugly mix of two languages) but I do know he is highly rated by Moratti and the late Facchetti. Otherwise why would they have asked him back not once but twice? As for Blackburn, I wrote the other day that it WILL happen again. The money ran out at Blackburn and it's run out at Fulham and so, once again, he's going to be accused of getting them into Europe and then presiding over a decline. He's not a myth. He's the real thing. But he's not Midas.