Man City rule the city of Manchester, but do they rule the Premier League?

In his debut article for The Football Front, Jake Harrison explains how Manchester City are now the favourites to win the Premier League title.

It is the shift of power that was always going to happen. Manchester United and Chelsea continued to ignore the flaws in their respective sides. Manchester City were always going to power through with their deep pockets and reach the very top.

The Manchester derby scoreline was surprising but the result was not a shock. A cynic would suggest that City should be at the top given how much money they have spent;. A general view of opposition fans is that City are buying there way to the Premier League title.

But that doesn’t take away the fact that Roberto Mancini has the strongest squad in the top tier. A sad reflection on the state of world football that in football, the team with the most money – as long as they are run and managed well – will win. It is barely a relevant criticism to say City are buying the League and therefore devaluing the competition. This has been the case with various teams since 1992, and City are utilising this method to great effect – both on and off the pitch.

Last season the main disparagement with Mancini’s side was that they were too defensive, that they refused to release the handbrake. This season, City have kept the defensive resoluteness but added full-throttle attack.

Sergio Aguero (10 goals this season), Edin Dzeko (9) and Mario Balotelli (6) are strikers who would fit into any of the top sides in Europe on their day. Samir Nasri and Adam Johnson are players deserving of more recognition than a spot on the bench. Indeed, Man City have the best player in the Premier League: David Silva. An average of 3.6 goals per game this season doesn’t even tell half of the story; when Manchester City attack, they look like they’re going to score every single time.

An all-guns-blazing attacking force would usually result in weaknesses at the back. But this is a Mancini side. When City defend, they defend as a unit – and this is a unit that has been built over a short period of time, despite the fact that all defensive components look comfortable with one-another as they if they have been playing together for years.

Joe Hart must now be seen as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. The way in which he can command his area, distribute early and cleanly – not to mention his excellent shot-stopping – which is majestic at times.

In Micah Richards and Gael Clichy Man City have wonderful attacking full-backs who can defend as competently as well. While in the middle the supreme Vincent Kompany keeps them all in line, while the ever-improving yet always-mocked Joleon Lescott looks a lot more comfortable than he has done in recent years.

It is easy to laugh at Gareth Barry. But the defensive midfielder’s ability to play an unspectacular role is sometimes confused with ineffectiveness; the England man is vital to City’s efforts.

Yaya Toure was restricted to a more subdued role on Sunday to sure up the defence further, while James Milner appears to have converted himself into a first-class central midfielder. Both must be seen as two of the most in-form midfielders in the world right now.

Sunday’s derby was hardly a thrashing in the traditional sense, though. 3-1 would have been a fair reflection on the game but, nevertheless, a fantastic last few minutes from City and an appalling showing from United meant that three more goals were scored.

There is not a gulf between the two Manchester clubs. But there is sizeable gap between the two.

United need a creator in the middle; Tom Cleverley could be the man to fill this role but it is simply not possible to rely on such a young and inexperienced player, nor is it logical to depend upon the inconsistent Wayne Rooney to ignite a spark into any match. Patrice Evra has endured some torrid form for quite a while now, while Rio Ferdinand seems to edge closer towards the MLS with every passing minute. No empire is permanent. It seems as if the domination of Manchester United is coming to an end, either through fault of their own accord or the sheer relentlessness of their closest rivals.

City’s other main challenger has major problems too. Chelsea’s defence is weak, with John Terry and Ashley Cole struggling more as age catches up with them, while David Luiz still shows signs of rawness. Strikers Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba still aren’t the deadly forwards that they once used to be.

Whatever one’s views on the way in which City have reached their current position, their effectiveness and, at times, glorious football is undeniably brilliant. They score team goals that would fit into any end-of-season highlight packages but they also have the individual brilliance that every top team needs.

Manchester City are Premier League title favourites. At this early stage, that may seem a little hasty, especially when City had a similarly impressive start to the season last term. But this season looks to be different, even if it is just on paper. This season, City are not just a team of incredibly talented individuals – they are a ferocious, stunning team.

Manchester City aspire to end the repetitive cycle that has seen only three teams crowned Premier League champions since 1995.

This article was written by Jake Harrison, you can follow Jake on his Twitter: @Jake_Harrison92 .You can also find his blog here: jakecharrison.blogspot.com/

Six things Andre Villas-Boas must do at Chelsea – in roughly chronological order.

1. Break the association with Mourinho

Even The Special One, with all of his pomp and arrogance, was referred to as “The Translator” when things didn’t go to plan. Mourinho’s stint at Barcelona was variously described as anything from Bobby Robson’s translator, to assistant manager. The fact that Villas-Boas was Mourinho’s assistant at Porto, Chelsea and Inter. It will weigh heavy on people’s minds, and Villas-Boas will need to mark his boundaries quickly. Many of Mourinho’s signings remain at Stamford Bridge, and others that were favourites of his. Players such as Drogba, Terry, Lampard, and Kalou will remember him from Mourinho days, and he will either have to immediately command their respect, or else there will be a problem with player power. Mourinho combated player power by ensuring that no ego was bigger than his own. His “Special One” press conference is rightly legendary. Villas-Boas has already sought to distance himself and differentiate himself from Mourinho. He achieved this by opting for a far lower-key initial press statement of “don’t expect something from one man”. Unfortunately, that is exactly why Abramovich has paid £13.3 million to buy out his contract at Porto. Abramovic expects Villas-Boas to deliver. The national press is already full of comparison pieces about Villas-Boas and Mourinho. The comparisons even go down to the way that both managers foster close relationships with their players.

2. Find replacements for Terry, Lampard and Drogba

John Terry is only 30, but he is showing signs of creakiness already. He was never one to rely on pace, admittedly. But when the little pace he has goes, he needs to be moved on. Most central defenders would be hitting their peak at his age, but John Terry seems to be past his.

However, more to the point, he’s a disruptive influence in the dressing room. Having publically stated that he would welcome the appointment of Guus Hiddink, Terry has let it known that Villas-Boas was not his first choice.

Drogba is also one of the most outspoken players in the dressing room. His powers have waned over the last two seasons, he’s no longer the force he was on the pitch. At 33, he’s in the twilight of his career, and may want to return to the French League for a swansong of sorts. One player already linked with Chelsea is Columbian 25 year old Radamel Falcao, who has scored 73 goals in 85 appearances for Porto in the last two seasons – including a record 18 in 15 in the Europa League.

Lampard is another who’s powers are on the wane. Replacing Lampard is less of a political issue than it is in the case of Drogba and Terry. Frank Lampard undoubtedly has a huge influence on the dressing room, but is also known to be a highly intelligent professional. Lampard in his prime never missed a game, and could guarantee 20 goals a season. His replacement is more of a tactical renewal, with another of Villas-Boas’ Porto stars Moutinho touted as his successor. The Portuguese midfielder is more versatile than Lampard. He also shares with Frank Lampard an apparent imperviousness to injury.

Villas-Boas will no doubt wish to bring players in, and will be backed in the transfer market by Roman Abramovich. My guess is that he’ll look to replace the aging spine of the team, and with that he’ll ensure that the biggest voices in the dressing room are his men, not Mourinho’s. He needs to get his buys during the summer, so that they can gel with the existing players.

3. Hit the ground running

Managing a top side in the Premier League is not an easy thing to do. Managing Chelsea in particular is turning into somewhat of a poisoned chalice. Just ask World Cup winning manager Big Phil Scolari, he was ousted before completing a season. With a billionaire owner who appears to be becoming increasingly restless and ruthless, and has proven that he’s prepared to fork out the money required to get rid of people before their contract runs down.

4. Win over the media

Sorry to mention him again, but Mourinho is the man with whom the parallels are being drawn. The media’s obsession with Villas-Boas being a “Mini-Mourinho” will not satisfy itself until he proves otherwise, or implodes under pressure. Mourinho had the press pack hanging off his every word and Villas-Boas will do well to avoid trying to be him. And he seems to be doing this already. An interview with Chelsea TV quotes him as saying “Don’t expect something from one man”, and he comes across as very quietly self-confident. But, pressure in England is far higher than in Portugal. The scrutiny of the media has often proved too much for some managers of big clubs, some are merely perplexed by it all.

Villas- Boas is young, good looking, stylish and intelligent – I hope for his sake that he’s given some time to establish himself.

5. Entertain

Porto’s unbeaten league campaign of 2010/11 produced 73 goals from 30 games. They conceded only 16, giving them a goal difference 27 higher than second placed Benfica. This is where Villas-Boas can really show his form, and step out from Mourinho’s shadow. His favoured formation at Porto was an attacking 4-3-3, and the players are there at Chelsea to be able to play any formation the manager asks them to – they certainly get paid enough to anyway! Villas-Boas will want to play the game his way, and that should make for exciting times at Chelsea. Villas-boas is famed for his meticulous approach to the game. Nothing is left to chance, and he develops game plans to exploit the opposition’s weaknesses.

6. Win everything

That means everything.

With an aging squad, a club might be expected to go through a transitional period of a season and a half, before the manager brings in enough of his own players and staff to get things running the way he wants.

However, this is not the case with Chelsea.

Abramovich will want to see returns this season. Some of Villas-Boas predecessors have been fired for not winning silverware in a season. Avram Grant was sacked for almost delivering. A League Cup final defeat by Tottenham, a Champions League Final defeat in the most agonising of circumstances, and a second place in the league wasn’t good enough.

Abramovich has only given the Villas-Boas a three year contract, so I’d expect that he’d want to see the Premier League title back at Chelsea within the first two years, along with the Champions League that has so far evaded him.

There is absolutely no doubt, Roman Abramovich cares about reputations. He’s brought the most hotly tipped managerial talent to Chelsea. But as he’s proven time and time again, he’s got no qualms about destroying reputations if he doesn’t get what he wants – and that’s a success in Europe.

This piece was written by Thomas Nash, you can follow him on Twitter - @MrThomasNash

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Why Chelsea must drop Fernando Torres if they are to have any chance of success this season

Here’s a fact for you, Fernando Torres is out of form. Since his £50 million pound to Chelsea, Torres has been distinctly average. His performances have been lethargic and uninspiring. Not what you would expect from a £50 million pound striker.

But, Carlo Ancelotti has kept a reasonable amount of faith in Chelsea’s record signing. Fair enough really. A Torres in form and in confidence can have the ability to be lethal. But 9 games into his Chelsea career he has still yet to score for Chelsea or even assist the team.

Chelsea are not a one man team. The team does not depend on Fernando Torres. Chelsea still have some fantastic attackers at the club. The likes of Nicholas Anelka and Didier Drogba are still quality centre forwards.

If Chelsea want to maximise their small chances of success this season and they must drop Fernando Torres. It’s vividly clear. Torres is out of form and confidence. His famous clinical finishing has been poor and has lacked conviction. In Torres’ first 5 Premier League games for Chelsea, he has had 10 shots and 1 single shot on target. An unsettling fact for the Chelsea faithful.

But for Chelsea, Torres has been a by passer of their games. His movement on and off the ball has been rather poor and lacklustre. His brilliant first touch and dribbling skills which made him glow at Anfield, are nowhere to be seen at Stamford Bridge.

As much as Chelsea want to see Torres performing and scoring. They need to put the club’s results over the form of a player. Since Torres joined on the 31^st of January, here’s the number of starts given by Ancelotti to Torres, Drogba and Anelka.

Player	No. starts since Torres has joined	No. of goals since Torres has joined
Nicholas Anelka	7	3
Didier Drogba	5	1
Salomon Kalou	3	1
Fernando Torres	8	0
Total		5 Goals

Its rather surprising Ancelotti has chosen Drogba the least amount of times, seeing as he is Chelsea’s top Premier League goal scorer this season and is a lethal striker. But one thing is evident. Torres has been given over three months to find a suitable level of performance for Chelsea along with some goals. But he has failed to do any of these things.

As much as Torres’ own personal performances have been poor, the Chelsea players are finding it hard to provide for him. Torres is a player who likes to receive the ball quickly to feet and have the chance to utilise his pace. However, Chelsea like to play the ball in a calculated and composed manner. This means that at times Chelsea can pass the ball quite slowly. This has had an effect on Torres’ performances. But the simple fact is Torres needs to adapt to Chelsea’s style.

However, Chelsea need to find a suitable role for Torres. This needs to be a role of which Torres can perform to the best of his ability and the other Chelsea players can understand the role of Torres in the team. However, this can take months. And as Chelsea are in the business the end of the season, they don’t have the time to experiment. As it could cost them crucial results and points.

One may say that the Chelsea’s defeat against Man United in the Champions League is a prime example. The red men from Manchester are now in pole position to progress to the last four of the Champions League. Chelsea may have been more confident and more assertive in that game, had they played Anelka ahead of Torres. The reason for this, is because most of Chelsea’s success last season stemmed from the brilliance and the balance of Dider Drogba and Nicholas Anelka upfront. Furthermore, playing those two particular strikers gives the Chelsea players and the fans a bit more confidence and assurance. As the two strikers are tried and tested and have proved they can combine effectively and perform for Chelsea.

Last season Anelka scored 15 goals, while Dider Drogba scored a brilliant 37 goals. Now of course, Chelsea’s form has been indifferent this season and they haven’t been as strong as they were last season. But this season Anelka has scored 16 goals and Drogba has scored 10 goals. While Torres has scored 9 goals, but they were all for Liverpool. This proves that if Chelsea are going to score, its more likely going to be from Anelka or Drogba.

The Chelsea fans are aware that when Drogba and Anelka combine and are both on form, they can be a lethal partnership. And can make Chelsea demolish teams. But it seems Torres would be far more effective for Chelsea if he played in a lone striker role. When Fernando Torres lines up alongside Anelka or Drogba he seems to lack a cohesive link with his fellow strikers. It’s as if there working in separate roles and aren’t looking to combine. The Guardian reported that Torres and Drogba have played 169 minutes together, but have only exchanged 5 passes together. This clearly emphasises the alarming lack of functionality between Torres and the other strikers.

Had Torres been scoring at least once every two games, no one would question the functionality of Torres and the other strikers. But Torres’ form clearly demonstrates he hasn’t adapted to Chelsea’s style. And his poor form is hindering Chelsea.

Chelsea are craving for glory, after an embarrassing season for the team in Blue. They have been knocked out of two domestic competitions at home and have lost a crucial home game in the Champions League, and that result could see their European aspirations end for yet another season.

If Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea are serious about making this disaster of a season a success, they must drop Fernando Torres. Torres has a big future at Chelsea. But Chelsea must revert to the system which has reaped success for them in the past year. This system scores goals and gets them results.

The fact still stands for Fernando Torres. The £50 million pound man has played 9 games for Chelsea and hasn’t scored a single goal. Since Torres has joined, every striker for Chelsea has scored.

Doesn’t this tell you something?

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How will Chelsea line up now they have Fernando Torres - http://tiny.cc/bqjfi