Saturday's match didn't go according to plan for England boss Fabio Capello.

When I was a kid, I was in complete awe of Michael Jordan. I wasn’t a Bulls fan. I wasn’t even that much of a basketball fan. But when he was playing, my eyes were glued to the TV. For those of you who were lucky enough to see His Airness at the peak of his powers, you’ll understand the mystique. It was like he was invincible. Even when his team was in trouble, even when he wasn’t quite hitting top gear, no matter what, I always thought, “Mike’s in control. Mike will figure it out.”

That’s sort of the way I felt with Fabio Capello at the helm for England over the last two years. Sure, there were times during World Cup qualification when I would raise an eyebrow at one of his lineups or wonder about a curveball substitution. But I never doubted him. I never got really nervous about his decisions. I never thought, “Well that move is going to backfire bigtime.” It was always, “Fabio’s in control. Fabio will figure it out.” His results meant that there was no reason to think otherwise.

Well, that all changed on Saturday. That afternoon, a couple hours before England’s World Cup opener against the US, I read the teamsheet: Green; Cole, Terry, King, Johnson; Lennon, Gerrard, Lampard, Milner; Heskey, Rooney. And for the first time during his tenure as boss I thought, “Wow, I really don’t think Capello has this one right.”

Why? Because he went against his own game-plan. And his game-plan throughout qualification was pretty clear.

England had 10 World Cup qualifying matches. They won their first 8 straight, guaranteeing them qualification, and in 7 of them, Capello employed Gareth Barry as a holding midfielder alongside Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. The 8th match was against Andorra at Wembley, in which England won 6-nil over the only team in their group who lost every single qualification match they played. In the next two matches, which were effectively dead rubbers for England, Capello went back to the holding midfielder system, using Michael Carrick against Ukraine (a 1-nil loss) and Gareth Barry against Belarus (a 3-nil win). Of the 10 qualification matches, England had a goal difference of +25, and Capello used a holding midfielder in 9 of them. England won all 9 matches that Gareth Barry played in.

So clearly, Capello had a particular system going and had it going pretty well. Gerrard and Lampard coexisted on the pitch, anchored by a defensive midfielder who allowed them to do what they do best, get up the field and attack. The results spoke for themselves. Sure, maybe it wasn’t always pretty, and you could argue that the teams in front of England weren’t the best in the world, but all they were expected to do was win, and they definitely did that.

But on Saturday, it was like he threw a wrench in the whole operation.

Of course, I have to admit that five minutes into the match, I felt like an idiot for doubting him. Here was Steven Gerrard peeling away from Tim Howard after he knocked England ahead 1-nil. I held my hands up and said, “Well, maybe Capello got it right after all.” But the longer the match went on, the more I started to believe that my suspicions were right all along. England’s attack never really got going, and they were pretty vulnerable defensively.

So what happened to the system? What happened to the game-plan?

Yea, I get it – Gareth Barry got hurt. But you know what you do when one of your players get hurt? You put on another player who plays that position in the same system. Like the only other holding midfielder in the squad, Michael Carrick. Sure, Carrick isn’t coming off of his greatest season, but you picked him for the squad, so you should be confident that he can do the job. You know what system doesn’t work? Gerrard and Lampard in the middle on their own, with no one to provide them any cover in the midfield. About five years’ worth of experiments have given us that proof of that. So why revert back to a tried-and-failed formula? Doesn’t make any sense. And not surprisingly, that move backfired.

Whether Gerrard and Lampard can play together has been a talking point for years.

Why it backfired was as clear during that match as it ever was. With nobody behind them to provide cover, Gerrard and Lampard were wary of getting caught too high up the pitch. Getting involved with the attack is their bread and butter, not defending. So instead of bursting forward to work with Rooney and Heskey, they cautiously went up the field whenever England had possession and then rushed back to help to the back line.

And one more reason why a holding midfielder would have been great: England were playing with an unfamiliar defense. Robert Green has a grand total of 10 senior caps for his country and has never played in a major international tournament before (that must have looked pretty obvious after his YouTube sensation mistake). On top of that, Rio Ferdinand was sidelined before the World Cup even started, meaning that John Terry would be making an unfamiliar partnership alongside Ledley King in the center of defense. Playing a holding midfielder would have not only given more license for Gerrard and Lampard get forward, but it would have also given some much needed support to a back line that really needed it against the likes of Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Robbie Findley. It looked even worse when King was forced off with an injury (shocker!) and Jamie Carragher came in. They looked downright slow and baffled at times out there.

One thing is clear: when Capello figures out a plan and the team executes it properly, they are tough to beat. Sure, maybe England aren’t on the same level as Spain, Brazil, or Germany, but with all that talent in the squad and all that talent sitting at the helm, they’re definitely a threat. But another thing is also clear: when England revert to the same tactics that have been deployed by every other manager in recent memory, they play like garbage.

I’m not saying he should drop Heskey or Lampard or make any huge changes to the team – only that he should bring back the tactics that got England to South Africa in the first place. Now isn’t the time to experiment, because that time is long gone.

You can talk about how Wayne Rooney wasn’t at his best, or how Robert Green cost England 3 points, or how Theo Walcott should have been included in the team, and they’re all fair points, but if England are going to make a serious push to win the tournament (and not just get to the quarters and lose on penalties), Capello has to figure out how to get the midfield firing on all cylinders. That’s the puzzle that no England manager has figured out over the last ten years. Gareth Barry is slated to start on Friday, which should come as a big relief to England fans. My question is, if Barry goes down again, are we going to see the same lineup that we saw against the US and the same system that we already know doesn’t work?

Capello is a great manager. His resume makes that very apparent. All managers get some decisions wrong from time to time, but the ability to make crucial adjustments is what sets the best apart. If England get back to the system that got them to South Africa in the first place, they should definitely get into the knockout round and from then on who knows what’ll happen. And it could turn out to be a good thing that Capello’s experiment backfired, as long as he doesn’t try it again. But if he does, then it’s going to be the same old story for England all over again. And that story always ends the same way.

Robert Green was devastated after his blunder cost England a goal against the US.

There were a lot of questions surrounding the England team before a ball had even been kicked in Rustenburg on Saturday evening.

With captain Rio Ferdinand sidelined, would Ledley King get through the match, considering his long struggle with injuries over the last few years?

Would Gareth Barry be fit enough to start in midfield?

Would David James, the man with the number 1 shirt, be fit enough to start in goal? If so, would he have another “Calamity” James moment? If not, would Robert Green or Joe Hart have one?

Unfortunately for England fans, none of the answers they got were the ones they wanted.

Ledley King was forced off after 45 minutes with a groin injury. His replacement Jamie Carragher didn’t look at all comfortable at the back, especially against Jozy Altidore’s strength and pace, which the American used to blast through England’s defense and come agonizingly close to putting his country 2-1 ahead.

Gareth Barry was fit enough to make the bench, but not the starting lineup, meaning that England’s midfield duo of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were much more wary about bursting forward. That’s what they do best, not playing deep and taking on defensive responsibilities.

And finally, Robert Green. Oh, Robert Green. You poor man. The scrutiny this guy is going to have to take back home is going to be unbelievable. It’s a shame too after solid performances for West Ham over the last few years. He’s a huge reason why they weren’t relegated from the Premier League in the last couple seasons, even though they came way too close for comfort. And to think, when most people saw that David James wasn’t on the team-sheet, they probably relaxed, thinking that they wouldn’t have to see a horrendous goalkeeping error cost England three points. Wrong.

Green now stands in a long line of English goalkeepers who to had a “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!” moment. For some reason, it just always seems to go wrong for England keepers. For fans of the Three Lions, what happened in Rustenburg was all too familiar.

No one in England will forget David Seaman watching a long-range Ronaldinho freekick go over his head and into the goal during the 2002 World Cup. Nor will they forget David James letting a very savable shot squeak by during a Euro 2004 qualifier. Or Paul Robinson whiffing on a Gary Neville back-pass for an own goal in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia. Or Scott Carson letting a seemingly easy save turn into a goal during another Euro 2008 qualifier (also against Croatia), which ultimately meant that England didn’t qualify for the tournament.

And now Green’s mistake is the next one on the list. The scary thing is, if Green is benched and David James comes into the mix, we might see an even worse blunder in the next match.

For now, the England team had better hope that their key players get healthy and they get their focus back. It wasn’t a terrible performance, but one that lacked the cutting edge and concentration of their excellent qualifying campaign. They’ll have to rediscover that form if they want to meet the expectations of their country. A 1-1 draw wasn’t the result Fabio Capello were looking for, but they still have a great chance to get through to the knock-out rounds, provided they don’t trip on their own feet again.

The 36-year-old Italian was admitted to the hospital with both wrists fractured and an injured pelvis. He underwent surgery on Friday to repair his wrists and pelvis.

Manager Harry Redknapp provided some insight to Cudicini’s state, saying, “We are all sorry to hear about what has happened to Carlo. We are just relieved that the injuries that he sustained in the accident weren’t more serious.”

Former Chelsea teammate Peter Cech added, “I went and saw Carlo yesterday in the hospital. He has always been a great character and you can see he is coping well with it. He is doing well and he will undergo some operations today to help him to be as fit as possible.”

Tottenham’s head of medical services has stated that the club will know the extent of Cudicini’s absence from football once his recovery from surgery is underway.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8358853.stm

Fergie Hit With Touchline Ban

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been hit with a two-match touchline ban for his remarks about referee Alan Wiley.

The comments came after his side stumbled to a 2-2 draw with Sunderland at Old Trafford, and the Scot accused Wiley of being unfit to properly referee the match.

Ferguson later apologized for his remarks, but the FA nonetheless charged him with improper conduct, which he admitted to.

A further two-match ban will be implemented if Ferguson commits a similar offense before the end of the 2010-11 season.

Chelsea Hit With Lampard Injury

Alan Lampard suffered a left thigh tear while on duty with the England National Team, and the Chelsea star will now be on the sidelines for three weeks.

He picked up the injury while training for England’s friendly against Brazil in Doha, but has now flown back to London.

League leaders Chelsea will now be without Lampard for tough tests against Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League as well as a trip to Porto in the Champions League.

If you watched the weekend’s action, it should be no surprise to see a Gunner break into the team. Likewise, there was one man whose star shined brightest at White Hart Lane. Perhaps these aren’t two of the best eleven players in the world, but for one week, their resumés got a big boost.

In all, there were five new faces which took advantage of Italy and Spain still yet to kick-off. That changes this weekend with the Serie A’s first round. When La Liga kicks off next week, all players vying for space in the WSR World XI will be on equal footing.

While some big names drop off the list because of inaction or inefficiency, know that there are still a number of untouchables. The two big names on any Best Of list remain our heavy hitters. It will be at least two weeks before we see any movement there.

Without further ado, here is World Soccer Reader’s World XI, our collaborative effort to document the best of the best. If you see where we went wrong, let us know, and your comment may appear in this space next week.

Goalkeeper
G (5 of 11)	Iker Casillas, Real Madrid, Spain
The case that Iker Casillas is the most important player to Real Madrid’s chances: When Raúl is eventually moved aside (and based on his placing in the striker pecking order and the animus between him and Florentino Perez, he will be moved aside), it will be Casillas’s leadership that will detemrine whether the old-guard are able to fracture the locker room. The captain of Spain’s national team can hold the club together and usher in the next era of Real Madrid football.
Substitutes: Júlio César, Internazionale, Brazil
Defence
LB (10 of 11)	Ashley Cole, Chelsea, England
“So quick and nimble, not only his defense has put him on my list, also his offensive contributions.”– Juan Carlos Valladares
CB (4 of 11)	John Terry, Chelsea, England
Injuries are not only a part of football. At some point, they becomes a part of a player’s fabric. Just ask AS Roma fans about Francesco Totti, and all their affection for their talisman gets clouded by the games he’s lost over the years. With that in mind, it’s only right that John Terry usurps Rio Ferdinand on the day it’s announced Rio will miss near a month with a thigh problem. Staying healthy, like reading and detouring an attack, is a skill. Right now, Terry is more skilled at getting himself on the pitch than is Rio.
CB (11 of 11)	Gerard Pique, Barcelona, Spain
“The Catalan kid has gone from a boy to a man in footballing terms over the last 12 months. He’s not just a tall guy with potential anymore – now he can be included in the conversation of the best center backs in the world.”– Seena Vali
RB (6 of 11)	Dani Alves, Barcelona, Brazil
Alves finished last season with an ankle injury but looked completely recovered against Athletic Bilbao. He served as understudy to Maicon for much of the summer, but on this team the roles are reversed.
Substitutes: Maicon, Internazionale, Brazil; Carles Puyol, Barcelona, Spain
Midfield
DMF (9 of 11)	Wilson Palacios, Tottenham, Honduras
“The Honduran international scored his first Premier league goal, but that might be the last reason why I put him on this league, he bossed Liverpool like they were a training ground team.”– Juan Carlos Valladares
MF (7 of 11)	Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal, Spain
There were a lot of good comments on Cesc from the writing staff, but I’m going to use this space to reiterate what I said on the podcast. Cesc’s tribute to Dani Jarque after his second goal at Goodison was the highlight of the EPL’s opening weekend. Given that augmented two goals, two assists, and and established track record as one of the most talented players in the game, Fabregas’s week vaults him above a couple of bigger names
MF (3 of 11)	Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona, Spain
No disrepesect to Kaka and Steven Gerrard, but Xavi gets WSR’s nod. This week. As Juan Carlos Valledares put it, “He makes this list, because Barcelona would have lost in San Mames without him. By the way how did that Gampers trophy go without him?”
Substitutes: Javier Mascherano, Liverpool, Argentina; Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, England; Kaka, Real Madrid, Brazil.
Forwards
F (1 of 11)	Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Portgual
While some sacred cows were bounced from the starting lineup amidst great starts by the likes of Palacios and Fabregas, there are a few untouchables. Well, two untouchables, to be exact. Ronaldo has yet to inspire during the preseason, but nobody from out staff had the temerity to suggest Ronnie be demoted.
F (2 of 11)	Lionel Messi, Barcelona, Argentina
Messi is battling injury problems that have kept him out most of the preseason, and with the permission of Pep Guardiola he will miss the opening to miss the opening of the season to be with the Argentine national team. When he returns, the battle for the top spot on this list will continue.
F (8 of 11)	Didier Drogba, Chelsea, Cotê d’Iviore
“There haven’t been many strikers in the Premier League recently who can boast to be as dominant as Didier Drogba. He has all the qualities that you would want in a striker – fast, good in the air, strong, and a deadly finisher. He his quality against an enthusiastic Hull side over the weekend and single-handedly saved the team from opening day blushes.”– Seena Vali
Substitutes:Edin Dzeko, Wolfsburg, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Honorable Mentions:Victor, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Thomas Vermaelen, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Welliton, Alessandro del Piero, Wayne Rooney

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.”

Perhaps we’re asking too much when we say that this article is not intended to opine on who is better, player X or player Y; rather, we’re just trying to describe who is playing the best at any given point in time.

Ultimately, the goal is to shine a light on the world’s unique footballing talents, but given most of these players are coming off months of inactivity, it’s a bit difficult to stand behind the claim that this list is a snapshot. So consider this a jumping off point – a baseline for discussion. This is who we’re throwing out there at the start of the season, under no pretenses that this will be the XI we’re lauding next June.

Even more than eight months from now, this list may change in eight (well, six) days, when it’s published again. If Franck Ribery has two goals and two assists for Bayern, you’ll hear about it here, because he will move from out bench and into the starting XI.

As with our list of the world’s top ten clubs, we want your feedback. Use the comments to let us know our “wins” and our “fails,” and your remarks may appear in our next article. Come back after the weekend’s matches and let us know ahead of time to try and displace our writing staff’s pithy comments, which will start appearing next week.

Without further delay, our initial team, listed from back-to-front as they would deploy on the pitch. See the rank under their position for an overall assessment, between 1 and 11, depending on the order in which they were chosen into the side.

OK – tell us where we’re wrong.

Goalkeeper
G (6 of 11)	Iker Casillas, Real Madrid, Spain
Going into last year’s European Championships, the divine tryad of goalkeepers was Casillas, Petr Cech, and Gianluigi Buffon, with experts differing on the order. Just over one year later, Spain’s captain has solo claim to the mantle. Such is his regard in the world that none of Real Madrid’s defensive problems were attributed to him, and rightly so.
Substitutes: Júlio César, Internazionale, Brazil
Defence
LB (11 of 11)	Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich, Germany
The Bundesliga and Germany’s only representative on this list, Lahm was one of the players München insisted on keeping throughout a busy Bavarian summer. His versatility allowed former manager Jürgan Klinsmann to (unwisely) play with Bayern’s formation, but throughout the changes and assignments to the defence’s right side, Lahm has remained one of the world’s elite left backs.
CB (7 of 11)	Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, England
There are a lot of points for debate on the list, but the Ferdinand-John Terry discussion can get as heated as any. This week, WSR’s panel has the Ferdinand one place better. His age is catching-up to him, as evidenced by reoccuring back problems that have kept him our for both club and country, but when he is on the pitch he is more astute than any at recognizing and deploying to a developing attack.
CB (8 of 11)	John Terry, Chelsea, England
Chelsea’s supporters (and possibly England’s manager) could take exception to JT being slotted below Rio, but it’s essentially a coin flip. Terry has his detractors, but the class with which he orchestrated Chelsea’s defence in the semifinals again Barcelona has temporarily silenced those critics. This season, he is rejoined by partner Ricardo Cavlaho, who has hurt much of last year. That Terry was able to shine without his veteran sidekick only amplified the captain’s value.
RB (9 of 11)	Dani Alves, Barcelona, Brazil
Dunga may prefer Maicon at right back, but seeing the effect Dani Alves had on Barça’s season, he edges out his countryman in our inaugural ranking. His brilliant complement to Lionel Messi and his power on set pieces make him one of the most dynamic players in the world game, despite the fact that he picked up another yellow car while you read this sentence.
Substitutes: Maicon, Internazionale, Brazil; Gerard Pique, Barcelona, Spain
Midfield
DMF (10 of 11)	Javier Mascherano, Liverpool, Argentina
This article may be a collaborative effort, but on one issue, I put my editorial foot down. Whereas almost every contributor wanted to just forget about the defensive midfielder’s role, I insisted. Almost every elite club plays a defensive midfielder. We need to have the role represented in our side. Once that was settled, there was agreement. Javier Mascherano is the standard in this role, a status he affirmed with his display in Moscow on Wednesday.
MF (4 of 11)	Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona, Spain
The premier distributor in the game, and although he trails Messi in consideration for the next Ballon d’Or, he deserves consideration. Amongst the game’s elite, his skill-set is unique in that he does not make his reputation off of scoring goals. His renown also is not for his preventing goals. Xavi Hernandez’s calling card is creating goals, and it is a calling card he shares with nobody.
AMF (3 of 11)	Kaka, Real Madrid, Brazil
The consensus third-best player in the world, per our panel. With Milan under-performing in (or not qualifying for) Champions League the last two seasons, Kaka has been a relatively forgetten star. His move to Real Madrid and leading Brazil to the Confederations Cup helped remind the world of his stature.
AMF (5 of 11)	Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, England
Some would disagree with Gerrard being ranked this low, a testament to the regard for Steven Gerrard. Whereas we are not so far removed from the Stevie-versus-Lamps debates, a brilliant season in support of Liverpool’s title run makes Gerrard a fixture in this lineup, garnering him consideration to lead the group behind Messi and Ronaldo.
Substitutes: Frank Ribery, Bayern Munich, Germany; Frank Lampard, Chelsea, England; Michael Essien, Chelsea, Ghana
Forwards
F (1 of 11)	Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Portgual
The best argument Ronaldo-supporters can make to claim his superiority over Messi: set pieces. It’s not just that Ronaldo is the best in the world from a dead ball. It’s the incredible range he has, making any foul of a Madrid player within 35 meters from goal an instance scoring opportunity for Ronaldo. If an opposing coach does not think twice about instructing his defense to muscle-up on Arjen Robben, Ronaldo will force him to reconsider.
F (2 of 11)	Lionel Messi, Barcelona, Argentina
There is the thought the Rome gives Messi the edge, if only temporarily. We at WSR acknowledge that thought and say that the gap between #1 and #2 is a lot smaller than the gap between #2 and #3. Here’s hoping one of you can convince us, in this thread’s comments.
Substitutes: Fernando Torres, Liverpool, Spain

Honorable Mentions: Gianluigi Buffon, Ashley Cole, Andreas Iniesta, Andrei Arshavin, Alessandro del Piero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o

One editorial note: I mentioned (in the Top 10 Clubs article) that I was considering keeping track of which authors got quotes into these pieces most often. Consider that done, as our hyper-competitive authors (who, truthfully, are a collection of overcompensating former fullbacks cut from their AYSO teams) responded to the idea. You will see the first set of standings in Tuesday’s piece.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.”

Playing the role of Mr. Good Host, I stayed away from the fray, giving my guests their platform. But the podcast is over, and it’s time for me to go on record.

Here is how I would have answered those seven questions, had I been able to interview myself.

Goaltender David James is one of the few stars left from the Portsmouth club that won the 2008 FA Cup.

1. Who will get relegated?

Guest picks:
Zach Woosley – Burnley, Hull City, Portsmouth
Travis Clark – Portsmouth, Burnley, Hull City
Jordan Wise – Birmingham City, Hull City, Portsmouth
Lee Radke – Burnley, Birmingham City, Sunderland
Seena Vali – Hull City, Burnley, Portsmouth

Hull City gives us no reason to believe they will stay up. It could happen. They could open this season with a run of form to rival their start last year. Based on what we saw at last season’s end, it would be foolish to predict as much, as Phil Brown has done little to improve his team.

We were all on board with Portsmouth’s improbable FA Cup run two seasons’ back, but that seems like such a long time ago. Starting with the winter transfer window, they have lost too much. When they’re applied to Pompey, it’s too difficult to answer the game’s two basic questions: How are they going to score, and how are they going to defend? Only a winter buying spree with new owners will keep them up.

After thinking about it through the weekend, I like Wigan to go down, meaning I’m picking all three promoted sides (Wolverhampton, Birmingham City, and Burnley) to stay up. I think the quality of the bottom half of the Premiership has severely slipped, so not only am I not too concerned about picking these three to stay up, I’m not impressed by the Latics’ eleventh place finish last season. The bulk of that finish was built on a strong first half, and they faltered after the sale of Wilson Palacios and the extended vacation of Amr Zaki. After the winter window closed, they never found a way to score, and having lost Steve Bruce, I don’t look for them to be as organized in defence. They’ve lost Antonio Valencia and expect Roberto Martinez’s reinforces from Swansea City to replace him, but they still don’t know have a formula to improve upon last season’s disappointing finish.

Questions about Arsène Wenger’s Gunners make Champions League predictions more precarious.

2. Who will qualify for Champions League?

Zach Woosley – Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton
Travis Clark – Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal
Jordan Wise – Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City
Lee Radke – Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal
Seena Vali – Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal

In reverse order of finish:

Chelsea, I have come to think, is the critics’ choice (a plurality, mind you), but there’s a lot here not to like. There’s their age. There are the demands of African Cup of Nations, World Cup Qualifying and Champions League expectations. There’s the hiring of a coach who has not come close to a Serie A title in five seasons, and there’s the fact that over the last three campaigns, Chelsea seems to be getting farther from the top. They have the talent but not the circumstances. I like them to finish fourth but put up their full fight in Champions League.

Liverpool was the best team in the league last season. Sometimes, because of the way the fixtures and circumstances fall, the best club does not win. That was Liverpool last year. This year, I can’t see them playing at the same level for the same amount of time. Had they better depth to help offset their dependency on their top three players, I would flip a coin between them and my pick. While they will again have stretches where they are the league’s best club, the couple of spans during which they lose the plot will cost them. I see them finishing third.

Since I’ve yet to list Arsenal, I may have lost all credibility with you. After all, this is the club that’s supposed to make way for Manchester City, Everton, or Aston Villa. I certainly don’t see that, and when you look at all the players they’ll get back, they have the most room for improvement. None of Robin van Persie, William Gallas, Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby, Andrei Ashavin or Eduardo played more than 24 league matches last season. Thirty appearances from each of those players is a huge boost in quality. The losses of Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor are more than offset by replacements Thomas Vermaelen and Nicklas Bendtner. I’m the only person I know picking them this high, so perhaps I’m reaching, but I think this is the year that Arsenal reaffirms itself.

So that leaves Manchester United. On the eve of the Champions League final, I wrote that Alex Ferguson had written the plan by which squads will be constructed going into the future. This year will prove that blueprint’s virtues. They do not have the best starting XI in the league, but they have a team that is deep enough to avoid listless dropping of points as they grind out fixtures. Although the talent of Chelsea’s or Arsenal’s best XI may be better, Manchester United is not out of their league (by any means). This is a team that’s going to get three points in the games that matter less while threatening for three more in the games that matter most. Again, they may not be the best team in the league, but I like Ferguson to guide this club to a fourth title in a row.

For Manchester City and their new recruits, anything other than European qualification is unacceptable.

3. Who else qualifies for Europe?

Zach Woosley – Arsenal, Manchester City (Aston Villa)
Travis Clark – Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham
Jordan Wise – Aston Villa, Everton (Arsenal)
Lee Radke – Manchester City, Aston Villa, Everton
Seena Vali – Aston Villa

Not Manchester City. At least, not based on what we know now.

City was close, but given the best lineups they could throw out, have they improved that much? They’ve paid a lot for a lot of players who are decidedly not elite players. These are only marginal improvements on last year’s squad, while Everton will be healthier and Aston Villa will be a year more acquainted with their charge. I like each of them to beat out City, even if I only like Villa to finish seventh. City needs to show it on the pitch before I’m convinced those pieces fit.

In sixth, I like Tottenham. After Harry Redknapp came over from Portsmouth, the club played like one of the top six in the league. Now they have Jermain Defoe and Wilson Palacios for a full season. They have added Peter Crouch and Sebastien Bassong. Most importantly, Luka Modric – a player that showed vast improvement as last season went on – will have a full season of acclimation under his belt.

Spurs will qualify for Europa.

Even if the Citizens qualify for Europe, Mark Hughes may not be the manager to lead them.

4. Who wins the sack race?

Zach Woosley – close race between Phil Brown and Mark Hughes
Travis Clark – Mark Hughes
Jordan Wise – Mark Hughes
Lee Radke – Mark Hughes (Paul Hart)
Seena Vali – Phil Brown

Hull is the league’s worst club, and their opening fixture list won’t help. They start with Chelsea and Spurs before hosting Bolton on the league’s third weekend. I don’t like them to win that one, either. They go to Wolves the next week to close the season’s first month. By the time the Tigers return from Sunderland the following week, Phil Brown could be gone.

Trepidation over the Antonio Valencia purchase has turned into expectation.

5. Who will be the season’s surprise player?

Zach Woosley – Antonio Valencia
Travis Clark – Antonio Valencia
Jordan Wise – Andrei Arshavin
Lee Radke – Alberto Aquilani
Seena Vali – Michael Owen

It’s a strange question, because it forces you to assess what other people’s expectations are for a player. Jordan Wise picked Andrei Arshavin, but there’s nothing the Russian Prince can do to surprise me. Then again, I’m as high on Arshavin as anybody you will find (hence the nickname).

The player everybody seems to be unnecessarily down on is Nicklas Bendtner, who will get more playing time this season with Adebayor’s move to Eastlands. Skill-wise, is there really that much difference between Ade and Bendtner, who (only 21) scored 15 goals in all competition goals last season. With more playing time, I look for him to net in the twenties, including something like thirteen or fourteen goals in the Premiership. He had nine league goals last year, so I’m not going out on a limb; yet, I suspect a lot of people would feign surprise when I predict a modest, four to five goal improvement.

That’s why Bendtner is an easy pick to surprise.

The 2009-10 season stands to be Wayne Rooney’s latest coming-out party.

6. Who will be the league’s best player?

Zach Woosley – Wayne Rooney
Travis Clark – Fernando Torres
Jordan Wise – Steven Gerrard
Lee Radke – Wayne Rooney
Seena Vali – Frank Lampard

Alex Ferguson has built one of the most talented clubs in the league around Wayne Rooney, who enters his prime playing days poised to claim a place in the game for which he was preordained. We have seen Rooney’s head-strong ways manifest negatively when he’s cast into supporting roles, but as the leader of the Red Devils, he will focus that stubborn streak on his new charge – keeping the dynasty alive. I like Rooney to go over 20 goals in league and close in on 30 in all competitions. That, combined with his leadership of United to their 19th title, will make this Rooney’s year.

Our experts expect Alex Ferguson’s bet on Michael Owen to pay off by season’s end.

7. What will be the defining story of the season?

Zach Woosley – Money doesn’t guarantee success.
Travis Clark – Michael Owen rejuvenating his career and making England’s World Cup squad.
Jordan Wise – Michael Owen scoring goals.
Lee Radke – The title race, United vying for the record.
Seena Vali – Manchester City, for good or bad.

I told you my order of finish atop of the table, but I didn’t tell you how close I see the race. In my justification of picking United, you can extrapolate my vision. This is going to be a war of attrition. All four teams are going to have stretches where they look to be the league’s best, stretches which will be disrupted by their visits to the others’ grounds. Ultimately, I like the steadiness depth provides to key United’s title, but it will take the entire season for their advantage to manifest. Until it does, the top four clubs in the Premiership will make this the first time in league history that all four teams were contending into the season’s last rounds.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.”

The Sounders controlled the opening possession but quickly fell behind in the 12th minute. Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge took a pass on the left side of the penalty box and placed it behind the outstretched Kasey Keller, Seattle goalkeeper. In the 35th minute Frank Lampard added to the score and made the score 2-0 in favor Chelsea.

Seattle had some scoring chances as well but could not capitalize. Freddie Ljungberg took a 25-yard free kick in the 33rd minute causing Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to tip it away. Ljungberg had another opportunity in the 44th minute but once again Cech made the save, this time with a diving foot save.

Chelsea made nine substitutions and Seattle made five to start the second half of the game. Zach Scott prevented the score from getting worse with sliding tackles in the 80th and 83rd minute. The game aired on ESPN2 following the Toronto FC-Houston Dynamo match-up. Seattle will take on the Dynamo on Tuesday. It is the semifinal match of the US Open Cup. The game will be played in Tukwila, Washington at 10 p.m.

On Saturday they host the Chicago Fire at Qwest Field. The game will air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. Seattle is currently in second place in the Western Conference with 28 points, they trail Houston who has 32 points.