Sheiky City must improve to impress in Europe

This week the Champions League returned to our screens and provided the sort of excitement we would expect from the biggest competition in club football.

Again we saw the usual suspects Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo explode into action on the biggest stage, meanwhile only two of the four English teams managed maximum points while current holders Chelsea managed a point against Juventus.

Perhaps the biggest game of week one took place in Madrid as Real welcomed money bags Manchester City in what was being described as the game of two giants…..but was it?

Madrid are chasing their 10^th Champions League trophy while City are chasing their first, while taking part in just their second Champions League adventure under mega rich owner Sheik Mansour. Agreed both sides lined up with some of the best footballers in the world going toe to toe, however the end result went someway to showing that City may still not be ready to lift the trophy, and cannot yet be labelled as a European giant.

In time Mancini will develop the blue half of Manchester into genuine Champions League contenders, however he will have to ensure his side provide much sterner performances when making the journeys to the likes of Madrid.

City led the game 2-1 in the 86^th minute only for their defensive frailties to show again as firstly Benzema curled Mourinho’s men level before that man Ronaldo unleashed a shot that somehow evaded the normally solid Vincent Kompany before swerving underneath a stranded Joe Hart who in fairness had performed sensationally to keep City in the game.

Mancini will be well aware that City must become more solid in defending if they are to make it out of what is a very tough group. With games against Dortmund and Ajax to come, Mancini will have to ensure his side gain six points, otherwise it could be Europa League football post-Christmas.

If City do make it from group D it would be hard to see them finding themselves getting past further tests like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the latter stages. Of course City fans believe that now is their time, unfortunately for them and Mancini the club remains yet to be considered a giant of Europe and will continue that way for several years to come.

Let me know what you think. Can Manchester City win the Champions League this season? 

FA decision is Terry-ble news for John

‘Innocent until proven guilty’ is the way the Football Association normally react to situations that don’t sit easy at the headquarters, however, today the FA went against their own policy as they stripped John Terry of the England captaincy over allegations that the Chelsea defender racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand when two sides met in October at Loftus Road.

On Tuesday, John Terry’s legal team pleaded not guilty on behalf of the Chelsea defender, while the club itself threw their own support behind their player as they insisted Terry could ‘Have as much time off as necessary to clear his name.’ The court hearing was adjourned until July 9^th, eight days after the final of the European Championships which England and Terry will be hoping to be involved in.

The 31 year old defender was informed this morning by the Football Association chairman David Bernstein that he would no longer be captain until the situation was ‘resolved’ meaning that Fabio Capello will have to find a new leader to captain the side out in England’s opening game against France on 11^th June.

Oddly, Capello was not involved in the decision to remove the armband from Terry with many at the Association fearing the decision not to allow Capello his opinion could backfire on the FA, however, it has appeared since the announcement that Capello has respected the decision not to include him in the decision process.

So the question that remains is who next? A various amount of candidates are in the running with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard currently odds on favourite at 4/5, while Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker is second favourite at 9/2. One man that seems to have a lot of backing is Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Starting the day at 20/1, odds have considerably shortened to 6-1 as support for the 24 year old increases. The need for a long term captain seems to be the main reason for many supporters tipping the Shrewsbury born keeper with 19 year old student Luke Stone saying “If it was up to me JT would still have it. The FA should stick behind their captain until proven innocent.  But Joe Hart would be my choice for the next captain as he is likely to be in the side for years to come and we need a long-term captain”.

Support continued from Southampton Solent University student Ollie Eden who said that Joe Hart would help England ‘form a new generation’. Support has also been thrown behind Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard from 21 year old Glenn Noble who stated: “Gerrard for the Euros, let’s see how he goes and what the new manager will have planned”.

Odds of England captain at Euro 2012 (Odds from Skybet)

Steven Gerrard 4/5
Scott Parker 9/2
Joe Hart 6/1
Gareth Barry 7/1
Frank Lampard 9/1
Rio Ferdinand 25/1
Ashley Cole 25/1
Phil Jones 25/1

One man that is no longer in the running is Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand after he tweeted this afternoon "I just want to concentrate on playing for Manchester United." That will come as a blow to some supporters who would have hoped the experience of Ferdinand would have helped the younger players along in the pressure cooker of a major championship.

Of course there are those supporters who support the Chelsea skipper, his club manager Andres Villas Boas who after the announcement humoured with the gathering press that “I have nothing to say on the matter- except I think it was the wrong decision”. 21 year Old Sam Copson from Watford said the whole situation was a sorry mess: “The whole situation is a mess; it should have been dealt with by now. Think it’s all been overhyped and Terry can feel hard done by”.

Capello would have wanted to avoid these scenes heading into his final major competition as England manager. It is expected that Capello will go with what he knows meaning that he will choose Gerrard to lead his side in Poland and Ukraine and then leave the manager following in his footsteps to choose the next permanent captain of English football after the Euros are completed.