Will the silly season end already?

With only a few days remaining in the transfer window, activity in the market is expected to intensify until the final hour on Aug 31. And as always, we can expect some major last ditch (or panic) signings on deadline day that will eclipsed anything that happens on the pitch this weekend in the Premier League.

Thankfully, one of the longest transfer sagas of our time (Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona)is behind us but there are still several purported rumors that have plagued the transfer market all summer that are expected to go into fifth gear in thr coming days. These rumours are:

1. Samir Nasri to Man City

Like many talented French footballers of the last decade, Samir Nasri has been labeled the next Zidane by many commentators in his home country. And while Nasri's no Zidane, very few can deny the fact that the Frenchman has been one of the most talented and intelligent footballers in the Premier League. As such, it was no surprise that Man City was going to come knocking on Arsene Wenger's door sooner or later for the French national. After a series of denials by the Gunners, and some jeering from the home crowd, it appears as though Roberto Mancini will finally have his man. And Arsenal would have lost two of their most important players in a span of two weeks.

2. Wesley Sneijder to Man Utd

When Cristiano Ronaldo left Man Utd two seasons ago, he left a huge gaping void behind. Znevermind the fact that his old club still managed to win the Premier Leafue for a record 19th time the season right after his departure. United somehow managed without him in the league but against Barcelona in the Champions League final in May, the absence of a game-changing footballer in the team was sorely missed. Add to that the retirement of club legend Paul Scholes and it would appear as though there is a serious dearth of options in the creative department at Old Trafford. And so, enter Wesley Sneijder. The Dutch midfielder has been in sensational form for both country and Inter Milan over the last few seasons that it's no surprise that Sir Alex sees him as the final jigsaw piece to his squad. Furthermore, the Scotsman has been lucky with the Dutch in the past ( Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Edwin Van Der Sar). so far, Sneijder's salary requirements have been a stumbling block but with reports indicating the midfielder is willing to accept a pay cut, a deal could be imminent. As long as Sir Alex admits he's interested. Until then, we are in for some big Sneijder- Man U rumors in the days ahead.

3. Luka Modric to Tottenham

Here's another one that just won't go away. Like Nasri, Modric had a great season in 2010/11. As expected, the Croatian midfielder has come under the radar of several clubs including Roman Abramovich' Chelsea which is undergoing yet another rebuilding project under new management. With Harry Redknapp slowly warming up to the idea of losing his best player (he's set his sights on using the cash to buy Emanuel Adebayor), it appear as though a deal may be in the offing. But despite Redknapp's indirect overtures to Stamford Bridge, there's no word yet if the Blues will move for Modric. Adding to that is the fact that Chelsea see, closer to signing Juan Mata from Valencia instead. But I have a bigger question. If Modric does go to Chelsea, what will happen to Frank Lampard?

It's about time!

At long last, FIFA has come to its senses and may introduce goal-line technology.

It is perhaps a bit of an understatement to say that the football's international governing body has been slow to embrace technology.

Football, after all, is still one of the few major sports that hasn't adopted video replay technology to assist referees.

As such, despite the immense wealth in football and the fact that no other sport is televised as much, embarrassing errors occur every weekend much to the chagrin of millions of football fans.
 
And while it still seems as though FIFA is still light years away from sanctioning the use of video replays in football matches, the governing body has at least signaled that its ready to introduce goal line technology.

But don't get too excited yet. Here's what Sepp Blatter had to say about it:

"In March next year, we will have a final decision on goal-line technology. If it's proved to be accurate and affordable, it's possible that the international board will adopt this technology during the 2014 World Cup," he said, ABC News reported.

March next year? What exactly needs to be discussed from now until March for something as clear cut as goal line technology?

If there's an agreement in March, reports say goal-line technology can be implemented by FAs from the 2012/13 season onwards.A key factor in making this happen, according to Blatter, is accuracy and affordability.

Still, this is positive news for football fans. For years Blatter was an integral member of the anti-technology/ anti-common sense caucus in FIFA. But Frank Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany in World Cup 2010 changed his mind on the subject. The question of why no decision to implement goal-line technology since then is yet another mystery.
 
But one does wonder if the announcement of goal-line technology has come about at the right time to shed some positive light on FIFA following its recent corruption scandal.

In the meantime, here some famous incidents which could have used goal-line technology.

A midfield connundrum

Liverpool FC today denied that captain Steven Gerrard's rehabilitation may take longer than expected and keep the England midfielder out of Kenny Dalglish' squad for the beginning of the 2011/12 season.

The Reds captain has been sidelined with a groin injury since mid-March and underwent surgery towards the end of the season. Considering how this isn't the first time Gerrard's been hit with a groin injury, the medics at Anfield have kept the midfielder out of Liverpool's pre-season tour of Asia or it's recent 3-0 defeat in a friendly with Hull City.

Defeat to the Tigers in a pre-season friendly with an experimental side shouldn't concern Dalglish as much as the scoreline would suggest. Nonetheless, the friendly would have certainly highlighted the various challenges awaiting the Liverpool manager when the season kicks off in less than three weeks.

The obvious problem at the moment is the sudden abundance in midfielders at the club. Including new signings Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing, there are at - at last count - 14 midfielders in the squad. And this doesn't include prospects from the youth squad.

Most pundits and 'tacticians' in the press have assumed Dalglish will employ a rotational policy to accommodate the various talent available in the squad. Well, no points for stating the obvious. The big question is who he intends to field each game and, more importantly, who he intends to drop.

A fit again Steven Gerrard would be a welcome boost to a squad that now possesses plenty of attacking options. But at the same time, the inclusion of Gerrard would amount to the omission of someone with the capabilities of Raul Mereles, Henderson or Adam as all four players operate best from the middle of the park.

Then again, both Adam and Mereles have been deployed on the wings during Liverpool's pre-season matches although it would seem highly unlikely either one of them will be used on the left following the arrival of Stewart Downing.  It would appear then there might be some room for change on the right side of midfield.

Dutch striker, Dirk Kuyt has spent over three seasons operating as a right-winger and while he certainly isn't a natural wingman, his work rate and penchant for goals almost makes him indispensable to the squad.

And speaking of indispensable players, let's not forget Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder, Lucas, who's transformation last season from a much-maligned player into one of the club's most reliable midfielders. More importantly, Lucas' defensive contributions have made him an integral player in Kenny's squad.

So, to reiterate my earlier query, who will Kenny be willing to sacrifice? Despite Lucas' popularity, the Brazilian may be dropped in games in which the Reds need more firepower than muscle in the field. Dirk Kuyt may also be another casualty as the Dutch striker may find himself being used more often from the subs bench than on the right-side of midfield.

But would Kenny risk dropping Gerrard? Dalglish often says no player is bigger than the club but Kenny also realizes that he can't afford to relegate Gerrard to the bench after all his years of service to the club. The last time Gerrard was unhappy at Anfield, he nearly signed for Chelsea and despite being much older now, many top level clubs wouldn't think twice of snapping the England international up if he were open to a transfer out of Liverpool.

Still, based on the Reds' performance against Hull, it is abundantly clear that it will take some time before the new midfielders in the Liverpool squad gel together. And Kenny may end up needing Gerrard more than ever.

Is Van Persie losing it?

It was always going to happen sooner or later.

After the season Arsenal's had, someone was going to crack. And it looks as if Robin Van Persie's the first casualty.

The Gunners' striker launched a tirade today against what he believes to be unsporting behaviour by Spain and Chelsea players. Van Persie has slammed these players for supposedly putting referees under pressure to produce a yellow card against an opponent player.


"They [Spain players] always go up to referees in an attempt to get an opponent booked. They are trying to screw colleagues! That kind of behaviour really annoys me.


"People who are watching the game on television and fans really do not want to see these kind of things. If you want to witness a lot of complaints, you should just go the bakery or something. There's always people nagging there as well.

"Chelsea players are always bitching against the referees. I really cannot understand that. Just shut the f*** up and focus on playing football," Van Persie said, Soccernet reports.

Hmm. I'm inclined to agree with Van Persie here.

It is annoying when footballers surround referees to get them to book or send off an opponent.  But it's also annoying when footballers, out of frustration or just a lack of maturity, choose to fight with their opponents when thing don't go their way. Sound familiar Van Persie?

And while we're at it, if you're looking to "witness a lot of complaints," the bakery is hardly the place to go.

No, if you want to meet a serial complainer, the place to be would be an Arsenal post-match press conference with Arsene Wenger. Now, that's where you get some Grade A bitching, Van Persie.

Another one bites the dust?

What is it with tabloids and their obsession with celebrities and infidelity? Are celebrities supposed to lead more pious lives than the so-called journalists who cover them? Or is it an acceptable practice to lay judgement on these celebrities just because they're rich and famous?

The latest footballer to fall victim to the media's uncontrollable appetite for sleaze is, according to reports, none other than Man Utd's most decorated footballer, Ryan Giggs. And the fact that Giggs has often been portrayed as a mature family man and a leader on the pitch has only made the story juicier for the tabloids.

Then again, the court injunction obtained by Giggs to prevent publication of his name in this alleged scandal, probably didn't win him any new friends in the media. But as all these reports indicate, Giggs isn't the first person to use a court injunction to install a 'gag' order on the media.

But if the media is willing to print trashy stories, it is only because there are millions out there ever willing to consume them. And nothing demonstrated this any better when the Giggs matter was brought up in the British parliament yesterday. No doubt, the move towards removing a law that obstructs the freedom of the press is a good thing in any country.

But when the catalyst for the movement stems from a footballer trying to prevent his alleged infidelities from being published in the open and causing irreparable harm towards his family, you start wonder what the fuss is all about and if, just if, this whole matter seems to have been blown out of proportion.

After all, it is not as Giggs' supposed injunction was covering up some heinous crime. But such logic hardly matters to self-appointed moral guardians of society.

And so now we wait to see how Giggs handles this fiasco. Unlike some of his teammates who often make it to the newspapers for all the wrong reasons, Giggs has had a career that has been unblemished by scandals. One only has to look at John Terry's career ever since his personal affairs became public to see the toll scandals like these have on professional footballers (Wayne Rooney included).

More importantly, the big question now is whether this scandal will have any effect on Giggs during this weekend's Champions League final against Barcelona in Wembley.

Barca vs Man U Part II

And so, as expected, Barcelona and Man Utd will face each other in Wembley at the Champions League final on May 28, in a repeat of the same fixture in 2009. Will this be redemption time for Sir Alex Ferguson's men or will Pep Guardiola's side march on to s third Champions League trophy in five years?

Interestingly enough, both sides will go in to this final with quite a number of things in common. For one, victory would translate to a fourth Champions League for either side while this is also the third final both sides have been in over the last five years(although only Barcelona have won two of those three finals.

And while having the final in Wembley literally makes Utd the 'home' side in this fixture, both clubs share a common bond with England's most famous football ground. Wembley, after all, was the venue of Man Utd's first ever Champions League (or European Cup as it was known then) in 1968. Fast forward 24 years and Wembley was once again the venue for the coronation of a new European champion and this time it was - you guessed it - FC Barcelona.Ironically, Guardiola was a member of that famous Barcelona team which was at the time coached by Dutch legend, Johan Cruyff.

On another footnote, the final on May 28 will be sixth time Wembley has hosted The final of Europe's most prestigious footballing tournament and no club has won the Champions League/European Cup at these grounds more than once. This in turn means that whoever wins on May 28 will be the only one to have won at Wembley twice.

So who really holds the advantage going into the final? Barcelona's free-scoring form all season has made the Catalans the most feared side in Europe. Add to that an in-form Lionel Messi with a supporting cast made up of David Villa, Xavier Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta, Barcelona are clearly the favourites going into the final even if their semifinal victory against Real Madrid was marred by allegations of diving and play-acting. Indeed, the referring in this month's final will be closely scrutinized.

Like their opponents, Man Utd will be fielding many players that featured in the 2-0 defeat at the 2009 Champions League final in Rome. However, this time around there won't be a Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd to match up against Barca's Messi (although I'm guessing Ronnie will be rooting for his old club).

As such, unlike the previous encounter, i'd expect Ferguson's side to employ a more defensive stance going in to this final and capitalize on quick countr attacks. There's no way United's going to win this contest by playing free-flowing football.

Is the title race open?

It's strange how quickly fortunes can change. Several weeks ago, Carlo Ancelotti resembled a man with a very bleak future at a club that was on an alarming decline. But thanks to a five-game winning streak, Chelsea now find themselves second in the table and three points behind Man Utd.

All of a sudden, there is a genuine chance Ancelotti may lead the Blues to a second successive league title. And wouldn't that be some acomplishment considering the season they've had?

But make no mistake about it. The Chelsea that had to rely on two contentious goals to al a 2-1 victory over Tottenham last night did not bear any resemblance to the team that won the league last year. The Blues are still unconvincing up despite having the most expensive strike force in the Premier League. Ancelotti has struggled to find the right approach to field both Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba since the former's arrival to Stamford Bridge in January and it appears as that partnership will not produce results Roman Abramovich desires for the remainder of this season.

Still, Chelsea's resurgence may be academic at this point if Man Utd win their remaining four games, starting with their clash tonight with an Arsenal team that has fallen on some really hard times since their Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham in March.