Possible transfers in January window

        Many managers in world football constantly deny any need to spend vast amount of money but in a mid-season crisis they spend emergency funds hidden within the club in order to reach the season objective. A total of £225 million was spent in the Premier League January window last season with a £195million increase from the previous year.  A good signing in the short window can make or break your season .The two main signings where made in the last few hours, though Torres and Carroll have been disappointments,which raises the questions will more or less money be spent this year?

       Aresenal: The club will lose their defensive midfielders Song and Frimpong for the African Nations Cup .Gary Neville recently stated that their is no need for a holding midfielder in the modern game but I`m sure Wenger will try to buy either Yann M`villa or Gonalons.

      Chelsea: Already agreeing terms with Gary Cahill shows it could be a busy window for the Blues.Hulk is desperate to be reunited with his former manager .But in order to spend big some of the fringe players must be cleared  to put forward massive bids for Villa, Hazard or Gotze.
   
      Liverpool: Goalscoring crisis,top scorer Suarez suspended and Carroll out of form a striker is required.Many well known strikers names are thrown around in the media .Podolski is the most likeliest of targets as he`s contract runs out at the end of the season.

      Man city: Being that City are top at Christmas there should be no room for improvement .With Kolo Toure  in dispute with Mancini and Lescott not deemed of sufficient quality ,City could enter the market for a centre half they could also replace the outgoing Carlos Tevez even though they don`t need to.

      Manchester United:Paul Scholes has yet to be replaced .Playmakers of his quality are hard to find in January leaving Ferguson fuming that he was unable to sign Sneijder or Modric last Summer.

      Tottenham: The injury of  Aaron Lennon means Sprus have lost an accelerating threat on the right wing .Possible targets include Gaitan of Benfica and Willian of Shaktar.

Racism in football

  There has been charges this week for John Terry and Luis Suarez as a result of the racist slurs they has horridly passed to fellow professionals this season .Both have deserved their bans and fines inflicted on them But in legal terms the cases of Terry and Suarez are dealt in a completely different way,because a fan overheard Terry`s racist slur towards Anton Ferdinand and therefore complained .

      The situation was brought to the police and eventually to Scotland Yard.But the charge that interest me is the Suarez-Evra incident.It was only Evra who complained .Suarez is well known for being a fiery character on the pitch but to be banned for 8 games for only taking the word of one player is out there to be debated .Now I`m not defending Suarez who is clearly in the wrong but Liverpool will be without the former Ajax man for 8 crucial matches which could decide their season .

      If Robin Van Persie was in Suarez`s shoes Arsenal would easily slip down the Premier League as they simply are not a quality team without him,Arsenal recently played against Marsielle in the Champions League group stage without RVP and therefore lacked class in the final third to score at home and as a result the match ended in a no score draw.

       I hope strict bans on players who are racist on the football field can kick racism out of football, it might result in more bans but i believe the right steps are being taken in order to prevent racism.

Champions League Last 16

Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona      

Bayer Leverkusen  are a hard working German side who lack a truly outstanding talent but are difficult for opposition to break down .Barcelona should be very confident with this draw .Club captain Simon Rolfes spoke with great optimism "at the start of the campain saying our aim is to reach the last 16",  "anything else would be a bonus".This suggest`s they will play without fear and pressure.Barcelona have won 12 out of 15 trophies during Guardiola reign and their attacking starlets should see them progress into the next round.

Key players : Bayer`s swiss striker Erin Derdiyok  uses his strength intelligently expertly showed in the recent 3-3 draw against Hertha Berlin. Puyol is the cog in an underrated rearguard which only conceded 9 times in last seasons campain.

Napoli v Chelsea

 Napoli are an energetic opposition with a fearsome frontline who Trappatoni  "states is second to none",they are critical on the counter attack as showed against Man City.Chelsea have been poor defensively this season  they play with a high line without intense pressing and Napoli could expose this area .

AC Milan v Arsenal

I am a fan of Milan boss Max Alegri ,he has reinvigorated Milan, he gives freedom to his frontline with protection from expierenced midfielders .If Wilshere returns he will add fluidity led by talismatic skipper Robin Van Persie.

Key Players: Nesta has formed a crucial partnership with Thiago Silva .He will retire at the end of the season.Szczeny has impressed between the sticks for the Gunners attracting interest from Bacelona with his displays.        

Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow

Madrid`s frontline are menacing this season ,Ronaldo and co are firing on all fronts and should continue their winning streak  in the Champions League despite playing on a plastic pitch.CSKA are 6 points behind Zenit in the Russian League ,they proved that in beating Inter Milan on matchday 6 that they are a match for anyone.

Lyon v Apoel Nicosia

Lyon scraped through Group D ousting Ajax to second spot . Against opposition, inexpierenced at this level they have a golden chance to show the credibility of French football.

Key Players: Bafetimi Gomis has scored 7 goals in the French League so far.Ailton steered Apoel to the last 16 proving the critics wrong.

 Bayern Munich v FC Basel

Bayern are top of the Bundesliga tree at Christmas and are perched comfortably .In Mario Gomez they have the top scorer in the Champions League.Basel went through on match day 6 with a win over Manchester United protraying a  strong image for Swiss football.

Inter Milan v Marseille

Inter are mid table in SEIRE A but are steadily on the rise under new coach Claudio Ranieri .Marseille recently beat title rivals PSG with Lucho Gonzalez pulling the strings in midfield.

Key Players : Playing as trequista under Ranieri ,Sneijder  is enjoying his football in Milan.Andre Ayew signed a new contact for Mareille this month and will continue to shine for the Blues.

Zenit v Benfica

Both teams are on winning form with both teams riding high in their leagues.Both include classy playmakers in Danny and Aimar respectively so it will be a close contest over both legs.