Which team will suffer most from the African Cup of Nations?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

This week, the players involved in this month’s African Cup of Nations have been flying out to represent their respective countries.

It means that several Premier League clubs have had their squads disrupted by the competition, which begins on the 21st January.

While in previous seasons it seemed that many teams in the top-flight would be affected, fewer managers are signing African stars knowing they could be absent at crucial parts of the campaign every couple of years.

However, that still hasn’t stopped sides losing key personnel, and the big question is which side will suffer the most.

Who awaits English clubs in European draws today?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Today’s draw in Nyon for the last 16 of this year’s UEFA Champions League will look a little bit bare of English names.

It will include the fewest number of Premier League entrants since this stage of the tournament became a straight knockout following the shock exits of Manchester United and Manchester City.

This means that it will be the London duo of Arsenal and Chelsea that will be flying the flag for England in Europe’s elite competition going into the new year.

The great news for both sides is that they won their groups, meaning they will avoid the continent’s biggest names until at least the quarter-finals.

Teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will be initially avoided, which will delight both Arsene Wenger and Andre Villas-Boas.

However, this doesn’t ensure that either side will get a kind draw as there are still some dangerous teams in the firing line that could halt their progress.

Italian giants AC Milan and Manchester City’s conquerers Napoli are possible oponents, as are potentially difficult trips to Russia to face the likes of Zenit St. Petersburg or CSKA Moscow.

Experienced campaigners Lyon are never a team to be taken lightly, especially after defying the odds and turning round a 7-goal deficit in their final group game to edge out Ajax on goal difference.

However, there are some attractive possibilities; whilst they knocked out United last week, there’s no doubt that Basel look the best possible draw available to the capital outfits.

Also, the two sides that progressed with Arsenal and Chelsea into the knockout stages in Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen respectively could be ideal line-ups and are more than beatable.

Either way, it is going to be a difficult route to the final with many of the big sides set to avoid each other and therefore likely to get through to the last eight.

But a kind draw for both the Gunners and the Blues will increase hopes of reaching the showpiece event at the Allianz Arena come May.

As for the Europa League draw, the Manchester duo join Stoke City in the last 32, with the English trio avoiding one another until at least the last 16.

There are some big names joining United and City through the Champions League trapdoor, with Ajax, Porto and Valenica amongst the names having to change their European priorities.

Plus with other clues such as Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Schalke, Twente and PSV Eindhoven also in the running, it will be unlikely that England’s representatives will find an easy path.

But Stoke have gathered in momentum throughout the campaign, while United and City are capable of winning the tournament – depending on how seriously they decide to take it.

So what do you think? Who do you want your side to get in today’s draw? Leave a comment and let us know your views.

Are you comfortable with Manchester City’s losses?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

On Friday, Manchester City announced their financial figures for the 2010-11 season – and it did not make for good reading.

The world’s wealthiest football club confirmed they had made a staggering loss of £194.9 million, which is the biggest deficit suffered during a 12-month period in the history of English football.

It follows a year of another massive spending spree by the Eastlands club, with the likes of David Silva, Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli assembled amongst many big names in what is now a star-studded squad.

On the pitch the investment is paying off. City are top of the table after an excellent start to their Premier League campaign, and are competing in their first season in the Champions League.

But off the pitch it’s astonishing that a business carries on as normal in this current economy when it makes such a significant loss in such a short space of time.

Of course there will be those that point out the loss has come from an unlimited pot of gold belonging to owner Sheikh Mansour, whose billions have completely changed the landscape at the Etihad stadium.

City fans will also state that after years of ups and downs, including a drop into the third tier of English football, the club are due such an upturn in fortunes.

All are valid points, and there’s no doubt that a large amount of money and spending is needed to achieve what is constituted as success in modern-day football.

However, if City continue their imperious march to the Premier League title come May then it will be on the back of obscene spending that simply doesn’t give anybody else a chance.

FIFA are introducing the financial fair play rules over the next couple of years, but by then City will have made efforts to straighten the books, safe in the knowledge they have a squad that can compete on all fronts and dominate domestically.

Other sides won’t be able make up the ground because of these new rules, meaning that the gulf will be there for the foreseeable future.

This may paint a bleak and predominantly negative view of the subject, and when all is said and done if your club has the money to spend then you want to see the owners do exactly that.

But if City do go and dominate over several years, it will be on the back of financial figures that no other club would even be able to survive from let alone benefit – and that is something that won’t sit comfortably with many football fans.

So what do you think? Are you ok with the fact that Manchester City have got into this position on the back of such a financial loss? Leave a comment and let us know your views.