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Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas will be hammering home the importance of beating Aston Villa to his players as he attempts to keep the Blues in the top four.

The Portuguese coach has overseen a period of transition since taking over from Carlo Ancelotti in the summer but has managed to guide his side to fourth going into the half way stage of the season. The Blues haven’t looked as formidable as they have done in recent seasons with Villas-Boas’ defensive tactics coming in for some criticism with 13 goals conceded at Stamford Bridge in just 18 games. The imminent signing of Bolton defender Gary Cahill should go some way to remedying that in the second half of the campaign although they’ll need to get through a tricky contest with Villa on New Years Eve. A run of three consecutive 1-1 draws has left Chelsea just a point clear of Arsenal who currently sit a place below them. Beating Villa will be considered imperative if they are to begin 2012 in pole position for Champions League qualification.

It’s a similar story for Alex McLeish’s side who have two of their last eleven league games and have slipped down to 12th in the table. After remaining unbeaten for their first seven games of the season things have unfolded for Villa since mid-October although their confidence should be boosted after they held Stoke to a goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day. Injuries have hit McLeish hard in recent weeks with key marksman Darren Bent struggling with a thigh injury whilst Shay Given has also spent time on the sidelines. Getting those players fit again will be crucial for the Villans who find themselves just six points above the relegation zone going into the New Year. Beating Chelsea would see them potentially rise into the top half whilst a defeat could push them closer towards danger.

Chelsea 4th : 34 points 

Team news: Branislac Ivanovic and Jon Obi Mikel are definitely out after picking up injuries in the draw with Tottenham before Christmas although Jose Boswinga could return from a hamstring injury suffered in the same game.

Key Player: Daniel Sturridge

The newly capped England striker has gone from fourth choice to being the first name on the teamsheet at Stamford Bridge. Sturridge has been impeccable for Chelsea this season with his goals and dynamic performances on the right of the front three making him the Blues’ biggest threat.

Aston Villa 12th : 20 points

Team news: Darren Bent could return from a thigh injury but Emile Heskey is out until the New Year with an Achilles problem.

Key Player: Stephen Warnock

Although not normally considered Villa’s key player Warnock will have an important job to do keeping Daniel Sturridge quiet. The left back will need to limit the amount of space the Chelsea man has whilst keeping a close eye on his dangerous movement.

PREDICTION

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Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six but have drawn their last three and will be desperate to get back on the winning trail to keep their top four aspirations alive. Villa are also on a poor run and will find it extremely difficult to take all three points back to the Midlands.

Score: 2-0

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I realise that Michael Carrick isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. The Manchester United midfielder has been the target of a fair amount of flak this season, from both his own fans and neutral observers. He arrived at Old Trafford from Spurs with a huge price tag (£18.6m) and an even bigger point to prove. He may have impressed in Tottenham colours, but could he do the job at arguably the biggest club in the country? The fact that he was handed Roy Keane’s number 16 shirt was even more of a sign of the trust placed within the midfielder.

Has Michael Carrick rewarded that trust? On some occasions: yes. On other occasions he’s looked lost, incapable or just plain sloppy.

This week, however, when United took on Chelsea in the Champions League, Carrick put in an astonishingly good performance. He was my MOTM. He helped Manchester United get creative in the first-half, controlling the flow of the game through the midfield and changed his game in the second-half as Chelsea started to assert their dominance by adopting a more defensive style.

In the first half, where Manchester United were working with a 4-4-2 formation and attempting to shock Chelsea, Carrick was absolutely fantastic. He picked out passes, found runners, got in the faces of Chelsea players and was, for a little while the best player on the pitch. The second-half saw a more defensive performance from Carrick, as Chelsea turned the screw, but he handled the responsibilities just as ably.

He was given responsibility and he excelled. Why is it then we don’t see this Carrick week-in, week-out in the Premier League?

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Far too often Carrick is the purveyor of lifeless, passive performances. If his passing game is off, he often has very little to offer. He doesn’t snap into tackles in the same way Scholes does. He doesn’t bomb forward in the same fashion as Anderson.

Performances such as the one Carrick served up last night should give fans pause to think. Why is it that he’s not doing this every week? What is it about the way Manchester United is set-up that doesn’t allow him to play his best football? In many ways I think Carrick has been set-up as something of a scapegoat for United’s failings over the last couple of seasons.

I would suggest that Carrick is at his best when he’s at the centre of an attacking, free-flowing team performance. He’s not the kind of player that likes to get stuck in, but if his side are already dominating, if the strikers are making good runs, he can pull the strings and make things happen. I strikes me that the way United are set-up, the way they approach every game, fails to do any favours to Michael Carrick – who is expected to scrap it out in the centre of midfield.

Whilst the more combative Scholes was expected both to do this and to provide the passes that start off the United attacks, Carrick simply isn’t good enough to offer both. As such, it’s not Carrick’s fault – he’s been handed a role that he’s not accustomed to, that he doesn’t have the stones to pull off. On his day he’s an excellent player, as we saw last night, but in the midst of this United set-up over the course of a season, he will get found out.

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Read more of Harry’s articles at the excellent This Is Futbol

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Can Fergie complete a double this weekend? His horse What a Friend is 11/1 to win the Grand National. Make sure you don’t miss out on the biggest betting event of the year!

Whilst Manchester City continue to splash their cash in ostentatious fashion, another one of their rivals has suppressed the talk of the Premier League title heading to the City of Manchester Stadium in the upcoming season.

Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou is somewhat unconvinced by their credentials and has being recently quoted expressing his views that you cannot simply buy 10 players each term and finish top of the table.

Kalou’s comments however contradict the fact that a mere few years ago, Chelsea did the same meaning it would perhaps be foolish of him to write off Mancini’s side. In 2004-2005, Mourinho spent in excess of £70 million on transfer fees with players such as Tiago, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Mateja Kezman, Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira arriving at Stamford Bridge -Chelsea won the league.

City have added the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov and Jerome Boateng with both Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli and James Milner remaining targets for the Eastlands’ outfit.

Salomon Kalou perhaps needs to trawl through the history books at the Bridge before laying his hat in the ring with regards to dismissing the power of spending big in the transfer market. When he said that “City have to remember there are still teams like Chelsea, (Manchester) United, Liverpool and Arsenal who will always be at the top” he forgot one simple thing, without spending copious amounts of money from Roman Abramovich, Chelsea themselves would be nowhere near the top.

The quality of player that Manchester City will be revered by many of the top managers and there is no reason why they cannot challenge for major honours in the new season. After all, despite narrowly missing out on Champions League football to Tottenham last season, Manchester City beat Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. Adding to that side will certainly bridge the gap between the current champions and City.

Whether they can gel in time for the new season and play with the level of cohesion required to win any trophy remains to be seen but such comments will only add fuel to a burning desire to cast last season’s disappointment into an abyss of sorrow.

Although the theory that “Spending a lot of money on new signings doesn’t guarantee anything” any views expressed on this particular from the Chelsea camp will be looked upon with an air of cynicism due their own dealings in the market which brought them to their current standing in world football.

With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

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Fifa president Sepp Blatter has revealed that the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be the first major tournament to use goal-line technology, in a bid to stop incorrect officiating deciding games.

The technology-in-football debate rages on, with figures in the game divided in their opinions on whether the officials need extra help with big decisions.

With the use of replays in rugby and the advance in television and video footage in the game, many feel it is the right time to introduce this aspect into football.

The 75-year-old revealed the news to Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, in what will be a change to the way the game is played.

“Brazil 2014 will have technology to avoid ‘phantom goals’,” he told the Catalan daily.

“We have two good systems which correspond to the needs we have been considering: reliability, immediacy and methods that are uncomplicated to use,” he stated.

England fans will remember Frank Lampard’s un-awarded goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a classic example of where technology could have helped the right decision be made, as whether the ball crossed the line or not could have been ascertained.

The full interview with Blatter is set to be published on Tuesday.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Let me ask you a question. What do you think of when you hear the name Jonny Evans? Strange query you might think, but apart from suffering an injury plagued season this time around, many will simply acknowledge a player who may well prove to be the bedrock of Manchester United’s defence for the next decade and a half.

Now, what about Martin Taylor? For many their knowledge of Taylor begins and ends on one cold February afternoon in 2008 when in the early minutes of the Birmingham-Arsenal league clash, his challenge on Croatian striker Eduardo ruled the youngster out of action for nine months with a sickening leg break.

As we return from a near two week international break, fans of Bolton Wanderers are facing up to the prospect of being without one of their finest players this season for the rest of the campaign and beyond.

Whilst many of his club team mates have been away on international duty, Stuart Holden has been coming to terms with the fact that his dream first season in English football has turned into an injury nightmare as a direct result of the tackle from Johnny Evans at Old Trafford two weeks ago.

Many will have had to look up who exactly it was that inflicted the injury on the Bolton midfielder, such has been the scarcely believable relaxed media attitude towards the challenge that ruled one of the Trotters’ brightest prospects out of the game for at least six months

Considering the devastating nature of a cruciate ligament injury, it was thus incredibly refreshing to hear Holden accept a call from Evans by way of apology and to reflect that injuries of this nature are “part of the game.”

If only everybody took this view in the world of football. Some fans may consider the comparison between Jonny Evans and Martin Taylor unfair, but it is an interesting point of reference for what can happen when a career threatening injury is sustained.

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Of course, had the harm been inflicted on an Arsenal player, we would have had to prepare ourselves for an Arsene Wenger led tirade about the war on good football by mid-table Premier League sides up and down the country. Yet, in this situation, Owen Coyle almost felt he couldn’t get angry about the tackle, and the focus was on Mike Phelan’s concession that the referee had made the right decision.

This is not to castigate the United defender – but can someone explain to me the difference between Ryan Shawcross’ challenge on Aaron Ramsey last season and the tackle by Evans?

Now I am not for a moment suggesting that the Northern Irish international meant to cause damage to Bolton’s central midfielder, but it struck me, and has continued to surprise me over the last two weeks, just how accepting everyone has been of what was undoubtedly a very dangerous challenge.

It appears impossible not to conclude that there is a remarkable hypocrisy in action here. Where a team deemed to play good football suffers a loss like this, it is painted as criminal. When any other side suffers the same fate, the incident is merely incredibly unlucky.

Outrage on either side is not desirable. Whenever tackles lead to major injuries managers and players look for someone to blame. Genuine malicious challenges are not commonplace. Neither Taylor nor Shawcross had prior reputations for ruthless challenges, yet will be forever remembered as inflicting two career threatening injuries. Even if Stuart Holden never recovers from his injury setback, admittedly not a likely prospect, Jonny Evans will not be remembered in such a light.

Am I the only one to think this double standard is unfair?

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Indisputable intent to harm should certainly be punished – Ben Thatcher quite rightly had the book thrown at him for his sickening challenge on Pedro Mendes four seasons ago, yet Roy Keane received only a mandatory three match ban before confessing his intention to end the career of Alf Inge Haaland. Ultimately, however, Thatcher is remembered as a dangerous loose cannon, Keane a no nonsense midfielder.

We love a sport that is fast, frenetic and intense. It is time to follow Stuart Holden’s lead and appreciate that misfortunate incidents happen, whichever side you play for.

For more posts like this and updates from when I am out and about, feel free to follow me on Twitter.

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has made Lazio defender Aleksandar Kolarov his fourth major signing since the end of last season.

The 24-year-old Serbia international, who has passed a medical and been granted a work permit, will provide direct competition for Wayne Bridge at Eastlands.

Mancini said of Kolarov, who is reported to have cost City £16million:"I want two top-class players for each position.

"I first saw Kolarov when he made his Lazio debut back in 2007. He was composed on the ball had an excellent delivery with his left foot and was technically very able.

"I have watched him a lot since then and so have the Manchester City scouts. His attacking capability is very good. He is fast and can shoot with power and accuracy.

"He also has the ability to play in numerous positions and is very good in midfield. This is an additional benefit to the team.

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"He has a fantastic international career ahead of him and I am looking forward to working with him."

Mancini had already signed David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng this summer with Kolarov's arrival increasing his spending to approximately £75million since the end of last season.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

We as football fans don’t take kindly to owners, managers or players who we don’t think are leading our club in the right direction. And, as much power as the mainstream media has in influencing the mindset of the fans, we have to consider the role of social media in the fan-based mutinies that occur often within football. The beauty of social media is that each individual fan has the opportunity to influence others and display their opinion in some small way. What is more, one person’s gripe can take on a snowball effect and create a mob mentality within social media. Suddenly you’ve gone from some loner sitting in bed with your laptop to the catalyst for major debate and unrest. So what is it about social media that harbours such enormous power and how can we use it.

Facebook

To consider that one in every three pages on the internet is a Facebook page goes some way to explaining the power of the organisation. Take Manchester united as an example; it says on Facebook that 20 million people are fans on Facebook alone. Then consider the fans ongoing battle with the Glazer family. What better way to indentify and reach 20 million fans than by simply going to the page and directing your arguments at fans that share your interests. Is there an easier way of finding likeminded people in such quantities than on a social media site that over 800 million people log on to and spend hours on almost every single day?

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Blogs

The beauty of blogs lies in the attitude of their readers. Initially you might stumble across a blog or be recommended one by a friend, but the likelihood is that you are a regular reader of any blog you might be on. What does this mean? That you think it is worth reading. And why do you think this? Because it is entertaining, you trust the writer and presume them to be some kind of authority. If you thought that they had nothing to offer you then you wouldn’t waste your time with that blog. All of this means that whilst you may not get millions of hits on your blog, although some do, all of your readers are ready and waiting to buy into any sort of opinions that you may ordain to present them with.

Obviously newspapers are an authority too but in a different sort of way. You expect newspapers to give you the facts, not original thinking about your club to go with the facts. Readers are more inclined to be inspired by somebody who cares about the things they do. That doesn’t mean they will always swallow what the blogger feeds them, but they will most of the time.

Twitter

Twitter’s speciality, as anyone who ever uses it will know, is that it is arguably the fastest way to spread news. Unlike Facebook and blogs, which are perhaps either more pre-emptive or analytical of news, Twitter is the one to break the news. Trending opinions and arguments consume fans and spread ideas to more people faster than any other form of media. And the power they exert is very real. Footballers such as Thierry Henry have been forced off Twitter in the past because of abuse they have suffered at the hands of the masses. Twitter is both the indication of and vent for public opinion on all matters and football is no different.

Nobody is denying the power that the media has in influencing the opinion of the football world. An article written may spark huge debate, but that debate is carried out on social media. Furthermore social media can be used to organise demonstrations from social to sporting reasons. The lack of online accountability takes the power of the media that step further. Fans on social media have nothing to lose and the most radical ideas are more likely to originate and be debated in these spheres. The mainstream media will always have power but it’s about time people stopped blaming the media for mutinying fans and started taking part in the debate.

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 To take part in this and other debates follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Football FanCast has teamed up with Zoo Magazine to bring you the Football Fans’ Survey 2011.

The survey asked all the burning questions in football right now and you may be surprised by some of the results given by you – fans of the beautiful game. We asked a range of questions to get a feel for your views of where football is at right now.

The results are featured below for you to take a look at, with some of the standout answers being that more than half of you want Harry Redknapp to be the next England manager, a whopping 82% of you would prefer your club to win their league than England to win 2012, and that you feel that Liverpool have the best supporters in Britain.

There were of course the more light-hearted questions as well, with Ryan Giggs your favourite drinking buddy and El Hadji Diouf your least favourite, three quarters of you are more disappointed by players cheating on the pitch than on their partners, while if it came down to a choice between sex and football, you’d go for the beautiful game, just!

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Should England’s next manager be English?

Yes

54%

No

46%

Who do you want as the next England manager?

Mourinho

18%

Allardyce

3%

Redknapp

53%

Hodgson

7%

Hiddink

9%

O’Neill

4%

Other

6%

Would you prefer England to win Euro 2012 or your club to win their league?

My Club to win their league

82%

England to win Euro 2012

18%

Would you swap a better national team for a worse league standard?

Yes

23%

No

77%

Is the Premier League better or worse than it was five years ago?

Better

74%

Worse

26%

Who is the best Premier League player?

Nemanja Vidic

6%

Wayne Rooney

4%

Paul Scholes

4%

Gareth Bale

12%

Luka Modric

4%

Steven Gerrard

21%

Frank Lampard

2%

Rafael van der Vaart

7%

Samir Nasri

11%

Cesc Fabregas

14%

Carlos Tevez

13%

Other

6%

Which club do you hate the most?

Man United

35%

Arsenal

8%

Liverpool

13%

Tottenham

6%

Newcastle

2%

Everton

1%

Bolton

1%

Chelsea

16%

Man City

8%

Other

10%

If you had to support another club, after yours, who would you choose?

Tottenham

20%

Arsenal

19%

Man United

7%

Man City

3%

West Ham

12%

Chelsea

4%

Liverpool

13%

Other

22%

Who are the best away supporters in Britain?

Celtic

8%

West Ham

6%

Leeds

5%

Newcastle

14%

Everton

2%

Liverpool

28%

Man United

12%

Man City

5%

Tottenham

8%

Other

13%

Which is the best away ground to visit in Britain?

White Hart Lane

7%

Emirates Stadium

27%

Anfield

19%

Old Trafford

22%

Britannia Stadium

4%

Villa Park

4%

Elland Road

4%

Other

12%

Which footballer would you most like to go for a pint with?

Jimmy Bullard

22%

Wayne Rooney

9%

Ryan Giggs

25%

Van der Vaart

8%

Kevin Nolan

13%

Anyone who’s buying

23%

Which footballer would you least like to go for a pint with?

Steven Gerrard

14%

Joey Barton

17%

Andy Carroll

4%

Gary Neville

25%

Rio Ferdinand

4%

El Hadji Diouf

30%

Other

6%

Does your club offer value for money?

Yes

67%

No

33%

Do you feel that your club treat you as A) a supporter, or B) a customer?

A) a supporter

66%

B) a customer

34%

What disappoints you more: players who cheat on the pitch or cheat on their partners?

Players who cheat on the pitch

75%

Players who cheat on their partners

25%

Sex or football: if you could only have one, which would you choose?

Sex

46%

Football

54%

Should England’s next manager be English?Yes54%No46%Who do you want as the next England manager?Mourinho18%Allardyce3%Redknapp53%Hodgson7%Hiddink9%O’Neill4%Other6%Would you prefer England to win Euro 2012 or your club to win their league? My Club to win their league82%England to win Euro 201218%Would you swap a better national team for a worse league standard? Yes23%No77%Is the Premier League better or worse than it was five years ago? Better74%Worse26%Who is the best Premier League player?Nemanja Vidic6%Wayne Rooney4%Paul Scholes4%Gareth Bale12%Luka Modric4%Steven Gerrard21%Frank Lampard2%Rafael van der Vaart7%Samir Nasri11%Cesc Fabregas14%Carlos Tevez13%Other6%Which club do you hate the most? Man United35%Arsenal8%Liverpool13%Tottenham6%Newcastle2%Everton1%Bolton1%Chelsea16%Man City8%Other10%If you had to support another club, after yours, who would you choose?Tottenham20%Arsenal19%Man United7%Man City3%West Ham12%Chelsea4%Liverpool13%Other22%Who are the best away supporters in Britain? Celtic8%West Ham6%Leeds5%Newcastle14%Everton2%Liverpool28%Man United12%Man City5%Tottenham8%Other13%Which is the best away ground to visit in Britain? White Hart Lane7%Emirates Stadium27%Anfield19%Old Trafford22%Britannia Stadium4%Villa Park4%Elland Road4%Other12%Which footballer would you most like to go for a pint with? Jimmy Bullard22%Wayne Rooney9%Ryan Giggs25%Van der Vaart8%Kevin Nolan13%Anyone who’s buying23%Which footballer would you least like to go for a pint with?Steven Gerrard14%Joey Barton17%Andy Carroll4%Gary Neville25%Rio Ferdinand4%El Hadji Diouf30%Other6%Does your club offer value for money? Yes67%No33%Do you feel that your club treat you as A) a supporter, or B) a customer?A) a supporter66%B) a customer34%What disappoints you more: players who cheat on the pitch or cheat on their partners? Players who cheat on the pitch75%Players who cheat on their partners25%Sex or football: if you could only have one, which would you choose?Sex46%Football54%

When I sat down to watch England play the Platinum All-Stars on the internet there was no commentary, instead all I got was a torturous, mono-toned drone. I checked the speakers on my laptop and fiddled with the wires, but still it continued. I then realised that the noise was coming from the game, and after only 5 minutes it was bugging me. ‘I hope it doesn’t last for the whole game’, I thought. Unfortunately it lasted for the whole month.

The Vuvuzela, what more can I say? We all have our opinions on them, some love them most loathe them. Me? Well, I loathe them, so I was thrilled when the first few Premier League dominoes started to topple in banning them. In the World Cup we tolerated them as they were all part of the South African footballing culture. But now we’re coming back round to the start of our domestic season it is time to leave them in the sub continent.

Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham, Sunderland and Birmingham have all made official announcements which prohibit the instruments from entering their stadia this coming season. All of which cited health and safety and decibel levels as reasons for their actions. However I can’t help but feel that at some level these are just official excuses for saying: ‘We just find them irritating’. I don’t believe that anyone in England would relish sitting through a game with a man blowing on his Vuvuzela next to them for 90 minutes.

At some point we’ve all been sat in the stands near the large man banging away on his big bass drum *BANG BANG, BANG BANG BANG, BANG BANG BANG BANG, TOTTENHAM*. That can get a bit annoying sometimes, but at least it encourages some crowd interaction. What would happen to terrace chanting amidst the whining of trumpets? The strong hearted encouragement for the home team, the gentle mockery of the opponent; these are the thing we stand to lose if the Vuvuzelas are welcomed in the Premier League.

Blackpool are rumoured to be considering allowing them into Bloomfield Road in order to create an intimidating home field advantage. In fairness to them, they may be on to something. Blackpool will have the smallest stadium next season, so if they think they can increase the noise inside the ground with the Vuvuzelas then good luck to them. But the question that arises is will people actually do it? I expect one man with a Vuvuzela could quickly be discouraged from using it if the 100 people around him aren’t keen. Birmingham have said that they have banned it after a survey of fans were heavily in favour of keeping them away from St Andrews – power to the people!

When I was 13 I brought a flag at the Tottenham club shop. It was, what can only be described as a standard flag – a piece of cloth with the club badge on it attached to a piece of cheap wood. But when I got to the turnstiles it was taken from me because it was deemed a health and safety hazard. ‘Health and Safety gone mad’ I remember thinking. But, for once, it seems health safety has been thinking clearly. So long Vuvuzelas, it’s been…well…annoying.

Written By Karl Sears

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

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Anyone thinking back to Manchester City ’s pre-season will remember one thing above all others – the attempted back heeled goal by Mario Balotelli against LA Galaxy, and the subsequent reactions by both Mancini who was furious and promptly substituted the player for ‘not taking football seriously enough’ and the player himself reacting as though he could teach a toddler a thing or two about throwing their toys out of the pram.

Fast forward a couple of months, and after a couple of unfortunate incidents with other member s of the City front line, mostly occurring against Bayern Munich in the champions league, Balotelli is now City’s main man, scoring 4 goals in 4 games, the last of which was a brilliant overhead kick against Aston Villa on the weekend.

The future of Carlos Tevez at Manchester City is over, with the player now quite rightly in exile, having evidently decided the bench was closer to his family in Argentina than the field of play, hence refusing to come on as a substitute losing not only the respect of his manager and fans but also more importantly their trust.

Edin Dzeko also challenged Mancini during the same game, and whilst that incident is now forgotten, the subsequent loss of his place in the starting line up as a result and the form of Balotelli may be something he lives to regret. One player Balotelli is not in front of in the pecking order is Sergio Aguero , yet with the player missing through injury this weekend, Balotelli took his chance and again left a lasting impression on the game, being the inspiration for City’s 4 – 1 victory.

The form and attitude displayer by the 21 year old has not gone unnoticed by his team mates either, with De Jong commenting that even in training the player is ‘behaving quite normally for him’ – yet compared to his previous behaviour of trips to a women’s prison and Mafia links, just how normally this is leaves a lingering question! However, the fact remains, in the last few weeks, Balotelli has left his performances on the pitch to do the talking, and they have spoken in volumes about what ability the boy has when he puts his mind to it and controls his behaviour.

Despite his former manager Jose Mourinho wrongly calling the player ‘unmanageable’, the faith that Roberto Mancini has shown the player is paying off, and for a player whose talent has never been in question, the levels that Balotelli could potentially reach within the game are limitless.

City’s real challenge is yet to come, when in December they face a fixture list that even Barcelona would struggle with, playing Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke in the premier league, along with a Champions League game against Munich thrown in for good measure. Balotelli will be hoping he has more than a little bit to say in those games, and really put in a claim for being City’s unlikely hero this season.

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Article courtesy  of Rebecca Knight from This is Futbol

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