Buck up, pie. The omelet is taking over.

"Football is very boring. Men chasing a ball, trying to put it in goal, fighting to get it back, passing it to people in their respective teams. What's so beautiful? Why is there so much fuss about it? Why is scoring a goal equaled to intercourse in terms of derived pleasure? It's a job that you do in football, like in bed."

I was talking to my girlfriend. Told her the exact same thing after last season's Champions' League final. She slapped me, said something and left for good.

"Passion", that's what she said.

There's been a lot of chit-chat about a man called Marcelo Bielsa lately. El Loco, apparently. What's so mad about his approach? I haven't got a clue. To me, it looks very simple, "See the first pass you can make, run forward, get it back, pass if goal is occupied, score if vacant. Did you lose it? Run and get it back. Without the ball, you're just a stupid guy running in front of a crowd." They had a job to do. They've done it, twice in a fortnight against a team that claims to be magical, exhilarating, dominating, beautiful in build up and solid at the back; and more importantly, against a team that is still feared (at least till last night) across Europe. Question is, this fear, will it last?

Athletic Bilbao. They're nowhere close to being the best team in Spain. They "have a chance" of finishing third. They are a young team with no big-game experience in Europe whatsoever. Yet, they beat Manchester United, a massive football club with glorious history and grit that can only be heard of in the stories of Kings. Beat them how? With a game that is exactly that Manchester United stand for. Magical, exhilarating, dominating, beautiful in build up and solid at the back. This, observers will rightly conclude, was no fluke. Superior in every way imaginable.

So now what? Bielsa's a genius who masterminded a mid table Spanish club to Europa league victories over the great English club from Manchester. Yes. He is. But not the mad, complicated genius he is assumed to be. He's the simplest of them all. Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola are all terrific modern day managers. Managers who have achieved everything in club football. But, there's something far more difficult to understand at that level: the simplicity of the game. The glorious naivety that El Loco possesses is what sets him apart from other managers.

A hard worker with meticulous preparation by attention to detail and studying teams appears to be a way of understanding his opponents' complexities and beating them with a simple counter-approach. Beating Manchester United so convincingly will attract so much attention (I won't be surprised if he receives a call in the summer from a certain Russian), but Bielsa looks to be unperturbed by success, the size of the club and in modern day football, the cash involved. Why does he do it then? Why simplify football for people and not earn enough? We look at the grim-faced man with a sense of curiosity. He paces his technical area, watching the game rarely while he does that. He sits down in one corner, observes it with no understandable display of positive emotion when things go well. Given all this, there is still an obvious passion that looks to drive the man. He outclassed Manchester United with the simplest approach to football and I look at him with awe and jealousy. Marcelo Bielsa is the passionate, simple genius of world football.

14 March 2009.
Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool.

To me, it was the day that spelled the end of Manchester United's dominance in English football. Never since have they woken up and played with an air of invincibility. They were the greatest club team for a year and a half then, starting from the day when a stylish Brazilian tore United apart, in his own violent way. United came back stronger than ever, conquering almost everything with a swagger and resilience that is the epitome of the club. Style was always there at the club, but what set it apart was the fear factor, the resilience and the Boss, who for two decades had brought about a change that very few foresaw by the end of 1990.

Manchester have since that game, been outplayed, outclassed, out-thought, out-muscled, outrun, and overpowered in exactly four games. The Champions' League finals of 2009 and 2011 and the last two games in the Europa League. Athletic Bilbao ripped United apart with poise and class, with an ease that flowed through them from their manager and like robots, they performed their tasks. Their fuel? Passion.

Fear is a very important factor in football. The mighty Barcelona, since the arrival of Guardiola have played the same way. Bielsa's way. They took time to adapt to this fresh approach. They seemed beatable in the Champions' League in 2009, and Chelsea almost pulled it off. Looking back at that night, the fans of the losing team would've been devastated. They played as well as Barcelona, if not better, and thanks to a stoppage time winner from Andres Iniesta, they failed to reach what would've been a second all-English final in a row. A victory that did not stun the world but one that fed them with supreme confidence. The final was a masterpiece. It was the game that said, "Barcelona have arrived. This is the best team in the world by a margin."

From that point onward, Barcelona was feared and to this day they are. The clinical nature of Jose Mourinho's Internazionale in front of goal and the nature of their defense (beautiful defense is hardly a term in football, but this is what it could be) were the only things that stopped them from winning two in a row. That fear is what great teams thrive on. Manchester United will still be one of the most feared teams on domestic soil. Europe is different. Power has shifted from England and the teams from Spain hold most of the cards. Without this fear, the club will be reduced to a mere League winning side, pretty much like in Europe's lesser leagues and probably only a matter of time before that disappears too. English teams have to take a leaf out of Spain's book, understand their approach and learn. Apart from Chelsea this season, no other English team has done well in Europe. Even they scraped through in the end. Arsenal played the second leg brilliantly at the Emirates against AC Milan but left themselves with too much to do in the end. The two Manchester clubs? It's obvious what they need to learn. "Europa League is not where we belong", is what they thought, but took that road and were kicked out anyway.

Decimated with a surgeon's precision, Manchester United's confidence would have taken a huge blow, but as long as the gaffer is at the club, the entire world will anticipate a stronger response not just from them but the entire English contingent. After all, there's only one reason why the game is alive and Bielsa's troops displayed that more than their wonderful display of the game.

"Passion."

An Association of Farceurs

John Terry and controversy are not two different things. Once again he has found himself in the midst of accusations for ill behavior and has consequently been stripped of national captaincy. This, expectedly poses questions like, should he be stripped of captaincy permanently? Who should lead England? The real issue, many fail to realize is not England’s captaincy. Sending England to the Euros with a different captain is not going to change their fortunes.

England's success is being hampered by loyalty to under-performing players. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard for example are two top class footballers at club level (well, at least they were). On the international stage, they have been big failures (the expectations stem from standards they set). This list includes a lot of other names. Gerrard and Lampard are two of the most dragged-along names. Hence, I thought I should play with.

It is time the FA shakes up the system and takes a chance at the Euros. International football is scarce, so there is no real platform to judge youngsters.

Jack Wilshere, Micah Richards, Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck, Kyle Walker, Daniel Sturridge, Chris Smalling etc. are huge prospects for both club and country.

England should take the hard-man’s approach towards football. So, for them to begin performing to their expectations requires a manager who instills more confidence than Spain’s bookish, tactical approach or the guile that is the epitome of German football. It takes more than hairy-arsed Englishmen to play with flair and swagger and let’s face it, England can never achieve that.

After Capello, there should be a younger manager, someone brave enough to take risks by leaving out the big names for the sake of the team (Like Del Bosque warned Torres earlier this season that he should start performing if he wanted to make it to the Euros). A Martin O’Neill or a Tony Pulis seems to fit the bill perfectly. Contrastingly, the FA will come out naming Harry Redknapp as coach and England will continue sucking.

Now, addressing the immediate issue, there are a lot of players capable of leading England. But, the next captain should be young and hungry, which will be a statement in many ways.

1. The FA's support for bringing youngsters into the national team.

2. It shows England's hunger for success at international level because this brave approach will turn a few heads.

3. It shows that there is no fixed spot for any player, not even for the likes of Rooney.

These reasons in mind and from what I think should be a very young squad travelling to the Euros this year, Wayne Rooney, Micah Richards (he is already City’s vice-captain, which says a lot.) and Scott Parker are three names most suited for captaincy and best among these three would be Parker. He isn’t exactly young, but makes up for it with his hunger, the experience that coaches all over England (unnecessarily) crave for and gritty approach.

With these changes, England will meet its expectations and probably exceed them. English football is a style by itself, something not quite appreciated by critics for its extremely physical nature, but that is exactly what makes it exciting. Everybody loves a good fight. Football after all is a man's game and Englishmen are are no less.

Not every patch is purple.

If United win the Europa League, I am going to kill myself. No self-respecting club competes in that tournament. The crisis that Manchester United are in, is bigger than anything they have faced over the last decade. Defence, midfield and attack need repair. This team won the Premier League last year and reached the finals of the Champions' League. This season, it is not even January and the club is out of two competitions (and honestly, I'd pick the Carling Cup over the Europa League).

One big change this year is the absence of Edwin Van der Sar (De Gea is improving all the time but he's too young to show any presence in the box) but I guess it is only a matter of time. The right back spot is not exactly cemented by one player and it has been like that ever since Gary Neville ran into injury troubles. Smalling and Jones have been pretty good there but United need a long-term solution. Rio Ferdinand has had too many off days lately in central defence and I get the feeling that he and Vidic do not trust each other anymore. Johnny Evans is a disaster. He is neither strong nor fast and loses concentration frequently. Ferguson has to surely realize that now. Evra is old and not half as good as he was two or three years ago.
Transfer Market Solution: A left back – Jordi Alba / Emilio Izaguirre. And for heaven’s sake, send Evans out.

United’s problems in central midfield are huge. Sir Alex has to view this area of the pitch as two parts like every other big club does. Gone are the days when central midfield was just one position and while United have very talented players for that, none of the players fit the bill for attacking and defensive midfield. Cleverley, Anderson and Carrick have been good this season but Cleverley and Anderson are out until the New Year at least and for them to get back and gain some rhythm will take very long by which time, United can probably kiss the Premier League goodbye. Creating chances has not been too much of an issue this season so it is not absolutely necessary for United to go into the market for that kind of a player but a defensive midfielder seems to be a necessity. And Ferguson should stop experimenting with Jones and Rooney in midfield.
Transfer Market Solution: A defensive midfielder – Javi Martinez / Lass Diarra / Danielle De Rossi. Offload Gibson and send the kids out on loan.

In attack, the problem lies in finishing. One of Untied’s biggest strengths in the last decade was clinical finishing. One can remember Ruud van, Ronaldo and even Rooney being ruthless in front of goal. Hernandez seems to be falling an awful lot while shooting. Berbatov’s confidence is as low as ever. Rooney has been experimented with too much and suddenly he has forgotten how to finish. He should play alongside a striker instead of playing in the “hole”. Young and Nani are not good enough to play as strikers. Not for Manchester United, no.
Transfer Market Solution: None. Players just need to find their finishing boots.

I hope Manchester United crashes out of the Europa League as early as possible and concentrates on domestic competitions. It is a club desperately in need of reconstruction and like every other club has hit a rough patch except that this patch is getting bigger by the game and is breeding an unwanted quality. Slowly, the winning mentality is fading away, the ruthlessness is absent; aggression is not there to be seen and these are changes that could leave a lasting impact on the years to come, but as always at Manchester United, there is only one man for crisis and I believe he will come up with a solution for he knows better, the club that he built from almost scratch when he took over the reins for solving football’s biggest riddle 25 years ago.

In Arsene You Should Trust.

One of the most respected managers in club football pleads "Trust my signings". I am truly disgusted with the way things are unfolding at Arsenal. This man deserves respect for what he has done to the club in all aspects. Few clubs in the world boast a better stadium, a better way of playing football and better revenue (which is of monumental importance with that FFP crap to be put into power very soon). And remember, this is the team that came closest to throwing Barcelona out of the Champions League last season

August 20, 2011. Arsenal hosted Liverpool with Arsene Wenger under immense pressure. The game was lost by a couple of goals, the first - a very unfortunate own goal; the second was well crafted but you could argue that they were caught on the break trying to salvage a point in front of the already frustrated home crowd. The team is booed out of the pitch, and one player in particular targeted. Samir Nasri is a wonderfully talented player capable of leaving you gasping for breath with his grace and ability to weave magic, almost at will. The incident comes nearly a week after club captain Cesc Fabregas left for Barcelona claiming that his “heart was still there”. He left the club in the most arrogant manner, projecting the image of a good boy. If Samir is a “cunt”, you have to go through a lot more to find a word to describe Cesc and his actions to a club and its manager who put him on the footballing map. He left them when their situation was already bad for a place on the Barcelona bench (I can’t see him play ahead of Xavi, Iniesta or Busquets). And let’s be honest, Cesc went cheap.

Samir Nasri on the other hand, has been extremely patient and reasonable with his requests. He was ready to sign a long-term contract provided he got more money. He had the right to ask for more having performed exceedingly well in the previous season and his display of talent reaching its peak. With Fabregas gone, I don’t understand Arsenal’s unwillingness to pay Nasri the money he wants. Nasri has claimed that he wants to move to Manchester United but has respected his club’s view of United as rivals and seems to be close to sealing a deal with Manchester City.

Wenger has been very smart with managing the money but at a price. Back in 2006, when Arsenal were beaten in the Champions League final, nobody would’ve thought that the club would be reduced to a level were Champions League qualification is their priority. Players have left or retired since, leaving the Manager in the need of rebuilding. They have never settled on a squad and till date they are struggling to find the right combination of players that can get them that trophy. Players have publicly expressed their disinterest but no one seems to realize that Wenger is trying as hard as he can. “I don’t want to leave the club with old people and make things bad for the manager who succeeds me”. Now, that is loyalty.

His statement reminds me of Chelsea. Yes. They have had unbelievable success, but they are spending more than they earn. That is what FFP and financial management are all about. They have had to spend several millions on younger players because their squad is ageing. Their core is still the same. Chelsea are vulnerable without John Terry. They lack creativity when Lampard is absent. And even with the signing of Torres, the focal point of their attack remains Drogba. All these players are also good leaders.

Arsenal lack strong leadership on the pitch and there is no answer to that in their squad, at least not yet. Van Persie (the obvious choice) is already facing the pressure of staying fit for an entire season and single-handedly shoulders the goal-scoring burden. He is not to be tampered with. Close second in my eyes would be Thomas Vermaelen. The Belgian is a superb centre back and Arsenal need leadership at the back. The rest are not even close to taking on the responsibility. I am not going to suggest players for Wenger. I have complete trust in him. If the players remain and if the squad settles down, I can only see images of Wenger’s happier days at the club (he’s seriously forgotten how to smile). I really hope that in the next decade, Arsenal become the kind of club that Wenger dreams of.

To all those Arsenal fans out there, there is no better Manager you can find for your club. Trust him. Wenger. Respect.