UEFA Awards, Champions League Draw for 2009 And A Preview

Puneet Singh

Here's a recap of today's events in the footballing world dealing with the Champions League meeting that was held in Monaco, France.

Awards:

UEFA Goal Keeper of The Year: Edwin Van Der Sar, Manchester United (ENG).

Runners Up: Petr Cech of Chelsea FC (ENG) and Victor Valdes of FC Barcelona (ESP)

(Presented by Victor Maia, keeper for the 2004 FC Porto team that won the CL that year.)

UEFA Defender of The Year: John Terry, Chelsea FC (ENG).

Runners Up: Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United (ENG) and Gerard Pique, FC Barcelona (ESP).

(Presented by Paolo Maldini, Five Time winner, Eight Time Finalist during his 25 year career; all of which was with AC Milan.)

UEFA Midfielder of The Year: Xavi Hernandez, FC Barcelona (ESP).

Runners Up: Andres Iniesta, FC Barcelona (ESP) and Steven Gerard, Liverpool FC (ENG).

(Presented by Luis Figo, winner of the 2002 Champions League with Real Madrid.)

UEFA Forward of The Year: Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona (ESP).

Runners Up: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United (ENG) and Samuel Eto'o, FC Barcelona (ESP).

(Presented by Denis Law, winner of the 1968 European Cup with Manchester United).

European Footballer of The Year: Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona (ESP).

Runners Up: Xavi Hernandez, FC Barcelona (ESP), John Terry, Chelsea FC (ENG) and Edwin Van Der Sar, Manchester United (ENG).

In addition to these awards, Paolo Maldini was given a lifetime achievemant award, presented by Michel Platini. This award was to celebrate his 25 year career in which Maldini carried himself and his team with Pride, Honor and Respect as well as all the accolades he had earned over those years.

Champions League Draw.

The pots were broken down as follows:

POT 1:

Manchester United FC (ENG)

Liverpool FC (ENG)

FC Sevilla (ESP)

Chelsea FC (ENG)

FC Barcelona (ESP)

FC Bayern Munich (GER)

Arsenal FC (ENG)

AC Milan (ITA)

POT 2:

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)

Juventus FC (ITA)

Real Madrid CF (ESP)

CSKA Moskow (RUS)

FC Porto (POR)

Internaziole FC (ITA)

Glasgow Ranger (SCO)

AZ Alkmaar (NED)

POT 3:

Atletico Madrid CF (ESP)

Olympiacos FC (GRE)

Vfb Stuttgart (GER)

Dinaymo Kiev (UKR)

ACF Fiorentina (ITA)

Olympique Marsaille CF (FRA)

Besjtikas CF (TUR)

Girdons Bordeaux FC (FRA)

POT 4:

Macabbi Haifa FC (ISR)

FC Zurich (SWI)

VfL Wolfsburg (GER)

Standard de Liege (BEL)

FC Rubin Kazan (RUS)

AFC Unirea Urziceni (ROM)

Debreceni FC (HUN)

Apoel FC (CYP)

One team from each pot is distributed towards a group going from letters A-H. Teams from the same country cannot play each other meaning, in the likelihood that Lyon (Pot 2) and Bordeaux (Pot 3) or Munich (Pot 1) and Wolfsburg (Pot 4) were placed together, they would null it and move it to a different spot. Also, teams from the same country cannot be playing on the same day. They'd be distributed evenly 1-1 or 2-2.

The Groups are as follows: (the number in parenthesis tells what number they were called out of from their respective pot)

Group A: (2) FC Bayern Munich, (7) Juventus FC, (2) Girdons Bordeaux FC, (8) Maccabi Haifa.

Group B: (3) Manchester United FC, (8) CSKA Moskow, (3) Besjtikas FC, (4) VfL Wolfsburg.

Group C: (5) AC Milan, (2) Real Madrid CF, (8) Olympique Marsaille, (6) FC Zurich.

Group D: (6) Chelsea FC, (1) FC Porto, (6) Atletico Madrid CF, (5) Apoel FC.

Group E: (1) Liverpool FC, (3) Olympique Lyonnais, (4) ACF Fiorentina, (3) Debreceni FC.

Group F: (7) FC Barcelona, (4) FC Internaziole (Inter Milan), (5) Dinaymo Kiev, (7) FC Rubin Kazan.

Group G:(8) FC Sevilla, (5) Glasgow Rangers, (1) VfB Stuttgart, (2) AFC Unirea Urziceni.

Group H: (4) Arsenal FC, (6) AZ Alkmaar, (7) Olympiacos FC, (1) Standard de Liege.

Group Analysis

Group A:

A contender for the group of death.

Juventus has built their squad up excentelly this past transfer window adding a key defender in Fabio Cannavaro's return to the Bianconeri and the addition of two brazilian playmakers in Diego and Felipe Melo. Already with a good attack force, Juve has built the complete squad this summer to not only contend for the Scudetto domestically but to make a monster run in the Champions League, similar to their glory years.

Like Juventus, Bayern too is a well rounded squad that has made some key additions, their biggest being keeping Franck Ribery in the Allainz Arena for at least this season. In addition to that, they have added a proven Bundesliga talent in Mario Gomez to replace the outgoing Lukas Podolski. With Lucio being replaced by the youngster Breno and Bastian Schweinsteiger taking over Ze Roberto's role, Bayern are a legitate challenger out of this group and possibly even further if they can manage to finish the signing of the Dutch wizard Arjen Robben.

Bordeaux are a young upstart group led by the French phenom Yohan Gourcouff and the Moracan forward Maroune Chamakh, both of whom have yet to hit their prime. With a balanced team, Bordeaux is a middle of the tier club in this competition.

Sadly for Maccabi Haifa, I will not beat around the bush; the chances of them advancing out of this group are slim to none. Let's put it this way, there's a better chance of Stoke City winning the Premier League this season than Haifa winning the Champions League. Although a good team in their league, they just cannot match up against the biggest of the giants.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Juve 2.) Bayern Munich. Europa League: Bordeaux. Eliminated: Macabbi Haifa.

Group B:

The battle for #2 will be a fun and entertaining scrap.

This should be a cake walk for United, making it easier for them to rest their starters significantly for the latter stages. They have a squad built for this type of competition with all the depth and talent they possess and will be more hungry coming off their disappointing loss in the previous CL Final, after winning it the year before.

CSKA is a power, but nothing to the upper echelon extent. They boast a squad of Vagner Love, Danny Carvalho, Igor Afinfeev and Mark Gonzalez; all skilled players that have been in the CL before and played against good opponents in Inter Milan and Liverpool in recent times.

Besjtikas is a squad built on home grown talent mixed with some outside internationals. Sadly they will come up short as Nihat, Delgado, Bobo and Matteo Ferrari cannot carry this entire team.

The final team in this group is VfL Wolfsburg. This is a team that can do damage to this entire group including Manchester United. You can build an all national team out of their players. Talented, proven and a strong unit they will be the team to advance along side United. Boasting forwards Edin Dzeko, Obafemi Martins, and Grafite and a defense of Ricardo Costa, Cristian Zaccardo and Andrea Bargzali they've got both ends of the ball covered very well.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Manchester United 2) VfL Wolfsburg. Europa League: CSKA Moskow. Eliminated: Besjtikas.

Group C:

The second contestent for the "Group Of Death" label.

AC Milan finally returns to battle the big boys after taking a year off and playing in the UEFA cup last year. With the additions of Oguchi Oneywu, Thiago Silva, and Klass Jan-Huntelaar, they add some much needed youth to their squad. Kaka leaving for Madrid will be a huge hole to fill; luckily they have Ronaldinho to give it a shot. A good veteran midfield in Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Flamini, a solid backline and world class forwards, Milan will be sure to tell everyone of their return to the Champions League.

Real Madrid are favorites for this year. Wanna know why? Kaka. Ronaldo. Alonso. Benzema. Bernabeau. With the additions of four mega stars and superstar talents to go with their other new additions of Raul Albiol and Arbeloa, Madrid have filled up every hole possible and then some. With an offensive minded coach finally running the show, Madrid will go as far as their legs and will let them. Having the final at their home ground gives them that much more reason to succeed this year more than ever.

Take a look at some players Olympique Marsaille have sold over the last years: Karim Ziani, Franck Ribery, Samir Nasri, Djibril Cisse, Aroudon Kone. World class talent at its finest. While they still have players in Bakari Kone, Mattieu Valbuena, Lucho Gonzalez and Haten Ben Arfa, they will fall a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bit short this year. Nothing to be disappointed about as they have a young talented squad, as long as they decide to keep it together.

This is FC Zurich's 1st time in this competition. That gives you an idea of what chance they have.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Madrid 2) Milan. Europa League: Marsaille. Eliminated: FC Zurich.

Group D:

The last group of death from this year's draw. A lot of entertaining and exciting football in this group.

Chelsea have a coach. A coach who has not only won this a few years back, but a coach who has some idea of how to run a team. Carlo Ancelloti has brought a whole new mentality to the Chelsea locker room. With no big name addition this offseason, the Pensioner's couldn't add a player to the likes of Kaka or Sergio Aguero so Ancelloti came up with an idea his predescesors(AV Grant and Phil Scolari) couldn't; adapt new tactics. He has Chelsea up and running and with that core in place for the past several years, the chemistry is there.

FC Porto are like Marsaille; selling away some amazing talent, but some how always qualifying for CL the next year. This season looks a little bleak however, selling both Lisandro Lopez and Lucho Gonzalez. Although they added the Columbian sensation Falcao from River Plate, they could use another forward.

Atletico Madrid quite possibly have one of the world's best forward duo's in Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan. Both have a knack for scoring goals, especially Forlan who just won the Pinchini award as La Liga's top scorer as well as the European Gold Shoe. While the backline may be makeshift, it is still decent and make up for it with a strong midfield featuring Simao and Maxi Rodriguez.

This is Apoel FC's first time in the Champions League. They better be prepared to get some lumps as Chelsea and Atletico will give them a struggle.

Predicitions: Advancing: 1) Chelsea 2) Atletico Madrid. Europa League: FC Porto. Eliminated: Apoel FC.

Group E:

Could this be the year that the Scouser's hit a knock? A "trap group" for all parties involved.

Liverpool are struggling so far in their Premier League campaign. Is that a sign of things to come this year? With the sales of Alonso and Arbeloa and the signings of Alberto Aquilani and Glen Johnson to replace them one would guess they'd be in good shape right? Not at all apparently. Liverpool fans will soon learn that Aquilani cannot even sniff Xabi Alonso's boots and that Aquilani does not possess a killer ball like the Spaniard did. Same with Arbeloa, Johnson doesn't have the mental toughness and grit that the Spanish international possessed. Couple these developing problems with the fact that the backline is thin due to injuries to both Daniel Agger and Martin Skrytel and this could be a quick exit for the Merseysiders.

Some would think selling your best young player who's eventually going to develop in a dynamo forward is a potentially bad thing? Well not for Olympique Lyonnais' luck. With the sale of Karim Benzema to Real Madrid, Lyon purchased forward Lisandro Lopez from FC Porto, LB Aly Cissokho from FC Porto and LM Michel Bastos from Lille. These three have already helped Lyon get through the qualifying stages and figure to be a staple in the French squad for as long as they hope to stay. The loss of Juninho will hurt, but their is depth with Ederson and Kim Kallstrom. This is the strongest Lyon have looked in awhile on the European stage. That say's a lot.

Alberto Gilardino of Fiorentina wanted the big dogs this year and he surely got it. Liverpool will undoubtadely prove a test for the Florence based squad as will Lyon who knocked Fiorentina out last year of the group stages. Depth is the key. Even with the loss of Felipe Melo to Italian rivals Juve, Fiorentina still boast a squad featuring good forwards (Adrian Mutu and Gilardino) and a world class keeper in Sebastian Frey. With Cesar Prandelli a magician as a coach anything is possible with this bunch.

FC Debreceni is another new comer. With these three powers in here, they'll be fortunate to walk away with one point.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Lyon 2) Liverpool. Europa League: Fiorentina. Eliminated: FC Debreceni.

Group F:

Heavyweights and The Eastern European Block.

The reigning champions come back looking better than ever. Barca added anther player in Zlatan Ibrahimovic although at the expense of Samuel Eto'o. They bring back the same exact sqaud with a few minor changes. Dymoto Chygrynskiy may be on his way in on Saturday, giving Barca another holding mid with the ability to play CB. They also added a top quality attacking LB in Maxwell from Inter. All these additions make them that much more lethal than last year. Think about that.

Inter Milan may have benefitted from selling Ibrahimovic. It brought in Eto'o and 40 million euros. With those 40 million it help to fund the purchases of Diego Milito, Thiago Motta, Lucio, Kerlon, Marko Arnautovic and possibly the addition of Wesley Sneijder as soon as tomorrow. A 4-2-3-1 looking like this: GK: Julio Cesar || RB: Maicon CB: Lucio CB: Samuel LB: Chivu || CM: Muntari/Cambiasso CM: Sneijder/Motta || RM: Mancini/Zanetti LM: Quaresma/Arnautovic CF: Eto'o/Kerlon || ST: Milito/Ballotelli. This team is built for the long haul and can battle with any team in Europe.

Kiev are based heavily on homegrown Ukraine players and they have had small success in Europe. It'll get them far, but not as much as one would hope. Europa League seems likely for them, where they have a better chance to contend.

FC Rubin Kazan of the Russian Super League. Never heard of them? Tells you all you need to know for this team. Maybe they battle it out with Kiev for that Europa League spot. MAYBE

Predictions: 1) Barcelona 2) Inter Milan. Europa League: Dynamo Kiev. Eliminated: FC Rubin Kazan.

Group G:

Between three middle of the pack teams, this can go anyway.

You can label Sevilla the favorite of this group. They have one of the top strikers in all of Europe and the world in Luis Fabiano. In addition to that, they also possess to up and coming wingers in Diego Capel and Jesus Navas. With a solid squad year in and year out and Fabiano in his prime, they should win Group G with ease. Don't expect a thorough march through Europe though; their backline may be sufficient enough to get through the group stages, but if they have to face any team with a good strike for (ie; Barca, Madrid, United) it will be a quick exit for the Spanish side.

Glasgow Rangers are no strangers to this competition. They've been in this competition or the UEFA cup for the last decade. With a blend of good midfielders (DaMarcus Beasley, Pedro Mendes) and a forward in Kris Boyd who has a knack for scoring goals in bunches, Rangers FC should be a stern test for anyone, whether it be Champions League or if they play in Europa League. With a veteran and tactical coach in Walter Smith, they should be able to make it a good fight in the Group Stages.

VfB Stuttgart have world class players and are coming off a successful campaign in the Bundesliga finishing 3rd and qualifying for this tourney. Selling their top scorer in Mario Gomez certainly hurts, but they still possess a solid team with Jens Lehman, Khalid Bhoularouz, Jan Simek, Thomas Hitzelberger, Boka, Elson and the newly acquired Alexsander Hleb. With a veteran keeper in Lehman who apparently still has something left in the tank and good Champions League experience and Hleb coming off CL glory with Barca, they have a winning and determined mindset in that lockerroom.

With AFC Unirea Urziceni, its the same story again. New comer into CL play. Although I don't expect them to advance, I still expect them to put up the best of fights compared to most of the other new teams in this tourney. Walking away with 5-6 points is possible and a good start for someone new into a big stage like this.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Sevilla 2) Vfb Stuttgart. Europa League: Glasgow Rangers. Eliminated: AFC Unirea Urziceni.

Group H:

The "Pancake" Group.

Arsenal fans and players have to be ecstatic. This is the easiest of the groups in this years draw. This bodes well for the Gunners as Wenger can experiment with tactics, formations and players to get a feel for how he can move about in the knockout rounds. Also this gives him a good chance to rest injured stars whomever me pick up a knock of so. With Eduardo running at full pace and Bedtner promising a plethora of goals, this would be the perfect time for those two to build chemistry and an understanding with one another, which will ultimately help them in the long run. One key concern in the backline; selling Toure leaves them thin with only Gallas and Vermaeleen as their CBs and no other reliable source. (Note: I didn't say they didn't have an able body to put there, they don't have anyone of quality who could make a difference).

AZ Alkmaar are making their first ever appearence in the Champions League. Believe me when I say they have the talent to make magic as they just won the Dutch Erdivisie last year. The loss of trainer/tactician Louis Van Gaal will hurt, especially because they replaced him with Ronald Koeman; yes the same Ronald Koeman who almost managed to wipe Valencia CF off the face of the planet. If Van Gaal was still here, I could give them a thumbs up to do something. Sadly he's not and Koeman will more than likely guide them to Europa League.

Another old face in this tournament is none other than Olympiacos CF Piraeus. Always coming through VIA winning the Greek League, almost every year the Greek Giants boast a formidable squad. Names like Rivaldo have at one time suited up for the team. This year, Olympiacos boast a talented and tested team featuring; Olof Mellberg, Luciano Galletti, Oscar, Diogo, Matt Derbeyshire, Raul Bravo, Dudu Cearense, Enzo Maresca and Cristian Ledesma; all big time players and talented as well. Although these are some big name players they will struggle when they meet a formidable squad such as Bayern Munich or Juventus.

Standard de Liege are also marking their first appearence in CL play. They lost their top defender in Oguchi Oneywu which certainly will not help. Expect a quick and quiet exit from the Belgium side.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Arsenal 2) Olypiacos CFP. Europa League: AZ Alkmaar. Eliminated: Standard de Liege.

And there you have it there are the predictions for this years draw. One final thing to look at which stands out this year more than ever; storylines. And there are two that will capture every headline.

REAL MADRID VS A.C. MILAN

Kaka going back to Milan. One can only imagine the reception he will receive; nothing but warmth and love for the former Rosseneri player. Remember he never fully wanted to leave, but it was said to have been beneficial to Milan in the long run. With Kaka playing against his former mates, the same will be the case for "The Hunter" Klaas Jan-Huntelaar. One can state, Huntelaar wasn't given a fair shake during his stay at the White House, but let's be honest; he was a panic buy by Ramon Calderon. Now at Milan, he can see proper minutes and work with another up and comer in Alexander Pato. Madrid fans will be indifferent with Klaas, as he never exactly set the world on fire during his stay at the Bernabeau.

INTERNAZIOLE VS FC BARCELONA

'Samu' comes home to visit the Blaungra. Ibra'cadbra takes stroll through Milan again. Eto'o will be received with cry and tears, maybe some jeers. During his tenure at the Nou Camp, no matter how enigmatic he was, he was still loved by the Barca fans for his ability to score goals in key games (something Barca fans will learn this year that Zlatan doesn't possess in his arsenal). It was a bitter exit marked by a lot of "he said" "she said" non-sense between Joan Laporta and Pep Guardiola. As the exit was tough for Eto'o, the same cannot be said for Inter; management and fans for ready to cash in on another enigmatic figure for the chance at 40 million euros and forward who has a penance for scoring big goals and goals in bunches. It's easier to see who was happier when this was all said and done.

And there you have it, a full recap of everything and what's in stores. CL recaps will be posted after matchdays with analysis and possibly video footage.

If United Want The Next Upcoming Star, They Should Pounce For Angel Di Maria

Puneet Singh

According to the words of Sir Alex Ferguson, United are all done spending money this summer for any players. When the man says something, you listen.

So all the rumours of "United launching a bid for David Silva, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Franck Ribery" etc etc should be ignored.

Looking at United's signings offseason, it's as simple as this; what you see is what you get.

Michael Owen is an injury prone veteran with the 'potential' to bounce back and score 15-20 goals for us this year. Antonio Valencia is a right sided winger/midfielder who has is a good passer and above average defender with good instincts and shooting ability. Gabriel Oberton is a young frenchman who has 'potential' to be a cross between Thierry Henry and Flourent Malouda. I'll see that when I believe it.

While there is potential here, there is no definite.

Looking at our midfield for next year we will have Carrick, Anderson, Scholes, Hargreaves, Giggs, Valencia, Park, Fletcher, Nani, Oberton, Tosic and also John O'Shea who can play in the midfield if need be.

While all of these players are gifted, talented and hardworking outside of Anderson they all lack one thing: Flair. With Ronaldo now plying his trade in Madrid, we have lost a lot of flair from the midfield, nearly all of it actually.

That's why it's necessary to buy one more player for this squad for not only short term, but the long term future of United; Angel Di Maria of S.L Benfica.

The hype around Di Maria is real. Him along with Messi and Sergio Aguero led the 2008 Argentina olympic squad to a Gold Medal victory over Nigeria with Di Maria scoring the game winning goal which is shown here:

After the Olympics, Di Maria was linked with Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan. Recently as of last weel, Inter Milan rekindled their interest in Di Maria while Barca have taken the 1st step to get on good terms with Benfica, offering their new striker Kerrison on a season long loan to Benfica.

Di Maria at the young age of 21 has already been capped numerous times for the Argentine national team, and a place on next year's World Cup sqaud looks imminent.

With Ryan Giggs getting older, and Nani unproven from last year as the case for Tosic, United could use a winger/side midfielder with experience and class. The time has never been more crucial for United to add a player and Di Maria's name is calling

The Two Key Signings To United's Success Have Already Been Made

by Puneet Singh

With all the hoop-lah surrounding the summer transfer window, with the who goes where and "we should get him" non-sense I'm looking back at the Manchester United squad with content.

Many will believe that I am insane because not only did we sign a little known Ecuadorian in Luis Valencia and a no name Frenchman in Gabriel Oberton, but we let two of our prominent players leave this summer in Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

While Madrid and Manchester City have nabbed everyone anyone could desire in the market, United have addressed NEEDS over luxaries, thus making the signings of Michael Owen along with Valencia all that's required at Old Trafford.

The depth at United is remarkable compared to some other clubs. With versatile players and hard nose grinders, United is composed of every aspect of football, making their strength the ability to change tactics on the fly.

What Valencia lacks in flair that Ronaldo possessed on the right side of the midfield, he makes up with his grit, hard work and constant hustle; something that Ronaldo did not always give us. Back tracking, good dribbling and excellent passing, Valencia has what it takes to fit right into Fergie's plan and thrive at United.

As Owen proved in the friendly the other day, he still has his scoring boots on and knows how to get it done when needed. We don't need him to score 30 goals like Ronaldo, we just need him to chip in in a key situation and not have to worry about carrying a team. This will take the world off his shoulder's and make his job that much easier.

But more essentially than those two signings, our two major signings have been right in front of us all along, in the form of Owen Hargreaves and Nani.

It should come to no surprise that Hargreaves was dearly missed in the center of the midfield. Hargreaves is the white Michael Essien. That is the only way to put it. He can play all over the backline, all over the midfield and he does it bloody well.

He's one of the key reasons why we couldn't hold our own against Barcelona in the midfield during the Champions League final this year; Xavi and Iniesta were driving through the center of the pitch at will without any force. As shown from the previous CL final against Chelsea in which United prevailed in, Hargreaves had done a superb job keeping everyone at bay and orchestrating the United offsense from the back.

Even at times last year, you could tell United missed Hargreaves muscle. Games that should have been won or at least drawn were dropped. A healthy Hargreaves gives us a bigger weapon than any other signing could offer us and it WILL be proven true once "Hargo" comes back at full strength come September. Premier Leagues be warned.

The other signing that ironically came along with Hargreaves in the summer of 2007 was Luis Nani.

After a magnificent 2007/2008 campaign in which Nani not only delivered wonder goals and assists but also the captivating backflips, he flopped during the 08/09 campaign worse than Greg Louganis at the Olympics(google that one up).

He was expected to be CR7 vol 2.0, but looked more and more like Quaresma in a big league as time went on. He was ultimatley placed in the reserves where he featured more there.

Luckily for Nani's case, Sir Alex Ferguson is giving him a 100% chance to prove his worth this time, hoping to yield positive results from the young Portuguese winger.

Now more than ever is Nani's time to rebound and shine. A platoon of Nani and Valencia would provide United with everything they'd need; solid defense and solid offense.

Liverpool fans are all on cloud nine thinking that they just jumped up a peg for the Premier League title (something the Scouser's haven't won in 20 years or in a better way to put it, since I've entered this earth). Well, I have a reminder for all footballing fans from all different teams: Manchester United on a bad day are still better than you on your best. Best of luck to all in the Premier and Europe this year; you will certainly need it.

Real Madrid Just Parked The Benz Into The Bernabeau

Puneet Singh

Just when I thought Manchester United were going to sign their guy for the summer transfer window, what goes off and happens? Good Ol' Florentino Perez steps in and decides to play some real life FIFA manager mode.

With the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Negredo, Raul Albiol and Kaka under his belt, Perez may have just signed the best long term piece of them all.

The player? None other than Karim Benzema.

The announcement was made official by Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas, stating that Lyon had accepted the 35 million euro bid from Real Madrid with it potentially becoming 41 million euros based on performance bonuses. Benzema will pen a six year deal to ply his trade at the Santiago Bernabeau.

Adding Benzema now gives Real Madrid a strike force of Raul, Gonzalo Higuain, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and now Negredo (who's buy back option was exercised) and Benzema.

With Van Nistelrooy on his way out and Huntelaar looking to be loaned out or sold, this strike force remains deadly and young with Higuain, Benzema and Negredo all expected to be given bigger roles.

What did United do? Or a better question is, what DIDN'T they do?
Rumors were circulating like flies all over the press with comments ranging from "Benzema to United 90% complete" to "Benzema Wants United." When it was 1st leaked that Real had approached Lyon with a 32 million euro bid for Benzema, reports were surfacing that United were ready to splash 45 million euros for Benzema. But nothing ever materialized beyond that, and now the deal is sealed with Real.

My belief is this; United more than likely never even tabled a bid for Benzema, and it hurts me that they lost out on a fine gem. Chalk another one up to the wizardry of Zidane; this time from his political role.

Where does Benz fit? Well he is a centre-forward with the skillset to play up front as the lone striker. Depending on how Manuel Pellegrini decides to utilize Benzema, he may be lining up next to Higuain in a 4-4-2 or in front of Kaka in a 4-2-3-1; both of which are Pellegrini's preferred systems.

With Negredo, Benzema and Higuain, Madrid have the best bunch of young strikers the world could possibly put together. Within the next two years, we may just remove that word "young" from the previous statement, as Madrid may have put together the best strike force since 2005 when Juventus boasted Del Piero, Trezeguet, Mutu, Ibrahimovic, Di Vaio and Miccoli.

Who's going to score the most goals out of the Madrid bunch? Who knows. What I DO know is that it's going to be an absolute beauty watching three forwards under the age of 24 hit and play the peak and primes of their careers at the Bernabeau.

Get The Lad His Pacifier and Binky

Puneet Singh

The success of Manchester United over all of Europe for the past two years can be pointed to through many different aspects of the team; our great depth of the bench and reserves, Sir Alex Ferguson's unparalleled coaching tactics and mind games, Cristiano Ronaldo's 42 goal tally last year....the list is endless. One of the unsung heroes on our squad who gets lost in all the fame and praise of the other stars at United is none other than "El Apache" Carlos Tevez.

Since arriving at United on a two year loan in the summer of 2007, Tevez has earned a reputation as a bulldog and a grinder. This is evident in his style of play and his never quit attitude on the pitch. Through the 98 games over the last two years that Tevez has featured in, he has netted 34 goals and in the process formed a dynamic partnership with Wayne Rooney, known to the Manchester faithful as RooVez.

He has been unsettled though this year, starting less games because of the signing of Dimitar Berbatov, an in the box monster and front line carrier that Manchester have been lacking since selling Ruud Van Nistelrooy off to Real Madrid prior to the 2006-2007 campaign.

It seems like by not starting consistently at Manchester and United having not secured his long term future from the 3rd party group of MSI by now, that Tevez is now irate and frustrated, thus prompting rumors of his departure. But Tevez has to remember that Manchester United are an elite club, if not THE ELITE CLUB in all of the footballing world. There will be all world talent here and players will want to come and play for Fergie and the Red Devils. Look at the likes of John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung and Johnny Evans, all role players for United, but could easily be starting for 12 to 13 of the other Premier League teams today. The key is that each of these players is a vital and integral part to our organization and have a certain role, and as long as they do their job, they will continue to have that role. Tevez needs to realize that he too is highly regarded not only by the organization, but the fans that sing and chant his name. He will always have his place at United should he choose to stay here.

If Tevez believes that his situation is unfair and he does not get enough playing time, try explaining it to these players from these teams. In 2005 Real Madrid has Fernando Morientes, Raul, Ronaldo, Robinho and Michael Owen all as their forwards, and all were all world talents at the time. Playing time was beyond scarce for Owen and Morientes whom both would eventually leave after the season while Robinho was in the process of being converted from a CF to a Winger. In 2000 Inter Milan had the dilemma of deciding who to start out of a group that included Hernan Crespo, Christian Vieri, Alvaro Recoba, Robbie Keane and Ronaldo again.

So where oh where could Carlos be headed? The man himself has said he would love to stay in England and in his own words "Any club I join, whether it be Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool or Everton, will be a rival of Manchester United." This all but shows that his mental state has already left United. Outside of England, Tevez is heavily being pursued by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

Should Tevez sign with another club it would not be the end of the world for United, but the end of the world for him. There is no bigger of a winning culture in all of Europe than Manchester United over the past three years. Walking away from that to go to a team such as say Liverpool or Real Madrid which has not won much over the past three to four years, would seem questionable. Although he will be getting a great amount of playing time, he will be going to two areas where the culture is completely different. Liverpool is always in a state of panic and breakdown so long as Rafa Benitez is the skipper there, and at Madrid there is no continuity with their coaching carousel. Manchester City can afford to pay him beyond his wildest dreams and start him all the time, but the case comes up that they are at the bottom of the barrel and as far away from winning the Premier League as anyone. In addition to that, they are still a year or two away from Champions League play.

Tevez should know this, although the grass may seem greener outside of Manchester, there is no one out there who can offer him more as a whole than we can. Playing time and a heftier paycheck may be nice, but at the cost of being a legend and a winner, is it really worth it? Carlos should realize, he's not irreplaceable as he thinks in his own mind. If United can replace icons such as Roy Keane, David Beckham and Eric Cantona of recent times, he should feel honored to be wearing the same shirt as that elite company. Playing for United is a privilege one that he should look forward to continuing for years coming. We embrace you Carlos, its time you show us love back.