Ollie Irish - Premier League Tales

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky…

I was lucky enough to be at Wembley Stadium last night to witness England give their most complete performance since the headline-friendly – but ultimately meaningless – 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich in September 2001.

There's a pleasing symmetry there, and not just in the scorelines – as in the win against Croatia, the rout of the Germans was managed by a foreign coach; for Capello now, read the much-maligned Sven-Goran...

CHELSEA

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

Last season in the Premier League: 3rd, 83 points (25 wins, 8 draws, 5 defeats)

Summer moves
In: Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow, £18m), Daniel Sturridge (Man City, to be determined by tribunal), Ross Turnbull (Middlesbrough, free)
Out: Franco Di Santo (Blackburn, loan), Jimmy Smith (Leyton Orient, free), Ben Sahar (Espanyol, £1m), Frank Nouble (West Ham, nominal), Ryan Bertrand (Reading, loan), Tom Taiwo (Carlisle,...

So, another season, another silly PFA shortlist. This is who the pros voted for in 08/09:

Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Ryan Giggs (Man Utd)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd)
Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)

The first thing you might notice is the overwhelming Man Utd-ness of the list. That's fine, in theory – United are still on course for five trophies this season, so it's reasonable to assume their players are on form.
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How many top-class managers will Roman Abramovich get through before Chelsea finally win the trophy he really covets, the Champions League. Five, six? I don't know and I don't really care - it's his money and he can waste it however he wants.

One thing is sure: Chelsea are not in crisis, as some people seem to think. They could still win the treble this season. Don't laugh yet. It's hugely unlikely, agreed, but you can't claim that the end is nigh, not while Abramovich bankrolls the club.
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