Man Utd march on towards another Premier League title

It looks increasingly likely that Man Utd are going to triumph in the Premier League yet again. After a weekend in which Man City were held at home by Sunderland and United eventually broke down a resilient Blackburn to gain a 7th straight win, there is now a 5 point gap between the two Manchester clubs.

These resuts again bring up the importance of experience going in to the title race. Man Utd have a team full of players who have been in this position before and know they have what it takes to go distance. Man City, on the other hand, have neither the players or a manager with experience of winning in this country. Man City seemed to show signs of nerves and fatigue in their draw with Sunderland, whereas United who themselves were faced with a difficult showed they still have the ability to continue to pressure teams right until the end and, typically, scored two late goals against Blackburn.

It would be foolish to suggest that this title race is over and twists and turns are almost certain between now and the end of the season but Man City will know they can afford few more slip ups if they are to beat their rivals to the Premier League title.

Can Liverpool's Carling Cup success be the start of a winning era at Anfield?

On Sunday, Liverpool won their first win in six years with a win over Championship outfit Cardiff City. It was also their first trophy won at the new Wembley and the first since the return of Kenny Dalglish to Liverpool. Whilst Liverpool's performance was nervy and unconvincing and, in the end, required the lottery of a penalty shootout to decide the outcome of the final, one trophy can easily be the catalyst for more future success.

On the other hand, as Arsenal discovered last year, a cup final loss can also lead to a dramatic fall, as they were quickly knocked out of all other competitions following their loss to Birmingham City.

Regardless of how big the winning margin was, the most important thing was for Liverpool to start winning again and to give some of their new players that winning feeling. It also seems that neither Dalglish nor his players have any intention of stopping there. Liverpool are a big enough and ambitious enough club to be able to challenge for and win more trophies.

However, the Carling Cup isn't exactly as prestigious as a Premier League or Champions League success and is the lowest priority for most Premier League teams. Furthermore, despite significant recent investment in the playing squad, I don't believe that this Liverpool team is at all comparable to the side that used to dominate English football.

Could Liverpool go out and spend more money on players to improve further? Yes, but so could the other big teams around them in the Premier League, particularly Man City.

The most important thing for Liverpool is to get back into the Champions League. Considering the financial benefits of European football and the history of Liverpool, that is probably of far more importance. Even then an era of Liverpool dominance seems unlikely, but with Dalglish at the helm, Liverpool fans will believe more than ever.

Arsenal Sensation Gets National ‘Audition’

Arsenal’s wonderkid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been selected for a Euro 2012 audition in a friendly against Holland at Wembley.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been in sensational form for the Gunners in recent weeks, and opened his Premier League goal scoring account with a brace against Blackburn Rovers in the 7-1 victory on Saturday.

England national team manager Fabio Capello was in the stands to watch the 18-year old produce a breathtaking performance against Manchester United last month, and personally congratulated the former Southampton man after the match.

Capello has discussed the possibility of taking the young prospect to Poland and Ukraine for the European Championships with the senior squad in the summer, and they have decided to pick the Under-21 star for the upcoming friendly against Holland, and then make a final decision.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is ecstatic, but refuses to get carried away with the exciting chance to represent the national team. Speaking to the local media, he said, “Obviously it [England call-up] would be very nice, but I have just got to keep my feet on the ground and take it step by step.

“I am focusing on Arsenal at the moment, and am in the under-21 squad. All I can do is concentrate on what I am involved in.”

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