It wasn’t too long ago that the greatest threat to ‘big fours’ monopoly on the Premier League came from the likes of Aston Villa and Everton. Both sides had gifted managers, acquired some great players for nominal fees and they really got the fans believing. How times have changed. The emergence of Manchester City and Tottenham have not only blown the title race wide open, but also the likes of Villa and Everton out of the water as far as competing for trophies is concerned.

Whilst watching the Tottenham Chelsea game at the weekend, a friend of mine, who is a Villa fan, confessed to his newly found hatred of Spurs which is all a result of jealously. A couple of seasons ago, many predicted big things from Martin O’Neill’s side, they even made the League Cup final last season. But that all seems a distant memory if you compare it to where the club stand today. Through little fault of their own, they have been pushed aside by clubs with more financial clout and find themselves in a position where their best players become poached; drawn to bigger clubs with the attraction of European football and massive pay increases. Just look at Gareth Barry and James Milner.

Even more frustrating for Villa fans is that, with the new wave of youngsters coming through, the added experience and quality of the likes of Milner and Barry could have really have brought something special to Villa Park. But now instead of worrying if their side really do have enough in them to push for a place in the top four, the biggest concern has to be which next best thing to come out of the Villa academy is going to end up at City?

Similarly, Everton have found themselves unable to continue to punch above their weight as clubs who surround them, or used to, have now improved beyond the capabilities of the Merseyside club. In their defence, chairman Bill Kenwright has been trying to sell for a long time as he knew he could no longer rival the finances of the teams they are trying to match, but unfortunately, his noble quest to find the right man for the club has left Everton falling further behind.

David Moyes has unquestionable done a remarkable job with little resources. His ability to spot a star player from the lower leagues has enabled him to build the foundations of a good side. But a good side is no longer good enough. Everton have also recently found themselves suffering from the same cruel occupational hazard Villa have done. Remember Joleon Lescott?

Both teams currently sit next to each other in the Premier League in unfamiliarly low places. Everton are hovering two points above the drop zone in 15th whilst Villa are a further two in front in 14th. Obviously misleading as neither side should finish in the bottom half of the table, they have too much quality for that, but as we approach the half way stage of the season, it does point to an alarmingly disappointing fall from grace.

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Whilst you consider their current standings, take a think back to the game at Villa Park between the two sides in April of last year. It finished 3-3, to the disappointment of both sides, as they were both still in the hunt of a fourth place finish. Also worth a mention – James Milner won the man of the match award for a stunning midfield display. Go back even further to the epic encounter in 2008 where Ashley Young scored a dramatic winner with seconds to go in a 3-2 win at Goodison Park. These games proved the quality of both sides and announced them to stage of the Premier League’s big guns.

Fast-forward to the present day and fans of both sides have massive causes for concern. If history repeats itself and more exciting young players decide to up-sticks and leave to pursue dreams of playing Champions League football, the days of Everton and Aston Villa as successful clubs could be over before it got going.

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Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has hit out at Gerard Houllier in relation to Aston Villa’s signing of Darren Bent.

The Black Cats will face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road this weekend without the club’s former record signing, who joined Houllier’s Aston Villa this week in a 24-million-pound deal.

Bruce admitted to being devastated to lose his leading goalscorer so abruptly, and was furious about the way the deal was done.

“I would have liked even a phone call from Mr Houllier, for whom I did have the utmost respect for what he’s done,” Bruce said.

“I would have thought that, out of respect, maybe he would have picked up the telephone to say, ‘We are interested in buying your striker’.”

“That at least would have given me an opportunity to try to do something about it.”

Nevertheless, Bruce believes even without Bent and the injured Danny Welbeck, Sunderland can gain revenge over Blackpool for their fortuitous victory at the Stadium of Light last month.

“Losing Darren this week is a massive blow for us, of course it is, but how much it is going to affect us this weekend is difficult to tell – hopefully not at all,” said Bruce.

“When we played Blackpool last month with three strikers in the line-up, we didn’t score at all.”

“So maybe there’s something to be said about the balance of the team and if we play with only one striker this weekend in Asamoah Gyan, there’s every chance it will work for us.”

Bruce is still working hard in the transfer market to strengthen his attacking options, with Stoke City’s Ricardo Fuller the most likely signing as things stand.

But for the moment Bruce is focusing on Blackpool and a mission to avenge a result which stands out as something of a statistical fluke.

“We lost 2-0 to Blackpool last month – our only league defeat at the Stadium of Light so far this season.”

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“But how we lost it I’ll never know.”

“We had more than 30 shots at goal in that game and I think there’s only once in a Premier League game – a game that Arsenal were involved in – where a team has had that many shots and not scored.

“I’ll settle for half as many chances this weekend because it’s something of a fluke not to score from that many opportunities.”

“The players have been disappointed by Darren’s departure but footballers are a thick-skinned lot and they move on quickly.”

Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed Bin Hammam dismissed suggestions Qatar would share the hosting of the 2022 World Cup.

UEFA chief Michel Platini had requested the event be jointly staged between Qatar and other Gulf nations, but Bin Hammam was adamant the tournament would be hosted solely by the tiny Arab nation.

“Qatar submitted a bid to organise the World Cup and it’s fair for Qatar to organise all the matches,” Bin Hammam said.

“It’s never actually been discussed inside the executive committee or outside the executive committee that some of the matches are going to be played outside the host nation.”

“I always believed Qatar can host a very good World Cup. It is an opportunity for those who had less confidence in Qatar’s capability to organize a World Cup to see with their own eyes, what can be done and what cannot be done.”

“We are proud of our infrastructure, our football infrastructure, and we can keep the promises we made in our bid.”

Bin Hammam said the experience of hosting the 2011 Asian Cup would be a valuable experience for the Qatari organising committee.

“Of course some lessons have been learnt (from hosting the AFC Asian Cup). Qatar has been excellent in organisation but this will add to their experience,” Bin Hammam said.

“Qatar has been organising tournaments for a long time. What is good is they don’t hesitate to engage any professional who can get the job done. They can do a lot from what they have learnt.”

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“We told the people of the world to come and feel how comfortable a World Cup organised in a small country can be.”

“We were organising two matches a day, and we have seen how comfortable watching two matches in a day in the same city, the same hotel, driving in the same car.”

Celtic scored their third win in 11 days over struggling Aberdeen with a comfortable 3-0 triumph at Pittodrie on Tuesday.

A 1-0 Scottish Premier League win at Celtic Park on January 22 was followed by a 4-1 thumping in the semi-final of the CIS Cup at Hampden on Saturday.

On Tuesday, it was back to league duty and striker Anthony Stokes – who scored in both previous wins – continued to be a thorn in Aberdeen’s side.

It was a nightmare start to the game for Aberdeen, who conceded a penalty and had defender Andrew Considine sent off after only two minutes, but goalkeeper Jamie Langfield did well to save Stokes’ spot kick.

Celtic did not have to wait long to take the lead, however, and Gary Hooper scored 10 minutes later although Aberdeen defended doggedly from that point on.

Mark Wilson eventually doubled Celtic’s advantage with 15 minutes to go, and Stokes bobbed up three minutes later to complete the rout.

The win sees Celtic increase their lead at the top of the league to eight points over arch-rivals Rangers, who have three games in hand.

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Elsewhere on Tuesday, St Johnstone leapfrogged Motherwell into seventh place with a 2-0 win over bottom side Hamilton.

Midfielder Steve May scored four minutes into the match, then again just a minute after the interval to give St Johnstone all three points.

Jose Mourinho insists that second place in La Liga will be good enough for Real Madrid, but only if the team refuse to give up.

Mourinho’s side won 4-1 at home to Real Sociedad on Sunday but are already seven points adrift of league leaders Barcelona.

With the defending champion in ominous form, Mourinho could be set to lead a team to second place for the first time since 2007 and only the second time in eight full seasons as a manager.

“I’m here to try to win the title, but nothing will be the matter if I end up in second place,” Mourinho said.

“What’s important to me is that we don’t give away the championship. If we do our job well and finish second we will be able to hold our heads high at the start of the holidays. Mathematics still say it is possible for us to win.”

The Santiago Bernabeu breathed a collective sigh of relief when star man Cristiano Ronaldo broke his four-game scoring drought with a brace in the win over Sociedad.

But with 24 league goals to his name already this season, Mourinho insists the Portugal captain has far exceeded expectations.

“Ronaldo’s run in La Liga will be fantastic even if he doesn’t score another goal in the remainder of the season,” he said.

“He always plays to the limit of his capabilities and ambitions. He gives his all for this team. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t score.”

Mourinho also praised his new strike force of Manchester City loanee Emmanuel Adebayor and France international Karim Benzema.

“Adebayor played very well and proved why he’s here. We have two strikers in optimum form right now who have different characteristics. Karim played 85 minutes against Sevilla and will most surely face Brazil with France next week. That’s why I played Adebayor. We are happy with both players. This situation is perfect,” he said.

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But the highest marks were reserved for German Mesut Oezil, who filled in for Argentina’s Angel di Maria with great success.

“Oezil has a lot of responsibility with us and with Germany, who are an important national team. He responds well to this,” Mourinho said.

“He played in Di Maria’s position today and the way he covered open spaces made it look like it was his natural position. He will be a fantastic player for Real Madrid for ten years. He has won us all over, fans and team alike.”

As we moved into the final 15 minutes of Arsenal’s meeting with Barcelona on Wednesday night, Gunners fans were facing up to the reality that their Champions League aspirations were circling the drain.

After a bright start, Barcelona dominated possession and chances in a way that suggested the Spanish champions were keen to make a radical statement to those still believing football played in the English top flight is superior to that displayed in La Liga.

In truth, the 2-1 win over the Catalan giants is unlikely to be enough to secure progress, regardless of the landmark feel of the victory amongst those present at the Emirates. The football world has an extremely short memory, and the level of optimism with which Arsenal fans travelled to Spain last season after rescuing a similarly precarious situation, should not be forgotten when we dissect the permutations of this first leg.

Nevertheless, after witnessing that first half display at the Emirates by the Barcelona engine room, to come out of that first leg with a lead is remarkable.

Many of the plaudits in yesterday’s newspapers have surrounded the performance of Arsenal’s youngest gun, Jack Wilshere. Despite a paucity of big game, Champions League experience, the diminutive youth team product looked instantly at home in a game that pitted his wits against some of the finest passing talents in the sport.

Wilshere’s distribution and accuracy may not have matched the exemplary Xavi in terms of sheer numbers, but the manner in which he moved around the pitch, consummately picking the correct passes was a joy to behold. Equally enchanting, was the youngster’s display of inventiveness and initiative that has been missing from many Arsenal midfields of previous seasons. The package underlined his remarkable ability and went a long way to justifying the excitement that surrounds his growth.

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If Wilshere’s performance against Denmark last week was promising, this display took the young midfielder to a different level, impressing amongst far more revered opponents than those he dealt with in Copenhagen last week.

Arsene Wenger made special mention of his young prodigy in his post-match press conference, hailing the display as “outstanding.” Whilst Wenger was reluctant to include Wilshere in his first team squad last season, any doubts of his status as a permanent fixture in the starting XI have been dispelled with this showing.

Arsenal have struggled to kick on from important results in the past – there have been several false dawns over the last four or five seasons, and this would represent another if they fail to convert this slim advantage into a major scalp.

There are lessons for Wilshere too. He only needs to look around at his captain, Cesc Fabregas and remember the Arsenal victory against AC Milan at this stage of the competition in 2008. Despite landing, what appeared a major breakthrough victory at the San Siro, Fabregas and his team mates showed a naivety in stumbling to defeat to Liverpool, before capitulating in the league – neither trophy has been close since. One swallow does not make a summer.

Wilshere is going to find the game at the Nou Camp like something he has never experienced before. Successful teams there have been able to stick men behind the ball and defend resolutely, whilst maintaining the ability to break with pace against what remains a fragile Barcelona defence.

The threat going forward is something that is beyond question, but there are major, major questions about Arsenal’s ability to hold off a ruthlessly efficient Barcelona for 90 minutes. We saw last season, that despite scoring an early goal, the Gunners made too many mistakes and were comprehensively beaten. Memories of the club’s last away game – the remarkable 4-4 draw with Newcastle, will do little to convince Wenger that his men can keep their illustrious opponents at bay.

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When Arsenal do get possession in the return leg, Wilshere’s key assignment will be ball retention – something the North Londoners have really struggled with against this Barcelona side. This will be something the whole side must do well – an extended game of attack versus defence will only end one way.

Such was Wilshere’s level of performance and calmness under pressure this week, older and far more experienced players might just be knocking on his door for help and advice on completing the task.

If you want to hammer me for Monday’s article on Jack Wilshere, get stuck in on Twitter. I deserve it.

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Blackburn’s owners Venkys have backed manager Steve Kean to keep Rovers in the English Premier League despite their horrid form.Rovers went down 3-2 to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday courtesy of a late Bobby Zamora penalty, causing the media to speculate whether the club’s owners at Ewood Park would sack their manager for a second time in a season after losing their fourth league game in their past five.The club’s owners dismissed Sam Allardyce on December 10 with the club 13th on the league table. Then-assistant Kean was initially installed as caretaker manager, but was handed a three-year deal in January after a early run of good form.But Blackburn are now in 14th place and just two points from the relegation zone, and have statistically the worst form in the Premier League.But co-owner Venkatesh Rao moved to dispel the theory that Kean was on borrowed time at the club.”The truth is absolutely nothing like that, absolutely,” Rao told Sky Sports.”He is very much there, he has just signed a contract and we like him a lot, he is very enthusiastic and he is very positive.”Rao admitted the side was struggling to finish off the season on a positive note, but believed Rovers could do enough in the final two months of the season to stay in the English top flight.”Yes, we are very concerned (with Blackburn’s form), but we are now trying to improve all aspects,” he said.”Plans are looking very positive and I am sure in the future we will do something better.”

With every remaining match crucial in the La Liga title race, Dani Alves believes Barcelona must be at their best when they meet Villarreal.Defending champions Barca top the table by five points with nine games left this season and face a challenging fixture away to fourth-placed Villarreal on Saturday, with second-placed Real Madrid waiting to pounce on any slip-ups.

“We have to be as focused as we can,” Alves said.

“They (Villarreal) are one of the most dangerous rivals that we have, but we have enough quality to not fear anyone. We will try to earn the win – that’s always our goal.”

“We are playing against Villarreal for three more points, which in the worst case (if Barca lose) would maintain the gap over the second-placed team.”

“There is no turning back now – every game is a unique opportunity. The end is getting closer, and any mistake could be costly.”

Alves signed a new contract at the Camp Nou earlier this month, ending speculation that the Brazil fullback might be tempted by the riches on offer at Manchester City.

“I am very happy. I said many times that it wasn’t just about the money. It is an important part – I won’t deny that – but all the details have been resolved and I am very happy,” he said.

“I made my desire to stay here very clear, and to maybe finish my career here.

The new four-year deal ties Alves to the club until 2015.

Now 27, he hopes to become one of the longest-serving Brazilians to have played for the Catalan giants.

“Xavi (Hernandez), (Carlos) Puyol, (Andres) Iniesta, they have their stories within the club,” Alves said. “I am reaching three years here and want to have my own story. I want that respect.”

“To compare myself to them wouldn’t be a good idea, because they are the club’s history. I don’t like comparisons, but I want to make history.”

“I want people to have another opinion of Brazilians here; not that they are here for three or four years and then leave. I have always left clubs on good terms.”

This season almost any player who’s put in a decent performance has been linked with Manchester United.

The list of players deemed ‘destined’ to come to Old Trafford in the Summer is so long, that if it were true United could fill a 25 man squad two times over.

Just looking at the goalkeepers being linked with United gives us some idea of how whenever a football writer is short of copy, making up a move to the Theatre of Dreams seems the easiest thing to do.

Goalkeepers linked with a move to United have been – deep breath now- Manuel Neuer, Pepe Reina, David De Gea, Gianluigi Buffon, Igor Akinfeev, Maarten Stekelenburg, Diego Lopez, Hugo Lloris and John Burridge – okay I made that last one up.

If Sir Alex Ferguson was planning to try out a new revolutionary tactic of having eight goalkeepers as some form of defensive unit, then that assortment of stoppers would be perfect, but he aint so they’re not.

It’s obvious United could do with another keeper as with Van Der Sar’s imminent retirement and Anders Lindegaard’s relative inexperience, surely Ferguson will be looking for a new number one.

Defensively United are arguably the strongest they’ve been in in recent memory – with Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Patrice Evra, Rafael and Fabio Da Silva giving Sir Alex plenty of quality options. The frustration at the lack of games Ferdinand has managed has been offset slightly by how well Smalling’s done since he arrived at the club.

When it comes to strikers, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Chicharito are a formidable trio with Danny Welbeck and Kiko Macheda also available if Ferguson’s needs them, spending millions on a striker would be a pretty pointless endeavour.

It’s in the midfield department that the smart money’s on Ferguson spending and spending big.

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Luka Modric, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Jack Rodwell, Gareth Bale, Wesley Sneijder, Beram Kayal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Eden Hazard, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Ashley Young, Jeremy Menez and Marek Hamsik are just some of the names that it’s been claimed will be wearing the red of United next season.

While I’ve advocated the signing of Charlie Adam, as a dead ball specialist and someone with the ability to spread the play, I’m not sure that United really need to start throwing money around.

There are three reasons I’m beginning to think United may not need to ‘splash the cash’ quite as much as some would suggest. The three reasons are simple: Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba and Tom Cleverley.

In that trio of United have three players who have made anyone that’s seen them bristle with excitement. Morrison’s recent brace against Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup has made him one of the most talked about players at the club, while Pogba is not far behind.

Both have excelled for the academy this season, Pogba who turned 18 this week – belated happy birthday son – has been compared to Patrick Vieira in the past, not just because of his physical appearance either.

Pogba can be a driving force deep from midfield and has a shot on him that Anderson can only dream of and the former Le Harve player has been attracting a lot of attention from the national media of late as certain newspapers realise he could break through to the first team sooner rather than later.

Morrison’s star is shining so bright that the club were even prepared to give him a chance following his recent court appearance, make no mistake about it, if it wasn’t for his talent, he’d have been jettisoned long ago.

Tom Cleverley has been one of Wigan’s best players this season, putting in stellar performances in a team that’s spent the last seven months battling relegation. As he did at Watford Cleverley’s shown himself to be a useful attacking midfielder that’s not afraid to mix it up a bit and get stuck in. I’ve made no secret of the fact I’m a big Cleverley fan and firmly believe he could do a job at Old Trafford next season.

Many Wigan fans, like Watford ones before them, rave about Cleverley and believe if they’ve any chance of survival he’s going to be a big part of it.

Continue to the NEXT PAGE…

Of course anyone will tell you playing for Wigan, or United’s academy or reserves is a lot different to playing in front of 70 odd thousand fans every week, but the same argument could have been used for any player to come through the ranks.

It’s been a while since anyone’s made the step up from the youth to the first team, but it’s also been a while since players of the caliber of Pogba Morrison and Cleverley were coming through United’s ranks.

With Michael Carrick recently signing a new long-term contract, it’s obvious that despite what many fans wish, he won’t be going anywhere soon. Neither it seems will Darren Fletcher who’s also poised to sign a new deal according to many reports.

While Fletcher has struggled at times this season, he’s still a class act on his day and hopefully once he gets himself fit, he’ll be able to put in the barnstorming performances he was fast becoming well known for.

Carrick’s one of the less revered players at the club, but while he may not be everyone’s cup of tea he has won a hat-trick of titles and a Champion’s League, so he can’t be the disaster some claim he is.

Darron Gibson’s a player that makes Carrick seem revered such is the level of disdain most Reds hold him in. I know most disagree but I’m still convinced Gibson may have a future at Old Trafford, particularly if his passing continues to improve.

Then there’s Rooney. I know I earlier labelled him a striker but as his recent performances have shown he can play practically as a midfielder and I for one think that’s where is future may lie.

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The point I’m making is do United really need to go out and spend £40, £50 or even £100 million on a host of players.

Given the choice of Henderson or Carrick I’d actually prefer the latter, ditto if you gave me the choice between Rodwell and Pogba. You can argue with some justification that Rodwell’s more proven but I’m not sure his ascendancy is as great as every one assumes. Last season, for me, was a more impressive one for the midfielder than this one has been and I genuinely think Pogba’s punching well below his weight playing for United’s academy or the reserves for that matter.

Some people claim that United need to spend big to show City, Chelsea and the rest of the pretenders that we’ve still got the financial clout to compete and are not totally crippled by the Glazer’s debt.

Well I’m sorry but that’s as ridiculous as it is dangerous. Spending money just to show you’ve got it is like going for a quick pint in Alderley Edge when you live in Stretford. Whether United have money or not is beside the point, I genuinely don’t think we need to buy more than maybe one midfielder and a goalkeeper.

Even if we just bought a ‘keeper I wouldn’t be that disappointed, I remember in 1995 when Mark Hughes, Andrei Kanchelskis and Paul Ince left for “greener pastures” after United had just experienced our first trophy-less season in six years.

Everyone predicted we’d fall behind mega-spending Blackburn and Newcastle but a few youngsters came through the ranks to poor dandelion and burdock on that particular chip barm.

Giving Cleverley, Pogba, Morrison and some would argue even Carrick, Gibson and Fletcher the job of looking after United’s midfield may be something of a gamble, but for me it’s less of gamble than spending £80 million on players who may or may not be good enough for Old Trafford.

Read more of Justin’s articles at the excellent Red Flag Flying High

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Barcelona remain eight points clear in La Liga after coming from a goal down to beat bottom side Almeria 3-1 on Saturday.Visitors Almeria took a surprise lead in the 50th minute after a goalless first half at the Camp Nou.

Diminutive Argentine forward Pablo Piatti found space on the right flank and was able to set up Miguel Angel Corona, with the attacking midfielder beating Barca reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto to make it 1-0.

But the lead lasted just three minutes before Almeria goalkeeper Diego Alves brought down David Villa in the box.

Lionel Messi converted the resulting penalty to draw Barca level.

Argentina forward Messi was again involved as Barca took the lead just over 10 minutes later.

His corner found the head of Thiago Alcantara and the teenage midfielder beat Alves to put the home side 2-1 up.

It was Messi who completed the scoring, benefiting from centre-back Marcelo Silva’s error to make it 3-1 in added time.

Earlier, Real Madrid came away from their trip to Estadio San Mames with all three points following a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Real took the lead 14 minutes into the match when Athletic goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz brought down Argentina midfielder Angel di Maria inside the penalty area and Kaka converted the penalty.

The visitors were 2-0 up in the 54th minute, with Brazil international Kaka again scoring from the spot after Xabier Castillo brought down di Maria in the box.

Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to add a third in the 70th minute.

With both of the top two winning, second-placed Real stay eight points back from league leaders Barca.

They teams are set to meet at the Santiago Bernabeu next Saturday.

In the late kick-off, Sevilla twice came from behind to draw 2-2 away to Mallorca.

First Alvaro Negredo equalised from the penalty spot after Akihiro Ienaga gave hosts Mallorca the lead at Estadio Son Moix.

Jonathan De Guzman restored Mallorca’s lead four minutes before the break, but Ivan Rakitic levelled again for the visitors on 67 minutes.

The draw leaves Sevilla fifth on 46 points, with Mallorca seven points back in ninth place.