Will Germany invade Italy for fourth UEFA spot?

The demise of Italian football could be rubber-stamped at the end of the forthcoming season.

Should the Serie A teams competing in European football fail to out-perform those of the Bundesliga, the fourth Champions League qualification spot will be stripped from them and awarded to the Germans.

The number of European places are determined by the UEFA League Coefficient. It ranks the leagues of Europe by the results of their teams in the Champions League and the Europa League (previously UEFA Cup) over the past five seasons.

Points awarded each season – two for a win, one for a draw – are divided by the number of teams that participated for that nation in that season. For the league coefficient the season's point totals for the last five seasons must be added up. In the preliminary rounds of both the Champions League and Europa League, the awarded points are halved.

Bonus points are allocated for: qualifying for the Champions League group phase and Europa League round of 16 (4 bonus points); Reaching the second round of the Champions League; and reaching the quarter, semi and final of both Champions League and Europa League.

Only three nations possess four Champions League spots - England, Spain and Italy. As it stands, Italy have 62.91 points. Germany are now trailing them by just under seven points, at 56.69.

Dropping out of the top three would serve as a huge embarrassment to the notoriously proud Italians.

The level of quality in Serie A has been questioned continuously over the past five or six years. The quality in Germany, however, has increased remarkably in the last couple of seasons.

The previous Bundesliga campaign proved surprisingly enticing. In a highly competitive year, Wolfsburg historically claimed the club’s first league title, trouncing Bayern Munich 5-1 on the way. The side boasted the most successful strikeforce in the league’s history. Bosnian hotshot Edin Dzeko and Brazilian Grafite racked up a 54 goal-haul – littered with outrageous efforts.

Serie A, in contrast, was won by Inter for a fourth consecutive season. Their closest competitors, Juventus and AC Milan, jointly finished ten points behind Mourinho’s side.

Since then, both the former World Player of the Year - Kaka - and the league’s top scorer - Inter’s Ibrahimovic - have left for Spain.

There is still hope for the Italians. The deal that saw Ibrahimovic’s departure to Barcelona has brought the explosive Samuel Eto’o to Serie A. The Bundesliga’s second-hottest talent (behind Franck Ribery), Diego, has left Germany in favour of Italian side Juventus.

Another ‘green shoot’ for Serie A is the intriguing incident that occurred on an AC Milan team-bonding session.

Club owner (and Italian PM) Silvio Berlusconi, is rumoured to have demanded jaded superstar Ronaldinho to stand on a table in front of his teammates and promise to ‘live right’ and rediscover the form that resulted him in becoming the biggest attraction in world football. A potentially patronising experience that is said to have emotionally-touched the Brazilian.

If the former great keeps his promise, Italian football might just be rescued.

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Real talk

Real Madrid are sending shockwaves through European football.

They wrapped up the world-record £56 million purchase of Brazilian superstar Kaka only two days ago, yet they have already embarked on completing an £80 million deal to prise Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United.

These are undoubtedly the two biggest transfer coups in football history and are soon to be followed by a third - Valencia's David Villa is set to arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu for the princely sum of £35 million with Alvaro Negredo going the other way.

Some are outraged at the money being splashed about by returning former club President Florentino Perez. I'm not.

FC Barcelona won the treble of La Liga title, Copa del Ray and Champions League in the most successful season in their history. They have done so playing beautiful, attacking football scoring more goals than ever before.

Real finished second in La Liga - their heaviest defeat being a 6-2 thrashing by Barca at home, exited early in the Copa del Ray, and were humiliated by Liverpool in the Champions League quarter final. They have to spend. They have to fight back against a supreme Barcelona. A team that look untouchable under a Pep Guardiola that has Catalonia running through his veins.

They are the two biggest clubs in the world. The rivalry between the two clubs is the biggest in football. When the teams meet in an 'el classico' it is watched by a global audience of hundreds of millions. Imagine the shame of that 6-2 defeat.

I cannot wait to witness another team of 'galacticos' attempt to reinstate the club as one of the greatest footballing institutions in the world. And attempt to regain the pride that was savaged so severely last season.

It will be 'una cosa bella'.

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Newcastle lose relegation dogfight

It still hasn't sunk in. Newcastle United have been relegated.

It didn't happen overnight, it has been a slow demise - one which began the day Sir Bobby Robson was "relieved of his duties" and one that accelerated the day Mike Ashley's £134 million takeover was finalised.

Freddy Shepherd's decision to sack Bobby Robson in August 2004 was ill-advised, and inevitable following Shepherd's refusal to extend his contract just two months prior - the same month Newcastle had an official £20 million bid for Wayne Rooney turned down.

Although Robson failed to win any silverware during his tenure, he did lead the Tyneside outfit to two successive Champions League qualification finishes - his failure to make it three-in-a-row (only finishing Fifth!) being the catalyst of his sacking.

Since his departure, the club never looked like repeating such success.

Mike Ashley took over from Shephard in 2007 and his first decision was to sack Sam Allardyce after only eight months in charge in January 2008 - Newcastle were in 11th place in the table at the time of his sacking (Allardyce has since proved very successful, saving Blackburn Rovers from relegation this season with apparent ease).

Ashley then proceeded to run the club into the ground. Just days after appeasing fans with his decision to appoint Kevin Keegan as their new manager, he opted to hand Dennis Wise a powerful, wide-ranging executive position along with a reported £1.5 million-a-year salary.

This proved to be the worst decision he could have made. Wise's involvement in team transfers - resulting in the arrival of inadequate Spanish striker Xisco and the ineffective Ryan Taylor - infuriated Keegan and prompted his decision to quit.

From then on, Newcastle were in complete disarray. The bizarre decision to appoint Joe Kinnear as manager resulted in an alarming slump in form and a triple heart bypass for the man in charge. By the time Newcastle legend Shearer took over it appeared - and proved - impossible to save the club from the drop.

Oh, how different could it have been had they beaten Man Utd to the signing of potentially England's greatest ever player?

It shocks me that Newcastle will be playing in the Championship next season. During my time as a football fan Newcastle have always been a big club. A big club with big players.

Shearer, Beardsley, Ginola, Cole, Ferdinand; and those elasticated legs of Tino Asprilla!

They have given us two of the greatest Premier League games of all time, both resulting in thrilling 4-3 victories for Liverpool in '96 and '97.

A scintillating hat-trick for Asprilla in a famous 3-2 Champions League victory against Barcelona in '97.

And, not forgetting, that Ginola goal against Ferencvaros in their '96 Champions League campaign.

Newcastle have provided me with so much joy and entertainment in their recent history. And, for that, I am gutted they find themselves playing second-tier football for the first time in 16 years.

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A season of surprises

It has been another sensational season in the Barclay's Premier League so far - with only Sunday's final fixtures remaining - and once again there have been players and teams that have surprised me.

Stilian Petrov - Aston Villa's Bulgarian midfielder - has surprised me greatly. Not only proving he can perform in a competitive league (his previous clubs being Celtic of the SPL and CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria) but perform to a standard that almost drove Villa into a Champions League place - only to miss out to Arsenal due to a lack of squad depth.

I am delighted for Martin O'Neill that his signing has come to fruition following two innocuous seasons. It was the signing of Petrov along with Shaun Maloney - both coming from O'Neill's former club Celtic - that left me questioning his ability in the transfer market, however, with one in the form of his life and the other shipped back from whence he came, my view has changed.

Another surprise has been just how good Stephen Ireland has become. He clearly isn't the brightest of lads and has done some strange things - claiming his grandmother had died in order to avoid playing an international fixture for the Republic of Ireland being one example.

Ireland's performances throughout the season have been sublime. He has the potential to become World-class and will surely be Man City's talisman during their money-fuelled quest for greatness.

Other players deserved of a mention are 17-year-old Federico Macheda - bursting on to the scene with his curling debut winner for Man Utd against Aston Villa that put United firmly on top of the table - and Brede Hangeland - a towering, rock-solid centre-half and cornerstone of Fulham's success this season.

Hull City surprised everyone during the first half of the season - notably beating Arsenal at the Emirates - only for that state of surprise to turn into shock following Hull boss Phil "who wants an interview?" Brown forcing his side to face a humiliating tirade of abuse on the pitch after their poor first-half performance against Man City (gifting them a 4-0 lead). All this for a team well above their station at sixth in the Premier League table - results since that game leaving them one point off the drop-zone.

Fulham have been my surprise team of the season - playing attractive, free-flowing football throughout.

Opinions were few and far between when Roy Hodgson was appointed Fulham boss (often replaced with a casual shrug) but he has installed a great footballing philosophy at the club - bringing the best out of Danny Murphy, who had hidden his talent like a Greek soldier in a horse during his spells at Charlton and Tottenham.

Hodgson miraculously saved the club from the depths of relegation despair on the final day of last season - Fulham winning four of their last five games - and brought them to the brink of European football this season. A great achievement for a great bloke.

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Champions of England. Champions of Europe?

Hats off. A superlative title defence - if not achieved in superlative fashion.

United (with the odd exception) have done just enough throughout this season. A total of nine 1-0 wins, and a further six victories by a one goal margin. They have played far from their peak many times, but have still proved victorious at the final whistle - a feat their closest challengers (and rivals) Liverpool failed to achieve, ultimately, on too many occasions.

In the games Manchester United have played at their optimum, they have done so with great fluidity throughout the side. From the able centre-backs swapping passes with superior competency; Scholes' and Carrick's (or Fletcher, Anderson and Giggs for that matter!) interchanges - in both position and passing patterns; to a lethal frontline that have gelled utilising their individual brilliance.

It is still in the balance as to whether Carlos Tevez, part of that frontline, will remain at Old Trafford next season - although his apparent 'goodbye' waves & kisses to the crowd when substituted in today's 0-0 draw with Arsenal (crowning United champions) make his departure almost certain.

I would be overjoyed to witness Tevez playing (busting a gut!) in the red shirt of Merseyside next season. He would make an awesome addition to the squad for next season's follow up title challenge; and a cert to start on many more occasions than he has been allowed under Ferguson.

At the end of today's game against Arsenal, although gutting to see United celebrating the title win, it was also strangely satisfying witnessing the relief on the faces of their players, knowing it was my team that has pushed them all the way (all except the final fixture) this season - something I haven't seen since the inception of the Premier League.

Perhaps it could have been different. Had Gerrard & Torres started together more than twelve times it surely would have been. I do not say this with green-eyes at United's triumph - they are worthy winners - I say it because, unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafa Benitez does not have another world-class player to call upon in the circumstances when one of them (if not both) are deemed unavailable - a fact that needs changing in close-season.

Despite my disappointment following Liverpool's exit from the Champions League, I am pleased that the World's elite club competition is to be fought out by two sides posing the best attacking frontlines in World football - and possibly in World football history.

Manchester United's opponents in the final, FC Barcelona, should have their domestic title sewn up this weekend, only requiring a draw as United did today, and will have managed to claim the title in a manner that Ferguson and his players will be envious of.

That said, it is very much in the balance which colour ribbons will be draped from the illustrious trophy when it is held aloft on May 27. If the colours are red, white and black, United will become the first team to successfully defend the trophy - placing the side into the history books.

I, for one, do not want to hear another season of "Champions of England...Champions of Europe" being repetitively chanted throughout almost each of the 90 minutes United are in action. It is monotonous and unimaginative.

It would, however, be one hell of an achievement.

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Ryan Giggs - PFA Player of the Year?

Over 18 years at the highest level. Over 758 games for Manchester United (beating Bobby Charlton's record). Over 100 career goals. 10 Premier League winner's medals. 4 FA Cup winner's medals. 3 League Cup winner's medals. And last but not least, 2 Champions League winner's medals. Ryan Giggs is one of the English game's best-ever players.

But why has a player having only started 12 games this season been awarded the PFA Player of the Year Award?

Yes, he has performed well (in those 12 games) in a role not normally associated with Ryan Giggs, deeper in central midfield, and done so at the age of 36. But how influential have his performances been?

I can only remember one, to note, being at Old Trafford against Chelsea back in January. He was immense. All attacking moves went through him at one stage or another. But this was against a Chelsea side in disarray, under the (soon to be sacked) tactically-inept Luiz Felipe Scolari; and included a disillusioned Didier Drogba, who's performance was the worst I have ever seen from a professional footballer; let alone a player as deadly as Drogba.

The PFA, each Spring, have every member of the association vote for two players to receive the award. A shortlist is then published in April and the winner of the award is announced a few days later.

Why does the PFA insist on receiving the votes so early? It doesn't allow a fair reflection on a full season, the month following the award being the most important of a season. A month in which the best, most influential players come to fruition and shape their teams' season.

I was astonished not to see Frank Lampard's name on the shortlist. I (like many) have taken a disliking to Lampard, but no-one can deny his influence in this season's Champions League and also his influence during the Premier League season - that being much greater than the influence of Giggs' for Manchester United!

Brede Hangeland, Fulham's Norwegian centre-half, has been a rock at the back all season and it would be a nice change for a player outside of the top-four to be picked on merit.

Steven Gerrard, for me, should have walked away with the award. Although he has been in great form throughout the season and led by example, it was the days just prior to the nominations deadline and weeks after that he really exploded into life. He destroyed teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United almost single-handedly, and has scored 21 goals in 40 appearances; including 13 in the league. Unfortunately, his presence has been missed in the past three matches but he could still prove the catalyst for an extremely exciting Premier League finale.

Perhaps the Football Writers' Award, due after the final Premier League fixtures, will truly reflect the player that has epitomized his team and their successes?

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