The best player in the world

The title of this post will always remain up for scrutiny and will never come down to the fact that the entire world agrees with one single person. And therefore I disagree with all those who believe that Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka or Francesc Fabregas or Ronaldinho is the best player in the world.

The best player in the world award should probably go down to players who DON'T have a single off-day. And there is only one player that comes to my mind when you think of consistency in despair, consistency in triumph, consistency in defeat and consistency in victory. And that man is Andres Iniesta.

The diminutive Spaniard may not enlighten the field, or put on a show or even be cheered on with impeccable applause like some of the aforementioned illustrious names. But this guy has dug deep to do something that many have failed to do - be consistent at all times. Greatness comes to those who not only excel in style, but those who excel every damn time they work.

Iniesta has been a part of the Barcelona first team since the last 5 years. But nobody has even noticed him become a world-class artifact of footballing handicrafts. He is a player who can do anything you want him to. He passes perfectly, never loses the ball (read NEVERRRR), is always twisting and turning around the penalty area looking for those opportunities that miss the eyes of many greats.

Any one who admires, likes, enjoys or even is a part of FC Barcelona states that he/she loves Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Henry etc. But they never mention the 22-year old Iniesta. That is sheer injustice on the part of a player, who could demand any wage from any club. For Barca fans, his heart is set on finishing his career in the Catalan cathedral. But Real Madrid were willing to breach the Zinedine Zidane monster fee to sign the youngster whom Barcelona picked up from Albacete when he was only 12.

Genius knows no bounds, they say. Iniesta is genius, class and a genuine football star all combined into one big package. And when he runs, defenders with no previous bookings would be the only ones trying to close him down. Because you can't stop him unless you foul him.....

Incredible Inter

If there's anything that Roberto Mancini would be waiting for as a challenge to test his management credentials, then it's the tie against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Just half way through the season in Italy and you already get the feeling that Inter Milan more or less deserve the league title for the third time in a row. They are by far the most talented squad in central Europe, and have the kind of depth and hold in Italy that Bayern Munich consistently enjoy in the Bundesliga.

Credit must go to Roberto Mancini who is proving that he is a better coach than than the brilliant player that he was in the past. Mancini, in fact, would lose ambition at Inter if they can win the Champions League this term. They are a well-grilled demonstrative outfit with a decent attacking panache and a knack of knocking teams down on the way.

They are incredible, invincible and waiting in the wings to conquer Europe. After all, Italy is already their own.....

GRANTed, your smart!

If there is one person that even Jose Mourinho can't conjure something against is Chelsea's current manager Avram Grant. The ageing Israeli, who looks like a young Grandpa who is grimly satisfied with his life, has worked wonders at the London side.

The word pressure too would shy away and ask for a higher-level substitute if you consider the kind of pressure that Grant was under when he took over the reins at Stamford Bridge. But the kind of work he has done is incredible in the wake of it all.

Sometimes, I have always felt that if you could go the exact opposite of how Mourinho is - pompous, excessively enthusiastic, always looking to stir up controversy - then you have a chance to succeed as much as him. While we have to wait and see whether Grant wins any trophies or not, he has efficiently taken Chelsea off the limelight and completely put the focus on football and his team. Grant doesn't shout at his players, doesn't scream at wrong decisions, expresses discontent in his own way and even speaks politely with the referees.

No pre-match comments, no controversy rakers, no childish behaviour, not even win-at-all costs. That is the way to go. Grant's fallacies could only be the defeats at Manchester United and Arsenal, something that the Special One would have taken care off, if not by his football and tactics, then by his off-pitch antics.

Just two defeats for Grant so far and if it weren't for Arsene Wenger's explosively-talented team or Manchester United's ruthless efficiency, Chelsea could well be top. But dont take them for "grant"ed.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Lazio's challenge, Liverpool's misery and Arsenal's fear

So the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League is upon us and the futures of a certain few depend largely on it.

First of all, what props up in the mind is the huge challenge that Lazio face at the Santiago Bernabeu. Coach Delio Rossi will be well aware of the fact that a win will lighten up the city of Rome more brightly than ever, while a defeat is actually looking rather obvious. Real Madrid, Spanish league leaders by 4 points and looking very good, are destined to go on to the knockout stages.

Talking of Spanish teams and Spaniards, Rafael Benitez faces an uphill task at the Stade Velodrome. On another day Liverpool would steamroll Marseille, but the pressure in this game is way too much for that to happen and Marseille themselves are well placed and confident. Add to that, Liverpool lost their unbeaten league record at Reading, while Marseille powered to a morale-boosting 2-0 win at home to Monaco.

Another English team, Arsenal, faces a challenge that is largely out of it's control. A win for Sevilla could be the end of the road for Arsenal. This is despite all their youthful zest and talent. The likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan and Internazionale could prove too much to handle for the young Gunners and Wenger will be frustrated at this thought.

It promises to be fun, frolic and hopefully fantastic football......

Do Barca know what "reducing space" means?

Barcelona's 2-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna covers up a lot of things regarding their defensive frailties. The Catalans huffed and puffed to grab the three points but that is largely due to the penetrative and ball winning abilities of Andres Iniesta and the magical front play of Bojan Krkic.

The Catalans weren't looking as confident as you would have liked them to be and Frank Rijkaard must have taken notice. It was very evident from the opening quarter that Barca have forgotten the basics of defence.

They give way too much space to players lining up long shots and have absolutely no positional sense (with skipper Carles Puyol an exception of course) when it comes to man marking. It was a poor display from the Barca defence YET AGAIN and it is shocking that such a class team can offer so much space to a team positioned as far as 17 places below them.

To Barca fans, before you go to sleep on this night, just thank God that you have Iniesta in your team.....

The fallacies of Arsenal

So Arsenal are finally beaten in the Premiership. Kudos to them for lasting till December, along with fellow unbeaten rival Liverpool. But a determined, gritty and more organized Middlesbrough completely deserved the victory and even 2-1 was unjust. For all of the Gunners' attacking potential, they never really tested the rookie Ross Turnbull and were greatful that Tomas Rosicky popped up to give the scoreline some respect.

Hats off to Boro for showing that the Gunners have their weaknesses which can be exposed if things are going right. Of course, the absence of Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini and Alex Hleb was too much for Arsene Wenger, but the Frenchman's belief in his squad could force us to ask questions about over-estimation of resources.

Boro manager Gareth Southgate will be relieved and Wenger will definitely be targetting January, if his three star midfielders dont make a return too soon.....

A crisis called Ronaldinho

Reports in the international media have indicated that Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has requested Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho to leave Barcelona "as soon as possible". The former Brazil coach has indicated that he would want the 27-year old to join a club like Milan or Chelsea, before they themselves lose interest.

For me, it would be a major loss to Barcelona. Ronaldinho brought the good times back to the Catalan capital and he should be given more time and be put under lesser pressure every time Barca play a match.

Ronaldinho's poor off-the-pitch attitude is what is probably causing the Brazilian's form to waver to such an atrocious level. The only thing that could work right now is for him to regain, on his own, the direction and passion to play football the way he loves it. The way the world loves it.....

FID Report: Aston Villa 1-3 Portsmouth

Bravo Mr. Harry Redknapp. It was an impressive game between two good teams. But the difference was Ghana midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari's twin wonder strikes. The young midfielder is turning out to be a true gem and Redknapp is the kind of manager who would do well to bring the best out of this talent.

Just like any of his fellow Africans in the Premier League, Muntari has all the characteristics - power, pace, a good touch. And he was the clear difference between the teams. Although the home side tried hard, the brilliant one-touch passing of Pompey was too good for them and the scoreline would really weigh a lot more in their favour than it actually has been.

It was a very impressive game and I was only left pitying poor old Martin O'Neill, who looked as helpless as his team in countering glory-bound Pompey.

VERDICT : Pompey were deserving winners. They made fewer mistakes, troubled the home defence many a times and had Muntari in their first eleven.

Are Arsenal game for the title?

NO is the answer. So far I mean. Arsene Wenger's current injury problems will have definitely given him a fine idea of the lack of depth in the squad. The Frenchman knows that he has reached a position in which he cannot blindly back the youth. A position that should basically please him.

The smart way from here would be to bring in the required players as Arsenal have showed that they are ready to mount a strong challenge. But May is six months away and they are only a Cesc Fabregas or Alex Hleb injury away from allowing in-form Man United or Liverpool or even Chelsea to take advantage.

Wenger's experience will have taught him that resilience matters more than potential, talent and form in order to take home the crown. The crown of true champions.....

The England managerial conundrum

They call it the most demanding job in world football. I call it the most messed-up situation since the un-manageable days of the Real Madrid galacticos. The galacticos fell. England has fallen. What to do?

In my view, the English FA is paying for it's own mistakes. Appointing Steve McLaren was the first mistake that they made, albeit a calamitous one too. The former Middlesbrough man had no credentials to take up the job and it was just a repayment of the numerous years he spent as the assistant to the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Add to that, his horrendous tactics, lack of man-management skills, the failure to recognize the strengths of his pool of players and create a winning team...and you could go on and on.

There are two routes that England and it's hugely-disappointing FA can take up. The long route is to analyse applicants, interview them, work on their vision and choose the best from the lot. The shortcut is to make a phone call to one certain loner in a country called Portugal.....

FID Opinion: Aston Villa vs. Portsmouth

To kick off Football In-Depth, let's discuss two of the Premier League's surprise packages, Aston Villa and Portsmouth. It is a little unfair to deem them as surprise packages, given that they have on their sidelines two world-class managers in Martin O'Neill and Harry Redknapp. Two managers who have been heavily linked to the vacant England job.

There are three scenarios that can prop up when two in-form football sides meet up in a fixture. The first is that the result would be a heart-pumping DRAW. A free-scoring, science-defying draw. This could well be on the cards at Villa Park. The second result could be a decent win for the home team. In this case, it would be just that. Decent. Because the away side would also put up a show and end up with some of the applause too. The third possibility is an away win that cracks the confidence of the home side and causes them to break down.

I fully expect O'Neill and Redknapp to go head-to-head in this potentially explosive encounter. The result is difficult to predict.....