The Gazza phenomenon

Sadly, Paul Gascoigne has turned down an invitation to attend tonight's Europa League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio, two of his former clubs, at White Hart Lane.

Gazza's troubled career could be encapsulated with that memorable FA Cup run Spurs had in 1991. The highs against Arsenal and Oxford United, with some mesmerising goals, were offset by the low in the final where he ruptured his knee ligaments against Nottingham Forest due to an overly exuberant tackle on Gary Charles. He was never the same player again.

Nevertheless, during his time at Lazio there were some celebratory moments, not least scoring a late equalizer in the Rome derby, which endeared him to the Lazio fans forevermore.

Talking of which, even the Roma fans were fascinated by 'Gazzamania'. James Richardson, who presented Channel 4's Football Italia throughout the 90s, spent some time with the troubled midfielder during his time in Rome and recalled a story where Roma fans were chanting his name as he drove his car through the busy streets of Rome.

"Gazza was seen as a phenomenon during his time in Italy. The viewing public saw him as something from a different planet, not just in footballing terms, but in his behaviour. The fact that Roma fans were singing his name and banging the windows of his car, joyously, shows this. For Roma fans to be so positive about a Lazio player is quite unique."

The England midfielder's talent was certainly unique and he was undoubtedly the greatest footballer England has produced for a generation or more. The fact that this talent was never truly realised is one of great disappointment. For the watching public and for Gazza himself.

The Premier League as I see it

If Arsenal can keep their players fit they will comfortably qualify for the Champions League, and may even be closer to the top than many people expect. Cazorla looks like an excellent signing.

Kagawa looks like a decent signing for United, too, but it epitomises the Glazer era as Hazard is the real deal and I suspect he will have a similar effect on the Premier League as Henry or Ronaldo. Not so much in terms of goalscoring, though I still expect him to score 20 plus goals a season, but his overall effect in that he will be rated as the league's top performer year in year out. He is who wUmited should've signed this summer. With him and Van Persie they could've made a realistic challenge for the Champions League. As it is, Fergie's men are still a fair bit behind Real and Barca but, as Chelsea proved, it is a cup competition so you never know.

I think the signing of Maicon is sound business on City's behalf, though a centre half like Agger would've been even more help as I still see Lescott as their weak link in an otherwise impressive line up.

Talking of weak links, I see Di Matteo as Chelsea's. I think he's a good manager but is he capable of winning a Premier League? I have my doubts. Plus, Chelsea have an impressive squad up until you look at their striking options. If Torres gets injured, and he has a tendency to do so, they will struggle.

Tottenham should end up fifth with Everton nearby but neither will be troubling the top four.

As for the bottom of the table, I fear for Norwich, second season syndrome and all that, aligned with the loss of their manager, Paul Lambert.

Reading will struggle too, unlike the other promoted sides who have invested heavily.

The final relegation place is much more difficult to predict but I am going to go for one really left-field: Stoke. Just not sure how much longer Tony Pulis's magic can continue to work at the Britannia Stadium.

A belated set of predictions, I realise, but I am just putting it out there.

1st: Manchester City
2nd: Manchester United
3rd: Chelsea
4th: Arsenal
5th: Tottenham Hotspur
6th: Everton
7th: Liverpool
8th: Newcastle United
9th: Sunderland
10th: Aston Villa
11th: Fulham
12th: Wigan Athletic
13th: Queens Park Rangers
14th: West Bromwich Albion
15th: Swansea
16th: West Ham United
17th: Southampton
18th: Stoke City
19th: Norwich City
20th: Reading

Disclaimer: from tenth downwards is a bit of a lottery

4. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

Comparison with other leagues

La Liga is occasionally referred to as ‘Scotland in the sun’. This is a reference to the dominance enjoyed north of the border by Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. The Scottish league is widely recognised as bordering on the ridiculous as the Glaswegian giants play each other several times a season to decide who wins the major trophies, while the matches against Dundee United and Arbroath are treated merely as shooting practice for the nation’s top two. The league is bereft of money and even Rangers and Celtic are a long way off making the latter stages of the Champions League.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are enjoying a similar level of success over their domestic rivals. In the 2009/10 season Sevilla, who finished 4^th, were closer to the relegation places than they were to winning the league.

In the same year in England, Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth and were 16 points from the top whilst their Spanish equivalents were 36 points from the summit. To illustrate the point still further, Spurs reached the last eight of the Champions League in 2011, whilst Sevilla went out at the before the group stage even began. Spain’s top two may be strong in Europe but the rest of La Liga’s Champions League contingent are nowhere. Valencia, Spain’s other Champions League representative, limped out at the first knockout stage at the hands of Schalke.

Real Madrid enjoyed their most successful La Liga season ever, in terms of points haul, in 2009/10 and yet still finished second thanks to Barcelona achieving the same feat. No statistic highlights the gap between Barca/Real and the rest more than this. Barcelona and Madrid, under Jose Mourinho, achieved similar levels of success last season.

There was another European League, however, where the 4^th placed team were closer to relegation than the top – the Scottish Premier League.

The German league is in stark contrast to their Spanish and Scottish counterparts. The competition is far greater, epitomised by having four different league winners in the last seven years, compared to La Liga’s two.

Bundesliga correspondent, and co-founder of German fanzine Der Toedliche Pass, Claus Melchior, reasoned: “More clubs than in other leagues benefitted from the occasional foray into the Champions League. It has been the case for a long time now that no club has been able to establish itself permanently as a major force besides Bayern. Moenchengladbach were big in the late sixties through the seventies, then Hamburg had some dominant years, then Werder Bremen were Bayern's major opponent, from the mid-nineties on it was Dortmund, then Bremen again, and so on. But in every decade there's also been a “freak” champion that came more or less out of the blue, most recently Wolfsburg.”

In the 82 years since La Liga’s began there have been just nine different winners, averaging an inaugural winner every 9.11 years.

In England, during the 123 years of domestic competition, there have been 23 teams that have won the domestic league title. An average of once every 5.35 years a new name is inscribed onto the trophy.

Germany has a newly crowned winner of the Bundesliga once every 3.86 years and in France it is every 4.03 years.

Even in Italy they have a more had more league champions than in Spain, 16 in all. Averaging a new winner every 7.06 years.

So there’s no denying this is an historical problem in Spain but it is the modern day margins that are of most concern.

2. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

Falling behind - Real Zaragoza, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad

Real Zaragoza

The stadium is in disarray and is located, ironically, next to a hospital. To add insult to injury, the section of said hospital happens to be 'urgencias'.

There is a pretty glum feeling around La Romareda. The graffiti adds to the sense of despair and even the main pub in Plaza de San Francisco, just down the road from the downtrodden ground and beside the university, is a subdued, dark Scottish pub rather than a vibrant Irish establishment. It is as if they tried to be different but in doing so went in the wrong direction, much like Real Zaragoza.

It was not always thus. The Blanquillos finished in the top five on a consistent basis throughout the 1960s during what has been described as a golden era for the club.

In England, the club are most associated with beating Arsenal in the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup final thanks to an outrageous lob from Nayim towards the end of extra-time. Nayim, an ex-Spurs midfield maestro, bought pleasure to his former club, as he sent their arch rivals into a state of apoplexy.

Nevertheless, the club's official name is Real Zaragoza S.A.D. The acronym stands for Sociedad Anonima Deportiva, meaning a sports corporation, and not Seasonal Affective Disorder, though some locals may disagree.

Valencia

The city celebrated the opening of their opera house in 2005 after 14 years work. The city was on a high at the time: its football team, Valencia CF, had won their second La Liga title in three seasons the year before.

On top of that they finished runners-up in two Champions League finals in a row just after the turn of the century. Things were certainly looking good, the club was in the midst of the most successful period in its history and they were set to move into a new stadium in 2009.

Unfortunately, on the field things turned sour and Valencia have never looked like repeating their success of the early part of the 21st century.

To make matters worse they are still stuck in the old, decrepit stadium that is the Mestalla as they cannot afford to finish the newer, 75,000 seated version. The club are beset with financial problems and many of their best players are regularly sold on to service their debts. £60 million came in the club's direction during the summer of 2010 thanks to the sales of David Silva and David Villa but little of this was re-invested in new players.

Atletico Madrid

Fifth highest point scorers in the history of Spanish football history, and third most successful in terms of La Liga titles, Atletico Madrid have plenty of off the field problems as they are €300 million in debt. They have even been accused of being the worst run club in Europe, as well as being described as a ‘madhouse’. Apart from that, they have little to worry about...

Real Sociedad

Situated in the picturesque coastal town of San Sebastian, Real Sociedad have had to come back from the brink of late.

Their plight has been largely attributed to Jose Luis Astiazaran, the current LFP president and former president of Sociedad.

Sid Lowe and Phil Ball have both claimed that he ran the club into the ground.

Thankfully, they appear to be over their troubles and have even inflicted a rare defeat on Barcelona in the 2009/10 season.

Sociedad won their only league title in 1981.

Bale soaring high

There was an unfortunate statistic being bandied about at the time: if he played, his team didn't win. That team were Spurs and that much maligned player was Gareth Bale.

The Welshman had been at the club for more than two years before that statistic was finally broken. Admittedly he was injured for a sizeable proportion of his early time at the club but it was indicative of his, and his club's, form following his £7 million move from Southampton in the summer of 2007.

Manchester United were amongst a string of suitors that summer and how they must be ruing that missed opportunity now as his value has soar towards the £50 million mark. In fact, the biggest compliment that could be paid to him in his current form is that he would grace any team in the world, including the current Barcelona side.

Bale's, and his club's, last three years have seen a dramatic turnaround. From bottom of the table under Juande Ramos, to Champions League quater-finalists and now title contenders under Harry Redknapp. This has been ably assisted by the rise of the full-back turned winger.

One of the most memorable moments of last season was the way Bale tore apart the widely best recognised right-back in the world, Inter Milan's Maicon, both in the San Siro as he scored a hat-trick and then again back at White Lane, as the home crowd mocked the Brazilian with the chant 'taxi for Maicon'.

Last night his two goals against bottom club Wigan Athletic were exquisite and perhaps only Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo could have scored them in world football today.

It is inevitable he will leave Tottenham one day, but probably not this summer. He certainly has the character and quality to grace one of Spain's top two clubs, Real Madrid and the aforementioned Barcelona, it is extremely unlikely he will remain in this country.

For now, though, it is Spurs who will be the grateful recipient of his goals and assists as they seek an unlikely Premiership crown.

Taking the biscuit

You’re having a laugh - as professional footballers go, Carlo Cudicini has pushed the boundaries more than most as a cruise and collector.

When people talk of greed, laziness and a lack of ambition, many names and ideas are suggested but here is one for you. Would you please give a warm welcome to... Carlo Cudicini.

Let’s take a look shall we.

After initially being brought in on loan, by the then Chelsea coach Gianluca Vialli, in 1999 the deal was made permanent in the year 2000 for a mere £160,000 and
he soon made the No.1 goalkeeping jersey his own with a string of imperious displays.

Cudicini gained a reputation for being one of the Premier League’s finest shot stoppers and was much admired throughout Europe. Several of Europe’s top clubs were linked with him but Chelsea stood firm and Cudicini appreciated the feeling of being wanted.

Son of a former AC Milan goalkeeper he finally appeared to be stepping out of his father’s shadow after a stop start career seemed to be heading nowhere back in his homeland.

However, in the summer of 2004, after the appointment of Jose Mourinho, Petr Cech was bought for £7 million and soon assumed first-choice goalkeeper status. Cudicini’s Chelsea career appeared doomed. It was especially disappointing after performing so well for the club he had never let down.

He was at a crossroads- either become the Premierships best reserve and pick up the occasional medal for which he had contributed little or seek pastures new and a new challenge, perhaps a few international caps too. Unfortunately, he chose the former.

The Italian has to be the epitome of lacking ambition. Possibly you could excuse the first year as an under study and to try to challenge Cech, after all he appeared to have the ability. However, it soon became clear that Cech was in an impregnable position.

Ultimately, Cudicini decided he would rather warm a bench than play football.

His decision to play second fiddle is a massive sign of insecurity. He clearly never believed in his talents enough to prosper elsewhere and that would explain his more inconsistent performances on the odd occasion he was called upon by Chelsea.

Who knows, maybe Mourinho sensed this lack of confidence. One of the special one’s first big decisions he had to make was to drop Cudicini. He seemed in little doubt and never looked back as Cech became arguably the world’s best goalkeeper (although that belief has deteriorated since Mourinho’s departure).

After five years of being little more than a Carling Cup player Cudicini has finally moved on but at 36 he has just a few years left in the game and what was a burgeoning career has petered out into something that Winston Bogarde would have been proud of.