Has the little guy earned a place in the starting XI?

With nothing of particular interest arising from England’s friendly victory over Slovenia at the weekend, the papers are awash with the debate surrounding the England frontline.

In-form Jermain Defoe has bagged eight goals in ten appearances under Fabio Capello, which is twice as good as Wayne Rooney’s rate of return in the same period, and better than the tally that Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey has managed in the past ten years.

Under Capello’s maxim of ‘form wins places’, the Tottenham star is a shoe-in for a starting role. However, the obvious counter argument is that Wayne Rooney needs a strike partner with Heskey’s strength, height and ability to hold up the ball in order to operate at his best. And considering how Croatia tried to kick seven shades out of their opponents the last time they visited Wembley, such a physical presence from the outset could prove crucial.

So, should the serial WAG boffer retain his highly successful ’supersub’ status, or should he get to wear number 9 at Wembley on Wednesday? Votes and comments below, please…

Striker thinks Reds would benefit from a second striker

After fluffing away their chance to win the league last season by drawing countless matches that they really should have put to bed, Liverpool will once again look to claim the Premiership silverware that has so far eluded them in 2009/10. Fernando Torres, however, believes the club will only be able to go the distance if they bring in a player like Wayne Rooney:

“We lack players like Rooney and Tevez who can drop back between the lines of attack and midfield and cause havoc for opposing defences and midfields.

“We lost the title because of not winning enough home games against sides who ended up mid-table.

“Rooney and Tevez are the kind of footballers who pull defenders and holding midfielders into places they don’t want to be.

“At home, United and Liverpool get sides who just want to get men behind the ball and defend.

“The key to winning those precious home points is having someone to unlock and uncomplicate that kind of match.

Torres goes on to suggest some players who can fulfill this role, and you’ll never guess what nationality they are:

“Liverpool need a player like David Silva and Andres Iniesta - players who can drop deep, find unexpected space, use a bit of quality and open up a game.”

While most sides would benefit from a Rooney-type player, The Spoiler can’t see how he would fit into Rafa’s system at Liverpool. Isn’t the role that Torres is describing already occupied by Steven Gerrard? Is he suggesting that the captain and self defence expert doesn’t do enough defending?

Let us know your thoughts on Torres’ comments below…

Spanish press think Cameroonian could be Manchester bound

Manchester Utd have already aided Real Madrid’s 2009/10 title challenge this week, and they could be about to give it an even bigger boost, by weakening Barcelona’s strike force.

According to Spanish paper Sport, Manchester Utd are interested in using some of their £80m windfall to lure Samuel Eto’o to the Premiership. The Cameroonian - who scored the opening goal of the Champions League final against the Red Devils - is currently being courted by Inter Milan. They have offered the Catalan giants £30m, an amount that the Premier League champions would almost certainly have to eclipse.

Should the gaffer ‘man up’ and leave his best mate on the bench?

During his first press conference as Newcastle Utd manager, Alan Shearer defended his intention to play Michael Owen, insisting that he would show the Toon striker the same faith that Terry Venables showed him prior to Euro 96.

Many folks on Tyneside, however, are starting to question Shearer’s belief in a striker who last found the net nine games ago. During Sunday’s crucial tie at White Hart Lane, he touched the ball just twice in the Tottenham penalty area, and the Magpies only really threatened the opposing goal when Mark Viduka and Oba Martins came on in the second half.

So, should Shearer stand by the man who takes a helicopter to work, or should he pick his team on the basis of form, rather than reputation? Let us know below…

19-year-old ‘prodigy’ is on The Reds’ radar

Reports in the British press suggest that 19-year-old Brazilian sensation Walter da Silva has caught the eye of Manchester Utd.

The striker scored five goals during the recent South American U-20 Championships and is considered Brazil’s next big prospect.

Walter currently plays for Internacional, who are quite insistent that their wonderkid is not for sale, but rumours of a £5m-£7m summer transfer to Old Trafford are abundant.

Manchester Utd aren’t the only European club intersted in the services of the ‘Brazilian prodigy’ - both Juventus and Barcelona are said to be monitoring his progress closely.

Spoiler bonus: Check out some video of Walter in action after the jump…

Argentine has ’sacrificed’ self for the team

Manchester Utd’s thoroughly over-crowded frontline was bound to piss someone off sooner or later, and that person has emerged as Carlos Tevez, the man who has scored a solitary goal this season, and who has become rather too well acquainted with the bench since a stroppy Bulgarian arrived in town:

“I’m not as effective in the area any more. The person up front has to do a lot more for the team than score goals.

“They have to play more for the team and I think I’ve sacrificed myself recently.

“I’m not as dangerous. That is something I’ve lost. I have to get that back. I used to score great goals.

“But something strange happened.”

The striker seems to imply that he is not being used to his full potential in a red shirt, and is playing a dangerous game by pointing the finger at the gaffer.

Yet Fergie doesn’t seem to be the only one giving Tevez a headache - bonus points for anyone who can guess which new arrival the number 32 is unhappy with:

“I feel better if I play a front role but I also play as a No 9 when I have to.”

[The Sun]

Swedish WAG has plenty going on upstairs

Top heavy model-types who earn themselves a footballer are all too often tarred with the ‘you’re quite thick’ brush. Today’s Euro 2008 WAG of the Day, however, is a notabale exception - 37-year-old Swede Helena Seger has an economics degree, has worked as a marketing manager for Swatch and FlyMe and probably speaks better English than you and I.

In his time, Inter Milan and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has been linked with a whole host of European models, but it was Helena he met at a party in 2002, and they now have two sons together.