RAFAEL BENITEZ DESERVES CREDIT FOR DAVID LUIZ CONVERSION

'TIS still the season of goodwill - although you would hardly guess if you went down to Stamford Bridge right now.
     Yes, many Chelsea fans continue to be peeved that Rafael Benitez is still in charge of their football club.
     They despise him from his time as manager of Liverpool FC and for his critical comments about the Blues in that role.
     I, too, had my reservations - I did not think Roberto Di Matteo deserved the sack and I certainly did not envisage Benitez as the man to take Chelsea forwards.
     But let's be fair...he has done a good job so far.
     I am not saying he is the man for the job or that he should keep the role if someone of the ilk of Mourinho or Klopp comes available in summer (before you mention Pep, I reiterate once again that Guardiola is set for Man United).
     But I can't deny that the Spaniard has strengthened the defence and got the team playing well.
     And for one thing alone he deserves immense praise - for being the man who had the vision and the courage to turn David Luiz into a maurauding midfielder.
      Luiz is surely the next club captain and I am convinced he will be a great leader in what is arguably his best position, certainly one he can grow into.
     Even if you don't like the bloke, it is both wrong and xenophobic to call Benitez 'a fat Spanish waiter'.
    Credit where credit's due...even if he does leave in the summer, he has solved two urgent problems for Chelsea FC.
     With Luiz's conversion, Benitez has provided hope that Frank Lampard CAN be replaced (although Luiz will certainly have to up his goalscoring abilities) - and he has also provided the Blues with the man who can take over from John Terry as the team's inspirational leader for the next decade.

FRANK WORRALL  

TOM CRUISE BACKS A WINNER WITH JACK REACHER

UNLIKE many journalists, I have a soft spot for Tom Cruise. I don't judge him on his religious beliefs or his relationship with Katie Holmes - I just see a bloke whose kids from his marriage to Nicole Kidman adore him, who lives his own life and who brings joy to millions as one of the world's best actors.
      But, of course, I have noted the bad publicity Cruise has amassed of late and I was interested to see if he would cop another load of flak after taking on the role of Jack Reacher in his latest movie outing.
      I myself love Lee Child's books about the Yankee loner who drifts from town to town and invariably ends up sorting out the bad guys.
      But there was a real unease about the casting of Cruise, who is 5 and a half feet, in the role of Reacher, who is 6 and a half feet - and twice the physical build.
      Cruise and his studio had invested $10million buying into the Reacher franchise - a gamble...but one that I have to say has paid off.
      Cruise is brilliant as Reacher. Forget the size difference - you don't notice thanks to clever camera angles and the lean shape Cruise is in for a bloke of 50.
      He conveys the essence of the character and I reckon Cruise has made probably the cleverest move of his career - and the best film too.
      From being a bloke on the verge of becoming yesterday's man, Cruise's investment has now opened up a future that he could surely only have dreamed of.
     The future is his as he now has the whole back catalogue of Reacher books to bring to the big screen - in one clever swoop he has established a future for himself that you wouldn't have thought possible at the height of his break-up from Holmes earlier this year.
      Cruise is Reacher - he has pulled it off against the odds - and for that brave plunge into the unknown, which could have ended his career, he deserves a bit of credit.
       But don't just believe me - go and see the film for yourselves...

FRANK WORRALL 

GUARDIOLA WILL END UP AT MAN UTD (I SAY AGAIN!)

Just to reiterate...Pep Guardiola will be the next manager of Manchester United. A verbal agreement has apparently already been reached between Pep and the Utd board and Sir Alex, who wants Pep to take over and continue his good work.

Mourinho was never going to be the man - not with Bobby Charlton opposing him. I pointed out some time ago that Bobby was against him and the great man recently publicly confirmed that.

So remember where you read it first..I said it some months ago, and I repeat again, Guardiola will be the new manager of Utd, not Mourinho. 

FRANK WORRALL

MAN UTD WILL BEAT REAL MADRID - BUT ARSENAL AND CELTIC ARE OUT

I have a sneak feeling United will see off Madrid in two tough matches.

I can see them losing by a single goal in the Bernabeu and beating them by two goals at Old Trafford.

Both teams are brilliant in attack but not so hot in midfield so it could even be something like a 5-4 aggregate win!

But I fear Celtic and Arsenal will lose against Juve and Bayern respectively.

Juve are strong and unrelenting and, along with Munich, one of the faves to win the whole competition.

I can see a 1-1 draw in Glasgow and a 3-1 win for Juve in Turin.

As for Arsenal, as I say in another blog they have their work cut out against the team who could well win the cup at Wembley in May.

It seems the era of British teams dominating the event is well and truly over.

FRANK WORRALL

BAYERN MUNICH SO ARROGANT RE ARSENAL CHAMP LGE DRAW

When Arsenal were drawn out of the hat with German giants Bayern Munich, you could see the delight on the Bayern delegation.

One of them said it was an easy draw and the other couldn't stop laughing.

I sincerely hope Arsenal stick it up 'em when they play in Feb and March!!

I remember similar sentiments from the Bayern camp when Man Utd were losing 1-0 against them in Barca in 1999. The loathsome Lothar Mattheus went over to the Munich supporters and raised his fist in triumph.

Just three minutes later he was on the ground shaking his head and in despair after United won 2-1 in stoppage time.

How I would love the Gunners to be able to pull off a similar miracle over two legs next year.

And make no mistake - it would be a miracle. Bayern are my favourites to lift the trophy.

They were good against Chelsea last May but have since strengthened and now have a powerful squad. I fear they will have too much for Arsenal, but I pray they don't have...

FRANK WORRALL

WENGER SHOULD GO TO BARCA - ARSENAL DON'T DESERVE HIM

I was saddened to learn that Barca coach Tito Vilanova is about to stand aside because his cancer has returned. My best wishes to Tito and his family at this very tough time.
     Of course, he has done an excellent job since taking over from Pep in the summer - as I speak the Catalan kings are 13 points clear at the top of Serie A and favourites (again) to win the Champions League.
     But family and health come first.
     For Barca, the problem now is who to replace him with.
     Well, for what it's worth, if I was in charge at the Camp Nou, I would go for Arsene Wenger.
     He is one of the top five managers in the world today and his Arsenal team are not known as 'Barca lite' for no reason...it is because he advocates playing the sort of flowing, wonderful football for which Barca are famed and adored.
     And here's the rub - I think Arsene deserves a break from Arsenal.
     The way he has been treated and abused by the Emirates fans of late is a disgrace.
     Here is a man who has built the modern-day Arsenal and yet a section of spoilt fans are calling for his head and shouting abuse.
      Put simply, they don't deserve a manager as good as Wenger and Arsene is too good for them.
      Go on Arsene, head off to Barca - and enjoy the last few years of your time in management.
       They say you only realise you had a good thing when it is gone - those Gunners fans who have abused the best manager in their history will become only too painfully aware of that if Wenger does leave.

FRANK WORRALL

MANCINI SAFE FOR ANOTHER YEAR - BUT IS HE ANOTHER RANIERI?

ROBERTO MANCINI will ride out the storm at Man City - despite their second successive Champions League exit at the group stage.

Winning the Prem and the FA Cup guarantees him immunity from the sack, at least for another year.

But some of his decision making is baffling. His dropping off the competent Lescott for the unpredictable tennis player Illie Nastase for one, and his constant rotation of personnel in Europe.

Two things in particular point to someone who is not always of a sane disposition.

1. He bought Maicon who is so far over the hill he could be in the sea.

2. He brought on James Milner, a grafter and defensive tidyer-upper, for Kun Aguero late on last night against Real Madrid. Why? Why, when there are only minutes left and you need to win the game, do you bring on a killer like Milner and take off the one man who has consistently proved he can win a match for you in the final minute? Crazy if you ask me...

GUARDIOLA IS HEADING TO UTD; JOSE BACK TO CHELSEA

FOR what it's worth as speculation continues to abound, I would like to point out that I said a while back that Pep Guardiola will NOT be Chelsea boss.

So here we go again - Pep is lined up for the Man Utd job and will work alongside Fergie for a season.

And Abramovich wants Jose back at Chelsea and, indeed, thought he had done a deal with him last summer.

MESSAGE FOR JARVIS COCKER

JARVIS,

Hiya mate, how you doin'? Long, long time no see since that first interview (which I have published word for word below after someone pointed it out to me on the web).

Way back then you said that if you 'ever made it' you would get me to do your life story in a book!

If you still fancy doing that, email me and we'll have a chat, it would be good to speak to you again.

All the best, Frankie W

MY FIRST EVER INTERVIEW - AND JARVIS COCKER'S FIRST, TOO

PULP

Frank Worrall, Melody Maker, 30th January 1982:

From ecstasy to suicide

"As a yardstick, I suppose you could see our inclusion on 'Your Secret's Safe With Us', the only Sheffield group on the album, as fairly indicative of our development." Jarvis Cocker, Pulp's supremo, is almost shouting down the phone, and I wished I'd never asked him to convince me just why I should travel to Sheffield to find out about the poppier side of life there.

After all, there now seem to be an altogether exaggerated number of hopeful pretenders appearing every week, in the wake of the Human League's success.

But after listening to the deliciously innocent pop session they produced for John Peel and finding myself unable to resist the track they have produced for the aforementioned LP (which is the successor to the diversely genial "Hicks From The Sticks"), how could I resist their invitation to meet?

Pulp proved to be a most bizarre visual proposition. Fronted by Jarvis, the tallest teenager I've ever shook hands with, they flocked round me like curious vultures eyeing up a prey. I'm haunted by splashes of wild colour, off-beat clothes and hair and an underlying purity which just doesn't seem to fit.

Pulp tell me who they are too quickly; they don't want to spend too much time on such tedious formalities.

But for the record, here's their list:Jarvis (vocalist, guitarist and main lyricist), Peter Dalton (synthesizer),Wayne Furniss (drums) and Jamie Pinchbeck (bass).

Innocence. Pulp admit to a basic love of everything pulpy. If it's pure, unadulterated, lovable or poppy they'll go for it, they tell me. But they're not naively stupid.

"Yeah, we've learned that innocence doesn't always click when you're involved with something like being in a band, which will ultimately become marketable," Jarvis explains.

"Like when we played our first real gig at the local arts centre, we thought the future would be super fine, just because we had our own flashy dressing room. We soon hit the ground during the following two weeks when we had to play pubs like the Hallamshire, with shoe box rooms to get ready in."

Peter tells me of Pulp's basic ambition.

"We'd like to see pop getting back to an innocent, trashy, disposable medium, which allows more time for humour and cuts down on the gloom."

Jarvis quickly intervenes: "But just because we've got a sense of humour doesn't mean that we want to be seen as some kind of 'joke' band.

"I just don't want to write about kicking the Russians out of Poland," he continues. "I'd rather that be said from a political platform than having somebody on a music stage saying it. We're simply not interested in either sloganeering or coming on all pretentious and illegitimately boastful."

What slant do you actually write from/on, then?

"Well, at bottom I suppose I write what you'd call love songs," says Jarvis.

"It's universal, probably the main emotion in life. So if I can say something politic about love everyone can at least relate to it."

How did the Peel session came about?

"He was appearing at some unemployment benefits at the local Poly when we just approached him with a tape of ours," says Jamie. "He said he'd listen to it on the way home, we said 'liar', but the week after we got a call from his producer asking us to do the session."

Pulp are solid in their defence when I suggest that Peel's selection criteria have shown glaring holes over the last year.

"Alright, so perhaps his show has gone off the boil lately, but it's hardly his fault that there's much to choose from, but not much that's any good," Peter shouts at me. "Put it this way; without him we'd probably not exist and you'd not be here."

We move sideways to discuss the less controversial subject of Pulp as a live commodity. "We see ourselves very much as a challenging live group," Jarvis says.

"I know it sounds a real cliche but we'd really like people to move away from their preconceptions. We find it amusing to get up on a stage six inches above everyone else. They're expecting something abnormal from us, so we just try to make them see that they shouldn't do.

"They're as important as us; together we can have a real fun party, but if they won't play we find it difficult to motivate ourselves."

Pulp live is a carnival of lunacy, probably the future focus of live performance in essence: humour, participation, letting your hair down, but backed up by a whirling synthesizer pop music which ultimately keeps the party punching.

"You're dead right, we are interested in performance art," Jarvis tells me. "We want to bring fun back into pop but not facile fun, like driving cars into swimming pools. That's stupidly excessive."

Pulp have confident ideas about their future. "I'm wary of signing to a big company and then releasing a single," Jarvis explains.

"I think it's better for credibility to release a single on an independent first," he adds, "then you can build from a good base, with people looking at you with that important initial respect."

Apparently, Armageddon are already giving some thought to a possible deal and Pulp are relishing that or a similar prospect.

"We just want to get onto 'Top Of The Pops' as soon as we can," Jarvis says, tongue firmly in cheek. "Wacky surrealist comedians, that's us. You've got to laugh or we'll cry."

Pix: Marcus Featherby

262 DAYS: THE TRIUMPH AND BETRAYAL OF ROBERTO DI MATTEO, CHELSEA'S MOST SUCCESSFUL MANAGER EVER

262 DAYS: THE TRIUMPH AND BETRAYAL OF ROBERTO DI MATTEO (CHELSEA'S MOST SUCCESSFUL MANAGER EVER)

He lasted just 262 days – 262 days that transformed the fortunes of Chelsea Football Club and finally laid to rest Roman Abramovich’s holy grail. Yes, by winning the Champions League, Roberto Di Matteo made everything Roman had done – and all the millions he had invested worthwhile. But six months later the Russian owner of Chelsea rewarded him for his brilliance…with the sack.

Di Matteo was the manager who took the club to its greatest ever triumph – one which marked him out as the club's most successful manager ever - that balmy night in Munich which now seems an age ago.

Even then, as Roberto celebrated, you could clearly see from the body language that Roman didn't really want to acknowledge his part in the triumph. He never really rated him; he only saw him as a stop-gap and was really forced into giving him a full-time shot at the job until he could get his own full-time next man in (ie Guardiola).

But what Di Matteo achieved that night in Munich was extraordinary - almost miraculous, as he urged on his men to a triumph they really had no right to expect. They were playing the hosts and favourites and emerged with the cup with the big ears against all odds (including beating Barca on the way).

Fast forward six months (to now) and Di Matteo has tried to implement Roman's desire for Chelsea to play a la Barca - with three little guys in Mata, Oscar and Hazard - and passing from the back (which meant keeping David Luiz at centre-back instead of the more reliable Ivanovic). 

He has had three months (from August and the start of the new season) to implement a brand new, revolutionary change in playing approach and, as the players inevitably needed time to gell and get used to each other and the new system, he found it difficult to achieve overnight. His reward was to bestabbed in the back. Betrayed for not beating or drawing with Juve away - and let's not forget this is the team who could well go on to win the Champions League. OK, there have also been a couple of dodgy results in the league too, but as Istress again, he was trying to overhaul a way of thinking; from the time of Drogba and Co, when brute force won the day, to a more sophisticated style of play. There were always going to be lean spells as the change took shape. 

In essence, he was expected to work another miracle from August to November (changing the mentality and style of play) after already working one in Munich in May. His sacking was the end game – a shocking way to treat someone who had done so much for a football club close to his heart.

RDM deserved better – and Chelsea fans certainly deserve better than the interim, defensively minded joker who will surely now take their team back to the dark ages…even if it is only for six months.

Forget the dreams of being the new Barca for the next few months – Rafa Benitez will underpin his team with a dour defensive edge. Ironic that when Roman wanted to move forwards with entertaining football, he ended up with a man whose philosophy is to bring about the exact opposite.

I wouldn’t be surprised if RDM is laughing in his beer at that irony tonight and probably saying, ‘They deserve each other!’

CHELSEA 'DONE DEAL' FOR FALCAO - TORRES BACK TO ATLETICO

MORE news on the transfer front, I am told Falcao will be leaving Atletico Madrid for £40million and heading to Chelsea - although the deal may now not happen until June if they do not qualify for the next stage of the Champs Lge.

Fernando Torres will be a makeweight in the deal - possibly along with Chelsea keeper Courtois who is currently on loan there.

Torres will no doubt be glad to go back to his first club after his nightmare time at Chelsea.

WATERSTONES CONTRIBUTE TO THE END OF BOOKS!

I was surprised the other day when I walked into Waterstones on Kensington High Street - and found a whole range of Kindles for sale.
  At a special table, they have the Kindle Fire, the Kindle Paperwhite and the traditional Kindle set up for you to try out.
   All very helpful - but aren't they contributing to their own downfall?
   If people start buying the Kindles en masse, they won't want to buy old-fashioned books, will they?
   And if they don't buy books, won't the likes of Waterstones be redundant? Or do they plan to just become stores for Kindles?
  All most unusual, if you ask me.

DEACON BLUE AND AZADEH BRILLIANT

PRIVILEGED to see Deacon Blue in Plymouth last night on their 25th anniversary tour. Wonderful night of entertainment from Scotland's finest. Don't leave it so  long before you tour again, Ricky!

Also look out for Azadeh, who supported them last night. The girl with the sweet voice and the spiritually and emotionally uplifting lyrics is going to be big time, no doubt about it. Her best song at the moment is called Butterflies...remember where you  heard about her first!

FRANK WORRALL

WELCOME TO MY BLOG - OCTOBER 2012

'This is not brain surgery we are talking about here...'

THAT QUOTATION was from one of my first mentors in journalism – and I still stick by it today.

I have been a journalist on national newspapers for the last 20 years and am now the author of 12 books on key sportsmen of our time, and it still makes me smile when I hear some of the rubbish would-be Martin Amises spout. The people we are dealing with in football, sport generally, music and celebrity are not philosophers or the aforementioned hospital lifesavers – yet some writers, and publishers, would have you believe that they are just that.

I remember when I did my first book on Wayne Rooney and a publisher agreed to look at it. He rang me and I could almost see his lip curling in true aristocratic pompous-style as he told me: “The problem is it does not take me into the socio, psychological world of Rooney. It does not take into account the economic and social factors behind his rise. I would really need that input to take a punt on it.”

Bemused, I promptly sold it a day later to a publisher who knew what we were talking about here: Wayne Rooney, footballer extraordinaire and a young lad who had perhaps had his head turned by some of the excesses money and youth can bring. Nothing more; there was no great philosophical or sociological statement to be gained.

The world of entertainment is a great one in which to be involved and grow up. I was lucky enough to write for what used to be the Melody Maker at a very young age. I was their North of England correspondent and it was the next best thing to being a pop star. A young lad from north Manchester interviewing and staying in the same hotel as the Rolling Stones etc. Of course it went to my head! I paid a price: losing much in a fantasy world of rock 'n roll excess. Even in hindsight, it is a cheque I would gladly issue once again.

I was privileged to break some of the biggest artists to come from the north of England in the 80s. I did the first interviews with Jarvis Cocker, New Order, Morrissey, OMD and was there backstage cheering the likes of the Human League on. I also loved some being part of the more experimental music at the time – Cabaret Voltaire, the Box, Person to Person and Syncopation.

With my books, the focus has been on my joint first love – football. My book on Rooney was the first on the boy and I was privileged to do a follow-up to Roy Keane's magnificent autobiography, and, moving at a slight tangent, the first biogs on Lewis Hamilton and Rory McIlroy.

The Hamilton story encapsulates for me exactly what a great sports book should be about. The overcoming of adversity and the advent of a legend.

I intend to post my blog here regularly to expound my views on the latest developments in the world of sport and music – and I look forward to reading your replies.

FRANK WORRALL - OCTOBER 2012

THE ROLLING STONES - RICH OLD TOSSERS TO THE END?

I'LL admit I was excited when I heard the Stones were going to tour.
I'm not that much of an old fogey that I get a hard-on when every massive band from the past reforms.
But the Stones along with Bowie and The Clash are the only ones I would get out of bed to see from the old days.
Obviously David is not going to tour because of his ongoing treatment for his health problem in Manhattan and a Clash reunion would be pointless without the late great Joe Strummer.
But the Stones, and Keef in particular, are always an event and a band worth seeing.
So it is all the more disheartening that they should, even now as death probably looms for one or two of them, put money first.
Everyone in the business knows Jagger is a mean git when it comes to money. A brilliant showman and frontman, but he has always been obsessed by the readies; always insecure even when he has millions in the bank.
But surely Keef could have put on his man-of-the-people act and told Jagger that this time - and it is I understand actually going to be the last time - they should be playing for peanuts.
They could have charged a fiver a ticket as a final thank you.
It is insulting and pathetic that it will cost up to four hundred nicker (as Mick would say) to see them at the O2.
I have been told that one of their final gigs ever will be on the Saturday night at Glastonbury.
That will undoubtedly bring them in a few more nicker.
But they should do the Wembley shows that follow - that I am told will be the FINAL EVER - for a minimal charge.
It's time to give the fans something back, not to rip them off.
Come on Mick - have a bit of a social conscience or you're gonna go down in history as THE rocker who could have helped change the world, but was too keen on becoming a rich old tosser to really give a shit about the man (and woman) on the street.
It really is give something back time...

FRANK WORRALL

GOOD COP'S COP-OUT

BIT of TV comment here...I have been watching the Good Cop drama on BBC and found it brilliantly devised with great writing and acting.
But the last episode of the three-parter was a real disappointment.
Only aired on Sunday after being temporarily shelved due to the recent real-life shootings tragedy in Manchester, I had expected a finale that would tie up all the loose ends.
Instead, we were left with a cop-out as the principal character was left holding his head in anguish as he looked distraughtly at the Mersey.
OK, we know he is in meltdown over the killings he has carried out - but we needed to know if he was going to complete the set by gunning down the rest of the gang who had murdered his partner on the beat.
And what would happen to him? Would the nasty bit of work masquerading as his boss finally take him down - or would he get off scot free.
The end was what I would term a typical clever-dick BBC exec's idea of an ending - leaving it all up in the air and leaving it up to the viewer to come to his/her own conclusion.
Memo to Beeb big-knobs for future dramas: We don't need that lovey crap, we just need a satisfying ending to get our teeth into. You do the work, that's what we're paying you for with the ridiculous licence fee cash.

FRANK WORRALL

THE MADNESS IN WARSAW COULD BE TO ENGLAND'S BENEFIT

YESTERDAY they wouldn't shut the roof over the National Stadium in Waraw - even though it lashed it down with rain.
Today, they won't open the roof to help dry out the pitch - even though the sun is shining!
This is one crazy place with some inverted ideas on life.
I am told by a Polish friend that the madness in Warsaw has always been intended to help the Polish team beat England.
That by keeping the roof open the authorities hoped it would see England's players slipping and sliding around on the pitch.
And that now, by keeping it shut, it will also be to the Poles' advantage as the pitch will again not be in as good a condition as could have been expected if it had dried out more fully.
Despite all that, I am predicting that the crazy decisions will rebound on the Poles - and that THEY will suffer most because the postponement will dilute the massively partisan support they could have expected. many of those fans will now miss the game because of work commitments.
I had thought it would be a 2-2 draw but now reckon Roy Hodgson's men could pull off a 3-1 win.

FRANK WORRALL

JOHN TERRY MAY BE BACK FOR ENGLAND

MY sources tell me that John Terry may yet return to England duty.

Some people are suggesting JT was hoping his resignation from the national set-up would have helped him in his dispute over the Anton Ferdinand allegations, and would have sparked a demand for him to be brought back into the England squad.

He received a four-match club ban  - so you can decide for yourselves whether it worked or not...in my humble opinion JT did well given the FA's verdict.

I am told John will now accept the ban to draw a line under the affair and could well go on to announce he has reconsidered his England decision and return to the squad by next year, certainly in time for the World Cup.

I was one of those pundits who questioned Terry's right to even be at the Euros, but his departure from the national scene has served mainly to highlight the paucity of alternative credible central defensive options.

In short, I was wrong about Terry's right to play in terms of his ability and I hold my hands up. He is certainly better than Cahill and formed a solid defensive partnership with Lescott.

Indeed, the way in which he made Lescott look such a good stopper is more proof if needed of just how good a defender and defensive leader Terry actually is. I would suggest that what we need with England is the emergence of a speedy, incisive smaller man to play alongside Terry - someone in the mould of say Colin Todd or Martin Buchan. I was hopeful that Phil Jagielka could be that man, but his form and judgment seems to have deserted him of late.

FRANK WORRALL

MANCINI'S DEFINING MOMENT AT MAN CITY TONIGHT

NO ONE is denying that Roberto Mancini has done a fine job at Man City since taking over from Mark Hughes. 

The Italian has won the league and the FA Cup and is on course for another title tilt this season.

But in the long-term that will not be enough to keep him in the hot seat at the Etihad.

The simple truth is this: Mancini needs to win the Champions League. Not just to secure his employment with City but to shoo away the doubters (including myself I might add) who feel he is a top-class manager but NOT a world-class one like Mourinho and Guardiola.

Mancini cannot seem to crack it in the Champions League. It cost him his job at Inter Milan when he was sacked for failing in Europe - despite THREE consecutive Serie A titles.

Now history appears to be repeating itself at City. Last year they exited the Champions League at the group stage - which was a disaster.

And this term they are in a very vulnerable position as they prepare to take on Dortmund at home tonight.

It is a game that I can tell you now that Mourinho would win if he were in charge at City - and with the same players at his disposal as Mancini has tonight.

Trying to analyse why Roberto could fail tonight, the thought keeps reappearing in my head that maybe he tries too hard when it comes to the Champions League. That he wants everyone on the Continent to know he is a tactical genius, who changes his personnel for this competition. How otherwise to explain the inexplicable...in the loss at Madrid he played Maicon instead of Zabaleta, the raw teenager Nastasic instead of Lescott and the overrated Javier Garcia instead of Milner.

Why gamble so much for such a big match? It just didn't make sense.

Tonight is arguably Mancini's defining moment at City - lose and they are probably out of the Champions League running for another season. Defeat would intensify the pressure and the likelihood that Mourinho will once again take over from him as he did at the San Siro.

Mancini needs to get it right - and the best way to do that is for him to rely on the likes of Lescott and Zabaleta and not dabble with Maicon or Nastasic. Go steady, Roberto - go with the experienced hands who won you the Prem and you will win...there's no need to gamble to try to look clever.

FRANK WORRALL

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT ROONEY

YESTERDAY I advised Sir Alex to move Rooney into midfield to solve the dilemma he had created by not buying anyone for years - and I was glad to see he took my advice!

The result? Rooney pulled the strings and Van Persie scored the goals. This is the future for Rooney at United and, if that daft old dinosaur Roy Hodgson has any sense, for England too.

Rooney has lost some of his pace - inevitable really given his lifestyle away from the pitch - and I very much doubt he will ever regain it.

Central midfield is the future for Wayne - and I was glad to be the first hack to suggest and report it for you!

FRANK WORRALL

ROONEY TO REPLACE SCHOLES IN CENTRAL MIDFIELD AT MAN UTD

Manchester United continue to find consistency a headache, both in defence and central midfield.
Defensively, the predicament is understandable given the number of current injuries in that position - I'm talking, of course, about Vidic, Jones and Smalling.
I would though contend that Fergie could use the scenario to give an extended run to young Michael Keane if he wanted to rest Evans or Rio - why keep putting Carrick in there when he isn't up to it?
But central midfield remains the elephant in the room for the United boss - a problem much of his own making.
He bought Van Persie when he already he had two fine strikers in Rooney and Chicharito - £22million that could have been used to strengthen that problem area.
Well, maybe the answer to part of the problem is staring him in the face - and maybe it is so obvious that he cannot see it for searching...
Rooney is the obvious man to replace Paul Scholes there.
He is perhaps the only player at the club with the vision and class to come near to Scholesy's talent.
I would play Rooney in midfield and put Hernandez up front with Van Persie. Simple as that - part of the problem solved. Chicharito is a much better player than the vastly overrrated Welbeck. He will score more goals for you and is stronger on the ball than Danny boy - I also believe it is in the club's interest to show him he is loved...I keep hearing that Real Madrid remain keen on him, even at £30million.
The other side of the central midfield conundrum concerns the lack of a ball winner to play there with Rooney,
Again, the answer seems simple enough to me - although it will cost around £30million to remedy the situation.
United need to buy Everton's Marouane Fellaini in the January transfer window. Tell me who is a better player in his position - Fergie knows how good he is, he single-handedly destroyed United earlier in the campaign at Goodison.
So there you have it...Rooney and Fellaini in central midfield, Chicha and Van P up front and Valencia and Kagawa floating in from the wings. Plus a backline of Jones, Smalling, Vidic and the new Heinze (Buttner) - and I am convinced you have a team that can contend with the best in Europe once again.
Come on, Alex - get the Glazers to part with a few quid and give Roon that floating Scholesy role...

FRANK WORRALL

FABREGAS WANTS ARSENAL RETURN

From Frank Worrall's Weekly Sport column, Sept 5, 2012 IT'S one of those weeks when you hear some crazy inside tips about star players and their futures. The Ronaldo to United with Rooney to Madrid story was staggering enough but there's one brewing down in London that could prove equally as mind-blowing. My sources at Arsenal tell me that Cesc Fabregas is unhappy at Barcelona and that he has told pals at Arsenal that he would love to return to the Emirates. His story is the one of the big fish in the smaller pond who is lost and lonesome when he becomes the small fish in the bigger pond. His dream move back to his hometown club has not worked out as he would have hoped - he is not a guaranteed starter and his form has suffered. The John Snag he faces is obvious: Arsenal could not afford to buy him back, or pay his wages. So would they be willing to offer Barca Jack Wilshere in a straight swop deal? Or will he end up returning to England and playing for Man City or Chelsea? I would not be at all surprised to see Cesc back here by this time next year. He is a class act. FRANK WORRALL