Before a ball had been kicked this season I predicted that Manchester United would win the Barclays Premier League, and although Chelsea made a fast start, and Manchester City continue to pick up points without hitting top gear, I haven't changed my mind, and this past Saturday evening's game against Aston Villa just showed why they are once again favourites. (Ladbrokes have them at just 10/11 for the title now.) United's record at Villa Park - unbeaten there since 1995 - meant that we all assumed that three points would be theirs. Nobody expected then that they would fall 2-0 behind. Yet even at that point there was a feeling that Sir Alex Ferguson's team could fight back. We have seen it enough times. Like the Reading v Arsenal game a couple of weeks ago, all it took was that first goal back for the ball to start rolling. Ferguson has the league's top scorer in Robin van Persie, and England's best player in Wayne Rooney leading his line, yet it was Javier Hernandez who would prove the match winner with two goals and a big part in the third, which went down as an own goal. Chicharito may be further down the pecking order than he would like, but he remains one of the league's deadliest finishers when given a chance. That and his own and his team's never-say-die attitude in adversity looks like being the key to another title tilt.
England head to Sweden on Wednesday night for a friendly which, if I'm being honest, I'm not eagerly anticipating. The next World Cup qualifier is not until March, so I'm not too sure what Roy Hodsgon can learn from it in terms of tactics and systems. The fact that Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Jonjo Shelvey, Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon have all pulled out due to injuries suggests that their club managers don't want their players going out for a meaningless game. I wonder how many of those five will be back in club shirts this weekend? It does however open the door for a couple of others to make their mark. Carl Jenkinson deserves an opportunity after showing remarkable improvement in his form this season for Arsenal, and Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace, who no doubt will be a top player in the future, has a very early chance to show why most of the Premier League wants him when the transfer window opens. Even if they do make their England debuts, they're not fully committed to the Three Lions though, as it's only a friendly. Jenkinson has represented Finland at youth level, and Zaha could still play for Ivory Coast. The idea of selecting your nationality has got to stop. In my opinion, they are both English and should play for England. Teams shouldn't be allowed to bring in ringers. It hasn't got Scotland very far, has it!
My team Nottingham Forest continued their solid progress in the npower Championship with a hard-earned point at local rivals Leicester City on Saturday. The home side had every right to feel aggrieved with Forest's penalty which made the final score 2-2 - replays suggested that the defender took the ball - yet even so, their profligacy in front of goal meant that they didn't deserve more than what they got. Besides, we were due a piece of luck; that was our first spot kick awarded to us for 60 games! Forest have drawn more times(8) than any other team in the league, and if they are going to achieve more than their current mid-table position, they need to start turning some of those into wins. They have only lost three times however, and arguably they could have got results in two of those. Maybe we aren't as high in the table as we should be, but I was disappointed to read Paul Taylor's piece in the Nottingham Post which implored the owners to keep faith in manager Sean O'Driscoll. There is no suggestion that his job is under threat. The Al-Hasawis know that the task of making Forest great again is a long term plan, and to suggest otherwise is making smoke without fire.
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