After Leicester City’s amazing Premier League success last season, normal order appears to have been restored this season, with the top six teams in the table as expected at present.

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Chelsea lead the way, having amassed 34 points from their opening 14 games, and, as current favourites for the tile, they look the club most likely to qualify for the Champions League this season.

Antonio Conte has taken to English football like a duck to water, and eight consecutive victories have made the London side the pacesetters, despite being beaten at home by Liverpool and away at Arsenal in September.

Chelsea are scoring goals, notching 32 in their 14 matches, with the form of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard making them close to being a banker when it comes to the top four spots this term.

The Blues are already seven points better off than Tottenham Hotspur, who currently occupy fifth place, and canconcentrate on the Premier League without the distraction of European football, something could make the difference come the end of the season.

Will Liverpool benefit from not being in Europe?

The irony of sides not qualifying for the Champions League in any given season is that it can give them a better chance of qualifying for it the following season. That certainly seemed to be the case with Leicester City last term, who didn’t just qualify for the Champions League, but came from nowhere to win the Premier League.

Liverpool, who finished eighth last season, missing qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round by one place, can prepare forPremier League gamesuninterrupted this season, although theyhave reached the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.

Jürgen Klopp knows his Liverpool side have a great chance of winning a maiden Premier League title, having accumulated 30 points from the 14 games they’ve played. However, they look less likely to last the pace than Chelsea.

That’s because their defending this season has been poor, especially on the road. Liverpool have shipped 14 goals in eight away games, conceding four at Bournemouth last weekendafter leading 2-0 and 3-1 to eventually lose 4-3, putting a dent in their title prospects and potentially their Champions League prospects too.

Klopp has his team to playing a style of football that involves moving the ball at pace and winning possession high up the pitch. However, the Liverpool squad does not have strength in depth, and it was noticeable the defeat at the Vitality Stadium came without Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Joël Matip in the starting lineup.

Liverpool don’t have a lot of defensive cover, with midfielder Lucas Leiva operating as a centre-half against the Cherries. And while James Milner, another midfielder, might be a good offensive left-back, he’s not as solid a defender as Nathaniel Clyne on the other side of the pitch.

This season, the Reds have obtained victory, such as the 4-2 triumph over Crystal Palace, by simply outscoring the opposition,but that could cost them the Premier League, as being defensively open rarelyleads to winning titles.

Are Manchester City Champions League bankers?

Manchester City were the horse to back before the Premier League season had started. Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad after enormously successful spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Indeed, they were being spoken about as potential Champions League winners, and the Citizens looked like they might be able to reach such lofty heights as they began the season with ten consecutive victories in all competitions.

However, it was a relatively easy start for Guardiola’s men and their win ratio has dropped significantly since, with four wins in the following 13 matches, their defence once again exposed in the 3-1 home reverse against Chelsea last weekend, where City were sucker-punched on the counter-attack.

According to the latest odds, Manchester City are still expected to land a spot in the top four this season, but they are only three points better off than Tottenham in fifth, who beat them 2-0 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. However, while Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages, they’ve qualified for the Europa League, so they don’t hold any advantage over City when it comes to fixtures.

While City are still likely to challenge for the title, Sergio Agüero’s discipline is becoming an issue, with the Argentine having already been banned for a total of seven domestic matches for incidentsagainst West Ham United and Chelsea.

The jury is also out on Guardiola’s most controversial signing, Claudio Bravo, who has yet to show he’s a capable shot-stopper, despite having good ball control, which is why Pep signed him.

With injury again likely to deprive Manchester City ofcaptain Vincent Kompany for much of the season,it remains to be seen whether the club will qualify for the Champions League as comfortably as expected.

It’s Gunner be another top-four finish for Arsène

Arsenal might be the Premier League bridesmaid these days, but the bottom line is that the Gunners never finish outside the top four. The London side always find a way to qualify for the Champions League, even if it’s in fourth spot, which means qualification for a play-off for the Champions League group stage.

So far, so good for Arsenal, despite them effectively gifting Liverpool an opening day win that be costly come the end of the season. After all, a victory in that match would mean they would now top the Premier League, rather than sitting three points behind Chelsea.

We all know how it goes with the Gunners though. When they’re good, they look like world-beaters, but a slip-up is always around the corner, even though Arsène Wenger took steps toshore up his defence in the summer by recruiting Shkrodan Mustafi to play alongside the impressive Laurent Koscielny.

Since losing to Liverpool, Arsenal haven’t experienced defeat in the Premier League, winning four and drawing two matches at the Emirates, and winning five and drawing two on the road.

There’s a misconception that Arsenal remain weak in defence, but their defensive statistics are among the best in the division, and Héctor Bellerín is soon expected to return to the right-back slot after injury. The Gunners also have plenty of cover in the midfield and in attack, with Alexis Sánchez in sparkling form.

Can Spurs secure Champions League football again?

Although they finished third last season, Tottenham were effectively the main challengers to Leicester City in the Premier League. Spurs were strongly throughout the season, until they fell away at the end and were overhauled by neighbours Arsenal, despite the Gunners long having dropped out of the title race.

This season, Mauricio Pochettino has had to contend with the Champions League, and it’s not gone well, with a Spurs squad seemingly short of quality, experience and depth unable to knocked out at the group stage with a match to spare.

It hasn’t helped that Toby Alderweireld has been sidelined with injury; with the Belgian just about on his way back to full fitness, Pochettino will be delighted to reunite him and Jan Vertonghen in the heart of the Tottenham defence.

Spurs have more reasons to be optimistic they can edge Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelseaout of the top four. Harry Kane is back from injury and scoring goals, with Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli his foils, and Christian Eriksen is playing his way into form with the festive fixtures approaching.In the engine room, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Dembéléare a compact unit who can break up play and start attacks.

Spurs outplayed Chelsea in the first half of their recent London derby at Stamford Bridge, taking the lead through Eriksen, only for the Blues to level before the break and run out 2-1 winners.

Are Manchester United going to miss out?

So, we have Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur sitting in the top five positions. Below them? Manchester United; José Mourinho wouldn’t have envisaged his side being only one point better off than West Bromwich Albion at this stage of the Premier League campaign.

Manchester United have largely underwhelmed this season, winning just won two of their seven Premier League matches at Old Trafford. They have the worst home win ratio in the Premier League apart from Swansea City; the Red Devils have drawn on four occasions and they lost the derby against Manchester City.

Mourinho claims his team have been unlucky this season, that their performances haven’t been adequately reflected by their results. However, his side simply isn’t scoring enough goals to challenge for Champions League qualification, let alone the Premier League title.

At the time of writing, Manchester United are nine points behind Manchester City, and appears to lack cohesion and quality, despite having the world’s most expensive player in Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimović’s predatory instincts seemingly resisting the passage of time.

However, Anthony Martial has blown hot and cold this season, while Marcus Rashford has been in and out of the team after starting his first team career so brightly under Louis van Gaal last season. Juan Mata doesn’t seem to have the complete backing of Mourinho,while Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger and been frozen out by the Portuguese.

Defensively, Manchester United are at sixes and sevens. Eric Bailly started well, but was fading before getting injured against Chelsea in October. Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are currently the odd couple making up the central defence, and Mourinho should perhaps consider himself a lucky one because he has David de Gea between the sticks to save his team’s blushes.

It seems increasingly clear Wayne Rooney is no longer fit enough or good enough to be a starter for Manchester United, and Mourinho is slowly phasing the forward out, starting him only in EFL Cup and Europa League matches. Ironically, the latter could be the Red Devils’ best chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

United have qualified for the last 32 of the competition, and Mourinho might be forced to prioritise the Europa League if it gets to the stage where the chances of top-four Premier League finish are looking remote.

Our predicted top four this season

We expect Tottenham Hotspur to be a top-four Premier League team this season. While they’ve had a November wobble, they remain a side with a strong backbone providing Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen stay fit.

It’s also hard to see Chelsea missing out, and Arsenal are experienced operators when it comes to the top four of the Premier League, and Wenger now has the strongest squad he’s had for many seasons.

That leaves Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United. The latter look like they have too much work to do already to land a place in the top four, especially as they continue to fall short in terms of scoring goals.

Liverpool could be found out if Coutinho is an absent for any length of time; it was noticeable they were short of attacking ideas without their Brazilian playmaker at Bournemouth, despite scoring three goals.

Manchester City are a great attacking team, but share Liverpool’s defensive frailties; Pep Guardiola’s insistence on playing a high line and Claudio Bravo combined could yet see them teetering on the brink of Europa League football next season.

However, we’re going backing City to edge out Liverpool, leaving Klopp scratching his head as to what’s required to get the Reds back into the Champions League. On too many occasions this season, the Merseysiders have looked naïve, while they struggle to break down sides that sit back, such as Manchester United at homeearlier in the season.

“I would go for a seven out of ten. The reason for that is that it’s been a bit of a tough ride for Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson left. In came David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal and at least Van Gaal managed to get an FA Cup. Whereas Mourinho has won the League Cup and Europa League. You can add the Charity Shield and say they won three trophies but I wouldn’t go as far as that. Those two trophies though are a solid step forward but there is still a lot of room for improvement next season.”

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The 52 year old is widely respected in the game having spent six successful years as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant in a dominant era that secured a Champions League and four league titles for the club. It is little surprise then that he baulks at the suggestion that last term was more than just the first signs of a recovery but rather a success in itself. 

“No, Manchester United must be competing for the Premier League and be competing again for the Champions League. It is very important that they have a good start next season to make sure they’re going to be there or thereabouts in the title fight.” 

Where Meulensteen does offer unequivocal approval however is towards United’s summer targets with strikers evidently the priority. Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata and Torino’s Andrea Belotti appear to top the shopping list with the Spanish frontman favoured to end the ‘wasteful’ culture that cost the Reds so dearly last year. 

“Morata is a good striker, he’s mobile, agile, and creates chances. The same can be said of Belotti but both would be coming from abroad and would have to adapt to the Premier League which we all know is difficult. If Belotti comes in it’s important that he scores early and get the monkey off his back. Then he could be a good fit. For me though it would be Morata. We haven’t seen enough of him lately but then again it is extremely hard to get into that Real team.”

Not that Morata is the Dutchman’s ideal choice to replace the departing slain giant of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“I really like Mbappe. That would be brilliant though I don’t know how genuine the interest is. But if they were to get him they’d have pace, goal-scoring opportunities; he would shake up United’s front-line. He has unbelievable potential in my opinion.”

With all this talk of elite marksmen it is easy to forget that United already possess a scintillating talent in attack capable of scoring for fun if given the opportunity.  Having known Marcus Rashford for over half of the teenager’s life Meulensteen is concerned over what a mega-bucks move for a centre-forward this summer might mean for the local hero’s development. 

“I like Marcus and I’ve worked with him when he was a little kid coming in to the Cliff at seven years of age. He came in with a smile and left with a smile. He couldn’t wait to start training and there was only one level of energy that he would bring.”

“I’m so happy that he has already got so many games and he’s only going to get better the more that he plays and the more things that he gets exposed to. A lot depends on what type of striker Mourinho brings in. If they spend a great deal of money on someone there might be a chance that Marcus is again shifted out to the left or right. He can play there for sure but his best position is up front. I really hope that any new signings don’t side-line Marcus completely because that would be a real shame.” 

Whether Rashford steps up to become the main man come August or is superseded by a new signing, strikers are typically only as good as the service they’re provided with - which is why Meulensteen is particularly keen for another United target to commit to the club before the window closes, namely Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic.

“Perisic has good experience and pace and could come in and create things. He is comfortable on the ball, can beat a man and has a fantastic pass. It’s important that United have a man who can open up defences with one pass and he has that. He can offer them another level of a goal threat.”

It is noteworthy that of all of the Croatian’s qualities it is his experience that Meulensteen points out first and though the youthful feel of this United side excites the veteran coach he also believes there is a steep learning curve ahead.

“There is a difference in playing in the Premier League and playing for Manchester United. You have to turn up every single game and not put in a few good minutes. This is what these young players have to come to terms with. They have to reach a level where, no matter their form, they have to make a difference. That is the standard required for Manchester United and Mourinho will now be expecting this from his players, from Martial and Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard. They have to ensure that they perform week in, week out when they’re called on.”

In this regard the trio mentioned are hardly short of previous examples to learn from with the ‘Class of 92’ and a great many other kids quickly growing into men on the Old Trafford turf and becoming key figures in a highly successful period for the club. Meulensteen however picks out another over-achieving young talent who he himself played a formative role in moulding into a superstar. A certain player by the name of Ronaldo. 

“I knew he would reach such heights from the very moment that I first met him. You saw a tremendously talented young boy but you also saw a very committed boy who knew exactly what he wanted. Exactly. He knew that he wanted to win as many trophies as he could. He knew that he wanted to play for Real Madrid at some point and that United were a fantastic station to help him on the way to form him and shape him under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson. He has never stopped and always got better year in, year out. I’ve got the utmost admiration for him and I’m proud that Manchester United helped him get where he is. He is an unbelievable professional and a fantastic human being.” 

The Premier League was hardly full of Christmas cheer this weekend. Some matches were just plain cruel for the league’s mangers, in fact. There are a couple of familiar faces under severe pressure at the moment and it might not be long until the second sacking of the season (after Francesco Guidolin earlier this season)...

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Bob Bradley

Uproar over Bob Bradley’s terminology this weekend was tedious, narrow-minded nonsense, but the American has bigger things to worry about. Swansea were dire yet again, as they were thrashed by Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon. Defensively flimsy and short of ideas with the ball, Bradley may be regretting taking on such a challenge in his first Premier League job.

Investment in January is desperately needed if the Welsh club are to have any chance of Premier League safety, but pressure is already building on Bradley. Three points from safety and with the worst defensive record in the league, his future at the club is unsurprisingly under question. Swansea must make a decision; either give Bradley funds in January, or replace him and start afresh before the window opens.

Bradley now leads the betting in the Sack Race, as low as Evens with 888 Sport.

Mike Phelan

Yet another defeat for Hull leaves Mike Phelan’s position at the club under further threat. Despite one of the Tigers’ best performances of the season, Hull were unable to find the net against West Ham. That inability to take their chances is Hull’s greatest downfall and could ultimately cost them their Premier League status.

Defensively the Tigers were resolute once again and were unfortunate to concede the penalty that was the eventual difference between the two sides. Now at the foot of the table, though, misfortune means little for Phelan. This is ultimately a results business and Hull’s boss has seen his side collect two points from their last six games. He may have only officially become the boss this season, but Hull must be edging towards another managerial swap.

Sitting at longer odds than Bradley and Alan Pardew, you could be convinced that Phelan is not under much threat at the moment. However, 7/1 presents really good value for the Tigers’ boss.

Mark Hughes

Stoke City are an odd side. Fluctuating from potential European contenders to looking like a relegation side, Hughes’ Potters have hit another of their infamous slumps. They were great against Leicester in the first half, mind, but curious decisions from Hughes saw his side fail to convert a two goal lead into victory against ten men leaving the Stoke fan base frustrated.

Hughes’ transfers since becoming Stoke manager have shown great ambition. He possesses one of the more gifted squads outside of the top six, despite some obvious imbalances. So often, though, his tactics and team selections are eyebrow-raising.

Currently cosy in 11^th, Hughes is not likely to lose his job just yet. Another poor run, however, and he could quickly be in serious trouble.

Partly due to Stoke’s patience with their managers and the Potters’ current league standing, Hughes is at odds as long as 40/1 to be the next manager to go. With so many under pressure bosses, it is a longshot, but those odds make it worthwhile.

Seven consecutive wins have seen Chelsea’s Premier League title odds slashed from 18/1 to 2/1. A 3-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on 24th September suggested that Antonio Conte had plenty of work on his hands, though the Italian isn’t afraid of some hard graft, and it’s not taken long to start moulding a new-look Blues team.

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JoséMourinho illustrated during the 2014/15 season that this squad of players could win a Premier League title and the personnel is not markedly different, with David Luiz having returned to Stamford Bridge this term and Marcos Alonso providing some dynamic width in the left wing-back position.

N’GoloKanté has also added midfield steel, and he seems the preferred option ahead of CescFàbregas, who was previously used either as a defensive or attacking midfielder by Mourinho, depending on the opposition.

Fàbregas has become something of a forgotten man at Chelsea, thanks to the superb form of Kanté and NemanjaMatić. It’s no surprise that Leicester City seem to be struggling this term without the influence of the diminutive Frenchmanwho played such a key role in that amazing title success last term.

The Conte fall before the rise

On Friday 16th September 2016, Liverpool arrived for an evening Premier League clash. For the first 30 minutes of the game, Chelsea couldn’t get near the ball. Operating with a 4-4-2 formation, the Reds ran rings around their opponents, with DejanLovren breaking the deadlock before Jordan Henderson scored a stunning second.

Despite a stirring second-half fightback, which saw Diego Costa score a consolation goal, the abiding memory of the match was the fact that Liverpool had looked like genuine title contenders and Chelsea had been roundly outplayed on their own patch.

Further evidence appeared to be served up at the Emirates, where Gary Cahill and David Luiz looked like a calamitous pairing as Arsenal stormed into a 3-0 first-half lead. Conte gesticulated wildly from the touchline, and there were to be casualties from this match.

Indeed, it’s worth noting that Fàbregas featured for 55 minutes of this match before being hooked. Willian also played 70 minutes before a change was made, while BranislavIvanović operated as right-back and didn’t leave a favourable impression.

All change at Hull

The seven days between the Arsenal defeat and Chelsea’s game at the KCOM Stadium led Conte to do some serious soul-searching with his managerial staff.

Victor Moses had been an unused substitute for the London derby, and Marcos Alonso had played a large chunk of the second half. There could be no knowing that the pair would now be installed as wing-backs for a new-look Blues defence, which would see CésarAzpilicueta form part of a three-man central rearguard.

The much-maligned Luiz was tasked with marshalling the entire Chelsea defence, with Cahill coming out of his early-season slump to help the team win 2-0 against the Tigers. The match was notable for the way that Hull didn’t create any chances of note, with the Blues going into the international break feeling better about themselves.

This new-look Chelsea side really started to purr after the World Cup qualifiers, with Hazard and Costa springing into life against Leicester City, where the champions of 2016 were soundly beaten.

Conte’s only real change to the team saw Pedro come in at the expense of the injured Willian, with the Spaniard grabbing his opportunity with both hands. The former Barcelona forward continues to play a key role for a Chelsea side that is now enjoying a seven-match winning run.

However, the performances of Hazard and Costa around this time were particularly eye-catching, especially in light of the way that they performed during last season’s ill-fated campaign.

Hazard relieved of defensive duties, Costa now disciplined

At the time of writing, Costa has been walking a disciplinary tightrope for several weeks. However, the Spanish international has dodged the referee’s notebook for the past six Premier League games and the forward is letting his football do the talking right now.

Costa is not getting embroiled in fisticuffs with opposition defenders. He is simply doing his job and making a very decent fist of it. The striker has racked up 13 goals this season, and his all-round forward play has been highly impressive, with the 28-year-old genuinely looking like a reformed character.

Earlier in the season, Costa could have seen red on two occasions, with matches against West Ham and Watford seeing the former Atlético Madrid player clashing with opposition players, though he has calmed down dramatically since those August days.

Many say that you can’t have this type of player at his best without the aggression and the playing on the edge, though Costa is dispelling this particular theory even if that fifth yellow card is inevitable.

As for Hazard, it was clear that the Belgian began to care little for Mourinho. Before the 2015/16 season started, the latter was touting Hazard to join the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of the level that he was capable of reaching. A bright pre-season suggested that the PFA Player of the Year could hit new heights.

However, an incident involving club medic Eva Carneiro seemed to play a part in turning key members of Chelsea’s squad against their manager, and Hazard decided to stop playing for Mourinho. Whether you feel that’s acceptable or not is another matter, though the midfielder notably wanted to come off the pitch at Leicester last season despite his manager encouraging him to continue playing.

Hazard started to play a lot better once GuusHiddink replaced Mourinho temporarily, and he has certainly appreciated the approach from Conte, which has seen the playmaker relieved of defensive duties.

There are few players who can enjoy the luxury of a relatively free role and a modest amount of tracking back, though Hazard can now benefit from the new-look 3-4-3 formation, which features Kanté and Matić in the engine room.

The clean sheets keep coming for Chelsea

Having beaten Hull and Leicester, it was time for Manchester United to supposedly come to Stamford Bridge and offer a test. However, Chelsea were a goal ahead within a minute as they wiped the floor with the Red Devils.

Mourinho cut a forlorn figure on the touchline and had the audacity to criticise Conte at the final whistle for over-celebrating when the Blues scored a fourth goal to add further humiliation on a manager who is increasingly looking like a spent force in the Premier League.

That was win and clean sheet number three, with Chelsea then shutting out Southampton at St Mary’s as they continued to demonstrate their title credentials. It was at this stage that their title odds really began to shrink as punters realised that Conte was making his mark a lot earlier than expected.

A 5-0 drubbing of Everton had the home supporters salivating, and this was probably their best exhibition of football all season. Their willingness to keep their foot on the jugular of a beleaguered Toffees team was impressive, and Hazard proved to be unplayable as the visitors unwisely tried to match their opponents in terms of formation.

However, the most recent Chelsea matches haven’t been plain sailing for the London side, who have had to find a way to win against determined teams. Sooner or later, opposition sides were going to start making life harder for Conte’s team, and the 1-0 triumph at the Riverside can be filed in the hard-fought category.

Similarly, the 2-1 win against Tottenham finally saw a goal conceded, and Conte will have been pleased that his side showed the requisite character to land three points after a ferocious start from Spurs had put them into the lead.

The advantage of no European football

Right now, there are probably four teams who can win the Premier League title. We’re going to exclude Tottenham on the grounds that they already have ground to make up, while Manchester United simply don’t look good enough to make an impact at the top of the table this term.

This leaves Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. The latter pair will be going through to the last 16 of the Champions League, and it’s clear that European campaigns can take their toll on domestic matters.

While Pep Guardiola and Arsène Wenger will rotate their squads and try to manage things as well as possible, there is no substitute for being able to prepare fully for each Premier League match. Most of the time, Antonio Conte and Jürgen Klopp will have a full seven days to get ready for the next game.

Leicester City illustrated last season that a clear schedule where the Premier League is a chief focus can be massively advantageous, with fitness levels also higher due to fewer games being played. Extra games can also lead to injuries being sustained for the teams involved in European competition.

Chelsea’s squad seems well-equipped for December

December is clearly an important month for any team challenging for the Premier League title, and Chelsea are no different. A trip to Manchester City is followed by games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Stoke City.

Irrespective of how Chelsea fare at the Etihad Stadium, it would appear that Conte’s men have a favourable set of fixtures for the remainder of the month, with the Italian likely to be pinpointing at least ten points from that quartet of games.

When the Blues recently faced Tottenham, they had a good-looking bench that included MichyBatshuayi. The Belgian was a £33million signing last summer, and it had been thought that he could quickly become the number one striker at Stamford Bridge, with Diego Costa having had a poor campaign previously.

However, the 23-year-old has largely been limited to a series of substitute appearances, with Oscar and Willian also having to bide their time. The latter of these was linked with a move to Manchester United last summer, though both Brazilian players are waiting in the wings at Stamford Bridge for their chance to shine.

The future of Fàbregas is unclear. The Spaniard arrived to a fanfare at Chelsea, though his form actually started to dip during the title-winning campaign of 2014/15, and last season was especially lousy for a player who might seek pastures new. Strange to think that the midfielder was once regarded as a star Premier League talent.

However, there is cover for the festive schedule and the months of matches that follow this. Chelsea are already out of the EFL Cup, and the FA Cup campaign will feature plenty of young players, even if Conte would like to win every competition in which his team are involved.

Will City or Liverpool stand in Chelsea’s way?

Manchester City were installed as warm favourites to win the Premier League title after it had been confirmed that Pep Guardiola would become the new manager at the Etihad Stadium.

City remain favourites at this juncture in the season, though they haven’t been especially impressive, especially from a defensive pointofview, and there haven’t been many Premier League matches where you feel that this team is much better than the one managed by Manuel Pellegrini last term.

Sergio Agüero continues to fire in the goals, and Kevin De Bruyne is clearly one of the most talented midfielders in Europe, though Guardiola has the obvious fixation with the Champions League, and the injury problems of Vincent Kompany deprives City of a rock in central defence.

Then there is Liverpool, a team who outplayed the Blues when the sides met earlier in the season. The Reds have been nearly-men on several occasions, though Jürgen Klopp has brought a new lease of life and they also have the pure focus that comes with not playing in Europe.

Basel to draw with Arsenal – 13/5

Arsenal are in a peculiar position for this game. In the knowledge that they can top the group if they better Paris Saint Germain’s result, the Gunners’ approach will be intriguing. PSG are unlikely to drop points at home to Ludogorets and Arsene Wenger may accept resting a few players in the knowledge that finishing top or runner-up is of little relevance to the draw this year.

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Basel, who are hosting the Gunners, have their own motivation. Conversely, they will be boosted by the fact that Ludogorets are unlikely to take anything from their game. Basel know that if they can better the Bulgarians’ result they will secure a place in the Europa League.

Rotation and the rather odd Group A circumstances make this a potentially strange affair, which could easily see it dwindle into a stalemate.

Benfica to beat Napoli – 8/5

With Besiktas travelling to Dynamo Kyiv, this is possibly the most influential fixture in this round of Champions League games. Only one point separates the three top sides in Group B, with Benfica holding home advantage.

When they met earlier in the competition, the side from Naples came out on top in a thrilling 4-2 encounter, but things are likely to play out markedly differently at the daunting Stadium of Light. Benfica will have been fired up yet further after suffering their first league loss of the season at the weekend, too.

While Napoli will be buoyed from their 3-0 thrashing of Internazionale last weekend, Benfica have the quality to trouble the Serie A side and should be able to squeak a vital victory.

Manchester City to beat Celtic – 9/25

Manchester City will be angered after their defeat to Chelsea. A game that ended with testosterone-fuelled hostility will leave Pep Guardiola and his players determined to prove they can finish chances and Celtic might just be the side on the end of a heavy thrashing at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite Brendan Rodgers’ side causing endless havoc for Manchester City earlier this season, it is hard to see a similar outcome. Although neither team has anything to play for on matchday six, Manchester City’s players will feel they have a point to prove – they must find a way to get back on track.

While anything can happen in these types of fixture, an unleashed Sergio Aguero makes Manchester City understandably strong favourites at home.

In May 2015, Ian Harte retired from top class football, after nearly two decades of outstanding service down the left flank. A thoroughly modern full-back with a handy habit of scoring spectacular free-kicks, the Republic of Ireland international was an integral part of Leeds United’s European adventures in the early 2000s, as well as being one of only a handful of domestic talent to prove himself abroad, excelling in La Liga for Levante. Here, the defender discusses the varying fortunes of three of his former clubs, starting with Reading’s date with destiny this weekend at Wembley, under a coach heading for the top.

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Reading between the lines

After less than a year in charge at the Madejski Stadium, the former defensive giant Jaap Stam has transformed the Royals, making them easy on the eye while leading them to an era-defining Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley. Watching his old club with interest throughout 2016/17, Harte has clearly been impressed.

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“What he’s done at Reading in such a short space of time shows he’s ready to move on to bigger and better things. Everyone has to start somewhere and that’s the one for him.” 

“The style of football is amazing to see; the goalkeeper passing out from the back and everyone comfortable on the ball. If they’re probing down the left and nothing is available, they switch it to the right, and it’s very exciting. I’ve still got a number of great friends at Reading, so I’m delighted to see them in the play-off final.”

Inspired by the Dutch ethos of Total Football, Stam’s side has boasted more possession than any other in the Championship this season, leading to much praise for the novice coach. Harte however believes there is significantly more to his managerial style than merely encouraging his players to express themselves.

“I’m sure he’s picked the brains of one of the best managers that we’ll ever see. Sir Alex Ferguson was unbelievable so if you’re a player who has played under him you pick up certain bits and pieces.”

“He’s also a leader. He’s won many things at Manchester United and you wouldn’t want to cross him, so I don’t think he’d stand for much back-chat. Jaap as a player has always been in winning teams. Like Roy Keane, he can’t bear losing and the way he sets his team up to play is really exciting on the eye.”

One of Reading’s brightest stars this term has been veteran striker Yann Kermogant, an ex-team mate of Harte’s who has rolled back the years and reminded all of his immense talent.

“Yann is brilliant. He’s another free-kick specialist. I got on great with him at Bournemouth and he did a similar job too at Charlton. He’s looking to retire I think at the end of next season so he wants promotion and a last great year before he hangs up his boots. He’s had a brilliant season.”

Elsewhere, Jon Swift has impressed as too has converted left-back Jordan Obita, but if Reading are to make genuine strides should they secure promotion this Bank Holiday weekend, they must learn from their previous all-too-short stint in the top flight, where mistakes were made that Harte witnessed first-hand.

“They have just recently got a new owner and the previous one when I was there didn’t invest enough money under Brian McDermott. They gave him five million. To have any chance of staying in the Premier League, the manager needs to be given funds and hopefully that will happen. Every year the gap is getting wider. You’re always trying to compete with the big boys but, in all honesty, you’re only going to be fighting with six to eight teams to avoid relegation. That needs investment.” 

A third bite of the cherry

Moving down to the south coast it was at Bournemouth where Harte enjoyed the perfect sign off to his illustrious career as he helped Eddie Howe’s men pull off a fairytale promotion to the Premier League. Just two years later the club has continued to make huge leaps forward to such an extent they are presently being linked with England legend John Terry. Could such a move be likely?

“I think they’ve got every chance. As we’ve seen with Jack Wilshere, many players want to go there because of the style of football that they play, and they have a young manager who is a winner. I’m sure John Terry would have been hurting last season not playing at Chelsea, and he’s still at a good age and fit as a fiddle.”

There is no question that Terry would offer a wealth of invaluable experience to a predominantly young side. Having himself recently been the ‘old stager’ at Dean Court, how important is passing on that know-how? 
 
“It helps massively. When I was there I was older than Eddie and there would be times when he’d pull me aside and say ‘Hartey, I’m not starting you today’ but as a player you have to respect the manager. You’re disappointed of course but you can’t back-chat to the manager because the young lads will see that, and the young lads who maybe looked up to me would do it. So you have to lead by example. Ryan Fraser would often ask me for advice, and Ryan has done ridiculously well breaking into the Scotland team.”  

The Chelsea star is not the only seasoned pro reputedly heading due south, with goal-scoring machine Jermain Defoe also on the Cherries radar. It’s a signing that excites Harte. 

“Just look at what he’s done this season and the amount of goals that he’s scored. With the style of football Bournemouth play, with creative midfielders always looking to pierce the lines and slide the ball in, he could be amazing for them. They also have Callum Wilson and Josh King – if he stays now – but Defoe has been there and done it throughout his career. He started out as a young lad at Bournemouth and it would be great to see him back in the shirt.”

With two seasons in the top flight now under their belt, and household names reportedly on the way, it’s perhaps tempting to get a little carried away with Bournemouth’s rising trajectory, with the prospect of challenging for Europe next season even being whispered by some. Harte is keen to stress caution.

“For them at the moment it’s all about staying in the league. Finishing ninth this season is an achievement on last year, and I’m sure Eddie has plans to strengthen. He’s the type to scrutinise the players to see if they’ve got the right character so they don’t upset the rest of the lads. But we have to be realistic as well, because it was only seven or eight years ago that the club nearly went out of the football league.”

Leeds back on the up

Though the Irish defender played for seven clubs and represented his country on 63 occasions, it is for his long spell at Elland Road where he is most fondly remembered. Having experienced the crazy years of Champions League semi-finals and financial meltdowns, Harte is relieved to see his beloved club steered to a more even keel these days with promotion back to the big time a distinct possibility next season. Does he believe they can do it?

“I definitely do. As long as they keep Garry Monk in charge, then they have a great chance. What he’s done this season has been fantastic and hopefully they can build on that next season.”

We speak only 24 hours after Leeds publicly announced a change in ownership with Harte diplomatic on the controversial Massimo Cellina’s departure and hopeful for what the future now brings.

“I do think it’s in a good place at the moment. I think Mr Cellina did the best that he could – he stabilised it - but it was brilliant to see just yesterday that they’ve been taken over by Andrea Rardizzani, because he’s passionate about the club and wants to get it back into the Premier League.”

The Yorkshire giants would be a very welcome addition to the top flight, most pertinently because their fan-base – so great in number - have a passion like few others.  In fact, having experienced the cauldron of Elland Road on countless occasions, Harte is almost lost for words to describe it.

“Special. It’s very special. That place…”

“People ask me for my favourite game, and it was in the quarter finals of the Champions League against Deportivo. It was a packed house and we won 3-0. I scored a free-kick and after the whole town was buzzing which, to be fair, it has been all this season too. Even when they were in League One, the Leeds fans were special and got behind the club. Let’s hope that with the new owners and some investment the place will be bouncing again.”

“The importance of it is just beyond as it will set the club up going forward to bring in the best players and that’s something they need to do. United have gone three seasons now without winning the league and for a club of Manchester United’s standards that is just not acceptable at all and considering the money they have spent this season to not end up in the Champions League will be absolutely disastrous.”

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Yorke of course played a major role in that unforgettable season, a near-perfect sweeping of the board that instantly placed Sir Alex Ferguson in the pantheon of all-time great managers and alongside Sir Matt Busy as the best Manchester United boss of them all. Yet so crucial is this Wednesday’s game that the former striker believes victory will elevate Jose Mourinho into such esteemed company.

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“The pressure will be on United to produce the goods and play good football but I don’t think this game is about good football – it’s about winning on the day no matter how. If they do then Jose Mourinho will go down as one of the greats because he can say ‘Listen, I’ve won two cups and qualified for the Champions League. What more can I do?“

There are some United supporters however that could well reply with ‘quite a lot actually’ to that particular query after the 13 times Premier League champions limped home in sixth place last weekend. Altogether it’s been a distinctly hit-and-miss season for Mourinho’s men, a mixture of frustration and fantastic feats best epitomised by their £89m record signing Paul Pogba who has, by turns, been impressive and disappointing.

“He is still finding his feet and even though he came for that enormous amount of money we knew he was never going to be a Ronaldo or a Messi or a Paul Scholes. We have to remember that he’s still only 24 so he’s still at that development stage and next season he will learn from all this and take on the tag of being the world’s most expensive player. That role will grow on him and he will improve and make us a better team. The jury is still out but he will produce an awful lot for Manchester United in the years to come.”

One star Yorke has no such reservations about is United’s teenage sensation Marcus Rashford who the Trinidad and Tobago legend claims is destined to one day fill some very big boots and become the king of Old Trafford.

“He has burst onto the scene and is emerging from the shadow of Zlatan. Zlatan was only going to be here for a short amount of time but Rashford would have learned from him and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will be the main man eventually: whether that is next season or the season after because we have to remember that he’s still young and at that development stage. I expect him to play more regularly next season because he’s a threat and he’s a goal-scorer. When you see what the likes of Rooney has achieved he will be in that category without a doubt though he’s more in the Andy Cole mould in that he likes to get into the box and run past defenders.”

Speaking of Rooney speculation continues to be rife on his future at Manchester United with fresh reports emerging this week that Wednesday’s final might be his swansong after thirteen years at the club. Yorke admits the headline-making departure would hardly be a surprise.

“Being a squad player is all well and good but when you’ve been enjoying playing for so long it’s time to move on. I’m sure Wazza will figure that out, maybe go on holiday before discussing it with his advisors and come to the right conclusion. I’m sure he still has a part to play but who wants to be a part-time player? Anybody who has been in that situation will tell him that it’s best to move on.” 

With one full season in charge and his expensive loafers firmly under the desk Jose Mourinho is expected to be extremely busy this summer overhauling a squad in patent need of improvement. The question persists though: Should his side fail to beat Ajax in Stockholm will the Reds have the pulling power to lure the calibre of players that are presumably jotted on Jose’s shopping list?

“United have done it before bringing in Pogba and Zlatan without the Champions League and that is all well and good but we’ve been playing catch up now for three seasons and there is a need to bring in quality players like Toni Kroos and Griezmann. There is no question that if we’re not in the Champions League other clubs will be able to attract them quicker than us but we just have to go about our business. If we’re in the Champions League we know that attracting players to Manchester United has never been an issue.”

And who would Yorke – who has made no secret of his managerial aspirations – like to see in an Old Trafford suite putting pen to paper before next season begins? 

While that is certainly an exciting proposition for the Stretford End faithful to contemplate there is always a yang to the yin with several players rumoured to be heading for the exit door in the months ahead. Here Yorke turns uncharacteristically coy. Sort of.

“There are players there who I would definitely get rid of but I work for the club and I’m an ambassador for the club so I don’t really want to start pointing fingers. But it’s fair to say if you’re a football fan and you know football you know exactly who there are.”

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Many football fans enjoy debating who the best player in the world is. There are various ways in which this can be measured, and there’s the difficulty of trying to compare a forward with a defender. After all, these positions require different attributes.

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The Ballon d’Or is a decent yardstick, and it’s an award that has been dominated by two particular players in recent years. Unsurprisingly, they form part of our top ten, along with some of their teammates.

In descending order, we list the top ten football players in the world. There is a big attacking bias to our selections, and we make no apologies for our positive outlook. However, there is a goalkeeper and a central defender who have been shining for their respective clubs and countries.

Philippe Coutinho

It’s amazing to think that Coutinho was left out of the Brazil squad for the 2014 World Cup. After all, the Liverpool midfielder has been shining in England pretty much since leaving the Internazionale reserves to take his place at the Merseyside club, and it seems as though the world is this player’s oyster.

Coutinho is the most vital cog in the Liverpool FC machine under Jürgen Klopp, with the midfielder controlling the majority of his team’s attacking moves. His close control and technical skill are something to marvel at.

It’s the ability to play the ball quickly and accurately that marks out this player as a potential great, and Liverpool fans will be hoping that he steers clear of injuries to ensure that they can land a long-awaited title at Anfield.

Along with Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, Coutinho has formed part of a menacing attacking line-up that has been terrorising opposition defences since the campaign began.

Antoine Griezmann

Now enjoying his third season at Atlético Madrid, Griezmann has quickly developed into one of the best forwards in the world, with the humble Frenchman regularly letting his football do the talking.

The 25-year-old still has a bright future ahead of him, with the striker having played a starring role in France’s path to the Euro 2016 final before they hit the buffers against a Portugal side who were in a determined defensive mood.

Griezmann is a small player, though that low centre of gravity can often be to his advantage, and he is a vital cog in the Atlético machine, with Diego Simeone needing a player who can spring offside traps and take any chances that fall their way.

We shouldn’t just judge the former Sociedad player by his goals though. This is someone with an excellent workrate who offers himself selflessly for the team, though he’s capable of spectacular and deft finishes when he does get chances.

David de Gea

Manuel Neuer is often spoken about in hushed tones, though we prefer the Manchester United goalkeeper who has been performing brilliantly for the Red Devils over the past few seasons.

There was a question mark over the Spaniard when he first arrived at Old Trafford, with the stopper getting roughed up by opposition forwards, though he now commands his penalty area and nothing much gets past him.

De Gea’s shot-stopping is unrivalled, and while there’s a penchant for football teams to play the ball out from the back, the ultimate job of a goalkeeper is to prevent the opposition from scoring.

Some of his saves made in the English Premier League have been genuinely breathtaking, and it appears as though he’ll be a fixture in the Manchester United squad for a long time to come, especially after a proposed move to Real Madrid fell through.

Diego Godín

We need to have some defensive players included in this list. After all, football is a team game, and it’s as much about stopping the opposition from scoring as finding the net! With this in mind, we head to the Vicente Calderón, where Diego Godínremains the ultimate central defender.

Where to start with Godín?! How about the fact that he marshals the Atlético Madrid defence, arguably the meanest rearguard across Europe, with the Uruguayan playing a key role in helping Los Colchoneros to get to two Champions League finals, in 2014 and 2016.

Godín is brilliant in the air and that often sees him score for his club and country from corners and free-kicks. He’s a tough tackler and doesn’t let anyone beat him, even if it comes at the cost of a yellow card.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabon international isn’t yet a household name across Europe, though he is arguably a bigger scoring machine than Robert Lewandowski, and he can certainly rival his predecessor in terms of name length.

Aubameyang is the most lethal finisher in Europe. He scored 16 goals for Borussia Dortmund before November was up, with the striker firing home four in a single match away to Hamburg, where he produced a “complete centre forward performance”, according to manager Thomas Tuchel.

Since signing from Saint-Étienne, the pacy forward has improved every season and has 67 goals from 91 Bundesliga starts. It’s little wonder that clubs across Europe want to spend big money on this amazing player.

Eden Hazard

Before the 2015/16 season, José Mourinho was singing the praises of Eden Hazard. Thethen-Chelsea manager claimed that his midfielder could climb into that elite group of world-class players that included Messi and Ronaldo, though the ensuing season gave little suggestion that Hazard was anywhere near that level.

We now know that the Belgian wasn’t interested in playing for Mourinho, and his form during the 2016/17 has been breathtaking by contrast. Hazard is back to his very best, with the playmaker creating and scoring goals for a Chelsea side who are once again serious Premier League title contenders.

The midfielder has wonderful technical ability and can dribble past opponents with consummate ease. He looks so much better when not being equipped with defensive duties, and we’re confident that he’s starting to make that prophesised step up.

Gareth Bale

Bale might end up becoming the main man at the Bernabéu. There was a time when Real Madrid simply enjoyed indulging in marquee signings for the publicity and the glamour attached to this football club.

However, the Welshman’s arrival was a calculated piece of business, even if Bale was the most expensive signing in the world at the time that Los Merengues signed the forward from Tottenham Hotspur.

What has been extra special for Bale is that he’s had to contend with Cristiano Ronaldo holding court at the Spanish club. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old has quietly gone about his business and continues to improve, which is testament to his desire to learn and get even better.

Bale scores lots of goals and, like Ronaldo, he offers a dangerous threat from set pieces. He can take a mean free-kick that sees the ball move a lot in the air, and he’s also adept at getting his head on corners and free-kicks.

Luis Suárez

Suárez is not among the best two players in the world, though there are none better than the Uruguayan if you rule out his teammate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Between 11th August 2015 and 4th May 2016, the former Liverpool striker managed to score 60 goals in all competitions. It was a quite breathtaking feat and included three games where Suárez was able to score on four occasions.

Suárez is a remarkable player to have in your team. He has electrifying acceleration, which can be useful from an offensive and defensive point-of-view. There is never a moment when a defender can relax on the ball, with the 29-year-old like a terrier who never gives up on trying to fetch the ball.

The Barça forward is also a predator in front of goal. He can score any number of different goals and that includes firing home from range, though he’s at his most deadly cutting in from an angle, with Liverpool enjoying his immense scoring ability before that big-money move to the Nou Camp.

Cristiano Ronaldo

If there was an award for the most arrogant football player in the world, then Cristiano Ronaldo would be at the front of the queue. However, it must be tempered by the fact that the Real Madrid and Portugal captain’s arrogance is mostly justified considering how much of an impact he continues to make at the highest level.

Ronaldo will be privately disappointed by his modest impact at the European Championship last summer, even if his Portuguese side bucked all expectations by landing the Euro 2016 crown. For the 31-year-old, this was arguably his last chance to win something with his country, and he finally didn’t need to carry them to victory.

At the time of writing, Ronaldo has 19 goals on the board, and there was a marvellous recent hat-trick at the Vicente Calderón, arguably the hardest place for a Real Madrid player to manage a three-timer. After all, Atlético Madrid have made a habit of keeping life difficult for the big Spanish guns at home, though Ronaldo had other ideas.

The former Manchester United winger burst into life at Old Trafford towards the end of his time with the Red Devils. He started out as a tricky winger who was fond of a stepover, and left as a dynamic forward who could score all types of goals.

His advantage against Lionel Messi is that Ronaldo is aerially more potent, and the height that he is able to generate is testament to the remarkable fitness levels that have been attained through his career, even if injury plays a growing part in slowing him down.

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo might just be about to land the 2017 Ballon d’Or, though that’s mainly because he helped Portugal win Euro 2016 last summer. Lionel Messi was also involved in a summer competition with Argentina, though the relative failure of La Albiceleste means that his arch-rival is set to land the plaudits.

Nevertheless, we would rather have King Messi in our team. He’s the player who can make the most magic happen on a football pitch, and sometimes that occurs in a really tight corner where it appears that there is no danger to the opposition.

Messi’s trickery remains as strong as ever, with Barcelona benefiting from having this legendary player in their midst. At the time of writing, he has 19goals for the season, and there have been just a handful of games where the forward has failed to find the net.

At the age of 29, Messi continues to have several years of football ahead of him, and he has managed to stay relatively clear of injuries thus far in his career, with a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City this season illustrating that he’s still a tour de force in the game of football.

Messi has more recently been joined by Neymar and then Luis Suárez at the Nou Camp. The MSN are probably the most lethal strikeforce we have ever witnessed at club level, with his two teammates allowing Leo to operate in a deeper position where he roves forward to devastating effect.

The European Cup was born in the 1955/56 season, with Alfredo Di Stéfano’s Real Madrid side claiming a 4-3 victory in an entertaining final against Stade de Reims. Real would be practically invincible over the following few campaigns, winning the same competition for the next four seasons.

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They beat Fiorentina, Milan and Stade de Reims in the next three renewals before an emphatic 7-3 win against Eintracht Frankfurt, with Di Stéfano helping himself to a hat-trick. However, Ferenc Puskás stole the show with four goals, and many wondered when the dominance of the Madrid side would end.

These kind of winning runs were commonplace during the next few decades. Internazionale of Italy claimed consecutive triumphs in 1964 and 1965, while Ajax announced themselves on the European stage when claiming European Cups in 1971, 1972 and 1973.

Straight after the Dutch team had seemingly become the best team in the continent, Bayern Munich won the next three renewals, and that was followed by a six-year winning run for English clubs. Liverpool doubled up in 1977 and 1978 before Nottingham Forest followed suit.

However, retaining the European Cup (soon to be known as the Champions League) was becoming an increasingly difficult task, and Milan’s back-to-back victories in 1989 and 1990 was the last time that this feat has been accomplished.

Why can’t any team defend their Champions League title?

Real Madrid are the latest team to attempt the seemingly impossible task of keeping hold of the Champions League trophy for more than one season. Zinedine Zidane replaced Rafael Benítez at the Santiago Bernabéu last term and enjoyed a favourable draw as Los Merengues ended up claiming victory against Milan in the final.

However, the plain fact is that Real are attempting to achieve something that hasn’t been done since Milan in 1990. For 26 years, some of the best football teams in Europe have failed to retain their crown, and there has to be something in the fact that no champion can maintain their former standard.

The fact that the Champions League is a cup competition featuring a knockout format from the last 16 onwards means that teams rely heavily on the draw. Winning their group only provides immunity from meeting another section winner, though the quarterfinal is an “open draw” where teams from the same country can also meet.

Real Madrid look likely to go through to the last 16 stage of the 2016/17 Champions League as runners-up, which could mean a pretty lethal match-up in the first knockout phase. Perhaps the slight advantage for Zidane’s men is that they can’t face the likes of Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Sevilla, with Spain having the strongest hand in the competition right now.

Another reason why teams struggle to defend their Champions League title is that the competition is very stiff. When Milan, Bayern Munich and Ajax were achieving their previous dominance, they were often head and shoulders above the other teams on the continent.

However, football is now a big-money affair, whether we are talking about England, Germany, Spain or Italy. The world’s best players are spread evenly throughout the various clubs and that leads to close match-ups.

Knockout football is also different from a league format where each team plays home and away against the other sides in the division. Certain sides are more suited to two-legged affairs where they might keep things tight in the first leg and find a way to win when they get the opposition in their own backyard.

Will there be a Champions League stranglehold in the future?

Recent history would suggest no, though while the Champions League is a competitive affair, it’s fair to say that there’s an imbalance in the way that money is distributed and generated across Europe.

The Spanish league boasts the twin powerhouses of Real Madrid and Barcelona. They are uniquely funded clubs who aren’t going anywhere in a hurry, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luis Suárez and Neymar all residing at one of these El Clásico clubs.

Atlético Madrid and Sevilla are the other two Spanish teams competing in the 2016/17 Champions League, and Atlético have an impressive recent record in the competition, but for how long can Diego Simeone continue to weave gold out of straw at the Vicente Calderón?

If we look away from Spain, there is the English Premier League and German Bundesliga where we might also find future winners. Between 2005 and 2012, there was at least one club from England that made the Champions League final, with the exception of 2010 when Internazionale beat Bayern Munich.

Since Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on penalties at the Allianz Arena, no Premier League side has featured in the grand finale, though the recent TV deal struck with Sky Sports and BT Sports suggests that the good times could return.

The English challenge looks real

José Mourinho has been managing on and off in England for several years, though the recent arrival of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City hints at future success for the North West club, even if the Spaniard was unable to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich.

Mourinho himself could engineer a United Champions League success, providing he doesn’t fall out with his playing staff, while the presence of Antonio Conte at Chelsea and Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool also provides evidence that English clubs are attracting some of the most decorated and talented coaches in world football.

We have Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea for whom money is seemingly little object, with the arrival of Paul Pogba at Old Trafford proving emblematic when it comes to the amount of revenue being generated in the English Premier League.

There are also North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham jostling for position, with Arsène Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino hoping to make their teams into European challengers.

We have a small pool of teams from Spain and England who could be reaching the business end of the Champions League for the next few seasons to come, while France has Paris Saint-Germain, who are afforded the same amount of spending power as any other club in Europe.

Beyond that, the main challenge comes from Germany, though it’s only powerhouse Bayern Munich and the likeable Borussia Dortmund who can probably hold a candle to the best teams in Europe. In Italy, it is Juventus who are the only side demonstrating that they have the stomach to compete with the European elite, though their financial clout is not what it was.

We’re talking about ten clubs who will compete for major honours over the next few years, and so the law of mathematics suggests that if you draw numbers one to ten out of a hat over and over again, it’s unlikely that the same number would come out twice in a hurry.

The domestic distraction can have an effect

Football teams don’t just compete in the Champions League every season. Competing in Europe is a part-time exercise compared to the domestic trials of aiming to win silverware. Every season, Barcelona and Real Madrid are battling it out to win La Liga, and this can never be sacrificed in an attempt to be crowned kings of Europe.

As we reach the business end of the Champions League every season, we also have the final few months of the domestic seasons all over Europe, and there is often a fixture pile-up, especially if a side is chasing a treble or even quadruple by virtue of being involved in a cup competition.

It naturally follows that a reigning champion of Europe continues to be a pretty strong team capable of challenging on several fronts, and that can often lead to a particularly quick downfall where a domestic cup and Champions League exit can occur within the space of a week.

There is also the high-pressure aspect of European Cup matches. One slip can be fatal when deciding the outcome of a tight Champions League affair, while it’s not uncommon to see the matches decided by spot kicks, which is exactly what happened in the 2016 Champions League final, where Real Madrid beat Atlético on spot kicks.

The ideal scenario would be for a team to put aside their domestic campaign to concentrate on European commitments, though it’s a constant juggling act for football managers, who need to assess injuries and fatigue, not to mention a bulging fixture list.

An impossible job?

As a slogan for a sports brand might say, nothing is impossible. Defending the Champions League is plausible even if no team has done this for 26 years, though maybe this is the season that Real Madrid buck that particular trend.

However, it is always unlikely that a team will defend their title. No team is ever odds-on to win a football tournament like this, and there are so many other teams lining up to take them on and win the Champions League for themselves.

As mentioned, we might expect English teams to re-emerge as serious pretenders to the crown, with the twin threat from Germany proving real for seasons to come. Juventus and PSG might suffer from the lack of competition within their own domestic leagues, leaving the Spanish teams to also lead the way.

“It would be a massive ask to break Alan Shearer’s record but can he do it? Yes, why not? He has to keep playing in a team that is successful and steer clear of injuries, and there are so many other factors too. Obviously I’ve played with and against Al and he was such a strong character who just loved scoring goals, but I think Harry possibly has more to his game. Al could hold the ball up, he was a beast who knocked people around, but Harry Kane has a little bit more.”

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“Being a wide man your job is to create half a yard and get the ball into the box, so I’d have loved to have played with Harry. I’ve played with Teddy and Jurgen Klinsmann and there are definitely similarities with him and those two.”

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After yet another impressive goal-haul this season, Kane has again showed his importance to the North London giants and Anderton – a firm fan favourite himself at the Lane for twelve years – is certain that rumours of a possible big-money departure this summer are very much wide of the mark. 

“I would certainly like to think Harry Kane will stay at Spurs for his whole career, but there will be plenty of offers for him over the years. That will be hard for Tottenham to turn down and for Harry himself and maybe his head will get turned a bit. But he is a genuine, grounded loyal lad who wants to do well for the club he’s with and, if things stay as they are, I don’t think Harry will want to go anywhere else. The new stadium is coming and a group of players have come through together who all seem to get on well. He has a manager who gets the best out of his players and, at the moment, things are as rosy as they can be without winning the league. He could earn a lot more money at other places but he doesn’t seem to be guided by money”.

Another superstar Spurs will be desperate to tie down for the long-term is Dele Alli, especially after a sensational season that has seen the youngster compared favourably to the very best midfielders in the modern era. It is fair to say Anderton is an admirer. 

“Who knows what Dele Alii would cost now. I don’t think you could put a price on him. He’s that good and that young and for me he does it all. People talk about his temperament but you can’t really take that away from him, that’s his edge. I think he’s actually curbed that as well this season and so what can you say that he’s done badly this season? He has done it all.”

“I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player, and Scholesy, but Dele Alli for his age is just a freak of a talent. I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is into finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

That sentiment could be broadened to include the rest of his team-mates who have thrilled Spurs supporters and neutrals alike this term with a string of highly impressive performances. That is until injuries strike.

“I remember watching them sometime in March and thinking ‘If this eleven stay fit they win the league’. Then Vertonghen got injured and for me the squad needs strengthening. They need another striker to back up Harry because it’s probably fair to say that the manager doesn’t trust Janssen one hundred percent, but in terms of a first eleven, there isn’t a lot that I would change.”

“Chelsea’s first team is obviously great and in Hazard they have a match-winner on his own who can create a piece of magic, but when the two teams put out their first eleven, I’d be happy to put Spurs up against them.”

Much of their success under Pochettino has been driven by a midfield trio, whose versatility and collective attributes are a constant problem for opponents. The 30-cap England international insists it’s the perfect blend.

“They are a real pleasure to watch and I love them all as players. Eriksen has so much quality. When teams come to Tottenham and sit deep it’s so often Eriksen’s final ball that opens them up. Dembele is a free spirit and you can give him the ball wherever you like and he’ll just ghost past people. With Alli, too they’re all very different players but not a bad three to have with a really lovely balance.”

If this all sounds too good to be true, then of course Spurs’ failure so far to secure silverware under the Argentinean coach has led to concerns that this very good team might ultimately be regarded as ‘nearly men’.  Is there a danger of them not fulfilling their immense promise?

“I don’t think they will historically be remembered as being nearly men, but there comes a point where people have to stop talking about the potential of this Tottenham team and they start winning things. That was why the FA Cup was so massively disappointing against Chelsea. It’s now been two great seasons but you have to start winning.”

Another potential cloud on the horizon hovers over their new temporary home next year, as White Hart Lane undergoes a significant overhaul. After reminiscing on his most treasured memories in N17 (“The atmosphere under the lights for night games was just very, very special”), Anderton admits the situation is far from ideal. 

“They’re playing at Wembley and that’s going to be difficult. Any player loves playing at Wembley so it’s not a daunting place for away teams. That is going to make it tough. They have to find a confidence and a belief from playing there, and that’s going to be the biggest thing for Tottenham.”

Darren Anderton’s quickfire questions

Score prediction for Spurs v Manchester United
2-0 to Spurs

First goal-scorer
Dele Alli

Who will win the Champions League final?
Juventus

Premier League leading goal-scorer
I’m going to go for Costa