The Lions' Pride

I'm actually glad Luiz was suspended for last nights game. I could have seen Aguero and Ballotelli running circles around him all night

Aaah never fear. We have the same points as Chelsea but we also have a game in hand. The 22nd will be an epic match up, glad we'll be at WHL though. Was hoping for a draw last night though.

Can't wait for that. I just feel that we need to have some points between ourselves and the contenders because the likelihood of a talent infusion in January is minimal at best for Spurs. Lots of smoke (as usual) around Spurs, but more fire likely for Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and the Manchester clubs.

Oh c'mon...they're going to make a huge offer for Gotze of course.

Frankly, I don't think too many of the EPL teams are going to make major moves. ManU will wait until after the season to address midfield and striker issues. That's SAF's normal habit, and there is less urgency now that they are out of UCL. Spurs will try to pull off a loan deal for somebody, but I wouldn't expect a major purchase. Again, no UCL to lure in a player. Kaka doesn't make any sense, and Basel isn't going to sell Shaqiri now that they're in the knockout stages.

Moves that I do believe will happen:
- City will add a striker. Tevez will be sold to PSG, and they will seek to find a replacement. Not sure who, but they'll chase around.
- Liverpool will add a midfielder.
- Chelsea will be very active. There are 2 guaranteed departures, and a likely 3rd with Kalou. Cahill or Godin will be priority 1. Tiote will be priority 2 depending on Romeu's situation. De Bruyne, Krasic, Ayew, Khedira...etc. are all other possibilities. But, I think a central defender and a winger will happen. If they are convinced that Drogba will leave in June and Torres is finished, I wouldn't be surprised to see a $30-35 million bid for Pato.

Vertonghen would be a great pick-up for Spurs if they could land him.

I hate how the British Press just throw rumors at the wall and hope they stick.

AVB stated postgame that Mata was given PK responsibilities for the game but Frank when the time arose was pretty confident and told Mata I got this...and yes that Luiz PK was awful

Gross that a team can take a 30 million pound loss on a guy, not bat an eyelash, and probably already have another bid ready to go on (name a striker).

I want Spurs to get bought by some moron with way too much money. Then the Guardian, Daily Mail, etc. will have the task of keeping up with alllllll the people 'Arry tosses offers to join him in North London.

No way in hell. I'd renounce.

It is gross, and even though I'm a Chelsea fan, I *hope* that the UEFA policies will help curb such careless spending. They could've bought Pato, Cahill, and Tiote with $50 million at the time.

Kinda off topic but I'm going to miss Drogba in Chelsea Blue next season. He's been a staple in the side forever it seems like plus hes in form right now...

It will catch up to them eventually. Their heaping mountain of debt can't eternally be swept under the rug. I was suspicious about that investment anyways. First, I'm not sure the city of Manchester's economy can support a 2nd worldwide power. Second, I'm not sure City is currently composed of the pieces to make it an intriguing squad with new football converts. I guess Balotelli is their spark plug, but he's inevitably headed back to Inter. They lack a cohesive identity. Since Roman bought Chelsea, they've won 3 Prems, 3 FA's, 2 CC's, and have made 4 UCL Semis and one Final. Plus, they had a consistent backbone of guys like Drogba, Lampard, Terry, Essien, Cole, and Ballack. Yet, they're still 3rd/4th in world recognition amongst the EPL clubs and post significant financial losses every year. City's investment goes well beyond that made at Chelsea, and they need a decade to duplicate such success.

ManU, Arsenal, and Real have all scaled back...and there will be long-term dividends for doing so. The UCL proved that spending isn't everything. I have real worries about the long-term stability of City's construction.

Don't know if anyone else saw yet...but David Villa fractured his tibia in the CWC match this morning. Heavily doubt he'll be available for Euros.