Reigning champions Atletico Madrid were dumped out of the UEFA Europa League last night in the group stages. While, Champions League hopefulls, Manchester City secured top spot in Group A after drawing 1-1 with Juventus.

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The month of December is a very busy one in the world of football. A lot of things happen in this festive period. For players playing their football in England, the matches start to come thick and fast. This is the time when the league table starts to show it’s real colours. Clubs prepare to single out players to sign in the next month’s transfer window while players who want a way out of their club start their media campaign, for instance Tevez these days. But the real problem comes for the managers. It’s a strange month and this is the time when most of them get the sack. Let’s look at the managers sacked in the Premier League in the month of December in the last couple of seasons.

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"It is absurd to say that this is the best Barcelona team ever"…This was Pep Guardiola’s refuting statement when asked if he thought this was the best Barcelona team in history.

I wasn’t around when Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan, Alfredo Di Stefano led Real Madrid or for that matter Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona were dominating world football, but I can certainly say that in my era as a football fan, I have never seen any team play scintillating football week in and week out.

This influential style of Barcelona’s play dominance is the reward for years of hard work brought in by Barcelona’s former manager Cruyff and inherited by Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola. The team feeds on the rich chemistry amongst its players namely Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Busquets Puyol, Pique and Dani Alves.

And hence thinking about Dani Alves leaving for Manchester City makes my blood boil!

What goes on behind close doors is something we’ll have to wait for but certainly what are the bosses at FC Barcelona thinking? How can they afford to see Dani Alves leave?

The rift seems to be Dani Alves’ contract talks. Alves, 27, is out of contract in 2012 but wants a bumper pay hike. Talks have broken down several times with Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu warning that he would not break the wage structure of the squad.

I would love to see Barcelona improve his contract and put forth a worthwhile offer, not the crazy money Dani Alves wants something that would make him stay at the club.

On Dani’s part, I do not know how he could possibly want to leave a brilliant Barcelona side for Manchester City who cannot offer Champions League football with no guarantees next season either.

With no immediate replacement available if he does happen to leave this winter Barcelona would be the eventual losers. Fingers crossed he would be Barcelona colors in the years to come!

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli had a training ground bust up with Jerome Boateng.

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Firms, football hooliganism and middle-aged flab a dying art? Think again!

Football hooliganism has no specific legal definition. The term was created by the media, the tabloid press in particular, in the mid-1960s. Since then, they have been extremely flexible and indeterminate in ascribing the “hooligan” label to different incidents. The perpetuation of football hooliganism can be linked to the high level of drama, aggression and petit mal that overcomes players in the 90 minutes of rigid warfare on the football field.

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Adam Johnson have stated his disappointment for being a substitute player at Manchester City. The England international winger has shown good form for City recently and England as well but still finds himself on the bench for his club every time. The ex-Middlesbrough player says he is ready to quit the club if he cannot command a first team place.

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Manchester City’s performance in the Manchester derby has been criticized by almost every football pundit. Before the season, many people tipped them to be the title contenders and why not.It has cost them £320 million to become contenders. But do they really have the ambition and courage of becoming the Champions of England ?

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed Owen Hargreaves will be kept away for at least five weeks because of the hamstring injury he sustained against Wolverhampton on Saturday.

Appearing for the first time since September 2008, Hargreaves could not survive more than just 5 minutes indicating that he picked up a hamstring injury and was replaced by Bebe. The manager has stated that the midfielder would not be able to make it until five weeks.

Ferguson stated:

“We were at the stage where we knew Owen’s knee was okay,” Ferguson told Key 103. “His training performances for eight or nine days previously had been terrific. He had done really well, which is why we took the chance. But maybe the tension in the build-up for the lad was too much and he suffered because of it.”

The manager was sure of the fact that Hargreaves would not be able to play any part against Manchester City, but the injury of veteran Ryan Giggs was certainly a major set-back for him. Giggs who could be very vital against Manchester City also sustained a hamstring injury, confirming this the manager told that he’s certainly out of the derby.

However according to ESPN.com, Luis Nani is fit, as for City, Balotelli is suspended and Adebayor sustained a calf injury while Kalarov has recovered and has a chance to return for the derby.

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