After a brief break for a number of international friendly matches the Premier League resumes with its unfamiliar look.

While Sir Alex Ferguson and his struggling Manchester United stars resume their relegation dog-fight, Sven-Goran Eriksson and the beaming Manchester City faithful will be hoping to maintain a perfect record when they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Three wins from their opening three matches would have been nigh on unimaginable for City fans when they saw they would be facing their illustrious neighbours so early. But after seeing off the Premier League champions on Sunday thanks to a single goal from Brazilian Geovanni, City head south full of optimism.

Bookmakers are offering a price as short as 33-1 that Sven can prevent City from tasting defeat in their opening 12 matches.

Can the former England boss keep the run going and challenge for a Champions League spot? We’re running a poll on this over at the new Reuters Soccer website, so pop across and leave a vote. Better yet, let us know what you think of City’s long-term prospects by leaving a comment.

A few other questions to think about before this weekend’s fixtures:

Can Liverpool overcome their frustration at last weekend’s penalty affair at Anfield and get the three points they need from a tricky fixture away to Sunderland? Rafa Benitez has been complaining about fixture “unfairness” as well as the Gabriel Heinze decision but he seems to have lost the sympathy of even Liverpool bloggers (see Have You Ever Been to Liverpool as an example).

It’s about time Man Utd started winning, isn’t it? The champions are at home to Tottenham on Sunday, in a late kick-off, and by that time they could be 10 points off the pace! As Sailesh Ganesh writes at Red Rants, United have actually played pretty well so far, despite the results. “If this is Manchester United in crisis, I cannot imagine us in full flow,” he says. Let’s see if they hit their stride this weekend.

Speaking of Tottenham, can a side tipped as Top Four contenders shrug off all the Jol controversy and prove those first two defeats were just freak results?

Patrick Johnston, London

Fabio Cannavaro has gone from World Cup winner and world player of the year to an error-prone liability in just over 12 months.

That, at least, is the general view in Italy after the 33-year-old’s dwindling pace and rashness resulted in two goals during the country’s 3-1 friendly defeat by Hungary. He looked a completely different player from the rock who repelled almost everything in Germany last year.
 
But Real Madrid fans know that last season he was already a shadow of his former self, either because age was catching up with him or he had lost his full motivation having lifted the greatest prize in the game.
 
“Cannavaro last night was embarrassing and it was the same in Real’s game against Sevilla (in the Spanish Super Cup),” ema maimoon remarks on Italy’s Calcioblog.

Plenty of other players have lost their ability abruptly, of course. Former Manchester United midfielder Neil Webb went from England international to a postman earning 220 pounds a week in just five years (see a brief biog at the bubble burst) while Lee Sharpe’s career took such a downward spiral after he left Old Trafford that he ended up on the Celebrity Love Island gameshow.

Cannavaro said before the Hungary game that he would never retire form international football like Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta. If he carries on the way he is going, he might not have a choice.

Mark Meadows, Milan

Real Madrid have shot to the top of the spending charts after splashing out 48 million euros on Argentine fullback Gabriel Heinze and Dutch winger Arjen Robben and taking their pre-season spree to a massive 120 million euros.

It is investment on an incredible scale when you consider that Real are the league champions, while the fact that four of the eight signings have come after a series of poor results in pre-season certainly gives the impression of panic buying. The club have taken a huge gamble in sacking Fabio Capello and overhauling a team that appeared to have developed a fierce team spirit and self belief.

Only once before have Real spent more money in the close season, when Florentino Perez paid a then world record fee to sign Luis Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona in 2000 and also brought in Brazilian midfielder Flavio Conceicao, Claude Makelele and Pedro Munitis.

This time there is no one of Figos category, no player that can be termed a Galactico.

But dont write Real off just yet. The club have become accustomed to starting from scratch almost every season, the players they have signed are nearly all proven figures in European football and they have strength in depth in most positions, even though they still might be a little short up front if Ruud van Nistelrooy gets injured.

La Liga Loca puts it well in their preview this week, saying, “There are too many good players for Real Madrid not to be challenging for the title.”

Capello accused his former employers of poor planning and preparation in an interview in Marca*, but as the Italian knows only too well, Real are anything but predictable.

Simon Baskett, Madrid

* The interview is not available online, but you can read some excerpts in English on the excellent All In White blog, while our story is here on the Reuters Soccer website.

It is not a good time to be Paul Robinson at the moment. After his dreadful mistake in Englands 2-1 defeat by Germany on Wednesday the Tottenham stopper woke-up this morning to calls for him to be dropped for the  against Israel and Russia next month.

David James replaced Robinson at half-time on Wednesday but it is hard to see the 37-year-old as the answer to all England’s woes. James earned himself the nickname Calamity after his inconsistent displays for Liverpool in the 1990s and he has a record of unreliability far worse than his England colleague.

Jamess last competitive England appearance was in September 2004, when his error allowed Austria to grab a 2-2 draw in a World Cup qualifier. And few England fans will forget his self-destructive display in Denmark in which he conceded four goals after coming on for the second half of Englands 4-1 friendly defeat in 2005.

Elsewhere, there are a handful of young, talented goalkeepers in the Premier League. Scott Carson has made a bright debut on loan at Aston Villa and then there are the injury-prone Chris Kirkland and West Hams Robert Green to consider, although with only two caps between them surely McClaren will not risk them in such high pressure matches.

So who should the coach pick for the September qualifiers? Robinson, James or one of the new boys?

Patrick Johnston, London

UPDATE: We have a poll running on this over at the new Reuters Soccer website. As I write, David James has by far the most support, with 39 percent saying he should keep goal against Israel in Russia. Do you agree? Post you vote here.

With an American passport tucked into my pocket and a press pass around my neck, I had the feeling I might have been the only neutral at Wembley Stadium for England against Germany.

I honestly didn’t care who won, hoping only for a decent match, anything but a draw, and a few memorable goals.

There was a real buzz both inside and outside the great newly renovated stadium for the “friendly”, a term that just doesn’t feel right for England v Germany — especially when 85,000 people wearing England jerseys are loudly booing the baritone as he tries to sing the German national anthem with the speaker system cranked up to full volume.

The jeers erupted once again when an image of German chancellor Angela Merkel taking her seat was flashed on the giant video screen before quickly being taken off again.

It turned out to be a more than decent match, described by Jan at the Bundesliga Offside as a “meaningful friendly”, with three goals and almost no diving or feigning injury (which really puts off Americans). But it was clearly the stadium itself that took centre stage.

Even as the clattering trains approached Wembley Park rail station, the passengers all hushed as they turned to look up at the stadium’s lit-up arch towering above.

Inside Wembley, which Franz Beckenbauer recently described as “the world’s most beautiful stadium”, the facilities were top notch for journalists as well as fans, with free wireless and miniature TV monitors on every desk.

But 21st century Great Britain quickly turned back into “Little England” a few minutes into the England press conference when it was abruptly truncated under an odd set of rules* to give all the access to a select group of Sunday newspaper writers. The rest of the reporters were coldly shunted out the door and told to leave immediately.

After the match one grinning German journalist turned to a glum-looking English counterpart and asked if he was disappointed. The Englishman replied: “No, it’s part of the grand strategy. It’ll give us the spark we need to win everything through to the Euro 2008 final.”

There’s optimism for you…

Erik Kirschbaum, London

*Note: For an insight into the byazantine rules of England press conferences, see this piece from our reporter Tim Collings at the 2006 World Cup. 

John Terry says there’s no such thing as a “friendly” between England and Germany but tonight’s match at Wembley between two patched up teams is going to provide a big test of the theory.

England are without the likes of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, leaving the main hope for creativity and goals on the shoulders of a jet-lagged David Beckham and a half-fit Michael Owen.

Germany, meanwhile, are without most of their best players (see here for a full list of the absentees) and in both countries the main focus continues to be on the recently started domestic leagues.

In England, most fans are more concerned about that penalty at Anfield or what’s going on with Martin Jol, while in Germany all the talk is about whether Bayern Munich can go through an entire season at the top of the table.

It’s probably about time England fans got over this obsession with German rivalry.

Many England fans would argue that their side’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying win in Munich six years ago was the pinnacle in a fierce rivalry dating back decades, and one which hurt the old enemy so badly that… what, they went on to face Brazil in the World Cup final less than a year later? Clearly the Germans recovered from that defeat more quickly than England got over the hysteria.

Fast forward five years and maybe you recall TV footage of a group of young German men, residents of Baden Baden where England were training, singing “Football’s coming home”, furiously waving England flags and generally not giving two hoots about the past between these two teams. Can you imagine a group of English lads draped in the black, red and gold of our “arch rivals” singing “Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles”? 
 
This is essentially a match in which England would do well to avoid any further injuries and perhaps see the arrival of a future international centre-back (but we know who he is anyway).
 
Granted, this is the new Wembley and Steve McClaren probably does need games to test out the fitness of Michael Owen ahead of the important Euro qualifier against Israel. But if Beckham ends up setting up the winner for Owen, please, let’s not get too excited.

Tom Spaven, London

When South Africa play Scotland in a friendly international on Wednesday at Pittodrie it will revive footballing ties that stretch back almost 150 years.

The only previous full international between the countries came five years ago, when Bafana Bafana were 2-0 winners over a Berti Vogts team in Hong Kong.

But South Africa have played in Scotland before, the Springbok team of 1924 losing 3-2 to Queens Park at Glasgow and their 1953 counterparts losing to a Scottish FA Northern XI and Dundee on their long tour of Britain.

Scots played a role in crossing the racial divide in the days of initial sporting integration.

Former Scottish international Alex Forbes was one of the first high profile white managers to cross over and take charge of a major black team, Orlando Pirates in 1975.

Joe Frickleton, who emigrated from the obscurity of East Stirlingshire, became a legend in South Africa as a biting fullback who won three championships with Highlands Park in the 60s and then coached the Kaizer Chiefs team of 1984 to a domestic clean sweep.

A decade later he was at the helm as Pirates headed to the countrys first success in African club competition, winning the 1995 Champions Cup.

In 1987 the only championship success of Jomo Cosmos was achieved under the tutelage of Roy Matthews, a former Charlton Athletic midfielder who is still at the club and in charge of their development side. What the kids from the townships fathom of his broad Scots accent is the subject of some mirth these days.

In the other direction, South Africans have enjoyed a profile in Scotland too. The first South African to play in the World Cup finals wore the colours of Scotland. John Hewie, a defender born and raised in South Africa, was capped 19 times between 1956 and 1960.

More contemporary was Richard Gough, who was at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico for Scotland. Although born in Sweden, he was raised in Johannesburg where his father Charles was a star at Highlands Park.

Gough junior, during his days at Rangers and their nine-titles-in-a row side, had a penchant for picking up a suspension just after Christmas, usually an accumulation of cautions or a rash red card, which ensured a week or twos worth of sunshine at his house in Cape Towns exclusive Camps Bay while his colleagues slogged through January.

After World War II, there was steady exodus of top South African talent to clubs in Scotland, best known among them Don Kitchenbrand, the Rangers Rhino, and John Hubbard, the penalty king at Ibrox in the mid-50s. Hubbard, who hailed from Pretorias Berea Park, scored 106 goals in 1983 matches and did not miss a penalty for seven years.

Mark Gleeson, Johannesburg

It would have been a smart man, or perhaps one with a great deal of inside knowledge, who staked a pre-season pound or two on 50-1 shot Martin Jol to be the Premier Leagues first managerial casualty.

Tuesday’s newspapers are reporting that, just three games into the new season, the man who guided Tottenham to two fifth place finishes in successive seasons could be replaced by Sevilla coach Juande Ramos.

It’s true that Tottenham have made a poor start, with two defeats and one win so far, but Jol remains a popular figure and Spurs bloggers have reacted with incredulity.

“I simply can’t comprehend why there is serious talk about replacing Martin Jol as manager,” begins a piece at Push and Run and similar sentiments are on show all over the web.

Ashley Lawrence at Spurs Pies calls the reports of Jol’s imminent departure “worrying and infuriating”, while The Shelf argues that sacking Jol now would effectively write off their season.

With the fans still firmly behind him, shouldnt Jol at least be given a full season to prove himself with a new squad? The last manager to leave White Hart Lane this early in the season was Christian Gross in September 1998. Surely serving Jol a similar fate would be doing the man an immense disservice?

Padraic Halpin, London

While Europe’s leading clubs continue to top up their stocks of foreign talent, the situation with their South American counterparts is one of desolation.

Being successful in South America simply speeds up the inevitable process of seeing your best players abandon ship.

Three months ago, Colombian provincial club Cucuta were enjoying an unprecedented run in the Libertadores Cup, where they reached the semi- finals before finally being overcome by eventual champions Boca Juniors.

Having since lost key players such as goalkeeper Robinson Zapata and striker Blas Perez, they now find themselves back in the old routine, 13th in the 18-team Colombian championship.

In Argentina, Racing Club supporters are still seething over the departure of 20-year-old midfielder Maximiliano Moralez, sold to FC Moscow just weeks after playing for the Argentina team which won the Under-20 World Cup in Canada.

Over in Brazil, Internacional supporters had only eight months to enjoy the talents of striker Alexandre Pato, who has been sold to AC Milan at the age of 17.

Pato cannot actually play for Milan until he turns 18 in September, so he has returned to Brazil to keep training, and the fact he is unlikely to get straight into the first team makes the move doubly premature.

This is, perhaps, the most exasperating aspect of the great talent drain.

Having left their South American clubs before they are barely out of their nappies, the players are then left to wither on the substitutes bench in Europe. It is a trend which is ruining South American soccer and there seems no way to reverse it.

Brian Homewood, Rio de Janeiro

Some mysteries are much more fun when they’re left unsolved.  When Deep Throat turned out to be a former FBI man it was all a bit of an anticlimax, and since Fake Steve Jobs was unmasked as a an editor at Forbes some of the fun has gone out of reading the site.

Now, a little over a year after the World Cup final, Marco Materazzi has revealed the exact words he said to Zinedine Zidane before the Frenchman butted him in the chest. Sadly, the phrase, “I prefer the whore that is your sister” could hardly be more banal.

It was much more fun in the days immediately following the final when people were speculating so wildly about just what the Italian defender could have said to make Zidane lose his cool. Materazzi even put his name to a book full of suggestions. 

However, the story does not end here. Materazzi is annoyed that the Italian magazine has included the quote as part of an interview with him. He says he wanted to reveal the secret in his soon-to-be published autobiography and fears that no one will now buy his book, which surely would never have been commissioned if the incident in Berlin had not happened.
 
But perhaps his autobiography will give us the answer to an equally perplexing question: How he went from being an error-prone flop at Everton to a World Cup winner who commands Inter Milan’s defence? Now that’d be worth knowing…

Mark Meadows, Milan