Monday morning update 2: Mike Collett claims, with some justification it must be said, to have altered his predictions on Friday afternoon. I do indeed have an email from Mike asking me to change them, so I guess we’ll have to give him credit for getting Liverpool v Man City, the double pointer, bang on at 2-2. OK, Mike … but next time, one shot please.

I also decided to give Mitch a one-point bonus for his 5-0 prediction in the Spurs game (closer than anyone else), making him one of the week’s big winners with 18 points. Martyn Herman would have got 20, including a two-point bonus for being the only person to predict an Arsenal defeat, but I docked him two for trying to sneak in a 2-2 prediction on the Anfield game … after the final whistle.

So here’s the latest table here at Reuters Soccer Blog Towers. Let us know how you are doing. Just to recap, it’s a point for the right result, or five points for the correct score. Double points on Liverpool. A two-point bonus if you got Arsenal losing. More bonus points for style if you make a convincing argument in the comments.   

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 129, Mitch Phillips 111, Paul Radford 106,  Mike Collett 101, Simon Evans 89, Kevin Fylan 88, Mark Meadows 87, Miles Evans 86, Neil Maidment 81, Julien Pretot 74, Asia Sports Desk 68, Martyn Herman 46, Justin Palmer 38, Sonia Oxley 29

- - -

Original post: Tired of Thierry? Had enough of Henry? Exhausted at the attempts of headline writers around the world to come up with a catchy way of describing Ireland’s unfortunate World Cup exit? (The Hand of God II, Le Hand of God, La Main de Dieu, Thierrygate … and that’s just us on Reuters Soccer Blog).

If so, we have just the thing for you, as our predictions game is back with a bang following that pesky World Cup break.

Remember the name Rafa? The big big man is back, quite possibly with Sir Steven Gerrard, as the Premier League returns with a belter: Liverpool v Man City at Anfield, 1245 Saturday.

Elsewhere, Man Utd need to put the Chelsea defeat behind them at home to Everton, while Wigan Athletic will have to watch out for the angriest striker in the Premier League, Ireland frontman Robbie Keane, when they face Spurs.

For those new to our score predictions game, you get one point for getting the right result, but make that five points if you get the score exactly right. Pit your wits against us here at the Reuters Soccer Blog panel and just see how quickly you overtake us. Here’s the state of play at the moment.

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 117, Paul Radford 102, Mitch Phillips 93, Mike Collett 88, Miles Evans 86, Simon Evans 85, Kevin Fylan 78, Mark Meadows 77, Julien Pretot 74, Neil Maidment 67, Asia Sports Desk 55, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 28, Sonia Oxley 26

Rest of the world: Keep your score and let us know in the comments. From next week I’ll try to keep tabs on how you’re doing and add you to the table.

Without further ado, here are this weekend’s matches … and your double pointer is Liverpool v Man City. They couldn’t lose again, could they?

Liverpool v Manchester City: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 2-1 (Gerrard winner), Mitch Phillips 3-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-2 (came in after match had finished, so points surely to be deducted), Sonia Oxley 1-2

Birmingham City v Fulham: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 0-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-0, Mark Meadows 1-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 1-1

Burnley v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 1-2

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 4-0, Paul Radford 3-0, Mitch Phillips 4-1, Mike Collett 3-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 3-0, Kevin Fylan 4-1, Mark Meadows 3-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 4-0, Asia Sports Desk 4-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 5-0, Sonia Oxley 3-1

Hull City v West Ham United: Patrick Johnston 0-2, Paul Radford 0-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 2-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-2, Kevin Fylan 0-0, Mark Meadows 1-2, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 0-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-1, Sonia Oxley 2-3

Sunderland v Arsenal: Patrick Johnston 1-3, Paul Radford 0-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-3, Mark Meadows 0-3, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-3, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-0, Sonia Oxley 0-2

Manchester United v Everton: Patrick Johnston 2-0, Paul Radford 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Mike Collett 2-0, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 1-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-0

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston 2-3, Paul Radford 1-1, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Mark Meadows 1-2, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 0-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Wigan Athletic: Patrick Johnston 4-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mitch Phillips 5-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 3-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 3-2

Stoke City v Portsmouth: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 2-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-0, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Overseeing qualification for the World Cup via a blatant handball is unlikely to do much for the popularity of French coach Raymond Domenech, either at home or abroad (his Wikipedia page is currently saying some very nasty things about him, but it will doubtless be put back to its less offensive version soon).

The 57-year-old former defender, whose name is booed at every match, has never made any effort to make himself popular, but here are 10 reasons (or nearly 10) why football fans may want to reconsider their view:

1. He has never won anything as a coach, a characteristic shared by most soccer fans, which makes him less intimidating than, say, Giovanni Trapattoni.

2. He was a workaholic defender with limited skills in his playing days, with makes a nice change in a country full of retired magicians.

3. He is more successful as a coach than the great Michel Platini, under the guidance of whom France failed to win a single match at Euro 92.

4. He convinced Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele to come out of retirement and guide France all the way to the 2006 World Cup final.

5. He made Yoann Gourcuff his playmaker when others doubted he even had a place in the starting line-up.

6. He made sure Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Bafetimbi Gomis became famous outside their regions.

7. He is an incurable romantic, asking his partner to marry him rather than apologising to the fans after France lost a World Cup final largely because of Zidane’s infamous headbutt.

8. He is not obsessed with television, being the only Frenchman not to have watched the replay of Wednesday’s controversial goal.

9. Most people don’t like him, so being a fan of Domenech is more original than liking Nelson Mandela, the Beatles or chocolate ice cream.

10. OK, that’s only nine. Anyone care to nominate a 10th?

PHOTO: France team coach Raymond Domenech (C) celebrates their win against Ireland in their World Cup qualifying playoff return leg match at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis near Paris November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

France’s decisive goal against Ireland in their World Cup play-off will only add further weight to the case for using a video ref, or extra goal-line officials, at least in the biggest matches.

The controversial extra-time strike from William Gallas took France through to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while leaving the Irish barely able to contain a sense of frustration and injustice.

It was goal which should not have stood, as TV pictures made plain. French captain Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball, not once, but twice before crossing for Gallas to score from close range.

Once again, fans are wondering how a mistake of such magnitude, in such a high-stakes game,  could be allowed to happen.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini both disagree with the use of video referees but their case would have been a hard one to make in front of Irish fans on Wednesday. Soccer’s top officials say a video referee will only slow down the game. True enough, but would it not be better to stop the game and get the right decision rather than continue and see a faulty decision stand?

Platini, for his part, has managed to push through the idea of an extra official behind both goals with an eye on spotting such infringements. Currently the idea is being piloted in UEFA’s second-tier Europa League, but it may now be time to take the brave decision to introduce this across the board.

If we see another “Hand of God” moment in South Africa, perhaps one that decides the final, will football’s reputation survive it?

TO: France’s team captain Thierry Henry reacts in their World Cup qualifying playoff return leg match against Ireland at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis near Paris November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Liverpool’s Rafa Benitez may feel he got a good price for Xabi Alonso but he is in no danger of dislodging Arsene Wenger as the Premier League manager with the Midas touch.

Wenger has received criticism of late for not ‘spending big’ on replacements for departing first-teamers. He should be receiving credit for earning a huge pile of cash for players no longer in his plans. Does anyone in football generate as much money from transfers as Wenger?

The wily Frenchman has built a career on signing young prospects for small fees and selling them for gigantic ones when he feels the time is right.

Most recently Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure moved to Premier League rich boys Manchester City for a reported combined fee of 39 million pounds after being brought to Arsenal for much less.

They follow the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira in enjoying great success and form under Wenger before moving on to pastures new to the benefit of the Arsenal bank balance.

Success-starved Arsenal fans, frustrated by the absence of a trophy since the FA Cup in 2005, may look upon the departures of such players as a defeatist approach but Wenger has a bunch of hungry youngsters waiting to come in and yearning for success.

Between them they should be able to replace Toure, Adebayor and, if Everton get their wish, the Swiss defender Senderos, shouldn’t they?

LUCRATIVE SALE: Marc Overmars signs for Barcelona in July 2000, for a fee of more than $40 million. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

If Chelsea were cautious in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, what will they do after seeing this display?

Spain’s sports journalists will be doing their best to outdo one another in superlatives after a performance that ranks right up there with the 5-0 Barça managed at the Bernabeu with Johan Cruyff in their team in 1974.

If that Barça team was largely about one man, the current vintage has quite extraordinary talent running all the way through it. From Puyol and Piqué at the back, to Xavi and Iniesta in central midfield to the attacking trio of Henry, Messi and Eto’o this is quite some collective.

We’ll have more on this tomorrow, but for now let’s take a quick look at the early reaction from Spain:

Marca: A humiliation to decide the league. In the big games, the big names should show up. In the Barça team today virtually all of them did: Henry, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Piqué, Puyol… Samuel Etoo was the only one missing.

As: They say you have to learn to walk before you can run. While Barcelona go sprinting towards their date with history, Madrid have barely taken their first steps.

Sport: Madrid came down like a house of cards… What you saw today in the Bernabeu was a true reflection of the enormous gulf that today separates one of these teams from the other. There was no comparison.

El Mundo Deportivo: Ecsta-six.

Wonder what Guus Hiddink made of it… Perhaps he’ll take the view that this was as much a sign of Real Madrid weakness as it was Barcelona strength.

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Gerard Pique, Thierry Henry and Daniel Alves celebrate a goal against Real Madrid during their match at the Bernabeu, May 2, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Thierry Henry did not enjoy the happiest of starts to his new life in Barcelona but it’s clicked for the Frenchman this term.

He plays more as a winger than a striker under Pep Guardiola yet he’s still managed 15 league goals this season and the Premier League certainly seems a poorer place without him.

Click on the video above to see Owen Wyatt emerge blinking into the Canary Wharf sunlight to discuss Henry’s current form, and why you shouldn’t leave your car parked anywhere near the Barcelona training ground.

And if you’ve got any thoughts on Henry please let us know in the comments or, if you’re feeling adventurous, in a vlog of your own. Personally, I put his return to form down to cooking and Cluedo.

There’s a knack to spending large amounts of money, and Manchester City just haven’t got it, have they?

The names mentioned by the media as City’s current transfer targets represent a lack of imagination reminiscent of the post-title winning days at Blackburn Rovers, when Jack Walker’s millions were spent on players like Lars Bohinen, Billy McKinlay and Garry Flitcroft in a futile bid to build a team capable of challenging for the Champions League. 

It might sound harsh to describe Scott Parker, Roque Santa Cruz and the like as mediocre but in international terms that’s exactly what they are. Craig Bellamy and Matthew Upson have also been mentioned to add to the Roll Call of the Quite Good. Who next? Jermaine Pennant? Stewart Downing? Wayne Bridge? What was that? Well, there you go…

If you had, basically, all the money in the world to spend, which players would you go after? Would you set your sights on the likes of Parker, talented but with no real track record of achievement, just because they were easily attainable, or would you set your sights a bit higher? (more…)

In quiet weeks there always used to be transfer news to mull over but now with the advent of ‘the window’, we have been deprived of major gossip until January.

Silly season, when the media make the most of the slightest hint of a story to fill pages and airwaves, is traditionally during the lazy summer months yet it is currently in full flow in November.

The lack of Champions League or international matches this week has led to a host of bizarre stories.

Apparently Manchester City’s mega-rich Arab owners are throwing loadsa money at Inter coach Jose Mourinho to tempt him back to England.

This is despite the fact the owners have backed boss Mark Hughes, ‘Mou’ has only just started at Inter and last month the media said he was destined for Manchester United (a story which also came out during a quiet week).

The lead story on some websites in Italy on Tuesday was earth-shattering news that Reginaldo, (a Brazilian who plays for Serie B side Parma if you didn’t know) was splitting up with Christian Vieri’s ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis….

El Mundo Deportivo broke the story of Thierry Henry cooking and playing Cluedo on his nights off while Britain’s Sun, the place to go along with Germany’s Bild for the real top stories, is genuinely worried for the safety of Man Utd’s players.

“FOREIGN birds are driving Cristiano Ronaldo wild again . . . after Manchester United’s training ground was invaded by Canada geese. The fowl keep dive-bombing Ronaldo and team-mates including Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs as they practise.”

Sepp Blatter should abandon the transfer window…if only to give us some proper news!

PHOTO: Yes they are geese and they are flying over Manchester, returning from the north to their winter feeding grounds. Oct 2006 REUTERS/Phil Noble

Sorry, couldn’t resist this one.

When Thierry Henry is given a day off from Barcelona it turns out he prefers cooking and amateur sleuthing to a night out on the town.

“I stay at home,” Henry said during an interview on Catalan TV, picked up in El Mundo Deportivo this morning. “Yesterday, for instance, some friends came round and I made them ‘torrijas’ (a revolting bread pudding type of thing).

“Afterwards we watched a film and played Cluedo.”

Who said footballers were anything but a wholesome bunch?

ALL IN THE WRIST: Barcelona’s Thierry Henry demonstrates the action required for the perfectly beaten egg (not really) during a press conference at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, Oct 16, 2008. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

Thierry Henry is in danger of playing a peripheral role in Pep Guardiola’s new look Barcelona with his continued failure to find his feet in Spain.

The France striker missed Sunday’s 6-1 rout of Sporting Gijon due to a throat infection, and that leaves Guardiola with a tough choice as to whether to keep a team that claimed a first league win of the season, or continue rotating his players for Wednesday’s visit of Real Betis.

The latter is the most likely course of events with a derby against Espanyol coming up at the weekend and a Champions League trip to face Shakhtar Donetsk next week.

But the question remains, should Henry feature in Guardiola’s best starting XI?

Against Sporting, who admittedly are bottom of the table, Barca were outstanding. Their pressuring of opponents when they didn’t have the ball was impressive, and when they did hold possession they were a delight to watch.

Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o are first choices up front, while Andres Iniesta appears to have filled the space on the left vacated by Ronaldinho with aplomb, creating and scoring goals. Iniesta’s versatility means he can play in a variety of positions, but he will always play.

With Xavi and a holding player like Yaya Toure or Seydou Keita almost guaranteed places, Henry is in effect competing with one of the youth team products Guardiola seems keen to blood in the side.

Winger Pedro Rodriguez and midfielder Sergio Busquets have won over the home fans, something Henry has yet to achieve after a year in Barcelona. Aleksandr Hleb’s injury means his former Arsenal team mate doesn’t enter the equation just yet.

Is Henry simply going to be first-change striker behind Eto’o, competing with another fan favourite Bojan Krkic? It’s looking that way.