A selection of talent from Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton, Stoke City, Burnley, Sunderland and Aston Villa who should get more in the way of plaudits.

Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool)

A player who only seems to get his chance when someone is out injured or badly off form.

Last week coach Fabio Capello revealed England's national squad roster for the upcoming September 6th friendly against Slovenia, followed by the September 9th World Cup Qualifier against Crotia. There were a few surprises on the roster additions, but what might have been most surprising was a few of the names left off of the list.

So, David Beckham flew all the way from Los Angeles to London so he could sit on the bench for the friendly against Slovakia and play 10 minutes of garbage time once England had a four goal lead against Croatia. He got a great view of how Shaun Wright Phillips did well against Slovakia and how Aaron Lennon completely tore up Croatia.

Week 4 of the Barclays Premier League starts with a top of the table clash. The Big 4 Club is about to be gatecrashed by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. This should be the weekend where Spurs and City prove that they can lay legitimate claim to an expansion of the Big 4 to a Super Six. Winning against Manchester United and Arsenal respectively will really make the football world sit up and take notice.

Am I alone in being concerned about Gael Clichy who seems to be rushing into tackles like a youth player and losing his positional awareness? I rate the player very highly and see him as potential leadership material when Fabregas departs for Barcelona. He links well down the flanks and gives the team much needed width, but his early performances this season have worried me.

The UEFA World Cup Qualifying had another set of matches on Wednesday with one of the marquee matches, England v Croatia. England were playing at home in front of a packed Wembley Stadium with a chance to clinch first place in the group and a spot in next summer's FIFA 2010 World Cup. Here's a recap of the match along with video highlights.

"Boys, diving is back on the menu".

That might be the most potent message after seeing England's game against Slovenia. And no, UEFA is not going to do any retrospective video refereeing because it is lowly Slovenia. Rooney can pull a player's shirt blatantly, fall down, and pretend he got fouled without retribution.

The season is getting cooler but it's actually getting hotter in the UKFF towers. We've been received 100's of honies pictures wanting to be our girl of the week.

This weeks little honey and absolutely stunner is 19 year old Tasha from London.

If you would like to be our girl of the week then e-mail ukffgirls@ukfootballfinder.

Motty squawks at Aaron Lennon We already noted in our Top 10 conclusions that Motty was getting a bit camp during yesterday's Chelsea-Spurs game. And this example is no exception. With Aaron Lennon on the counter attack, Motty adopts his best teenage boy falsetto to proclaim: "He's going all the waaay.

Cuando se presagiaba que la calificación de México al Mundial de Sudáfrica 2010 ya navegaba por aguas mas que tranquilas, hubo algo que medio volvió esas aguas turbulentas. Giovanni Dos Santos sufrió de una lesión en la pierna izquierda cuando disputaba un partido de visitante contra el Preston, dentro de la Carling Cup.

England faced Slovenia on Saturday September 5, 2009 ahead of their UEFA World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday against Croatia. The match was a warm-up for both sides and took place in front of over 70,000 at Wembley Stadium.

England beats Slovenia 2-1 in friendly Video Highlights

England won 2-1 against Slovenia on Saturday but should have converted more chances.

Qualification sealed in style.

It was a game that Fabio needed to win and a victory the fans wanted to see in order to shake off any nerves surrounding qualification for South Africa 2010, in the end it was a performance to remember by a side who must not choke next summer.

It was a near faultless display from an England side clearly reaping the rewards of being coached by one of the all time greats of the game, for it should not be underestimated the impact Mr.

As much as I wasn't particularly looking forward to last night's England game, the one hope I had was that Aaron Lennon would step forward and stake a serious claim for a World Cup spot. That's exactly what he did and in some style!

Lennon's first half performance was superb. He created two of the goals, secured himself the man of the match accolade and very likely a place in Capello's squad for the 2010 World Cup.

England has been wearing the tag of one of the best national teams in the world for quite a while, but the fans are still waiting for the emergence of a generation that could repeat the feat of winning the World Cup, something that only '66 team managed to do.

Big Story
England manager John Terry announced Aaron Lennon had "played his way into the World Cup squad" with his display in England's destruction of Croatia yesterday, one that of course has the English press in a frenzy. But, please, can we not call Lennon "Azza"?

LONDON (AP) -- England coach Fabio Capello has given a strong indication that Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will make it to a fourth World Cup, hailing the former captain's ability to bring the squad together.

The 34-year-old Beckham made his 114th international appearance as England routed Croatia 5-1 on Wednesday to qualify for next year's tournament with two games to spare.

Harry & Sparky look to complete player exchange before today's transfer deadline.

Sky Sports sources understand Manchester City are in talks with Tottenham regarding a deal for David Bentley. (Sky Sports)

Manchester City & Tottenham To Swap Martin Petrov & David Bentley

Spurs are eager to draft in a left-winger following the recent injury to their star playmaker, Luka Modric, and have jumped at the chance to offload Bentley in the process.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor has been arguably the best transfer of any player for any club so far this season. The forward scored within minutes of his debut for Manchester City and has scored three goals in three league matches for his new club. For the second straight week, Adebayor scored the lone goal in the match in a road win over Portsmouth.

It's now three years since David Beckham was dropped from the England squad but with just over nine months left until World Cup 2010 gets underway, Fabio Capello is still mulling over his replacement. Over the next 10 days Aaron Lennon will be the latest person to audition for the role, ...

These International breaks drive me mad. Settling down in front of the racing and Soccer Saturday just isn't the same without some Premiership action, specifically without Spurs.

I really have very little interest where International football is concerned. Don't get me wrong, I support England in their matches but I just don't have the same passion for them as I did when I was younger.

He cost how much?

If there has been a better use of £1m by Tottenham Football Club in recent years then I sure as hell can't think of it. Aaron Lennon arrived as a player clearly with a bright future and Martin Jol was more than happy to take advantage of Leeds United financial crisis to nab the England winger on the cheap, something other clubs were gleefully doing with just about every decent player at Elland Road at the time.

1. England. Damn.

2. Argentina. Damn.

3. In light of the wild reversals of fortune seemingly or I would actually think obviously brought about at their respective teams by Capello and Maradona it's a mystery to me how someone like Simon Kuper could argue with a straight face that a manager is a figure of little real importance who could be replaced by a Polish Lowland Sheepdog with no ill effects, since even Steve McClaren seemed to bring with him a whole parcel of ill effects, and regardless of your opinion of Steve McClaren he is presumably a few notches higher on the grand scale of being than even a very well-trained Polish Lowland Sheepdog, although for the sake of argument we have to consider the possibility that England would have been exactly where they are now under Steve McClaren, that all the team were waiting on was some mysterious gelling process and an improvement in Aaron Lennon's crossing, the end result of which would have seen them playing those little plinky through balls to devastating effect regardless of who was on the sideline, whether Steve McClaren or a Polish Lowland Sheepdog, or even Alan Shearer, but to me the whole point is that under Steve McClaren they never actually tried those little plinky through balls, but then what do I know, never having sat in on a single pitch meeting about how Freakonomics could be applied to soccer.

When you have got the rub of the green, you have got the rub of the green. England's job became fifty per cent easier before they even kicked off last night as Ukraine and Belarus played out a 0-0 draw, meaning that they only needed a draw rather than a win against Croatia at Wembley. Still, though.

A player who has come in for some unwarranted criticism in recent days who has already shown himself to be a good value Anfield signing.

There has been a lot said about Glen Johnson in the press and by pundits and supposed 'experts' in recent days and I have to say I am dumbfounded by anyone who believes that the former Chelsea and West Ham man is anything other than one of the best right backs in the World right now.

Tottenham away has never been a stroll in the park. Saying that, our last eight Premier League visits to White Hart Lane have yielded six wins and two draws. Easy pickings then, or so one may be led to believe. Well if you're that naive then I'd advise you to stop reading here as Saturday's trip to the capital will certainly be a massive test for a United side that have hardly stormed out of the blocks so far this season.

It's official. England has made the World Cup with a win over Croatia earlier in the week. The Three Lions will be feasting on World Cup opponents this summer rather then eating moldy wedding cake with the likes of Dicken's Miss Havisham.

And with a World Cup birth comes an opportunity that is filled with great expectations.

... and John Colquhoun keeps popping up again and again and again, so he does.
Being a humble imbiber of sporting journalism, you will not realise that this is taking place, unless you are a regular reader of this blog.
In which case you will understand that we are onto Mr Colquhoun's case.

With a 5-1 victory at Wembley, the English national team was able to exorcise the ghosts of its last meeting with Croatia and advance to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 5-1? Against effectively the same Croatia side that gave England fits in their 2007 meeting? You could write off last year's 4-1 England victory in Zagreb as a fluke, but this suddenly makes England look pretty good.

Fabio Capello apparently has 'problem positions' that he needs to sort out before the fun begins in South Africa next summer. The right midfield berth is a hotly debated issue; at times, selecting who to wear the number 7 shirt is akin to picking names out of a hat. Shaun Wright Phillips, Theo Walcott and David Beckham have all come and gone in recent years, thus leaving a perfect void for Tottenham's Aaron Lennon to squeeze into.

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky...
I was lucky enough to be at Wembley Stadium last night to witness England give their most complete performance since the headline-friendly – but ultimately meaningless – 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich in September 2001.
There's a pleasing symmetry there, and not just in the scorelines – as in the win against Croatia, the rout of the Germans was managed by a foreign coach; for Capello now, read the much-maligned Sven-Goran Eriksson then.

Ah the Premier League. How I've missed you over the last week or so. Your absence has deprived me of the chance to witness Spurs pick up another precious three points and that trend is certain to continue come tomorrow afternoon with the visit of league champions Manchester United... on second thoughts, I'll get me coat.

£80million

Right so; two players left two teams from the EPL for hotter climes this season; which have neutered two sides. Xabi Alonso was the first and now Liverpool find themselves at a loss to explain what it is exactly Lucas brings to the side. With two forgettable wingers, (although I do rate Riera at times) Stevie G finds himself clipping his fangs; meandering around the centre circle for 80mins.

Fabio Capello has led the English team into the World Cup in stunning style. Gone is the despondency at losing out on a 2008 Euro berth under Steve McLaren, the 'The Wally with a Brolly'.

The way England has won is causing an unfamiliar feeling to creep up. They dare to dream. The delicious possibility of adding another World Cup title.

A goal down. A man down. And they come back and spank Spurs, 3-1. This was a huge test for both clubs. Were Spurs as good as they looked? Was Utd as vulnerable as they seemed?

What is really impressive about the way Man Utd have turned things around is that they are relying on players already within the club.

The Chelsea monkey is well and truly off our backs, so now is the perfect time to go to Stamford Bridge with confidence. The defeat against Manchester United has guaranteed complacency will not be a problem, but with four wins under our belts we should still head west with nothing to fear.

Stamford Bridge is no longer the fortress it once was – Liverpool and Arsenal both won there last season – and the players have the confidence of knowing they took four points from Chelsea last term.

No Diomansy tonight. Because Eddie Johnson is leading the line! Wicked. Eddie may not get many opportunities but I remain convinced of his awesomeness, at least on a theoretical level.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Wilson has an article up about tactics.

He asks if the sweeper might come back, but the article is really about space.

Having seen Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch grab the headlines with their recent hat trick heroics, Spurs captain Robbie Keane knew he had to re-confirm his importance to the team in the face of growing pressure over his selection.

When Sven Goran Eriksson was in charge of the England national team there were always questions about his commitment in the minds of many English fans. A foreign manager for the national side never quite seemed to sit right but when Steve McLaren spectacularly messed things up we were all pretty pleased with the appointment of Fabio Capello.

Cheer Up Alan Shearer's Top 10 TV Football Moments
4. All The Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
John Motson is 64, you know. If you'd ask me, mind, I'd have said that due to his increasingly inconsistent commentary he was nearer 75. We love a bit of Motty, but he's been gradually losing the plot as he has aged, and his increasingly hyperbolic commentary has led me to race into my living room at many a time only for someone to have won a boring corner.