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Since the summer things seem to have calmed down at Liverpool Football Club. However, with the impending transfer window of opportunity looming, are things set to take a turn?

Milan Jovanovic’s agent, Cvijan Milosevic, has recently admitted that his client could exit Liverpool in the January transfer window. The 29-year-old joined Anfield in the summer on a free transfer from Standard Liege but has struggled to make an impact, with Roy Hodgson limiting his appearances to European games. The Serbian’s situation seems less than certain and it would not surprise me if Jovanovic found his way out of Anfield come January.

Another member of the Anfield squad whose future does not seem all that clear is England International right back Glen Johnson. “Johnson has criticised manager Hodgson’s style of play, slamming Liverpool as ‘boring’ recently, and has duly been linked with a reunion with former Reds boss Rafael Benitez at Inter Milan.” Johnson’s future seems even more in doubt as rumours circulate that Hodgson is interested in recruiting right back Rod Fanni from Rennes.

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Pepe Reina’s Liverpool career also looks to be on slightly shaky ground as the Spaniard has made it clear that he would be willing to leave the club if it meant success could be had elsewhere. Recently Reina made the coy remark “I have a contract with Liverpool, that’s all.” When asked about his future. Is Liverpool’s superb shot stopper on his way out of Anfield?

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Finally, is it the manager himself Roy Hodgson who is set for the Anfield Chop this January. With the introduction of Damien Comolli as Director of Football Strategy at the club has Hodgson’ position at the club been weakened? “It has been speculated that Hodgson’s say in transfer deals will be diminished as a result, with the new American owners also reportedly unimpressed with the former Fulham boss’s recent acquisitions.” Could the recent goings on at Anfield move Hodgson closer to the exit door?

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Never one to shy away from voicing his opinions, Arsene Wenger has been in the news again recently for condemning the FA for saying they will take the ‘strongest team possible’ to the European Under-21 tournament in Demark next year. The bone of contention Wenger has is that this will inevitably mean a call-up for 18 year-old Jack Wilshere, who may have already featured just a week earlier for the England senior side in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland on June 4th.

Wenger has noted that;

“Jack Wilshere will play more than 40 games this season and, at 18, you have to be conscious that every time he plays, when he goes into the fight, he has to put in 200 per cent to win the ball. When a guy like him has played 40 games in the season, he needs a rest.”

Whilst also stating that;

‘The FA have to decide if he is in the first team or the Under 21s. Personally, I don’t believe a player ever performs when he has been in the top team and comes back to the Under 21s.’

We are by now, very used to the Wenger take on things, and love him or hate him, he invariably has an opinion. But is he right to be worried about the national team’s utilisation of one of his side’s prize assets?

It seems to me rather demanding of the FA to expect Wilshere to play for both the senior side and the Under-21s, and as Wenger says, the FA should probably make there mind up as to where they want him, not that this is putting Wilshere himself off the chance to play for both. However, I feel Wenger has a point.

This is perhaps not a typical club vs. country row; for starters Wenger has not expressed his dissatisfaction with Wilshere playing for his country full stop, more that he dislikes the idea of a potential summer off for one of his young talents being dashed by two facets of the national side.

I for one, can sympathise with Wenger, because how many times have we seen prodigious young talent have their career’s ruined by overzealous managers and officials, wanting to utilise their talents at every turn? The issue I believe is that Wenger himself is not in control of England’s usage of Wilshere. Wenger can use Wilshere as much as he likes, after all, Arsenal pay his wages, but with the youngster at the mercy of the FA all summer long, the decision is taken out of his control, and right or wrong, isn’t this the crux of the issue?

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A Danny Allsopp brace all but booked Melbourne Victory’s spot in the finals as the home side defeated Gold Coast United 2-0 at AAMI Park.

In a preview of a likely-first week final, Melbourne dominated the play and thanks to Allsopp’s well-taken goals either side of half-time have moved within touching distance of a confirmed spot in the finals.

Allsopp, who only re-joined the club at the start of January, is now the form striker in the league, having managed five goals in his past four matches.

With Archie Thompson and Robbie Kruse set to come back into the side in the next two weeks, Victory will have their best attacking line-up available for the finals.

As temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius in Melbourne on Sunday, Allsopp scored a cracking goal on 28 minutes from over 25 yards out and then showed his versatility by turning John Curtis in the box and firing accurately 11 minutes into the second half.

The veteran striker could have had his first-ever A-League hat-trick, spurning several chances, but it mattered little as Melbourne made it two wins in a row.

Elsewhere, a first-half goal from Dylan Macallister was enough to give Wellington Phoenix a vital 1-0 win over 10-man Newcastle Jets in Wellington.

Macallister’s goal in the 20th minute secured a club record fifth straight victory at home for Wellington but more importantly the three points lifted the Phoenix to sixth (35 points) on the table and in the process dented Newcastle’s hopes of reaching the play-offs as they stayed in eight spot with 31 points.

The Jets were not helped by the red card shown to Ryan Griffiths in the 66th minute for abusing referee Chris Beath, who also booked captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley in the first half.

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But the Phoenix did not escape either with Andrew Durante, Troy Hearfield, Vince Lia, Ben Sigmund and Manny Muscat all shown yellow cards by the referee.

Sigmund’s yellow was his eighth of the season meaning he will miss the next two crucial away matches against Adelaide and Sydney.

Borussia Dortmund ace Shinji Kagawa could miss the rest of the Bundesliga season with a broken foot.

Kagawa, 21, has scored eight goals for his club this season as they continue to take all before them, currently sitting 11 points clear of Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga.

But the Japanese midfielder broke a bone in his foot while playing for his country in an Asian Cup semi-final against South Korea, which they won on penalties after the sides were locked at 2-2 at the end of extra time.

The loss of Kagawa will be a blow to Japan, who face Australia in Saturday’s Asian Cup final, but the news will hurt the Bundesliga table-toppers more, with a recovery expected in the final stages of the season at best.

“The news is bad. He was a prominent figure for us in the first half of the season,” Dortmund press-officer Hans-Joachim Watzke told SID.

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“The end of the season (in Germany) is three-and-a-half months away and a broken foot needs time to heal. It will be close (whether or not he plays again this season).”

Eredivisie league leaders PSV Eindhoven gave the chasing pack something to cheer about on Saturday, slipping to a 1-0 home defeat to ADO Den Haag.

Substitute Charlton Vicento’s cross found Wesley Verhoek unmarked at the far post in the second minute of injury time and his cool finish helped lift ADO into fifth place in the Eredivisie.

The result means reigning champions Twente trail PSV by just a single point and can overhaul the leaders if they beat Utrecht on Sunday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, relegation battlers Excelsior shocked AZ Alkmaar after coming from behind to post a 2-1 home win.

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson gave the visitors the lead after 10 minutes but Tom Vincken equalised with a penalty on 65 minutes before a freakish free-kick from Jordy Clasie sealed the three points.

Clasie’s floating free-kick from long-range deceived everyone, including Alkmaar goalkeeper Sergio Romero, and bounced inside the penalty area before crossing the line.

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VVV Venlo remain entrenched in the relegation zone despite cruising to a 3-0 win over 10th-placed NAC Breda, while Heerenveen and NEC Nijmegen played out a goalless draw at the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

It was raining goals in the Premier League once again with impressive victories for Manchester United, Wolves and Aston Villa. The result for United sees Fergie’s side pull clear at the top of the table while Mick McCarthy will be delighted this morning in seeing his team finally moving out of the bottom three. It appears that at both ends of the table it is going to go down to the wire; given it is the most open Premier League table in years.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Ashley Cole shoots student with air rifle; Martinez furious over Rooney elbow, while Manchester City learn the value of Silva.

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Cole shoots student with air rifle – Observer

Martinez furious over Rooney ‘elbow’ – Daily Telegraph

Kenny to Kop new two-year deal – Mirror

Wembley pitch is ‘best it’s ever been’, say officials ahead of Carling Cup final – Daily Mail

Arsene Wenger in for Kop Keeper – Daily Star

City learning value of Silva – Daily Telegraph

Unsettled Everton star Bilyaletdinov hints at Moscow exit in the summer – Daily Mail

Chelsea prove assistants have a key role – Observer

Andy Carroll told to lose the pounds – Express

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Hammers chief reveals why he spared Grant the sack – Mirror

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FANCY A FLUTTER ON THE CARLING CUP FINAL?

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Sir Alex Ferguson knows when his players need his protection. In the wake of Wayne Rooney’s off the ball scuffle with James McCarthy at the weekend, Ferguson has recognised the need to defend a player who could have been banned for three matches if referee Mark Clattenburg had deemed his actions to have not been sufficiently dealt with during the course of Saturday’s game at the DW Stadium.

Ferguson condemned a newspaper campaign to have his talismanic striker “electrocuted” but even as he uttered the words, he must have known his player would go unpunished.

Enraged Wigan fans were being forced to ask themselves; was referee Mark Clattenburg ever going to concede that he did not see the McCarthy incident? The idealists at the FA may suggest so, but, regardless, if Clattenburg didn’t believe Rooney’s elbow deserved a straight red card then should he even be refereeing at the highest level?

Of course, the FA deciding to ignore Rooney’s petulance, is hardly breaking precedent. I was absolutely amazed to hear Steven Gerrard’s off the ball punch on Michael Brown last season was ignored, in the same way his swearing at referee Andre Marriner was swept under the carpet. Both times the defence that the referee had seen and dealt with the issue at the time was trotted out for the media.

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Although the evidence is often compelling, I have always found it difficult to buy into the concept that referees deliberately give decisions in favour of the so called ‘bigger’ clubs. These incidents do happen – decisions given and not given at crucial times, but I cannot honestly say this is a conscious decision at the time by the man in black made to avoid backlash from a Ferguson or an Arsene Wenger.

At the weekend I overheard a fan ask Alan Green on BBC radio if he thought that referees were intimidated by having a well-known or charismatic manager standing on the touchline. Green, never short of a controversial opinion, said that he did although that in the Rooney case Clattenburg hadn’t simply opted out of sending the Manchester United man off because he was being watched by the player’s manager.

Nevertheless, the bitter taste of the wrong verdict being reached remains. To help with this sense of injustice, open and cut cases such as this one should certainly be susceptible to retrospective action by the FA. Referee accountability is not something that is in keeping with the ‘Respect’ campaign, but in this situation all involved are on the opposite end of nothing but derision.

The FA will defend their actions to the hilt, claiming that the organisation’s by-laws dictate that their hands have been tied by the referee’s post match report. In reality, this debate has been going on for years – if those in charge of the association really wanted to amend their processes, there have been enough instances in the past to highlight this blind-spot.

Even when it comes to looking at hearing decisions the organisation have made, strange inconsistencies have been opened up. Roy Keane was given a five match ban for his career ending tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland, something that appeared ridiculously lenient when Ben Thatcher was banned for eight matches for his violent but no more malicious challenge on Pedro Mendes.

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I suspect no one is surprised by the FA’s statement on the Rooney incident, nor are they surprised by articles of this ilk highlighting the hypocrisy and inconsistencies of the organisation. The sad and frustrating element of this case is that these instances will continue to occur – simply relying of referee discretion is idealistic and naive. When we as a nation condemn FIFA for their strange decisions and inflexible rules, it might be best to remember instances like this before the rest of the football world point out the flaws in our own system.

To sign my petition to get a Premier League version of the BBC show ‘Confessions’ commissioned find me on Twitter.

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England’s victory against Wales has given Fabio Capello some respite from his critics after an impressive display in Cardiff. Frank Lampard has come out and hailed the Italian’s tactics and believes that they are capable of anything.

In the papers there have been a mix bag of stories that include Wenger issues Wilshere warning; Welbeck to decide on future, while Mike Ashley slashes Newcastle’s wage bill.

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Terry: anthem boos inspired England – Daily Telegraph

Loans offer cheap fix but can be a pain – Observer

Lampard hails Capello’s tactics – Daily Telegraph

Capello: Stop the laser fools targeting my players – Daily Mail

Moyes is a target for struggling Aston Villa – Daily Mail

Wenger issues Wilshere a sobering warning -Mirror

Mike Ashley slashes Newcastle United’s crippling wage bill – People

Welbeck to decide on future – Sky Sports

Lehmann in line for recall after Wenger leaves Almunia hanging – Independent

Manchester United set to make an £8m move for Charlie Adam – Daily Mail

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Dalglish adds Barcelona winger to summer wish list – Mirror

Sulley Muntari tips Harry Redknapp to boss England – People

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Lille extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to five points after they won 2-1 at Brest as title rivals Stade Rennes dropped points on Saturday.The league leaders made the trip to Stade Francis Le Ble expecting a win, with the hosts having fallen dramatically from their spot at the top of Ligue 1 earlier in the season.Prior to Saturday’s match, they had dropped out of the top half and won just two matches from their last 12, a stark contrast to Lille who have been recording victories with ease in recent times.But they were made to work for the win on Saturday, especially when Benoit Lesoimier converted Jonathan Ayite’s assist after 19 minutes to give Brest a surprise lead.Lille got a goal back seven minutes before half-time through Yao Gervinho before the league’s top-scorer, Moussa Sow, scored shortly after the restart to net his 19th Ligue 1 goal for the club this season.Sow’s side held on for all three points and they were given a bonus when Stade Rennes could only manage a point, albeit in a 1-1 away draw with third-placed Lyon.Lille’s challengers met at the Stade de Gerland in an exciting game of football, headlined by Kevin Theophile Catherine’s 87th-minute equaliser for the visitors which cancelled out Bafetimbi Gomis’ first-half goal for Lyon.Rennes came from behind to get the point despite the sending off of Colombian Victor Hugo Montano, who was given his marching orders with 25 minutes remaining.In other matches, second-from-bottom Lens stunned Montpellier with a 4-1 away win.Goals inside the first half from Kanga Akale, Sebastian Roudet and a Joris Marveaux own goal handed Montpellier a 3-0 lead at the break and despite Garry Bocaly’s 57th-minute strike for the hosts, any chance of a comeback were wiped when Issam Jemaa scored five minutes later for Lens.Bordeaux scored two goals in the last 10 minutes claim a 2-2 draw at Valenciennes, thanks to late finishes from Jussie and Mickael Ciani.Gael Danic had scored twice to give Valenciennes the lead but they failed to hold on and have now gone five Ligue 1 matches without a win.An Ireneusz Jelen double helped Auxerre to a 2-0 home win over Sochaux while two of the top-half sides, Lorient and Saint-Etienne, played out a goalless draw.Mauro Cetto’s 93rd-minute own goal gave Nice a point against Toulouse in a 1-1 draw, with Cetto’s late intervention ruling out Federico Santander’s 27th-minute opener.

AC Milan’s lead at the top of the Serie A remains at three points after they won 2-1 at Fiorentina on Sunday, while Napoli and Juventus also won.Milan’s last road trip ended in a 1-0 defeat at Palermo, but they came out firing in this fixture at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Alexandre Pato supplied the assist for Clarence Seedorf’s eighth-minute opener and the Brazilian turned scorer four minutes before half-time to double his side’s lead.

Canadian Juan Manuel Vargas breathed life into Fiorentina’s bid to win a point with 11 minutes remaining but although Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off in the 87th minute, on his return from suspension, the visitors held on for victory.

Napoli’s good form continued after they won 2-0 at Bologna, while Juventus came from behind to defeat Genoa.

Walter Mazzarri’s side won their fourth match in succession thanks to first-half strikes from Giuseppe Mascara and Marek Hamsik.

Bologna had only lost at home in the league once since December so the task was never going to be easy for the Naples-based club, but Mascara gave his side the lead on the half-hour mark.

He was booked for his celebration in a tense match littered with cautions, with the most crucial yellow card of the match handed to Bologna goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano on the stroke of half-time.

Viviano was given a caution for his foul on Ezequiel Lavezzi and Hamsik buried the resultant penalty, giving his side a valuable two-goal advantage at the main break.

The cards continued to come in the second half but Napoli held on for an important away win.

In Torino, Juventus scored three second-half goals as they recorded an impressive 3-2 home win against Genoa.

Leonardo Bonucci’s seventh-minute own-goal had the hosts on the back foot but they equalised through another own goal, with Marco Rossi putting the ball into his own net early in the second half.

That goal energised Juve and although Antonio Floro Flores hit the back of the net for Genoa after 57 minutes, goals from strike duo Alessandro Matri and Luca Toni – the latter with seven minutes remaining – saw Luigi Delneri’s side record victory.

In other matches, Lazio moved ahead of Udinese and into fourth after a 2-0 home triumph over relegation-threatened Parma, thanks to goals from Hernanes and Sergio Floccari.

Struggling Sampdoria’s horror run of form continued as they slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Lecce, with David Di Michele and Ruben Olivera getting on the scoresheet for the victors.

Striker Massimo Maccarone pulled a goal back with 21 minutes remaining but it was not enough for Sampdoria, who lost key goal-scorers Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini in the January transfer window and have now won just one of their last 14 league matches.

Cesena, who sit second from bottom, pulled off a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 at Palermo.

First-half goals to Jasmin Kurtic and Mauricio Pinilla had Palermo seemingly cruising, but stoppage-time strikes to Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini saw the promoted side snare a famous draw.

As if the goals did not make the second half eventful enough, three Cesena players were shown red cards. Defender Steve von Bergen was dismissed on 74 minutes for a dangerous foul of Pinilla, with unused substitute Paolo Sammarco also red carded for leading the protestations.

Fellow substitute and veteran goalkeeper Alex Calderoni followed him down the tunnel in the 90th minute after overdoing the celebrations at Giaccherini’s equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Maxi Lopez’s first-half equaliser gave Catania a point in a 1-1 draw at Bari. Brescia also came from behind to draw 1-1, at Cagliari.