By Michael Sinnerton

This week's findings that Liverpool have 62 professionals on the books has caused uproar at UEFA. Usually I would take UEFA's thoughts on English football and the Premier League with a large pinch of sodium chloride but with Manchester United and Arsenal payrolling a squad of over 50, you can't help but feel sorry for the young players trying to make their way in the game.

Liverpool's "62" includes 17 players currently out on loan. Interviews in Observer Sport with two of these, Craig Lindfield and Jack Hobbs, claim they find the situation "frustrating" and "demoralising". Hobbs is now a successful part of Leicester's promotion push in League One whilst Lindfield is starting to make a name for himself in League Two. Godwin Antwi, another signed by Benitez, is refusing to contemplate signing another contract for Liverpool preferring to take his chances lower down the ladder at the chance of first team action.

Gordon Taylor, PFA chief executive, spoke recently of the wastage in the game: "Six hundred each year join clubs at 16," he said. "Of those 500 will be out of the game by 21. It's not good enough. We have got to look at improving the success rate of academies."

It seems unlikely that Liverpool gain much benefit from contracting this many players, in fact they probably have an inflated wage bill to deal with as a result. In fairness to Benitez some of the players he has signed may well end up making the breakthrough and saving the club large transfer fees (or even earning the club transfer fees) only time will tell.

As a Liverpool fan though, there is nothing better than seeing a young player break through to the first team and really make it. We are fortunate enough at the moment to deflect questions about youth policy with reference to Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. The question remains though whether any will follow in their footsteps, with none of the 206 FA Youth Cup winning team making an impact. The Manchester City team they beat in the final contained current first-teamers Micah Richards, Michael Johnson, Ched Evans and Daniel Sturridge.

The solution currently being offered by UEFA is limiting the number of contracts, in the same way that only 25 players can be registered for the Champions League. This however would require backing domestically something which is never a guarantee. Surely this is something which all Premier League fans would unite behind? Whilst having a large squad is important, stockpiling talent seemingly without any real intention of utilising it can only have a negative impact on football in the long term.

By Michael Sinnerton 

Is there ever a point when for the entertainment of the fans two teams should be kept apart in a draw? As a Liverpool fan, unlike the rest of you, I have to sit through another Liverpool Chelsea game, which makes the draw pretty dismal.

Predictions

You have to fancy Arsenal to beat Villarreal, who are a very good team but are ultimately limited. Arsenal too have inherent weaknesses and may struggle to win at El Madrigal but should have enough at the Emirates where they have yet to concede in the Champions League this season. Also playing into the Gunners hands is Villarreal's similar brand of football and the return from injury of so many important players.

A draw in Spain but a win at home.

Manchester United will beat Porto, who if the Spanish press are to be believed are only in the quarter-finals because of a crazy decision by Atletico Madrid not to start top-scorer Diego Forlan in the second leg. United have way too much quality for this tie and will win at home. If they win comfortably the away leg will probably be a draw, otherwise United may win in Porto as well.

2-0 at home and 0-0 away.

Liverpool v Chelsea. If the second leg was at Anfield, Liverpool would win this tie, if Scolari was at the Bridge, Liverpool would win this tie. But I digress wistfully, because I've not got a clue. This is for me the tightest of the draws, Hiddink memorably won the European Cup with PSV without winning a game from the quarters onwards. So, not that you did, but don't expect goals. Two tight affairs with the managers trying to control every single details, not for the purists.

Liverpool to win on penalties.

Barcelona to do list for the Quarter Finals.

- Attack

- Mark Franck Ribery (*maybe tap him up)

The Catalans have way too much going forward for Bayern and should win well enough at home to be relatively comfortable for the return leg.

A win by two clear goals at the Nou Camp and a draw in Germany.

A quick semi-final prediction. No point in predicting the winners if I don't get the participants right.

Barcelona to beat Liverpool. Manchester United to beat Arsenal.

Barcelona to beat Manchester United (football fans everywhere to celebrate)

By Michael Sinnerton 

Valencia are in financial crisis, the players haven't been paid for seven weeks, the club hasn't won in seven weeks and David Villa is injured.

A new stadium has been promised and won't be delivered, Bancaja (the spanish bank) have taken over the club and are owed over £200m. As Sid Lowe put it "in short, administration without the administrators." The team, second in January has fallen to eight and is drifting closer to relegation than Europe.

The good news for you is most of the players are very talented and have had enough. Cutbacks and sales are guaranteed and payment for the players won't happen anytime soon.

The stars:

David Villa

Value: £30 million

Talent: World Class

Linked with: Liverpool, Man. City, Chelsea

Verdict: Wants to remain in Spain and probably will with both R.Madrid and Barcelona unsurprisingly keen. Liverpool fans would love to see Villa link up with Torres while Man City could out bid the rest. If Drogba finally leaves Chelsea a partnership of Villa and Anelka could take some beating

David Silva

Value: £20 - 25m

Talent: European/World Class

Linked with: Liverpool, Manchester United

Verdict: United could make a move if they still want him, but I fancy Chelsea to swoop if they allow Malouda to go. May well remain in Spain though.

Juan Mata

Value: £10 - 15m

Talent: Fringes of the Spain squad, Valencia's brightest young spark. Potentially as good as Silva.

Verdict: Is a very talented young player, was at Real Madrid from 15 to 18 and may be tempted back there. An early move by an English club and the promise of enough money to set him up for life may prove tempting for a 20 year old.

The rest:

Manuel Fernandez: Has had succesful loan spells with Everton but has failed to properly settle in Spain which could lead to a renewed move by the Merseyside club or any sensible manager attempting to copy Moyes.

Raul Albiol - Spain's next great central defender? Albiol has 11 caps to his name and is a dead cert for a bright international future. Would make an excellent signing for Arsenal, although at over 6 ft may be too tall for an Emirates centre back. Is also great on the ball.

Joaquin - At 27 still has enough time to completely fulfil his potential, whether he's too inconsistent for a top 4 side is debateable. I think so, but would fit into a top 6/7 side Everton, Aston Villa *laughs* Newcastle. 

by Joel Abraham

After 117 minutes of turgid, boring football, ITV skip to a commercial break in the middle of the match and miss the only goal of the game, a fine solo effort by young Dan Gosling.

Was that deliberate? Opportunism at its worst? Were they trying to cram in a couple of adverts before the shootout began?

They might claim it was accidental (which the subsequent faults may lend credence to) but the fact that they resumed coverage immediately after the goal is mightily suspicious.

One minute I'm watching a football match, the next minute I'm watching that stupid VW advert of a middle aged man in a suit fighting himself, the next minute I'm watching Everton players celebrating. Utterly shambolic.

To compound that, the commentators gave us a half-arsed apology "if you missed the goal". What do you mean, "if"? Every single viewer in the country missed it, there's no "if".

I really hope somebody gets sacked for that. BBC, Sky, Setanta, anybody, save us.

by Joel Abraham

I actually hate Mike Riley, and yet strangely found myself feeling sorry for him yesterday. The general public, Amnesty International, the UN and NATO are in uproar about the fact that chubby Frank, saviour of the English game, the child of Christ, football passion incarnate, fearless leader of the beloved Anfield reds (oh wait, that's the other one) was given a red card for a clumsy challenge. Mike Riley is public enemy #1.

Who pops up to stick the boot into Riley but the three-card clown Graham Poll. Everything that comes out of Poll's horrible mouth means less than nothing. His words are meaningless, airborne toxic events. His comments can usually be translated as "LOOK AT ME!! PLEASE!". On this occasion he said something along the lines of "How can we respect referees when they continue to make appalling decisions?", which is a line trotted out by all stupid people when a penalty is awarded against their team or when their favouritest player in the world gets sent off.

Leaving aside the delicious irony of Poll criticising the quality of somebody else's refereeing, Poll is highlighting one of the most brainless and infuriating cliches spewed by people with no understanding of the principles underlying the Respect campaign. It is all the more staggering that they've come from a former referee.

Comments like these miss the point entirely, and is precisely the mentality that means the 'Respect' campaign is doomed to failure. The concept of respecting the referee should not be dependent upon the accuracy of their decisions. The point of the campaign was to reduce ugly scenes of dissent, not to place an immediate impetus on referees to make the correct decision every time.

What the campaign asks for is that players respect the decision, even if they disagree with it. In other words, the referee is always right. It's a noble idea, albeit rather naive. But with players, managers, pundits, fans and even fellow referees crucifying every incorrect decision, I can't see it catching on.

These days, so-called post-match "analysis" is just a list of all the refereeing decisions that pompous pundits and imbecilic ex-pros think were incorrect, their wise judgements based upon multiple slow-motion replays from every conceivable angle. Players and managers love to blame their own inadequacies on the odd questionable decision. If people actually let the refs get on with their jobs, god forbid, then pundits, players and managers might have to do their jobs properly too.

By Michael Sinnerton 

In a shocking deadline-day twist Tottenham made two late undisclosed bids for Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick. Daniel Levy, through a mouth full of linguini, muttered they were not trying to recreate the team that suffered through pasta-gate. Late moves for Anthony Gardner and Steed Malbranque were mooted but not made in time and may be relived in the summer.

Asked whether it mattered that Tottenham seemed to be moving backward rather than forwards, Levy snapped "We're spending money aren't we?!" David Bentley and Luka Modric have been marginalised and Redknapp is hoping for a line up of: Gomes;Chimbonda;King;Dawson;Assou-Ekoto;Lennon;Jenas;Zokora;Bale;Keane;Defoe. Club sources are said to be heartbroken, and frankly surprised, that Blackburn wouldn't part with Paul Robinson.

Martin Jol has refused to comment on speculation linking him with the job, only muttering under his breath "we should have had the chilli" over and over.

 Actual things said by Jon Champion during Liverpool v Everton, 25/1/09

"Anfield is a cup crucible"

"History wrapped up in folklore"

"Gerrard is a leader of men, like Lord Nelson"

(As Gerrard steps up to take a corner) "Cometh the hour"

"It's been a Merseyside derby sandwich"

"It's time for Gerrard"

"There are several tales of heroism emerging here"

"Most of the seats in the Kop are now redundant"

"Everton, the pesky neighbours"

"107 years on, there will be another replay"

"For the Evertonians, a joyous, if short, journey home"

"Nobody can complain at the entertainment levels" 

"Steven Gerrard's 111th goal for Liverpool"

by Joel Abraham

I like Manchester City. I wrote a few months ago about how I was relishing the prospect of a star-studded City XI, and with Kaka seemingly close to becoming the newest recruit, I can't bloomin' wait.

People are constantly lecturing us on how £108m could be better spent, how Mark Hughes needs a team of grafters and warriors to shore up the defence. Maybe, but wouldn't you much rather be watching Kaka?

I think Man City should be applauded for their pursuit of players like Robinho and Kaka, who make the game worth watching. Surely this is preferable to the philosophies of cloggers like Gary Megson and Tony Pulis, whose sole aim to to strangle the life out of any game they take part in?

At worst, Kaka becomes a hilarious expensive flop. At best, we get to see one of the world's finest footballers producing his artistry on a regular basis. This does of course beg the question as to whether any footballer could ever live up to such a price tag, but it's a question we should ignore for the sake of the beautiful game.

It's an obscene amount of money. Yet I find the idea of Abu Dhabi's oil money being poured into football a lot more palatable than Abramovich's cash, which by all accounts should've remained in the Russian public services sector.

Arsene Wenger is claiming this is terrible for football, immoral, unfair. Possibly, but until every other Premier League club is owned by oil barons, I suggest we enjoy Man City for the novelty act that they have become.

P.S. On a side note, I find the moral dilemma for Kaka himself utterly fascinating. As a devout Christian who allegedly has no interest in money, is he about to sell his soul for £1m a month?

22:18: Pickles the cat settles down on my chest ready for MOTD.

22:23: Carson does a Carson. He always does that.

22:25: Pickles runs away because I wasn't paying her enough attention.

22:26: Carson makes a great save, but it's too late because he's already fucked everything up.

22:29: Tony Mowbray looks like a haunted Robbie Keane.

22:33: The studio pundits are looking fantastically orange.

22:35: Liverpool's vile match against Stoke is inexplicably up second. I hope they show Gerralt's dive.

22:39: Record signing Kitson misses another chance and has yet to score for Stoke, who should probably buy someone slightly more expensive to stop him from being the record signing.

22:41: £20m striking sensation Robbie Keane remains on the bench at the expense of 1) a clearly unfit Torres, 2) the lumbering Ryan Babel, 3) Benitez not fancying bringing on a third sub.

22:42: The MOTD propaganda machine fails to show Gerralt's spectacular dive.

22:44: Benitez has started to go a little bit mental.

22:48: Phil Brown is wearing an elaborate scarf which sort of looks like a big snake wrapped around his neck.

22:49: Marouane Fellaini scores, in spite of his hair being a good yard offside.

22:56: The post-match interviews are filmed in Shakeycam.

22:57: Mikel Arteta appears to be wearing makeup and looks like a beautiful lady.

23:03: Owen has yet another "he usually scores those" moment.

23:05: The commentator keeps bleating on about how West Ham v Newcastle games usually average four goals in an unconvincing effort to disguise the fact that all their commentary is dubbed on afterwards.

23:07: In a borderline racist statement, the commentator says that players from Italy are good at protesting their innocence.

23:09: The racially confused Andy Carroll scores an equaliser. The man looks like a complete tool.

23:16: Ricky Sbragia looks like one of those characters from Beauty and the Beast that were transformed from an inanimate object into a living creature by magic.

23:29: Gareth Southgate appears to have styled his hair like Kazuya from Tekken.

23:35: Gary Megson names only four substitutes who he encouragingly describes as 'just free transfers and kids".