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Forgive my erratic posting schedule. Uni work and other stuff occupy my mind most of the time and will probably be the case until November. Until then bear with me. Not like I have a massive audience to satisfy either.

Moving on, my complete lack of access to any channels on TV showing football leads me to other places to get my fix, namely the internet. I'm pretty sure I watch more highlights than Astro cares to offer. I now get weekly shows for the entire English Football League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Eredivisie, Scottish Premier League and other leagues I can't be bothered to name. Which means I get to see players from across Europe regularly. And this brings me to my topic. On a side note www.fbtz.com is a great forum and where I get my stuff. Check it out.

Watching the Ligue 1 highlights show, two players stood out. And no they're not obscure, in fact they're the touted future superstars of French football, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. I'm sure everyone has heard of them before, and probably even know what I'm going to say about them. However, it's unavoidable. These two ARE the future of the French national team. Benzema was involved in both of Lyon's goals this weekend. He first collected the ball in the opposite half of the field, ran a bit, did a SINGLE natural stepover (take note Robinho, Nani) and comfortably beat his man before finishing at the keeper's near post with his left foot. His second telling contribution was a swift turn and deft lob with his left foot over the opposition defense from his own half which led to a goal. He may not have scored nor was it an assist, however, it was a moment of class, one which completely changed the pace of play and resulted in a goal. It may not sound impressive in words but let me assure you that that finish and lob was simply confirmation that this young man is ready to take on the world. Lyon's annual target to get past the quarterfinals of the Champions League is certainly more realistic with this man's presence in their first XI. There have been rumours of Man City and Man Utd readying bids of £80m for him and although it is likely to be simply talk, it shows how far this striker has come in his short career.

Meanwhile, Hatem Ben Arfa wasn't as impressive but one moment of magic from him resulted in Marseille taking the lead. Receiving the ball in the box, he shimmied and evaded 4 defenders before his placed shot wrongfooted the keeper. Cristiano Ronaldo probably couldn't have done that. He'd probably have gone to ground before he got past one defender. Ben Arfa is another one ready for the big time, I feel. I don't really have much to say about him. I'm simply highlighting his obvious talent. His summer move from Lyon to rivals Marseille may not have been the smartest but at least it ensures he'll be playing week in and out, although it's hard to imagine him not getting a starting spot at most clubs. When he does decide to leave, you can imagine the scramble for his signature. Or he might just end up at Man City.

As for the shambles at Newcastle and Spurs I'm not going to bother talking about that. The simple solution to every problem nowadays is sack the manager and get yourself a foreign owner apparently. The real answer is simply to let the manager handle things and make him SOLELY responsible for running the team (including transfers). Then if and when he screws up, he is SOLELY responsible and sacking him will not cause outrage from fans and force you to sell your luxury toy.

I'd like to end by giving my approval to the small teams that made it to the group stage of the Champions League, ie. CFR Cluj, BATE Borisov, Aalborg BK and Anorthosis Famagusta. Please go and knockout one of the big guns. I could do with watching another fairytale. Money has completely overrun football and it'd be nice to be reminded again what it really is all about.