Only 193 days are left till the 2006 World Cup, yet between now and then lies a maw of uncertainty. The club vs. country debate is an old one but still rages acrimoniously every year.

The argument of the clubs is simple. We pay the players’ wages and if they are to come back injured from international duty then national federations should be held accountable. Makes sense.
But conversely, imagine how the World Cup would suffer as a spectacle if the likes of Adriano, Wayne Rooney and Luca Toni were to be injured while playing for their clubs. The maw aforementioned is not only uncertain but perilous.

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Liverpool are currently twelfth in the Premiership but inexplicably soaring high in the Champions League. It is perhaps English football’s greatest conundrum currently (after falling attendances) for it makes little sense how Liverpool can sizzle in Europe but fizzle at home.

Many have tried in vain to explain the dichotomy and I am fairly sure I will meet a similar fate. How a club can get past Real Betis but then come unstuck against the likes of Birmingham and Fulham is beyond perhaps Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez himself.

It cannot be a case of priorities. Liverpool dramatically won the Champions League in May so, subconsciously at least, they must be primarily focused on domestic affairs.

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