Scotland doesn't count - they still wear tribal skirts up there.

I don't think Rooney is hugely important to Man U anyhow; although he was developing a fine partnership with Tevez, I think Tevez is a better player (and much in the same mould as Rooney) and they have plenty of ammunition around him. I think there are at least 6 or 7 players more important to Man U than Rooney is (Ronaldo, Tevez, Ferdinand, Scholes, Vidic, maybe Saha and maybe Giggs). He's a great player but it's a pretty great team at the moment, and I think because they've got so much cover in that attacking midfield/in-the-hole sort of role he's one of their more dispensible attacking options.

Red, I agree that Chelsea have a shot. They seem to be playing great football all of a sudden, and they're really not that far behind. I just think that, on balance, Man U have a better team (and maybe, for once, a bit more depth; a season-long injury to Drogba or Terry would be the end of Chelsea's title hopes, I don't think you could say the same about any United player) and with the small lead they have on Chelsea now and the African Nations Cup being more hindrance to Chelsea than Man U, I think they're pretty strong favourites. I can't see Arsenal lasting the pace, sadly, but I would LOVE to see them winning it. Wenger is maybe the only person in football that I would think the term "genius" can be literally applied, I think his achievements make him (to my mind) the greatest club manager that I'm aware of in history. To take a mediocre prem league team and turn them into consistently one of the top 10 club sides in the world in the last decade and be actually IN CREDIT in transfer deals is just unprecedented, as far as I'm aware, in any league in Europe (though I could be wrong - what Mourinho did at Porto was maybe kind of similar).

That goal for Ajax is excellent. The Inter one's alright, like you say, great first touch.