Alex Ferguson needs to have a word with Cristiano Ronaldo about his free-kicks.

Against Inter, most of United's best chances came from set pieces around the box, which Jose Mourinho's side seemed happy to give away, knowing that Ronaldo would shoot every time, no matter how far out.

He had that one right at the end that almost caught Julio Cesar out, but the rest of his set pieces made the goalkeeper look good.

We've seen it before with Roberto Carlos, when he scored a couple of amazing ones that got shown around the world, but when you actually saw him taking them every week then he hardly

After a weekend in which Manchester United and Manchester City destroyed the opposition placed in front of them once again, I have heard suggestions that the Premier League is already a two-horse race and that comparisons have been drawn with the dominance enjoyed by Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga.

Absolute rubbish. Chelsea, it is important to remember, are still unbeaten and they will challenge strongly this season. In fact, given they haven't had the most stellar of starts in comparison to the Manchester teams, it is my suspicion that the Blues can only improve under Andre Villas-Boas,

Manchester United's young players have started the season impressively but comparisons with the Fergie Fledglings of 1995 are premature. That famous crop - including David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes - came into a very physically demanding environment that was daunting for a young player.

You had to be mentally stronger back then and by comparison it is easier for the new vanguard of talent to make their way in the Premier League. You cannot draw comparisons at present, as I believe the players of that era were more talented than the ones currently at Sir Alex's disposal.

But in

UEFA handing Arsene Wenger an additional two-match ban ahead of Arsenal's trip to Udinese is yet another bitter blow for the Frenchman.

It is just one thing after another for Wenger at the moment. It's becoming a real horror show.

If someone who had never heard of football before started reading about the Gunners over the past week then they could be forgiven for thinking his full name was Beleaguered Arsene Wenger, so often has that adjective been used to describe his recent status.

I think that UEFA's actions are petty, and have set a worrying precedent that they will be forced into

Fabio Capello blamed fatigue for England's disappointing draw with Switzerland on Saturday but I am completely fed up of hearing that excuse trotted out again. Footballers aren't tired, it's absolute garbage.

You do not get weary of playing football because you do it for fun. Maybe some players are uninterested and club football comes first for them, but that is another issue entirely. Tiredness is a feeble excuse and we hear it too much these days.

To be honest, I don't think Fabio Capello even believes it himself. It is just an excuse made to disguise a poor performance. It is an easy thing 

With Cesc Fabregas on the brink of joining Barcelona and Samir Nasri surely on his way, it's a case of 'same old Arsenal' - only this time we can say it at the start of the season.

It's the same old story again and every pundit will repeat the same mantra.

Since they ceased to be a going concern six years ago, Arsenal's pattern has been like a scratched record: lots of promise, a threat of a title run but a terrible spine that sees them capitulate - and mostly against weaker teams.

But this time out I'm not even sure they can even hint at a threat - as always they're lacking a proper spine

Manchester United showed without doubt at Wembley that they are still the team to beat. In fact, their second-half performance in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City was as good as anything they produced last season.

When you consider the spirit they showed to come from two goals down and the style in which they did so, it was a typical Manchester United performance. It will be talked about as the best Charity Shield in a long, long time and all this talk of managers not taking the game seriously proved to be very wide of the mark.

You have to say that the best team won it.

Sunday's Community Shield is the most highly anticipated edition of the competition for a long, long time. There is a lot to be taken from the game for the two sides, who will be keen to strike a psychological blow at the outset of the campaign.

I honestly do think that a good win for either Manchester City or Manchester United would have a big impact. It would alter perceptions of the team from the outside and boost confidence from within.

Generally as a player you do not consider the Community Shield to be a hugely important fixture. It is a game that is not perceived to be as significant