It was the first time I had interviewed the Italian away from the Match of the Day post-match interview room at Stamford Bridge.

How long you wait for a manager to emerge to meet the cameras is often dependent on the result; but Ancelotti is always prompt. Once his first priority, the post-match fag, has been dealt with he is usually straight out for the cameras.

"I am really tired today," he said. "Maybe we can just do one minute, eh?" I was pleased to see that he was grinning as he said this. The editor of Football Focus and I had discussed a pretty wide range of questions, I reckoned if we got Ancelotti in a good mood we might get through half of them - if he was in a bad mood we'd hardly get started.

"I am pretty tired myself," I said, "three kids do that."

"Ah, you can never get tired of your children!" he replied. "So this is for BBC One, yes? Lots of people watching! Like Rai Uno - only maybe better?"

As the lights were being adjusted and microphones switched on I asked what sort of wine he would have ready for Sir Alex after the game. He wasn't sure what was in his office at Stamford Bridge but suggested he might find a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, a particularly lovely Tuscan red.

Ancelotti joined Chelsea in the summer

Then we were off. He spoke enthusiastically about how his squad seem to enjoy each other's company off the pitch as well as on it, a unity which has not always been the case in recent seasons.

I wondered if it would be possible for a man to be in charge of a club in Italy as long as Ferguson has been at Old Trafford. He laughed saying his eight years at Milan were a miracle, more than 20 years - impossible.

He raved about Wayne Rooney and how unusual it is to find a player so effective as creator and finisher. He loves the technique of Torres, but given the choice if building a fantasy team would go for Drogba every time.

We had been chatting for nearly 10 minutes and it was still going well - a good time to move the discussion on.

In an interview with the Italian press earlier this season, Ancelotti stated that the Premier League manager he respected most was Rafa Benitez - not something he was going to repeat 48 hours before facing Ferguson.

"I respect all managers the same" - a reply which got a nod of approval from Chelsea's head of press positioned just off camera.

"What about the World Cup?" I asked. "How will Fabio do with England?"

Ancelotti had played under Capello at Milan in 1991. "His record speaks for itself. But beware, it is very difficult to for a European country to win in Africa. I hope this time is different for Fabio and also for Italy but this will be very difficult."

"What about Trapattoni for Ireland against France?"

"Ah, Trapattoni! He is clever, very clever!"

And with that warning for Malouda and co we had finished our allotted time.

"When is this on TV?" he asked. " I want to watch."

Steve Wilson is commentating on Chelsea v Manchester United for Match of the Day 2 which is on BBC Two from 2200 to 2310 on Sunday

Off the top of my head I can only think of a handful: Bryan Robson has recently replaced Peter Reid as the national coach of Thailand, whilst Bob Houghton is in charge of India, Steve McClaren is at the helm of Twente Enschede in the Netherlands and Stuart Baxter is in the dug-out for Finland.

Then there is Keith Boanas, national coach of Estonia's women's team.

I first met Keith back in 2003 when he was manager of the Charlton Ladies side and I was covering the FA Women's Cup final for BBC TV.

I covered the final for eight consecutive seasons and Charlton appeared in three of them, winning at the third attempt against Everton.

Back in 2003, Fulham Ladies were professional, Arsenal Ladies were backed handsomely by David Dein, the then vice-chairman of the club, and Charlton Athletic were giving their support to their successful women's side.

It seemed possible that women's football was about to take off just as it had in the USA.

Six years on and it hasn't happened.

After the England women's team reached the final of Euro 2009, and the FA's promises of backing for a so-called Super League; I wonder if this time any real progress will be made.

Having seen the highs and lows, Keith seemed to be a good guy to ask. After all he had run around The Valley with the FA Women's Cup to a standing ovation and two years later had seen his job disappear when Charlton's men's team were relegated out of the Premier League.

He has been assistant director of the David Beckham academy in Greenwich, taken charge of the Millwall Lionesses and earlier this year became coach to Estonia's national women's team.

So I emailed him a Q&A this week to see how he is getting on as a male coach in the women's game in a new country.

Q: How did you feel about Charlton Athletic pulling their support for the successful ladies team to save money after the men's team were relegated?

A: Absolutely gutted! At first the club seemed open to ideas on how to keep the team going, but then they told me the whole programme was going to be cut.

Telling the players and the parents of the centre of excellence kids was incredibly difficult. They actually staged a demonstration at the training ground in protest. To be honest I felt badly let down by the people I had trusted at the club.

After a while the team was taken over by the community trust and they asked me to interview for the job I had done for the last eight years. I said no.

Q: What did you think of the performance of the England women's team at the recent European Championships?

A: I was in Finland watching the tournament; especially Iceland and France who are in our World Cup qualifying group.

I went to watch England's opening game against Italy (England lost 2-1) and it was an unmitigated disaster. Then the players showed great character to reach the final against Germany.

They put in a really solid performance to win the semi-final so I couldn't understand why Hope (Powell) changed the team for the final. I thought she picked the wrong team, and they were beaten far too easily given the talent in the squad.

England applaud their victorious German opponents

I have a lot of respect for Hope and the team has progressed; but no more than you would expect given the support and resources she has been given.

Q: If the England women's team played in men's league football, what level do you think they could compete at?

A: Really this is a silly question as it will never happen - and nor should it. It is a completely different game to men's football.

Even from a technical point of view it's difficult as the level of technique is less the lower down the men's leagues you go. If I had to say I would reckon at just below Conference level.

Q: How does the standard compare in Estonia?

A: We are ranked 78 in FIFA's rankings and there are only 500 registered female players in the whole country. There are only about 30 players who are good enough to consider for the national team.

There are a few who could play in the English league but we have to try to convince young Estonian girls that it's OK to play football.

Q: Do you think a professional women's league will ever take off in England?

A: I really hope so for the sake of all the people who work so hard in the women's game.

Of course it is not as fast or physical as the men's game, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed. I would rather watch a good women's game than a lot of the sport that gets on TV. The concept of a professional summer league is great.

In Estonia if a men's side want to play in a licensed competition they must facilitate a women's team too. That means that no Estonian female player has to pay to play.

At my last club in England, the Millwall Lionesses, it cost each girl around £350 per season just to play.

Q: Would the women's game benefit from being played on smaller pitches with smaller goals?

A: NO! Look at the Americans, Germans and Swedes. It's all about improving the quality with really good coaching from a young age.

Q: What's it like being the only man in a dressing room full of women?

A: It almost never happens as most of my assistants are male and obviously you keep out when the players are changing and showering.

The banter is really the same as in a men's dressing-room. They are footballers and if you treat them with respect they will respond in the same way. They do not stand in front of the mirror swapping tips on make-up.

Q: Who is the best female player you have ever worked with?

A: For sheer dedication and loyalty it would have to be Casey Stoney. She has worked so hard to become as good as she is.

Having said that I am getting married next year to Pauline Cope who was the best goalkeeper in Britain and one of the top 10 keepers in the world - I'd better say her too!

Q: And the best male player?

A: That would be Leroy Lita who is now at Middlesbrough. He was at Margate when I was the director of their centre of excellence.

When I was manager of Tooting and Mitcham we had a kid called Alex O'Brien who was like a non-league Roy Keane. He ended up being in Dream Team on TV.

Q: What is David Beckham really like?

A: He is a really unassuming guy. Whenever he visited the academy in London he just wanted to spend time with the kids even when his people were trying to hurry him along.

I was lucky enough to see him with his own kids too. They obviously idolise him and he is like any loving Dad. He adores football and I am really proud to have worked at his academy.

Q: What is the toughest thing about being based so far from home?

A: Missing my family and Pauline. She has been out to take come coaching clinics with goalkeepers here, and of course there is a wedding to plan!

Q: Would you like your Estonian national team to play against England?

A: I asked Hope for a game in the summer, but their schedule was too tight. I will ask again, even if it is for one of the younger age groups. It would be a fantastic experience for our girls, though we would almost certainly be beaten.

Q: What's your next game in charge?

A: We play France in Le Havre on 27 October in a World Cup qualifier. We are working on our defence!

Q: Tell us three things we probably didn't know about Estonia.

A:1 - They invented Skype.

2 - Mart Poom is Estonian and coaches the national team's keepers as well as at Arsenal.

3 - In the summer daylight lasts way beyond midnight. The resort of Parnu with its white sand beaches is the place to be!

With the international break upon us I thought it might be a good idea to assess how it is going. In the BBC football office we had 49 entries this year including the usual gaggle of commentators, presenters and pundits.

If you are spot on you get five points, if you are close, two places or less either way, you get three points; but if you are more than five places out you get minus five points.

Then you had to predict who would win the FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Championship; decide who would be the first Premier League manager to leave his job and pick a Premier League top scorer with five points for any correct prediction.

Well no manager has moved on yet and obviously no cups have been won - so here's how I predicted the table would look and how I score with the table as it actually stands now.

1.Chelsea (5 points)
2. Man Utd (5)
3. Arsenal (3)
4. Liverpool (3)
5. Villa (3)
6. Man City (3)
7. Everton (0)
8. Spurs (0)
9. Sunderland (3)
10. West Ham (-5)
11. Blackburn (0)
12. Stoke (3)
13. Fulham (3)
14. Wigan (3)
15. Burnley (-5)
16. Bolton (0)
17. Wolves (5)
18. Hull (5)
19. Portsmouth (3)
20. Birmingham (-5)

This adds up to a pretty respectable 32 points, enough to put me in equal eighth place in the BBC office.

Our bosses normally do pretty well at this and true to form, Match of the Day editor Paul Armstrong is joint top with producer James Daniels on 37 points.

I am not the top commentator (no change there then), Alistair Mann is leading the way on 33, with Martin Fisher, Dan O'Hagan and Guy Mowbray joining me just behind.

Top pundit by a distance is Lee Dixon on 36 points, which leaves him just one point off the overall lead. So find your entry and work out how you are doing - and of course no cheating!

It's really a pub debate with myself, and a bit of fun for whoever might feel moved to chip in and tell me where I'm wrong.

The three I am thinking of are Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres.

Then there is Louis Saha and Darren Bent, who have both had such fine starts to the season. And I haven't even mentioned Eduardo, Tevez, Robinho, Berbatov or Carlton Cole.

We have got such an array of fabulous talent in front of goal in the Premier League, but, for me, Rooney, Drogba and Torres are a cut above.

Now, how to choose? In true tabloid style, I am going to select five categories and award marks out of 10.

To decide on categories, I have consulted with Mark Bright. Here's what we came up with.

FINISHING

Torres - most at home inside the penalty area where he accelerates and glides past defenders with fantastic poise. He has the ability to find his spot with either foot and is great in the air, too. 9/10

Drogba - maybe less of a penalty box predator than Torres, but he can unleash immense power from outside the box. Comfortable on either foot, tremendous in the air and, of course, uses his strength to terrorise defenders. 9/10

Rooney - his goal-attempts are almost always on target as he performs the simple and sublime in front of goal. He may not be quite as effective as Torres or Drogba in the air but is a danger to goalkeepers from almost anywhere. 9/10

Fernando Torres - deadly with either foot and great in the air

TEAM CONTRIBUTION

Torres - Liverpool's system allows him to rely on others to do much of the hard work outside the box. But you couldn't call him a shirker. 7/10

Drogba - is often Chelsea's best defender of set-pieces, with his power and ability in the air, and since Luiz Felipe Scolari left his attitude has been spot on. 8/10

Rooney - he is a fantastic creator of goals for others as well as scorer of goals for himself. He was often used as a left-sided attacker last season, when Ronaldo played as the centre forward. His willingness to track back is legendary. But his tackling sometimes leaves room for improvement. 9/10

Dider Drogba - an asset in defence as well as attack

PACE

Torres - blistering acceleration with balance makes marking him as hard as catching a fish by hand. 9/10

Drogba - he's quick enough when it matters, though it's his strength which makes him so fearsome. 8/10

Rooney - probably lacks the acceleration of Torres, but his ability to be in the right place at the right time is uncanny. 8/10

Wayne Rooney - not as pacy as Torres but pops in the right place at the right time

DISCIPLINE

Torres - gets frustrated with team-mates on occasion but rarely gets angry with opponents or referees. He seems to be the model pro when it comes to keeping cool. 9/10

Drogba - his red card in the Champions League final against Manchester United and antics after the Barcelona semi show that Drogba will on occasion lose his head. 7/10

Rooney - he does seem to have worked on his tendency to lose his temper, but it's something which has been played on by opponents in big matches. 7/10

STAYING FIT

Torres - it's a nagging worry for Liverpool fans who saw Torres miss so much of last season with hamstring injuries, mostly sustained whilst playing for Spain. 7/10

Drogba - not quite so indestructible as his physique would suggest, but then he is six years older than Torres and seven older than Rooney. As a result, he has been getting kicked for longer. 8/10

Rooney - he is harder to stop that the Terminator. He just keeps on playing week in, week out, never losing his edge or consistency. 9/10

So the totals - and as I write this I haven't a clue what they will be...
Torres --- 41/50
Drogba --- 40/50
Rooney --- 42/50

Interesting, and now I am off to argue with myself!

Luck was smiling on me too, because I had the golden ticket to the game. You always want to be on duty for those memorable moments, and United's win was certainly one of those.

The hardest commentaries are always the 0-0 draws with barely a booking to keep the interest going. You know that almost all your efforts will end up on the Match of the Day cutting room floor and that the game will be forgotten before you've even finished the journey home. These are the matches that are usually prefaced by Gary Lineker saying "and finally..."

If I cast my mind back to Euro 2008, I had some great games including the dramatic climax of Turkey against Croatia in the quarter-final. But the commentary I was probably most pleased with was the France vs Romania game. It was ninety minutes of utter tedium without the merest hint of a goal; but that's when you really have to earn your corn, and I felt I did as well I possibly could to give the viewer some reason to stick with it.

Sunday's derby was a gift for any commentator. All the stats that had been so meticulously prepared in the week could be ignored; there was no time for them because the drama of the game took over, and anyway, who needs a stat when you're on the edge of your seat? It was one of the few occasions where the game surpassed the hype.

On Saturday I was at Burnley against Sunderland; much less hype about that one but still very enjoyable. The Burnley fans will certainly give the Stoke supporters a run for their money in the battle to be the Premier League's loudest - it must be great to play in front of them.

I love walking up the players' tunnel at Turf Moor to the dressing rooms. At the end is a narrow little corridor with a low sloping roof which would have Peter Crouch almost bent double. You wander past the boot room and the laundry room feeling like you've stepped back in time. It doesn't take much imagination to picture their famous old chairman Bob Lord filling that corridor to congratulate greats like Leighton James and Martin Dobson. Links with the past are sometimes hard to find at modern Premier League stadia, so long may Turf Moor be preserved.

Within the Match of the Day office, there were 49 entries this season, including Messrs Dixon, Shearer and Bright. Dan Walker and Damien Johnson of Football Focus, commentators Motson, Mowbray, Pearce and Wilson, plus various editors, directors, producers, production assistants and floor managers also weighed in with selections.

I hope to work out the points totals for the MOTD entries at reasonably regular intervals throughout the season and post the latest scores on this blog. It's up to you to mark your own and compare - I know I can rely on your honesty and integrity!

Having said that, have not French clubs trawled Africa for years to import the best talent from Senegal, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Congo and Cameroon? Are these clubs completely satisfied that no young player has ever been swayed in his decision to move to France, and in some cases to take French citizenship, by the lure of cold, hard cash?

One of French football's greatest achievements over the last decade has been to integrate players born outside France into their national team.

For young, French-speaking African footballers, the chance to move to a French club is a dream come true. The money will transform their lives and those of their families, whilst the French football system may help them become top-class players.

The same surely applies to a young, French player given the chance to move to England - the standard of football is better and so is the money. It is simply a question of degrees; small fish - bigger fish - big fish. The same logic took Kaka, Ronaldo, Alonso and Benzema to Real Madrid this summer - right now they are the biggest fish going.

African clubs, French clubs, English clubs may all be justified in feeling hard done by to some extent as their best talent is lured away. However, the real losers are the hundreds of kids who are uprooted from their homes and families to pursue a dream of fame and fortune, only to fail to make the grade. What can football do for them?

I haven't seen Wales play live in this qualifying campaign, so will happily bow to the opinion of those who have; but judging from their results and the huge ranks of empty seats at the Millennium Stadium, the mantra that Wales have a crop of promising youngsters on the brink of making their mark is beginning to look a little tired.
Callum Davidson and Kris Commons feel the pain in Oslo

I have seen a fair bit of Scotland recently, including their last match - the 4 - 0 drubbing in Oslo. George Burley saw that game turn on the decision to send off Gary Caldwell before half time, but once Norway had scored, Scotland simply wilted against a Norwegian side which had previously failed to win a single game in the group.

As a result they need to beat Macedonia and the Dutch at Hampden to have any chance of a play-off match with qualification as the prize. I just can't see that happening. The exploits against France under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish seem a long time ago now.

True, the SFA had little choice but to end the international careers of Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor, but the decision did nothing to help a squad which was already painfully short on quality.

The knives are well and truly out for George Burley in the press and I cannot see him surviving - the decision to leave James McFadden out in Oslo was baffling, some of his substitutions questionable and the result almost terminal.

That leaves Northern Ireland, who have got themselves into a wonderful position. They play in Poland this weekend knowing that they could still win the group, and that second place and a play-off is a very real possibility.

I travelled to Belfast earlier this week to interview some of the players before their flight to Chorzow in the south of Poland. The mood was excellent; they seem to be a closely bonded group with a very real sense of being on the verge of something remarkable.

Many of the squad either play in the Championship or sit in the reserves in the Premier League, which makes their success all the more admirable.

Nor is just about one man now. David Healy might not agree, but the fact the goals are being spread among the group must be a good thing.

Their problem is that two of their remaining games are away - Poland first and the Czech Republic next month - with a home game against group leaders Slovakia in between. At Windsor Park, Nigel Worthington has five wins and a draw from six competitive games as manager, so a win over Slovakia is essential.

If Northern Ireland can somehow win in Poland or Prague they may yet join England in South Africa next summer - and that would make them my team of the year.

Last season, we had 50 entries from the BBC Sport offices - from editors, presenters, pundits, producers, match directors, commentators and fools like me - so get your thinking hats on. It'll be interesting to see how you fare against the rest of us.

1) Place the 20 Premier League clubs in the order in which you think they will finish the season. You will get 5 points for each club correctly placed and 3 points if you are 1 or 2 places out either way. But beware, you lose 5 points for being wrong by more than 5 places either way;

2) Select the winner of each of the major cup competitions (FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League). 5 points if you are correct;

3) Select the Premier League manager you think will be first to leave their current job for whatever reason. 5 points on offer;

4) Select your Premier League top scorer. 5 points;

5) Predict the winners of the Championship. 5 points.

Here are my selections:

Premier League table:
1 Chelsea
2 Man Utd
3 Arsenal
4 Liverpool
5 Aston Villa
6 Man City
7 Everton
8 Spurs
9 Sunderland
10 West Ham
11 Blackburn
12 Stoke
13 Fulham
14 Wigan
15 Burnley
16 Bolton
17 Wolves
18 Hull
19 Portsmouth
20 Birmingham

FA Cup: Liverpool
League Cup: Aston Villa
Champions League: Barcelona
First Premier League manager to leave his job: Paul Hart
Premier League top scorer: Wayne Rooney
Championship: Sheffield Utd

So make your choices and keep them safe. I'll keep you posted on who's doing what here at the BBC.

Martin Keown was the top pundit last season while Jonathan Pearce the highest-placed commentator. I was solidly mid-table - 24th out of 50 and a slight improvement on the year before!

Good luck.

Of course, for some of my fellow commentators the season has already started. I thoroughly enjoyed Rhyl v Partizan Belgrade on S4C on Tuesday night, even with every word in Welsh.

The Champions League qualifiers are financially some of the biggest games going. I was told that when Anorthosis Famagusta played in the Champions League group stages last season, they made more money than every other Cypriot club put together.

Some of my fellow commentators are still wondering what the season ahead has in store for them. I know many of the staff at Setanta very well indeed, and some of them are close friends. I hope that they will be in work when the first ball is kicked.

My first Premier League game of the season will be at Chelsea, who take on Hull. It will be very interesting to see what the pundits make of Hull's prospects this season.

I organise the Match of the Day sweep and just about everyone who entered, including me, predicted that they would go down. We were all wrong, but only just. After surviving by the skin of their teeth, but struggling so badly in the second half of the season, do they stand more chance of surviving than the three teams who came up?

I started and finished the last Premier League season at the KC stadium; an opening day win over Fulham and the last day defeat by a virtual Manchester United youth team. In August, the Tigers looked bold and confident; in May they were exhausted and ground down by a run of just one win in 22 games.

That they survived was down to Newcastle's lame surrender at Aston Villa. It was almost too much for Hull chairman Paul Duffen who had tears in his eyes as I spoke to him after the game.

The day after Chelsea play Hull, I go to White Hart Lane for Spurs' game against Liverpool; and in the first midweek I am off to the first ever Premier League fixture at Turf Moor; Burnley against Manchester United.

That should be a fantastic occasion. I met Burnley manager Owen Coyle a couple of years ago when they played Arsenal in the FA Cup. As part of my preparation for commentating on the game, I went to watch Burnley play Queens Park Rangers about three weeks earlier.

Over tea and biscuits, Coyle talked in detail about his squad and the difference between managing in England and Scotland, where he had enjoyed success with St Johnstone. I wish him well, but United for the first home game - good luck!

Wolves' game at Man City will give me a chance to catch up with Mick McCarthy, who was a co-commentator with me at Euro 2004 and the World Cup of 2006.

I remember years ago Mick gave me an important lesson in interview technique. I was a young reporter on Capital Radio in London, he was the manager of Millwall. I went down to their training ground and started my interview with some rambling question or other. When I eventually finished Mick said, "The answer to the first bit was yes, to the second bit was no, and I've forgotten the rest."

So, in the interests of keeping things concise - bye for now, and happy new season - almost!

So (hopefully) still aglow from England's youngsters' win in Sweden, the sun will be out, the football will have finished and it'll be time to get the barbeque going, crack open a bottle of beer and settle down to a diet of tennis and cricket until the whole thing starts up again... on Tuesday!

Yep, that's right. The 2009/10 season starts 24 hours after the last one finishes with the first leg of the first qualifying round of the Champions League.

Malta is the place, and Hibernians from the island town of Paola take on the first-time champions of Montenegro, FK Mogren.

Actually, a whole 24 hours between seasons seems a bit excessive to me.

After half an hour of grumping, grunting and pouting from Wimbledon (and that's just Murray) I will probably have had enough.

As for cricket, I have a new format.

After five-day Test matches, 50-over matches, 40-over matches and 20-over matches, why not go the whole hog and have a six-ball slugfest?

You could get all the teams in one place in one day and get the whole season over during the course of an afternoon.

Fantastic. Time for a cup of tea and bit of cake before the footie comes on again. Anyone know where you can get a feed of Maltese TV?

So with the end of the season in sight, I have decided to set myself, and you, a challenge. It is to select two teams; the first with one outfield player from each of the top ten Premier League sides and the second with one outfield player from each of the bottom ten sides. In goal will be the best keeper from each half of the table.

I am well aware that I could be accused of indulging in a pointless exercise, but what the hell. I'm writing this in my spare time and I promise I will not be claiming any associated expenses!

As we stand the top half are: Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Villa, Fulham, Spurs, West Ham and Man City.

Remember only one outfield player from each club allowed in a formation of your choice.
For my top half team I have decided to play 4-2-3-1 in the Benitez style.

Goalkeeper: Edwin Van der Sar (Man Utd) - vastly experienced and oozing a calm authority which rubs off on those in front of him. His long sequence of clean sheets helped United come from behind to hit the top at just the right time.

Right back: Lucas Neill (West Ham) - now I am not saying that Lucas Neill is the best right-back in the country but I had to include a West Ham player and didn't feel they had anyone in any other position who could be my first pick.

Neill has had a steady season, showing good leadership and hardly missing a game in a team which under Zola has been greater than the sum of its parts.

Centre half: Brede Hangeland (Fulham) - a monster at the back for Fulham who has been outstanding this season missing only one league game and never being substituted. Reads the game well and is physically commanding.

Centre half: Ledley King (Spurs) - a modern medical miracle. Despite never taking part in training he is possibly the most influential player Spurs have.

His one off the field indiscretion should not take away from another remarkable contribution.

Left back: Joleon Lescott (Everton) - he may not have repeated his goal-scoring exploits of last season, but Lescott has been integral to another excellent Everton campaign.

He is a real handful when he races down the touchline and is rarely caught out defensively.

Centre midfield: Michael Essien (Chelsea) - only returned from injury in March but immediately underlined how much Chelsea had missed him. He has fantastic drive in midfield with aggression and touch as well as vision.

His goal against Barcelona may have been in vain, but boy, what a goal it was!

Centre midfield: Stephen Ireland (Man City) - by a distance City's player of the season. Has a great eye for goal but is also a great provider for others.

He is not afraid to speak out when a team-mate (ie. Robinho) takes the day off.

Right attacking midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) - I would love to have played Rooney or Vidic but with only one outfield player from each club it has to be Ronaldo.

He scores more goals than most, he creates more goals then most and he sulks spectacularly. Like Sir Alex, I would live with sulking.

Central attacking midfield: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal) - he has been worth every single penny Arsene Wenger paid for him and is the main reason Arsenal fans are not even more depressed.

If only he had not been cup-tied for the Champions League! For Arsenal he has shown some devastating finishing from the left but he also has the ability to run a game from a central position as he has for Russia.

Left attacking midfield: Ashley Young (Aston Villa) - has not yet added consistency to his game but on his day he has been almost unplayable.

His performance against Tony Hibbert in April will still be giving the Everton full back nightmares as one of the most one-sided head-to-heads of the season. He is Villa's brightest young star and one of England's too.

Centre forward: Fernando Torres (Liverpool) - I know, I know, no Steven Gerrard but you can't have them both.

Torres is as good as they come and is set to score 50 goals for Liverpool faster than Rush, Fowler or Owen; enough said.

And so on to the team from the bottom half. I have decided to play a simple 4-4-2 here. Remember, only one outfield player from each team with a goalkeeper of your choice.

At time of writing the bottom half are: Stoke, Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom.

Goalkeeper: Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton) - maybe the single biggest reason that Bolton stayed up, he has played in every game and is top performer week after week and season after season.

Right back: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) - has looked more like the player who burst on to the scene with West Ham and less like the player who struggled at Chelsea.

He is good going forward too and is worth his place in Fabio Capello's team so he certainly makes mine.

Centre half: Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn) - totally reliable and one of the best value for money signings in recent years. He is a good captain and a strong, steadying influence on his teammates.

With timing and anticipation he can dominate taller opponents in the air.

Centre half: Andy Dawson (Hull) - one of the best performers at the KC this season at either left-back or centre half. Has played in all four divisions and has not looked out of place in the top one.

Left back: Danny Collins (Sunderland) - like Dawson he is equally comfortable at left back or centre half and does a great job. He is commanding in the air with a good positional sense.

Right midfield: Antonio Valencia (Wigan) - another South American jewel unearthed by Steve Bruce. If he added goals to his repertoire he would be even more sought after, but even so the offers will come flooding in this summer.

Centre midfield: Nicky Butt (Newcastle) - it's hard to think of any Newcastle players who have enhanced their reputations this season. However, Butt has been tidy, consistent and effective - everything Newcastle as a whole are not.

Centre midfield: Jonathan Greening (West Brom) - along with Chris Brunt he has been outstanding for the Baggies this season.

He still has great energy and is able to play in almost any position across the midfield. He deserved better than relegation.

Left midfield: Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) - sometimes he flits in and out of games too much and hasn't scored enough this season, but at Middlesbrough who has? He is still one of the best in his position in the Premier League.

Striker: Kevin Davies (Bolton) - Strength, work rate, bravery and, this season, with more goals thrown in. Davies has been a key-man for years.

Striker: James Beattie (Stoke) - probably the signing of the January transfer window, Beattie has reaffirmed his status as a Premier League striker to be reckoned with and his goals were the key to Stoke's mid-table finish.

With a nod to Roy Hodgson, my manager for the top half team would have to be Fergie and for the bottom half Tony Pulis.
Have a go, it's harder than it looks!

Managers gave tacit approval to such sessions and excesses went largely unreported.

How times have changed! Now even Harry Redknapp, that most British of football bosses, is considering a complete in-season ban on his players indulging in any alcohol at all following Ledley King's recent indiscretion.

For some of the mavericks of years gone by, it would have been too much to bear, practically taking all the fun out of being a footballer. But these days the top players have several thousand reasons a week to stick to the rules.

The biggest influence on the drink culture in British football has been the influx of foreign players. I remember one ex-pro recalling his astonishment when his club's foreign contingent arrived at the players' Christmas party with car keys in hand. Surely they weren't going to drive home from the party of the year? Well, yes they were, because they would be going home sober. One former player even told me how his new boss never really trusted him once he discovered he was teetotal.

Today, managers understand how abstinence can improve performance, while players have worked out that bagging one more three-year contract before they hang up the boots can make the difference between being fantastically wealthy or just very, very rich.

Technology is also a consideration when it comes to deciding where and when to have a drink. As one manager once told me, a picture of him "getting a bit out of order" in a nightclub could be on a tabloid picture desk before he's even left the premises.

I reckon most modern footballers are pretty dedicated individuals who have made big sacrifices before anyone has even heard of them, let alone started paying them big money. One thing is for certain; if I had enjoyed their money and fame in my late-teens and early twenties, I would have been in no fit state to play!

The names rolled off the tongue of Sir Alex Ferguson himself on Monday at his press conference prior to the Champions League victory over Arsenal. "My biggest regret is we haven't won the European Cup more times," he said. "We have a terrific history but it is not the same as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Ajax. We have regrets about that."

Real Madrid (nine wins), AC Milan (seven), Liverpool (five), Bayern Munich (four) and Ajax (four) are the members of that special club which Manchester United crave to join. United are not far behind with three wins - in 1968, 1999 and 2008 - and could draw level and maybe even eclipse Liverpool, Bayern and Ajax by the time Ferguson retires.

What's more, if United beat Barcelona in Rome later this month, then the 67-year-old Scot will join Bob Paisley as the only manager to win the European Cup three times.

Barca, of course, will be looking to enhance their own standing as far as Europe's most important competition goes. I was lucky enough to be at Wembley when they beat Sampdoria in the 1992 final. In fact, I was working as a pitch-side reporter for Capital Radio and standing about five yards behind the goal at the tunnel end. Had there been no net on that goal, Ronald Koeman's winning free-kick may well have taken my head off.

It's amazing to think that Barcelona had never won the European Cup until that day. Their quest for success had become an obsession fuelled by Real Madrid's multiple successes. Twice Barca had been beaten in the final; first in 1961 by Benfica but most painfully in 1986, when, in Seville, they missed all four spotkicks in a penalty shoot-out loss to Steaua Bucharest.

When they finally broke their duck at Wembley, the celebrations were wild. I remember being part of a pack of mainly Spanish journalists chasing manager Johan Cruyff down the tunnel in the hope of getting a reaction. Between serene drags on his cigarette, he said a few words with the air of a man who knew his place among the gods was assured.

Barcelona were thrashed by AC Milan in the final of 1994, but notched their second success by beating Arsenal in Paris in 2006. Five finals, two wins. No wonder they are hungry for more.

Unlike Barcelona - and unlike the five clubs whose records Ferguson covets - United have never lost a European final. Nor has their manager, who also won the Cup Winners' Cup with Aberdeen in 1983 thanks to a shock 2-1 win over Real Madrid.

I'm confident this year's final will be a classic game worthy of two great clubs. "Great" but also driven by having something still to prove.

I had just bought my ticket for the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, a ticket for the Leppings Lane end. I had been to Hillsborough enough times to know that the view from this sunken terrace was of railings and boots almost at eye-level.

My friend Tony, a Manchester United fan, sympathised over a pint and told me that he had found a way to the open segment of terracing over the corner flag. "Less atmosphere, but if you want to actually get a decent view of the game it might be worth checking out. Just get through the turnstile and head left."

This Saturday, Football Focus will be live at both Anfield and Hillsborough to mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's ground - a disaster which claimed 96 lives and which changed British football forever.

As part of the programme, I was asked to return to Hillsborough to retrace my steps that day. I had some misgivings about taking part.

Firstly, I felt my story was insignificant compared to that of so many others - I'd been safe throughout and didn't know anyone who died. Secondly, although I had been back to Hillsborough as a commentator, I hadn't stood on the Leppings Lane in the 20 years that have passed. I expected it to be difficult. It was.

The turnstiles are still there, the tunnel is still there. Everything about the place resonates, everything so familiar. Just being there induced a feeling of nausea in the pit of my stomach.

For the purposes of the camera, I went through the turnstile and was confronted by that low ceilinged tunnel - empty. Again I headed left for the terracing that had been my vantage point on that awful afternoon.

For 96 people who paused at the tunnel and headed straight on, there would be no chance of safety. No chance to step away from the seemingly trivial decision they had just made. No way to escape from the cage behind the Hillsborough goal.

I was 21 in April 1989 - older than many of those who died. In the 20 years since, I have been blessed with a happy marriage, three children and a fulfilling career. What might the 96 have done in that time? What love affairs have never been, what friendships never forged, what children never conceived?

The game has changed, and some say not completely for the better. But if you are lucky enough to be able to take your children to a match and sit in safety; to be treated with respect by those who police our grounds and to get home again without being crushed or scared, give those 96 a thought.

Honour, for a moment, those whose deaths made it happen.