Where is the Good in Goodbye? -Nemanja Vidic

He came, he saw, he played, he won and now it's time for him to leave. If there could be one thing that could stop Nemanja Vidic to leave United this summer, then Sir Alex Ferguson must have already tried it out. It might be the financial crunch Manchester United is facing or it might be the offers Vidic will be tempted to join either the Rossoneri or Los Merengues or just for a matter of case, it might just be Mrs. Vidic who asks the Serb to leave England.

LIFE'S LIKE THIS.

Manchester United have already started preparing for a life without the 28-year-old defender who made the key to the defence which was termed as the strongest defense in the world by Joe Morrison. Speculations about signing either Giorgio Chiellini from Juventus or Evan Hovland from Adeccoligaen side Sogndal Fotbal who has already been termed as the 'Norwegian Nemanja Vidic' may just show the preparations United has started to make to adapt themselves to a Vidic-less life.

Post-Vidic, United's central-defense will be dominated by only the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and Wes Brown. Vidic leaving the English side will only weaken the defense and it will be just shattered to pieces as Vidic is a world-class defender and is one of the best in England as well as Europe. He is highly regarded for his physical presence, heading ability in both defence and at attacking set pieces, as well as his bravery.

Sir Alex Ferguson is only ready to sell Vidic if the interested clubs offer a sum of £20m, compared to the £7m he bought him for from Spartak Moscow,then, making him the costliest defender in Russian-League's history. But, is Vidic just worth £20m to Manchester United? I don't think so. He is worth the 13 goals he's scored for United and all the clean-sheets he's earned. It will be almost next-to-impossible for The Red Devils to find a replacement for the Serbian defender. The world is evident about Vida's might on the back of the field and maybe Cristiano Ronaldo would've been too and maybe that's how he's been keenly followed by Real Madrid to land him at the Santiago Bernabeu. Or will it be AC Milan, that are capable enough to get him to the San Siro? Vidic meet's Milan in the Champions' League draw of 16 and maybe it will be a chance for him to decide his future at the Italian outfit.

Within all these speculations and dilemmas, should Vidic leave it on Sir Alex Ferguson to decide his future or should he ask his wife?

- PRANAV MUKUL

Premier League Preview: Chelsea VS Arsenal

Kick-Off: Sunday, February 7th, 16:00 GMT.

Stamford Bridge, West London.

It will be a titans' clash this Super Sunday as Chelsea welcome Arsenal FC to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, currently on the summit of the Premier League with two points clear from current champions Manchester United host Arsenal FC who're on the third spot trailing to Manchester United by three points.

Recently, Chelsea showed a weak performance with a 1-1 draw against strugglers Hull City and Arsenal, too, have been thrashed by Manchester United 3-1 at Home.

Chelsea are on a strong home form winning 11 out of 12 home fixtures, but, Arsenal's away form can not be ignored as well. Arsenal have won 15 out of 24 total fixtures played this year and lost only 5 , but, The Blues haven't lost a game on home ground till date in this season. Bookies, as of now, have Chelsea as the favourites for the win.

TEAM NEWS:

CHELSEA:

With John Terry being almost out of the game regarding his personal affairs that may cost him his English captaincy, Chelsea will be quite distracted and this was seen at the KC Stadium where they could only manage a draw against Hull City with a Didier Drogba free kick. Michael Essien, Juliano Belletti and Jose Bosingwa still remain absent in the fixture owing to their respective injuries.

Didier Drogba is still in top form as he scored 15 goals already this season and mostly from set-pieces. But the Chelsea defense still remains a question as The Blues lack key players in their defensive system and Ancelotti believes that they may need some re-inforcements. "We know about it. I know very well how many goals we have (conceded) from set pieces," Ancelotti said to Sky Sports.

Frank Lampard has proved to show a great form at Chelsea this season with scoring 11 goals and 9 assists it has been a dream-season for the Blues' midfielder. Other players worth watching in this fixtures from the Italian boss' side will be Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Alex Dimond.

ARSENAL:

A really poor performance by Arsene Wenger's side against Manchester United at The Emirates and the same-margin defeat against Stoke City really produce doubts for The Gunners at The Stamford Bridge. With their main striker Robin Van Persie still being out because of his ankle injury, Arsene Wenger may well again put up Nicklas Bendtner or Tomas Rosicky in the attack. But, Arsenal's away form, which has been way too good than their home form, gives them a benefit of doubt.

The Gunners' skipper Cesc Fabregas has nothing more he could prove this season. With leading the Actim Index, scoring 11 goals and assisting 13 as well, he is in formidable form. Thomas Vermalean is another player the French Boss could be proud of this season. He has been a striker in disguise and means to Arsenal what Sergio Ramos and Roberto Carlos to Real Madrid and Patrice Evra is to Manchester United.

Other Arsenal players that could be notable this game would be Andrei Arshavin, Samir Nasri and Denilson.

FORM GUIDE:

CHELSEA

Feb 02: Hull City 1-1 Chelsea

Jan 30: Burnley 1-2 Chelsea

Jan 27: Chelsea 3-0 Birmingham City

Jan 23: Preston 0-2 Chelsea (FA Cup)

Jan 16: Chelsea 7-2 Sunderland

ARSENAL

Jan 31: Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United

Jan 27: Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal

Jan 24: Stoke City 3-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)

Jan 20: Arsenal 4-2 Bolton Wanderers

Jan 17: Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Arsenal

PREDICTION

The History says it. Out of the last five games Arsenal played at The Bridge, they have managed to win only one and draw two. With a clear victory for The Blues at The Emirates this season with a splendid margin of three goals to nil, Chelsea remain clear favourites for this game. Chelsea still maintain their lead over Manchester United even if they lose the fixture, but it may cost them the title, whereas for Arsenal, it will be a must-win, if they wish to lower the gap to the summit of the table.

MY PREDICTION: CHELSEA 2-1 ARSENAL

-PRANAV MUKUL

Terry Oh! Terry

John Terry, the English legend, captain and probably the most resisting defender with the three lions has been asked to hand on his captains' armband. Reason, he had an affair with ex-Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge's girlfriend. But his personal life is being dragged too much into professional career. If this was the case Sergio Ramos should've been dropped out of the Spain's Euro winning team because he had a night out with Cristiano Ronaldo's ex-girlfriend Nereida Gallardo. Somehow getting personal life strike a player's professional career has been impeccable by the press and the following respective disciplinaries.

With John Terry not yet agreeing to give up on his captaincy, many other Englishmen must have already been curious and restless to get the arm-band. The most deserving candidates include Steven Gerarrd, David Beckham, Ashley Cole, Gareth Barry and maybe Rio Ferdinand.

But a legend's a legend and with the on coming FIFA 2010 World Cup, it will be difficult for Fabio Capello to make a quick decision that may falter his line-up in South Africa.

So Terry gets my call for The Three Lions.

-PRANAV MUKUL

Here goes the Ginger-Man - Paul Scholes.

Paul Scholes, one of the most experienced player in the Manchester United squad, is the current crux of United's great record in the referee's books. With the 35 year old making 628 senior appearances for the club in over 18 years, he seems to be the one who's never learnt how to tackle over such a long period of time. Over this span, Scholesy has managed to collect 77 Yellow cards and 4 Red Cards in the premier league and 24 Yellows and 2 second Yellows in the Champions' League, that's more than any other player in any competition.

So, is it time for the Ginger-man to drop out now?

No, not as yet. He's been at United since the very beginning and his experience is what counts. The two things required by any soccer player to be called world class are Great Technical Ability and Great Speed and Swiftness. Maybe Scholes is overloaded with just one of them. He has both technical intelligence and tenacity for the ball, which makes him one of the greatest attacking-midfielders in the world. A recent spit from the back to the front field against United's League-cup 2nd leg draw against Manchester City showed what he's really capable of.
Zizou once said, "My toughest opponent? Scholes. He is undoubtedly the greatest of his generation."
So once Scholes retires, United will feel the void of the legend who had sensational passing range, vision, creativity and goalscoring prowess.

-PRANAV MUKUL