As my last few blogs have been a little critical to say the least, I have decided to balance my karma with an article offering encouragement. The team on the receiving end are not a side I have much love for personally but one which, like most other fans, I do admire. That team is Arsenal, who make that dreaded trip up the M6 to Ewood Park tomorrow, where Ryan Nelson and chums will be waiting to kick seven shades of shit out of them, as per usual.

Not two years ago, on the 26th October 2008 to be precise, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool stood at polar opposites of the Barclays Premier League. Liverpool had just ended Chelsea’s 86 match unbeaten home record with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge whilst taking the number one spot and, according to the BBC, “demonstrating their growing title credentials”. Spurs, meanwhile, sat in 20th place without a win, and so decided to swap the hapless Juande Ramos for Harry Redknapp. One look at the situation today suggests that was a very smart move indeed.

Chelsea have been simply formidable in their opening two games of the 2010-11 season. The significance of the mauling of Wigan at the DW, the very stadium in which their superb start to last season began to disintegrate after a 3-1 loss in September, must have Chelsea’s title rivals quaking in their lightweight boots. It is possible that they may fall apart again for a period in this season as they did under Luis Scolari two years ago and Carlo Ancelotti last term, but after such a confident start to the season – an unprecedented pair of 6-0 victories – it is hard to see how and why such a U-turn might occur. But where there is a will there is a way:

Manchester City’s ‘kamikaze’ spending spree has now finished, leaving in its wake a side which is physical and hard to break down, but ultimately lacks the required quality to win major silverware this season. After publically chasing a galaxy of star names, David Silva is the only name that really shines, and even then there are lingering doubts that his physique is too slight for him to affectively showcase his creative flair in the English Premier League.

Last night’s 3-2 defeat against Swiss minnows Young Boys at the Wankdorf stadium underlined Tottenham’s need for new signings as they look to establish themselves in the Champions League. Even if Spurs can reverse the deficit at White Hart Lane in the return fixture and reach the group stage, they will need to bring in at least a couple of quality signings to avoid being embarrassed in Europe’s premier competition.

Hordes of new signings around the football world will be straining every sinew to prove their fitness and earn a coveted first-team place for the new season. But how will their WAGs fare in our pre-season fitness test?!

Capello’s new-look squad does not address the shortage of midfield security seen at the World Cup; there is not a single holding player in the current 23. This needless game against Hungary, three days before the kick-off of the Premier League season, is surely a time to take a step into the unknown. The token promotion of Arsenal’s young protégé, Jack Wilshire, from the under 21s, is not enough. Rehabilitation will of course be slow, but it needs to begin immediately.

In my opinion the Premier League title race could be decided before it even kicks off. Everything depends on Sir Alex Ferguson’s ability to sign a creative midfielder. His ability to procure the funds from the debt-ridden Glazer family, his ability to determine the ideal man for the job, and his ability to see off potential usurpers by persuading said player he is what United missed last season, as they fell just short of glory at home and on the continent.

Kaka and Robinho, once two of the most coveted players in world football, are now seemingly unwanted by their clubs and are in the process of finding new teams. They join a growing list of famous Brazilians whose reputations in Europe have suffered a fall from grace, some of whom have even had to move back to their homeland in order to find first-team football.

If David Gill is telling the truth and the money is there for Sir Alex Ferguson to strengthen his squad, why isn’t he doing so? It is as likely of course, that two men employed by the Glazer family are putting a brave face on a club finance system that is as tight as a broken catflap. However let us pretend, for just a minute, that Ferguson does indeed have a few pennies to spend.