A positive newspaper column!!!

Early next week, after he and his father, Bosco, have met Manchester City officials, Kaká will have to decide whether to buy into Garry Cook’s pitch. If the chief executive can sell the Barclays Premier League club to the AC Milan forward, he could be at the City of Manchester Stadium a week today.

One of Kaká’s requirements is that City put together a side capable of finishing in the top four next season, with an eye towards the Champions League in 2010-11. How far away are they? Maybe not as far as some seem to think, especially with the Brazil star on board. For a start, there is Kaká himself. If, as many suggest, he is one of the top three players in the world, alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there is little question that his transition to England is likely to be smooth.

Much is made of the physical nature of the English game and, in that sense, Kaká, 26, has a clear edge over Messi, the Barcelona forward. At 6ft 1in and weighing nearly 12½st, he is big and solid, the kind of player who rarely gets outmuscled. He is also extremely durable. He has not suffered a significant injury since he was 16 and has featured in more than 90 per cent of Milan’s Serie A and Champions League matches in his 5½ years at the club.
Three days that shook the football world


Contrast this with Messi, 21, who is seven inches shorter and some 20lb lighter. While the Argentina player is surprisingly compact and strong for a man his size, he is less robust. He has featured in fewer than three quarters of Barcelona’s league matches since becoming a regular in the 2006-07 season.

Ronaldo, 23, has a similar build to Kaká and is probably more athletic. But if you judge the impact he had upon joining Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 and compare it with what Kaká would offer City now, the Brazilian probably has the edge.

For a start, he is eight years older and considerably more mature than Ronaldo was when he moved to England. More important, there is a directness and a simplicity to Kaká’s game that the early Ronaldo lacked. “From the moment he arrived at Milan, I was struck by how quickly he adapted to a European mentality,” Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan coach, said of Kaká last year. “He is, above all, direct. He will always try to go vertically rather than horizontally. And he will never take the extra, unnecessary touch.”

Those qualities, along with a physical presence, are essential in the perpetual-motion machine that is the Premier League. One would expect Kaká to settle quickly and productively — although his experience at Fratton Park in November, when he failed to impose himself against Portsmouth, will give the doubters ammunition. However, the real questions should be about the rest of the side.

It is true that City have underachieved and that some purchases have not worked out, yet the squad is stronger than people realise. With Kaká and Wayne Bridge, who joined from Chelsea this month, it probably would not take more than another four signings to give City a starting XI capable of reaching the top four.

Joe Hart is a promising goalkeeper, but he is only 21. A more experienced player who could provide stability until Hart is ready to take over would be one building block. Another might be a versatile defender, equally confident at centre half or full back, who could provide competition for Micah Richards, Richard Dunne and Pablo Zabaleta. A strong holding midfield player would free up Vincent Kompany to do what he does best, play in the back four, and provide the defensive cover to City’s core of attacking midfield players. Finally, a prolific centre forward would help to convert into goals the many chances that Kaká, Robinho and Co would create.

Who should they sign? If they were to plug Gianluigi Buffon, Pepe, Michael Essien and Fernando Torres into the gaps, they would be instant contenders. But that quartet would cost in excess of £250 million and so it is not going to happen (at least not for now). Yet there are cheaper solutions for each of those positions. And if City can fill them in the right way, they could give Kaká the assurances he needs.

Extended family

South American families stick together, especially if their sons happen to be world-famous footballers, and Bosco, Kaká’s father, is no different. He has been Kaká’s “chief adviser” since his son was young and played a prominent role when Real Madrid showed an interest in July 2006.

As usual, there is also a coterie of claimants to Kaká’s interests, which complicates any deal with Manchester City.

Gaetano Paolillo is said to be Kaká’s agent, Diogo Kotscho is his spokesman in Brazil and Kia Joorabchian has strong links with South American players and acted on behalf of City in the deals that brought Robinho and Jô to Manchester.

jimharri wrote:Who is the journalist Mat? It's an excellent piece, unusually positive about us!

bluealf wrote:Mat the train man wrote it in the renowned magazine

I love trains dosnt everbody