OLIVER KAY talks to 'When the Seagulls...'

I had chat with The Times' football correspondant Oliver Kay; getting his verdict on the season so far, United's new trio and those sorry Scouser's...







What's your verdict on the season so far, with all the big 4 teams losing and each looking weak in certain games?



Easy to say this, but I haven't been that surprised. I think there was a fair amount of complacency from the biggest clubs in the summer, an assumption that the top four would remain unchanged. There were clearly economic factors involved as well, but when you look at those four clubs' transfer activity over the summer, it looked complacent. The gap between them and the rest has shrunk considerably, which, for me, is the main reason why they have dropped more points to teams like City, Villa and Spurs.





Can the 'top 4' be broken? And who do you see leaving/entering the top 4?



Of course it can be broken. Everton finished fourth in 2005, Tottenham very nearly did so in 2006. What it needs is for one of the "top four" to under-perform badly and for one of the teams outside to take advantage. When you look at Liverpool's results so far, they are at risk of dropping out. Again, there is probably an assumption that everything will be ok and that their class and experience will see them through in the end, but I think they're going to have a tough fight. Spurs and Villa are good teams, but I still City see as the main threat. City's game at Anfield this season will be interesting.





Who has been your player of the season so far?



Bit early for that, isn't it? I'm tempted to say Van Persie or Drogba. It will be interesting to see how Arsenal cope without Van Persie over the next couple of months. Shay Given and Craig Bellamy have been very good for City. So have Torres, even if he's had games where he has looked utterly fed up, and Fabregas. If I was going to mention a defender, just for variety's sake, how about Roger Johnson of Birmingham.







Is there any player across the continent that has caught your eye?



Apart from the usual suspects, I would say Dzeko of Wolfsburg. He looks like the player United thought they were getting when they signed Berbatov. It wouldn't surprise me if he ends up at Old Trafford. Gourcuff at Bordeaux has had his moments too.







How well do you think Real will do this season? And do you think La Liga has now taken over the Premier League as the best in the world?



Whether it's the best in the world is subjective. I would say that when you look at the performances in the Champions League over the past few years (three of the four semi-finalists in each of the past three seasons), that is the best reflection of the Premier League's strength. Given that England has lost its best and most glamorous player to Spain – and I'm not talking about Jermaine Pennant – and that Real have also signed the best player from the French and Italian leagues, there has been a big shift. I would say La Liga is now certainly the most glamorous league again and quite possibly the best, but ask me again in May.



As for Real, I hate their way of doing things. Throw Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema and Alonso together (making sure you find a place for their darling Raul) and hope for the best. I pity their coach, Pellegrini. He's making a decent go of it and I would expect Real to be much stronger this season, but their defence still looks weak.







How do you think United have done so far this season without Ronaldo? And how well do you see them doing?



They've done no better and no worse than I expected, really. If anything, maybe slightly better in results terms after a difficult start fixture-wise. The performances against Spurs, Stoke and City (second half) were very good, but overall there is a bit of flatness about them. I wouldn't put that entirely down to Ronaldo. I thought they were very unconvincing from about March onwards last season -- performance-wise, not results-wise -- which is why I was surprised they didn't look to freshen things up more in the summer.







What have you made of their 3 signings: Obertan, Owen and Valencia?



Valencia is gaining confidence after a slow start. He's the best winger at the club, though that's not quite the accolade it has been in the recent past. Obertan looks skilful, but there's something about him that doesn't convince me. Owen has been ok - it was a low-risk signing and he looks like he's gaining confidence all the time. I still think United could do with another striker, a more aggressive, physical type, but there's no doubt in my mind that Owen was a punt worth taking. He'll score enough goals to make his signing worthwhile.







And do you feel United need to spend in January? If so, on who?



It's a case of what the priority is. In my view, they lack a long-term replacement for Van der Sar, a truly dominant central midfielder, a top-class left-winger and another variety of striker, like Dzeko. But suddenly it looks like the priority might be to get some cover for Ferdinand and Vidic in central defence. That does like a concern and it is asking an awful lot of Jonny Evans to fill in. I know there's the perception that all United's kids - and I would include Foster, as well as the Da Silva twins, Evans, Gibson, Anderson, Nani, Welbeck, Macheda etc -- are brilliant to represent the club in the future, but I still think all of them need to do more to prove they can be first-choice players at a club like United.





What are you making of the situation at Liverpool? Do you think Rafa should stay or go?



Their situation looks pretty grim at the moment. I would be staggered if they turn it around in the Champions League, so there will be huge pressure on them to finish in the top four in what suddenly looks a very competitive Premier League. They're a strange group of players. When they've got the bit between their teeth, they look unbeatable, but when confidence is low, it's hard to see where their next win will come from. Benitez has got them out of this kind of situation before and I would back him to do so again, but this will be a big test for him.









And a final bonus question, who is your all-time Premier League XI?





All-time being from 1992 onwards? It's very hard. The goalkeeper is easy enough (Schmeichel) and I would have Gary Neville and Ashley Cole at full-back and possibly Rio and John Terry at centre-half. But when you get to midfield, it becomes unbearable. Vieira, Keane, Giggs, Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Ronaldo - how do you separate them? Up front, my first thought was Cantona and Henry, but then there's Van Nistelrooy, Bergkamp, Shearer, Drogba, Torres, Rooney and probably many more I've forgotten. Here goes: Schmeichel - Gerrard (right-back), Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole - Ronaldo, Vieira, Keane, Giggs - Shearer, Henry. No Neville, Scholes or Cantona, which I admit is ridiculous. By way of apology, I'll suggest that a United XI post-1992 would thrash a Rest of Premier League XI post-1992. Does that get me out of trouble?