Who should be in Englands's Ashes XI down under?

1. Alastair Cook
He has proved he is a class act with 25 Test Centuries to his name. He is stunning off the back foot which is vital down under as the pitches have more bounce. He showed how effective he can be in these conditions last time out in Australia breaking records left, right and centre. Cook did have a difficult series in England and looked at some points out of ideas as a captain. However he is still relatively new as a captain but he must learn quick and become a bit more adventurous.

2. Nick Compton
I know he isn't even in the squad but it was extremely harsh to drop him even though he played well against the Australians with counties. He has got 2 Test Centuries in hard conditions and really deserved a chance in the Ashes. He has technical issues as he seems to fall over slightly but he is a fighter and good off the front foot which is vital for an opener when the bowl is hooping around. Joe Root is a good player but isn't effective at the top of the order due to his reluctance to step forward and not fall back into his crease.

3. Jonathan Trott 
He has had problems over the last year or so but for me it is all in his head. It seems like someone has told he has to speed up and play at a run a ball. He ends up throwing his wicket away when he is playing very well when on previous occasions he would have scored a 'daddy' hundred. He has an average just under fifty and will bounce back but he must return to his calm, slow and boring self.

4. Kevin Pietersen
He is the most dangerous player England have as he is capable of swinging the momentum of the entire match in less than a session. He has scored more than 20 Test hundreds for England and has a great average of 49. He showed his class at Old Trafford in the Ashes series scoring a match saving century. He must fight his ego and play the correct shot instead of always trying to dominate the bowling attack often resulting in the loss of his wicket especially against spin.

5. Ian Bell
Brilliant! Stunning! He deserves all the superlatives he gets as he saved England on countless occasions in England making extremely tricky positions into potentially match winning one. He scored 3 centuries in the Ashes series this summer averaging in the 60s. All those scores came under immense pressure coming in numerous times with England three down for about thirty runs. He will be hugely important in England's middle-order effort.

6. Joe Root
I replaced him at the top of the order but get him in the team because I see him as very calm and a technically good player. He has huge mental strength and seems to always be enjoying his cricket scoring two centuries in the process including 180 at Lords against Australia. He will be valuable down the order especially since he is prolific off the back foot which in Australian conditions later in the innings will be vital.

7. Matt Prior
He was very poor in the last Ashes series but he is a fighter as shown in the away New Zealand series. He is great with the tail and will help to contribute important runs near the back end of the innings. He is aggressive which will ensure quick runs which are always very handy. He is one of the best wicket-keepers around and will prove to be a safe pair of gloves once again.

8. Tim Bresnan
He always works hard and is an accurate bowler. He was decent in the Ashes series in England but played very well down under last time. His batting will add useful depth to the line-up. I didn't pick Steven Finn as he is too wild and is completely out of form. Chris Tremlett is another I didn't pick as he hasn't had any cricket and don't think he is quite ready for the Ashes.

9. Stuart Broad
He had a great series against Australia last time out taking 24 wickets and scoring very important runs especially in the 1st Test at Trent Bridge. However his batting is a bit hit and miss when I believe if he concentrates giving his wicket more value he often plays a good hand. His bowling is sometimes inconsistent but once he is in form there is no stopping him as he rampages through the batting line-up. We saw this at Durham and several times against India a few years ago.

10. Graeme Swann 
He is very good indeed and took the most wickets in the previous series, 26. However, conditions will not favour him but his accuracy will keep one end tight building up pressure. Moreover when conditions do favour him he will pounce and the Australians did not play him particularly well which is a good sign for England.

11. James Anderson
He is the leader of this England attack and has shown countless times that he is England's best bowler by a country mile. He is accurate and knows how to control his swing and seam bowling perfectly.

What does Arsene Wenger need to buy in January?

In short, a central defender, winger and striker.

Central Defender 
Arsenal have loaned out two reasonable central defenders in Ignasi Miquel and Jonathan Djourou yet Arsenal do not have strength in depth at the back Vermaelen has been poor this season just like the one before hence him losing his place in the starting line-up even though he is still the club captain. If I had a huge budget I would go for the expensive option of Mat Hummels of Borussia Dortmund worth at least £25 million. A cheaper player yet full of quality would be Ezequiel Garay currently playing at Benfica who would come in for an estimated fee of around £10-15 million.



Winger
Here I would really splash the cash on either Marco Reus or Hulk both of which would cost in excess of £30 million. However they would be worth it as Arsenal either have to pass through the opposition or exploit the pace of Theo Walcott. With the addition of another winger we can have pace down both flanks or have a strength in depth in that department which at the moment we are lacking.



Striker
Wenger, this summer, pursued Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain and got neither. However, this proves that even he needs another striker even though Olivier Giroud is playing very well having already scored 8 goals so far this season. An injury to Giroud would be a disaster as we have Podoloski out and have no suitable replacements bar Park and Bendtner. A high quality striker would really increase Arsenal's title credentials. Robert Lewandowski would be pricey and he has supposedly agreed a deal with Bayern Munich, but Dortmund would love to sell abroad and not to Bayern who have already bought Mario Gotze this season. £35-40 million might force a move through to Arsenal. If not I would go for Diego Costa as Athletico Madrid seen to be in contant financial problems and Costa may be swayed by higher wages and a potentail title winner side.

Ashes: Key Battles Down Under

Ryan Harris vs. England’s Top 3

Harris took 24 wickets in 4 Tests tormenting England’s top order last summer. Cook and Trott both averaged in the twenties compared to their career averages of just under fifty. Excluding Root’s brilliant innings of 180 at Lords, he averaged just 17. Root’s move to the top of the order hasn’t been very successful due to his reluctance to play off the front-foot.

In Australia the conditions are very different to those in England with more pace and bounce. They will suit Cook and Root especially, who are better off the back-foot but Trott’s problem lies in his head. He appears to want to take the attack to the bowlers rather than being his calm, composed and often boring self. Between the three they have 35 test centuries so they are quality players that will bounce back. Harris will be very dangerous and in his backyard he will be an even more threatening proposition.

Graeme Swann vs. Nathan Lyon

Swann is a world-class spinner, having taken 248 test wickets at an average of about 28. Lyon has taken 85 wickets at an average of over 33 and didn’t look particularly effective in England when conditions favoured him. Swann took the most wickets in the series, 26, and was extremely economical whereas Lyon often gave away free runs which were at a premium in England.

Conditions in Australia will not favour them, but Swann seems to be able to keep things tight building up pressure. Lyon needs to do the same, if Australia are to have a balanced and potent attack.

England’s Bowling Unit vs. Australia’s Batsmen

Australia’s batting has been their Achilles heal all summer, collapsing from winning positions to humiliating defeats. Two examples that stand out are when they threw all ten wickets away for 60 runs at Lords and lost 8 wickets for 40 runs at Durham. England’s bowling was sometimes quite ordinary and often required a miracle spell from either Broad or Anderson with both taking 10 wickets in a Test. Anderson did it at Trent Bridge and Broad at Durham. Australia’s batsmen must be able to maintain concentration for long periods of time which at the moment they do not do. They have technical issues such as Shane Watson planting his front pad and being trapped lbw.

This is an interesting battle as England’s other bowlers were poor and Australia now have the comfort of home conditions along with the crowd.

James Anderson vs. Michael Clarke

James Anderson was stunning in the first Test at Trent Bridge but then fell away somewhat. However, he has dismissed Michael Clarke more than any other Ashes bowler. Anderson is the focal point of the English attack and Clarke is the leader of the Australian dressing-room and batting effort. If Clarke doesn’t fire, very often the entire team puts in an awful display. Clarke is a top-drawer player with 24 centuries to his name and a brilliant average of over 52.

They both performed in certain Tests in England but in Australia, Clarke will feel most comfortable and that is ominous for England. Clarke once in, usually gets a ‘daddy’ hundred. Anderson was vital in England’s win down under last time out and will again be critical for England’s chances of victory.

Ian Bell vs. Shane Watson

Bell comes out of the series of his life having been England’s turning very tricky positions into winning ones. He scored three hundreds averaging over 63. Shane Watson had a terrible series until his 150 at the Oval. Both players are hugely important as they will have to rebuild in the case of a collapse and will be key in their teams attempts to score quick runs.

Matt Prior vs. Brad Haddin

They are both stunning wicket keepers and fighters. Prior had a sorry series in England and Haddin put in key contributions showing that he merited his place in the side. They will be vital in their teams effort to extend the innings scoring valuable runs with the tail.

Kevin Pietersen vs. His Ego

KP has been England's star of the last decade with his ability eclipsing all other English greats. However, his temperament is quite the opposite as he has thrown his wicket away countless times making him hugely frustrating to watch. He averages just under 50 and played reasonably well in the series this summer culminating in a hundred at Old Trafford. He would have scored more runs if he didn't always try and dominate the bowlers, often playing a rash shot especially against spin.

If he plays well there will be no stopping him bar himself and that is why this is one of the most important battles in the entire tour.