Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/236916
47 Sport maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JANUARY 2014 The year of change Mark Strijbosch WE are all guilty of the same old over used New Years resolution: the idea that the next year I will be different from last, the notion of change. The next 365 days in sports will prove to be less of a lie than our current resolutions. 2014 has already started with defeat for Manchester United on day one and with five more months of game time, expect more shocks. Only 12 points separate the top eight teams with Arsenal sitting at the top of the pile in England, however we can not expect that to be a constant. Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are still in the hunt and this has been one of the most exciting seasons yet, if you can excuse the cliché. The Spanish and Italian leagues are not seeing as much change in terms of table toppings with Juventus and Barcelona favourites to retain the titles. Atletico Madrid are for me the the team to watch in Spain this season with their efforts in keeping up with the Joneses. They sit level points with Barca, five above city rivals Real and that extra competition is a healthy spin for the Liga which often gets criticism for its lack of competition up top. With the World player of the Year announcement next week we may see no surprise in the top duo of Messi and Ronaldo (not necessarily in that order) however signs of change for the following season are clear, with Frank Ribery and Luis Suarez looking to stamp their authority on the listings. Suarez became the fastest player to hit the 20 goal mark this season for Liverpool and this is despite having missed the opening games through suspension. His current form can lead us to speculate what his transfer fee may be should he leave Anfield and my theory is that this one could even top that received for Gareth Bale last season. Managerial sackings 2013 saw a total of 11 managerial sackings in the Premier League alone and we do not hope this trend continues into the new year, however in this modern climate you have to expect the unexpected as boards put further emphasis on short term gain over long term success. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became the very first appointment of 2014 as he was unveiled as the new Cardiff City manager, replacing Malky Mackay who was asked to "resign or be sacked" via an email from the unpopular club owner Vincent Tan. This will be Solskjaer's first high profile job, having won the Norwegian league twice with home club Molde. This will be a tough test for the young manager and in this day and age his job security can not be taken for granted, especially unde the guidance of the harsh Vincent Tan. World Cup 2014 Its officially 157 days to the World Cup in Brazil and despite the host nation being so far behind in its planning no one really doubts that this festival will be one of the best we have ever seen. Football finally goes where it belongs, the most successful nation in history, boasting some of the finest players the world has ever seen. With 2013 boasting no major international tournament this summer will be brilliant for football fans world wide and I simply can not wait. Literally everybody gets behind a team at the World Cup with even our quiet neighbours or grandparents routing for Italy or England who have at last been paired up in the same group to the joy of all the Maltese fans reading. Spain will however be pining for a record fourth major trophy in succession, however they will have a stiff challenge from the host nation and team that overhauled them in the Confederations Cup final last summer. Even if Zlatan argues it is not worth watching without him playing, I believe this campaign will be the best yet. Sir Alex 2013 saw a fundamental change at the top for Manchester United with the retirement of manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the shockwaves of this are still being felt this year. He is now the Director of Football and his club lay in seventh place, 11 points off the mark. The impact of his reign can be measured against the fact that David Moyes inherited the same exact squad that won the league last season, with the addition of the £27million Marouane Fellaini. Schumacher battle 2014 starts with a battle for Michael Schumacher who remains in our thoughts as he battles through a coma after a skiing accident at the end of last year. The much loved 45 year old F1 driver remains in a stable condition and the seven time world champion has showed small signs of significant improvement. This year will be a massive year for everyone and it really will be as good as you yourself want it to be and on that positive note I would like to wish you and your team a fantastic year Weather & Crosswords WEATHER: Partly to rather cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with isolated showers VISIBILITY: Good except with some showers. WIND: South to Southwest force 4 to 5 becoming force 5 to 6 and veering West to Northwest force 5 to 6 locally force 6 to 7 for sometime SEA: Slight to moderate becoming rough SWELL: Negligible becoming low Southwest SEA TEMP.: 18 °C 16/120 15/110 ISOLATED SHOWERS ISOLATED SHOWERS UV: 2 UV: 2 TODAY TOMORROW PHARMACIES OPEN TODAY GOZO FERRIES DAILY OPERATION TIMES USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS EMPIRE Pharmacy, 77, Triq it-Teatru l-Antik, Valletta CHEMIMART International Pharmacy, 650, Triq il-Kbira San Guzepp, Ħamrun TAL-ĦLAS Pharmacy, Triq il-Ħelsien, Qormi MACKIE'S Pharmacy, Triq L. Casolani, Ta' Paris, Birkirkara D'ARGENS Pharmacy, 330, Triq D'Argens, Gżira PEMBROKE Pharmacy, 87, Triq Giuseppe Malfeggiani, Pembroke RUDOLPH Pharmacy, 133, Triq Rodolfu, Sliema ST. Mary Pharmacy, 2, Triq Antonio Schembri, Attard TAT-TARĠA Pharmacy, Plot No. 2, Triq il-Kostituzzjoni, Mosta ST. Simon Pharmacy, 8, Dawret il-Gzejjer, Buġibba SONREN Pharmacy, Triq iż-Żejtun, Tarxien MILIA'S Pharmacy, 73, Triq il-Kottonera, Birgu ST. Anne Pharmacy, Triq il-Qalet, Marsascala GREEN Cross Pharmacy, 31, Misrah Gregorio Bonnici, Żejtun KRISTIANNE Pharmacy, Triq iċ-Ċavi, Mqabba SANTA Marija Pharmacy, 40, Triq l-Għasfura, Żebbuġ SPIŻERIJA Carmen, 1, Misraħ Suffara Street, Dingli PALM Pharmacy, 2, Triq Palma, Victoria TONY'S Pharmacy, Triq il-Qbajjar, Marsalforn Emergency,Police,Fire, Ambulance ...................... 112 Appogg 24hrs Supportline .179 Sedqa 24hrs Helpline.........151 Social policy info centre .... 159 Malta Red Cross ...... 21922645 St John Ambulance .. 21945740 Maltacom enquiries .........1182 Go Mobile enquiries......... 1187 Vodafone enquiries .........1189 Government info service ....153 Telephone faults ................133 Gozo ferry schedule ..................21915111 MEPA..................... 22900000 MIA flight enquiries ................ 21697800 MIA Weather forecast ................. 50043333 Enemalta faults report.....................80072224 Water Services Corporation Freephone .............. 80072222 www.gozochannel.com Chess MALTA & GOZO: 9 A.M. – NOON Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Sunday Across 6. Adventurous expedition 7. Physical suffering 8. Expectant desire 9. Person who skates 10. Inactive 12. Sumptuous meal 15. Tapering mass of ice 17. Dog cry Solution to last week's crossword 19. One or the other of two Solution to last week's problem Sudoku Down 8 8 1. Large terrestrial monkey 7 6 7 2. Cod-like fish 5 6 3. Being before all others 4 3 5 4. Bring up to date 2 4 5. Roofing item 1 3 A B C D E F G 11. Swayed to and fro H 2 1 A B C D E F G H Mate in four or more moves 18. Immoral habit axb6 dxc8Q+ Qb8+ Q4xb5+ Qxb5# Kb7 Kxb6 Kc6 axb5 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. 13. County in SE England 14. Gem 16. First son of Adam and Eve 17. Push with the head