Summary: Just as the Champions League fixtures define club football heading into another international break, all the talk around the Premier League centers on whether Wayne Rooney is captain material, whether some clubs have been struggling with identity and if Cristiano Ronaldo could be preparing the ground for a return to Manchester United. Deputy news editor from Guardian Sports Ed Aarons joins Anto in segment one to pick apart many of the results and key talking points that emerged over the weekend, starting with Wayne Rooney and his red card and whether the reaction is overblown and even perhaps a bit of over-reaction, then we explore the issues of whether Ronaldo could force a move back to Old Trafford. Also examined is surprise package Southampton, problems enduring for Alan Pardew at Newcastle and the always interesting matter of Massimo Cellino at Leeds United as new details emerge from Italy about his ongoing problems with the tax authorities who nearly sabotaged his attempts to purchase his latest club and offer a real chance of doing just that again. In part two, Doron Salomon helps us get further underneath the matter of Wayne Rooney at Manchester United where his standing and place at the club are under constant scrutiny for both reasons he can and cannot control, some due to his complicated relationship with the supporters, but more due to the evolving nature of what fans and supporters expect from a modern club captain. We also dig deeper into the matter of Ronaldo and whether he should or even could return to Manchester United, how ongoing problems for Arsenal stem from the all important side of Arsene Wenger that cannot deliver players to address the biggest holes in the squad, and how Spurs and Liverpool share some of the same ongoing symptoms having sold off world class players and replacing them at a great frequency while their managers are forced to deal with high expectations and fractured identities themselves. We also examine how Chelsea continues to dominate both on the pitch and in the transfer market and ask some very important questions of Manchester City on the heels of accumulating only one point after two rounds of group stage fixtures in the Champions League this season.
