Ever wondered what routine Pepe Reina's follows before a game? In his new autobiography, Pepe gives us a rough account of his pre-match rituals. (Read the full article here)

"Six hours before kick-off at Anfield and before I can even think about the game, I have to get to a petrol station. After getting into the car, I turn the engine on and look at the fuel gauge. It is almost full. I still need petrol, though, so I head to the same garage that I always go to when Liverpool are at home, a small filling station on Queens Drive that is almost exactly halfway between my home in South Liverpool and the stadium. I get there, open the petrol cap and begin to refuel. I am only at the pump for 20 seconds or so and the tank is full so I go in to pay. The cashier gives me a bit of a funny look. To be fair, I cannot blame him. I have just pulled on to his forecourt, queued up for five minutes behind other motorists and all for £8 worth of petrol, just so my tank is full to the brim.

"When I get to Anfield I always park in the same space — bay number 39 in the car park in front of the Centenary Stand. I have tried number 41 and 42 and a few others but when I went to 39 we kept clean sheets two weeks in a row and so I have stayed there ever since."

"I always get undressed in the same order — jacket, tie, shirt, shoes, trousers and socks — and then I get onto the massage bed so that Rob, our physio, can work his magic on me. I lie there reading the match programme while he is bending and stretching my legs. Then I strap myself up and put my kit on. I always sit in the same place, just next to the wall as soon as you walk in, right next to Carra."

"I go to the toilet to have a pee about three or four times in the hour before kick-off because of my nerves. Then I go out a little bit before the rest of the lads to do my warm-up."

"I then have to make sure that I am the last one out onto the pitch before kick-off, and I always touch the This Is Anfield sign with both hands as I walk down the tunnel. When I cross the white line I have to do it twice with my right foot. Stepping on, then off and then back on again. For some reason — and probably not a very good one — it helps keep me calm. Then I head towards my goal but before I get there I have to touch fists with my back four — except Carra, who doesn't like doing that so we share a high five instead — and then clap the supporters on the Kop to show my appreciation for their support of me. As I get to my goal I go straight to the right post, bang my studs against it, then touch the crossbar, then bang my studs against the left post, then go back to the middle.

"Next, I take six steps to the edge of the six yard box, another six steps to the penalty spot, another six to the edge of the 18-yard box and then do the same thing in reverse. Then I stretch up, do some high knees, jump, sprint to the right, jump, sprint to the left, wave hello to my wife in the stand — and then I'm ready."

Continuing on the "crazy football moments", Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese —who had said Lehmann belonged on the Muppets Show, which left Lehmann no choice but to file a lawsuit against Wiese— attempted a... kung fu kick? on Thomas Müller last season in the Bundesliga.

Brilliant stuff.

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"The question is whether Capello should still take Rooney. Unquestionably, he should." - I flippin' love David Pleat.

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"The question is whether Capello should still take Rooney. Unquestionably, he should." - I flippin' love David Pleat.

Here's one for you, if Capello does take Rooney to the Euros, Will he get to kick a ball in the tournament?

Here's one for you, if Capello does take Rooney to the Euros, Will he get to kick a ball in the tournament?

First off, I think he's still an absolute lock to go to the Euros. Two years ago, Fabio delayed naming his World Cup squad to accommodate a half-fit/crap (delete as appropriate) Gareth Barry, so I suspect he'll bend over backwards to make sure Rooney is selected. Besides, I can't imagine Capello seeing it as a wasted place - after all, it's a 22-man squad where there'll no doubt be at least two or three unused players anyway.

A little berk told me that England will be unseeded in the draw for the group games (that is to say, I saw Peter Reid talking about it on Sky), which means a second place finish is a strong possibility. If that's the case, then we'll probably be faced with the prospect of an unfavourable second round game against superior opposition, and be unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament in Rooney's first appearance.

For the actual red card, I blame Wayne's new hair. It made him do it. Kind of like in The Simpsons when Snake's hair possessed Homer.

'David Luiz blesses Fernando Torres' is the new 'Laurent Blanc kisses Fabien Barthez's bald head'.

Here's one for you, if Capello does take Rooney to the Euros, Will he get to kick a ball in the tournament?

First off, I think he's still an absolute lock to go to the Euros. Two years ago, Fabio delayed naming his World Cup squad to accommodate a half-fit/crap (delete as appropriate) Gareth Barry, so I suspect he'll bend over backwards to make sure Rooney is selected. Besides, I can't imagine Capello seeing it as a wasted place - after all, it's a 22-man squad where there'll no doubt be two or three unused players anyway.

A little berk told me that England will be unseeded in the draw for the group games (that is to say, I saw Peter Reid talking about it on Sky), which means a second place finish is a strong possibility. If that's the case, then we'll probably be faced with the prospect of an unfavourable second round game against superior opposition, and be unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament in Rooney's first appearance.

For the actual red card, I blame Wayne's new hair. It made him do it. Kind of like that episode of the Simpsons when Snake's hair possessed Homer.

Not exactly unseeded, but we will most probably be in Pot 2. Thats down to the fact that the Co-Hosts will be both be put in the Top Pot with probably Spain & Holland.

Though its right that the Co-Hosts get automatic qualification, they should have to earn their place in the top pot and Poland & Ukraine certainly dont.

Anyone catch the Chelsea 3 v 5 Arsenal match today, amazing game.

I'll watch the highlights later but I heard the defending on both sides was poor.

What's with all these crazy scoring games this season?

Edit: Just watched the highlights. Points I thought were noteworthy:

Did Walcott try to con the ref halfway thru the lead up to his goal? Can't say I saw any contact.

Terry slips again. LOL.

Juan's goal did not Mata.

Did Walcott try to con the ref halfway thru the lead up to his goal?

No.

Juan's goal did not Mata.

lol

Did Walcott try to con the ref halfway thru the lead up to his goal? Can't say I saw any contact.

I think he just slipped. When players try to con the refs, they usually lay on the pitch for a good chunk. Theo's recovery was immediate, and to me that was the goal of the day.

Terry slips again. LOL.

What's with all these crazy scoring games this season?

Yeah, the EPL derbies got out of hand. ManU-Arsenal, Spurs-City, Spurs-Liverpool, ManU-City, and now Chelsea-Arsenal. Last season these games were 3 goals max. Now it's like watching Barcelona play Almeria. Crazy goalscoring, and bar yesterdays game, all of them pretty onesided.

I'll watch the highlights later but I heard the defending on both sides was poor.

What's with all these crazy scoring games this season?

Edit: Just watched the highlights. Points I thought were noteworthy:

Did Walcott try to con the ref halfway thru the lead up to his goal? Can't say I saw any contact.

Terry slips again. LOL.

Juan's goal did not Mata.

Not sure what happened with Walcott, maybe he was playing dead, and the Chelsea players fell for it.

Terry falling over was quite amusing.

Was a great strike from Mata.

Did Walcott try to con the ref halfway thru the lead up to his goal?

No.

OK then. In that case, Sunderland vs Villa. Discuss.

I think he just slipped. When players try to con the refs, they usually lay on the pitch for a good chunk. Theo's recovery was immediate, and to me that was the goal of the day.

Trying to think of something funny related to Terry, Walcott, slipping and goals. Hmmm...

• Have a go for the first 25 minutes
• Run out of ideas
• Allow ageing journeyman striker the freedom of the park
• Settle for a point
• Retreat to edge of own box for the last 25 minutes
• Concede after giving away pointless free-kick(s)

You could probably paste the above list into any Sunderland match report from the past year. Pleased we didn't completely crumble after twice going behind but all in all, very little seems to have changed since my last outing to the SoL, despite having a vastly different group of players this year. All I can say is thank goodness for Sebastian 'Upmarket Rory Delap' Larsson. How did you see it, Fred?

I may also be in the minority on this but in my mind, the Terry slip was no accident. It was a wayward pass of course but, knowing he lacked the pace to reach it and realising he was about to be left in the dust by Van Persie, he threw himself to the floor in a manner that would have made even Drogba blush. Chelsea have neither the mobility at the back nor the energy in midfield to make a decent fist of Villas Boas's much-vaunted 4-3-3 system. Additional: Petr Cech is rubbish.

P.S. Robin Van Persie - Fantasy League gold! The rest of my team, not so much.

It was what I expected: two faceless mediocrities duking it out in a battle over who can defend the most recklessly. I'll guess that Bruce and McLeish both continue to 'tinker' with the starting XIs until well into the new year.

Honestly, right now the club seems in complete chaos from top to the bottom. Looking at our squad it resembles a mad millionaire's orphanage, a freak show assembly of nearly men and unwanteds trudging around, waiting out their seemingly infinite contracts. Meanwhile, shock of shocks, McLeish has not been able to make us defensively solid, something that was never likely but was persistently assumed by lazy hacks in their annual "why are Villa fans so ungrateful?" pre-season columns. Given's a definite step up from Friedel but Dunne and Collins become more and more of a sitcom pairing with each passing week, while Warnock looks like a man uneasily adjusting to life outside of prison, or as its known in the Premiership, training with the reserves. And as for Hutton...well...

England EURO 2012 champions!

^Steady on!

The way that game panned out was the epitome of what I always thought Capello's England would turn out to be. Outplayed for long periods, minimal attacking ambitions and even less control of the ball, but tactically decent and relatively sound at the back (though Fabregas could and probably should have had a hat-trick in the closing stages). In other words, ugly but effective.

I wanted to say it before the English media did!

Does Capello play any other way? It's hard to criticise him for those tactics though. It's not like Spain actually lets teams close enough to the ball to get it and retain it. As I was reading somewhere, Spain style is not to eviscerate, but to slowly asphyxiate a team. Little did they know, the English are already quite immune as they have many brain-dead players at their disposal.

I kid, I kid

^Never a truer word spoken in jest, as they say.

Only a fool would take victory in a friendly game to mean England are in any way superior to Spain, though I'm sure Capello's most difficult job at the Euros will be keeping the players' egos in check. But by embracing our status as second-class citizens, we may actually get some joy when push comes to shove at the tournament. We certainly won't beat a Spain or a Germany by playing them at their own game.

^Never a truer word spoken in jest, as they say.

Only a fool would take victory in a friendly game to mean England are in any way superior to Spain, though I'm sure Capello's most difficult job at the Euros will be keeping the players' egos in check. But by embracing our status as second-class citizens, we may actually get some joy when push comes to shove at the tournament. We certainly won't beat a Spain or a Germany by playing them at their own game.

Spain are clearly the best side in the World right now, this should taken as what it was a friendly. That being said i was surprised that Spain didnt create more chances, that maybe because it wasnt a competitive game, but i think we can take some credit for the way kept our shape and defended. We just have to find a way of adding a little more attacking play.