Liverpool are having a topsy turvy season. They go and beat Manchester United and then lose to Fulham in the Premier League and then this week in the Champions League they let a 1-0 lead against Lyon slip in the final seconds and now if they do not pull up their socks they may find themselves out of Europe at the first hurdle.

I know they miss their captain Steven Gerrard and I understand that there is a possibility that Fernando Torres may have to have surgery. That would be devastating.

I believe that Liverpool made a big mistake in letting Xabi Alonso go this summer to Real Madrid and I also think that manager Rafa Benitez should play Ryan Babel more. Babel, who again was on the sub's bench against Lyon, scored a cracking goal and why he doesn't start more is a mystery to me. If Benitez continues to use Babel as a sub I think the player should think about moving.

Liverpool have won five European championships and it looks as if they will have to win their final two matches to get through to the next round.

Benitez chops and changes his team all of the time and while I understand that you have to give older players like defender Jamie Carragher a bit of a rest, I think he changes things around too much.

Lyon now advance and Liverpool will be hoping to get that second qualifying spot. First they have to travel to Hungary to take on Debrecen and then they are at home in the final match against Italy's Fiorentina and that should help them. If they need all three points against Fiorentina I am sure the fans will play the 12th man. There is magic at Anfield and Liverpool will need it.

One team I have to tip my hat to in the Champions League are Bordeaux who have qualified for the next round in Group A. Manager Laurent Blanc has done a marvellous job with his players. They travelled to Bayern Munich this week and came away 2-0 winners ¿ not an easy thing to do against the Germans.

Manchester United, who were basically playing their second-string team, somehow managed to come back from 3-1 down against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday to take a share of the points and qualify for the next round.

Moscow have some good attacking players ¿ and a great goalkeeper ¿ but they should not have sat back after going up 3-1. You cannot do that at Old Trafford and they got stung for it.

I never liked sitting back when I played. You just invite the other team to come at you and United are one the best around at doing that ¿ even without their star players on the pitch.

I like the approach of German team Wolfsburg. They travelled to Besiktas in Turkey and beat them 3-0 in one of the hottest atmospheres in the world for a visiting team. If you go into someone's yard and they smell fear on you, it will most likely be all over before the match even begins. That is something I learned a long time ago.

That second qualifying spot could be decided by the next match later this month when Wolfsburg travel to freezing Moscow.

A couple of groups are still so tight ¿ Group C and Group F.

In Group C, Real Madrid lead AC Milan on goal difference and Marseille are still in it only one point behind. Real and Milan drew 1-1 this week and I thought Milan had a perfectly good goal disallowed for a non existent handball. Pato took the ball down on his chest but the ref ¿ who was out of position ¿ blew his whistle.

Milan are playing some good football now in both the Champions League and Serie A and I am pleased to see Ronaldinho starting to get back on track. Lately he has looked very sharp and I hope that continues because I am hoping Dunga takes him to South Africa next year for the World Cup. He is too good not to go.

In Group F, Inter lead Russian club Rubin Kazan by a point with Barcelona in third by goal difference. Personally I cannot see Inter winning the Champions League this year despite soaring ahead in Serie A. They were a tad bit lucky to get by Dynamo Kiev from Ukraine this week. The next match could be a big decider when Barca host Inter.

Chelsea and Porto must be happy having both qualified from Group D ¿ the only group where everything has been decided while Sevilla have qualified from Group G.

Arsenal, who have been playing some exceptional football of late, should go through after their next match at home to Standard Liege. They have a magnificent display against Holland's AZ Alkmaar winning 4-1. This goes on top of their scintillating play against Spurs last weekend which saw Fabregas score a great individual goal.

While everyone has been talking about Chelsea or Manchester United winning the Premier League, watch out for the Gunners.They are right there with a game in hand.

On a personal note I was so happy to see West Ham beat Aston Villa 2-1 this week. Boy we needed those three points and the young boy Hinds scored a very good goal.

The match to watch this weekend must surely be Chelsea hosting Manchester United on Sunday. Chelsea are strong but they have gone behind in a number of games this season. It is up for grabs.