It’s a pretty decent time to be an Arsenal fan. Wenger managed to keep hold of Cesc Fabregas over the summer and despite injuries to key players, the Gunners are currently second in the Premiership League table. If Arsenal push on and keep developing (and work harder defensively), there’s a real feeling around the Emirates that this could be the season they finally get back into trophy-winning ways. One of the reasons behind Arsenal’s relatively good start to the season is a squad with decent strength in depth.
When I say this I do not mean that Arsène Wenger has plenty of experienced players that he can call on if needs be. Instead, as has been the way with Arsenal for the last half-decade or so, if a space opens up on the team, you can always count on there being a talented youngster to fill the gap. In fact, Arsenal have so many options that I’m beginning to wonder if now would be the right time to start considering who is a genuine prospect and who might find it beneficial to seek game time elsewhere.
It’s important to ensure that the experienced players get the game time they merit whilst also developing some of the younger players and ensuring they get a chance to prove their worth. One area of particular concern is the centre of the Gunner’s midfield which is congested with talent. Consider this: Fabregas, Song, Denilson, Diaby, Wilshere, Rosicky, Nasri, Eastmond, Ramsey and Lansbury are all vying for a centre midfield place in Arsenal’s squad. It’s clear that these players aren’t all going to make it at Arsenal.
It’s true that Fabregas may only be with the Gunners for another season or two. Yet it seems to me that the only players that Arsenal must make absolutely certain to keep hold of are Song, Nasri, Wilshere and Ramsey. Nasri and Song are already two of Arsenal’s key performers and Wilshere and Ramsey represent the future of the club and the antidote to a Cesc free future.
Of course, we’ve seen a number of these players grow and mature at Arsenal and some people may be upset by my suggestion that Arsenal move them on. But, have Denilson and Diaby really made the grade at Arsenal? They certainly have yet to add consistency to their repertoire. As for the younger players – surely it’s time for the likes of Eastmond and Lansbury to start seeking loan moves. The more chance for actual football they get the better it is for the player. Although it’s exciting for a club to have all these talented young players on their books, what’s important is that these players are given the chance for as much game time as possible.
If that necessitates some of these players moving on, as I believe it does, then so be it.
If you’re interested and want to hear more feel free to follow me on Twitter, where you can also keep up to date with the latest Arsenal news!
There are some things in life that we know for certain. The smelly guy with the greasy hair and whiskey bottle inside a brown paper bag will always be the one that chooses to sit next to you on the bus. It’s always during that important meeting with your boss that you mother calls your mobile to find out if she can visit for the weekend. And it’s always the weekend that you’re going to an away game that she invites herself.
Of course, if you’re a City fan, you’ll have gone into Monday night’s game with that feeling of inevitability in the pit of your stomach. Everton, struggling this season and hovering just above the relegation zone, coming to the City of Manchester Stadium to play City who, with a win, could go top of the league for Christmas day – it’s odds on for a home win, surely…? City’s defence don’t let much through easily and, on their day, they can score some pretty decent goals.
Even if they managed a draw, they’d spend Christmas day in second place.
So now it’s Christmas Eve and, with no more fixtures to be played before tomorrow, City sit in third. Can any of us actually say we’re surprised at this? It’s one of those inevitabilities of life as a City fan; if there’s an easy way to do something or a way to reward the fans with something nice every now and then, you can sure as hell bet City will do it the hard way. If they do it at all.
It must be hard-wired into the club’s DNA. We have a phrase for it that has been doing the rounds since well before I started going to watch them: Typical City. City beat the top of the league by three goals, then lose to the bottom team the week after – Typical City. City are the subject of a takeover and become the richest club in football, only to subsequently spend that Christmas in the relegation zone – Typical City. City go joint top of the league after a great performance without one of their most important players and, that evening, said important player hands in a written transfer request – Typical City.
And, would you know it, it was Typical City FC and not Manchester City FC that turned up on Monday evening. I’m not saying that the game was an easy one, far from it. What I am saying is that, with most of the league games last weekend falling victim to the weather, City knew before kick-off that a victory would leave them top of the league. So, naturally, they didn’t start playing until they’d given Everton a two goal head start.
For the record, I feel ‘given’ is the correct work since Everton didn’t exactly have to work hard to get those two opening goals. My Sunday league team could have scored those two opening goals with the state of City’s defending, though, in fairness, to Everton, my Sunday league team wouldn’t have been able to see out and win the game from that position. They’ve got me in goal, for starters.
In fact, Everton’s defending is something that we should praise the visitors for, too. City piled on the pressure for about 70 minutes and the only way they could score was a deflected cross from Yaya Touré. The story of the game is summed up in City’s shooting statistics: 32 shots, 4 on target. Nearly all of City’s shots were from range or blocked (suspiciously with arms on several occasions – Phil Neville played a blinder in goal for Everton), while Everton scored all of their shots on target.
True, they spent most of the game time wasting or in their own box, but it’s not against the rules to park the bus as they did. It wasn’t pretty to watch, but I daresay their fans don’t care seeing as they won the game. And it’s down to City to score the goals necessary to go on to win the game (which would be helped without such an atrocious start to the match).
It would also be quite hypocritical of me to criticise their style of play, given that it’s exactly what City had to do whilst strapped for cash under Stuart Pearce in order to stay in the Premier League. It’s always far too holier than thou to say how football should be played and many teams have been successful in many different ways.
The bonus for me, though, was that Leighton Baines was in my Fantasy League team. And with such a disastrous weekend for everybody because of the fixtures called off, I benefited quite nicely, while everybody else in my league scored roughly 1-3 points. Which moved me up to 347th position, so every cloud, eh?
I’ve no doubt that City will win something and soon. In fact, if they don’t, then questions need to be asked, starting with what the hell did everyone at City do in a past life to upset the footballing Gods and how bad was it? It must have been something quite bad if they conspire to stop City winning something despite such an investment as the one they have received.
Certainly, though, the concept of ‘Typical City’ is an interesting one. It’s been around the club for decades, yet managers, chairmen, boards, squads of players, shirt sponsors, kit colours, divisions, tactics and even stadiums have changed since it was first introduced into your average Citizen’s lexicon. How is it possible for City to have a poor record against one team that stretches back for ten or more years? The only constant in City in that period is the fans.
Can the ‘Typical City’ attitude be the entire problem? Could it be, no matter how much money is thrown at the team and no matter what improvements are made to the stadium, pitch and training facilities, that City will continue to struggle on the big occasions (Everton, Tottenham, Manchester United in the Carling Cup) because of the ‘Typical City’ sword that dangles over them? Could it really be that City will win something when we as fans stop thinking that the worst will happen because ‘that’s what City do’?
I’m no believer in all that positive energy crap that some people on telly spout out and don’t think that positive thoughts cause positive outcomes, but I do think that negativity is catching. If the fans are nervous, for example, then that tension is felt by the players on the pitch. In most games for the last couple of seasons, City have been playing well and winning most home games, but at the crucial times, it’s impossible to deny that the fans have been on edge and the players have been playing like they can’t wait to get off the pitch before something bad happens (Everton, Tottenham, Manchester United in both league games of 2010).
We know the atmosphere at Eastlands isn’t brilliant, but a collective groan after the first misplaced pass or a wholesome sigh when someone miscontrols the ball doesn’t help anyone. Oh, and if the lady who sits behind me who always seems to be very angry happens to be reading this, it’s very annoying when you shout things like “Look at him [Yaya Touré] with that f—–g snood on! He’s on all that money and he wears that!”
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Because, traditionally, people who earn a lot of money don’t feel the cold.
2010 is nearly gone, so let’s leave ‘Typical City’ behind with it. It’s Christmas Eve and City aren’t top of the league. Bah Humbug, eh? What an awful season it’s turning out to be. It’s not as if, on this day two years ago, we were sitting in eighteenth place, having just lost to West Brom, playing a quality of football that would disappoint my Sunday league team.
The featured Picklive match tonight is Leeds v Arsenal at Elland Road in the FA Cup, but what is Picklive you might be asking? Well, Picklive is quite simply LIVE fantasy football, so if you love live footy and fantasy football, you’ll absolutely love Picklive. If you haven’t played before then you can sign up for your FREE trial right now and have a go during the third round replay tonight. All you need to do is pick THREE players for the live game, but who should you select?
It may be a cliché, but Leeds really do have nothing to lose and all the pressure will be on Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. Their top Picklive points scorer this season is Kasper Schmeichel, but you’d have to reckon that the Gunners are going to score at least once, unless a there’s a repeat of the Carling Cup tie at Ipswich of course! Next up is Ferderico Bessone, but he’s not likely to play, so if you’re looking to follow the stats then Richard Snodgrass may well be your best bet.
In Picklive big points are on offer for goals, with 20 points available per goal. Thus picking a likely goalscorer in your selection of players is a sound idea. In Leeds’ last match in the Championship against Scunthorpe, Sanchez Watt, Max Gradel, Bradley Johnson and Davide Somma all hit the back of the net, and wouldn’t it be ironic if Arsenal youngster Sanchez Watt knocked his parent club out of the FA Cup?
For Arsenal, Welsh international Aaron Ramsey could make his first appearance for the Gunners since breaking his leg last year. It would be good to see Ramsey back in an Arsenal shirt and if he does play he’ll be keen to do well and show why he’s strong competition for Jack Wilshere for the tag of Wenger’s most promising youngster.
One player who hasn’t faired well in Picklive this season is Theo Walcott, which is reflective of his inconsistent performances for the Gunners. However, Walcott looked extremely lively in the FA Cup tie at The Emirates and was causing constant problems down the Leeds left in the final few minutes of the match.
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It’s completely up to you who you choose to be your Picklive players tonight, but I’ll nudge you in the direction of Sanchez Watt, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey. Does anyone else take your fancy?
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Love fantasy football? Love live footy? You’ll love live fantasy football! Take part in the Leeds v Arsenal match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish admitted his side rode its luck but nonetheless deserved a 1-0 win at Anfield over Fulham on Wednesday.
Liverpool clinched their first home victory under Dalglish’s new reign thanks to a own-goal from John Pantsil.
They survived a series of scares – particularly in the final 10 minutes – to clinch a victory that moves them up to seventh in the English Premier League table.
“Fulham will be feeling a little hard done by. They will feel they deserved something from the game,” Dalglish said.
“But the boys showed a great amount of determination and effort and it’s a great credit to them.”
“That type of victory has been a long time coming and because we worked hard we got a little bit of fortune. I’m delighted with their attitude and commitment to the cause. The harder you work the luckier you are going to get.”
Dalglish was happy to move into the top seven but hinted Liverpool would not stop there.
He added: “I think we’re better than that but it’s getting a wee bit more realistic.”
“We are not getting carried with being seventh, that’s not where this football clubs wants to be; we want to be further up than that. But to do that we need to win more games, starting with Stoke next Wednesday.”
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Fulham manager Mark Hughes said his players found it hard to hide their disbelief after ending the game with defeat.
When told that Dalglish felt Fulham would feel hard done-by to lose the match, Hughes said: “That’s some understatement! We are shaking our heads in there,” he said.
“I’ve been involved in many teams as player and manager coming here and been totally dominated and lucky to come away with anything. But tonight was the complete opposite. To take the game to Liverpool and not get anything out of it is disappointing because we deserved something. We were by far the dominant team.”
It would be a fair conclusion to reach that Ryan Babel has not exactly lit up the kop and Premier League since his arrival from Ajax. Reports now suggest that as part of the Kenny Dalglish revolution at Liverpool with his former club being his desired destination.
Although Ajax manager Frank de Boer has stated that Babel looks like he’s going to miss out on his dream move back to the Dutch capital due to the combined transfer and wage fee being out of their means. There is still a possibility as the striker has turned down an approach for his services by German outfit Hoffenheim, who had a bid of £5.8 million accepted by Liverpool. If Dalglish and Liverpool are desperate to be rid of the, at best inconsistent, forward then perhaps fees can be lowered and a deal forced through.
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It is a mark of how far the player’s stock has dropped that he is now being shown the back door at Anfield at such a low price having arrived at the club for a fee of £11.5 million back in 2007 with a host of competition from other clubs across Europe. There was reported interest at the time from North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal, but after three years in the red jersey of Liverpool Babel has not developed into a top quality forward as many predicted he would and certainly his earlier career both at Ajax and at national youth team level suggested he could.
The very best managers in football have an incredible ability to deflect the attention away from their players after a defeat or poor performance. Arsene Wenger has long been a disciple of this philosophy, remaining unswervingly loyal to players who have let him down at key points during his spell in charge at Arsenal.
This week’s media storm over the conduct of Wenger’s captain, Cesc Fabregas, during Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Everton raises an interesting question; should Arsene Wenger continue to protect players when they have done wrong?
There will be moments when a player does not need to be open to the flak of an angry manager as well as fellow team mates and the media, but there have been many occasions where Wenger has undoubtedly failed to set the record straight for players that have cost Arsenal, preferring instead to pretend he has not seen a key incident or to dispute, what has quite often been, irrefutable evidence.
Some managers decide a private admonishment is sufficient punishment for misbehaving players, a public denouncement an unrealistic sanction in a game where press conferences and interviews are so stringently monitored.
Yet knowing this, Wenger would rather pick a fight with Everton boss David Moyes than admit that Fabregas may have gone too far in his half-time protests to referee Lee Mason over the Toffees’ opening goal on Wednesday night, alleging his player was a victim of a ‘witch hunt’.
From an outside point of view, it is difficult not to treat the Spaniard with a great deal of suspicion – there have been enough incidents over recent seasons where his temperament has been brought into question.
However, Wenger knows that were he to openly criticise Fabregas over any of the recent misdemeanours or incidents which have tarnished the Spaniard’s image, it would be to essentially sign a pre-contract agreement at the Nou Camp for his want away captain. Whilst some may empathise with the delicacy of the situation, Wenger’s predicament is one completely of his own making.
The Arsenal head coach has always taken this laissez-faire approach to his players’ on field antics. When Fabregas was a youngster growing up at Highbury, he would look and see captain Patrick Vieira involve himself in all sorts of stupid altercations, picking up a scarcely believable ten red cards across his time at Highbury, and not hear so much as a word of negative feedback as a result. What sort of lesson is this for the young midfielder?
There may be an argument to suggest that different players require a velvet glove rather than an iron fist, but the problem is Wenger leaves you in no doubt that he would never publicly reprimand Abou Diaby for his brainless and costly reaction to Joey Barton’s tackle during the Gunners’ 4-4 draw with Newcastle at the weekend. He will not tell Fabregas to mend his tongue, in the same way he refused to admonish Patrick Vieira for his poor disciplinary record.
Observers laugh at Wenger’s insistence on player innocence. His statement that Croatian striker Eduardo dived in a Champions League qualifier against Celtic last season on account of his recently broken leg was one of the quotes of the year and an indication of the Frenchman’s odd outlook. From a winder perspective, it makes his self-righteous war on dangerous tackling difficult to swallow if Arsenal players are somehow immune from criticism.
That Wenger does not endear himself to the neutral football fan will be of no great concern to the Frenchman, but what impact will his continuing weakness have on the Arsenal squad in weeks and months to come?
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It would be fair to conclude that a back tracking exercise with Fabregas may be out of the question – the chances are the temperamental Spaniard will be out of the exit door in the summer. However, there are chances for Wenger to change his approach if he so chooses. The manner in which he handles the development of young players such as Jack Wilshere, himself another temperamental figure, will be an interesting indication of how Wenger intends to deal with the conduct of his charges in future. If his player’s actions continue to cost the team, how can the Frenchman justify his silence?
If you want to read more of my posts and find out the name of the girl that asked if Abou Diaby was a country, feel free to follow me on Twitter.
West Ham United dispatched Championship club Burnley 5-1 on Monday to set up an FA Cup quarter-final against Stoke City.German international Thomas Hitzlsperger, who joined West Ham in June 2010 but had been sidelined with a thigh injury since August, opened the scoring with a goal on debut 22 minutes into the fifth-round match at Upton Park.The 28-year-old former Aston Villa man unleashed a characteristic 25-yard pile-driver to put the English Premier League club 1-0 ahead at half-time. Carlton Cole doubled the hosts’ advantage three minutes into the second half. The striker, capped seven times by England, had an initial shot saved by Burnley goalkeeper Lee Grant but was then able to stab the loose ball into the back of the net from close range.Just two minutes later, Cole had a brace.Running in behind the Burnley defence and connecting with Mark Noble’s long ball, he fired an impressive half-volley past Grant to make it 3-0.A minute before the hour mark, debutant Hitzlsperger turned provider when he sent in a corner for New Zealand World Cup defender Winston Reid to head home from six yards out.The visitors pulled one back in the 71st minute when West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green played a clearance straight into the head of former teammate Tyrone Mears. The ball fell to Jay Rodriguez, who nodded it into an unguarded net. But the strike proved no more than a consolation and Freddy Sears completed the rout in injury time with a well-taken individual effort to make it 5-1.West Ham will now travel to fellow Premier League side Stoke in a quarter-final at the Britannia Stadium on March 12.Their continued presence in the tournament will go some way to making up for their Carling Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Birmingham.Nevertheless, the Hammers remain second from bottom in the Premier League and are in serious danger of joining Burnley in the Championship next season.
Manchester City’s European dreams are hanging by a thread after they were trounced 2-0 at Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday.Former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and Oleg Gusev got on the scoresheet in either half for Dynamo, who will take a handy advantage into the second leg of their last-16 tie next Thursday.Gusev’s late goal would have been particularly galling for City boss Roberto Mancini, who would have fancied City’s chances had they hosted the Ukrainian outfit at City of Manchester Stadium with just one goal in arrears.But the Citizens now face a serious challenge to their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, and will rue not making the most of several opportunities to take an away goal against Dynamo.City had the best of the first-half action with Mario Balotelli, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolorov all going close, but it was Dynamo who broke the deadlock in the 25th minute.Shevchenko, who left Chelsea during the 2009/10 season after a disappointing stint at Stamford Bridge, won a corner and then stole in front of City goalkeeper Joe Hart to meet Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross at the near post.City returned to the pitch in the second half with just 10 men as Mario Balotelli failed to reappear from the dressing room due an apparent allergic reaction.The Italian eventually ran out about 15 seconds into the half, though he lasted just 10 minutes before being replaced by Carlos Tevez.Tevez’s introduction nearly lifted City to an equaliser, with Dynamo custodian Olexandr Shovkovskiy producing a fine save to deny Yaya Toure on the hour mark and another soon after to cut off Joleon Lescott’s attempt.But with 13 minutes remaining, Gusev broke City hearts with a second goal. The Ukraine international found room to bring down Yarmolenko’s cross and smashed a volley into the top-right corner.
Conor Coady is a name that you might not have heard up until now – particularly if you don’t pay much attention to the either the Liverpool reserves or the England youth set-up, but you can bet that it’s a name you’ll be hearing more of over the next few years. Performing well in your club’s reserve team is one way to make a name for yourself, but it’s doing the job for your national side that will really get the Press salivating.
It’s little surprise, then, that the media have finally homed in on this young British talent after his wonder-strike against the Germans in an U19 game. Coady controlled the ball whilst under pressure from the German defence, and unleashed a looping shot that crashed off of the German’s post. Remarkably composed and sumptuously executed.
Yet, Coady isn’t best known for his goal-grabbing ability. Although he is capable of the odd long-shot or two, he’s much more at home playing the defensive midfield role and controlling the flow of the game from the centre of the park. He’s a gritty, tough young lad, with tenacity comparable to, dare I say it – Steven Gerrard. Should his development continue at this rate, there’s every chance that Coady will be just as influential for Liverpool as Steven Gerrard has been over the course of his illustrious career.
Just 18 years-old, Coady has already represented England at a number of different levels and managed breeze his way up through the ranks at Liverpool to become a regular in the reserves squad. Indeed, Kenny Dalglish has been so pleased with the Merseyside-born youngster’s progress that he was brought to Prague as part of Liverpool’s Europa League set-up and granted a spot on the bench. He will, perhaps, be looking at the way Jack Wilshere has become such a lynchpin for Arsenal this season playing a similar role in the centre of their midfield and wondering if he can’t emulate his success over the coming seasons.
On the evidence of the video below, there’s every chance that he will.
[ffcvideo file=’lfc_c_coady’]
Read more of Harry’s articles at the excellent ‘This Is Futbol’
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Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has challenged his players to keep their focus against a dangerous Czech Republic side.The reigning world and European champions are unbeaten in Euro 2012 qualifying with three wins from as many games, but Del Bosque is wary of their run coming to an end on Friday.
Del Bosque believes the Group I clash in Grenada could be coming at a bad time for many of his players, who are pre-occupied with league and European pursuits.
“They are our biggest threat,” Del Bosque said.
“They have great physical and technical qualities. They are very strong and have been one of the best teams in Europe in recent years.”
“The worry for us is that most of our players are involved in domestic and European campaigns with their clubs and will continue to be so until the end of the season.”
“We need to go into Friday’s game with the right mentality because if any one of us is switched off, it could really complicate things.”
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is confident he and his countrymen will get the job done, despite the absence of Arsenal talisman Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona team-mates Carles Puyol and Pedro Rodriguez due to injury.
“The difficult thing in football for national teams is learning to win,” Torres told El Mundo Deportivo.
“Spain did after many years of disappointments. There is now another challenge to retain the European Championship, something that nobody has ever done before.”
Czech coach Michal Bilek is adamant his side are capable of shocking Spain at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes, despite the nation having scored just three goals – two of which came against minnows Liechtenstein – in three qualifiers so far.
“Spain are favourites but they also make mistakes,” Bilek said.
“We must stop midfielders (Andres) Iniesta and Xavi (Hernandez) and their upfield passes; that is crucial.”
The coach also hailed the return of Galatasaray striker Milan Baros to the squad, saying: “His club are not in the best shape but I am sure he will be very useful.”