Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko scored his first English Premier League as his side edged Blackburn 1-0 at Ewood Park on Monday.The 27 million-pound January signing from Wolfsburg scored a 76th-minute winner three minutes after coming off the bench, sending City four points clear of nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur and greatly bolstering their Champions League qualification claims.
Defeat leaves Blackburn without a win in 11 games and deep in relegation trouble, just a point above the drop zone with games away to sides below them still to come.
Rovers were without loan striker Roque Santa Cruz, who was ineligible to play against his parent club, while Blues boss Roberto Mancini stuck with the side that triumphed in the FA Cup semi-final showdown over neighbours United on April 17.
And City took the confidence from that victory into the game, dominating the early exchanges and slamming the post with a vicious David Silva volley from 20 yards in just the third minute.
Striker Mario Balotelli then tested Paul Robinson with a 25-yard free-kick and Michel Salgado was needed to clear off the line from a Gareth Barry flick as a goal looked increasingly inevitable.
But Blackburn fought their way back into the game and almost broke the deadlock themselves in the 40th minute, when captain Christopher Samba’s far-post header drifted inches wide.
They went even closer after the break as Brett Emerton’s cross found its way to Martin Olsson at the far post, but the Swede smashed his volley into the side netting from six yards out.
Rovers had come out for the second half a different side and City goalkeeper Joe Hart had to be alert to half-chances for Benjani and David Dunn.
But they fell behind in the 75th minute on a rare second-half City attack when Barry broke down the left and pulled the back for Silva.
The Spanish attacker’s shot was deflected into the patch of Dzeko, who steadied and fired home from eight yards.
Rovers threw everything forward in search of an equaliser and star man Phil Jones went closest with a header just over the bar.
And in a desperate fifth minute of injury time, Olsson hit a thumping 30-yard free-kick that Hart dived full length to keep out.
Liverpool are gearing up to make a £7 million pound bid for St. Etienne’s French wing wizard Dimitri Payet.
Kenny Dalglish’s men are in need of a top class winger who can provide the service for record signing Andy Carroll, caughtoffside.com are suggesting Payet is that man.
The recently capped Frenchman has been making waves in Ligue 1 this season and his twelve goals and numerous assists haven’t just caught the attention of Liverpool. Inter Milan, Napoli and Paris SG are also said to be trailing the skilful 24 year old.
Liverpool have been crying out for a natural wide man in recent seasons after the likes of Joe Cole and Maxi Rodriguez have failed to deliver when deployed on the wing. Damien Comolli has in the past ruled out raiding his old club, but his links to St. Etienne may enhance the possibility of the Anfield club brokering a deal.
The former Nantes man has been at St Etienne since 2007, but with a team of Liverpool’s stature homing in on his services, the temptation to test himself in the Premiership will no doubt appeal to Payet. The left sided Payet could be the answer to Liverpool’s search for a top quality winger.
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After last weekend’s cruel defeat away at Chelsea, Spurs were left languishing in 6th place after a resurgent Liverpool leapfrogged them into fifth place with just four games left to play. The holy grail of the Champions League now looks a distant dream after they fell 7 points behind Man City and what was once destined to be the start of something special is beginning to feel just like another false dawn – to put it quite simply, without securing Champions League football for a second successive season, Spurs season will ultimately go down as a failure.
It will seem odd to most calling Spurs season a failure, but let’s attach some perspective to proceedings shall we. Barring the club’s entertaining run in Europe, they’ve flattered to deceive for the majority of the campaign and only their exploits in Europe and manager Harry Redknapp’s status as a media darling have ensured that their season hasn’t come under closer inspection until now.
The league, as the time honoured tradition dictates, is your bred and butter. The soiree into Europe should not have been seen as an opportunity for a jolly around the continent, rather the establishment of the club among the European games’ elite – without 4th place this season, Spurs will be confined to the dark depths of the Europa League and channel 5 for another season, a dauntingly poor prospect for most fans and a big comedown from this season‘s exalted company.
At home in the Premier League though, is where Spurs have failed to catch fire on a consistent basis. Last season, Spurs finished the campaign with 67 league goals to their name; from 34 games this term they’ve registered just 50 league goals. They also managed to make White Hart Lane into a fortress of sorts last campaign, winning 14 and drawing 2 of their 19 home fixtures. This season, however, they’ve won just 8 of their 17 fixtures in North London and drawn a whopping 8. They’ve already conceded 2 more goals than they did the whole of last season in the league too.
Despite looking like a club that is just a player or two in the right areas short of truly challenging for the title, in reality, they’re a lot further away than that. Since the end of February, they’ve been in quite rotten form. While Man City have churned out the points needed to secure the coveted 4th place, Spurs in the meantime have drawn against Wolves, Wigan, West Ham and lost to Blackpool, four sides currently battling for their Premiership lives and ones which they should be dispatching with ease.
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In the domestic cup competitions they’ve sorely disappointed too. An extra-time defeat at the first hurdle to rivals Arsenal 4-1 in the Carling Cup was only topped by a humiliating 4-0 away defeat in the FA Cup third round away to Fulham.
Talk of a power shift in North London has been greatly exaggerated too. Redknapp has often talked about Spurs closing the gap on their neighbours, particularly in the wake of Spurs’s 3-2 victory over Arsenal at The Emirates back in November. However, last season Spurs finished just 5 points behind their Arsenal in the league whereas this season they’re already 12 points behind them with tricky away fixtures against Man City and Liverpool still to come.
Yes, the games against Inter Milan, AC Milan, FC Twente and Werder Bremen were great. Yes, the Champions League has been enlivened and enriched by their presence in this year‘s competition; their youthful naivety to has been like a breath of fresh air at times and they are most certainly detached from the boring, predictable, humdrum affairs we’ve been accustomed to seeing in the group stages. But much like Gareth Bale’s farcical victory in the PFA Player of the Year Award (surely awarded more for his performances in Europe than in the league – why oh why do they bother voting as early as February every year), Spurs have been characterised by their exploits and performances in Europe rather than their excellence across the board.
Spurs are undoubtedly a great side to watch. They have also coped admirably with a considerable number of injuries at the back for much of the campaign, yet the feeling lingers that without that crucial 4th place in the league to validate their progress, this season on a whole will have to go down as a missed opportunity.
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Europe has saved Redknapp’s season this year, for without it, there has been little else to shout about on a consistent basis – there have been dropped points against lesser teams, a chronic lack of goals up front and a squad that doesn’t quite boast the strength in depth that it appeared to have at the start of the season. They are inconsistent beyond belief domestically and are a constant source of frustration for their supporters.
The crux of the matter is that Champions League qualification should not be seen as a bonus, rather an achievable goal to aim for each year; Redknapp raised the bar last season, but this term Spurs have fallen short this term of what’s required of them and that’s why ultimately, despite their entertaining exploits in Europe, this campaign will ultiamtely go down as a failure.
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Jens Toornstra’s hat-trick helped ADO Den Haag to a 5-1 win over Groningen in Thursday’s Eredivisie Europa League play-off final first leg.Hosts ADO led courtesy of midfielder Toornstra’s opening goal in the 21st minute of the match at the Kyocera Stadion.
Toornstra doubled the advantage with his and ADO’s second eight minutes into the second half.
While the visitors did pull one back through Belgian fullback Jonas Ivens on 64 minutes, it took just four minutes for ADO to restore the two-goal cushion, when attacking midfielder Lex Immers struck to make it 3-1.
A two-goal margin would have left Groningen with hope of making up the deficit in the second leg, but when Toornstra found the net to complete his hat-trick on 74 minutes, the tie began to look over as a contest.
And with forward Ramon Leeuwin breaching the Groningen defence for the fifth time in the match with six minutes remaining, ADO look all but assured of a Europa League berth next season ahead of Sunday’s second leg.
Gerard Houllier has stepped down as Aston Villa boss with immediate effect.The 63-year-old Frenchman took charge in September 2010 following the departure of Martin O’Neill on the eve of the 2010/11 season.
But former Liverpool manager Houllier endured a turbulent time at Villa Park and suffered a heart scare on April 20 that left him unable to work for the remainder of the season, with assistant coach Gary McAllister taking over the first team in his absence.
Now Houllier intends to take further time off to fully recover, but said he will miss not being part of the set-up at Villa.
“I am extremely disappointed that I will not have the opportunity to manage Aston Villa next season,” Houllier said.
“My health has improved considerably since I was taken ill on April 20. I now intend to take the next few months to concentrate on recuperating fully before I may return to football.”
“I was very much looking forward to the prospect of my first full season as Villa manager and returning for pre-season training to prepare for the campaign ahead, a luxury that I did not have last season.”
“I am very grateful to the Villa fans for their genuine concern and encouragement and to the fans of clubs up and down the country for their kind sentiments.”
“I would especially like to thank my assistant manager, Gary McAllister, my staff, the players and all at Aston Villa for their support and, of course, for their efforts in securing a very positive end to last season.”
“It has been an honour to manage this great club and I wish everyone connected with Aston Villa every success for the future.”
Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner paid tribute to Houllier’s service to the club and wished him well in his recovery.
Faulkner also said the club had begun the search for a new manager.
“I would like to thank Gerard for his considerable efforts over the past nine months and for the dedication, commitment and work ethic he has demonstrated as Villa manager,” Faulkner said.
“We regret the circumstances of Gerard’s departure and, naturally, we wish him well in his continued recovery.”
“I know I speak for everyone associated with Aston Villa in expressing our hope that Gerard will return to full health as quickly as possible and we wish him all the best for the future.”
“As a board we are very conscious of the need to ensure that the club is prepared fully to meet the demands of the new season and, to that end, we have already embarked upon the process which will lead to the appointment of a new manager.”
In truth their fate brings to mind that of the Dark Lord ‘He who shalt not be named’ and ‘The Boy Who Lived’. One cannot survive while the other lives and likewise, it seems when one brother is in form and injury free, the other can’t get a look in and is found languishing on the sidelines. I’ve long held the suspicion that Fabio was a decent right-back and was featuring at left-back out of necessity rather than it being a specialist position where his best attributes come to the fore. In my opinion from what I’d seen of him, his left foot wasn’t all that great in a crossing sense and I did find it strange that many were so adamant that he was a left back and that is that.
Last season put that that myth to rest and he more than came into his own on the opposite flank.
One of them will definitely have a great season next year, which one I’m not too sure but for them both to have an excellent season, its going to take the usurping of Evra at left-back for that to happen, it’s possible but in my opinion unlikely as they’re both not what I consider natural left-backs, but both are first team right-backs next year in any case. Fabio’s coming of age performance v Barca cemented this notion and don’t rule out a regular call up for Brazil. by the end of next season
Areas of Improvement: Positioning, Reckless tackles, Ambidextrous Crossing, More impact in the final third, Showcasing more of their flair .
Anderson
Is it make or break next season? I’m not too sure, it depends on what expectations Fergie has of him, the signings we may possibly make in the midfield area and if so, whether Anderson finally finds himself a role in which he feels comfortable and better suited to his attributes.
In my opinion anyone who thinks Anderson will suddenly blossom into the PFA player of the year next season, ‘Do a Nani’, is expecting too much. Midfielders tend to take longer to mature than wingers, and are in their prime after the age of 25, whereas wingers can explode onto the scene even in their teens.
United’s first concern with Anderson should be getting an entire season out of him without injuries and niggles. Resting him when he need to be rested and supplying him with a regular run in the first team is crucial in developing him and judging once and for all whether he has what it takes to play for this club. He also needs to undergo an intense fitness regime in order to become more of a dynamo in the midfield.
Another season like this and it wouldn’t surprise me if Fergie did offload him, its time he showed serious progress, if not breaking through into the first team at least prove to the United faithful he can hack an entire season and be a reliable player when needed.
Areas of Improvement: Positioning, Stamina, General Fitness, Shooting, Set Pieces, Heading.
David De Gea
An expensive goalkeeping acquisition, in United’s case they don’t always tend to go well. That said, something tells me that the backroom staff have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to recruit the perfect keeper in terms of compatibility with United’s style and a like for like replacement for Van der Sar.
From what I’ve seen of him in La Liga and the Under 21?s, he is cool, calm and collected… just the right sort of personality for this current United side. We don’t really need a Schmeichelesque keeper anymore, as we’re not as loose at the back. Therefore a shot stopper in the Casillas mould isn’t what we need but rather a keeper who stays in the shadows, can concentrate for long periods and do the simple stuff without fluffing it under intense pressure. Hence why I genuinely believe De Gea was first choice even if Neuer was available.
On the floor he seems pretty decent, but then again any keeper playing behind Spain won’t be caught hitting the ball very long – that said, the fact he comes from the nation of Casillas and Reina bodes well and he isn’t no Valdes in that department trust me.
Areas of Improvement: Will have to up his aerial game in order to keep successfully in the EPL, Shot-stopping from long range.
Chris Smalling
I rate this lad extremely highly, in my opinion by far the most standout english talent at the recent U21?s and probably the best young defender at the tournament bar none. His ability to bring the ball out of defence and just keep the game moving forward under pressure is amazing, and its something which even the likes of Ferdinand are guilty of not doing enough of at International Level. and especially in the Barcelona final at Wembley where VDS was forced to kick the ball long on repeated occasions due to our defenders lacking the mobility and class in possession to take it to the catalans (granted abit of help from the midfield wouldn’t go amiss either).
Positionally he can get caught out when playing with less senior partners, but when alongside a Rio or a Vidic, he tends to excel and for this reason alone I really think he can cement himself as a first team regular as early as next year. Displacing one of Ferdinand or Vidic takes some herculean defending, but this lad is capable of those feats and many underestimate his talent, or shy away from just how much they’re taken aback by his performances in his short career to date.
Areas of Improvement: Positioning, Leadership, Long Range Passing, General Strength & Aggression
Continued on Page TWO
Phil Jones
Another new acquisition and one which has encountered a fair bit of debate as to where he will feature and what impact he will be expected to have next season.
To be honest it is difficult to see him having an immediate impact especially in the defensive positions due to the level of competition in those areas. In my opinion he’ll be used more as a utility man, coming off the bench for tiring legs and filling in against lesser opposition, injuries etc whilst he acclimatises to life at United. As for potentially filling in at defensive midfield, its one thing to do this for Blackburn Rovers where the technical level demanded from that level is not particularly high but for him to displace Carrick as the defensive mid or even complement him in a midfield trio (with a more creative player ahead) is asking possibly too much. He will definitely be given a chance to make a name for himself in that role and it probably is his best chance of finding an immediate route into the United first team but its placing a heavy burden on him to expect him to excel.
If he could give us something akin to Hargreaves in that role, that would be awesome though, we can all agree on that.
Areas of Improvement: Weight of pass, Movement off the ball, General standard of his technical game.
Daniel Welbeck
I’ll confess that I find it hard to envisage Welbeck making an immediate impact on this United team and have doubts as to whether he can make it for this club in the long term. That said, the role of Striker is one which is very difficult and especially as Welbeck seems to be more of a potential ’9? rather than a ’10?, his development will more likely take longer as his game will be built on strength, great hold up play and ability to score goals in the box.
This lad has a knack for goal-scoring, it can’t be denied and as long as he continues to do this, I couldn’t care less if his general play is not particularly lively or eye-catching but what does concern me is his languid style. Not that I have a dislike for this style, far from it but as we’ve seen with Berbatov, its a style that doesn’t perhaps suit United especially for when we wish to play at our best. Hernandez’ immediate impact for the first team has made that all too clear and its a shame that Macheda who possesses the fiery nature/swashbuckling style doesn’t have the same level of natural talent as Danny. There are signs that Welbeck can track back and put in a shift when needed, he can get across the pitch well, one hopes once he matures, his aggression will come to the fore and he can be a big player for us in the future. Next season, he will just seek to keep his name in Ferguson’s thoughts and score some important goals when called upon.
Areas of Improvement: Movement off the ball, Aggression, More purpose on the ball, Crossing (for when he’s employed out wide)
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Tom Cleverley
He wasn’t very good at the recent Under 21?s, which was a shame considering what a joy he’s been to watch for Wigan on loan. In my opinion he was hampered at international level, not down to a lack of talent but moronic management from ‘Geeet Staaack EEIN’ Three Lions on your Shirt Pschyo Stu. Played on the right, his lack of pace was exploited and he couldn’t really get forward and take players on, as we know he can at premiership level. His ability to come off the flank and strike with his right was also curtailed by this disastrous tactical move.
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Cleverley next season will hope that in the limited time he is given, it is in the right positions (Left Mid or AM) and then he will have to make the most of it, as I fear Fergie’s patience with regards to the likes of him, Evans, Anderson and Welbeck isn’t likely to be as much as the new signings and Smalling.
Can he make an impact? I hope so, there’s little glimpes of him where he just looks the part whenever he’s passing and moving in tight areas and he can pull out audiacious passes under pressure but then there are many games where he can just come across as pretty limited and the fact that he can’t even hold on to a first team place in the U21 team does beg the question of whether or not he’s United quality.
I wish him the best, as I do like his style of play and can see something in him.
Areas of Improvement: Aggression, Dribbling (with tricks), Crossing/Shooting with both feet, Heading, Positional Play (if he wants to make an impact centrally).
Conclusion
In conclusion, expect the twins to continue to make a strong impact on the first team, expect a big debut season from De Gea (as he’ll either fly or die), expect Jones to steadily find his own ‘niche’ role within the United first team set up without really troubling the back line, Smalling to put Ferdinands position under threat.
As for Welbeck, I expect a few goals here and there but don’t see him breaking into the first team set up as a regular and as for Cleverley, he’ll either make a strong impact in terms of either goals or controlling the game sort of performances, showing everyone what he is made of, or he’ll struggle to get games and leave the club in search of regular first team football.
Finally I reckon Anderson, if fit for the entire season will finally lay the foundations to excel for the season after and if not (remains injury prone), I can’t see him staying at the club for much longer.
Article courtesy of Rae M at the excellent The Busby Way
“Kevin Nolan has joined West Ham United” When I read this I thought April Fool’s day had come several months early. The former Bolton man still had two years on his Newcastle United contract and was also captain of a club with European aspirations, so joining newly relegated West Ham just doesn’t make sense. Nolan could easily offer something to most Premier League teams’ but I suppose moving to Upton Park had something to do with his former manager Sam Allardyce.
Whatever we all say, the move has happened and it’s obviously the best one for Nolan personally but that got me thinking about other transfers’ that have sent shock waves through the world of football. Jean Alain Boumsong’s move to Juventus from Newcastle after performing consistently poor for his one season at St James’ Park just didn’t make sense…perhaps this was Juve’s punishment for the match fixing scandal?
Click on Craig Bellamy to find out who gave the newspapers a field day
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An own-goal from former player Tal Ben Haim handed Andre Villas-Boas a winning start to his Chelsea tenure against Portsmouth on Saturday.All eyes were on Villas-Boas as he took charge of the English Premier League club for the first time since his move from Porto in June.
The 33-year-old joined from the Europa and Liga Sagres champions after the London club paid over 13 million pounds to release him from his contract.
Fernando Torres, Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda all started the game for Chelsea against their Championship opponents at Fratton Park, alongside youngsters Billy Clifford and Tomas Kalas.
John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba looked on from the bench, and it was former team-mate Tal Ben Haim who scored the only goal of the game – at the wrong end.
The Portsmouth defender endured an unhappy 2007/08 season at Stamford Bridge, and gifted his old side the lead after seven minutes.
Villas-Boas sent out an entirely changed XI for the second half, and goalkeeper Hilario conceded a penalty just after the hour.
But the substitute shot-stopper redeemed himself by saving Luke Varney’s spot kick, ensuring Villas-Boas was to end his first game in charge of Chelsea a winner.
Chelsea fly to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, with four games over the next two weeks in Asia.
Right at the start of the summer, one of the biggest priorities for the transfer window among both fans and pundits was for Liverpool to get rid of the dead-wood in the squad. Relics from mainly the Roy Hodgson era, but also some left over from Rafa Benitez’s time too, it was believed that by removing these players from the squad we could rid ourselves of a number of players who were taking up a sizeable chunk of our wage bill. Although Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky have left the club, there are a number of players not considered good enough for the squad, still at the club with a couple of weeks left in the transfer window:
Christian Poulsen – Although there was a rumour in the Danish press a couple of weeks ago linking the midfielder with a move to FC Copenhagen, Poulsen’s agent denied the rumours and stated Poulsen’s intention of staying on Merseyside. Poulsen himself in recent day has stated his intention to stay:
“I have been really happy and I want to play, that’s my goal for the future. I am happy there with my family, it’s a good club and they treat me really well. I hope I can change my situation and play more. I haven’t heard anything from Liverpool; I am trying to be fit for the new season. So I think they want me at the club and I am happy to be there and unless they tell me something different, I am a Liverpool player for the coming season.”
The Dane has been poor in pre-season, as he was the entire of the last campaign, but there seems to be an unwillingness on his part to move away to get more first team football. His lack of pace means he can’t cope with the Premier League, and it looks as if that unless he has a change of heart, he is content to pick up his wages despite being behind Lucas Leiva and Jay Spearing in the pecking order.
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Joe Cole – The obvious reason why Joe has been a hard man to shift this summer is because of his sizeable wages. With Stewart Downing, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt ahead of him for a starting berth on the wings, and Gerrard, Aquilani, Meireles and Henderson ahead of him in the attacking midfield role, Cole will be sitting on the bench for the most part this season.
QPR and West Ham have been rumoured to be interested in a loan move but the Reds are looking for a permanent move to offload the player’s sizeable wages. In addition, Tottenham have also been tipped as potential suitors but Joe would have to take a sizeable wage cut to fit to Spurs’s wage structure. We will have to hope that Luka Modric moves to Chelsea and Harry turns to Joe for a quick purchase on the final day of the transfer window.
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Nabil El Zhar – After returning from his loan spell at PAOK Salonika last season, the Moroccan has been relegated to reserve team football as the Reds try to find him a new club. He has started a few games for Rodolfo Borrell’s side to keep his fitness up but there has been very little talk about the 24 year old’s departure from the club. Perhaps, like Jovanovic, they could give the player dispensation to find a new club?
Philipp Degen – The perennially injured full back, and a poor defender to boot, spent last season on loan at Stuttgart where he didn’t really have a very successful time. Started on the right wing against Galatasaray in a friendly, but it was the last time we have seen Degen anywhere near the first team. Hopefully a move to a lower Bundeliga club or a return to Switzerland can be arranged before the end of the window.
The celebration. An entertaining part of football, no matter what level it’s played at. Whether the celebration is pre-planned or is purely an outburst of emotion, everyone can relate to the feeling of spanking the ball into the back of the net.
Over the years there have been some memorable celebrations. On the international stage there’s Cameroon’s Roger Milla and his dance by the corner flag, which is a bit different to Everton’s Tim Cahill boxing with it. While for Italy Marco Tardelli showed just how much it means to score a goal in the World Cup final in 1982.
The Premier League has been home to a number of iconic celebrations, too. Former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins went for the flips, a complete contrast to Alan Shearer who used to raise his right arm time and time again, but then when you take into account the number of goals he scored anything more strenuous would have worn him out!
These days celebrations seem to be more a team rather than individual thing. Chelsea started this off when they posed for the camera and now everyone’s at it. From shining shoes to the incredible fishing celebration undertaken by an Icelandic team, a celebration is no longer an instinctive act.
This now applies to you and me too, as Samsung are running a competition for you to star in your own pro video. STAGE is the ultimate YouTube talent contest and there’s no limit to what you can do.
As you’ll see from the video below that shows a mother recording her daughter celebrating a goal, Kevin Nolan’s funky chicken just won’t get the job done. Take a look at what kind of competition you’ll be up against…
Enter now at: http://www.facebook.com/SamsungMobile
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