Languishing eight points from safety at the foot of the table with six games remaining. It’s now become a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Reading will drop back into the Championship next season. Even new boss Nigel Adkins offered a tenuous acceptance to the fate that so inevitably awaits his side, acknowledging that he is already planning ahead for the next campaign. That being said Adkins hasn’t yet accepted defeat in the battle to beat the drop and is remaining positive in the face of adversity even after seven straight league defeats – the latest coming at home to former club Southampton – and one short of the Premier League record. Anything but a win this weekend would doom the Royals to England’s second tier although it’s difficult to see a victory being anything but a short stay of execution.
Liverpool make the trip South still in with a shout of European qualification after four wins in their last half dozen league games. In fact the Reds are six points better off than they were at this stage last season and have found themselves on an upward trajectory since the New Year. It all goes to illustrate the improvements made under the watchful eye of Brendan Rodgers in his first season as Anfield boss. Extracting the best from top scorer Luis Suarez will stand as one of the Northern Irishman’s many achievements this season although that will ultimately be trumped if he can lead the club back into Europe with a top-six finish. Merseyside rivals Everton are currently blocking them on that path and hold a three-point advantage with a game in hand.
Team News
Stewart Downing is available for Liverpool after taking ill during last weeks draw with West Ham in which he was substituted before half time. Raheem Sterling (thigh) has been ruled out meaning Brendan Rodgers has no fresh injury concerns.
Reading will be without Jimmy Kebe (groin) while fellow midfielder Hope Apkan (ankle) is a major doubt.
What the managers said…
“Every team is planning for next season and will have plans for whatever division they’re in. I’ve got an opportunity to assess the playing staff and we’ve got to keep doing that and working hard to build on the success we’ve had before at Reading. We had an idea of what we had before we got here. We’ve got a blank piece of paper and a fresh challenge.” Nigel Adkins admits he already has an eye on next season (Daily Mirror)
“As a club, we want to be in there. We really enjoyed the European football this season (in the Europa League) after it had been missing for a year and I know the supporters love the travel,” Rodgers said. But you could argue that a season free of European football would give us a greater chance of finishing in a much higher position in the league.” Brendan Rodgers believes missing out on Europe might benefit Liverpool (Telegraph Sport)
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Pre-Match Statistic: Reading have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last nine meetings with Liverpool in all competitions.
Prediction: Reading 1-3 Liverpool
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Jurgen Klopp says Dortmund aren’t satisfied with just reaching the Champions League final and hope to cause another upset at Wembley.
The BVB coach watched his team hang on for the final few minutes of the second leg of their semi-final with Real Madrid after two late Los Blancos goals.
Despite Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos giving Real a 2-0 win on the night it wasn’t enough to overturn Dortmund’s 4-1 lead from the first leg as they booked their place in the final.
Dortmund have endured a tough road back to the top of European football since winning the Champions League in 1997, with financial issues blighting the club’s progress.
Klopp is now looking to complete the club’s recovery by claiming another European title but admits his players are likely to be up against it in the final against Barcelona or, more likely, Bayern Munich.
“Wembley will be one of the greatest moments in our lives,” Klopp said. “But, whichever team we meet, we will not be the favourite.
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“In Wembley everyone will see we are not going to be satisfied with just being a finalist.”
If you want to watch the other Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Bayern Munich tonight click here
The prospect of Tottenham Hotspur making an approach for a Real Madrid player will make some wholly uneasy given the speculation that’s surrounded Gareth Bale’s future in regards to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
But within this morning’s recent reports that the club are monitoring the hazy future of Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain at the club, the sheer stardust of this particular rumour has led many in the white half of north London to stand up and take notice.
Following the Metro’s lead, quotes attributed to Madrid general manager Jose Angel Sanchez have suggested that the 25-year-old may well be on his way out of the club this summer.
“In a great club like Real, we believe we need two number nines of a high level,” he said.
“We have Benzema and Higuain, Higuain will leave, Benzema will stay and two others will come.”
With rumours suggesting a highly controversial £50million swoop for cross-city rivals’ Atletico Madrid’s star asset Radamel Falcao already in agreement, there is a school of thought that should Real look to bring in the Colombian, either Higuain or Karim Benzema must look to make way, Judging by Sanchez’s recent sentiments, the omens most certainly don’t look too good for Higuain.
With Spurs in desperate need of a new striker at White Hart Lane and with their rather mysterious ‘partnership agreement’ with Real yet to be tested, a potential switch to N17 may not be quite as far fetched as some may think.
While competition would sure to be fierce for the former-River Plate man’s signature, although any potential deal may well hinge on the club’s ability to secure Champions League football, make no mistake about it; this is the calibre of player that Tottenham should be looking to bring to the club.
It’s around this time of year that the transfer rumour mill really begins to kick into gear and along with it usually arises the annual debate upon Daniel Levy’s transfer policy at the club.
Although the club’s steady rise to prominence owes a lot more than simply the Essex-born businessman’s steely and often cutthroat approach to business, the general consensus is that for however begrudging some of the more painful deals have been over the years, that Levy’s way usually tends to be the right one.
Yet in recent times, while supporters are mindful of the limited resources the club have to play with and for the need to run a tight financial ship in regards to getting their Northumberland Development Project off the ground, there have been frustrations aimed primarily at the ambition of the club over the last two windows.
Marquee names don’t always equate to guaranteed success, but with Villas-Boas’ craving the likes of Joao Moutinho, Willian and Leandro Damiao at the club, Spurs’ failure to make a deal stick for any of the aforementioned has given off a series of mixed signals for some.
In the case of both Moutinho and Damiao, third-party issues most certainly played their part. But the decision to leave both deals until deadline day in two consecutive windows left some quarters questioning Levy’s commitment to the deals.
The money was of course subsequently invested elsewhere and for as much as fans would have loved to see Moutinho grace the White Hart Lane pitch; Mousa Dembele has hardly proved a bungling failure. Indeed, the Belgian’s success is living evidence that throwing inflated amounts of money at a problem isn’t necessarily the only way to solve it.
Yet although no one could guarantee the success of a Joao Moutinho or any other foreign import into this league for that matter, the Portuguese represents the standard of player whom truly belongs at the very top level. And if that’s the level in which Spurs wish to achieve, then this is the sort of player they need to be looking to purchase.
Does this mean that Levy should start sanctioning £20million deals left, right and center in order to achieve the club’s goals? Not by any stretch of the imagination, no. But for as astute as Tottenham must be run from a financial means, the bids for both Moutinho and Damiao certainly suggest the money is there should the right player come along. And this summer, with the club in such dire need of a centre forward, if that warchest truly does exist, then now is the time to wheel it out.
Given QPR’s recent relegation, although competition would again be fierce, Spurs could well be the frontrunners to secure the services of one Loic Remy.
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With a cut-price deal surely beckoning, the Frenchman’s recent run of five goals in ten starts suggest he has what it takes to cut it in this league and given his price and at 26, potential capacity to recoup money in a resale, he is the archetypal Levy signing.
But while he may prove a decent bit of business, Remy hasn’t won a premier European title before. Nor has he proven himself in the Champions League over a number of seasons, as he also doesn’t boast over a century of goals for one of the world’s biggest football clubs. Gonzalo Higuain however, is a man that fills all of the aforementioned criteria.
Again, this isn’t to say that the Argentine would be the answer to all of Spurs’ problems, that he isn’t without weaknesses or that he’d even necessarily be a shoo-in to join the club.
But if Tottenham really want to craft a side capable of qualifying for the Champions League every season and dare you say even push on further, signing Higuain is far more in line with their ambitions then snapping up Remy this summer. Quite whether Levy hands Villas-Boas the tools on a plateau with his targets however, remains to be seen.
It’s so easy in England to downplay the foreigners, largely because there isn’t a big enough campaign in this country for journalists to properly report what goes on in Europe.
I most certainly wasn’t the only person to feel nothing but disdain for Martin Samuel’s piece on Manuel Pellegrini last week. But like so many other instances over this past season, it just highlighted how willing England-based football journalists are to ‘mailing in’ anything remotely related to the European product.
The basis of the article was that Manchester City were making the wrong approach in looking to Pellegrini as their next manager and that Manchester United had got it right with David Moyes. Take whatever you want from that. But isn’t this something that people like Arsene Wenger have long fought against, the idea of looking past someone’s passport and rightly acknowledging and rewarding them for their talent and ability? That’s one thing, but the fact that Martin Samuel’s argument was built on stories which were completely false is hugely infuriating.
The problem here is that no one outside of regular viewers of La Liga really said anything about this. In fact, Gary Neville endorsed the article as “a good piece.” The Sky Sports pundit has got a lot right since he took over his current position in 2011, but surely he has enough sense to see that the whole argument in that piece is asinine at best.
And it’s not a matter of hacking away at those who have a different opinion to the one you hold, it’s purely about offering respect and courtesy where it’s due, and, of course, reporting the truth. Apparently Pellegrini is a failure because he couldn’t guide Real Madrid to the Spanish title after spending over £200 million.
Here’s the thing: anyone with half a mind would know that football works slightly differently in Spain than it does in England. Adding to that, most should be aware, especially journalists, that Real Madrid and Barcelona make their transfer decisions largely without the consent of the manager.
At the time, Pellegrini was brought in to oversee Florentino Perez’s latest Galactico movement. It most definitely did not mean that he had a say in the purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka and Xabi Alonso. By that account, something which is the truth, Pellegrini did not fail after “spending £200 million.” Why is it I know that and one of England’s most respected football writers doesn’t?
Pellegrini, for those who fancied watching the Champions League after all the English teams had been knocked out, had only gone on to enhance his reputation in the game following Malaga’s exploits in the competition. In their maiden season, the comparably small club waltzed past AC Milan, Porto, Zenit and came within minutes of beating Borussia Dortmund. Domestically, Malaga were outstanding for much of the campaign. They beat Real Madrid 3-2 at La Rosaleda. They held a spot in the top four all season until the bubble sadly burst following their Champions League exit. The Chilean manager was forced to relinquish his hold on some of his star players last summer and during the winter window. In response, he made Isco the star of the show, brought forward a number of the fringe or youth players and was hugely rewarded by their desire to not let him down.
Why wasn’t all that in the Daily Mail piece? Why wasn’t there a deserving nod and applause for Pellegrini’s achievements with Villarreal, not only in taking them to second place in La Liga and to the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Champions League, but also the level and quality of football he brought to El Madrigal? Oh wait, Samuel did mention something about Villarreal, but it was more condemnation than applause.
Is it worth laughing at the questioning from the article as to whether Pellegrini could get Wigan playing as well as Roberto Martinez did? Samuel attempted to add weight to all of this by implying that Martinez was deserving of the Manchester City job over Pellegrini. Well there are facts that challenge Martin Samuel’s opinions and distorted view of even the recent history. For starters, Pellegrini never allowed any of his Spanish teams to face relegation from the top flight. Pellegrini didn’t allow any of his sides to perform to their maximum for only two months of a league campaign, and then wrongly receive praise for making some kind of great escape. Could he do better than Martinez at Wigan? Pellegrini took over at Malaga midway through the 2010-11 season, where only the season prior they had avoided relegation, and guided them to an 11th place finish. In his first full season, Malaga finished fourth.
Samuel goes on, “Pellegrini served his apprenticeship beyond our gaze, so all we have is received information.” Good lord, shouldn’t journalists of national newspapers take it upon themselves to investigate these things? After all, it does fall into the job description. This old boy’s network of journalism is absolutely disgraceful. Not only do they attempt to belittle anyone who tries to make it in the industry via modern methods, they persist with the medieval notion that the world is far too big to be explored.
Our best teams compete in the Champions League every season, playing as far as away Russia. The Premier League draws players from all over the world, from Africa, the Far East and South America. These are the journalists who talk up the Premier League as the greatest spectacle in all of sports, despite the fact that it isn’t, and likely enjoy the fact that the English product has a global reach. Why is all of that accepted and used in the sales pitch but something as simple as checking a few facts from abroad to support an argument is seen as beneath them?
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It’s absolutely pathetic that journalists who only seem to follow the Premier League have already made their mind up about Pellegrini. Again, it’s distorted views of history. Isn’t it players and managers from abroad who have helped to shape the Premier League to what it is today? Arsene Wenger, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho. English journalists wouldn’t say no to Pep Guardiola, would they? He’s a man who only put together his reputation at Barcelona, a team consisting of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Well surely that doesn’t count because a baby could have managed that Barcelona team. Apparently.
The reason Pellegrini might come in and take one of the big jobs in the Premier League over his English counterparts is because he’s better. No conspiracies, nothing funny or underhanded about any of it. He’s simply better. The article which tried to argue that is nothing but disgraceful.
Walsall inflicted Wolves’ first defeat of the season on a cold and miserable night in Wolverhampton.
The home side were going into the game off the back of five straight league wins and were hoping that this ‘local derby’ could make it six and move Wolves into 2nd place after seven games. Walsall’s momentum was good after comprehensively beating Crewe at Gresty Road on Saturday afternoon, 3-0. It was all set up to be an exciting match on an extremely cold Tuesday night in The Midlands, the South Bank was packed to the rafters, whilst Walsall had filled out their away end admirably.
Jackett made just the one change from the narrow win against Swindon Town, Bjorn Sigurdarson came in for Leigh Griffiths. Probably in order to bolster the striker options, give Walsall something think about and give make Wolves’ play more direct than previous weeks, with that Wolves lined up, as usual: Ikeme; Doherty, Batth, Ricketts and Golbourne; Sako, McDonald, Davis and Evans; Doyle and Sigurdarson occupying the front two positions. ‘The Ginger Mourinho’ or Dean Smith, as humans like to call him, made no changes to the side that swatted Crewe away, on Saturday. Their eleven was like this: O’Donnell in goal; Taylor, Butler, Downing and Chambers at the back; Hemmings, Mantom, Featherstone, Chambers in the midfield; Westcarr and Hewitt took up the striking positions.
The game began rather quietly, neither team wanted to concede an early goal so were tentative about going forward nor making the opposition defenders uncomfortable. Wolves’ first chance came after some intelligent, one touch, build up play. Kevin McDonald lofted a delicately placed ball onto the head of his fellow Kevin. Doyle lost the challenge and the ball was headed out, from nowhere, Sigurdarson came running in and dispatched his volley with particular venom. Sadly, Sigurdarson’s shot did not trouble O’Donnell and his shot went high and wide.
The game quickly began to liven up, Lee Evans chopped down Sam Mantom down. The resulting free kick, from Craig Westcarr , hit the cross bar and drew gasps from both sets of subdued supporters. Walsall looked to sit deep and try hit the Wolves on the break, a rather tame long shot from former Wolves man, Ashley Hemmings and a cross-cum-shot from Sam Mantom were both saved by Carl Ikeme. With the game now in full swing it was clear that Wolves did look comfortable on the ball in the middle third of the pitch, problem was, when they got into the final third there was no penetration from Doyle or Sigurdarson, as both these players were dropping deep. Neither players were running in behind the Walsall defence, a defence that does not possess a lot of pace, Wolves missed a trick there, they could have really punished Walsall if they got in behind them.
Wolves’ best chance came when Bjorn Sigurdarson showed immense strength, speed and awareness, he broke three tackles in quick succession and played the ball out wide to Bakary Sako, who dragged his shot wide. Wolves’ fans were purring at the display from Sigurdarson, he was breaking tackles like the defenders were not even there and showing great vision to pick out his French team mate. Wolves were continuing their good work, intricate passes between McDonald and Sako to the full back/auxiliary winger Scott Golbourne, whose chipped ball in was cleared away. Wolves found themselves with a corner to defend, shouts of handball were waved away from the referee, even though, from where this reporter was sitting, Doherty’s hand had indeed touched the ball. Though from where the referee was standing, he would have seen Batth’s head in front of Doherty outstretched hand. The ball was cleared, only to the feet of centre half, Downing, who, like every other English centre half (barring Gary Cahill) blazed his shot high and wide.
With half time around the corner, Wolves attempted to nick a goal. Sigurdarson, effective once again on the turn, broke a tackle and attempted to give Wolves the lead. Soon after, Sako had a free kick which, as expected, was agonisingly close to making it 1-0. It was tipped just over by an outstretched O’Donnell. Batth’s header from the resulting corner was a foot or so wide, if he had timed his run a little earlier, O’Donnell would have had to been at his very best to prevent a goal from the future Wolves captain. Wolves were awarded a free kick with just a few minutes of the first half. Evans hit the in swinging at around O’Donnell midriff, he saved comfortably as the first half fizzled out.
The first half was brought to a close with the scores at 0-0 – Wolves were probably the better team by nature of Walsall’s game plan. They chose to sit back and soak up the pressure brought onto them by the home side. To an extent, Walsall were probably very happy to go into the dressing room with the scores at 0-0, Wolves, probably not so much.
With those 45 minutes behind both teams. The players returned, unchanged for the second half. Wolves began brightly, the ever present Scott Golbourne was on hand to deliver a ball into Kevin Doyle whose header went wide. Minutes later David Davis hit a thirty plus yard through ball out onto the right hand side to the oncoming Kevin Doyle who managed to trap the ball well but was unable to deliver the right ball in, the attack broke down and Walsall countered. It really highlights how blunt Wolves are without Griffiths on the pitch when your main striker is on the right hand side delivering a cross into no one – it was a facet that Wolves were missing.
Wolves were tending to go wide, partly because of the lack of a proper striker up the top end of the field. Davis and co had no other choice other than to play it out wide. With Walsall’s strong and physically robust centre halves, Wolves were finding it impossible to get any sort of success through the air.
With an hour gone, Jackett was the first manager to show his hand, bringing off the effective Kevin McDonald and the robust Lee Evans for Leigh Griffiths and Kevin Foley. Jacket switched to a more conventional 4-4-2, with Doyle and Griffiths as strikers and Sigurdarson and Sako occupying the flanks. An odd choice to bring off the new signing as he is probably the best midfielder at his new club, certainly, he is most likely to get forward and influence the game, more than Evans or Davis.
One positive was the relationship sparked up between Sako and Golbourne down the left hand side, despite the readjusting that Jackett has had to do to the defence, it looks like Golbourne and Sako are reading from the same hymn sheet, which bodes well for When Wolves are counter attacking.
Sako attempted an audacious 40 yard attempt after seeing O’Donnell off his line, needless to say Sako was not particularly close to breaking the deadlock, which drew jeers from the away crowd. Batth had another great chance to score after some neat build up play forced a Wolves corner from which the man from Brierley Hill headed just wide. Dean Smith made his first change on the 65th minute, the former Wolves man Ashley Hemmings, who was anonymous throughout the game, despite some promising runs, he failed to produce anything of real quality – he departed for James Baxendale.
Soon after the substitution, the deadlock was broken, with the first real chance of the second half. A free kick was awarded after Danny Batth cynically tripped a Walsall player, the ball was swung in and Wolves, once again, were slow to react. The ball was headed back in and time stood still as Andy Butler brushed his forehand against the ball and made it 1-0. It was a very frustrating goal to concede Wolves were all of a sudden Wolves were chasing the game, within space of two minutes. It was Batth’s faults for awarding Walsall the free kick, but furthermore, it was the slow and lazy reactions of the home team’s defence.
Wolves brightened up a bit after the goal was conceded, their tales were up. Sako had a free kick saved, Griffiths smashed a volley wide after doing well to read the height and weight of the chipped ball. Soon after, Sako had another chance but O’Donnell was on hand to save. Despite all these half chances Wolves amassed three shots on target despite shooting sixteen times in the match. That gives you the clearest indication that Wolves, without Griffiths, struggle to put chances away.
Walsall made two further changes, after the linesman had real difficulty working the electronic board, after much jeering and eventual annoyance at the blunder, Westcarr and Hewitt were replaced with Sawyers and Lalkovic.
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Batth then played a cross field pass to Sigurdarson who effortlessly won the header which was half a second away from finding the boot of Leigh Griffiths, unfortunately, Butler cleared before Griffiths could cause some damage.
With minutes left, Wolves looked out of ideas, there were no options going forward, at this late stage and Walsall looked to have the game wrapped up. Ikeme then had a rather odd moment when his face met the football. It was such a strange that this reporter is finding it difficult to describe, even after seeing the replay. Ikeme collects the ball, goes to roll it out, the ball then bounces off his foot, it goes askew and a frantic Ikeme was desperately trying to claw it away, despite being outside his eighteen yard box. He was given a yellow card for handling the ball outside the area, though it was more likely for not being able to throw a football, with your hands, and work out where your feet are, at the same time. Lalkovic’s resulting free kick nearly sewed the game up, fortunately, Ikeme’s blushes were spared as the ball was denied by the wood work.
The referee blew the whistle soon after as Wolves slumped to a first loss in five games. Diluted applause came from the South Bank as Sako and Griffiths applauded the rather annoyed Wolves fans. Contrast that with the away end, were scenes of jubilation were the order of the day, the Walsall fans were delighted with beating a ‘local rival’ and rightly so.
So, the unbeaten Wolves are finally wounded and, in some respects, this might be a good result for us, in the long term. Performances, since Crawley, have been complacent, cocky, with an air of “well we just have to turn up to win”. This result should change that, the players will now realise that there are experienced players who know this League inside out and know that Wolves are seen as the ‘big boys’ of division, this will make them try that little bit harder against us.
Shrewsbury on Saturday will be tough, no doubt, but the away should demand, and expect, and bounce back from a fired up Wolves side.
Ahead of Arsenal’s trip to the west of Germany on Wednesday evening, Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has described both teams style of football in a unique manner.
Klopp describes the side from North London who are currently sitting on top of the Premier League as an orchestra, with their intricate pass and move game. However, the eccentric German describes his side, who are currently sitting second in the Bundalisga as a piece of heavy metal, with their hard, in your face game. Klopp, 46, then went onto say that despite Arsenal’s beautiful style of play; the Gunners will never be a truly great team under Wenger unless they change their style. Is he right in saying that?
Wenger changed the face of English football when he first arrived in England in 1996: Signing unknown talented foreign players, changed the players diet, used unique training methods and had an attacking mind set which made Arsenal into one of the best clubs in the world. However, in recent years his Arsenal team have been in decline as the Gunners have lost major stars, underachieved in the league, and most importantly, have gone nine seasons without a trophy, which is too long for a club of Arsenal’s nature. So is this down to the football that Arsenal play?
Wenger’s style of football has helped win a number of trophies for Arsenal which includes three league titles and four F.A Cups, however, Arsenal have been playing the same football for the last few years which has left them short of success. The type of football Arsenal play makes every single football fan love the game. Their one touch movement will frustrate their opponents as they can’t get the ball where they will be chasing shadows and effectively chasing the game, but this football has left Arsenal second best since 2005.
Arsenal have been accused of ‘trying to score the perfect goal’ in the past, which has effectively lost the Gunners points on numerous occasions, most notably against Bolton in April 2011.
After the cup final defeat to Birmingham, Arsenal had gone six league games without a win, and needed to end this run against a team who they had struggled to beat in the past, at their ground.
Arsenal lost the game 2-1 tanks to a late Tamir Cohen goal, which was the Gunners seventh straight league game without a win which knocked them out of the title race. However, the Gunners could have avoided defeat if they just did one thing, shoot.
Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere all had changes to smash the ball passed Jussi Jaaskelainen, but instead were looking for that ‘final through ball’ to score the perfect goal which left Arsenal fans fuming. So, does Klopp have a point here?
Since Klopp took over as Dortmund manager in July 2008, he has seen his team win two league titles, one German Supercup, one German cup and get to a Champions League final. In that same time, Arsenal have finished either third or fourth in the league, lost a League Cup Final (a game which they should have won handsomely, no disrespect to Birmingham) bought and sold Samir Nasri and have seen Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Alex Hleb, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song all depart from the club, whilst Dortmund have kept onto their main stars such as Jakub Błaszczykowski, Marco Reus and İlkay Gündoğan.
The style of play which both managers use can affect the teams morale, and when Arsenal’s pass and move game left them unsuccessful in many competitions over a certain period of time, it’s no surprise that many of the clubs first team players left, as they wanted to be in a team whose style of play is capable of winning trophies.
The German manager is a very casual, cool and knowledgeable football manager, who knows how to win games in a certain manner. His physical, aggressive, gritty, fast counter attacking play was what helped his side destroy Stuttgart 6-1 on Friday night, a game which they amazingly fell behind in.
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Klopp, who stated that the Arsenal gaffer should be knighted as he refers to the Frenchman as, “Sir Arsene Wenger”, describes Arsenal’s football as perfect but also states that being ‘perfect’ doesn’t always win you titles.
“When I watch Arsenal in the last 10 years, it is nearly perfect football, but we all know they didn’t win a title. In Britain they say that they like Arsenal but they have to win something. Who wins the title? Chelsea, but with different football, I would say. This is the philosophy of Arsène Wenger. I love this but I cannot coach this because I am a different guy. You think many things are similar? I hope so in some moments, but there are big differences, too.”
I’m not saying that Arsenal’s style of play is wrong, as it’s very impressive to watch. Jack Wilshere’s goal against Norwich a few weeks back is the prime example of scoring the ‘perfect goal.’ However, if Arsenal want to win the league for the first time since 2004, they also need to attack like dogs to earn hard fought wins, as intricate pass and move football doesn’t always win you games.
West Ham are closing in on a shock loan deal for powerful Ivorian striker Lacina Traore, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
The 6ft. 8” front-man has recently agreed a deal to join Monaco from Anzhi Makhachkala, following the Russian side’s financial woes, but is set to be immediately loaned to the Hammers.
Dispute the lanky hit-man being highly-rated, the French giants are said to be willing to let him leave straight away to play regularly for the remainder of the season, which Sam Allardyce has moved to take advantage of.
It is understood that the player himself has agreed to the switch, and is set to fly to London to undergo a medical and pen a short-term deal – which will be dependent on a work permit hearing.
Traore has long has a reputation as one of European football’s top young target-men, with the 23-year-old’s considerable frame making him a handful for even the most experienced of defenders.
Allardyce is known to be desperate to add to his attacking ranks with Andy Carroll sidelined, and sees the former FC Cluj ace as the ideal man to slot into his first-team in the Geordie’s absence.
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Manchester United fans must have looked on at the Monday night showdown between Chelsea and City with a degree of envy. It was less than a year ago that United would have found themselves in a Premier League table topping contest, but those days now seem long gone.
Instead of a title tilt, United are finding themselves heavily embroiled in a peripheral contest for that last Champions League place, how the mighty have fallen. But could this all have been different had they put their faith in the wily Portuguese tactician rather than the dour Scotsman they now have at the helm?
For many United fans Monday night represented a case of what might have been for them, seeing the magical Mourinho in action, a man surely with the touch to steady an ailing United ship and bring them back on course.
I don’t doubt Mourinho’s credentials, and clearly he would have been the better appointment at least in the short term, but for me it wouldn’t have made a lot of difference. United’s problems run a lot deeper than simply managerial, and to simply dispense with Moyes would be a clear oversight. Moyes’ tactics and selections may at times be quizzical, but for me he isn’t getting enough wrong alone to explain the worrying downturn in form.
The reality for United is that Ferguson in his latter days was holding together a side on the decline, something that he should be applauded and criticised for in equal measure. The managerial issue has been a fall for United’s problems; the deeper issue is a squad that is worryingly lacking in quality. Maybe you can blame Moyes for not averting the crisis, a bolder Mourinho may well have pressed the owners harder for the revamp they needed, but in the end the fault is at boardroom level as much as it is with the manager.
For all his magic I really doubt Mourinho could have done much more than Moyes with the current United squad. Lacking the quality in the centre of the park, their impressive attack unit has been stymied of any really service and given the weaknesses in an ageing backline you can start to see the problem.
I don’t doubt Mata’s quality, but was he really the pressing need at United?
This is actually where Mourinho would have seen a bit of sense. Signing defensive midfielders is never the most captivating of deals for fans, but someone in the Nemanja Matic mould could have had a far more profound affect on United’s season. United aren’t missing a top level manager, they are missing someone to actually co-ordinate improvements to their playing staff. Mourinho has always been a man to control everything of a footballing nature and maybe David Moyes has left too much up to an unconvincing Ed Woodward. I doubt we would have seen the current transfer window shambles under David Gill’s tenure.
I think United fans yearning for Mourinho are looking for the quick fix, a simple answer to the woe they now find themselves in. It isn’t that simple, and the current state of disarray has been building for a while now and it is a shame that those with power at the club couldn’t see it.
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Mourinho’s appointment may well have necessitated a revolution at the club, transforming it from the verge of ruin, but based on squad alone the difference would have been negligible. Moyes is becoming an easy target and a scape goat for the chaos at United, those with genuine affection for the club should be venting their frustration elsewhere.
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Tottenham are in a state of utter disarray at the moment. Meandering towards a season of disappointment with the Premier League top four challenge flagging and Europa League hopes now almost non-existent. The blame though is shifting; the animosity towards Sherwood is being replaced by more vitriol targeted at the club more generally.
Clearly there are concerns about boardroom level management; the new stadium, StubHub as well as the mismanagement of the playing squad and general poor treatment of fans are all emotive topics for Spurs fans. This is far from a happy club.
Last night capped off a preiod of discontent at Spurs with a 3-1 reverse at the hands of an impressive Benfica side. Sherwood was quick to praise the opposition who clearly arrived with a well-constructed plan and carried it through with ruthless efficiency, but Spurs themselves were disappointingly spineless. Man for man Spurs have the better side, but as a collective the North Londoners fall woefully short of what is required.
In years gone by Spurs have had their standout players, the like of Carrick, Berbatov, Modric and Bale were all rightly treated as the luxury assets they were; for me though in the current squad every player is readily dispensable.
So what next?
There are so many players in the Spurs squad that have underwhelmed, and more worryingly just don’t look like they care. Paulinho and Vertonghen have been playing with one eye on their flight to Rio; and many Spurs fans probably now hope that ticket is one way. Clearly there needs to be some drastic changes at the club, but is there anything that can be salvaged from the mess at White Hart Lane?
Spurs need a focal point, someone to build the side around; at the moment it is nothing more than a chaotic mess of individuals with no orchestrator. Spurs have missed Luka Modric for a number of years, in my opinion their biggest loss in the modern era, but in a certain diminutive Dane I believe they have the answer.
It would be difficult to suggest anyone had a good game last night; but Christian Eriksen offered more last night in brief spells than the rest of the Spurs side combined. At the moment he is just one ill-fitting cog in a crumbling machine, he needs to be made the main man.
The only man to drive forward, to actually try to create something meaningful rather than to sit back deliberatively, Eriksen was my standout man last night and he has been for the whole season. At just 22 people already expect a lot from the prodigious Dane, but if Spurs put their faith in him I think they will be rewarded.
The greatest Spurs sides down the years have been built around a playmaker, from the late great John White to Luka Modric, the idea of a tempo setter has been central to the clubs successes. In Christian Eriksen Spurs have the new breed, someone with the vision and passing range to unlock a defence in a split second and turn a game.
It seems bizarre that Sherwood is intent on playing the Dane out of position, last night he was forced out wide to make way for Harry Kane playing in what the manager described as a ‘Rooney role’. When you spend big money on the best players, at least play them in their natural positions.
Everyone else at Spurs is expendable as far I am concerned; the likes of Vertonghen and Paulinho are welcome to walk if their valuation is met.
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Spurs’ summer experiment just saw them buying top-level players that weren’t gauged towards any particular system. This summer it is time to rewind and build back from the foundations, with Eriksen at the heart, Spurs need to incorporate players that complement him and will flourish in a team built around him.
Expect this summer coming to be as turbulent as the last. Spurs need a makeover, and only a select few should be safe from the White Hart Lane axe.
Anyone who watched Belgium at the World Cup would have seen a glimpse of Divovk Origi, who dislodged Romelu Lukaku to lead the line for the Red Devils in Brazil. Naturally raw given that he’s still just 19, the teenager found the back of the net in the group stage, which was actually the effort that sealed the nation’s qualification for the last 16.
So what will Liverpool be getting for their money?
Potential. Origi is largely unproven and was relatively unknown outside of France prior to the World Cup. He netted five goals for Lille last season as the Ligue 1 club narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, showing signs that he has the talent to succeed. Originally a wide attacker, he moved into a central role when it became apparent that his powerful frame would be of use to the French club, and he looked more settled in the role. Tottenham have also been linked with him, so there clearly is bags of talent in the young man’s legs.
Will Origi be worth it?
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£10m is not much money in modern football, particularly when the Premier League’s new TV deal is brought to the table. It’s unlikely that Origi will be seen at Anfield until at least 2015, with a loan move back to Lille looking probable, which will give him time to develop. This seems initially like a little bit of a waste, with some of Brendan Rodgers’ spending due to make no impact over the coming 12 months.
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Will he soften the blow of losing Suarez?
Yes and no. A loan back to Lille means that he will play no part in replacing ‘El Pistolero’ in the short-term, but as another striking option for the future he may go some way to filling the void to be left by the Uruguayan.
Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Somewhere in the middle from us. There really isn’t a lot to go on with Origi, so keeping an eye on his performances in the increasingly competitive Ligue 1 next season will be vital in assessing the teenager further. He has bags of potential, and with Belgium having produced Lukaku and Benteke in recent years, the signs are good.