One of the most exciting Premier League fixtures of the weekend is at White Hart Lane – Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea FC. It sees Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas return to his former club and the match also has a distinctly Brazilian flavour to it. Sandro will line up for Tottenham, while Chelsea boast Brazilian duo David Luiz and Oscar. Ahead of their clash at White Hart Lane on Saturday, Tottenham’s Sandro and Chelsea’s David Luiz got to grips with each other during a training session for Brazil, with Oscar and Paulinho looking on.
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This week you can win a copy of Chelsea FC: Double Champions! Season Review 2011/12 on DVD!
For Chelsea , 2011/12 was an incredible season that will live forever in the hearts and minds of players and fans alike.
The club completed an historic double, lifting The FA Cup and becoming newly crowned champions of Europe, lifting the coveted Champions League trophy following years of heartbreak, after beating four times winners Bayern Munich at their home ground in one of the most exciting Finals in recent times.
Every match and every goal from this unforgettable season are covered in this action-packed review, with bonus material thrown in, too.
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Olivier Giroud insists that Arsenal cannot afford another slip up when they come up against Montpellier in the Champions League tomorrow night.
Arsene Wenger’s side have failed to win in their last two games, both losses coming against Schalke and now take on the French champions who have just the one point in the group stage so far.
Giroud scored his seventh goal for Arsenal during the 5-2 victory against Tottenham at the weekend and understands the importance of getting a result when he comes up against his former team.
“It’s a must-win match for us because Arsenal have to go through to the next phase of the competition,” the Frenchman told The Sun.
“Montpellier have nothing to lose now they are already eliminated but we have to be careful as that’s when some teams are most dangerous.
“They didn’t become champions of France with no talent. We must not take anything for granted when they come to the Emirates.”
Giroud also hinted that Montpellier are struggling to cope with the success they achieved last season, adding fuel to the fire of his return to his former club.
“I’ve spoken to some of the guys at Montpellier and they have been having a difficult season. It was a big surprise to everyone that we were champions of France and maybe it was hard to digest,” he added.
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“Last season things seemed to go our way. We were riding a wave and it seems that wave isn’t there anymore.”
Manchester United kept their place at the top of the league last night after a scrappy 1-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford, but they’ve struggled to get out of second gear for the most part this campaign and two of the main reasons responsible are the heavy rotation policy currently being used by Sir Alex Ferguson, along with the constant switches in formation, which are stopping the side from gaining any momentum.
Rotation is an essential tool in the modern game and when you can rest players to make sure they are at their optimum for future, more difficult challenges, you most certainly should, but there’s also an argument to be made that a settled side is more conducive to success.
The state of inertia which seems to have gripped the squad so far can be dated back to just after the 3-1 away win over Braga in the Champions League, and while certainly not at their best again, United qualified for the next round with four wins from four games as they established an unassailable lead at the top of the group.
In the very next game against Norwich, courtesy of an outstanding performance from John Ruddy in the home goal, United slumped to an embarrassing and somewhat avoidable 1-0 defeat, their third in the league already so far this campaign. The midfield pairing of Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs kept the ball but moved it far too slowly to cause the organised Canaries any undue problems, while Javier Hernandez lacked both service and support up top to have any sort of impact.
The very next game, Hernandez was brought off the bench and involved in all three goals against Aston Villa as the side came back to win 3-2, a result which always had a certain air of inevitability about it, and bringing on the Mexican striker was hailed as some sort of masterstroke and the topic of ‘super subs’ once dominated the week’s news along with Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko, completely ignoring that Ferguson has mismanaged him two games on the bounce. Meanwhile, the constant chopping and changing between Anders Lindegaard and David De Gea in goal is truly baffling and isn’t helping either player’s form or confidence.
The main problem that the side have had this season is going behind early in games, something they have suffered in 13 of their 21 matches across all competitions so far to date. They’ve also kept just three clean sheets in their 14 league outings, the third of which came courtesy of a fine defensive performance against West Ham, with both Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans superb.
Nevertheless, that is the exception rather than the rule this term and both of their title rivals – Manchester City and Chelsea – have kept six clean sheets in the league. The amount of times that they can continue to be bailed out be a fantastic and diverse forward line is not infinite and they must learn from their mistakes and where they keep going wrong.
The lack of form of several players in key areas right through the side appears to have been a motivating factor in the constant switches from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation, while the midfield diamond system keeps making an appearance every so often, which all just helps to cover up the fact that United have an unbalanced, top-heavy squad, with very few central midfielders of genuine quality, so much so that it’s taking them three or four to control a game these days.
That Brazilian midfielder Anderson has been hailed in many quarters as enjoying something of a revival, off the back of a 15-minute cameo against QPR and a admittedly good display against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup defeat at Stamford Bridge says it all. He, along with Carrick and Tom Cleverley (does he have an actual position yet?) started against West Ham and by and large controlled the midfield, but they offered little in attack and while they shielded the back four well at times, Ferguson is still finding it tricky to compensate and get the right balance.
Of course, the switch to a 4-3-3 can be seen as little more than an admittance of the fact that the side have only one genuinely consistent winger in Antonio Valencia. Both Ashley Young and Nani are capable of producing moments of magic, the latter has made a career out of said ‘moments’, but from one game to the next, Ferguson has literally no idea what sort of performance he’s going to get from them and the answer has been to play three in the middle apparently, which has seen Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney come deep in search of the ball and occupying very similar areas, meaning the side carries less threat when playing three up top should mean more.
Against QPR, Ferguson simply got it wrong again and starting Danny Welbeck in an auxiliary left wing berth with Fletcher and Scholes in the middle and Young on he right left them short of inspiration and unable to make their possession count. The eight-minute spell aside, where they plundered three goals, neatly displaying what the side are capable with the right formula in the process, they were far from their best. A better and more confident team than the side currently found propping up the table would have made them pay, and they’ve struggled to produce a performance across the entire 90 minutes all season domestically.
We all know that United are traditionally slow-starters, and their success has allowed a degree of leniency towards this accepted fact, but why has nobody really asked ‘why does it keep happening, though?’ Their rivals, City haven’t been at their fluent best either yet, which is what makes it them so frustrating that they’re not cashing in when the teams that can challenge them are struggling.
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Ferguson seems incapable of addressing the problems in the side at the moment and in search of the answers, the needless tweaks to the side are doing more harm than good. There’s a hint of complacency about United this term, they don’t look nor feel like a team that can be champions, yet they sit at the top of the table, only serving to highlight that in terms of quality, the league is not at its strongest at the moment and that above all else, it’s really there for the taking if they can start to string some good displays together in sequence.
The 70-year-old Scot needs to find his best side, because at the moment I’m not entirely sure he knows what it is nor which formation they fit, and he needs to do it quickly, otherwise their stop-start nature around the busy festive period could come back to haunt them in May.
Liverpool look set to clinch the signing of Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge just as soon as the January transfer window reopens, but given the question marks over his temperament, his fluctuating form recently and the size of the fee required to secure his signature, are the club taking a big risk on the England international?
Brendan Rodgers moved to deny the suggestion that any move for Sturridge was hinging on the condition that the 23-year-old be assured of a central striking role in the side, and with Luis Suarez doing so well there at the minute, while there is an obvious need for more strength in depth up top and out wide, the starting eleven is doing reasonably well without him at the moment.
The reports linking Sturridge with such ludicrous demands are part and parcel of the game, especially at this time of the year when the preamble to January leaves the media with little in the way of concrete news to report on with regards to transfers, but the fact that it was believed by some just serves to highlight the reputation that the player has garnered for himself in recent times.
The company line is that if Sturridge was half as good as he thinks he is then he would be some player, but question marks are often raised concerning his mentality, with many quick to write him off solely down to his character. As far as I can tell, while he is clearly far too selfish at times in certain situations, there’s little evidence of this so-called debilitating arrogance that many use as a stick to beat him with. Of course, that is not to say that he isn’t arrogant, but show me a centre-forward that isn’t.
So far, the deal which looks pretty much complete and will see the Merseyside club fork out the best part of £12m for their man having already completed a medical in advance of the window, even if the switch has been met with a lukewarm response by fans. The general feeling is that while he can occasionally be a dangerous player, that he lacks consistency and that the fee is somewhat inflated due to his status as an Englishman with a bit of talent.
His ego has routinely been cited as a reason for his lack of effectiveness under Roberto Di Matteo and Carlo Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge, but there are just as many reasons to be optimistic that his move could be a success at Anfield and just the ticket for Rodgers young and hungry side.
His six-month loan spell at Bolton back in 2010-11 saw Sturridge torment defenders with his pace and ability to beat a man in a one-on-one situation to the tune of eight goals in 12 appearances, all largely coming from a central position, further backing up his protestations that much like Theo Walcott, while he is capable of playing out wide on the wing, he’s best utilised through the middle.
His return to Stamford Bridge saw him flourish in a wide left position as part of a front three under Andre Villas-Boas, but his form tailed off due to a lack of a clearly defined role under Di Matteo and he became more and more marginalised, eventually missing out on England’s Euro 2012 squad, something which seemed extremely unlikely just a few short months earlier. His two goals for Team GB at this summer’s Olympic Games, though, gave further proof that there is clearly something there in Sturridge worth pursuing.
It’s no coincidence that the two times that Sturridge has been afforded an assured first-team place and a regular starting berth in the top flight that he’s performed very well and been consistent, if a little frustrating at times in front of goal. While allegations of his arrogance may be lazily flung in his direction, there is clearly an element of self-doubt in him that in order to perform to the best of his abilities, that he needs to be made to feel loved. He will no doubt get both at Liverpool.
That is not to say that he’s been unfairly treated at Chelsea, for his performances since the turn of the year haven’t really merited anything other than a bit-part role, but nobody seemed to suffer more from Villas-Boas’ sacking than him, with Di Matteo returning to the tried and tested old guard to see the club through a difficult period at the tunr of the year.
There’s been a considerable lack of progress from Sturridge in the last few months and his career has stalled in a similar way to that of Adam Johnson while he was at Manchester City, but a move to Sunderland looks to be slowly but surely changing that. He still has plenty left to prove despite having already played for two of the last three Premier League champions in his short career so far.
He has been casually labelled an egotist and it’s a tag that’s stuck much to his detriment, but Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system depends heavily on everyone in the side working hard off the ball to close down space and win it back quickly; any lack of effort in the second half of the season will likely earn him a stinging rebuke from his new boss just as it did with Stewart Downing earlier this season.
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His decision-making in the final third can at times be questionable, while there was a reason why Rodgers only wanted him on loan in the summer, with the size of the fee something of a gamble, but needs must and the lack of dependable striking talent in Liverpool’s threadbare squad necessitates a move for someone of Sturridge’s ilk; he is young, direct, versatile and pacy and he would appear to suit the formation and style of play well.
Moving to Anfield is hardly a pressure-free environment, but with expectations being dampened to such an extent that a top-eight finish will be seen as a decent achievement for the club this term, then the timing could suit Sturridge and there would be considerably less pressure on him to it the ground running right from the start, given his lack of playing time so far this season. He has it all still to prove, and while he’s undoubtedly a little on the pricey side, there is certainly a reason to suspect that he could prove a good purchase for Liverpool in both the long and short-term.
After such a strong finish to their Championship title winning season last year, Reading go into Christmas bottom of the Premier League, six points adrift of safety and without a win in seven games.
It is many people’s perception that newly promoted sides tend to struggle in the top-flight immediately after being promoted and, if they do manage to survive in their first season, it will be a case of ‘second season syndrome’ the following campaign.
However, only six sides have suffered from second season syndrome since the Premier League began, which pretty much puts to bed any talk of second season syndrome being something that regularly claims the victims of newly promoted sides. That could become seven, however, with QPR already starting relegation straight in the face this season.
There’s always debate on what exactly is the best way to get promoted to the Premier League. Is it best to win the league, come second or earn promotion via the play-offs? Does the way teams are promoted give them a real idea of how they’re going to fare in the top-flight? The statistics don’t particularly make interesting reading and go some way in suggesting that the way in which a team comes up has no bearing on how successful they will be the following season.
Firstly, if you take the teams that come up as champions, 13 of the overall 20 survived their first season, with just five of those enjoying a top-half finish. Seven have suffered an immediate return to the Championship/First Division.
The promoted league runners-up doesn’t particularly enjoy an easier ride and just 11 out of the 19 (the 1995/1996 season saw just two newly promoted teams because of the change in the amount of teams in the league) have stayed up, with eight going straight back down and only five finishing in the top half.
The play-off winners, contrary to popular belief, are, according to the statistics, the most likely to go straight back down with 11 play-off winning teams only lasting one season back in the promised land.
In fact, looking back on the statistics, it is actually more likely that a newly promoted side will finish mid-table after coming up. Aside from the teams that have finished in the top-half, four champions, two runners-up and two play-off winners have only managed to survive after a nail biting relegation battle in their first season. The others have enjoyed mid-table mediocrity, which is what every newly promoted side would be pleased with.
So the stats don’t really tell us what we might expect, while they also clear up the idea that play-off winners are the more likely to impress in their first season up than the two automatically promoted sides. It’s almost the opposite, but with nothing really standing out in the history books no teams should take the manner in which they were promoted and use it as a guideline for the following year.
Everyone likes to end the season as league champions while going up via the play-offs and a historic win at Wembley (or the Millennium Stadium) are memories fans will treasure forever but they, in fact, have no bearing on the following season.
In a game that is pretty much ruled by finance, newly promoted sides are under more and more pressure to spend money in order to compete at the highest level. Of this season’s newly promoted sides in the Premier League, Southampton were the biggest spenders in the summer (£ 30million), while West Ham splashed out £20million and Reading only paid £6million to strengthen their squad. West Ham have so far exceeded expectations and are 12th, while Southampton and Reading in particular are both caught up in a relegation battle half way through the season.
With Southampton spending so much money but not having results to reflect that, you feel it is a lack of Premier League experience that has counted against them so far this season, while Reading’s failure to spend a great deal of money to improve their side means they are languishing at the bottom of the table. Many would argue that the size of a club like West Ham and the talent/experience they already had there meant they would survive comfortably, although others would happily disagree.
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We are all aware that clubs must spend money in order to compete and remain in the Premier League but, despite what people claim and believe, the way in which a side is promoted doesn’t have much to do with how well they do in their first season. For me, it is as much to do about spending money and experience as it does about the manner of promotion.
If Reading fans believe in the myth then they have a 65% of staying up, Southampton have a 58% chance and West Ham won’t be pleased with the 45% chance they might have. However, if you believe in fact then all the current table does is reflect the amount of experience, talent and expenditure each of the promoted teams have.
What do you think? Should clubs use the manner in which they promoted as a guideline of how well they will do in the Premier League, or does money, experience and talent have more to do with being able to survive in the top-flight?
The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy has given Crewe a pleasant side-track to a promising return to League One football this season and on Tuesday night, the lower league competition saw Gresty Road stage the northern section semi-final with Bradford City. The Bantams sit just outside the play-off places in League Two and have beaten Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa of the Premier League in a remarkable League Cup journey that has them ninety minutes, and a 3-1 lead over the Villians, away from Wembley.
After last week’s heroics over Villa, Bradford were back in the more modest surroundings of a below-freezing night in Crewe but Phil Parkinson’s side travelled down with a cup pedigree that promised to make this a very tough tie even with the squad changes, eight in total, that is likely to land the Yorkshire club a FA fine. Parkinson has bigger occasions possibly awaiting on the horizon however, the chance to enter themselves in League Cup folklore likely to only be secondary to the quest to climb out of the fourth tier, something their long-suffering fans have waited five years to achieve. The JPT was arguably third on their list of priorities and Parkinson rang the changes logically despite an awaiting financial penalty.
Crewe manager Steve Davis also made changes from the side that drew 1-1 at Leyton Orient. In came Ajay Leitch-Smith and Harry Davis for Max Clayton and Mark Ellis, whilst in goal Alan Martin replaced Steve Phillips whose error contributed to Orient’s opener at Brisbane Road on Saturday. That Lee Cook strike was all the Londoners had to show for an opening 35 minutes of domination however and Crewe managed to draw level through Byron Moore just before half-time. The second period, in which the visitors could have stole victory as Ellis, Clayton and Bradden Inman all had chances, saw improvement though the overriding feeling was the Alex had been lucky to escape from the capital with a point when a second successive defeat, after the substandard display against Stevenage the week before, seemed likely in the opening stages.
Despite a steady run of results, it is still only two defeats in nine league games, the standard of performances has began to suffer and the JPT, with it being secondary to domestic form, gave Davis a chance to tweak the side in order to arrest the slide that had been creeping in. Bradford’s heavily rotated team started the game very well however, obviously instructed by their manager to press and unsettle Crewe’s habit of moving the ball on the ground. The match became tight and fragmented as a result, the home side were making mistakes on a frosty pitch and Kyel Reid sent a long range effort fizzing through goalkeeper Alan Martin to give the away side the lead. In a match where chances were sparse, it was a goal that predictably came from nothing.
It was hard to see, from a Crewe point of view, where an equaliser would come from. Leitch-Smith appeared rusty in making his first start since the start of October after a long injury absence, Mathias Pogba struggled alongside him and the midfield of Luke Murphy and Abdul Osman were failing to cope with Bradford’s close attention of the duo in order to prevent their regular passing game. The disjointed performance was worrying until Byron Moore was allowed to run at an isolated Ryan Dickson on the right to loop a strike over goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin via a Nathan Doyle deflection. Pogba and Inman went close immediately after as Crewe finished a poor first half strongly, but the interval was welcome with the scoreline level.
The break seemed to galvanise the home side as they emerged brightly. Inman, continuing to impress on loan from Newcastle, broke free on the left to hit a shot that McLaughlin tipped over before Doyle and Dickinson combined to deny first Matt Tootle and then Moore with two desperate blocks. Despite the Crewe pressure, Bradford always had a threat on the counter-attack with the constant running of Blair Turgott and goalscorer Reid. Parkinson brought on highly rated striker Nakhi Wells and winger Zavon Hines as he tried to relieve some of the pressure building on his team. Davis responded by withdrawing Leitch-Smith and Pogba for Max Clayton and Chuks Aneke.
Those substitutions proved to be the catalyst for Crewe’s eventual victory as Aneke and Clayton combined for a move that culminated in the latter meeting a cross from the superb Byron Moore to direct a diving header past the helpless McLaughlin. From then it was one-way traffic; Inman was denied again by Bradford’s busy ‘keeper, Clayton had another diving header disallowed for offside just after Aneke sent a shot narrowly wide. The impact of the Arsenal loanee, so often frustratingly lethargic and ineffective, was game-changing and he sent Inman racing away to finally mark his influential display with a cool finish. Aneke finished things off with an emphatic half volley after a neat lay-off by Clayton.
The late goal glut made the score more one-sided than the game itself however and there will be still some concern about the standard of Crewe performance before Davis turned to his bench. The impact made by Aneke and Clayton however, plus the decent contribution maid by Leitch-Smith as he continues his rehabilitation from injury, will give the manager a lot of options as he prepares for the visit of MK Dons on Saturday. Coventry lie in wait in the northern area final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy but that tie will wait until February as the league will reclaim the focus in the meantime, one hopes that Davis will take the momentum gained from the competition in order to get Crewe back on track in League One.
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Sir Alex Ferguson is a man who has ever been aware that a football club must constantly move forward and improve in order to stay on top of their game. Over the years he has reinvented and reconfigured his Manchester United side to fit the needs of the modern game and maintain their supremacy in the Premier League.
But in the name of progress, some must fall by the wayside – it is the underlying law of the theory of evolution. So whom at Old Trafford needs to be moved on, for the sake of the club?
The summer transfer window is the perfect opportunity to bring in some fresh players, but also to get rid of the deadwood.
But who from the Manchester united roster should be sold for scrap in at the end of the season?
Click on Rio Ferdinand to see our five Old Trafford candidates for the transfer list
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Fiorentina hitman Stevan Jovetic has revealed he would be interested in a move to Arsenal if the Gunners came calling.
The Montenegro international looks set to be at the centre of a tug of war for his services this summer, with the Gunners, Inter Milan, Juventus and Manchester City all said to be chasing him.
The 23-year-old has previously admitted he would rather ply his trade in the Premier League if he were to leave the Stadio Artemio Franchi and has now revealed a move to north London could appeal.
“I’ve heard about Arsenal’s interest,” Jovetic told The Sun.
“It’s a big pleasure for me to be on the radar of such a big club. I am happy about that.
“I’ve always had an affinity with Arsenal. It’s a major club with a big tradition, one of the biggest in Europe.
“They are still very strong. I often watch Premier League games on TV. It’s one of the best leagues in the world and looks tempting for me.”
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Fiorentina are unlikely to let Jovetic go on the cheap after 12 goals in 24 appearances for the Viola this season, with the Tuscan club reportedly looking at offers of £20m and above.
Swansea defender Angel Rangel has warned his teammates against complacency ahead of Sunday’s game with Chelsea.
Michael Laudrup’s side dispatched of Sunday’s opponents over two legs in the semi-final of the cup, which they eventually went on to win with a comfortable 5-0 victory against Bradford at Wembley.
Rangel admits that the 2-0 victory last time they travelled to Stamford Bridge will be hard to forget, but it’s important they do not dwell on the past and look to finish the season strongly.
The 30-year-old insists that Chelsea have transformed into a much stronger side over the last few months and expects a much tougher test this time round.
Rangel said: “We did beat them in the Capital One Cup semi-final and people may say they are looking for revenge, but we are just thinking about ourselves.
“It does give us confidence knowing that we can go to a stadium like that and win, but this is a different story this weekend.
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“They are fighting for the top four, but we have not won for a while and it’s important for us to get something there.”
Anders Lindegaard appears to be on his way out of United this summer with West Ham still leading the chase for his signature.
The Danish goalkeeper was not in the matchday squad for last night’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Upton Park, sparking fresh rumours that he could be lining up for the Hammers next season.
West Ham were linked to Lindegaard back in March when it was reported in Denmark that they had enquired after him and his absence from the bench, when he was fit enough to sit there on Sunday, could be more than just coincidence.
David de Gea’s growing presence in goal has reduced the 29-year-old’s chances while reports that keeper coach Eric Steele is watching Brentford’s Simon Moore may indicate that his time at Old Trafford is up.
Lindegaard has not made a first-team appearance for United since December, when he was not at his best in a 4-3 win over Reading, and recently admitted that his situation is not ideal.
He said on his Betfair blog: “I’m not idiot – I am aware that my situation is not the ultimate dream scenario. But I do my very best every day to keep me as sharp as possible both for myself and for the team. When one day I do play again, it would be inexcusable not to have prepared myself in the best way as possible.”
Lindegaard has not played for Denmark in over two years and has lost his place in the squad to Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel.