Manchester City this evening showed that they are serious contenders for the 2011/12 Premier League title as they swept away newly promoted Swansea with four second half goals. It will be £38 million signing Sergio Aguero who will steal all the headlines as the Argentinean international scored twice in a 30-minute second half cameo, and his second was a real stunner.
Swansea gave as good as they got in the first 20 minutes, as the Championship Playoff winners kept the ball for large periods without creating any real chances. Man City then started to exert their influence on the match and were unlucky not to go into the break with the lead, as first David Silva and then Gareth Barry hit the crossbar, and Swansea’s new goalkeeper Michel Vorm made a couple of decent saves.
In the second half Man City had more and more of the ball and it was only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock. They did that 10 minutes after the break, as Edin Dzeko netted the first, and after that it was the Sergio Aguero show.
Minutes after coming on he scored a tap-in thanks to a cross from Micah Richards and then turned provider as he set up Silva for City’s third. In between Vorm made a number of great saves, racking up 11 in total, but there was nothing he could do about Aguero’s second.
The little Argentinean most certainly saved the best till last, launching a rasping unstoppable shot from outside the area to make it 4-0. The scoreline didn’t flatter Man City, but was a bit harsh of Swansea considering the Welsh side’s first half efforts. They’ll be looking to bounce back against Wigan next week, while for City it’s onwards and upwards and a top of the table clash against Bolton.
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With the new season now under way, there are a number of new faces and old ones who will be looking to have a big season and impose themselves on the Premier League.
Some players have flattered to deceive in recent years and failed to live up to their talents, so will be looking to finally fulfil their potential and live up to their names over the course of this season. Other players may have gone through a dip in form, after initially making bright starts to their careers, and subsequently fallen off the radar, so will need a big season to re-impose themselves, otherwise they could be on the way out of their respective clubs. Plenty of players are recovering from long term or serious injury’s, and mentally and physically need to get back to a level they have shown in the past, by putting in the hard work over the season and with a bit of luck staying fit, and showing what they can produce. There are many players who have moved for big transfer fees and need to put in a huge season and impress, to show that their price tag was justified, and they are not overrated in this inflated market, these players really need to prove their worth. There are a number of youngsters at a pivotal point in their career, with this season really being make or break for them and whether they can make the leap to superstardom. Many others simply need to step up and impose themselves on this season as their club may have lost big names that have left gaps in their sides.
Whatever the season has ahead for the Premier League players it will a tough one, but for some players tougher than others, as they need to really impress this season. So here are the top 10 players that need a big season.
Click on Tom Huddlestone below to see the top 10
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You can prepare all you like, but you’ll never know if you’re ready until you’re flung into action. Kenny Dalglish made plenty of decent additions to his squad over the summer, but now that the season has began, there still appears to be a gap in Liverpool ’s squad that needs to be filled.
What struck me, watching Tottenham entertain Liverpool at White Hart Lane, is just how slow the Red’s defence is. Patience amongst fans seems to be running out when it comes to Skrtel who wont have won anymore favour with his performance yesterday. I understand that Skrtel is being asked to play out of position, but it’s not like he’s been all that impressive when he’s played as a centre-half.
At best he’s a solid player and at worst he’s somewhat error-prone.
Then there’s Daniel Agger , a player who I greatly admire, but who tends to spend to long on the sidelines as a result of injury. Let’s face facts: he’s not a player you can rely on to play week-in and week-out. Whilst he can’t help the fact that he’s picked up injuries, his bad luck has cost Liverpool.
Whilst there’s plenty to be said about Jamie Carragher ’s sense of positioning, his lack of pace is somewhat alarming. The Premier League’s more pacey strikers will turn Carragher inside out with the greatest of ease and I’m not too sure how much longer Liverpool can continue to support his presence. He may well be a club legend, but if he’s not got the legs for it anymore, it may well be time to move on, or to let another player take up greater prominence within the squad.
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Whilst Sebastian Coates is a player with a great deal of promise, with all the uncertainty surrounding other members of Liverpool’s defence, you can’t help but feel that it won’t be enough if the Reds want to make it back into the Champions League.
With that in mind, I wish Kenny had bought a centre-back like Gary Cahill , Christopher Samba or even Scott Dann during the summer transfer window. Still, better late than never and Liverpool will have a chance to fix the situation when the transfer window re-opens in January. My personal preference would be for Bolton ’s Gary Cahill .
Not only is he the best out and out defender of the bunch, but he’d also very likely be available at a bargain price, given that he’d be only have six months left on his contract at the Reebok Stadium.
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What’s your take? Would Cahill be a good addition to this Liverpool squad, or do the Reds need to focus on other areas?
Read more of Harry Cloke’s articles at This is Futbol
It is no secret that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has had his sights set on Champions’ League glory ever since he purchased the club in 2003. The club have come painfully close once, when a fateful slip by John Terry and a miss by Nicolas Anelka in the penalty shoot-out cost them the 2008 crown at the hands of Manchester United. Under Abramovich, Chelsea have spent in excess of £500m on new players, including the likes of Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Didier Drogba, Andrey Shevchenko, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho – a select group of signings who have cost the club over £20m each. And still, the greatest prize in club football eludes them.
But the transfer policy and pursuit of success at all costs is having other side-effects at Stamford Bridge. Firstly, Abramovich is going through managers at a fairly prodigious pace. Claudio Ranieri was never the kind of character to survive once the Russian arrived (although the Tinkerman has had a successful time in Italy since he was relieved of his position in London). Following in the trails of Jose Mourinho have been some of the biggest names in football management – Avram Grant, Luis Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti. All have failed Abramovich on the biggest stage. Andre Villas-Boas is next in line.
Aside from managers, though, there is another footballing demographic suffering from the all-or-nothing approach at Chelsea – the club’s youngsters, who would be forgiven for thinking they have no chance whatsoever of surviving at a club where star players arrive and depart with such bewildering regularity.
The former head of scouting, former Denmark international Frank Arnesen, was brought in from Tottenham in 2005 with a brief to find the best young players in football and build an academy team from them. It can only be assumed that Abramovich felt that the ultimate path to success lay in becoming an ‘English Barcelona’ – a club capable of feeding its senior team with a constantly-renewing flow of youth prodigies. Many more in football would agree with this policy than the Russian’s subsequent financial tour de force, one suspects.
But Arnesen’s efforts seem to be in vain. There are a smattering of his success stories in the Chelsea team of the present – including Salomon Kalou, Florent Malouda and John Obi Mikel – but many of the younger players he unearthed are buried in the reserve teams or out on loan. There’s Gael Kakuta, out on loan at Bolton; Jeffrey Bruma, the gifted young centre-back on loan at Hamburg SV; Patrick van Aanholt, still no closer to breaking into the first team and spending this year at Wigan. The likes of Ben Sahar, Miroslav Stoch and Scott Sinclair have grown tired and moved on to pastures new, where they are flourishing. Defenders Michael Mancienne and Slobodan Rajkovic are also at Hamburg, but on permanent deals. It is no coincidence that Hamburg hired a new sporting director a year ago – one Frank Arnesen.
The current crop of youngsters at Chelsea is spearheaded by Lukaku, Daniel Sturridge and the perennial ‘prospect’ Josh McEachran. But this summer, Chelsea brought in Mata and Raul Meireles; Torres arrived in January. No Chelsea manager can afford the time to blood youngsters and wait for them to flourish as the more secure Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and David Moyes have done so successfully. For a Chelsea manager, looking two or three years down the line is a futile exercise, for without immediate success, they won’t survive to reap the rewards of what they sow.
Petr Cech admits in this interview that Chelsea are “obsessed… but in a good way” with the Champions’ League. He was half-right. They are obsessed. But that obsession may be holding them back.
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Anyone thinking back to Manchester City ’s pre-season will remember one thing above all others – the attempted back heeled goal by Mario Balotelli against LA Galaxy, and the subsequent reactions by both Mancini who was furious and promptly substituted the player for ‘not taking football seriously enough’ and the player himself reacting as though he could teach a toddler a thing or two about throwing their toys out of the pram.
Fast forward a couple of months, and after a couple of unfortunate incidents with other member s of the City front line, mostly occurring against Bayern Munich in the champions league, Balotelli is now City’s main man, scoring 4 goals in 4 games, the last of which was a brilliant overhead kick against Aston Villa on the weekend.
The future of Carlos Tevez at Manchester City is over, with the player now quite rightly in exile, having evidently decided the bench was closer to his family in Argentina than the field of play, hence refusing to come on as a substitute losing not only the respect of his manager and fans but also more importantly their trust.
Edin Dzeko also challenged Mancini during the same game, and whilst that incident is now forgotten, the subsequent loss of his place in the starting line up as a result and the form of Balotelli may be something he lives to regret. One player Balotelli is not in front of in the pecking order is Sergio Aguero , yet with the player missing through injury this weekend, Balotelli took his chance and again left a lasting impression on the game, being the inspiration for City’s 4 – 1 victory.
The form and attitude displayer by the 21 year old has not gone unnoticed by his team mates either, with De Jong commenting that even in training the player is ‘behaving quite normally for him’ – yet compared to his previous behaviour of trips to a women’s prison and Mafia links, just how normally this is leaves a lingering question! However, the fact remains, in the last few weeks, Balotelli has left his performances on the pitch to do the talking, and they have spoken in volumes about what ability the boy has when he puts his mind to it and controls his behaviour.
Despite his former manager Jose Mourinho wrongly calling the player ‘unmanageable’, the faith that Roberto Mancini has shown the player is paying off, and for a player whose talent has never been in question, the levels that Balotelli could potentially reach within the game are limitless.
City’s real challenge is yet to come, when in December they face a fixture list that even Barcelona would struggle with, playing Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke in the premier league, along with a Champions League game against Munich thrown in for good measure. Balotelli will be hoping he has more than a little bit to say in those games, and really put in a claim for being City’s unlikely hero this season.
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Article courtesy of Rebecca Knight from This is Futbol
We as football fans don’t take kindly to owners, managers or players who we don’t think are leading our club in the right direction. And, as much power as the mainstream media has in influencing the mindset of the fans, we have to consider the role of social media in the fan-based mutinies that occur often within football. The beauty of social media is that each individual fan has the opportunity to influence others and display their opinion in some small way. What is more, one person’s gripe can take on a snowball effect and create a mob mentality within social media. Suddenly you’ve gone from some loner sitting in bed with your laptop to the catalyst for major debate and unrest. So what is it about social media that harbours such enormous power and how can we use it.
Facebook
To consider that one in every three pages on the internet is a Facebook page goes some way to explaining the power of the organisation. Take Manchester united as an example; it says on Facebook that 20 million people are fans on Facebook alone. Then consider the fans ongoing battle with the Glazer family. What better way to indentify and reach 20 million fans than by simply going to the page and directing your arguments at fans that share your interests. Is there an easier way of finding likeminded people in such quantities than on a social media site that over 800 million people log on to and spend hours on almost every single day?
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Blogs
The beauty of blogs lies in the attitude of their readers. Initially you might stumble across a blog or be recommended one by a friend, but the likelihood is that you are a regular reader of any blog you might be on. What does this mean? That you think it is worth reading. And why do you think this? Because it is entertaining, you trust the writer and presume them to be some kind of authority. If you thought that they had nothing to offer you then you wouldn’t waste your time with that blog. All of this means that whilst you may not get millions of hits on your blog, although some do, all of your readers are ready and waiting to buy into any sort of opinions that you may ordain to present them with.
Obviously newspapers are an authority too but in a different sort of way. You expect newspapers to give you the facts, not original thinking about your club to go with the facts. Readers are more inclined to be inspired by somebody who cares about the things they do. That doesn’t mean they will always swallow what the blogger feeds them, but they will most of the time.
Twitter
Twitter’s speciality, as anyone who ever uses it will know, is that it is arguably the fastest way to spread news. Unlike Facebook and blogs, which are perhaps either more pre-emptive or analytical of news, Twitter is the one to break the news. Trending opinions and arguments consume fans and spread ideas to more people faster than any other form of media. And the power they exert is very real. Footballers such as Thierry Henry have been forced off Twitter in the past because of abuse they have suffered at the hands of the masses. Twitter is both the indication of and vent for public opinion on all matters and football is no different.
Nobody is denying the power that the media has in influencing the opinion of the football world. An article written may spark huge debate, but that debate is carried out on social media. Furthermore social media can be used to organise demonstrations from social to sporting reasons. The lack of online accountability takes the power of the media that step further. Fans on social media have nothing to lose and the most radical ideas are more likely to originate and be debated in these spheres. The mainstream media will always have power but it’s about time people stopped blaming the media for mutinying fans and started taking part in the debate.
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To take part in this and other debates follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has revealed that the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be the first major tournament to use goal-line technology, in a bid to stop incorrect officiating deciding games.
The technology-in-football debate rages on, with figures in the game divided in their opinions on whether the officials need extra help with big decisions.
With the use of replays in rugby and the advance in television and video footage in the game, many feel it is the right time to introduce this aspect into football.
The 75-year-old revealed the news to Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, in what will be a change to the way the game is played.
“Brazil 2014 will have technology to avoid ‘phantom goals’,” he told the Catalan daily.
“We have two good systems which correspond to the needs we have been considering: reliability, immediacy and methods that are uncomplicated to use,” he stated.
England fans will remember Frank Lampard’s un-awarded goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a classic example of where technology could have helped the right decision be made, as whether the ball crossed the line or not could have been ascertained.
The full interview with Blatter is set to be published on Tuesday.
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Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas will be hammering home the importance of beating Aston Villa to his players as he attempts to keep the Blues in the top four.
The Portuguese coach has overseen a period of transition since taking over from Carlo Ancelotti in the summer but has managed to guide his side to fourth going into the half way stage of the season. The Blues haven’t looked as formidable as they have done in recent seasons with Villas-Boas’ defensive tactics coming in for some criticism with 13 goals conceded at Stamford Bridge in just 18 games. The imminent signing of Bolton defender Gary Cahill should go some way to remedying that in the second half of the campaign although they’ll need to get through a tricky contest with Villa on New Years Eve. A run of three consecutive 1-1 draws has left Chelsea just a point clear of Arsenal who currently sit a place below them. Beating Villa will be considered imperative if they are to begin 2012 in pole position for Champions League qualification.
It’s a similar story for Alex McLeish’s side who have two of their last eleven league games and have slipped down to 12th in the table. After remaining unbeaten for their first seven games of the season things have unfolded for Villa since mid-October although their confidence should be boosted after they held Stoke to a goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day. Injuries have hit McLeish hard in recent weeks with key marksman Darren Bent struggling with a thigh injury whilst Shay Given has also spent time on the sidelines. Getting those players fit again will be crucial for the Villans who find themselves just six points above the relegation zone going into the New Year. Beating Chelsea would see them potentially rise into the top half whilst a defeat could push them closer towards danger.
Chelsea 4th : 34 points
Team news: Branislac Ivanovic and Jon Obi Mikel are definitely out after picking up injuries in the draw with Tottenham before Christmas although Jose Boswinga could return from a hamstring injury suffered in the same game.
Key Player: Daniel Sturridge
The newly capped England striker has gone from fourth choice to being the first name on the teamsheet at Stamford Bridge. Sturridge has been impeccable for Chelsea this season with his goals and dynamic performances on the right of the front three making him the Blues’ biggest threat.
Aston Villa 12th : 20 points
Team news: Darren Bent could return from a thigh injury but Emile Heskey is out until the New Year with an Achilles problem.
Key Player: Stephen Warnock
Although not normally considered Villa’s key player Warnock will have an important job to do keeping Daniel Sturridge quiet. The left back will need to limit the amount of space the Chelsea man has whilst keeping a close eye on his dangerous movement.
PREDICTION
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Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six but have drawn their last three and will be desperate to get back on the winning trail to keep their top four aspirations alive. Villa are also on a poor run and will find it extremely difficult to take all three points back to the Midlands.
There’s nothing like the combination of an injury crisis and the African Cup of Nations to force your manager’s hand in the January transfer market. Particularly if you’re manager is as prudent, cautious and reluctant to spend money as Arsene Wenger is. That’s why the potential signing of Thierry Henry is an interesting one. Everyone has different expectations of the striker, some more realistic than others, but ultimately we are unlikely to truly know what he is capable of until he steps out into an intense and precariously poised game under the weight of crowd expectation with his former glories hovering around him like a specter.
You can watch all the MLS games you want from his last season, but in all honesty I think we can know how good Thierry will be simply from being so familiar with him. I don’t mean familiar with his footballing talents either, I mean familiar with him as a person. For example: there have been fans worrying about Henry ruining his reputation; I would agree that this crossed my mind too. However I think we can be certain that this crossed the mind of the egocentric and ultra-image-conscious Henry before it did of anyone else. Nobody is more eager to see their reputation maintained than Henry is. He is nothing short of a deity around his old club and there is no way he would want that to change. Therefore if Henry does end up signing for Arsenal, which it seems that he will if he hasn’t already, then we must presume that Henry still believes he has got enough in his locker to still offer something at a level such as the Premier League.
I’ve heard people saying that he’s just doing it for emotional reasons, or he’s just doing it to massage his ego. That’s wrong. To accuse him of that is to underestimate the intelligence and self-awareness of a man who, although being my childhood hero, is, undeniably, extremely shrewd in his vanity.
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Everyone concerned understands that he will never be the player he once was, but if Thierry still thinks that he has something left to offer Arsenal then that is good enough for me.
You could also interpret his transfer in different ways when looking at the intentions of Arsene Wenger. There are two possible theories. The first one, which all Arsenal fans will be hoping is true, is that clearly the Arsenal negotiating team’s style is more of a war of attrition than anything else; meaning they intend to sign another striker but because they tend to take so long they might need the whole of January. If this was the case then clearly the singing of Henry, whilst useful, would mainly be a backup plan for January whilst the board attempts to sign another player. However the other scenario, which is far more likely, is that whilst the Arsenal board may be looking at other targets they are perfectly happy to sign no further players. It may be the case that Henry really is just the backup whilst Gervinho and Chamakh head to the African Cup of Nations. This is slightly more worrying considering that Arsenal’s problems up front will exist not over this two-month period but over the whole rest of the season. If Chamakh and Park are not good enough to come on for van Persie in a game now, why would they be in three months time?
The signing of a 34-year-old striker who has been out of top-level football for two years is also a damning indictment of our South Korean striker Park Chu Young. People talk about Park’s adaptation period but frankly who has ever heard of an adaptation period that involves playing three or four times in half a season. How can he adapt without playing? Per Mertesacker is having an adaptation period; Park is having a period of barely being good enough to make the bench. And as if we couldn’t tell that from his lack of game time, the arrival of Henry, who is presumed to be ahead of Park in the pecking order, has confirmed any doubts that fans may have had about the South Korean captain.
As exciting and nostalgic as the return of Thierry Henry may be, and for all the experience and aid he will bring to a team in need of a boost fans should be wary of not only what his signing may mean in terms of further January transfers but also in terms of how good our reserve strikers are. They should be in their physical peak, both being aged between 26-28, but both Park and Chamakh are deemed to be worse than a player in the final years of his career. And that is a worrying thought.
For more Arsenal news and articles follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he was pleased with his team’s efforts as they beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Antonio Valencia had given the visitors the lead in the first half, before Robin van Persie squared things up for Arsene Wenger’s men.
However Danny Welbeck scored the winning goal to gift The Red Devils three points, and the Scottish coach is happy to have recorded the victory.
“We created an amazing amount of chances and to only score two is a bit disappointing,” he told Sky Sports.
“We should have rammed home our advantage in the first half, and in the first 15 minutes of the second half they had three great chances and missed them all, so we rode our luck.
“When they put (Per) Mertesacker up and kept tossing the ball into the box, you never know what’s going to happen but we coped well with that, (Chris) Smalling was fantastic in that period and we managed to see it out,” he admitted.
With Manchester City beating Tottenham 3-2 in dramatic fashion earlier in the day United needed to win to keep pace with the Premier League leaders, and Sir Alex appreciates the importance of also gaining victory.
“Winning after City had won was the important thing but we’ve done it in the right way. We were really adventurous, positive and had a great belief in ourselves,” he continued.
United did suffer one setback however, as Phil Jones suffered injury, and Ferguson confirmed that the defender would be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
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“It’s not good news for us. I think Jones will be out for a few weeks – it’s ankle ligaments,” he confirmed.