Ross Barkley’s first outing for Chelsea was a frustrating affair. After replacing Willian against Arsenal with an hour left on the clock, the 22-cap England international struggled to truly impose himself on the match, and eventually ended up on the losing side.
But it would have been unfair to expect instant fireworks from the Blues’ January signing. He’s been sidelined with injury since the start of last season, and still hasn’t had long to ease into life in west London.
A starting berth would surely help that process though, so we asked Chelsea fans earlier this week whether the former Everton playmaker should be included in the XI that takes on Newcastle in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
And according to our poll, a whopping 90% of Chelsea supporters would like to see Barkley start against the Magpies in the 1.30pm kickoff. How would you line up Antonio Conte’s side? Let us know by commenting below…
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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says that only Arsene Wenger knows whether or not the Gunners need to sign anyone in January.
Speaking at the launch of Puma’s latest evoPOWER football boots, the 36-year-old also backed his former manager to end the club’s trophy doubt and lead them to Premier League glory this season.
“I am not Wenger, I do not know best, the boss knows best,” Henry said.
“A lot of people give him a lot of stick because he has not won anything in a very long time.
“They’ve been expecting Arsenal to collapse recently but they haven’t. Why can’t they win the league? They’re in the position to.
“The future will tell us if they are good enough or not but right now I think they are.”
The New York Red Bulls striker also questioned FIFA’s decision to award the Ballon d’Or to Cristiano Ronaldo in favour of Bayern Munich ace and fellow countryman Franck Ribery, adding that the governing body “kills the spirit of football” when making these judgements.
“Yes I do [think Ribery deserved to win], not because he is French or anything, I just think he deserved it,” he added.
“I was disappointed for him and was disappointed for French football. For a very long time now we haven’t had a winner – we had Zizou and Michael Platini but that’s it.
“I really thought he was going to win, I mean as well as him being a great footballer, just look at what he has done!
“For me it kills the spirit of football because you have to be able to perform, but perform with a team that wins things.”
The Frenchman believes that this year’s World Cup may come too soon for a young French side, but that glory in the European Championships in France in 2016 could be a more realistic goal. However, after a very public falling out with the press, would his countrymen be able to handle the pressure inflicted on Les Bleus by the French media?
“I have travelled everywhere, I remember when I was back in France I thought it was going to be better somewhere else.
“Then I arrived in England and I always had a good relationship with the press. But on personal life some papers back in the day could be really bad – as we have seen now in the news.
“Then you go to Italy and realise it wasn’t that bad in France. Then you come and play for Barcelona and you eat in a restaurant and they put what you ate in the restaurant in the papers the next day!
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“It is not a French thing or Italian thing or Spanish thing – when you give joy to people you have to expect it.
“But don’t get me wrong, the French press will still tell you exactly what they think, like in 98 when they thought we wouldn’t even get past the first round!”
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Premier League champions Manchester City are set to bolster their squad with a move for Steven Jovetic in the January transfer window.
Liverpool and Chelsea have both been known to have an interest in the Montenegro international and City could land him for £25million.
City boss Roberto Mancini tried to sign the 22-year-old in the summer but proved unsuccessful, but a fresh bid is expected which would see the Italian build his team around the exciting midfielder.
Patrick Viera, the football development executive at Man City was present during Fiorentina’s 2-1 defeat against Inter Milan, and despite failing to shine his talent can’t be doubted.
Mancini hopes to agree a pre-contract agreement with Jovetic, who has scored 28 goals in 89 appearances since joining from Partizan in 2008.
The Montenegro international has a contract until 2016, which gives the Florence club leverage in agreeing a suitable fee for their prize asset.
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Jovetic seemed likely to join Chelsea in the summer before deciding he would stay one more year with the Italian giants to help them push for Europe.
“I stopped those negotiations. By the time they had made their move from England I had already decided that I would stay in Florence,” he told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
Rangers will have to wait until August for Steven Gerrard to secure the loan signing of Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke, according to Goal.
What’s the story?
Dominic Solanke has scored just one Premier League goal in 21 appearances for Liverpool since moving from Chelsea last summer.
Playing behind Mohamed Salah, he has struggled for starts but has been a regular attacking substitute for the team.
Since Steven Gerrard took over as manager of Rangers, a loan move for Solanke has been on the cards, but now it looks like he might have to wait.
According to Goal, Klopp wants sufficient attacking options before agreeing to send the England international out on loan.
Gerrard wants to sort his summer transfer business early, but it now looks like he might have to wait until August to complete the loan deal.
A gamble for Rangers?
While a loan deal does not carry the same risks as a transfer, Rangers would still be taking a gamble on a striker who has so far struggled to score goals at the top level.
However, it could provide the England player with the confidence he needs if he can secure regular starts away from the shadow of the player of the year, Salah.
Under the guidance of Liverpool legend Gerrard, Solanke could flourish and make good on the promise he showed as a youngster.
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With Liverpool rumoured to be in the hunt for Nabil Fekir, Solanke could struggle again for minutes at Anfield should he stay, so any move where he could secure regular first team football would be beneficial.
According to Get French Football, Leicester City are on the verge of signing Gazelec Ajaccio forward Fousseni Diabate.
What’s the story?
Rumours of Leicester’s interest in Diabate has gathered pace over the last 24 hours, and according to Get French Football, the 22-year-old has now completed a medical with the Foxes ahead of a £4.4m move.
It is understood that the forward has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the former Premier League champions, with a deal to be announced in the early stages of this week.
Leicester boss Claude Puel will reportedly move a couple of strikers on this month, and Diabate’s arrival could well see the likes of Islam Slimani and Kelechi Iheanacho depart the King Power Stadium.
Southampton, Wolfsburg and Rennes were also believed to be interested in Diabate, but Leicester have won the race in the early stages of the January transfer window.
What are Diabate’s credentials?
It would be fair to say that Diabate is not exactly a household name, and the majority of Leicester supporters will be wondering what type of player their club has signed.
Well, the 22-year-old joined Ligue 2 club Gazelec Ajaccio during the summer transfer window, and has scored three times and provided one assist this season.
The attacker was born in France, but plays his international football for Mali – turning out on three occasions for their Under-23 outfit.
He is a player capable operating in a number of positions in the final third of the field, and Leicester fans will be hoping that they have another N’Golo Kante situation on their hands.
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It remains to be seen what type of impact Diabate makes at the King Power Stadium, but his performances in Ligue 2 this season should certainly excite the Leicester supporters.
Although Arsenal keep marching on, playing the same aesthetically football that Arsene Wenger has been a vigilant defender of all along, there is a certain reluctance to accept that they have a genuine chance at the title. The Gunners are four points clear of Chelsea at the top, and have distanced their arguably toughest opponents, Manchester City, by a gap of six points. Their defence isn’t letting in easy goals like in previous seasons, and the Arsenal midfield have finally burst to life.
And still, we are all reluctant to recognize their title credentials.
There is certain consensus that although they are looking solid at the moment, Wenger’s squad will eventually falter. Even Wayne Rooney said in a press conference that he was not too worried about the considerable gap because everyone at Manchester United have seen Arsenal be “top two until February or March and then faded away,” suggesting that the same will happen again. How genuine is this claim though?
If we look at the points gathered in 2013 alone, the gap at the top of the table is in fact bigger for Arsenal. Last season was ruined by a drop in form before new years, and Arsene Wenger’s men secured a spot in the Champions League with a late display of form. So far it seems like Rooney’s comments are either ill advised or simply meant to be an attempt on mind games – something few of us would expect him to excel at.
If Arsenal are to take encouragement from any recent season in particular, it should, funnily enough, be that of which has defined the career of Rooney himself. When Manchester United entered the only time space in the Ferguson era that resembled a trophy draft – between 2003 and 2007 – the retired Sir Alex faced much the same accusations as Arsene Wenger has had to deal with in recent years. With a squad that was slowly maturing, and young players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney growing into pillars of the team, Fergie eventually came out victorious. It sounds awfully familiar, don’t you think?
This year we have seen Aaron Ramsey in particular completely changing his game, giving possibly the best and most complete performances in the league. Now we also see Jack Wilshere realizing his importance to the rhythm of the Gunners’ game, as well as scoring goals. Meanwhile, Kieran Gibbs and Olivier Giroud are applying themselves, giving Arsenal the most strikingly apparent cohesion in the top flight.
When Fergie’s last great United team started down the path that eventually lead them to a Champions League victory, they were relying on the talents of player’s that had long been written off. At the end of last season, none of us gave Aaron Ramsey a flicker of chance to succeed at the highest level. 13 games into the season he looks like the PFA player of the year, and possibly one of Wenger’s greatest achievements in terms of nurturing.
Another component of Manchester United’s success when they won back the title in 2007 was Ferguson’s recognition of the need to exit the starting blocks like Usain Bolt driven by nitroglycerin. Fergie saw that his old strategy of starting slowly before gaining momentum in January and February was putting his team adrift when real title race started. The 5-1 thrashing of Fulham in the opening game was a resounding confirmation of the team’s intent. Although Arsenal lost their opener to Aston Villa in August, the momentum they have built since gives a clear indication of where they intend to be when the trophies are handed out in May.
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It is about time we take Arsenal seriously in their campaign. Now that we enter the busy Christmas schedule, it is their rivals that need to sharpen their form should have any chance of closing the gap. They’ll be the bookie’s favourite by some distance when they take on Hull at the Emirates tonight, and to put their form into context they can potentially move 12 points clear of the reigning champions.
My biggest concern is this: are we prepared to deal with the size of Arsene Wenger’s French ego, should they win?
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that he is glad that his side’s stadium name has reverted back to St James’ Park.
The Tyneside club have signed a £32million four-year shirt and stadium sponsorship with loan suppliers Wonga.com, who have announced that the original name will be preferred and the Sports Direct Arena will become defunct.
Despite the controversy expressed by locals in deal with a company with a poor reputation, Pardew is glad that the St James’ Park name has been reinstated.
“I’m a romantic. The name change hurt me and it hurt the team. It’s one of those business decisions which you can’t get your head round at times as a football person, so to have it back as St James’ Park is great,” the coach told The Daily Mail.
“The same sign should go back up — not a new one, the old one. I am absolutely overjoyed.”
A Wonga.com spokesman has admitted that the sponsor is eager to win over the club’s fans.
“We saw what matters to the fans. Football is an emotional sport and it is really important to them. That is why we did it,” he concluded.
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Everton supporters in the Transfer Tavern are very much looking forward to the summer transfer window, with many hoping that their team will make key signings in key positions to boost their European chances next season.
The Toffees finished eighth in the Premier League this term with 49 points from their 38 matches, 12 points fewer than they achieved in finishing seventh under Ronald Koeman last time round. Yet that is a disappointing return given the amount of investment there was in the playing squad 12 months ago, with many of our resident Evertonians hoping that their club can buy more sensibly this summer in a bid to challenge the top six next time round.
And with Sam Allardyce no longer the club’s manager, there is some optimism among those Everton fans lining up at the bar, with many intrigued by recent reports linking Willian with a move away from Chelsea this summer.
And while Manchester United are thought to want the £28.8 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt), these recent reports should prompt Everton into an audacious move for the forward this summer in a bid to bolster their attacking ranks.
Ultimately, the Toffees struggled for much of the campaign in the final third of the pitch, with Wayne Rooney eventually finishing the season as the club’s top-scorer with just 11 goals to his name.
And while Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun were brought in during the January window to add further quality to the attacking department, neither have so far set the world alight to suggest that they can be the men to take Everton forward next term.
Whereas it’s clear from Willian’s spell at Chelsea that he is exactly the sort of addition they need to challenge for the European spots.
The Brazil international scored 13 goals and laid on 12 assists for the Blues this term in their run to fifth place in the league and indeed the FA Cup title, thus adding to the 12 goals he netted last time round in their Premier League title-winning success.
In fact, the 29-year-old has scored at least ten times in each of his last three seasons at Stamford Bridge to underline his quality in the final third, and with Everton winger Yannick Bolasie struggling to re-discover his best after injury, Willian would no doubt be a better option than him at present.
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And with a willingness to work hard defensively as well, the Brazilian star appears to be exactly the sort of player any manager would want in their squad – there’s a reason Jose Mourinho reportedly wants a reunion with the 29-year-old at United.
Yet Everton should also seek to lure the unhappy star away from Chelsea this summer, as doing so would without doubt enhance their chances of challenging the top six next time round.
According to reports in the Liverpool Echo on December 15, Brighton and Hove Albion are one of the clubs interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic on loan during the January transfer window.
The Liverpool Echo says that the Seagulls, along with Championship high-flyers Aston Villa, are keen to bring the 21-year-old in until the end of the season with the Serbian struggling for game time so far this term.
The report adds that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is considering sending the midfielder out on loan in the New Year, but the German wants him to continue his development in the English game and is unwilling to let him join a club from abroad after Galatasaray registered their interest in the former Red Star Belgrade man.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United’s freefall down the Premier League table continued as their 1-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday saw them drop into the relegation zone, and they have now taken just one point from the last 27 available in the top flight.
Magpies manager Rafa Benitez will already be looking at transfer targets he could add to his struggling squad next month, and bringing Grujic to St James’ Park could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle should hijack Brighton’s bid to sign the 21-year-old…
The Shelvey issue
With Shelvey, Mikel Merino and Isaac Hayden in the middle of the park Newcastle look to be well stocked in central midfield, however the actions of the former may see Benitez look to bring in someone else in January.
The 25-year-old picked up a red card on the opening day 2-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur, and he then picked up a second yellow in the last minute of the 1-0 defeat against Everton last week.
That was Shelvey’s first start in three matches after he had been relegated to the substitutes’ bench, and Rafa Benitez may not feel he can trust the midfielder in the second-half of the campaign.
Bringing in someone like Grujic on loan in the New Year could help to solve that issue.
His ability
While he has struggled to break into the Liverpool first team this season, the 21-year-old has still made three Premier League substitute appearances, as well as coming on once in the Champions League group stages.
He also played 90 minutes in the 2-0 EFL Cup defeat to Leicester City in September, and Serbian football journalist Vlastimir Stefanovic certainly had some big praise for the midfielder when he arrived in England.
According to Sky Sports, the 21-year-old has been described as tall, rangy and comfortable on the ball, and he has been dubbed the new Nemanja Matic.
Stefanovic disagrees with that comparison though, and he told Sky Sports: “If I had to compare Marko Grujic to anyone in terms of style of playing, I’d compare him to Steven Gerrard.”
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While he often plays as a central or defensive midfielder, he has shown during his time with Liverpool that he can also play further forward if required, and that versatility could be useful for Newcastle.
Loan deal
Even if the proposed Newcastle takeover goes through in the next couple of weeks, Rafa Benitez may not get the January transfer boost he would have been hoping for when talks between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley began a few weeks ago.
It could mean that the Spaniard is working with a tight budget next month, and using his good relationship with Liverpool and being able to sign Grujic on loan may prove to be an attractive option, allowing him to invest the money he does have into other key areas on the pitch.
Godwin’s Law states that the longer a discussion goes on, the higher the chances become of a comparison involving Adolf Hitler. The purpose of this inevitable Reductio ad Hitlerum is, of course, to win the argument.
If your chosen stance is exactly the kind of attitude/wallpaper/ice cream Hitler would’ve gone for, then you’re patently only a couple of steps away from book burning and death camps, thus your opinion on felt hats of the sixteenth century are completely invalid. Nazis lose arguments.
Sir Alex Ferguson is, despite the paranoid night terrors of Roy Keane, not Adolf Hitler. But he does occupy a similar status in discussions on football management. The longer a conversation on managerial stability goes on, so the chances of a comparison involving Ferguson become inevitable. He is the trump card in any deck of examples. The cauterizing agent in any wounded argument.
The difference (apart from all the actual Nazi stuff obviously. Fergie was dead against the Lebensraum by all accounts) is that while Godwin’s Law is seen as a weak, last ditch tactic – a verbose equivalent of shouting “You smell!” and running away – Fergie’s Law is seen as a strong, front footed one. It’s trotted out by respectable people, and Tony Cascarino. It’s often supported by the equally trusted ‘Wenger’s Accompaniment’, and if the argument is really getting stretched, perhaps even a ‘Moyes’s Mooting’
The accepted wisdom of pundits, panelists and publicans alike is that sackings like AVB’s are bad, or at least bad form. Only long-term managerial stability breeds real success. If only the power hungry, finger pyramiding villains of club Chairmanship could see it.
But is this true?
Ever since Roman Abramovich swanned onto the scene with his shiny new Chelsea Toy (manager sold separately) it’s been widely assumed that his constant petulant tinkering has been counter productive. It’s only setting them back. It’s his own time he’s wasting.
But while a case can certainly be made for the first Mourinho era, the lasting effect of a sushi conveyor belt of bosses has hardly been negligent. In fact since Claudio Ranieri was dismissed in 2004, becoming ground zero for Chelsea managerial dominos, they’ve won more than Ferguson’s longevity infused Manchester United. Less League titles (3>5) but more FA Cups and European honors.
But moneyed sides like Chelsea and City are often written off in such discussions. They don’t conform to the norm. A fallacy that fails to take into account that if the money was all-important, Abramovich would’ve clearly appointed himself by now. He’d at least be the first Chelsea boss with job security.
So how have the less evil sides done without longevity? Liverpool sacked both Kenny Dalglish and Peaky the Night Owl after underwhelming short spells. A period kick started after long-term faith in Rafa Benitez had seen both their form, and him, start to unravel. They’re now doing quite well under a manager appointed 18 months ago. So to are Newcastle United since sacking Chris Hughton (a very unpopular decision back in 2010.) In fact his replacement, booed on his arrival, is now the league’s second longest serving manager. How about Swansea City? Soaring like knickers thrown at Tom Jones from League 2 obscurity to Premier League mid-table security in only six years. Surely that’s the product of good old managerial stability? Well, no. They changed their manager five times in those six years.
So what is it these clubs are missing? What wondrous, better kind of success could they enjoy if only they had faith in their managers? It’s hard to say, because Ferguson aside, even the likes of Wenger, Moyes & the mythical Dario Gradi haven’t found successful longevity a longevity of success.
You may think it a few trophies short of a cabinet to question the success of Wenger’s tenure. This, after all, is the man who took a boring, defensive side of loveable drunks and turned them into the most entertaining attacking team in the league. However, since 2004 Arsenal have gone from automatic title challengers to being perpetually scrapping for 4th. Arsene has now spent longer in the silverware wilderness than he spent in its bosom and his image has shifted from the unflappable, miraculous Professeur to a frustrated, elderly Mr. Bean, perpetually resisting metamorphosis from within his giant coat chrysalis. It’s no longer sacrilege to ponder whether the Gunners would be better off without him. He’s (almost) lived long enough to see himself become the villain.
At United, the thinking is that David Moyes should be afforded the same faith that so benefited Ferguson. This is both admirable and fluffily reassuring in a time when managerial job security is about as stable as Syrian buckaroo. But it’s also partly based on the idea that a similar security at Everton yielded increased success. This would be a very relative idea of success. A harsh critic could say he merely didn’t fail. Much like Wenger, his early years saw most of the work, turning a side of perpetual strugglers into a side of respectable middlers. But while many will point to his lack of funds, keeping England’s fifth most successful side in the top half of the table is less the impossible dream and more the plausible expectation. David Moyes, making the possible possible since 2002.
Dario Gradi, the hallowed mythical figure of ancient managerial legend failed even to bring that much vaulted stability to his beloved Crewe Alexandra in over 400 seasons in charge (70-80 as caretaker, depending on which scrolls you believe) Despite his admirable courage under financial fire, they were relegated nearly as many times as they were promoted.
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Even Ol’ Big Head went down in the end. Though without him Forest slipped even further from the limelight, their star fading as if retreating into an actual forest. But then Brian Clough was an exceptional manager.
And so was Ferguson. Which makes him an uneasy standard bearer. Normality shouldn’t be judged by its exceptions. It also underestimates the magnitude of his task at United in the mid-1980s. Dragging a boozy boys club resting on their laurels kicking and screaming into the modern game, all while building a world-class youth set up from scratch. A manager coming into a well-run modern football club shouldn’t need four years to see progress. He shouldn’t really need more than two.
Such are our romantic associations with words like faith and trust and legacy, boosted tenfold by their current infrequency, that it seems sacrilege to dismiss them. And such are the negative connotations of the worst of fan opinion. The knee-jerk, pass the buck, sack the manager vitriol, boosted tenfold by the Internet and its soapbox for idiots that it feels dirty to encourage it.
But sometimes it might just be right. Not every manager is Alex Ferguson. Sometimes, you really should sack them if you’re not seeing instant progress. But then again, that’s exactly the kind of thing Hitler would say.