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Friday, February 24, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
League news
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| Image by Getty Images via @daylife |
Premier League giants look for FA Cup salvation
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Premier League heavyweights Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will look to draw a line under a week to forget by booking their places in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend.
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| Image by Getty Images via @daylife |
Arsenal crashed to their heaviest ever European defeat in mid-week, a 4-0 thrashing by AC Milan that has all but extinguished the club's chances of progressing to the last eight of the Champions League.
The Gunners must now pick themselves up from that traumatic trouncing as they prepare for a tricky trip to Sunderland, exactly one week after scrambling a last-gasp 2-1 win over the Black Cats in the league.
The celebratory mood that accompanied last weekend's league win -- clinched by a farewell goal from Thierry Henry -- evaporated during the course of Wednesday's mauling at San Siro.
A downcast Arsene Wenger described the result as a "disaster", and voiced concern that it could send Arsenal's season into an irretrievable nosedive unless his players responded swiftly.
"We have a big game on Saturday and it's an opportunity to show that we have character and mental strength, and that we can respond after such a shocking defeat," Wenger said.
"A big disappointment like that has consequences on your belief. We have a lot of work to regroup and not a lot of time to prepare for Saturday's game. We need to show something completely different on Saturday."
Chelsea, meanwhile, face a potentially awkward home tie against Birmingham City on Saturday, with manager Andre Villas-Boas struggling to maintain control of his squad after last weekend's 2-0 league reverse at Everton.
Villas-Boas reportedly faced an open revolt during a training ground bust-up last Sunday, when Chelsea's players were ordered to report for work on their day off as punishment for the performance at Goodison Park.
With billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich looking on, several senior Chelsea players are reported to have challenged Villas-Boas over his team selections, tactics and inability to respond to pressure.
Villas-Boas admitted this week that there had been a difference of opinion but denied "strong words" had been exchanged.
"That is normal," Villas-Boas said. "They don't have to back my project. It's the owner who backs my project."
The Portuguese manager also played down suggestions that he had lost the confidence of Abramovich.
"I don't think so, but it's a question that you will have to ask the owner," Villas-Boas said. "I think the owner has full trust in me and will continue to progress with the ideas that we have."
Liverpool will aim to move on from last weekend's Luis Suarez controversy when they entertain Championship (second tier) side Brighton at Anfield on Sunday.
The Merseysiders issued a flurry of apologies after Suarez defied club orders by declining to shake the hand of Manchester United defender Patrice Evra before last week's league battle, the first meeting of the clubs since Suarez returned from an eight-game ban for racially abusing Evra.
Suarez's handshake snub was widely condemned across football, with critics taking aim at the tawdry nadir of a saga that has tarnished Liverpool's reputation and raised questions about Kenny Dalglish's handling of the affair.
Liverpool veteran Jamie Carragher said the Reds were determined not to suffer an upset against the Seagulls, who famously beat Liverpool at Anfield during their run to the 1983 final.
"It's a massive game for us," Carragher said. "If we win, we'll be into the quarter-finals. And if you do well there, you're at Wembley again (for the semi-finals). It certainly keeps the season going."
In other ties this weekend, Stevenage Borough will aim to pull off the shock of the round when they entertain high-flying Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
"We're going to need some fortune," said Stevenage manager Gary Smith. "But we are capable of causing an upset at home. I do believe that.
"A victory would be unbelievable. There would be a tremendous amount of excitement around the place."
Fixtures (1500GMT unless otherwise stated):
Saturday
Chelsea v Birmingham City (1230), Everton v Blackpool, Millwall v Bolton Wanderers, Norwich City v Leicester City, Sunderland v Arsenal (1715)
Sunday
Crawley Town v Stoke City (1200), Stevenage Borough v Tottenham Hotspur (1400), Liverpool v Brighton and Hove Albion (1630)
League News
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| Image via Wikipedia |
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| Image via Wikipedia |
Chelsea V Birmingham at Stamford Bridge : Match Preview
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas wants to see his side produce a much-improved display in the FA Cup against Birmingham following the lacklustre defeat to Everton.
The 2-0 loss extended their winless streak in the Barclays Premier League to four matches as the pressure continued to build on the Portuguese.
However, his position appeared to strengthen on Friday after Guus Hiddink reportedly agreed to become the new manager of Anzhi Makhachkala.
The spectre of Hiddink has been hanging over Villas-Boas for three months after the Dutchman left the Turkey post following their failure to qualify for this summer's European Championship.
Speculation intensified this week that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was considering sending another SOS to Hiddink amid reports senior players at Stamford Bridge wanted their former caretaker boss to be brought in to replace the Portuguese.
But if Abramovich had planned to do that, he appears to have waited too long, following claims Hiddink had agreed £12.5million, 18-month deal to take charge of mega-rich Russian club Anzhi.
Defeat in Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round tie with Birmingham is unthinkable for Villas-Boas, who will be demanding a response from Saturday's "worst performance of the season" at Goodison Park.
He said: "Full focus will be needed and full determination, which will be the exact opposite of what happened against Everton."
Chelsea's squad should be strong enough to see off npower Championship Birmingham without talismanic duo John Terry and Didier Drogba, who are set to be held back for Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg at Napoli.
Drogba has been missed in the past eight weeks while on African Nations Cup duty, with Fernando Torres still failing to score despite starting every game.
"Didier back in contention will give further competition for Fernando and (Romelu) Lukaku,"
Villas-Boas said. "For the player that he is, he is as strong as anybody." With Drogba in fine form at the African Nations Cup, the match could be Torres' last chance to keep his place for Tuesday's game.
Villas-Boas said: "It hasn't been happening for him but, as he continues to try to help the team, there will be a goal from him."
Meanwhile, Chelsea have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Lille midfielder Eden Hazard. The Blues had been strongly linked with a January move for the Belgian star, who was this week tipped to make a summer switch to Tottenham.
Birmingham boss Chris Hughton has lent his backing to Villas-Boas. He believes the former Porto manager has the pedigree and quality to overcome the current difficult transitional period he was confronted with when taking charge last summer.
Hughton said: "It was always going to be a tough job, and it will always continue to be a tough job, because the pressures of managing at the top end are certainly different to anywhere else.
"The expectations are higher, Chelsea are expected to win the majority of their games and that comes with the territory.
"What you don't do is become manager of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, the two Manchester clubs etc, without being a quality manager.
"Villa-Boas has got the job because of his CV. It is a transitional period when he has come in and there have been some difficulties for him with that.
"But I'm quite sure that given time he will put his own stamp on the club and the team. I certainly feel he will turn their fortunes around."
Hughton also believes that Villa-Boas will rise above reports that some of the current Chelsea squad are constantly texting former manager Jose Mourinho.
He said: "You can see and read anything. You can only work off what you know are facts and the facts are he is the manager of Chelsea and it is his responsibility to do the best job that he can.
"It is part and parcel of the game, whether texts, Facebook or Twitter. The modern communications are very much part of the game.
"What I see in the present day Chelsea manager, is a manager who is very focused on his team."
Hughton has guided Birmingham to a 13 game unbeaten run and into the Championship play-off positions and insists the pressure will all be on Chelsea.
He said: "This will be a massive test but, whichever way it goes, it is certainly one we will enjoy. "It will be great experience for the younger players, going to a Premier League team, a team with the quality they have had, certainly in recent years.
"The plus for us is no-one expects us to win. They are the class Premier League side and we are a team doing very well in the Championship.
"It is important we go there and give a good account of ourselves but the pressure is certainly on Chelsea to win the game."
Blues will be without injured strikers Nikola Zigic and Marlon King with Adam Rooney set to lead the attack.
But they are giving a trial to former Hull striker Caleb Folan who left Major Soccer League side Colorado Rapids at the start of this month.
League news
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Sunderland V Arsenal at Stadium of Light : Match Preview
Mertesacker lay-off is latest gunners setback
Arsenal's torrid week continued on Friday when Arsene Wenger revealed that Per Mertesacker has been ruled out 'long term'.
Adding to Wenger's defensive problems is that Laurent Koscielny is also missing for Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Sunderland because of a knee problem.
But while Koscielny should recover in a week from the injury sustained during Wednesday night's painful 4-0 drubbing by AC Milan, Mertesacker may have played his last game this season.
The German international suffered ankle ligament damage during Saturday's Barclays Premier League victory against Sunderland that requited ankle surgery.
"Unfortunately he has had surgery and we have lost him for a while," Wenger told the club's official website, www.arsenal.com.
"How long I don't know. He had reconstruction of his ligaments, so it will be long term."
Koscielny limped off shortly before half time at the San Siro, but the prognosis on his injury is far more encouraging.
"He had a scan yesterday and the news is quite good," said Wenger. "He will be out for hopefully around a week.
He will miss the Sunderland game, but he should be back for next week." Wenger is facing a headache at centre-back with Mertesacker and Koscielny unavailable for the trip to the Stadium of Light.
Thomas Vermaelen's lack of match sharpness was exposed during Arsenal's heaviest European defeat, while Johan Djourou was far from impressive.
Sebastien Squillaci has been frozen out of the first team picture, but Alex Song can play centre-back if required.
Gervinho has finished international duty at the African Nations Cup and is included in the squad and defender Carl Jenkinson will soon return to training following his back problem.
Wenger also revealed that Kieran Gibbs suffered no setback at the San Siro after being out since October with a groin problem.
"Kieran played his first game in four months in Milan so of course it was a shock to go back to that level. But physically he's all right," said Wenger.
"Carl's back in full training on Monday. That's good news for us."
Djourou has urged Arsenal to atone for last season's Carling Cup final loss to Birmingham by winning the last piece of silverware available to them this season.
"This is a big opportunity for us. The FA Cup is one of the main targets and we have to go for it," he told Arsenal Player.
"Last season's League Cup final defeat is very motivating because we were very disappointed about what happened last time at Wembley and we want to put that right.
"I think it is something still in our heads, and it is difficult to swallow. We know if we can get to the final we can lift the trophy."
Martin O'Neill is hoping his Sunderland side can intensify Arsenal's pain - but has warned unhappy Gunners fans that under-pressure Wenger is the greatest manager the club has ever had.
The Sunderland boss, who has crossed swords with Wenger on the touchline in the past, insists his opposite number should not be condemned for the midweek 4-0 pasting by AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie
The FA Cup now looks Arsenal's only chance of ending their seven-year trophy drought his season, but O'Neill believes his players can reverse the result of last weekend when the two sides met at the Stadium of Light and the visitors won 2-1.
O'Neill said: "The Milan defeat has been heavy for them and I think they would admit that and that it was something they didn't expect.
"AC Milan played very, very well indeed and Arsenal on the night didn't do so. Regardless of that I think their concentration will be on the FA Cup tie as it's a competition they have won reasonably recently and believe they can win.
"AC Milan are a top-quality team and, let's face it, we are not as good as AC Milan. They are playing in the last 16 of the Champions League and that's where every single football club worth its salt is aspiring to get to and we are a long way off that.
"That doesn't mean we are not capable of winning the match, and that we don't have one or two players who can definitely cause them problems.
I am just hoping that the advantages we might take into the game, such as having had an extra rest this week and playing at home, will help us."
Midfielder Lee Cattermole could be back in the Sunderland squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Nicklas Bendtner is back in training but, as the Denmark striker is on loan from the Gunners, he is ineligible for the fifth-round clash at the Stadium of Light. David Vaughan (ankle) is still out as are Wes Brown (knee) and Titus Bramble (Achilles/calf).
Adding to Wenger's defensive problems is that Laurent Koscielny is also missing for Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Sunderland because of a knee problem.
But while Koscielny should recover in a week from the injury sustained during Wednesday night's painful 4-0 drubbing by AC Milan, Mertesacker may have played his last game this season.
The German international suffered ankle ligament damage during Saturday's Barclays Premier League victory against Sunderland that requited ankle surgery.
"Unfortunately he has had surgery and we have lost him for a while," Wenger told the club's official website, www.arsenal.com.
"How long I don't know. He had reconstruction of his ligaments, so it will be long term."
Koscielny limped off shortly before half time at the San Siro, but the prognosis on his injury is far more encouraging.
"He had a scan yesterday and the news is quite good," said Wenger. "He will be out for hopefully around a week.
He will miss the Sunderland game, but he should be back for next week." Wenger is facing a headache at centre-back with Mertesacker and Koscielny unavailable for the trip to the Stadium of Light.
Thomas Vermaelen's lack of match sharpness was exposed during Arsenal's heaviest European defeat, while Johan Djourou was far from impressive.
Sebastien Squillaci has been frozen out of the first team picture, but Alex Song can play centre-back if required.
Gervinho has finished international duty at the African Nations Cup and is included in the squad and defender Carl Jenkinson will soon return to training following his back problem.
Wenger also revealed that Kieran Gibbs suffered no setback at the San Siro after being out since October with a groin problem.
"Kieran played his first game in four months in Milan so of course it was a shock to go back to that level. But physically he's all right," said Wenger.
"Carl's back in full training on Monday. That's good news for us."
Djourou has urged Arsenal to atone for last season's Carling Cup final loss to Birmingham by winning the last piece of silverware available to them this season.
"This is a big opportunity for us. The FA Cup is one of the main targets and we have to go for it," he told Arsenal Player.
"Last season's League Cup final defeat is very motivating because we were very disappointed about what happened last time at Wembley and we want to put that right.
"I think it is something still in our heads, and it is difficult to swallow. We know if we can get to the final we can lift the trophy."
Martin O'Neill is hoping his Sunderland side can intensify Arsenal's pain - but has warned unhappy Gunners fans that under-pressure Wenger is the greatest manager the club has ever had.
The Sunderland boss, who has crossed swords with Wenger on the touchline in the past, insists his opposite number should not be condemned for the midweek 4-0 pasting by AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie
The FA Cup now looks Arsenal's only chance of ending their seven-year trophy drought his season, but O'Neill believes his players can reverse the result of last weekend when the two sides met at the Stadium of Light and the visitors won 2-1.
O'Neill said: "The Milan defeat has been heavy for them and I think they would admit that and that it was something they didn't expect.
"AC Milan played very, very well indeed and Arsenal on the night didn't do so. Regardless of that I think their concentration will be on the FA Cup tie as it's a competition they have won reasonably recently and believe they can win.
"AC Milan are a top-quality team and, let's face it, we are not as good as AC Milan. They are playing in the last 16 of the Champions League and that's where every single football club worth its salt is aspiring to get to and we are a long way off that.
"That doesn't mean we are not capable of winning the match, and that we don't have one or two players who can definitely cause them problems.
I am just hoping that the advantages we might take into the game, such as having had an extra rest this week and playing at home, will help us."
Midfielder Lee Cattermole could be back in the Sunderland squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Nicklas Bendtner is back in training but, as the Denmark striker is on loan from the Gunners, he is ineligible for the fifth-round clash at the Stadium of Light. David Vaughan (ankle) is still out as are Wes Brown (knee) and Titus Bramble (Achilles/calf).
League News
Guardiola 'hasn't decided yet' over future
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Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said on Saturday that he is still to decide whether or not to renew his contract with the European champions when it expires at the end of the season.
"I don't know yet," he said during a press conference ahead of Barca's league game at home to Valencia on Sunday.
"If the club needs a response straight away, I'd have to decide because the club is the most important thing. But they haven't given me a deadline for the time being."
At the Barca helm since 2008, Guardiola signed a one-year contract extension in February 2011 that extended his commitment to the club until the end of the current campaign.
Asked why it was taking him so long to decide, Guardiola replied: "I have to feel it. It's as simple as that."
Despite having fallen 10 points behind Real Madrid in La Liga, the Catalan giants remain on course to defend their Champions League title and will face Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Spanish Cup at the end of May.
Guardiola has led Barca to 13 major honours during his time in charge at Camp Nou, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns.
Barca announced on Saturday that midfielders Xavi and Sergio Busquets and left-sided player Adriano have all returned to training after injury.
"This Saturday, Xavi, Busquets and Adriano all started the training session with their team-mates," read a statement on the club website.
Xavi had missed Barca's last two games due to a problem with a muscle in his right leg, while Busquets injured his knee against Real Sociedad at the start of the month and Adriano had been afflicted by muscle problems in his left leg.
For Sunday's visit of third-placed Valencia, Barca will therefore only be missing long-term injury victims David Villa and Ibrahim Afellay, as well as suspended duo Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Daniel Sturridge puts Arsenal and Tottenham on alert
Rooney: I loved to be captain of England
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| Wayne Rooney Vector Portrait (Photo credit: Vectorportal) |
Wayne Rooney insisted he would relish being England captain - but acknowledged the matter is out of his hands.
John Terry has been stripped of the honour after the Chelsea defender's racism trial was put back until July 9, while Rio Ferdinand has said he is not interested in the position. However, Rooney would not reject the chance, and also believes Steven Gerrard would be a good choice to lead England into this summer's European Championships.
The Manchester United striker, who scored two goals in Saturday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat of Liverpool, tweeted: "For everyone asking i would love to be england captain. But thats upto new manager to decide. Gerrard is perfect choice for me."
