With all eyes on Zurich to see if England have been successful in their quest for the 2018 World Cup there has been little to report on the domestic scene, other than crowd violence at St Andrews and some transfer tittle-tattle.
In the papers today there has been focus on Ferguson about to eclipse Sir Matt Busby; Adebayor looking to force a move to Tottenham and Liverpool rally around to boost Joe Cole’s confidence.
*
Hodgson reveals Cole’s strife – Sky Sports
Violence mars Bimingham’s derby win – Guardian
Bayern: Schweinsteiger not joining United – Daily Telegraph
Landon Donovan says chances of Everton return ’50-50′ – IM Scouting
Adebayor out to ‘force’ Spurs move – Mirror
Denílson eyes Arsenal quadruple – Guardian
Santos set their sights on a January swoop for Liverpool midfielder Lucas – Daily Mail
Mancini focuses on league – Sky Sports
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ferguson set to eclipse Busby – Guardian
Liverpool rally to boost Cole’s confidence – Daily Telegraph
Sir Alex Ferguson insists that the Premier League title race is at a defining moment.
United are top of the table on goal difference going into Saturday’s home game against Birmingham City.
Ferguson said: “It’s kicking on time now. Our home form is very good and we hope that continues, but we want to change the trend with our away form.”
Brazilian defender Rafael has a hearing with the FA on Friday after his red card against Tottenham last week and Ferguson was still fuming about his sending off.
“You hope for common sense, you hope that prevails ? It was a bad decision to send him off,” he said.
“In a big game it can have an impact, especially with 20 minutes left. Having to replace Rafael has given us something to consider, plus one or two other changes.”
John O’Shea and Wes Brown are back in contention after making midweek outings for the reserves and Paul Scholes is also available for selection.
Ferguson was thrilled to have veteran Scholes ready to play again after recovering from a groin injury.
“It’s good to have him back. He’s had a little break, and whenever he’s had an injury in the past and taken time out he’s coming back looking fresh,” he said.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Meanwhile, winger Antonio Valencia could be back in action at the end of next month following the severe ankle injury he suffered in September.
“Valencia is doing well now, he’s started his running programme. He’s able to train every day now, which is a big step forward,” Ferguson said.
“I think possibly towards the end of February he should be back in the first-team squad which is a big boost to us, something for us to look forward to.”
Striker Federico Macheda has reiterated his desire to make his mark with Manchester United in the Premier League.
Macheda joined Serie A side Sampdoria on loan earlier this month and the Italian Under-21 international scored his first goal for his new club in the Italian Cup win over Udinese in midweek.
But the 19-year-old is determined to ensure his time with the Genoa-based club boosts his career at Old Trafford, where he has scored four goals in 27 appearances.
“I have always said my objective is to return to Manchester United and make my mark in the Premier League, as they are a world-class club,” Macheda said.
“In terms of organisation, they are a step above the rest. Sir Alex Ferguson even came to watch the youth team games and always cheered me on.”
“That never happened when I was at Lazio. Before I left, the only one of the top players who came over and asked me to stay was Fabio Firmani.”
However, Macheda said responsibility came with playing for United.
“One time he tore shreds off me when I got back to the hotel late after a night out,” he said.
“I do like it at Sampdoria, so if I see there aren’t many prospects in England, then I could stay on longer.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Macheda also spoke about the comparisons between the Premier League and Serie A.
“The defenders hit you just as hard in Italy as in England, with the only difference being in the Premier League the referees whistle less,” he said.
Steve Kean put pen to paper on a new deal this week, keeping the Blackburn boss at Ewood Park until at least the summer of 2013.
The first signs of Rovers’ new found financial wealth was in evidence this week, as Kean completed a first signing as Blackburn boss, US star Jermaine Jones arriving from Schalke’04.
West Brom brought to an end a horror trot for them when they won by the odd goal in five against in form Blackpool. The lofty ambitions of early season have, however, been shelved, and a spring time scrap for survival looks on the cards.
Roque Santa Cruz will make a first home appearance for the club since returning from Manchester City, and should start in a game I fancy the home side to nick.
Prediction: 1-0
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
[divider]
bet365 will match new customers’ deposit up to the value of £200!
Wayne Rooney is back to his best and can help Manchester United win silverware this season, according to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The England striker only has five goals this season but will provide the Wolves defence cause for concern on Saturday after putting poor recent form behind him by scoring twice in United’s 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Ferguson said: “Hopefully – and there’s every chance with scoring the kind of goals he scored the other night – he’ll take off.”
“Goal scorers are like that and hopefully that’s what we’re going to see with Wayne. He’s got 14 league games, European games and FA Cup games to go – he could easily get a good average.”
“What Wayne has always had is a fantastic energy to play in a game. He’s always committed to doing his best. The bonus is, as we saw the other night, he got two goals.”
“Last season he was very consistent, but in the previous years he has scored in clutches of five or six games. But if he can get the consistency of last season then we are going to benefit from that.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ferguson has no injury concerns ahead of the trip to Molineux, with full-back Rafael (concussion) and midfielder Darren Fletcher (eye problem) both returning to fitness.
Ferguson confirmed: “Rafael should be OK; he has trained and he should be available against Wolves.”
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema believes his former club Lyon are in safe hands under manager Claude Puel.France international Benzema spent his final season at Lyon under Puel before joining Real for a reported fee of 35 million euros.Now in his second season in La Liga, Benzema will return to the Stade de Gerland on Tuesday for the first leg of a Champions League round of 16 tie. And with 49-year-old tactician Puel in the home dugout, Benzema has no illusions about the challenge facing the Spanish visitors.”He (Puel) is a very good coach, and he is at a club now which is competing for the title and playing in the Champions League on a regular basis, so he has the chance to get the success there that he deserves,” Benzema told Ligue1.com. “Without doubt, he is a top coach.”Benzema was part of the Real team that lost 2-1 on aggregate to Lyon over two legs at the same stage of the competition last season.And the 23-year-old is keen to pay the French side back by moving ino the last eight at their expense this time. “It’s always great to go back to the club where I started my career,” he said. “I have many fantastic memories from my time there, but as much as I love Lyon, I really hope we can beat them this time.” “The mistake we made last year was that we just felt we were superior to them without proving it on the pitch.” “Everyone here dismissed Lyon as a team that we would easily beat, but it was not like that, and it will be really tough again this time.””Their team has changed a lot from my time there. Half the players there now were not at the club with me.” “I don’t speak with many of their current players, and I don’t get to see as many of their games as I would like but there is no doubt that they remain a very good side.””They have been on a terrific run recently, putting together win after win, and every time they play against Madrid they make it an incredibly tough game.”
FC Porto travel to CSKA Moscow on Thursday armed with one of the strongest attacks in the Europa League.Porto, 11 points clear of second-placed Benfica, are running away with the Liga Sagres and on course to collect their 25th title. They topped their Europa League group ahead of Besiktas and accounted for La Liga side Sevilla in the second round.After a 2-1 victory in Spain and a 1-0 loss in the return at home, Porto needed the away goals rule to get past Sevilla. But knocking out the experienced Champions League campaigners remains an impressive achievement.Porto can boast two of the best strikers outside of the major European leagues in Brazilian Hulk and Colombian Radamel Falcao, ably assisted by Portuguese midfielder Silvestre Varela.The team is coached by 33-year-old prodigy Andre Villas Boas, who served as Porto assistant under Jose Mourinho and is tipped by many to replicate the master tactician’s impressive achievements.Standing in their way are CSKA, who won the competition as the UEFA Cup in 2005. They reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season, losing 2-0 on aggregate to eventual winners Inter Milan. CSKA are part of a strong Russian presence in this season’s competition. Russian Premier League leaders Zenit St Petersburg – who won the UEFA Cup in 2008 – are away to FC Twente, while Spartak Moscow are also in the Netherlands to meet Ajax Amsterdam. All of the Eredivisie’s three representatives are at home, with league leaders PSV Eindhoven playing host to Scottish Premier League side Glasgow Rangers. In other matches, Portuguese side Braga – who edged out Porto to achieve Champions League qualification last season – are at home to English club Liverpool. Liverpool’s Premier League rivals Manchester City also have an away match – they make the long flight to take on Dynamo Kiev of the Ukraine. Villarreal, fourth in La Liga, travel to Germany to play Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, while French club Paris Saint-Germain are in Portugal to meet Benfica.
Velez Sarsfield won a bruising Copa Libertadores clash with Union Espanola on Thursday, while Leon de Huanuco’s campaign is all but over.Qualifying for the continental tournament through their second placing in the Apertura of the 2010 Argentine Primera Division season, Velez Sarsfield needed a win at home to keep them in touch with Group 4 leaders Universidad Catolica.
Ricardo Gareca’s men duly delivered with a 2-1 result against Union Espanola, elevating them to second in the group standings.
Defender Emiliano Papa opened the scoring for the home side, lashing in the rebound on 23 minutes after a close-range effort from striker Santiago Silva had been blocked by Union goalkeeper Eduardo Lobos.
But the lead lasted just 11 minutes, with the Chilean outfit equalising when defender Leandro Delgado beat the off-side trap to flick his header past Velez shot-stopper Marcelo Barovero.
Having gone close in the build-up to the opener, Uruguayan Silva did not leave empty handed when he nodded home in the 69th minute after Maximiliano Moralez’s cross into the area was sent back across the face of goal.
Velez survived several desperate attacks as the clock wound down, and could also be considered lucky not to have accumulated more than three yellow cards after a handful of robust challenges went unpunished by Brazilian referee Salvio Spinola Fagundes Filho.
Union drop to bottom of Group 4, but are just three points from fellow Chilean side Universidad in the standings, with two games remaining.
Bolivian club Oriente Petrolero hopes of progressing beyond the competition’s group stages are well over, but they provided a hammer blow to Peruvian outfit Leon de Huanuco’s own campaign with a 2-0 win at home.
Alcides Pena’s 17th-minute opener was complemented by a 78th-minute sealer from Bolivian international midfielder Jhasmany Carlos, handing Oriente their first points of the stage.
The result leaves Leon de Huanuco three points and goal difference from second-placed Gremio on the Group 2 table, with the Brazilian club possessing a game in hand.
Colombian side Junior are the runaway group leaders, having won all four games.
Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has rung the changes ahead of his side’s friendly against Ukraine in Kiev on Tuesday.Prandelli has made seven changes to the team, with only four players retaining their spots in the starting line-up from Italy’s 1-0 win over Slovenia in a Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday.
The lucky quartet comprises defenders Christian Maggio and Giorgio Chiellini and midfielders Roberto Aquilani and Riccardo Montolivo.
Despite all the changes, Prandelli said his players are ready for the challenge and he expects his side to play to their best.
“I have seen a motivated group. There is the desire to play,” Prandelli said.
“We must erase the word friendly. I expect a real game. I want to see more running and penetration with respect to Friday. I expect the team to build from the back.”
Prandelli declared he was delighted with the form of forward Giuseppe Rossi both for his club and in training, but was not prepared to comment extensively on striker Mario Balotelli’s latest indiscretion.
Balotelli was caught throwing darts at youth players at Manchester City’s training ground on Sunday and when questioned why he was doing so, claimed he was ‘bored’.
“I don’t know the details of the darts incident and I am not going to go into it a lot,” Prandelli said.
“If he really said that he was bored, the next time he can call me and speak about other things … It’s clear that everyone is responsible for their own behaviour.”
“I want responsible players in the Italian national team. It will be on the pitch where I will understand if Mario is ready for this adventure with us. What he does off the pitch influences what he does on it. This way he only hurts himself.”
Balotelli will not feature on Tuesday, with Prandelli opting to use Aquilani in and behind Rossi and Alberto Gilardino in the Italian side’s attack.
Gilardino will captain Italy and described the prestige as a ‘great honour’ and referred to previous Italian captains Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon as inspiration to play well with the armband.
Buffon will not start in Kiev, with Bologna’s Emilio Viviano to replace him in goal for the friendly.
Making judgement calls is part and parcel of being a football manager. Knowing when to change formation or tactics during critical moments in a match is vital, but another aspect which is equally important, is player judgement. The ability to know what to expect from your own players and to get the best out of them is equally vital, and the best exponents of man management such as Bill Shankly and Brian Clough have shown how it can work wonders on a football pitch. Before this week’s match against Manchester City, Kenny Dalglish had this to say about putting in some younger players:
“We have to be very careful. The Academy has progressed fantastically well over the last 18 months or so. We’ve got to be mindful of the fact that those youngsters need to be protected. They’ve played a lot of games at their level and if we are going to put anyone in, it won’t be a problem – but we’ll have to make sure we are sensible. The worst thing for us would be to put someone in and they have a bad game. That would be detrimental.”
Putting young players in at the right time is crucial as it can have detrimental effects on a player’s development if they are risked in the first team too early. Going into the City match I stated that it maybe a risk NOT to risk a youngster in the backline as I felt a backline with four centre backs would not stand up to the rigours of Manchester City’s attack. I genuinely thought that King Kenny would go into the match with Kyrgiakos & Skrtel at centre back with Carragher and Wilson in the full back positions as they had finished the West Brom match the week before, as I felt he would stick to his comments on not risking the youth too early. Still I felt that playing either John Flanagan or Jack Robinson would be the way to go as it would give the Reds the mobility which would be needed against City.
[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]
I was pleasantly surprised then when I saw the team news that Flanagan would start against Manchester City. It was certainly a risk to play the 18 year old even though he has shown his capabilities in the Under 18s and reserves over the last couple of years, but his great display versus the Blues last night was testament to his own abilities as well as the judgement of Kenny Dalglish.
Us Reds fans have been blowing the trumpet for bringing through some of the youth prospects for a fair few months since it became apparent that the league campaign was not going to be a successful one. It seemed an ideal time to try out a few younger players. Still, only those at the club really know whose ready and who isn’t, and Kenny played his hand superbly last night. With his comments prior to the game, he took the pressure off the younger players, and did not give any indication that he would give them a try out, but when he opted to give John Flanagan his debut, he ensured that he was ready for game by taking all of the heat off him by letting him know how he wanted him to play, and also not allowing a big build up in the press by announcing he would be playing only two hours before the match. Flanno stated:
“Kenny was giving me advice, telling me not to be nervous and to get on the ball, do what I do and keep it simple. That helped me a lot. I was obviously nervous – first game against Man City, a big team. But I just tried to get the job done and we got a good win.”
Flanagan did everything which was expected of him on his debut. Great credit must be given to the work the Academy has been doing over the last couple of years and also for Kenny for knowing when the right time was to put the player in the first team. Although he wasn’t directly up against a left winger, he was assured on the ball, making a fantastic diagonal ball in the first half to Fabio Aurelio as well as showing his great tackling ability on Gareth Barry in the second period. Dalglish took all the pressure off the youngster, and the player performed to his best. It was his first game so there is still a long way to go, and he is still learning, but it is good to see a young player who was not overawed and showed he was not out of place at the highest level.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Read more of David’s articles at Live4Liverpool.com
[divider]
Listen to the first episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and Toploader’s Dan Hipgrave makes a special appearance!