The North London rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham is one that has defined the Premier League era. Such is the genuine animosity between fans and sometimes players, that this fixture is often explosive and, in recent years, highly significant.
Arsenal will have the chance to top the table with a win over their bitter local rivals, whereas Spurs will be looking to build on last weekend’s thumping win against Blackburn. If Tottenham’s key players can carry the confidence displayed in this season’s big European clashes, there is a real chance this Arsenal side may be toppled, as they have been vulnerable at the Emirates so far this season.
That Spurs have not yet won away against an established ‘top four’ club in seventeen years may suggest, however, that some of their players have shrunk a little on the big occasion. They will need buckets of self-confidence if they are to put right one of the worst records in the league.
Everton are thinking of replacing Steven Pienaar for South Africa international Siphiwe Tshabalala should his departure be confirmed.
The Toffees look to be fighting a losing battle in their bid to keep Pienaar and manager David Moyes has reportedly begun looking for a replacement.
Moyes is thought to be casting an eye over Tshabalala having been impressed with the winger during the World Cup.
The 26-year-old looks as though he would be a solid investment at £2.5million, with current club the Kaiser Chiefs reportedly happy to accept that amount for their star man.
Having been heavily linked with a move for Tottenham's Niko Kranjcar it looks as though Everton will turn their back on the £8million Croatian in favour of the cheaper Tshabalala once Pienaar departs.
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Everton are currently in 15th place in the Premier League and will be hoping to power up the table by beating relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park on Saturday.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Ian Holloway will not allow transfer rumours and contract negotiations to distract his Blackpool players.
Holloway is keen to focus on the task in hand – securing Premier League survival – and the Seasiders boss is keen to keep his players performing despite transfer speculation surrounding his big names.
David Vaughan, Charlie Adam, Luke Varney and Matt Gilks are among the names at Bloomfield Road whose futures have come under the spotlight in recent weeks but Holloway is keen to ensure the speculation does not detract from Blackpool's efforts on the pitch.
He told the Blackpool Gazette: "Whether it be lads who are yet to agree new contracts or someone being linked with Charlie (Adam), staying in the Premier League is more important than anything. Nothing will get in the way of it."
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Blackpool have been the surprise package in the Premier League this season as they currently sit in 13th place despite being tipped for the drop at the start of the campaign.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Goalkeeper Shay Given is expected to return to Manchester City’s starting line-up in Tuesday’s FA Cup third round replay against Leicester City.
It will be the Irish international’s first senior appearance in a month but manager Roberto Mancini is quick to point out that Joe Hart remains his preferred custodian.
Shunted down to second choice because of Hart’s impressive form, the former Newcastle man is keen to leave City and reignite his career.
Yet Mancini has warned Given it is not certain such a move will be granted.
“It is not a simple position,” Mancini told the Manchester Evening News.
“You can change the other players every game but the goalkeeper is different.
“That is the only reason why Shay has not played so often because he is a fantastic goalkeeper.”
City will only allow Given, 34, to leave if they find a replacement first, with Coventry City’s Keiren Westwood, a former City reserve and now Given’s understudy for the Republic of Ireland national team, among the options.
The City boss has not exactly made life easier for Given by opting not to select him when opportunities have arisen.
His last senior appearance was on December 16 in the Europa League tie with Juventus, which ended 1-1.
Veteran midfielder Patrick Vieira is in a similar situation, having started just two Premier League games all season but eight in cup competitions.
Vieira is one of a number of fringe players Mancini is preparing to introduce against Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Championship outfit as City look to confirm a fourth-round trip to Notts County.
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“Patrick Vieira is an important member of our squad,” Mancini said.
“He is a good player, who has lots of experience. He will probably play, along with Jerome Boateng, James Milner, David Silva, Jo and Joleon Lescott. We have other players that we can win this game.”
“I don’t like this replay because we have a lot of matches to play until the end of the season already.”
“But we want to win because we want to get to Wembley. For me, that is very important.”
Cerro Porteno beat Deportivo Petare 1-0 in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores first-round qualifying match on Thursday.
Paraguayan hosts Cerro were in control throughout but had to wait until the 70th minute before Roberto Nanni gave them a deserved lead at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco.
They should have gone in front early on in Asuncion when Luis Cardozo failed to score with an open goal from just six yards out.
Cerro continued to press and went close again when Jorge Nunez’s free-kick was kept out by goalkeeper Alan Liebeskind.
Liebeskind saved the Venezuelan visitors again in the 35th minute, palming away Juan Lucero’s long-range effort.
The away side barely had a sight of goal throughout the first half.
And when a rare opportunity finally came, Victor Guaza wasn’t able to direct his header goalwards.
Petare threatened again just after the restart, but Feliz Casseres saw his header saved by Diego Barretto.
Even if he had found the net, the linesman’s flag would have ruled out the strike for offside.
Cerro soon regained control and Nunez forced another smart save from Liebeskind.
With 20 minutes remaining, the hosts finally found the breakthrough, with Nanni on hand to power home what proved to be the winning goal.
Deportivo rarely looked like mounting a comeback and they could have gone 2-0 down when goal-scorer Nanni went close with another powerful header late on.
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Despite their dominance, the Paraguayans were forced to settle for a slender advantage going into the second leg in Venezuela on February 3.
Elsewhere, Chilean club Union Espanola came away from Bolivia’s Bolivar with a valuable 1-0 win in the first leg of their first-round qualifier.
Left midfielder Fernando Cordero scored the winner for the visitors in the 17th minute at La Paz’s Estadio Hernando Siles.
The away goal makes them slight favourites to progress after the return leg at the Estadio Santa Laura-Universidad SEK in Santiago, also on February 3.
Birmingham won a crucial battle against West Ham in their fight against relegation, winning 1-0 at Upton Park on Sunday.
Nikola Zigic headed the winner midway through the second half from a set play, to send Alex McLeish’s side one point clear of the drop zone while also condemning United back to last place on the table.
There were few chances created in the first half, although the in-form Victor Obinna was influential once more for the hosts.
Roger Johnson had the best chance for the visitors on goal, but headed over the bar from six yards out.
West Ham manager Avram Grant was forced to make a late change to his starting line up, replacing the injured James Tomkins with Matthew Upson, but the defender lasted only until half-time.
Sebastian Larsson came on for striker Cameron Jerome early in the second half, and the Swede justified McLeish’s decision when he provided a dipping free-kick which found Zigic at the back post who headed home the winner in the 65th minute.
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West Ham substitute Manuel da Costa missed two gilt-edged chances late on – one with the head, one by foot – firing wide on both occasions.
City move to 16th on the table, with a game in hand on their relegation rivals, while West Ham are bottom, two points from safety.
Arsenal have little time to get over their shock 1-1 FA Cup draw with Leyton Orient on Sunday, with a Premier League tussle with Stoke on Wednesday.Originally scheduled for December 18 at the Emirates, persistent snow saw the match postponed.With a replay against Orient in the offing, the club will contest the Carling Cup final on February 27 and are still involved in the Champions League, meaning Arsene Wenger’s side will be busy in coming weeks.Arsenal are second in the league, just four points behind leaders Manchester United, and will be desperate for three points to bridge the gap and keep the pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.There is no love lost between Wenger and Stoke boss Tony Pulis, with the Frenchman a critic of what he described as Stoke’s ‘rugby’ tactics against goalkeepers.Wenger’s comments strained relations already frosty following last season’s challenge by Ryan Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey that left the midfielder with a broken leg. Stoke are in 10th place, after being in contention for a European place earlier in the season, but with just eight points separating them from bottom-placed Wolves – and with three losses from their past four games – Premier League survival could soon become a pressing issue for Pulis’ side. The signing of striker John Carew on loan from Aston Villa has given the squad a new dimension, while the only concern Pulis has from the treatment room is a hamstring injury to winger Matthew Etherington.Wenger has more pressing injury concerns ahead of the fixture, with Thomas Vermaelen, Lukasz Fabianski and Emmanuel Frimpong all unavailable, but with 10 first-team players rested for the Orient game, the Gunners should be fit and firing for Wednesday night’s match.
As we continue our look at the future of the game, and the role of our young players, I look at the murky underbelly of the transfer world and the tapping up scandals that have continued to dominate the headlines.
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If those running the youth teams of smaller clubs around Europe had hoped that the tapping up of young talent by the biggest fish in world football had been brought to an end in the wake of the Gael Kakuta saga, the news this week that Chelsea are being investigated for their role in the tapping up of young Feyenoord prospect, Nathan Ake, will have sent sighs of exasperation across the football community.
In fact, the whole concept is fast becoming a boring soap opera, and one that none of the football authorities seem to be in any great rush to bring to an end. The constant violation of the rules and regulations surrounding the acquisitions of young talent is often so blatant that the nominal fines and superficial punishments have been laughable.
The Kakuta saga was interesting in that it was the first time that a club had been severely punished by FIFA for illegal dealings involving the acquisition of young players. Kakuta was alleged to have broken the terms of his contract with parent club, Lens in order to sign an agreement with West London giants, Chelsea in 2007.
The FIFA imposed ban on Chelsea’s transfer activity for two transfer windows was deemed harsh in some quarters, but was also an indication that the biggest fish could no longer bully the smallest in the fashion they had previously become accustomed.
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The ban imposed in September 2009 was quickly overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and whilst the legal arguments for the reversal were undoubtedly sound, it was found Kakuta did not have a valid contract with Lens, the chance to make a big statement on the issue was lost.
The way in which players are recruited already suits the largest clubs- it makes sense that the finest talent will be presented to the biggest and best sides in Europe from an early age, in the hope that these big outfits take a particular interest in these youngsters and nurture them into top level footballers.
Young players will naturally want to go to Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona or AC Milan from a historical point of view. Because of their relatively recent rise to the top level of club football, Chelsea have found some top talents choosing destinations other than West London in which to ply their trade. This, combined with owner Roman Abramovich’s desire to develop a cost- effective, top quality young squad, has meant the attempts to acquire potential stars of the future have intensified. The relatively small amounts of cash needed to keep these poorer clubs from kicking up a fuss, has been deemed a worthy expenditure.
The irony is, that for Chelsea, despite the adverse reaction, the recruitment of these young players has not really worked. Both of the boys acquired from Leeds in 2006 have failed to make an impact a Stamford Bridge- Michael Woods currently plays in the reserves having made a handful of substitute appearances, and Tom Taiwo has moved on to Carlisle United having not played a single game at Stamford Bridge. Jon Obi Mikel, the Nigerian who once cost Chelsea 15 million pounds in a compensation deal with Manchester United has performed at first team level, however has certainly not lived up to the hype he was afforded.
Chelsea may have been underhand in some of the cases that have been brought to light, but they are by no means the only side to be caught with their trousers down- almost every single major player on the European stage has had one point or another been reprimanded for their movements on young players- it is inevitable.
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Whilst strict punishments remain a pipe dream, big clubs will continue in their pursuit to find a talent worth bringing into their first team squad. The rewards of finding just one special talent amongst ten dubiously located prospective players are such that clubs will continue to risk punishment, pushing and pushing until someone pushes back.
Want to read more? Follow me on Twitter. I’ll be hiding in an underground bunker hoping to avoid Frank Arnesen.
Porto are within reach of a Europa League quarter-finals berth with a 1-0 win at CSKA Moscow, while Spartak Moscow stunned Ajax.Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin was on hand to nab an invaluable away goal for Porto, cutting inside at the edge of the area and firing a well-directed effort beyond CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev in the 70th minute.The result was just reward for the Portuguese club, who dominated the opening leg of their last-16 tie in freezing conditions at the Luzhniki Stadium.Porto will take a handy aggregate into their home leg next Thursday, where – if their intimidating Liga Sagres form this season is any indication – they will prove very difficult to defeat.Elsewhere, Spartak Moscow were surprise 1-0 winners at Eredivisie runners-up Ajax, with Brazilian midfielder Alex finding the net in the 57th minute.The former Internacional playmaker took possession on the right flank and worked his way inside two Ajax defenders before dipping a left-footed shot into the top-left corner.Ajax were unable to find a reply despite a spirited showing in the final half hour, and face an uphill battle to secure their passage to the last eight when they travel to the Russian capital next Thursday.Fellow Russian club Zenit St Petersburg face their own struggle in next week’s home leg after they fell 3-0 at Dutch club Twente.Netherlands international Luuk de Jong scored a brace either side of veteran midfielder Denny Landzaat’s 56th-minute goal, leaving Twente well-placed for a trip to the quarter-finals.Paris Saint-Germain’s tie with Benfica is evenly poised after the French club fell 2-1 in Lisbon.Congolese attacker Peguy Luyindula nabbed a valuable away goal in the 15th minute, but Maximiliano Pereira levelled in the shadows of half-time and Franco Jara saved Benfica’s blushes with an 82nd-minute winner.Spanish side Villarreal can thank Nilmar for their surprise 3-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen, with the Brazilian ace netting an injury-time winner to put Villarreal in a strong position ahead of their home tie.Michal Kadlec had opened the scoring for Bayer after the half hour, before strike duo Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar put Villarreal up 2-1 by the 70th minute.Gonzalo Castro looked to have secured a draw for the hosts two minutes later, but Nilmar struck again to bag a brace and keep Villarreal in the hunt for the quarter-finals.Elsewhere, Scottish side Rangers held Dutch club PSV Eindhoven to a 0-0 draw in the Netherlands, Liverpool fell 1-0 at Sporting Braga and Dynamo Kiev defeated Manchester City 2-0.
The Blues are top of the Premier League form table and on the path to secure a top 4 place come the end of the season with an outside chance of catching Arsenal in 2nd or even United at the top if either of the teams are to slip up.
Despite super signing Fernando Torres not scoring a single goal since his arrival, Chelsea have been performing incredibly well since their form at mid-way through the season. They’ve won their last 3 games back-to-back with other new signing David Luiz already making a name for himself since his arrival with 2 goals.
Stoke on the other hand seem safe in 10th position and safe for Premier League football next season. Tony Pulis’ men have a semi-final at Wembley in the FA Cup to look forward to but the manager will be looking to turn over a poor record against Chelsea as the Potters have not picked up a single point against them in their last five attempts.
City have a good home record and will make it tough for the visit of the side from south west London, but Chelsea being in such good form of late will use their class to make the difference in this game depending on the formation that Carlo Ancelotti uses.
Prediction: Stoke City 0-1 Chelsea
Watch Jason Cundy & Scott Minto on Scoreboard and see their pre-match predictions
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