Norwich defender Michael Turner admits the players decided to block out the home fans’ frustration at half-time in the Swansea game.
The Carrow Road faithful vented their anger at boss Chris Hughton after the Canaries nearly went two goals down before the interval, but Turner says the players did not pay any attention to the “sort it out” chants.
“We could sense the fans’ frustration but we were saying to each other, ‘Don’t listen to the crowd, stick to the game plan and we will be fine’,” Turner said.
Winger Elliott Bennett, who crossed for Robert Snodgrass’ goal and then set up Turner for the second, paid tribute to the side’s unshakeable belief – even when things appear to be going wrong.
“We always believe in every game and we will try to pick up points wherever we go and whoever we face.”
The former Brighton star admitted he did not know if a point at home would be good enough to keep the Canaries up at the end of the Premier League season.
“I don’t have a clue how many points we will need,” he added. “This league is so weird.
“Wigan have games in hand on us and everyone knows what they are like. They are notorious for getting out of trouble.
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“We have the points on the board so if we take care of our own business we won’t be relying on anyone else.”
star Jack Wilshere, is expected to return to action at home to Reading at the end of the month.
The England midfielder has been out injured since Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to rivals Tottenham Hotspur and it was initially claimed that manager Arsene Wenger had ruled out the possibility of using him again this season.
However, now Arsenal have responded quickly to deny that there was any setback in the talismanic midfielder’s recovery.
“Nothing has changed in Jack’s recovery. There’s no setback or any further damage to his ankle,” said a club spokesperson.
“There’s no concern about any long term problems. Jack was told to rest and is still on course to resume training and be available for selection against Reading.”
Wilshere’s injury problems started when a routine operation on his right ankle caused him to miss 17 months of football due to a number of setbacks.
With Arsenal still in the mix for a Champions League place, the news of Wilshere’s return from injury will give the team a boost as they look to catch Tottenham, who are four points ahead, having played a game more.
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And after another trophy less season, Champions League qualification is a must for the Gunners.
Aston Villa stepped up their bid for Premier League survival with a late win against Norwich at Carrow Road that drags them back into the dogfight.
Chris Hughton post-match…”I’m annoyed and frustrated because there was no way we should have lost or deserved to lose. We were the better side over 90 minutes but Villa have pace on the counter-attack and we have conceded two poor goals today.”
Paul Lambert post-match…”Our effort after playing on Monday night was outstanding. All credit to the team. We hung on and in the second half it could have been more. Gabby Agbonlahor has been playing excellently for us, he has the speed to hurt teams and power as well.”
Good day for…Gabriel Agbonlahor: After a frustrating first period the Villa striker put his ruthless hat on after the break and punished some poor Norwich defending to score twice and earn a crucial three points for his side.
Bad day for…Sebastien Bassong: Doesn’t look the same player without Michael Turner alongside him and showed his fragility in the closing stages when he allowed Agbonlahor to breeze past him to nab the winning goal.
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PUMA’s latest colourway of the PowerCat 1 FG football boot will be debuted on pitch by Marco Reus in the most important match of the year this weekend. Reus, who has been an instrumental figure in the Borussia Dortmund’s successes on the road to the UEFA Champions League final, will wear his new black and yellow PowerCat boots for the first time at Wembley.
Marco Reus said, “Reaching the Champions League final is the biggest moment of my career so far and I cannot wait to walk out on this great football stage at the weekend. My first season at Borussia Dortmund with the whole Champions League tournament has been extremely exciting, and going to Wembley is really an absolute highlight for me. My new PUMA boots feature a similar colourway to the iconic BVB colours, I think this is a good sign and hope they will help me perform well in London and bring about a great end to a phenomenal season.”
The PUMA PowerCat 1 FG is designed for players who desire power and accuracy when shooting and passing. Featuring a perfect blend of materials, this boot provides increased kicking power, whilst enabling precision through the newest PUMA technology that improves ball grip (3D PST DUO Technology). The boot delivers a bladed stud configuration for better traction, manoeuvrability and accurate pressure distribution and the external heel counter protects and stabilises the heel.
Finishing touches are the soft, premium K-Leather that enhances fit, comfort and touch and a lightweight microfiber material in the lateral quarter to support of the midfoot, which is essential to keep the weight of the boot to a minimum.
The new PowerCat 1 FG products in the black, fluorescent yellow and blue colourway will be on pitch this weekend and available in-store from the 1st of June 2013.
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When Brendan Rodgers decided that Pepe Reina’s future lay elsewhere, one has to imagine that his decision was not made with 100% assuredness.
Reina, now on his way to Napoli, has been a cornerstone of today’s Liverpool, with his status at Anfield perhaps only surpassed by Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
His imperious record and vast experience is unmatched by most of Rodgers’ current squad, and most other Premier League goalkeepers.
Indeed, to say that Simon Mignolet has big gloves to fill could well be classed an understatement.
That’s not to suggest he isn’t capable of the task. The Belgian has steadily proved himself over the last three campaigns at Sunderland and for many was one of the best goalkeepers in England last season.
It is no secret though, that players of quality can end up struggling when they find themselves wearing a shirt like that of Liverpool’s, steeped in such esteemed history.
Mignolet has developed markedly with Sunderland, but previous to his time on Tyneside, the 25-year-old was plying his trade in the first and second divisions of Belgium.
Compare that to where Reina joined Liverpool from. Although only 22 at the time, the shot stopper had already experienced top European football with Barcelona and Villarreal.
Experience is not the only doubt that the red half of Merseyside might have about Rodgers’ decision however.
For sheer talent, does Mignolet represent a better option than Reina?
Napoli’s incoming keeper has kept Liverpool 134 clean sheets in the Premier League. That stat speaks for itself.
To the contrary, Mignolet has managed 29 clean sheets, which actually is rather impressive considering last season was the first time he kept goal for the entire duration of the league.
Those stats of course do not tell the whole story, but nevertheless give a small insight into the ability of both.
A clearer representation for some will be the praises that have been sung about each.
It seems unnecessary to pull up a quote about Reina. Everyone is aware of the plaudits he has received through his career, regularly thought of as one of the best keepers in Europe and by many a Liverpool fan as the best in their history.
As for Mignolet, those who have worked closest with him have never doubted his quality.
Just last year, Martin O’Neill exclaimed: “When I look at Joe Hart I see an excellent goalkeeper, his performance for Manchester City against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League was sublime, but Simon is playing just as well.”
Certainly, it would appear on the ability front that Mignolet has all the attributes to be a more than apt replacement for Reina.
Is the change really necessary though?
At 25, Mignolet evidently has the chance to develop yet more, but Reina is 30, which in goalkeeping years, as has been proved by the likes of Brad Friedel and Edwin Van Der Sar in recent times, is becoming a career peak point.
Many will say that the Spaniard has appeared jaded and past his best in recent seasons, with more errors seeming to creep into his game.
Arguably however, a chance for the man from Madrid to settle has been denied in the said period. He had to work with a very deep back line under Roy Hodgson, a line a touch higher under Kenny Dalglish and a much higher one under Rodgers.
The suggestion from the Liverpool boss yesterday though, was that Reina had to go due to his high wages, which are thought to be around £110,000 per week.
“Financially it was something that we needed to look at,” said Rodgers. “That would be the reason [to move Reina] as you wouldn’t move on a top goalkeeper. It (the situation) reared its head over the last couple of months and I had to prepare by bringing in another keeper.”
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To suggest Reina was sent on his way due to his wages could be taken as an indicator of how Rodgers rates Mignolet.
If finances are a little insecure at Anfield, then surely he would not, just over a year into his tenure, shell out in the region of £9million for a replacement?
Equally though, the fact that Reina is to join Napoli on a season-long loan could be seen as an example of slight doubt from Rodgers.
Usually these types of deals are with a view to a permanent transfer, bearing in mind the current situation of both clubs.
Napoli though, having sold Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain for £55million, are clearly not short of money.
Meanwhile, Liverpool could surely have found another suitor for Reina if they wanted to sell.
It all of course depends upon how the situation is read, but from this viewpoint, it could be reckoned that Rodgers is keeping the door open for a Reina return.
With Champions League football back on the agenda, Arsenal’s squad will once again be tested in a match that could, in any other year, be drawn up as a knockout round tie, with Napoli being welcomed to the Emirates.
There’s an odd perception when it comes to the Champions League group stages. Strive all season to make the top four and then hope for an ‘easy’ path into the latter stages – at least that’s the view from some sections of support. A group consisting of Napoli, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, and even regulars Marseille, is one of the glamour groups of this year’s competition.
What can be said, however, is that there are supporters who may fear that qualification from the group in either first or second place may be a stretch. It’s not that Arsenal lack the quality to match the consistently impressive Dortmund or the dark horses from Naples, it’s the question of depth and whether sacrifices can and should be made when juggling European and domestic league fixtures.
[cat_link cat=”arsenal” type=”list”]
It was a concern that Arsene Wenger chose to play Per Mertesacker for 120 minutes in the League Cup away to West Brom, only then to go on and start him in the away tie at Swansea. Thomas Vermaelen may be an able backup to the first-choice centre-back pairing at Arsenal, but considering Napoli’s potent attack, most at Arsenal would be far more assured of a good result if the German stays in the defence for this particular tie.
And the thing is it’s only the start of October. Even Wenger expressed concern over the long-term fitness of his squad, though it’s not something that couldn’t be combated via the market. The Premier League, of course, should be the priority. It’s a logical step for a club of Arsenal’s stature to regain a foothold at the highest tier of football.
So there is a question. In the likely event that Arsenal do finish third in their Champions League group – and again that isn’t a knock to the club, but an awareness of the limitations of the squad – would the Europa League and a strong charge in the Premier League be considered an acceptable or even good balance for the second half of the season? Conversely, would a lack of Champions League football in the second half of the season be deemed acceptable?
The Europa League door has fortunately been pushed open a little further for audiences in this country, with last season’s Premier League top three competing in the competition over the past two seasons. It doesn’t represent a failure by any stretch, but rather an opportunity. The League Cup, for arguments sake, is a write-off, such is the squad and the nature of Arsenal’s opponents in the next round.
Arsenal are nowhere near to winning the Champions League, and in a traditional sense have no business being in the competition, along with many others. From one point of view, it makes little sense to ‘throw away’ European football for this season, though incidentally many who are involved in the Europa League group stages do exactly that. The reality, unfortunately is that Arsenal don’t have the means to maintain this strong start in the league while offering maximum input to the Champions League.
The end result to sacrificing, in a way, one major competition is that Arsenal could be very well placed come January to strengthen and further their cause for a strong finish in the Premier League. Couldn’t it be argued that, considering the inconsistency of other title challengers, the league title is more or less up for grabs, in that there is no clear winner?
Arsenal don’t have the squad of a Bayern Munich or even an Atletico Madrid, who can afford to successfully juggle two major competitions. Instead, the domestic form of the club indicates that the Premier League will bring the most success, in one form or another. Qualifying from the Champions League group stages would be a bonus, but a third place finish wouldn’t be as disastrous as may be initially thought.
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Where should Arsenal’s priorities lie this season?
Let’s get straight to the point: Racism in football will never go away.
Campaigns such as Kick It Out, Stand up Speak up and Show Racism the Red Card have done their best to drown out the culprits who ruin the beautiful game. However, the reality is that wearing wrist bands and t-shirts isn’t going to go stop racism, and this due to the shambolic way both UEFA and FIFA are run.
It’s amazing how someone like Sepp Blatter can run a huge organization like FIFA. Someone who has insulted nations and consistently declined the chance to update technology is running the biggest football organization in the world, and yet when it comes to racism, the Swiss turns a blind eye and acts like everything is normal, when he knows it’s far from it.
Racism is in every country, but some countries are worse than others. We have seen over the last few years (especially some countries in Eastern Europe) that racial discrimination can be a huge problem for players and fans when attending matches. For example: Why on earth would you give the World Cup, the biggest football tournament in the world to a country like a Russia that had one team’s supporters publicly say that they don’t want ‘any gay or black players in their team?’ Why? How can Blatter allow such despicable acts go unpunished? In a way, it’s like he is promoting it.
Look at Euro 2012 when it was in Poland and Ukraine – a few weeks before the tournament started, BBC watchdog programme Panorama investigated how some supporters would abuse their own players due to the colour of their skin. There were even secret anti-Semitic gang meetings as fans from certain clubs were angry at their manager’s decision to sign Jewish and Muslim players. How can UEFA and FIFA let countries have such racial hatred backgrounds host some of the most high profile tournaments in the world? Racism is a serious matter and needs to be taken into account.
We’ve seen in the past that if fans have been found guilty of racial remarks, the club they support either get a fine or a stadium ban where no fans are allowed to attend the match. If a player is found guilty, they are either fined or banned. This isn’t strong enough to punish racism, as racism is the cancer of football. The game that we all love is being tarnished by a disease which is effectively killing the sport, and the only way to stop the slow death of football is by making the punishments for the culprits as hard as possible.
The obvious punishment in my book will be moving the 2018 World Cup away from Russia, as that will teach the Russian football fans a hard and painful lesson, to stop racism.
Christopher Samba and Roberto Carlos were continuously abused by their own fans in 2012, as both players were heckled with bananas and verbal abuse. A year and a half on, Manchester City’s Yaya Toure was abused by CSKA Moscow fans as they made monkey chants to the midfielder. UEFA said they will ‘investigate the incident’. Why? What needs to be investigated? Everyone has got ears and heard that no chants like that were made to any other player until Toure got the ball, and then fans wonder why the majority of African players reject playing in countries like Russia, as they know they are going to get abused.
We are living in 2013, soon to be 2014 and players are still scared of moving to foreign countries due to the abuse that they could potentially receive from rival and maybe their own fans. This is terrible to see. Football is a sport where you have the opportunity to play in some of the most beautiful cities and stadiums across the world, but some players turn down this chance to save themselves from the mental painful they could suffer from disgusting fans.
If anything, fans and players should be given criminal records or even prison sentences if found guilty of racial abuse. If you work in an office and you make racist remarks to a fellow colleague in an attacking manner, you could get arrested, lose your job and possibly face prison depending on how serious the offence is. Why isn’t that enforced in football? Yes, footballers are high profile celebrities, but their position in the social chain doesn’t give them the right to do what they want and think that they are above the law. If criminal records were dished out to both players and fans for racial abuse, then players and fans will think twice before opening their mouths.
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Football is an abusive game; shouting, swearing and rude gestures are part of the sport we love as tensions can run increasingly high. However, abusing fans, referees and players by insulting their ethnic race or religion is something which the majority of fans condemn.
The FA has also been guilty in not doing enough to stop the cancer which is racism. John Terry gets a four match ban and a £220,000 fine for racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. For the same crime, Luis Suarez gets an eight game ban with a £40,000 fine. Where is the consistency in that? The FA should enforce a ten match suspension, and a £150,000 fine if any player is caught racially abusing someone, that way it is the same punishment for everyone who has committed the same crime. The authorities should then get involved and give criminal records to the players. A crackdown like this will benefit everyone involved in the sport.
When I hear that a player/fan has been racially abused, it makes my blood boil as it is a cowardly way to antagonize someone. UEFA and FIFA need to create stronger laws to stop this disease, otherwise, football WILL die.
After a rollercoaster season at White Hart Lane, it is time to start analysing the hiccups along the way.
Gareth Bale’s stunning performances defined last season and without him, Tottenham potentially would not have finished with their highest points tally in the Premier League. Therefore the work of Andre Villas-Boas was hypothetically not an integral part to their success.
The beginning of Spurs’ season would support this claim, with the eventual downfall of the Portuguese manager happening on the 16th December 2013 – highlighting that perhaps the Premier League just isn’t right for AVB.
Was there another Premier League manager that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could have approached?
With AVB secured as manager in 2012 (the same year as Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool), Roberto Martinez was still in his final year at Wigan Athletic, desperately plugging away in the bid to avoid relegation to the Championship, whilst at the same time, playing some stylish and classy football.
Tottenham’s appointment of Villas-Boas signified that the north Londoners were on the prowl for a youthful approach to management and the selection of the former Porto manager should have been carried with caution when considering his negative stint at London rivals, Chelsea.
Roberto Martinez always stated that it was his intention to keep Wigan in the top division, however after four years of the same tireless quest, would it have been best suited for his career to move to a club challenging at the higher level of the league with money to spend? Martinez was most likely the youthful reformist that Spurs were looking for.
Eventually, the Spaniard left Wigan after failing to avoid the drop. He managed to secure a move to replace David Moyes as the manager of Everton and career-wise, Everton was an intelligent move.
However, had Martinez have left a year previously, he would have ended his spell with the Latics as having successfully manoeuvred them to safety. Tottenham should have moved for Martinez instead of AVB, with the club’s tradition and heritage matching perfectly with the former’s footballing philosophy.
Tactically, Roberto Martinez and Tottenham would be an ideal fit. Martinez often adopts a 4-2-3-1 shape that relies on strong tacklers which, with Tottenham, would suit the likes of Sandro, Nabil Bentaleb, Etienne Capoue and Paulinho – with each player able to hold the midfield well and place a strong challenge should it be necessary – as was shown by Bentaleb’s show-stopping performance against Newcastle in Spurs’ 4-0 win last week.
The former Wigan boss also enjoys a team with skilful passers in the attacking third as is often exhibited by Steven Pienaar, Ross Barkley and Bryan Oviedo at Everton.
Should Martinez have been installed rather than AVB, Spurs could have potentially seen their former Dutch magician Rafael van der Vaart pulling the strings in the final third, if he had chosen to remain at White Hart Lane. With the existing squad, Martinez could see the likes of Paulinho, Christian Eriksen and Lewis Holtby implementing their skilful passing into this structure.
//www.youtube.com/embed/mksdezs3gcg
Yet another trait that Martinez holds is his tactical flexibility, something Tottenham players were all too used to under AVB. At Wigan, Roberto successfully operated a 3-5-2 formation at times and with multiple players at the north London club able to rotate (such as Vertonghen and Capoue) Martinez would have a wealth of options at his disposal.
Had Martinez taken over in 2012, the outcome of the season wouldn’t have panned out too differently to how it did under AVB. Spurs were fairly busy in the summer of 2012 securing acquisitions such as Jan Vertonghen, Emmanuel Adebayor (permanently) and Hugo Lloris.
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With Daniel Levy personally dipping into Tottenham’s transfer strategy, it’s possible to suggest that Spurs would have secured these players with any manager in charge, therefore whether it was AVB or Martinez wouldn’t have mattered; the squad for 2012/13 would have remained the same.
However, the season of last could be contributed to Gareth Bale’s constant player of the year performances and the ability of AVB is therefore debatable considering that the Welsh wizard was evidently the reason for their record points tally in the league. With Martinez in charge, Spurs could have gone on to even greater things, with a manager eager to prove himself in a position he could feasibly hold for many years.
Had Spurs appointed Martinez, we could be looking at a very different Tottenham side with a manager of equal ambition to match the forever attractive philosophy of playing ‘the Spurs way’.
It’s always a hard thing to make sense of: how a team can be better without one their best players. But the clue is in the word itself.
Teams are not just the sum of their individuals talents; the collective has the potential to be both much greater, and much worse, than this. And unfortunately for Manchester United, they find themselves a lot closer to the latter.
Teamwork aside, the idea that Man United could be better without Van Persie in their side would have been ludicrous this time last year. Then it seemed the striker could not help but score. He was being widely credited as the main factor in United winning their 20th Premier League title, and Arsene Wenger similarly castigated for gifting a rival with such riches.
But a year is a long time in football. And this last year will have felt a lot longer at Manchester United than elsewhere.
Man United are not the same team as they were last season. Well, in truth, they actually are much the same team, but a different man is picking them. The club that won the title by 11 points last year now find themselves 15 points off the lead with seven games left to play. Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, United are guaranteed to finish with their lowest ever points tally in the Premier League era.
The main problem for the team is one of balance. For the first half of the season, Man United’s sole focus of attack was down the channels. Moyes deployed traditional wingers and encouraged the full-backs to overlap.
Their play was predictable, but more importantly it was ineffective. The United strikers’ chances of goalscoring were mainly restricted to converting crosses, and they spent most of their time either with their arms aloft or fouling the opposition out of frustration.
Since signing Juan Mata, Moyes has experimented with playing three No. 10’s with similarly sterile results. Man United’s play now appeared to have the opposite problem of being too narrow. Rooney, Januzaj and Mata all looked to operate in the same space. They all wanted to be the one to thread balls through. But no one was making the runs to necessitate such passing.
The Man United of 2014 have been a team of square pegs. David Moyes’ attempts to fit Van Persie, Rooney and Mata into one team have so far been met with failure. But then there is nothing surprising about this. The only surprising thing is how long Moyes has persisted with a combination that is so clearly not working.
Mata was the first big buy of the Moyes rebuilding project. Well, actually, he was the second. Fellaini was the first big buy of the Moyes rebuilding project. But the problem with the Fellaini purchase was that it didn’t do a lot of rebuilding. United needed a central midfielder and Fellaini was available. It was a purchase made in desperation, not an insight into the shape of things to come for Man United.
The Mata transfer felt more like that. Here was a player who could be an integral part of the United team for years to come. The problem was, Man United already had an integral part who played in the same position.
Given the flirtations with Chelsea in the summer and the fact that Rooney was entering the last 18 months of his contract, many speculated that Mata’s arrival would see Rooney depart in the summer. Van Persie was United’s best striker, Mata the new No. 10, there no longer appeared to be any room for Wayne Rooney.
As it transpired, Manchester United offered Rooney a contract worth £85million to play for them until he’s 34. Unsurprisingly, the Englishman accepted.
When you’ve spent so much money on two players as United have, you have to see them as being part of your first-team. Anything else is madness. However, given that the team has yet to perform with any combination of Rooney, Mata and Van Persie, the long-term future of the club would appear to be one without the Dutchman.
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This may be an uncomfortable conclusion, but it’s the only logical one given the decisions that have already been made. While Moyes will likely have deduced as much already, dropping Robin Van Persie may not have felt like an option that was available to the manager due to how disastrous his short tenure in charge has been thus far.
In this way, the news of the Dutchman’s month-long injury feels like a blessing in disguise for the Scot. David Moyes can now restore balance to the team without having to worry about the backlash if it doesn’t immediately work.
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In what many expected to be a classic World Cup match between Italy and Uruguay, it turned out to be a rather drab affair as the South Americans – although needing a win – sat back and put most of their team behind a possession based Italian outfit.
Although the Azzurri were still unimpressive on the ball, the game completely turned on its head when Claudio Marchisio was sent off for a rather harsh red card, before the incident hogging the headlines occurred.
Luis Suarez, already twice banned previously for the same episode, decided to bite Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder.
Uruguay did grab the winning goal via a Diego Godin header shortly afterwards, but the game will be remembered for Suarez’s crazy appetite.
And the world has reacted to this insane event.
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