Didier Drobga has been one of the best strikers in the Premier League in the 21st century. Is that a statement that you can argue against? He first caught my attention, like many other English football fans, helping Marseille to overcome Newcastle in the UEFA Cup in 2004. Come the summer Chelsea had spent £24 million on the Ivorian international and the rest is history. He may get some criticism for going to ground too often, but you can’t argue with a record of close to 100 goals in nearly 200 Premier League matches. However, it seems like his time at Chelsea may be coming to an end…
There have been plenty murmurings that with the arrival of Fernando Torres in January, that 33-year-old Drogba is set to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer. Drogba clearly still has much to offer Chelsea, as he showed by scoring the equaliser against Stoke at the weekend, but after that same game he clashed with the away fans at the Britannia Stadium. Below is footage of Didier Drogba squaring up to some Chelsea fans following the final whistle on Saturday and he clearly wasn’t happy with what they said, as the striker reponds by shouting “Say it to my face, say it to my face.” It was left to Paulo Ferreira to drag Drogba away, but will the Ivorian be dragging himself away from the Premier League this summer?
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Anderson will be out of action for at least another month through injury, and that Dimitar Berbatov may well be sold in the summer due to lack of regular football.
The Brazil international has had a frustrating season due to injuries, and the Old Trafford manager has admitted that the midfielder’s hamstring is still causing him problems.
“Anderson could be out for four or five weeks due to his hamstring,” Ferguson told the club’s official website.
“Some hamstrings are relatively straightforward but we have to wait and see how he is in the next week or so to get a better idea of where we stand with him.”
Ferguson did confirm that Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans would start against Athletic Bilbao in San Mames, as the Premier League champions try to overhaul a 3-2 first leg defeat in the Europa League.
“Phil Jones went down with flu yesterday.
“It’s a difficult tie for us. Bilbao have a tremendous advantage after winning at Old Trafford. It’s a challenge but not one that is beyond us.
“Our record away from home helps us – we’ve done very well. We’re going to need a good performance,” he continued.
Finally, Ferguson admitted that fringe forward Berbatov may leave Old Trafford in the summer in search of regular action.
“At 31, he is looking at first-team football. It is difficult for me to guarantee that, so it could lead to him looking elsewhere
“We will be taking up the option on his contract but, having had chats with him, I understand he wants to get first-team football.
“It is something we need to consider at the end of the season. For a player of his age and his ability, it is disappointing for him that he is not getting first-team football.
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“We will look at the end of the season but until then, he remains at United,” the coach confirmed.
Charlie Adam’s shocking attempt at a tackle at White Hart Lane on Saturday has left Welsh wing wizard Gareth Bale with ruptured ankle ligaments. The injury will ensure the PFA Player of the Year plays no further part in Tottenham’s Premiership campaign. Bad news for the North Londoners! However, it will come as a crumb of comfort to Spurs fans that Bale’s injury has come when seemingly the fight for fourth place is over. Furthermore, there are only three games to go until the end of the season. After already suffering one injury set back this year the 21 year old will be cursing his luck, on the other hand he was fortunate not to have broken his leg as a consequence of the tackle. Obviously, no Spurs fan would have wanted to see their star player on the end of such a horror tackle, however could Bale’s injury be advantageous to the club in a strange way?
I know what the Spurs fans are thinking, ‘What is this guy talking about, how can having our best player on the treatment table over the summer be an advantage?’ Well here’s my explanation….. Unless Manchester City have a collapse of epic proportions in the next three games, then Tottenham will at best be in the Europa League next season. This is likely to be a signal for Europe’s elite clubs to start dusting off their cheque books and stalking their Welsh prey. Even if Bale has every intention of staying with Spurs this summer, it won’t deter the big boys from lodging multi million pound bids for one of the hottest properties in world football! Now here comes, the probably obvious, but still worth while observation, will they still be interested in an injured Gareth Bale? Who knows, maybe some clubs would, but it may be enough to cause some of Bale’s suitors to look elsewhere!
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It’s not unheard of for injured players to move clubs, Andy Carroll, for example, made his move from Newcastle to Liverpool whilst suffering an injury. So the bids could still come flooding in for the former Southampton starlet. Then there is the argument that Bale will be match fit by the time the season gets underway anyway. Not only that, but the transfer window doesn’t close until 31st of August! However, Bale’s injury may prevent the tabloids from continually splashing rumours all over the back pages…… ‘Bale in Madrid talks’, ‘Inter in pole position for Bale’, ‘Chelsea step up Bale interest’… you get the picture. I’m sure Spurs fans would much rather pick up the morning papers and see Fabregas’ name all over the back pages this summer than Bale’s.
FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive: Robbie Savage’s Face in a Baby Scan…
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With Charlie Adam signed, Liverpool ’s next high profile target is Stewart Downing . The England winger has made no secret of his desire to leave Aston Villa this summer and is expected to force a transfer by handing in a transfer request if Liverpool ’s advances continue to be knocked back. The proposed transfer has been met online by a group of whingeing Liverpool fans, many crying ’sign Mata, sign Mata’ or alternately stating that Downing is average at best, or simply not good enough. Such comments display the naïveté of some fans in terms of how they perceive the modern game.
What seems to escape the attention of these fans is that in January of this year Liverpool paid a club record £35m to sign Andy Carroll. Call me crazy but I believe this would suggest that Andy is seen as a key first team player for next season. One only need look at Liverpool’s last two games of last season, when Carroll, despite clearly not being fit, was chosen to play alongside Suarez as a striker ahead of the in-form Dirk Kuyt. Carroll is seen as first choice. As such Dalglish will be looking to construct a side to get the best from his £35m man.
To think that Kenny Dalglish gave the go-ahead on signing Carroll for £35m without realising that he needs good service borders on insulting the King’s knowledge of the game. We all know Andy’s main strengths, he has great physical presence and colossal heading ability. He gets less praise for his ability to pick a pass and he also has a decent touch, impressive attributes for such a big man. Carroll also has a ferocious shot, it is clear to see why, in this department, parallels with Alan Shearer have been drawn.
Carroll however, also has weaknesses. He could do with working on his ball retention and hold-up play, as he is often clumsy or wasteful when playing a simple pass. Also, for a man who to look at, appears at a glance to be something of a beast – Carroll could also improve on his strength.
Upon his signing I had noticed in his medical photos that his upper-body could do with a lot of work, he did not cut the figure of a toned, conditioned and muscular modern pro, but then he did have a reputation. Carroll is also not the quickest, which diminishes our ability to thread through-balls to Carroll as a viable, steady supply-source of goal-scoring chances.
This is precisely the problem in the debate over Mata that so many fans seem to miss. Liverpool need someone who can deliver a cross. This is not Mata’s style. He is a great little player but a gamble in terms of getting the best from Carroll. Mata is a typical Spanish schemer, playing in a floating role on the left, looking to playing quick one-twos, or to pick an incisive through ball. Mata plays most of his football in a more central area of the pitch, drifting in on the left side of a front three. The same people who clamour for Mata would also likely state that Liverpool need width. Mata would simply not provide the desired width we need.
Whilst the thought of Mata and Suarez linking up on the left, playing intricate, incisive football on the deck is great in theory, such a system would not suit big Andy, who thrives on good crosses (or indeed even average ones. Man City anyone?). Make no mistake – next season we will be looking to get crosses to him. Whilst Mata does not provide traditional, touchline-hugging, by-line-driving width, Downing certainly does.
It is the width offered by Stewart Downing which puts him ahead of Mata as a priority signing for Liverpool. The left-footer whipped in more crosses in open play than any player in the Premier League last season, 135 in total. According to Opta stats, this is more than any other player has accumulated in a season in the last three campaigns. Very impressive. We are all aware too that Downing is not overly elaborate and could hardly be described as a ‘flair’ player, but then the same can be said for the likes of Antonio Valencia at Man Utd, who was widely praised for his simplicity on the ball at the tail end of last season (rightly so in my opinion, he rarely loses the ball).
Downing is not a ‘one-trick pony’ as many lazily suggest – some, with dreams of comedy superstardom have described him as a ‘no-trick pony’. Again, this is lazy – if not just downright idiotic. As we can see, Downing’s main ‘trick’ is offering width and providing crosses, but he is also capable of scoring goals as well as creating them (as we found out to our detriment) – eight in total last season. Downing can also pick a pass as well as deliver crosses. Strikers with pace, such as Gabriel Agbonlahor, and more recently Darren Bent have both benefited from Downing’s ability to split a defence over the last few years. Were it not for Bent’s famed profligacy in front of goal, and inability to stay onside, Downing may have claimed many more than the nine assists he contributed last season.
Continued on Page TWO
Downing also displayed his versatility when playing on the right-wing last year, showing that he can cut inside and create havoc in such a role. Were Kenny to employ a 4-3-3 next season. Suarez would naturally play on the left, where he creates so much trouble for club and country. As such, were Mata to sign where would he fit exactly? He is untested on the right. Downing provides better options in this regard – added to this, Downing has also shown he can still provide crosses and width when playing on the right if the system is a 4-4-2. Something Mata cannot provide from either side.
Which brings me back to Andy Carroll.
I wish we weren’t building a side around Carroll but lets face it, we are. His price tag makes him almost undroppable. It is for this reason I feel that, barring injury to Carroll we will employ a 4-4-2 next year. In every game Carroll played last season, we utilised this formation. That Downing is a desired signing theoretically re-enforces this view.
Parallels with Dalglish’s signing of Alan Shearer can be drawn here. Dalglish recognised that Jason Wilcox and Stuart Ripley could provide ammo for Shearer in what turned out to be a masterstroke. Neither player was flash or full of tricks, but without these two it is hard to see how Shearer would have scored such an alarming amount of goals. Width was a crucial factor in getting the best out of Big Shearer – the same goes for Carroll.
What Blackburn under Dalglish did not have was creativity from the centre. Their title-winning side contained David Batty and Tim Sherwood in central midfield. Whilst both were good players, neither possessed great vision, or the ability to deliver a defence-splitting pass. This was not essential however, as neither Shearer or Sutton possessed great pace. Their title win was largely based on a strategy of bombarding the opposition with crosses, they played to their strengths.
But Blackburn did not have a Luis Suarez.
In Gerrard and Adam, Liverpool have players capable of releasing Suarez with quality through balls – both can pick a telling, defence-splitting pass. Liverpool have the quality to be creative in the central areas, many would argue that Aquilani or Meireles could also provide such options. I agree. We are not lacking in creativity in central areas, which is what Mata would provide us with more of.
Mata can pick a pass, but then so can Downing. Mata can score goals, but then again so can Downing. Mata can drift into central areas, but then isn’t this the type of narrow football we have been looking to get away from? Creativity in central areas is not what we are looking for – it is what we already have. It is the predictability of this style which has led to the clamour for width in the fist place.
Width is where we have been lacking. As such, Downing can give us the added option of natural width which we so desire. Mata cannot.
Downing would give us the ability to drag and pull defences apart, to keep them guessing where the next threat is coming from – making as dangerous from wide areas as we are from central midfield. As all Liverpool fans know, this is something we have lacked badly for years. Dalglish is looking for a player that provide such width, a player who can get the best from both Carroll and Suarez.
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This is why Mata, however talented, is simply not what we are looking for..… Perhaps in some alternate reality where we have Suarez and Sergio Aguero up front it makes perfect sense. But not in this reality.
In this reality it’s £35m worth of 6ft 3” of Geordie bruiser we’ve got, and Dalglish isn‘t afraid to use what he has.
In addition to chasing Downing, the signing of Charlie Adam further demonstrates the importance that Dalglish has placed on getting good service to Carroll. In Adam’s case – particularly in regard to set-pieces. Carroll in particular is going to be salivating over those patented Charlie Adam ‘corners from hell’.
Even the greatest sceptic must admit that the thought of Downing providing the ammo for Carroll from the flanks next season, in addition to Adam’s delivery from set-pieces – is a very juicy thought indeed!
Read more Barry Henderson’s articles at Live4Liverpool
England injury absentee John Terry has revealed he has been struggling with a hamstring problem since the World Cup.
The Chelsea captain will miss the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland after aggravating the problem during Saturday's 2-0 Premier League victory over Stoke City.
"I have had a bit of a problem since the World Cup and I was hoping after the World Cup that I would have two weeks off and it would completely go away," Terry told the club's official website.
"But that wasn't the case and, coming back working hard, it came back on."
Terry played in the last England international against Hungary at Wembley on August 8 where he managed just 45 minutes of the 2-1 friendly victory.
He added:"I had to come off at half-time because of it.
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"I have not made it public but I have been struggling with it and maybe I just need 10 days' rest to fully get over it because it could impact on my season."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Hernandez Match Statistics: (2 Goals/3 Shots, 18/19 Successful Passes)
Hernandez is simply put, the ready made successor to Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. He is electrifying and ice cold in equal measure in the box – a fantastic combination and one hopes for his sake that he makes his name as a starter rather being reknowned as a super sub. As he has scored nine league goals in eight league starts for United it seems that might not end up being the case.
However we must remain remindful of the fact that Ole’s greatest goal total for one season was the 25 goals he scored in the 01/02 season and that number was more the exception rather than the norm during his 11 year Career at United, his second best goalscoring season being his debut season. So if Hernandez wishes to be a first team regular, clearly being a good finisher is simply not going to cut it.. he has to prove to the manager his general build up play is of a sufficient level to match the likes of Berbatov and Rooney, basically he needs to make himself undroppable, a player for all situations rather than the go to guy for when United need bailing out of a sticky situation.
Aspects of his game he can develop include his physical strength/Hold Up Play, his dribbling in 1 v 1 situations both in terms of directness, agility, adding a few more tricks in his locker and perhaps even adding new weapons to his arsenal including set piece ability.. a problem area where United are looking for someone to step up and solve. If he can do this and keep demonstrating his fantastic aerial prowess, one touch passing and clinical finishing ability then there is no reason why he can’t break into the side for the big games.
2. Rooney’s Attitude
Quite frankly it stank today and he was guilty on numerous occassions of placing his ego above the cause of the team, a pet hate of mine regardless of how good you are as a player. He had no concern with regards to how the side would fare if he got himself sent off and for what… some unneccesary desire for retribution or perhaps a need to lash out to compensate for his frustration with the quality of his performance.
Statistically he didn’t have that bad a game, only 10 unsuccessful passes out of 45.. but what cannot be revealed by stats is the frequency with which he is now prone to being caught on the ball when running at players and the predictability that plagues his dribbling when not a his best. His bottom level for a creative player is poor when you compare him to the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.. and that is incredibly frustrating for both him as a player and for us as fans because we know what he’s capable of and yet we are sometimes subjected to him being made to look no better than a drunk Sunday League player.
Finally another potential problem I envisage with Wayne is his relationship with Nani. I remember when Ruud Van Nistelrooy clashed with Cristiano Ronaldo on quite a few occasions and whilst it was never that apparent to the fans, clearly it had got to a point where Fergie felt the need to back his younger talent with superior potential and give him the room in which to showcase his talent and if Rooney continues to whinge at every little thing Nani does, it may get to the stage where Sir Alex feels that Nani is the horse he needs to back and that Rooney needs to go in order to allow Nani to flourish further. This is all hypothetical of course and even Berbatov has had problems with Nani and despite this all three have formed a fantastic partnership but it does bear thinking about.
Continued on Page TWO
3. The Good, The Bad & The Nani
Nani Match Statistics: (2/8 Shots on Target, 22/38 Successful Passes, 8/14 Tackles Made, 2 Clearances)
There is no doubting the importance of Nani to the United cause this season, he’s been an everpresent whether it is on the right or the left, his versatility in conjunction with his indefatigability making him practically undroppable. How important though has been a point of debate, there were a few who believed that Berbatov was the main man responsible for us being on top, some have championed the cause of Vidic, keen to not be seen as favouring attacking players but in my opinion it is Nani who strikes fear into opponents regardless of their quality and I wouldn’t put it past him to win the PFA POTY Award ahead of Lionel Messi aka Gareth Bale.
Today he featured on the left which isn’t to my liking normally. I do think he is a better player at this moment in time in terms of his mental development on the right, as he is more likely to cross on that flank and retain possession rather than give into temptation and cut in to unleash a strike one time too many. On the left he can’t cross as well with his left and nor does he seem willing to and against strong intelligent defenders, he might be a tad more predictable on that side than he is on the right for now, though I might be underrating the speed of his development intelligence-wise and worrying for no reason.
He was a mixed bag today but still the most crucial forward player in the United side, constantly demanding the ball, getting past opponents and drawing attention away from our strikers. As we saw against Marseille, he seems to be our go to player now regardless of the situation and he rarely disappoints. I will forgive his brainfarts on the ball, greedy shot-taking, as long as he produces goals and assists at the rate he is doing at the moment and hopefully the fans and Mr Rooney are willing to do the same.
4. We’ll Miss You Edwin
He kept us in the game today with two quality one v one stops and a reassuring leap to prevent a long range effort from Figueroa. Whilst this has not been a vintage season thus far for Van Der Sar, its always near the business end of the season that his class comes to the fore.
We generally take his steadiness for granted, spoilt by his fantastic consistency and he makes it look so effortless… some of us forget what a talented shot-stopper he is to go with his fantastic ability on the ball and aerial composure on crosses. I don’t know how much his replacement is going to cost but I’m not worried about that.. I’m more worried about whether the new keeper we bring in is capable of tying the Dutchman’s shoelaces.
After an impressive start to the 2010-11 season, he picked up a serious ankle injury against Bolton Wanderers on 23 October 2010, keeping him out of action for three months. He scored on his return to the lineup against Aston Villa on 25 January 2011 and today he demonstrated once again why he is one of the upcoming young midfielders to keep an eye on in the Premier League this season.
I’ve kept a keen eye on him and one game in particular which caught my eye was Wigan v Chelsea, a game in which they were unfortunate to get thrashed in and an encounter in which McCarthy was more than holding his own and at times looking a class above players from both midfields. He is technically very sound, no real weaknesses and in comparison to Jordan Henderson a very similar player, he has a touch more flair and is more likely to take players on rather than play the simple pass, an attribute we would very much like to see in our own midfield.
His best position for me would be as the attacking midfielder in a midfield trio and I see him developing his goalscoring further, a 10 goal a season player who can rack up a great number of assists as well as being relied on to ‘run’ games. At what level he could do this remains to be seen but I do think he is too good to be at a club like Wigan… likewise Rodallega and N’Zogbia.
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Conclusion:
A frenetic encounter in which both sides could’ve easily won it and Wigan will feel hard done by to a certain extent. As for United fans, they’ll feel happy to see signs of a potential partnership between Rooney and Hernandez, even if there was a feeling that the ball wasn’t sticking up front unless Nani was the one driving past opponents.
As for Wigan, the quality of their possession would tell us that they’re too good to go down but the problem this season is that their competitors Wolves, West Brom and Blackpool are all competent on the ball and the likes of McCarthy, N’Zogbia and Rodallega may not be enough to keep them in the league.
New kits and plenty of transfer talk has engulfed White Hart Lane this week. Luis Fabiano is the latest striker to express an interest in a move to Tottenham, as he finally realises the size and the ambitions of the football club.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Spurs blogs which has included…3rd time luck for Harry; The JJ ship has sailed and enterprising Tottenham start a new trend.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Tottenham stories on the Web this week.
Clearly no shame as he invites Tottenham move
Harry’s legacy to travel further afield than just Tottenham
Hip Hip Heurelho!
Will it be 3rd time lucky for Harry as Dutchman eyes PL move?
Enterprising Tottenham set to start a new trend?
How KPB went from Tottenham reject to national hero
Hasn’t the JJ ship already sailed at Tottenham?
A blow for United and Spurs, but equally for Capello
Which club represents the best move for Craig Bellamy?
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Best of Web
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It’s happening again – Dear Mr Levy
Blank Cheques Ahoy! Your Transfer Wishes – Who Framed Ruel Fox?
Strike up the band – Spurs Musings from Jimmy G2
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Hotspur History – The Moment We All Believed – Triffic Tottenham
Pre-season – introducing some unfamiliar names – Windy’s Blog
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
The garden is not very rosy in the Adebayor household at the moment. It’s only just over a year into his would-be glittering Manchester City career, and already his sulking demeanour is becoming more and more prominent. Left on the bench, as Roberto Mancini opts for a single striker, and now injured, the BBC’s worst pundit (more of that later) is struggling to feel the love.
There have always been personalities in football who need to be treated with a little more care, and given a little extra leeway in order to get the best out them. This however, only really works when that same player is indispensible to the club, and also can put the club’s interests ahead of their own. Paolo Di Canio at West Ham springs to mind as a good example of this; a man who on his day could single-handedly win a match for his side in conjunction with throwing a diva strop for not getting enough adoration from a referee.
Right now at Manchester City, Roberto Mancini has decided that Emmanuel Adebayor is not as important as the man himself believes. Mario Balotelli has arrived, Fernando Torres was a constant in the rumour mill of the tabloids over the summer, and Carlos Tevez is Mancini’s (rightly in my opinion) preferred choice up front. It has taken a matter of weeks for Adebayor to consider his future; there is no real concern for his employers and their targets, simply his own needs.
Adebayor managed to annoy Arsenal fans during his time in North London, even when he was playing well. Constantly the subject of rumours to the continent, he courted mumblings of moves to AC Milan and Barcelona, while maintaining that he wanted to stay, only to leave for City. If Adebayor was playing at a club where he was by far and away their best player, then a manager would do everything in their power to keep him happy, but why put up with such a childish attitude, when you can play someone else of equal, if not better, ability. Arsene Wenger knew that with the £24m he received from City, he could find a replacement for far less, enter Marouane Chamakh.
While he clearly has some ability, he has never struck me as the most eloquent of fellows (even for footballers) and so I was as startled as every other viewer in the country that the BBC deemed him a viable candidate as a pundit at the World Cup; the incident with his phone was simply embarrassing, and the analysis (if we can call it that) he gave was bordering on the pathetic.
Managers take a punt on Adebayor because they believe they will be able to get a select period of time out of him before his next strop. The turnover of players at City was always going to be vast, and although his return was decent last season (14 PL goals), I don’t think anyone truly imagined he would go onto a glittering City career as a cult legend, more that he would serve a stepping-stone purpose.
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Adebayor is one of football’s mercenaries. Mancini does not have the time, not should he, to have to make special exceptions for a player who frankly isn’t that important to the club’s cause. If Adebayor is prepared to play a subordinate role – behind Tevez and Balotelli – in a professional manner, in the quest for City to make the Champions League, then I will stand corrected. But as I understand it, he is a player no boss really wants to manage.
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New signing Aleksandr Kolarov believes he can challenge for Premier League and Champions League honours with Manchester City.
The Serbia full-back became ambitious City's latest big-money signing when he joined in a £19million deal from Lazio on Saturday.
Manager Roberto Mancini had already signed David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng this summer, with Kolarov's arrival increasing his spending to approximately £75million since the end of last season.
"I'm very excited to be here at a great club like Manchester City. Even the training ground is fantastic, better than Lazio's," he told the club's official website.
"I'm coming back early next week to train with the players who aren't touring America. I want to start as soon as I can, and I can't wait to meet all the other guys.
"I had the opportunity to join other teams – the names are not important. When I spoke with Mr Mancini, my choice was Manchester City because I know they are a good team. I think maybe a great team.
"The Premier League is the best in the world and he wants us to go further and win the Premier title and the Champions League.
"For a young player like me, this is the best opportunity. It's the dream."
Meanwhile, Mancini has denied suggestions that the arrival of Kolarov will lead to the departure of current left-back Wayne Bridge.
Liverpool are reported to be keen on signing England international Bridge.
"'I want two top-class players for each position," explained Mancini.
"I first saw Kolarov in his Lazio debut back in 2007. I have watched him a lot since then and so have the Manchester City scouts.
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"His attacking capability is very good. He is fast and can shoot with power and accuracy.
"He also has the ability to play in numerous positions and is very good in midfield.
"This is an additional benefit to the team. He has a fantastic international career ahead of him. I am looking forward to working with him."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester United visit Arsenal on Sunday with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men closing in on what would be a record 19th championship.Until recently, this match was considered a pivotal one in deciding the eventual destination of the English Premier League title, but the form of Arsene Wenger’s side has dipped so markedly that they have slipped to third place behind Chelsea, nine points off the pace.
Interestingly, it has been Arsenal’s form at home that has let them down this season.
Since the New Year they have been held by Blackburn (0-0), Sunderland (0-0), Newcastle (4-4), Manchester City (0-0) and Liverpool (1-1) – with all but the Newcastle game at the Emirates.
In their most recent match, a 90th-minute header from Tamir Cohen lifted Bolton to a 2-1 win at the Reebok Stadium, prompting Wenger to all but concede his side’s title challenge was over.
For Ferguson’s men, the march towards a 12th Premier League title continues relentlessly – and they could also be heading towards a third Champions League crown under the Scotsman’s watch, after taking a 2-0 lead over Schalke in the first-leg of their semi-final on Tuesday.
In their most recent league match, a late goal from Javier Hernandez handed United a 1-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford.
Both squads are in excellent shape for this time of the season, with Arsenal’s only casualties being goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, whose season is over with a shoulder injury, and midfielder Abou Diaby who is nursing a calf problem.
In better news for Wenger, Belgian centre back Thomas Vermaelen made it through 90 minutes of Arsenal’s reserves clash with United on Thursday unscathed, after missing most of the season with an Achilles tendon problem.
For United, striker Dimitar Berbatov did not feature against Schalke and is in doubt, midfielder Darren Fletcher is still battling back to full fitness after a virus and Owen Hargreaves is still unavailable.