Manchester United were utterly dominant at Old Trafford today as they eased past Sunderland 2-0 to keep themselves at the top of the Premier League table. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were in complete control from start to finish, with Dimitar Berbatov planting home a header from Wayne Rooney’s cross with just five minutes on the clock.
United were slicing Sunderland open with ease and looked like scoring with almost every attack as Berbatov and then Anderson hit the woodwork later in the first half. Berbatov himself made the points safe within the hour, with the Bulgarian striker bagging his second of the match courtesy of a deflected effort. The result puts United two points ahead of City with two games in hand, but perhaps more importantly five and six points ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea respectively, who meet at The Emirates Stadium tomorrow.
So what five things did we learn about Man United today?
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has been given permission by the club’s owners to bring in fresh talent during the January transfer window.
Dalglish’s return to Anfield as a replacement for sacked manager Roy Hodgson is yet to produce a win on the field, but the Reds legend said he will not rush into the market looking for a quick-fix.
“We had a positive meeting yesterday with (owners) John (Henry) and Tom (Werner) in which we discussed many things,” Dalglish said.
“One of them was obviously transfers. There’s no problem with transfers. As long as we are responsible we can go and look for players, try to sign them and bring them in here.”
“I’m not going to sit here and give you names or comment on every question that is asked about an individual player.”
“We certainly won’t talk about sums of money. Every time I go into the transfer market I am responsible and I will continue to be. I will try and spend the club’s money as diligently as I would spend my own.”
The 59-year-old also confirmed striker Ryan Babel was almost out the door at Anfield, with the Dutchman yet to make up his mind on a move to Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim.
“We’ve accepted a bid from Hoffenheim. Ryan is considering what he wants to do. That’s his right. A transfer only goes through if three parties agree,” he said.
Liverpool will look for their first win under their new manager against second-from-bottom Wolves on Saturday, but Dalglish is wary of the threat posed by Mick McCarthy’s men.
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“They were excellent last week at Man City, especially in the first half hour. Even when they went 4-1 down, which was a bit unfair I thought, they pulled it back to 4-3,” Dalglish said.
“If Mick McCarthy is in charge of a team they are not going to lie down, are they? They are going to work as hard as they can and we know that from first-hand experience.”
“There are no games in the Premiership where you can rest a couple here or a couple there. They are all really difficult games.”
Edy Reja believes Lazio can shift focus to European qualification after securing their future in the Serie A with victory over Fiorentina.
Despite being one of the front runners early in the campaign, Reja has consistently talked down Lazio’s prospects of remaining in contention for the Serie A title.
After struggling for much of last season and finishing only 11 points clear of the relegation zone, veteran coach Reja ensured his players were focused on guaranteeing their survival in the top flight.
While the prospect of slipping into the bottom three became increasingly remote with each victory, it took a 2-0 win at home to Fiorentina on Saturday to make absolutely certain they would not run into trouble again.
“Today we have 40 points, therefore are mathematically safe and anything else that we achieve this season will be a bonus,” Reja said.
“We’ll battle for the Europa League, as that is now our objective. If we achieve that, then it will have been a great campaign.”
Czech youngster Libor Kozak impressed Reja by scoring both goals in the victory at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Kozak had already shown against Roma that he had talent and did so again not just with his goals, but also his work rate,” he said.
“This lad can see the net and that is down to instinct, plus we’ve worked with him over the last six months to help him improve.”
Fiorentina meanwhile are just six points clear of the relegation places.
According to coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, they have only themselves to blame.
“We are in an ugly situation and got ourselves into it,” Mihajlovic said.
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“Now it is up to us to get ourselves out of it too.”
“I am somebody who never gives in and I’m accustomed to battling for every result.”
“At this moment in time, though, we mustn’t raise our voices. We must instead remain calm and prepare for the next match.”
Former Blackburn chairman John Williams had lost interest in the club and struggled to work with Steve Kean after Sam Allardyce’s sacking.
That is the view of Blackburn owner Anuradha Desai, who agreed to a severance package with Williams after the long-serving chairman handed in his resignation on Friday, ending his 14-year tenure at the Lancashire club.
Desai, chairperson of owners Venky’s Group, believes Williams’ commitment to the club began to wane following the axing of popular manager Allardyce in December.
Williams is believed to have been dismayed by the treatment meted out to Allardyce and considered resigning in the aftermath.
But Desai convinced the club great to stay on board, and said she and her family still would have preferred Williams to remain at Blackburn.
“John has gone. It is something we have been talking to him about and he felt that he could not continue,” Desai told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“It is disappointing for us but we have agreed a settlement with him.”
“I think that after Sam left, John lost a lot of interest in the club. After that happened I think he knew that he wanted to move on.”
“I know that he did not get along with Steve (Kean) and he had struggled to accept Jerome (Anderson)’s role at the club.”
Anderson is the boss of sports agency Sport Entertainment and Media Group (SEM), and has been advising the Desai family since Venky’s bought out the club in November.
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He has been mooted as a possible replacement for Williams, but Desai said the club would look elsewhere for a new chairman.
“Jerome has helped us but I want to be very clear that he does not run the club,” Desai said.
“We will be working with anybody and any agents to make this club successful but we are not controlled by his company. His role will now diminish.”
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.
Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano believes his side thoroughly deserved their Champions League round-of-16 win over Arsenal on Tuesday.Trailing 2-1 after a first-leg loss at the Emirates, Barca hit back hard at the Nou Camp to take a 3-1 win and a 4-3 aggregate victory to book a spot in the quarter-finals.The match changed complexion in the 56th minute, when Gunners striker Robin van Persie was sent off for a second bookable offence – a decision that left Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fuming – yet Mascherano believes his side deserved to progress.”We were the team who went out looking for the win, looking to make the difference,” the Argentina midfielder said. “Even though it ended 2-1, it could have been 5-1 or 6-1.” “The chances that we had were clear, and although Wenger has every right to think what he wants, the statistics and highlights show that it would have been very unfair for Barcelona not to go through last night.” “We didn’t receive one shot on goal, so how the game went is more than clear. Wenger also know how the game went, but obviously it was a tough defeat. Nobody likes to be eliminated.””I think that the game was won by how the team played, not by any specific incident.” “I am always pleased with the job done by the team, more than anything individual, and Barcelona didn’t let Arsenal breathe. This was the key to getting through to the quarter finals.”Despite his insistence the victory was earned through an even team performance, Mascherano saved special praise for Argentine marvel Lionel Messi, who opened the scoring with a sublime effort and sealed the win from the penalty spot with 20 minutes to play.’What Leo is doing now isn’t normal, because he is the only one doing it,” Mascherano said. “At the moment, whatever he does seems normal. It is a time that will go down in history, and I think that he is writing his own history.” “I hope that he continues like this for a long time to come, for our benefit.”
It has been reported that Arsene Wenger will make an enquiry to the F.A about attaining an emergency loan goalkeeper following the injury sustained to Wojciech Szczesny on Tuesday night against Barcelona.
The Frenchman told the media today that Szczesny will be out of action for a ‘while’, which has left him considering a move for a temporary substitute.
Manuel Almunia has taken up the position between the posts for now, and is currently the only fit goalkeeper Wenger has at his disposal. Whilst second-choice goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski, has been ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery to his shoulder injury he picked up in January against Manchester City.
Wenger has since recalled reserve team keeper James Shea early from his loan spell with Southampton, and is rumoured to be on the bench this Saturday at Old Trafford.
Vito Mannone is another option for the Arsenal boss to ponder over. However, the Italian goalkeeper, who is currently on-loan at Hull City, has picked up a knock and it is unknown how long he will be out for.
So, if given permission by the F.A, who should Wenger look to acquire?
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The big football news this week has been England manager Fabio Capello taking the captain’s armband from Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and giving it back to Chelsea star John Terry. As a former England captain himself who has had the armband taken away from him, ex-Arsenal defender Tony Adams is in a better position than most to comment on the subject. Here’s Adams talking about the captaincy issue and England’s chances…
How important is the captain on and off the pitch?
He’s the mouthpiece; he’s someone who puts the managers’ ideas onto the pitch. The relationship between the manager and the captain is so important for me. Me and George Graham, me and Terry Venables, me and Graham Taylor, me and Arsene Wenger, I always thought I was carrying that managers’ ideas, game plan, structure, discipline and professionalism onto the pitch so I think you have to set an example. It’s really, really important – it sets the tone.
Who in the current England squad has those qualities?
John Terry definitely has them, he’s a leader. He is for me of the right character. In that central defensive area you can get your message on to everybody. Also central midfield, I can understand why they make central midfielders and central defenders captains. My captain is a central defender. If you’re a right back and you’re playing on the other side of the pitch, you’ve got to shout to get a message over and that’s a bit difficult. I’d never put a forward as a captain, they’re a different breed. It would be a defender every time for me and John Terry has certainly got those qualities.
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Do you think there is any chance of England challenging the likes of Spain next year (at Euro 2012)?
I think we’re hitting (the FIFA rankings) where we are supposed to, eighth best in the world. I think radical change needs to go on in the development (of English players). The National Football Centre is long overdue and we need six regional camps. We need to educate the educators for better quality coaching and improve the whole structure if we are ever going to compete with Spain. We’ve got the passion but we’re lacking in some other areas. I don’t see this current group of players challenging Spain.
While England are looking forward to Euro 2012, first they have to overcome Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Former Wales international Chris Coleman knows it will be tough for his nation…
What is Wales’ best chance to beat England?
The problem you have got when you are playing a team and there is such a big difference in quality is to set up too defensively and get everybody behind the ball. An international manager only has his players for so long, so they will often work on that first. But, once you concede a goal, how do you change it? How do you change the mindset of the players and make them play offensively to try and get the goal back. You have got to find a happy medium.
You can’t go all gung ho against a quality team like England because you will get beaten 5-0. You need to find that fine line. Tactically you have really got to get into the nitty-gritty with the players, telling them to concede possession in certain areas but once the ball is in a certain area then let everyone know where they have to be, literally go through all 11 players.
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That can be a bit boring for the players, but it can be very effective. They all know their jobs both individually and collectively, and when they get the ball on the counter-attack, they know how they can hurt the opposition.
If Speedy can find that happy medium, then I’m sure we will be OK.
Visit the Dugout www.yahoo.co.uk/dugout for new interviews every week with England’s top football managers
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 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.