Roma stars Francesco Totti and Simone Perrotta are excited with the plans set in place by new manager, Luis Enrique.The legendary midfielder, who starred for Barcelona and Real Madrid throughout a terrific career, took over from caretaker Vincenzo Montella, who initially replaced Claudio Ranieri, who resigned in February.
The permanent appointment has kickstarted a new era at Roma, with the players pleased with the coach’s new tactics.
“The system and methods proposed by the coach are new, interesting and above all very stimulating,” Totti told the club’s official website.
“The sessions began in earnest today at Riscone di Brunico. We are only at the start: day by day we will discover new things and settle into this different reality.”
“Everything depends on us and it’ll be our duty to put in the maximum effort right from now.”
Enrique is keen to implement a new style of football at the club, focusing on possession, something that had pleased Perrotta.
“The squad working here in pre-season is pretty much the same as in previous years, but everyone likes this new style of football,” Perrotta said.
“The coach wants us to keep possession of the ball a great deal, whereas in Italy we’re accustomed to seeking cross-field passes immediately to get it closer to the goal.”
“The coach has made it clear he does not want long balls.”
Manchester United striker Michael Owen has come to the defence of team-mate David De Gea, stating that recent criticism of the goalkeeper has been unfair.
The young Spanish stopper has not lived up to expectations after his big-money summer move from Atletico Madrid, and has been blamed for Liverpool’s goals in The Red Devils’ 2-1 defeat at Anfield on Saturday.
However, Owen believes that goals from Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt were not De Gea’s fault, and that the goalkeeper will come good at Old Trafford.
“One comment on yesterday’s game. Don’t agree with all this negativity towards De Gea,” the veteran attacker said on Twitter.
“Admittedly he has made a couple of mistakes this season but listening to some people you would think he had a nightmare yesterday.
“I’m not having either goal was his fault. The problem is, once you get labelled, mud sticks and now any tiny mistake is magnified. Other keepers make similar mistakes and nothing gets said.
“The ball was on the 6 yard box for the first goal. He has to go for it. He also needs to watch the flight of the ball. There is then 6 players in front of him. There is nothing he could do. The free header was the problem, not the keeper.
“He couldn’t do much with the second goal either. Is the problem not just a case of us not winning the first ball and not picking up a runner?
“In my opinion two bad goals to give away but to blame everything on the keeper is totally wrong. The lad will be a top keeper, he is only young. Harsh to blame him for everything,” he concluded.
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De Gea is currently locked in a battle with Anders Lindegaard to become Edwin van der Sar’s long-term successor.
Chelsea kept within three points of leaders Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with a commanding 3-1 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge.
John Terry and Daniel Sturridge gave the Blues a 2-0 lead before the half time whistle with Ramires adding a third in the second period before Apostolos Velios pulled one back for the visitors late on. It also kept up Andre Villas-Boas sides 100% at home this season barely having to break a sweat against the Toffees. After losing the Merseyside derby two weeks ago David Moyes’ side were desperate to bounce back but were comfortably beaten and have lost their last three slipping back into the bottom half of the table in the process. It was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Merseysiders with Chelsea riding high after trouncing Bolton 6-0 at the Reebok Stadium a fortnight ago and were full of confidence going into the game.
They were made to work in the opening stages though as Everton attempted to stifle their attacking threat closing down Juan Mata and Frank Lampard afforded little or no space in the centre of the park. Ramires did find some space though as Didier Drogba, partnered with Sturridge up front, released the midfielder only for Sylvain Distin to make a crucial interception as he bore down on goal. The visitors were swift on the counter attack and Louis Saha should have done better than to just fire straight at Petr Cech from close range. Chelsea were crying out for some inspiration and they found it in the 31st minute. Mata finally found some space in midfield with the Spaniard releasing the galloping Ashley Cole down the left and the full back’s first time cross was headed home by Sturridge.
Despite looking like they could force an equaliser the visitors were undone once again in first half stoppage time when Terry beat Tim Howard in the air to bundle home Lampards free kick. Everton came out strongly in the second period and Leon Osman almost halved the deficit shaving the outside of the post with a sweet effort. With a two-goal lead in the favour Chelsea soon started to exert their influence putting together some wonderful passing play and it was no surprise when they made it 3-0 on the hour mark.
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Mata was central to it all again exchanging passes with Drogba before sending an inch perfect cross in towards Ramires who slid in to poke the ball past Howard. The Brazilian appeared to hurt himself after getting in-between two defenders to get to the ball and was replaced by Florent Malouda. Chelsea were in cruise control now and that let Everton back in with substitute Velios snatching a late consolation. The Greek striker sliding home Royston Drenthe’s cross but it didn’t take the gloss off another comfortable performance from a Chelsea side slowly coming into their own under Villas-Boas.
Newly promoted QPR haven’t had the best of pre-seasons ahead of their first Premier League campaign in 15 years. The optimism around Loftus Road has quickly turned to sheer misery with very little transfer activity and the revelation that captain and talisman Adel Taarabt wants to leave. Manager Neil Warnock hasn’t let it get him down although he has had to scrape the bottom of the bargain bin to strengthen his squad. Striker Jay Bothroyd and the injury prone former West Ham pairing of Kieron Dyer and Daniel Gabbidon have joined on free transfers. DJ Campbell will be hoping to replicate his 13 goal haul for Blackpool last season after signing for £1.25 million. But the squad still looks threadbare and missing some quality in vital areas.
Bolton boss Owen Coyle has been very busy in the transfer market bringing in free agents Nigel Reo-Coker and Darren Pratley to boost his midfield. Burnley pair Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears also moved to the Reebok Stadium although the latter broke his leg just a few days after signing. The same injury also struck down Chung Yong-Lee with the influential Korean winger out for the season. Coyle will be looking for his charges to improve on a disappointing 14th place finish after looking set to end the season in the top half. The 5-1 hammering from Stoke City in the FA Cup semi final sparked the downward spiral and the Wanderers boss will hope that the squad have shaken that off come the first whilst on Saturday. Still light in the striking department it’s likely that Coyle will dip his toes into the market again for a frontman to fire them into European contention.
It’s going to be a tough season for QPR and I’m afraid it’s going to start at home against Bolton on Saturday who will provide a rather harsh welcome back.
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Verdict: 0-2
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Thierry Henry scored what might be his last goal for Arsenal against Sunderland in the Gunners 2-1 victory. Even though the goals he scored in his second spell weren’t classic Thierry Henry, he scored some important goals in his first spell.
When Arsene Wenger signed Henry from Juventus in August 1999 for £11 million, even he didn’t think that this man would become an Arsenal and Premier League legend and surpass Ian Wright’s record of 185 goals. In his time at Arsenal, Henry won 2 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and 2 Community Shields. The Frenchman also won a huge amount of individual awards, including 2 European Golden Boots, 4 Premier League Golden Boots and was in the PFA Team of the Year 6 times.
This article is a selection of Thierry Henry’s greatest goals that includes exquisite volleys, stunning strikes and astonishing pieces of skill. I hope you enjoy my tribute to the great Frenchman.
10- Charlton
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9- West Ham
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8- Blackburn
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7- Real Madrid
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6- Weiz
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5- Man United
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4- Tottenham
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3- Man City
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Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has admitted that the big-spending Ligue 1 club want to sign Luis Suarez in the summer.
The Uruguay international has been a revelation for the Reds since moving to Anfield from Ajax in January 2011, but has been hounded by the media due to racist remarks made to Patrice Evra.
The French capital-city side are ready to end Suarez’s spell in England, and the billionaire owner has admitted that they club will spend big over the next five to six years.
“We are already looking at the market for next season,” the Qatari businessman is believed to have said according to Mirror Football.
“We have clear targets in mind. It is true that we want Luis Suarez and [Real Madrid striker] Gonzalo Higuain.
“Our real short-term targets are to win the Champions League and find a new Lionel Messi.
“We will spend what is normal for a top-class club. We prefer to invest a lot and immediately.
“In the next five or six years, we still spend this amount. Then the investments will slow,” he concluded.
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Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has backed Alan Hutton after the defender injured West Brom’s Shane Long, and has urged him to continue his swashbuckling style of play.
The Scotland international right-back came under criticism after a strong challenge left Long with a knee injury in The Baggies 2-1 win at Villa Park last weekend, with Roy Hodgson in particular vocal in his displeasure.
Despite this, McLeish has stated that it was a 50-50 challenge, and that Hutton was right to go for the ball as he did.
“The unfortunate thing for Hutton was that Shane Long got injured. We are sorry about that outcome,” the former Birmingham manager told Mirror Football.
“But there are tackles like that that go on every week and when there is not an injury at the end of it nobody says anything. The ball was there – Hutton had to stretch for it more than Shane did.
“Unfortunately, you can’t, all of a sudden, reverse the momentum of your body and not make some kind of collision.
“Alan was in a leg-break himself in a tackle with Garry Hay, a Kilmarnock player, six years ago, when I was at Rangers. It was two players sliding in and Alan got a broken leg out of it. So Alan is not that kind of player to do anything deliberately,” he stated.
Despite the criticism, Hutton is set to feature for Villa this weekend against Sunderland at The Stadium of Light.
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A London derby at Craven Cottage see’s Fulham host neighbours QPR in their first top flight meeting with the hosts continuing their search a first Premier League win of the season.
The Cottagers have been brilliant in the Europa League and recorded a fantastic 2-0 win on Thursday night away at Danish side Odense BK. Despite their successes in Europe manager Martin Jol has failed to transport that form into their league campaign seeing his side pick up only four points from their first six games. Hovering just above the relegation zone in 17th place wasn’t the start most Fulham fans envisaged when the season kicked off in August but the truth his the Cottagers have struggled. Despite signing Bryan Ruiz for £10 million from Twente on deadline day goalscoring remains a serious issue with Bobby Zamora, Moussa Dembele and Andy Johnson also struggling to find the net. New Costa Rican signing Ruiz has begun his career in England at a startlingly slow pace but had the chance to make himself a hero in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw away at West Brom but contrived to stab the ball off the post and wide with a few minutes left on the clock. Jol, who was revered for the attacking philosophy he adopted at Tottenham, needs to get his players motivated and focused on making what do in the final third count. Aaron Hughes is an injury doubt with a knee problem and will require a fitness test with fellow defender Matthew Briggs also a worry.
Goalscoring is also a problem for Neil Warnock with his QPR strikers also coming across as shot shy after last week’s draw against Aston Villa at Loftus Road. Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell both failed to find the net with Richard Dunne’s late own goal giving the R’s a point they didn’t deserve. A week earlier they had brushed aside a tame Wolves side with Joey Barton and Alejandro Faurlin suppling the goals from midfield. Campbell also got on the scoresheet at Molineux and will be hoping to start at Craven Cottage on Sunday after recovering from injury. Warnocks side are unbeaten since his deadline day splurge and look a lot healthier after the addition of a few experienced Premier League heads. Their know how on the road has certainly come to good use with the Rangers claiming six of their eight points away from home. They’ve won both games in which they’ve taken the lead so victory should be assured against Fulham who have yet to open the scoring in any of their league fixtures this season. Armand Traore misses the game after his sending off last week with fellow defender Daniel Gabbidon also out through injury.
Key Players
Danny Murphy – The Fulham skipper has been in inspired form in the last few weeks rolling back the years with some commanding displays in the middle of midfield. They’ll need his experience and guile if they are to win their first Premier League game of the season.
Adel Taarabt – A glittering performance from the Moroccan in last week’s draw with Villa highlighted that he can mix it with the Premier Leagues best. Admittedly he did fade in the second period but is always a threat with the ball at his feet.
Verdict: 0-1
Fuham’s Danny Murphy is the highest ranked player from either club in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in 21st place, while Alejandro Faurlin is QPR’s top ranked player in 62nd place Murphy has anchored the Fulham midfield this season, winning 85% of tackles entered into and making 10 interceptions. He has also put in ten crosses, while team mate Damien Duff stays top of the ranking for crosses with 30 this season. QPR are also due some goals. Taarabt is the player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with the most shots on target without scoring (14) Faurlin and Taarabt also both occupy places in the top passers in the league, in 9th and 13th places respectively and above internationals stars such as Frank Lampard and Ashley Young
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How dull is the Carlos Tevez affair becoming? The Argentinean striker has caused controversy in every year that he has been in English football, whether it’s his fault or not, and many people will be glad to see the back of him, but not me.
The former Boca Juniors and Corinthians hitman was credited with keeping West Ham in the Premier League in 2007 after scoring vital goals in huge games that helped the Upton Park side beat the drop on the final day of the season at Old Trafford. His time in the East End though was overshadowed by the third party ownership from meddler and agent Kia Joorabchian that resulted in the Hammers paying around £25million over four years to relegated Sheffield United. Tevez unsurprisingly moved to Manchester United that summer where he felt he was harshly treated throughout by Sir Alex Ferguson even though he did manage to score 34 goals in 99 games that earned him a move to arch-rivals Manchester City for a reported £35million+ deal that is one of the biggest ever in English football.
Tevez, who turns 28 on Sunday, hit the prime of his career last season, becoming City captain, leading them to FA Cup glory, a Champions League spot and 23 goals in 39 games. The Argentine was a vital member of the Blues side that created history under Roberto Mancini. However, Tevez revealed he wanted to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer with a move to his native Argentina the preferred option to allow him to be with his family. But City could not get the required funds from any club and Tevez was told to stay. Since then Mancini has claimed that Tevez refused to warm up in a Champions League defeat away at Bayern Munich and he has not played since after being dropped and suspended by the club. So it was a certainty that Tevez would leave Manchester in January, but with just over 24-hours to go of the transfer window, Tevez remains a City player.
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But in amongst the lengthy transfer saga, I feel that the majority of people are forgetting just how good Tevez is and that on his day he is one of the best strikers in the world. Scoring 52 goals in 84 games at City and an overall record of a goal in nearly every other game in his career is certainly an attractive stat that should be remembered. Plenty of clubs wouldn’t go anywhere near Tevez in this window as his off the field history is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about him and City’s understandably high asking price is a stumbling block.
Unfortunately for Tevez his agent Joorabchian’s approach to transfers have definitely had an effect on his move but it would be nice to hear from the player himself. The main man at City last year will need a few weeks to get match fit after not playing for so long but it would not surprise me if he went on to score bundles of goals if he was to move on this week and silence any critics that don’t really know what has happened at City.
Tevez will always score goals, work extremely hard and win a team games, well worth the asking price in my opinion and someone will take him in the summer if not tomorrow. The striker is one cap away from 60 for Argentina and although he is not far off of turning 30, he may still have a good few years left in him. A bad attitude? I’m not sure, but a world class footballer? Yes.
What do you make of the Carlos Tevez affair? Let me know on Twitter @Brad_Pinard
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Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard has suffered another injury blow, as his club have confirmed that he will be on the sidelines with an ankle injury for a number of weeks.
After seven months on the treatment table due to a groin operation, the England international returned to fitness at Anfield and scored against Manchester United in his first match back in the Reds’ starting line-up last month.
However, the midfielder picked up a new knock in training last week, and missed Liverpool’s 2-0 win over West Brom at the weekend.
It has been revealed that Gerrard’s ankle injury has become infected, and that he will miss a number of weeks of action.
“Steven Gerrard has now undergone treatment to clear out all infection from his right ankle, which has been placed in a protective plaster cast,” a statement on the club’s official website reads.
“The player will not be available for this weekend’s game against Swansea City or for the upcoming England friendlies against Spain and Sweden.
“Steven will now continue his rehabilitation programme under the guidance of the club’s medical staff,” it concluded.
The 31-year-old will be frustrated by the setback, and it will be a blow for Liverpool in their ambitions to finish in the top four.
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