Chelsea fringe forward Romelu Lukaku has stated that he is out to prove a point in 2012/13.
The Belgium international had fleeting opportunities last season in the club’s first-team and spent large periods of time on the bench.
However, after the powerful attacker scored a brace for the Blues in a 4-2 win over Seattle Sounders in pre-season, Lukaku took a swipe at former boss Andre Villas-Boas and admitted that he is raring to go for next term.
“Those goals have been a long time coming. Last season was very difficult for me,” he confessed to The Sun.
“But now it’s back to zero and if you have a good manager behind you, like I do now with Roberto Di Matteo, it’s the perfect situation. I’m confident and sure I can do well.”
Lukaku has been linked with a loan move to another club this summer, but the Blues are still light in attack after seeing Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou depart at the end of last season.
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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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David Moyes wants Everton to catch the teams chasing European qualification spots and has a score to settle against Bolton Wanderers.
When he was Preston manager, Moyes was beaten in a play-off game by Bolton in 2001 – an afternoon he has not forgotten.
“When I was manager at Preston they beat me in the end of season Championship play-offs around 10 years ago and they have been in the Premier League ever since,” Moyes said.
“It has always been hard to travel to Bolton because they have always had good managers – especially Sam Allardyce.”
“Bolton have done very well this year and Owen Coyle has got them playing good football. I hope our players will be up for the challenge and we know it is going to be a hard game.”
“We have been trying to catch up with teams like Bolton and hopefully if we can go on a run of three or four wins then we can be on the tails of the teams outside of the European places.”
“We’re only in February and we’ve got to hope the best is yet to come. In the past few seasons that’s been how it’s worked out so we are hoping it will be that way again.”
“A lot of teams at the lower end of the Premier League are playing really well and it can be quite unpredictable. There are lots of good games but also some that are very tight.”
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“It’s very close and I don’t think there is a lot between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom. Last week the team at the bottom [Wolves] beat the team at the top [Manchester United] so it is very close.”
Jack Rodwell (groin) and Louis Saha (hamstring) will play no part in the game.
The manner in which Tony Pulis’ Stoke have established themselves in the Premier League hasn’t been to everybody’s taste, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be lauded for what is undoubtedly an impressive achievement. After his reappointment in 2006, Pulis and Stoke earned automatic promotion to England’s top flight on the final day of the 2007/08 season.
Despite initially being favourites for relegation the following season, Stoke surprised many in the first year back at the top. Victories against Arsenal, Aston Villa, Spurs and Man City would be indicative of the force that Stoke would come to represent – not necessarily feared but always respected.
Pulis’ finest achievement would come in the 2010/11 season as he guided Stoke to a place in the Europa League, courtesy of their place in that season’s FA Cup final (Man City, the winners, had already qualified for the Champions League).
In order to facilitate their European ambitions they signed, among others, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Jonathan Woodgate, and Matthew Upson. In fact Stoke’s current squad boasts a selection of players who have played for some of the top teams in English football including: Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Stoke’s ambition should not be doubted. Over the last five years Stoke have spent over £68m on transfers despite having only sold players to the effect f £8m over the same period. The only teams to have a higher net spend during this time were Chelsea and Manchester City.
However, having made such investments are Stoke in serious danger of regressing next season? Last season Stoke finished 14th with 45 points. – their lowest position and points tally since they rejoined the Premier League.
Clearly the burden of European football will have affected their performances yet this is also the strongest squad Stoke have had in decades. Stoke may have established themselves in the league, and may have clawed their way up to European football but as many a Premier League manager will testify: establishing yourself as a European club is considerably harder than doing it on a domestic level.
Without a change in direction for next season Stoke’s hopes of continuing to rise through the table could be severely hampered. Regardless of the extra games they had to play, Stoke were a far less effective side than they had been in previous seasons. They conceded more goals than in the previous two seasons and their record at The Britannia was also considerably worse than the two previous years.
Stoke may be in possession of players with a higher level of technical ability but until Pulis manages to use them with the same level of efficiency that he did with his previous, more rugged, players Stoke will continue to struggle.
After such a defined, effective strategy of physical football have sacrificed tried and tested tactics in search of club progression. A season in to this semi-transformation and the club has regressed domestically.
Next season could be pivotal, established Premier League sides can always go down, just ask Leeds, Newcastle of West Ham, and money doesn’t buy security.
Moreover, having already spent considerable sums of money it seems unlikely that Peter Coates would be willing to invest similar funds again.
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In Pulis Stoke have an astute manager who has proven his worth both tactically and in the transfer market but another season like 2011/12 and Stoke could find themselves fearing relegation once more. They’ve come a long way since 2008 but if things don’t change at The Britannia it could be a short journey back to where they came from.
One of the most positive results of this year’s transfer deadline day was Tottenham Hotspur managing to keep hold of Croatian playmaker Luka Modric. To many this can be seen as a victory for football and evidence that player power doesn’t always win.
The Croat had previously admitted his desire to leave the North London club earlier this summer but his request was met with a firm response from Chairman Daniel Levy , the player would not be sold. Chelsea made no secret of the fact that they wished to sign him and had three separate bids rejected by Spurs.
The final bid, according to manager Harry Redknapp , came on the 30th of August and it is believed to have been worth £40m, £30m cash plus Blues defender Alex as part of the deal. Spurs stood firm and again rejected the advances of their London rivals.
Modric made a number of attempts to seal his exit from White Hart Lane and met with Levy more than once to discuss his future. Although the message from the club was clear a number of people, from the media especially thought it near impossible for them to hold on to an unhappy player.
The Croat’s exit seemed even more likely when he asked to be left out of the Spurs squad that travelled north to face champions Manchester United and even Redknapp made comments that indicated his departure could be likely.
More evidence to suggest Modric would be sold was the fact that Spurs had been in a similar situation in August 2008, when Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov sparked a similar sequence of events in an effort to secure his eventual transfer to United. Levy had at first taken the same hard line stance and insisted the player would not leave, but on deadline day he completed a £31m transfer.
Though it seems both Chairman and club have learnt from this and were determined not to lose arguably their best player, and especially not to one of their biggest rivals. The player stated he wanted to play Champions League football, but as manager Redknapp suggested keeping players like Modric will help get them back into Europe’s premier competition.
Similar again to this was Carlos Tevez’s situation at Manchester City, like Modric he had only recently signed a new contract but decided he now wanted to leave the club and yet again most expected him to do so. Like Spurs City stood firm and both players remain at their respective clubs.
Although many will argue that you can’t keep unhappy players this has to be seen as a victory for football as a whole. Players have for too long have been seen as the ones holding the power in the game but the situation of both Modric and Tevez demonstrates that this is not always the case.
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Though it remains to be seen how dedicated they will be to the cause this year but for now both clubs have managed to hang on to two of their most prized assets.
Article courtesy of Patrick Giffney from This is Futbol
It was fascinating to watch Theo Walcott’s interview after Arsenal’s FA Cup 3rd Round tie at the Emirates versus Leeds a few weeks ago. Having won his side a penalty in the 88th minute that Fabregas converted – saving Arsenal’s blushes and earning a replay – he admitted he had dived to win a penalty earlier on in the game.
On one side, it’s refreshing to hear a professional footballer be so honest in front of the camera. With the increase in media coverage in the last decade, players often have lessons in how to deal with the media and what to say and not to say in interviews. But in this interview with Walcott, he admitted he took a dive and apologised for doing so. Although I appreciate his apology, many professionals would avoid the subject altogether – he commented about having a “laugh” with the referee after the game saying it was “his first dive, could you tell?” It makes you question how often this goes on within the game.
However, Walcott also mentioned the common saying in the game “if you feel a slight touch then go down” which has often caused debate over the whole diving issue. It is often seen as ‘smart’ when a player goes into a committed challenge to win a penalty or free-kick – it’s not seen as form of cheating but more like wise trickery. However, going down without being touched is as dishonest as you can get from a professional, not only are they conning the referee but they are cheating the opposition and the fans in order for their own team’s gain.
It reminds me of a story from earlier on in the season when Blackpool’s Ian Evatt claimed that referee, Howard Webb, told him and his fellow Blackpool players to “go to ground” if they want more chance of winning a free-kick. Webb’s point was that it is easier for referees to make a decision when they have a clear indication the player has been fouled.
The story came about when Webb was at Bloomfield Road as part of an FA Scheme to ease relationships between players and referees. Evatt had asked Webb why he hadn’t been given a free-kick during their game against Manchester City in a build-up to one of their goals. Webb had told him he was “too honest” by staying on his feet.
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So if referees are telling players to go to ground, what does it mean for Theo Walcott in his admission to diving? He could still face an FA charge over the incident but at least now he has a strong case to back it up.
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Tottenham have identified Portugal star Joao Moutinho as a possible replacement for outgoing Luka Modric according to The Daily Mail.
The Porto playmaker has starred for the Iberian nation this summer at Euro 2012, but unfortunately missed a penalty in Portugal’s semi-final elimination at the hands of Spain.
With Andre Villas-Boas red-hot favourite to take over the vacant managerial position at White Hart Lane after Harry Redknapp’s dismissal, a move for the man he used to coach could well be on the cards.
Tottenham are resigned to losing Croatian star Modric, with Real Madrid leading the chase for the attacking midfielder’s signature.
As such the north London side will need a replacement, and although they are keen to bring Gylfi Sigurdsson to the club, Moutinho has also emerged as a suitable target.
Moutinho joined the Portuguese champions from Sporting Lisbon back in 2010 and has made 48 international appearances for his country.
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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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It seems like Avram Grant’s time as West Ham manager may well be up. It was reported in The Guardian yesterday that Grant has two games against Barnsley in the FA Cup and Birmingham in the Carling Cup to save his job and time is most certainly ticking on his West Ham tenure. This comes after Wednesday’s 5-0 hammering at the hands of Newcastle and former West Ham manager Alan Pardew at St James’ Park, an embarrassing result that brought an abrupt end to the Hammers’ improved form in the Premier League. West Ham are now rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and the chairmen aren’t happy. Here’s West Ham chairman David Gold looking at his watch, but what is he thinking?
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Roy Hodgson is looking forward to having Wayne Rooney back in the starting line-up and believes he is privileged to have a player of his quality at his disposal:
“Wayne’s a quality player, a world-class player. His ability is a bit special. You’re lucky if you’re a manager of a national team to have players of his quality available. Hopefully, he’ll make life that bit easier for us going into the next game when we need another result.”
Hodgson has refuted talk that there is a weight of expectation on the shoulders of Wayne Rooney and believes that it is part and parcel of being a top class player:
“This is part of being a top, top player in an important national team. If you are Sweden it’s Ibrahimovic, if it’s Ukraine I’m sure it’s Shevchenko. If it’s England it’s about Rooney and Gerrard and if it’s France it’s about Ribéry and Nasri. You trust these players who have put up with this kind of pressure in their lives for a long time, and that they know how to deal with it.
“Wayne won’t need reminding if he plays well on Tuesday everybody will be saying fantastic things about him. If he misses a chance or two people will say other things. As a coach you can’t protect him, but the players know their job.” (Guardian)
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