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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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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Manchester City travel to Stamford Bridge on Monday night knowing a win over Chelsea could see them extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
It will be a tough ask for Roberto Mancini’s men to overcome the Blues in West London following their confidence boosting 3-0 wins over Wolves and Newcastle. Andre Villas-Boas’ side turned the Geordies over in their own back yard last week to lift themselves back into the top four and ease the pressure on their managers shoulders. The former Porto coach’s job had come under increasing scrutiny after home defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks whilst a fall out with owner Roman Abramovich was reported in the press. However they’ve snapped out of their turgid run of form with two encouraging performances and two clean sheets despite still looking shaky at the back. John Terry and David Luiz still don’t look comfortable playing beside one another and the latter was lucky not see red after hauling Demba Ba down in the fourth minute as he bore down on Petr Cech’s goal. What has been most impressive about Chelsea in the last few weeks has been the understanding generated by the front three of Juan Mata, Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge. The latter was unstoppable on Tyneside last week as he dominated the right side with his speed and strength seeing him win a penalty and score late on to seal the game. Drogba has also rediscovered his form with another powerhouse display at St James’ Park whilst Mata continues to get better every week. All three will need to be in top form if the Blues are to overcome the lead leaders.
City are simply unstoppable at the moment and chalked up yet another high-scoring win last weak sticking five past helpless Norwich at the Etihad Stadium. It’s now 12 victories from 14 for Mancini’s side who continue to lead rivals United by five points at the Premier League summit and they know extending that is a real possibility should the Red Devils drop points on Saturday. Despite extending their unbeaten run last week they’ll travel to West London knowing they won’t be in for an easy ride against Chelsea. Mancini know the Blues forward line is currently in red-hot form and will be keen for his defence to snuff out Drogba and co at every opportunity and prevent them from even testing Joe Hart. However with the brittle nature of the home side’s defence City will be counting on their attacking players to punish any mistakes made the fragile Luiz. Sergio Agüero was inspired aganst the Canaries last week whilst David Silva produced yet another virtuoso performance. Getting the ball to the Spaniards feet and letting him work his magic will be the key to success in the capital.
Chelsea – 4th
Last Five: Won 3-0 v Newcastle (H), Won 3-0 v Wolves (H), Lost 2-1 v Liverpool (H), Won 1-0 v Blackburn (A), Lost 5-3 v Arsenal (H), Lost 1-0 v QPR (A)
Potential Starting X11: 1. P. Cech 2. B. Ivanovic 26. J. Terry [C] 4. D. Luiz 3. A. Cole 6. O. Romeu 7. Ramires 8. F. Lampard 10. J. Mata 11. D. Drogba 23. D. Sturridge*
Injury News: Villas-Boas has no new injury worries with Michael Essien the only player currently in the Stamford Bridge treatment room.
Key Player: Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge was the star of the show once again for Chelsea putting in another industrious display down the right flank at Newcastle last week. The youngster was a constant menace on Saturday giving Magpies full back Ryan Taylor his toughest afternoon of the season. His speed and strength won the Blues a penalty and a goal for himself at St James’ Park although he could have had more if not for goalkeeper Tim Krul. More terrorising forays down the wing will be expected as he comes face-to-face with his old club.
Match Fact: Chelsea have a good record at Stamford Bridge against City winning nine of the fourteen Premier League meetings between the two sides.
Manchester City – 1st
Last Five: Won 5-1 v Norwich (H), Drew 1-1 v Liverpool (A), Won 3-1 v Newcastle (H), Won 3-2 v QPR (A),Won, 3-1 v Wolves (H)
Potential Starting X11: 25. J. Hart 2. M. Richards 4. V. Kompany* 6. J. Lescott 22. G. Clichy 18. G. Barry 42. Y. Toure 21. D. Silva 7. J. Milner 19. S. Nasri 16. S. Aguero
Injury News: Mancini will be without left back Aleksandar Kolarov for the trip to West London whilst Owen Hargreaves also remains out.
Key Player: Vincent Kompany
With the likes of Agüero and Silva doing the business in the City attack it’s been a relatively comfy ride for Kompany and his back four. However when called upon the Belgian giant has completed his tasks with consummate ease. His strength in the air and no nonsense approach will be key to Mancini’s side coming away from Stamford Bridge with maximum points. His tussle with Drogba will be one to look out for.
Match Fact: City’s record in West London doesn’t make easy reading with only two wins in 14 Premier League visits. Their 4-2 success in February 2010 was their first since they beat they had beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since January 1993.
Last Time at Stamford Bridge
Premier League 20 March 2011
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
Luiz (78) Ramires (90)
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Attendance: 41,741
Referee: Chris Foy
PREDICTION
Chelsea’s win over Newcastle last week will have boosted their confidence and lifted the pressure even further of Villas-Boas’ shoulders. With Sturridge, Drogba and Mata leading the attack they have the quality to beat the league leaders. However City are unstoppable at this current time and they don’t look like letting their momentum cease for a second. They’ll be coming out all guns blazing as they look to maintain their advantage at the top ahead of rivals United.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that he and his players are delighted at Paul Scholes’ return from retirement, as the veteran midfielder played a part in his side’s 3-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday.
The Red Devils raced into a 3-0 first half lead at the Etihad Stadium, with a Wayne Rooney double and a Danny Welbeck strike giving the visitors a clear advantage.
Despite Vincent Kompany being sent off, goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Sergio Aguero pulled City back into contention, but the Premier League champions held on for a derby victory.
Scholes came off the bench for the last half hour, and despite being slightly at fault for City’s second goal, received praise from Ferguson.
“The last few weeks, Paul has been training very hard with the reserves and doing a lot of work in the gym,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.
“He came to see me and said ‘I regret retiring’. There are no negatives for me. The players have been delighted. I am delighted. The fans are delighted.
“The last few weeks he has been stepping up his training and been taking part in our training sessions during the week.
“It is a terrific addition to our squad at a very important part of our season,” he concluded.
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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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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.
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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It has been a fantastic season for Brighton this season. The brand new AMEX stadium is full week in week out and the team are performing superbly under Gus Poyet. At the beginning of the season, the target for the Seagulls was a mid table. They have exceeded all expectations and look set to finish in the play-off places.
However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing to Brighton’s current position. After a stunning start and even a period of being top of the table, the Seagulls slumped. Arch rivals Crystal Palace were in town with former Albion striker Glenn Murray on their team sheet. Record signing Craig Mackail-Smith put Brighton in front before 2 goals in 10 minutes gave Palace the lead. Then Judas (Murray) slotted in a 3rd. It was the first league defeat at the AMEX and a second league defeat after the first loss of the season away to Leicester the week before. The poor run would continue for a further 7 matches. Brighton, having been 3rd had slumped to 12th before they grabbed a scrappy 2-0 win over Barnsley.
The next game was a tough looking tie away to league leaders Southampton. The two south coasts’ clubs had developed a bit of a rivalry due to both teams coming up from League One last season and Saints manager Nigel Adkins quoting that Brighton would have to “keep up” with his side if both sides were to be competing for the title, which Brighton won with ease.
Poor refereeing handed the 3 points to Southampton and Brighton went down to 13th before 3 wins in a row lifted them up back into the play-off places. December started with a last minute victory over Nottingham Forest but ended terribly. Major injury problems lead to 4 defeats in a row without scoring and the Seagulls fell from a play-off position to 16th in the table.
The New Year came about with a visit from Southampton who had maintained their top spot. Brighton, still with massive injury problems throughout the side seemed destined to lose. But teen sensation Jake Forster-Caskey opened the scoring after Saints striker and pie lover Rickie Lambert was sent off for slapping Adam El-Abd. And then Matt Sparrow scored two stunners to give Brighton a hugely unexpected 3 points.
The win over Southampton became the start of a 12 match unbeaten league run. With the addition of an FA Cup run which saw a close victory over Wrexham and a 1-0 win over Newcastle which set up a dream tie away to Liverpool. 6000 Brighton fans turned the away end of Anfield into a sea of blue and white but where outclassed and were well beaten 6-1 (although 3 of Liverpool’s goals were scored by an Albion player).
The first league defeat of 2012 came at the hands of play-off hopefuls Blackpool who inflicted a 3-1 defeat. But a bounce-back 2-0 win over Derby lifted the Seagulls into 4th place, their highest position since September.
A draw against Middlesbrough has seen the team drop down to 6th but Brighton are under no pressure. No one expected the team to do so well and the performances have lead to plans for an additional 8,000 seats to be put forward early. The belief is strong that Brighton & Hove Albion will be in the Premier League sooner rather than later and a 30,000+ capacity stadium will help pave the way there.
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Several teams below 6th spot still have the belief that they can sneak into the play-off spot and Brighton’s next few fixtures will be tough. They face a Burnley side that have just put 5 goals past Portsmouth. They then welcome Reading to the AMEX who have stormed into 2nd place and beat West Ham 4-2 at Upton Park, where the Seagulls then travel to before taking on mid table Watford and then play-off contenders Birmingham before finally travelling to Barnsley for the last game of the season.
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has stated that he feels team-mate Paul Scholes should continue playing for another season, but knows that the veteran will weigh up his options in the summer.
The ageing midfielder retired last summer, only to return to action in January and spearhead the Red Devils’ title charge.
After impressive performances over the last couple of months, Ferdinand is in no doubt whether or not the 37-year-old should continue playing.
“Definitely,” Ferdinand told The Telegraph when quizzed if Scholes should participate for another campaign.
“It would be nice if he could play another season, but with Scholesy, you know it doesn’t make a difference what anybody else says.
“He’s his own man and he’ll make his own decision.
“There are a number of reasons why we’ve done well since the turn of the year and there’s no doubt that one of them is Paul Scholes.
“It’s not just the quality of his football that impresses me but the way he has adapted physically.
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“He was out of the game for months and yet he’s come straight back into top-level football and he’s hardly looked out of place. At this stage of his career, that’s phenomenal,” he admitted.