With Danny Welbeck carrying an injury, Liverpool striker Andy Carroll is set to lead the line for England this summer, according to The Telegraph.
The Anfield hitman has had a largely inconsistent 2011-12 campaign, but improved towards the end of the season with goals for the Merseyside club.
Welbeck is still suffering from an ankle injury that he picked up in the Manchester derby back in April, and is reported to have limped out of Three Lions training this week.
England defender Joleon Lescott has backed Carroll to start for Roy Hodgson’s men in Welbeck and Wayne Rooney’s absence, and pose a real threat to opponents this summer.
“Andy Carroll is a threat in any game,” the Manchester City centre-back told reporters.
“It’s nice to see him getting the media coverage and the high praise he deserves over the last few weeks of the season.
“I’m sure his confidence is high going into the tournament. Andy’s always a handful to play against but when his confidence is high it’s even worse.
“He has great ability, it’s not just in the air. International football is not just about that aerial threat but not many teams have that presence in the air and he brings that to the squad.
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“He’s had a good finish, been called into the squad for a major tournament so if his confidence is not high for something like this, there’s not a lot it will be high for. So you’d like to think after his last couple of games and getting called up, this is the best he’s felt about himself,” Lescott admitted.
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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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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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.
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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It feels quite difficult not to be blinded be all the razzmatazz that’s surrounding Manchester United at the moment. A Marouane Fellaini induced defeat at Goodison Park last night may have brought supporters back down to earth, but the summer additions of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa have certainly brought a bit of glitz and glamour back to Old Trafford.
The Hollywood high profile feel of these sorts of acquisition always create a nice sense of pre-season belief, but it’s important not to forget the components of an already successful team. Because there is one player in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side who may not necessarily bestow the flair and high profile of some of his colleagues, but he isn’t half crucial to the team’s future prospects. Antonio Valencia is more industry than ingenious; but he must start games for United.
It was a refreshing sight to see that amongst the influx of talent at Manchester United this summer, there was still room for Antonio Valencia in the starting line-up at Everton last night. It did however, soon become very clear that the Ecuadorian was in the team more as emergency cover than essential winger, as his stint at right back suggested. But whilst he suffered a difficult evening at the hands of the marauding Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar, his first-team prospects may strangely have been handed a boost.
Because for all United’s crisp passing and pretty patterns across the midfield, they failed to really create anything in the way of clear-cut chances. Now, before the sirens come out for media stirring and overreaction, you can’t read too much into the first game of the season; especially against a team as dogged and competitive as David Moyes’ Everton. But they were craving a more direct outlet last night or at least something a little more effective.
And they have the asset to do just that, although emergency right-back probably isn’t the most effective way to deploy him. Antonio Valencia is the quiet man of Old Trafford and his lack of baggage and fuss is perhaps testament to a Premier League profile that is often overshadowed by the likes of Nani and Ashley Young. Valencia gets on with the job and does it effectively. No rubbish, no whining and little theatrics. Just an outstanding work ethic and one of the most wicked deliveries in the league.
It’s always been like that since day one of Valencia’s Old Trafford career. He was brought in amongst a strangely muted atmosphere at Manchester United in 2009, following the £80miilion departure of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, and expectations for the new season were somewhat mixed. Despite the gifted talent of the man that had just departed, Valencia is of course a completely different package to the Portuguese, but that didn’t necessarily stop him being labeled as a replacement.
But Valencia got his head down and stuck to his game, paying dividends for both Manchester United and Wayne Rooney in particular, during his first term in Manchester. United narrowly lost out to Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea for the Premier League title during the 2009-10 term, but Valencia played his part, contributing seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions. The biggest benefactor was Rooney, who owed Valencia more than a few drinks as the winger played a key part in helping the Englishman net 34 goals in all competitions during his real breakthrough season as a goal scorer. Valencia didn’t showcase the sort of showboating or goal scoring talents of his predecessor, but it didn’t matter- his game is about effectiveness and he proved that in abundance.
Even last season, as Sir Alex Ferguson swooped for the services of Ashley Young, some still raised question marks about Valencia’s ability to survive in a squad that boasted both Young and Nani. But the statistics speak for themselves. Valencia knocked up 13 assists in the Premier League last season, second only to David Silva’s tally of 15 for eventual champions, Manchester City. Nani may be more of a match winner, but Valencia is perhaps the more consistent outlet with his almost industrial levels of performance.
He needs to add more goals to his game, but his role is as that of the provider, not the show stealer. His game is built around selflessness- he puts in the sort of tireless shifts defensively that his rivals would baulk at; look no further than Fergie’s decision to start with him in the Champions League final against Barcelona for evidence. But it’s his delivery that is the centerpiece of his game. In a league where we so often talk about the fabled notion of end-product, Valencia has it in abundance and he has produced the goods time and time again. His explosive pace and imposing strength catalyze the wonderful craft of his right foot. No need for step overs and no need for messing around- just a truly scintillating ball into the box.
And this is what Manchester United have to ensure they keep in their starting XI. Sir Alex has a lot of options in midfield now, but he can’t become too seduced by the aesthetically pleasing passing game or creating his own ‘carousel’ as he likes to call it. They need a cutting edge to compliment the craft. Shinji Kagawa is a wonderful prospect but he’s no wide player and his success at Borussia Dortmund came in a far more central role. Balancing the team is an art but there is one man who could prosper more than any from Valencia’s presence in the team.
When you sign a 30-goal-a-season striker, you need to give him the best possible service you have available. Valencia was, as already mentioned, a crucial component in eeking goals out of Wayne Rooney when he started playing higher up the pitch. There’s no reason why he can’t repeat the trick with Van Persie. Young and Nani are both creative outlets and they offer perhaps a more dynamic option to Sir Alex on the flanks. But surely the best bet in terms of getting the best out of Robin van Persie is plumping for the Ecuadorian.
Robin van Persie harnessethe sort of firepower that can see Manchester United back as Premier League champions again. But he’s not going to be able to do it all on his own. But be it Van Persie and Rooney up front together, Rooney just behind, or even Danny Welbeck for that matter, the purest choice of winger to get the most out of your attack must be Antonio Valencia.
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Manchester United host Fulham this Saturday at Old Trafford and it’ll be interesting to see if Ferguson will maintain his faith in Valencia. Let’s just hope he’s played a little bit further up the pitch this weekend.
How do you feel about the role Valencia has to play in the United team this season? Guarenteed starter or forever in Nani & Young’s shadow? Let me know how you’d get the best out of Van Persie on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tweet me your line-up.
Today I’m tasked with writing a blog on Sheffield Wednesday on the same day that David Cameron stated in the House of Commons, “Today’s report is black and white. The Liverpool fans were not the cause of the (Hillsborough) disaster.”
Cameron then went on to issue a “proper and profound apology on behalf of the government and the country”.
How am I meant to follow this? Lets face it, the biggest news to come out of Sheffield Wednesday of late is that, 23 years after the incident, the club have apologised for what happened that day.
A statement said, “Chairman Milan Mandaric and the current board of directors have adopted a policy of complete compliance with the requests of the Hillsborough Independent Panel and on behalf of the club would like to offer our sincere condolences and an apology to all the families who have suffered as a consequence of the tragic events of 15 April, 1989.”
As for the national news, the full extent of the huge police cover up that ensued after the Hillsborough Disaster is now out in the open. Sickeningly, it is thought that 41 of the 96 fans that died could have survived after the cut-off point of 15.15pm set by the coroner, meanwhile, 116 of the 164 police statements had been altered to fit better what the police wanted people to believe.
In the HoC, Ed Miliband said it best, he said, “It shames us as a country that it has taken 23 years to get to the truth of what happened at Hillsborough.”
I’m sorry, as a Wednesdayite I wanted to do a blog on how we need to use the Brighton game this weekend to bounce back from the Crystal Palace defeat, how the international break may have given us a chance to regroup, and how I want Dave Jones to make sure that the defeat remains as a blip and not the beginning of a bad spell.
However, as a football fan it’s hard. 96 people were lost at a football game, in my home city. I know that the state of football grounds back then was an accident waiting to happen. I know that there are several factors to look at with regards to what happened that day and that several people must take the blame for what transpired. I also know that it shouldn’t have taken place, those people shouldn’t have died, and more importantly, my local police force shouldn’t have tried to cover it up and try to blame the innocent.
I have no doubt there were a handful of drunken Liverpool fans in and around Hillsborough that day, I think you’d be pushed to find a football ground in the country that doesn’t have a few people who are bevvied up in it’s parameters on match day, however, does that mean they can be blamed for what happened? Of course it doesn’t. Does that give the police the right to try and scapegoat them? No it bloody well doesn’t.
I can’t really even fathom what the families of the victims must have been going through all these years. Personally I’m horrified that the police force in my local area would have gone to such extents to exonerate themselves, and secondly, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t do more to help the cause over the years.
I wasn’t even born when all of this went on, all I’ve been able to do is read about it from people who were there, who saw it all. I’m not going to profess to being an expert on the matter, but after today’s revelations what I can do is concur with my team’s statement when they say, “We can only hope that the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report goes some way to providing the closure sought by all those involved.
“The thoughts of everyone at Sheffield Wednesday FC remain with the 96 Liverpool supporters who lost their lives, their families, and the wider Liverpool community who have all been affected so deeply by the disaster of 23 years ago.”
This weekend we take on Brighton, a team level with us on points, but five goals ahead of us with regards to goal difference. A win would put us back on track and help us continue the push towards the Premier League that so many Owls fans are looking for.
It’s going to be a tough week or so for Jones and his boys if they’re looking to start another unbeaten run, after Brighton we’ve got Huddersfield and Bolton to consider, but I’m confident.
I’ve said it before, one defeat isn’t a problem, it’s a stumbling block. It’s all about how you overcome that block that sets the tone for your season. And do you know what? I have complete faith that DJ can help our talented squad overcome this stumble with flying colours. Onwards and upwards boys.
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By the way, it looks like we’re all but certain to get Ross Barkley from Everton on loan. No one can really say how this will work out, but he’s a damn talented boy and should be a good addition to our ranks.
West Ham welcome Sunderland to Upton Park on Saturday hoping to maintain their 100% home record.
Martin O’Neil brings his side to East London in search of their first three points having drawn all three of their opening Premier League fixtures.
Whilst unbeaten, Sunderland know their creativity needs to improve, having averaged just five shots per game this season, the lowest in the division.
Allardyce see’s his side currently sitting in eighth, and knows a victory could see them leapfrog into the top four ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.
Carlton Cole is set to continue deputising for the injured Andy Carroll, although the on loan Liverpool striker has returned to light training. Jack Collison also remains sidelined with a knee injury, whilst Matt Jarvis could make his first start for his new club after finding himself on the bench for last weekends trip to Norwich.
Sunderland remain without the injured trio of Carlos Cueller (hamstring), Phil Bardsley (ankle) and Wes Brown (knee).
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A late decision is expected to be made on Adam Johnson, after the winger was forced to withdraw from the England squad a fortnight ago with a thigh problem.
We’ve now enjoyed a wonderful 20 years of Premier League football since it’s inception in 1992/93. In that time we’ve seen wonderful foreign players ranging from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo to Thierry Henry, not to mention the English stalwarts of the division like Steven Gerrard or Wayne Rooney. Manchester United have inevitably dominated during the modern era, overhauling rivals Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles and Arsenal have been their main rivals from an early stage.
However, we’ve seen challenges from certain money rich clubs to the dominance of those two sides, with Blackburn initially spending Jack Walker’s millions to land the title before Roman’s Russian revolution of Chelsea saw them catapult their way into the upper echelons of English football. However, Manchester City have now joined the elite, winning their first Premier League title thanks to their oil rich owners. In two decades, England’s top flights has seen tons of goals, assists, bookings, saves, corners and all the rest and to celebrate 20 years of Premier League football, we bring you the best 20 Premier League stats.
Click on Alan Shearer to unveil the top 20 stats from the Premier League
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Few football clubs have had starts harder to gauge than Sunderland.
Martin O’Neill’s men have picked up seven points from their opening five games and are one of only three unbeaten Premier League teams; the other two are Chelsea and Manchester City.
So with four draws and just a solitary win last time out against Wigan Athletic it is still extremely difficult to know how far the Black Cats have progressed since finishing 13th last season.
Scoring goals were the North East outfit’s Achilles heel last year, but summer additions Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson were roped in to improve that aspect at the Stadium of Light. Fletcher has hit the ground running netting all five league goals scored by the Wearsiders. While a groin injury picked up on international duty has restricted Johnson to just two starts in the league this term.
However goal scoring and dominating matches is still something Sunderland have barely done since O’Neill’s arrival. The excellent Ulsterman installed a feel-good factor and confidence around the Stadium of Light which had been missing since a home defeat to Newcastle in late August 2011. But emphasis on shape and counter attacking under the 60 year old still raise questions about whether Sunderland are playing the kind of football that allows them to score numerous goals, and beat the so-called lesser teams in the division.
Saturday’s fixture against Wigan was truly the first game to test this theory of whether Sunderland could conjure enough chances and play fluidly enough to dominate and beat a team with fewer resources. The Black Cats did triumph but not in a way which solved these under-lying issues. Athletic retained possession better than Sunderland something the Wearsiders have looked helpless at doing this term, and a now over-turned red card for Jordi Gomes, preceded the matches only goal. An early wonder-save from Simon Mignolet was also required to en route to a tough victory.
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In my opinion Sunderland look like a team that will struggle to win enough matches to truly get in and amongst the top eight and possibly even the top ten. Dominating matches remains a big ask for a team so dependent on organisation and resilience and I don’t see that changing any time soon. This is perhaps a premature statement to make with Sunderland’s two most creative player’s both still finding their feet in the 2012/2013 season. Johnson remains lacking in match-fitness due to his groin problem and could yet prove inspirational to the North East club. While last season’s star player Stephane Sessegnon has struggled after injuries meant he was unable to play any part in the Black Cats pre-season. Hopefully once these two start firing on all cylinders Sunderland can boost a deadly attacking quartet, with Johnson and Sessegnon hopefully developing an understanding with James McClean and Fletcher.
While progressing up an extremely competitive Premier League table will prove problematic and may expose the weaknesses of O’Neill’s developing team, cup competitions offer other areas for potential success at the Stadium of Light. Through to the last 16 of the league cup and facing winnable home draw against Middlesbrough, fans may eye this competition as Sunderland’s best prospect of major triumph this term. The Wearsider’s manager has already lifted the competition’s trophy four times, twice as a player and twice as a manager. The Irishman also reached the league cup final as recently as 2010 with Aston Villa. In the club’s favour also is feeling on their day they can beat anyone in the country. Victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City under O’Neill will breed confidence for any future big game cup matches. Last year’s run and deflation at losing out two Everton in FA Cup quarter final replay should also motivate the Premier League side.