Archive for December, 2006

Arsenal Are The Future Of English Football?

Following Wenger’s comments that Arsenal are still in with a shot of winning the league, striker Adebayor has claimed the team will be unstoppable soon.

However, this current Arsenal side isn’t a shadow of the team who famously went 49 games unbeaten a couple of seasons ago.

“When I look at our squad I think we’ll be unstoppable within the next two seasons,” says Adebayor. “With talented guys like Emmanuel Eboue, Cesc Fabregas, Johan Djourou and Theo Walcott, we’re the future of the English game and everyone can see that now.”

It is without doubt that Arsenal currently have a bunch of great prospects on their books, and if they fulfill their potential, then it is a safe bet their team will be battling at the top. However, great debate could be held over whether these youngsters will one day grow in to a force to rival Chelsea and Manchester United. Also, does the Premiership want the future of the English game to be a team with little to no English players?

Leave your comments below.

Blues After Brazilian Star

Manchester City have been linked with Brazilian striker Alfonso Alves. City have struggled in front of goal this season, after selling Andy Cole and Robbie Fowler before the start of the season. Georgios Samaras, who looks promising, has failed in consistantly finding the back of the net.

Alves has been linked with Liverpool in the past, but it looks as though now City are favourites to secure his signature this January.

Will Manchester City sign him? Who else should the blues be looking at? Leave your comments below.

Arsenal Can Still Win The Title?

Up until half way through September, the joke doing the rounds was “What is the difference between Arsenal and a triangle?… A triangle has three points.” Since then, things have changed for Wenger’s side, with them lying fourth in the league, one point behind third place.

However, they are still a whopping fourteen points behind league leaders Manchester United, and are without their best player, Henry, until the New Year. Arsenal have been surprisingly good without their captain though, with Gilberto making a strong case to permanently hold on to the armband.

Still, whilst Wenger recognises it would look a bit pretentious to claim his side will win the title, he has not given up hope. “It looks far away, and that is why I believe at the moment it would look a bit pretentious to say that we will be champions this time – but on the other hand, I have not given up,” he said. “I feel there is potential in the team and we are not missing a lot. Perhaps we are lacking that bit of concentration and the games at home where we are always 1-0 down at set-pieces. I am confident we can get that out of the squad. Overall what makes me positive is this team can make a great comeback because they have a special character and special qualities.”

Do you agree? Is there still a chance for Arsenal this season? Please leave your comments below.

Put A Lid On It Jose

In the first half of what turned out to be a great game of football between Chelsea and Everton at the weekend, controversy struck when Andy Johnson went down in the area. Opinions were split on whether the ref was right to wave on play, as clumsy new signing Boulharouz’s hand seemed to make contact with Johnson’s back, as goalkeeper Hilario charged out.

Jose Mourinho jumped up claiming the player had dived, whilst Moyes angril reacted, telling Jose to watch the replay.

After the game, Mourinho, who has been fined countless times for his comments and actions since joining Chelsea, spoke out about the incident. “I think he (Johnson) is not fair,” he said. “And I think if the ref gives him a yellow at that moment for the rest of the game he doesn’t do it. I think he should be embarrassed. A great player but too much of that (diving).”

Andy Johnson later responded, saying it wasn’t a dive, and Everton encouraged Jose to retract his statement. However, Mourinho has failed to do so, and now Everton have made an official complaint to the FA.

The PFA chief executive has now got involved, saying managers need to bite their tongue. “Jose likes to be controversial to say the least and there is certainly a lot of publicity attached to it,” he said. “I get a little bit worried sometimes about the way managers are too keen to make points about other clubs’ players.”There are enough people out there in parts of controversy and it’s for the game, the crowd, the analysts and the media to make comments and judgements. When those from within the game are biting at other managers’ players, and again people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones as it can then happen on their own doorstep with their own players. It has to be acknowledged that a manager is responsible for his own players and it’s only going to create antagonism and resentment to a manager and to players when they hear such comments coming from other managers.”

No Flowers and Blue Sky For Chelsea

Chelsea won at the weekend against Everton despite going behind twice. Two moments of magic provided by Drogba and Lampard gave Chelsea the three points. The win now leaves Jose Mourinho’s men two points behind Manchester United in the league.

Despite signing three of the best players in the World this summer, Chelsea have failed to shine so far this season. Skipper John Terry claims the best is yet to come, but we have yet to see whether this multi-million pound side have what it takes to emulate to success of the past two seasons.

Jose Mourinho is the first to criticise his side. “If you can’t play great music, then you must at least play some,” he said. “That is what we are doing at this moment. In great moments, teams play great football and score great goals. Everything rolls on. The first chance you create, you score. You go on to the pitch and everything is shining, there are flowers and blue sky. We are not in that situation just now. We have players injured and we are hitting the post at least twice in every game. If we were six points behind I would be happy. The important thing is that we are there.”

Carrick Still Feels Spurs Pain

Michael Carrick was brought to Manchester United in the summer in a bid to improve the lacking midfield from last season. He ended the Premiership season playing for Spurs, after spending most of the year in fourth place, with a spot in the Champions League waiting for them.

Carrick faced his former club, West Ham, and his side needed a win to secure their place in Europe. However, the Spurs camp were hit with a bug on the day of the game, and lost 2-1. Rivals Arsenal beat Wigan 4-2 at home, and claimed the fourth Champions League spot.

Manchester United play West Ham on Sunday, and Carrick confesses this will bring back bad memories of the painful defeat in May.

“I’ll never forget what happened in May,” he said. “We all knew what we could have done and to get into the Champions League for the first time would have been an unbelievable achievement for Tottenham. Everybody had waited so long for it. To be so close and then have it snatched away at the last minute would have been bad enough in any case but the way it happened made it far, far worse. It was a terrible and torrid day for the club because it was such a big occasion. It was a horrible way to miss out and for me that was as bad as it could get.”

Shevchenko Is Under The Thumb

Shevchenko has received criticism from plenty of angles so far this season. The 30 year old is struggling to adapt to the Premiership, and hasn’t made much of a positive impressive on his new club.

It has been frequently rumoured that Shevchenko was likely to return to Milan after failing to impress Jose Mourinho. It seems after today that is a highly unlikely option.

The president of his former club, Silvio Berlusconi, has today launched a scathing attack on the player, who up until a few months ago, was considered one of the best strikers in the World.

“A true Milanista and a real man would not have behaved like this,” he said. “At my home I’m in charge and decide what happens. Instead, when Shevchenko’s wife shouts, he runs under the bed like a lap-dog. His wife ordered him to London with their children, where the fog will do their lungs the world of good.”

Poor ickle Steven Gerrard

In the lead up to Liverpool’s game against Charlton, the Liverpool skipper has condemned Charlton’s new boss, Les Reed.

Gerrard believes upon being picked to play for England in Euro 2000, he should have been shown more sympathy from Reed, as he was homesick.

Granted, most players would be overjoyed to get chosen to represent their country, whereas Gerrard struggled with boarding a plane and being so far away from home.

“I felt they could have shown me more sympathy. They were always pushing me, telling me to buck up my ideas. They didn’t seem to understand that not everyone can board a plane, settle in a strange hotel far from the family they love and find it easy. My homesickness worsened whenever I was forced to be in their company.”

Gerrard claimed since then, he has had no respect for the manager. However, Reed has a contrasting point of view, saying “I’ve got his framed Euro 2000 shirt hanging on my wall saying ‘best wishes Steven Gerrard’.”

Curbishley Does As Alex Ferguson Says

Alex Ferguson is one of the most experienced and successful managers in the game. It is for this reason you’d do well to heed his advice. New West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has done just that.

Curbishley’s former club was Charlton, who he managed for fifteen years, as well as spending six years there as a player. His last game in charge was at Old Trafford, where his team got thumped 4-0 on the last day of the season just gone. As a goodbye present, Manchester United gave him two tickets to Australia to go and stay with relatives. It is clear there is a good relationship between the two managers, and Ferguson was more than happy to help Curbishley come to a decission over his future.

“I spoke to Alex this week and said West Ham are third from bottom. He said 20 years ago United were as well,” said Curbishley. “He said what you’ve got is an opportunity to go in to a club and be successful. I spoke to a few people because it’s not an easy situation going into a club mid-stream. It was very good to speak to Alex about it. He was writing out his Christmas cards and he wanted to get back to them!”

Did Ferguson give him the right advice? Will Curbishley be successful at West Ham? Please leave your comments below.

Shevchenko Like A Broken Ferrari, says Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is the latest to join in the Shevchenko debate. The highly rated £30 million striker has been considered to be a flop. It is not just his lack of goals, but his general game. He looks a million miles away from the player he was in Italy, reigning as one of the best strikers in the World.

“Sometimes you need to be patient, sometimes you don’t need to be,” said Wenger. “To know that, you need to smell the game a little bit and understand all the ingredients. It’s not like buying a machine. You can buy a super player and he can look disastrous for three, four, five months. If you buy a super machine, a Ferrari, from the first day it goes well – unless it’s bought by a Russian who buys it and breaks it in two!”

Do you agree with Wenger? Please leave your comments below.