The first Saturday evening kick off of the new season was an absolute belter as Swansea visited West London and went toe-to-toe with Chelsea to nab a 2-2 draw and take a point back to Wales.It was a game that the Swans more than deserved to take something from, in fact there were plenty of times where Garry Monk’s side were in the ascendency and probably deserved to nick the win.There were plenty of talking points, from debut goals, to sending offs, sluggish displays to free-flowing football… So sit back, and take a look at our three things we learnt from Chelsea 2 – 2 Swansea City.
1. Swansea are a force to be reckoned with (and we’re loving it)
The Welsh side were first to the second ball, spritely in attack, solid in defence and simply wanted it more than Chelsea today.
Montero was excellent, roaming down the left wing and causing the west London side all sorts of problems, while Gomis and Shelvey have struck up a useful relationship and new signing Andre Ayew shone (but more on him later.)
Quite simply, Garry Monk’s side are a pleasure to watch. You can’t help but enjoy their entertaining brand of
football, in fact, you can’t help but root for them – and long may it continue.
2. Andre Ayew could be one of the signings of the season
Football – Germany v Ghana – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group G – Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, Brazil – 21/6/14Andre Ayew celebrates after scoring the first goal for GhanaMandatory Credit: Action Images / Jed LeicesterLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
There were more than a few raised eyebrows when Andre Ayew decided to leave Marseille for Swansea City in the summer, signing a four-year deal with the Welsh club.
It was certainly deemed as a bit of a transfer coup for Garry Monk’s side and after his debut against Chelsea, it looks like a stroke of genius.
Not only was the Ghanaian nabbed on a free, the free-flowing attacked scored on his debut, after a classy drag back left the Chelsea defence floundering before he slotted past Courtois. Expect more from him this season.
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3. There’s something not quite right at Stamford Bridge
From their loss in the Community Shield, to today’s sluggish display – there’s something amiss at Stamford Bridge. It’s not time to panic yet, but Jose will want to stamp out these issues beforeÂnext Sunday when they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City.
They will also have to do so without Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian keeper received a straight red afterÂbringing down Gomis (who converted the penalty.) Arsene Wenger must be absolutely loving it…
England kicked off their World Cup campaign with a dire 1-1 draw against the US, then (this past Friday) put their fans through despair once more as England performed abysmally against Algeria which ended a 0-0 bore draw. So with 2 games played and 2 points accumulated so far, and the team not performing well, is it any wonder why England fans are upset?
Many fans and pundits alike have questioned the player’s spirit and unity, whilst some (if all) believe that Capello needs to change the system and stop being so stubborn for the good of the team.
This Wednesday’s clash against group C leaders Slovenia has become a must win, a draw may be enough but a win will no doubt see Capello’s men through to the last 16.
So, taking this all into consideration, and having seen the performances being produced by the England team so far, isn’t it about time Capello made some drastic changes.
In no particular order, here are 10 things that Capello must now do to keep England’s World Cup hopes alive:
1. Change the 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1
The 4-4-2 system is clearly hampering the likes of Stevie G, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney. The current formation is not working and has only managed to grab to draws so far, the formation needs to be changed for the match against Slovenia this Wednesday. A 4-2-3-1 is visibly the way to go.
My team to line-up against Slovenia would be Hart in goal, Johnson, Terry, Dawson, A. Cole at the back, Barry and Lampard in the centre, with Barry more of a defensive role, Lennon and J. Cole on either flank, with Gerrard just behind Rooney up front. Might as well give it a go Fabio, what’s the worst that could happen?
2. Utilize your captain in the right way
Steven Gerrard is not a left sided midfielder, so why Capello has decided to install him in this position remains a mystery to many English fans. Gerrard is undoubtedly one of England’s best players and is being wasted. Capello get your captain in the centre of the park behind Wayne Rooney and stop accommodating for your best 11 players.
3. Get Joe Cole involved
Joe Cole is probably one of, if not the most creative wingers England have to offer, so why hasn’t he got time on the pitch yet? More importantly why isn’t he starting for the three lions? Get Joe Cole in as he is a much better player than Shaun Wright-Phillips who can only run in one direction. England need more flair, creativity and diversity and Joe Cole can definitely offer this.
4. Enjoy the occasion
The players looked really nervous in their two opening games of the tournament, especially against Algeria the other night. Unquestionably there is a lot of pressure on the team to deliver, and with Capello reportedly treating their training sessions like a boot camp; this will no doubt enhance the anxiety amongst several players. Capello needs to tell his players to relax and enjoy their football, if he does this then the squad will certainly improve in performance.
Continue to page 2 to view the rest of the list
5. Give Rooney what he wants
Wayne Rooney has not exactly hit the heights of this World Cup so far, but then again, the striker is playing in a formation he is not happy with. Rooney has expressed his desire to play up front on his own, but Capello has opted to partner the United man with Emile Heskey for both England’s ties. Its time to give England’s talisman what he wants, and see what he can produce…he can’t do any worse than he already has, right?
6. Get Lampard firing
Lampard was in great form for Chelsea last season, but has been unable to carry on his form in the red and white of England in this year’s World Cup. The Chelsea man needs to be firing on all cylinders and create and bag as much goals as possible for England to go all the way.
7. Name his team earlier
Capello needs to name his team earlier, 2 hours before kick-off sounds preposterous to many English fans, including me. It’s just like gathering a group of mates, head down to the local park and picking teams straightaway…it doesn’t look professional.
The Italian needs to announce his starting line-up a day or two before a scheduled match, this will give the players who are in the starting eleven more time to work, train and evidently gel as a unit.
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8. Tell his three lions to be fearless
England are known as the three lions yet they look nothing more than pussycats on the pitch. Capello needs to tell his squad to go out and be fearless. The England team possess a cluster of talented players, but if they don’t believe in themselves then they will get nowhere and that is a fact. Time to stand up and be counted for guys and remember you are not nicknamed the three lions for nothing lads…let’s see you start acting like some.
9. Tell Aaron Lennon to stay wide
Aaron Lennon is potentially a major threat to any team club or country. However, the Spurs winger needs to stay more wide than he has been as of late. Capello needs to trust in Lennon’s ability and give the speedy wide-man more freedom to take on full-backs like he can has done in the past.
10. Keep team spirit high
Reports suggested that there was trouble within the England camp following the 0-0 draw against Algeria last week. However, John Terry and Frank Lampard have since come out and squashed these rumours, everything seems to be fine. Nevertheless, team spirit and unity will have to be at its maximum for the crucial match against Slovenia this Wednesday, and of course this will be down to the England coach to do.
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Excuses have been made since the dawn of time for all sorts of things. “I’m late because my sundial didn’t go off” or “The bus was late because the wheel hasn’t been invented yet” or even “A Stegosaurus ate my homework.” Of course, I’m being silly – dinosaurs and man never came into contact with each other outside of Jurassic Park and, if the documentary series I saw about those islands are to be believed, there wasn’t much homework-doing going on.
But excuses generally all have one thing in common – they’re utter cowpats. “I’m sorry I’m late, the bus didn’t turn up on time” is, 99% of the time, code for “I’m not actually sorry I’m interrupting your lecture, but I know I have to give a reason for doing it now that I have and I know that telling you I preferred to sleep in for another half an hour isn’t going to go down well, so here’s some rubbish I’m spouting out of my face to save both of us the embarrassment of me turning up late.”
And, of course, turning up late isn’t the only time you need excuses. Excuses are golden for when leaving early: for example, a party you didn’t want to go to (“I have to get home because I’m working in London tomorrow”), a date that isn’t going well (“My grandfather’s not well, so I have to get back”), or even an international football competition where you didn’t do as well as you and millions of others had expected (“Manchester City keep buying people from abroad, so the England team is rubbish”).
Like I said, cowpats.
It has to be City’s fault that Wayne Rooney had the control and agility of a combine harvester. Who else is there to blame that the defence looked as stable as a puddle of Nitro-glycerine near a fire? And it goes without saying that there’s only one place to look as to the reason why Gerrard and Lampard looked like two people who’d not even spoken to each other for ten years.
So, and this is a question aimed at a certain Brian Woolnough from the Daily Star, why have England not been much cop for the last 44 years? I mean, City were taken over in 2008 and Chelsea in 2003 – so that covers the last seven years, but what about the remaining 37? And why are City being blamed for the high finances of football and lack of English youth development when they are just the latest of many clubs to have spent big and, in the years just before the takeover, they were over reliant on academy products to be able to put out a team most weeks?
That transfer fees and wages are as high as they are isn’t the fault of football’s latest rich kids. Before City broke the English transfer record for Robinho, many others had broken it first, on such illustrious flops as Juan Sebastián Verón or Andriy Shevchenko. Money clearly not well spent at a time when the fees spent on those individual players were more than City’s entire transfer budget for the season.
I don’t think there’s a football fan in the world that wouldn’t prefer a team to win their league by producing a squad of academy talents all at the same time, over spending money on foreign imports. There’s always that romantic view of the team of kids showing the big boys in the league how it’s done, most of them from the area around where the club is based.
Unfortunately, as much as that would be the desired method of competing with the best, it just isn’t ever likely to happen. With the amount of prize money that has been earned by those at the top, it made them self-financing in that they were the only teams that could afford to price everybody else out of the market. They bring in better players, win more things, get more money and bring in better players.
The days when several academy graduates topple the establishment are going, if not already gone. So, when City are taken over and decide that they’d like to compete with the best, it’s unfair to blame them for inflating transfer prices. The choice was to either spend little money and remain everybody’s second favourite club or to try and compete. Competing, of course, involved bringing in better players; players whose value had previously soared.
England don’t win the World Cup and City spend big. To say the first happened because the second happened is an inaccurate and ill considered conclusion that’s far too easy and lazy to arrive at. For a start, at the time of writing, City’s squad contains no less than nine Englishmen (four from the club’s own academy) who have been regulars for the club in the past, with an additional three that are currently breaking into the first team. And that doesn’t include the six non-English academy products that have represented the first team and are currently available for selection.
Clearly, youth development is at an end because the chequebook has come out for Silva, Touré, Boateng, et al.
While it may be true that City can field a first team that contains no English players, it is also true that they can field one that contains no foreigners (though the formation would be a bit off, granted). It seems pretty churlish to point the finger at City for strengthening the squad from abroad, when there’s a potential season of 64 matches (not including any FA Cup replays) coming up and when English players are as over-priced as they are.
If recent reports are to be believed, Aston Villa’s valuation of James Milner is £30m. And, of course, should City decide to pay that amount, they would still be the bad guys, because, despite the promotion of English talent, it would be an obscene transfer fee. Should City decide it’s too much and look overseas for a cheaper, equivalent player, then the club are ruining the chances of future England teams.
The only option for City to be the good guys is to promote academy products before they are ready… The very same system of providing first team players that nearly saw the club relegated in 2007. The club is now in the position where they don’t need to rush young talent into the squad, where only the best of the best will make it through, and where those youngsters can learn from some of the best players the game will see.
Yet that is the wrong way to run a football club. Work that one out.
The problem isn’t that the influx of foreigners is stopping English youth developing. Forcing teams to play x number of English players in their team won’t increase the quality of the national team, but rather decrease the quality of the Premier League. If the youth isn’t good enough to break into the first time for any reason other than being forced in there by the rules, then those players are never going to be good enough to help England to a World Cup win.
But if the English youth is good enough, then those players will play.
If you want to look for excuses as to why England didn’t win the World Cup, you could look at poor management, incorrect tactics, the fact that we’re not as good as other teams that have gone further than us… But the takeover of Manchester City and their transfers in isn’t a valid excuse.
Written By David Mooney
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Click on image below to see the PORTUGAL babes at the World Cup
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted Philadelphia Union were better than he expected after a 1-0 pre-season victory for the Red Devils on Wednesday night.
French winger Gabriel Obertan's 76th minute goal – his first for United – settled a hard-fought friendly at Lincoln Financial Field.
Ferguson had named a strong side with Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes joined by Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher in the second half.
"You need pre-season games, they are absolutely essential. You need them to get your timing and rhythm and your breathing right," explained Ferguson.
"It was the sort of game we probably needed. The Union were really powerful and aggressive, got to the ball quickly and made it difficult for us. They had a few shots on goal. They were better than I expected.
"We increased the tempo in the second half and did a little better then.
"It was a good game for us. They were very good opponents, I thought they did really well."
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Speaking about Obertan, who has made just a handful of first-team appearances since joining from Bordeaux in July 2009, Ferguson added:"Goals always help players of course, and when they are forwards in particular. There is a goal in Gabby, there is no question of that.
"The best aspect of his goal was his run, the timing of his run and the timing of the pass and the weight of the pass. It made it a really good goal. He has taken it well."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest signing came as a shock to virtually everyone. Not many would have recognised the name of Bebe before his fairytale move to Old Trafford, and it appears as if Ferguson himself had barely heard of him before he splashed out £7 million on the transfer. With competition for players now so fierce across Europe, the move highlights the games changing ways and similar transfers will undoubtedly follow. It has emerged that Ferguson had not even seen Bebe play, even on video, he signed the player on the recommendation of Carlos Quieroz and United’s Portugal based scout. With Real Madrid and Benfica apparently interested, the United boss obviously felt he had to strike quickly to get his man. He is quoted in The Sun as saying;
“On this occasion I didn’t watch him. It is the first time I have done it. Normally I see plenty of video footage but our scouting department is very good and sometimes you have to go on instinct. Our scout in Portugal was adamant we most do something quickly.”
Bebe had not even played a competitive fixture for his club Vitoria de Guimaraes before Man United met the release clause in the players contract, enabling a deal to be done smoothly. Much has been written about Bebe’s difficult upbringing, he was brought up in an orphanage and was playing in a street soccer tournament in Bosnia just one year ago. It is a remarkable rise and the details of his move highlight how the transfer market is evolving.
A player who is considered a ‘hot prospect’ not just in Europe, but across the world can now attract interest from a host of European clubs. Talented young players are highly sought after, and picking one up for a small price makes them attractive proposition in what has become a hugely inflated market. Clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United can no longer compete financially with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona, who have all spent vast sums of money on players in recent years. This means they often have to look at cheaper alternatives, and young players fit this bill nicely. It is understandable then that when Ferguson heard this highly recommended player was being circled by a number of top clubs, he made his rather impulsive move. If he had failed to act, Bebe might have signed for another club and grown into a top class player there; this was a risk Ferguson was unwilling to take.
Young players can now build up such a reputation that fans of clubs are calling for a players signing without ever seeing that individual play. Hands up who has actually seen Brazilian prodigy Neymar in action, yet such a head of steam has been built up around the player that most of us would be delighted to hear that he was going to sign for our club. Ferguson had a young talent recommended to him in similar glowing terms, and he acted. It is a method that comes with both pitfalls and rewards, but with such competition for players’ signatures now so intense, it might be one we see occur more often.
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Houllier is a strong area of debate for a lot of Liverpool fans and with his recent appointment as new boss at Aston Villa history will no doubt be delved into and his reign at Liverpool will be a source of debate once again. Whenever a new manager is appointed they are examined in great detail and it will be no surprise to see over the next few days the papers coming back and examining the highs and the lows of Houllier’s previous tenure in the Premiership.
Houllier for me is a very hard manager to write about, he laid foundations for a successful side by bringing in players like Henchoz, McAllister, Riise, Hamann and club legend Sami Hyypia, arguably one of the best transfers ever made in the Premiership. On top of this players like Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen came on in leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Houllier. A lot of his transfers also proved to be extremely useful under his successor Rafa Benitez and people like Hyypia, Hamann and Dudek all played various roles in Benitez’s Liverpool reign.
Another of Houllier’s undeniable successes was in bringing back a lot of professionalism within the club as well as dragging it into a more modern era by implementing squad rotation to some degree and phasing out what he considered to be a drinking culture within the club. He dragged the side from the under-achieving era of the ‘Spice Boys’ and updated Liverpool dramatically. Discipline and respect was brought back to the team and this must be remembered as one of Houllier’s crowning achievements. Trophies were also collected regularly throughout his tenureship and despite many underplaying these as minor competition wins (including the Historic Treble) he still brought plenty of silverware to a side that had been criminally lacking in any since the departure of Kenny Dalglish.
Despite these achievements though it is also paramount to mention Houllier’s shortcomings and big mistakes. Houllier’s dealings in the transfer market were very hit and miss, a number of high profile flops were signed by the Frenchman as well as the mistakes made by choosing not to sign players like Nicolas Anelka. Smicer though possessing talent and providing a hero’s goal in Istanbul still failed overall to live up to his price tag, controversial transfers like Nick Barmby also failed to impress and also lacked in fitness in his short period with the club and was sold a short while later to Leeds for significantly less than he was bought for. It would be possible to go on for quite some team about the disappointingly underwhelming players that Houllier brought to the club but also pointless, everyone knows about disappointing careers of players like Kirkland, Diao, Diouf, Sinemma Pongolle and Cheyrou. For all of Houllier’s success stories in the transfer market there was unfortunately at least one if not more disappointments for every masterstroke made.
Another of Houllier’s weaknesses that Villa fans will potentially be concerned about was his lack of inventiveness and general caution in play. The team was often too direct and too rigid under Houllier with a very inflexible 442 which clearly lacked in flair. Despite this though it can at least be said Houllier did try to rectify it with transfers like Diouf and Kewell but also notably these players failed to provide the solution. Also worth remembering is that despite these obvious flaws his tactics did have their strengths in that the side was very organised and effective in part.
Paul Tomkins (2008) I feel offers the best assessment of Houllier’s reign, dividing it into two distinct periods. The first one being largely very successful as he built up a good side and won a number of trophies for the club, the second being after his heart attack where sadly things went wrong for Houllier. Following his health problems it is clear that things were not the same and the team undoubtedly started to decline. It is then very hard to try and sum up his years at Liverpool when it was so greatly divided between the spectacular achievements but also the spectacular failures. It is understandable then why so many fans and so many in the press are completely at opposite ends over whether they think he will be a failure or a success at his new club.
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With his reign at Villa just beginning the only thing that will be certain about Houllier’s return to the Premiership is that he will be greeted with open arms and plenty of applause from the Anfield crowd… Whether or not be proves to be a prosperous manager for Aston Villa however is a very hard prediction to try and make and a one that most fans will look forward to finding out.
Tottenham have confirmed Jermain Defoe will be sidelined for three months with torn ankle ligaments.
Defoe was injured during England's 3-1 win in Switzerland on Tuesday evening and initial estimates suggested he would be out of action for four to six weeks.
However, scans following his return to north London have now revealed torn ligaments, so the outlook is worse for manager Harry Redknapp.
Defoe, who scored a hat-trick in last week's 4-0 Euro 2012 qualifying victory against Bulgaria, had netted one goal in four appearances for Spurs in the opening weeks of the new season.
The 27-year-old could now miss all of his club's Champions League group stages matches.
"Following a review by an ankle specialist, Jermain Defoe underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right ankle yesterday evening," read a club statement.
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"The striker was forced off with the injury during England's European Championship qualifier in Switzerland on Tuesday and has been ruled out of action for around three months."
Spurs also lost defender Michael Dawson for a number of weeks to ankle and knee ligament injuries picked up during the Bulgaria game at Wembley last week.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Stricken Fulham striker Bobby Zamora has vowed to win back his England place on his return to full fitness.
Zamora is expected to be sidelined until February after breaking his leg in a Premier League game against Wolves last month.
The injury could not have come at a worse time for the 29-year-old striker as he made his England debut in a friendly against Hungary and had looked set to play a central role during the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
But despite the injury setback, Zamora still believes he has a international career to come back to.
“I think if I can go out and do well for Fulham then I don’t see any reason why not,” he said when asked if he would be recalled by England.
“I definitely gave Fabio Capello a good picture of me when I was there and with the performance in the game I like to think I did enough to certainly be considered in the future.”
Meanwhile, Zamora has welcomed a first international call-up for experienced Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies in the absence of both himself and Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe.
“He (Capello) is looking at everybody as opposed to just going to Manchester United games, whoever they are playing, and watching Wayne Rooney,” he continued.
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“You can see he’s going all over the country and that’s good to know. It’s encouraging for everybody.”
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The financial results don’t make pretty reading at Old Trafford and they have done little but fuel the anti-Glazer campaign. David Gill has attempted to put a positive spin on it and claims it has little affect on the club’s transfer budget going forward, but judging by the United forums it is clearly falling on death ears.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Man United blogs which has included…Ryan Giggs is far from finished; Fergie’s transfer nightmares and the big question that surrounds Michael Carrick.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Man United stories on the Web this week
The 10 Ugliest Footballers of their time
Sir Alex Ferguson’s 10 Transfer Nightmares
One MINOR detail that Man United knockers seem to ignore
Should Fergie sanction loan deal?
Ryan Giggs is far from finished…
The big question that surrounds Michael Carrick
Has Fergie unearthed United’s next No.1 in Madrid?
Gary Neville’s likely successor?
The Javier Hernandez Poser
Exciting times at Old Trafford or puzzling naivety?
Green and Gold: Statement or Style?
FIVE things we learned from Manchester United this weekend
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VIDEO: Giggs discusses Liverpool, footballing friends & retirement – The Busby Way
Keeper no place to take risks – United Rant
Manchester United results 2009/10: first thoughts –The Andersred Blog
For Those Who Know Patience Is A Virtue… – The Promised Land
RoM Ask Wes Brown About His Chant, Nou Camp 99 and Brother Reece – RoM
United’s away day troubles – explored –The Busby Way
Chelsea have made serene progress this week, maintaining their five point advantage at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought win over Blackburn and in beating Spartak Moscow at Stamford Bridge during the week, qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League at the earliest possible opportunity.
However, questions have been raised about the strength in depth of Carlo Ancelotti’s table toppers, as key personnel continue to lack fitness, and as the season heads towards the most intensive period of games to be played this season, the Italian may be re-examining his pledge not to sign any new players in January.
On the blogging networks there is speculation as to whether the Blues should pursue a move for Brazilian playmaker Kaka, the merits of Ancelotti’s transfer denials and praise of footballers with asthma playing at the top level of the game.
Featured Articles
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Is Kaka a luxury Chelsea can do without?
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Where do Chelsea and Lampard go from here?
Top 10 youngsters causing a stir in the Premier League
The image conscious in football
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Where have you gone, Frank Lampard? – The Chelsea Blog
Liverpool Vs Chelsea – BlueChampions
Liverpool revival to be tested by Chelsea- A different league