Southampton took a massive step towards English Premier League survival with a crucial 2-1 victory at home to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Saints had failed to win their last eight top-flight matches heading into the encounter and knew defeat would be disastrous to their hopes of avoiding the drop to the second-tier.
Dusan Tadic inspired the win, scoring in each half to cancel out Joshua King’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Both goals were superbly taken and represented a big up turn in form from the Serbian, who had scored just four goals previously so far this season.
He’s been heavily criticised by supporters this season but appears to be peaking at the perfect time, with just three games remaining before the end of the season, including a do-or-die relegation clash with Swansea City.
Can he ensure that Southampton don’t end up in the Championship?
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Fans took to Twitter to discuss his Saturday performance…
Manchester United’s return to the Champions League will have a huge positive impact on their already impressive financial situation, City Index’s Chief Market Strategist, Joshua Raymond, has told FootballFanCast.com.
The Red Devils look on course to reach at least the qualification phase for next season’s top European competition, with Liverpool needing to make up six points and 14 goals in two games to overhaul Louis van Gaal’s side.
Such news is undoubtedly positive for the club, who have seemingly only missed one term in the big time in what has been a tricky period following the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson and the disastrous spell under the guidance of David Moyes.
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Although financial results show that United have indeed posted a £2.9 loss over the course of the first three months of the year – the same period 12 months ago garnered an £11m profit – Raymond believes that returning to the Champions League puts the giants on track to re-establishing themselves as one of English football’s top forces:
“Manchester United reported Q3 total revenues of £95m, in line with forecasts, but raised their earnings guidance for the full year to between £385m and £395m, a rise of around 15% on prior guidance. The club also rose its EBITDA guidance to between £103m and £110m.” he said.
“What we have seen from these numbers is growing confidence in the recovery of the Man Utd team’s performance over the coming year, with a return to Champions League football all but assured, assuming smooth progression through a qualification stage, likely to help the club increase both match day and broadcast revenues. This, alongside with another strong set of commercial revenues has helped the company to hike its guidance.
“What remains starkly clear is the impact of no Champion’s League football at the club, with match day revenue falling £11.6m and broadcast revenue dropping by £13.9m in the quarter, largely as a result of no European football. Despite this, the board remain confident on their commercial growth and it is admirable that the dramatic loss of form in the team has not had a derogatory impact on the commercial side thus far.”
United are likely, unless they can finish ahead of either Arsenal or Manchester City to end the season in fourth, which will see them entered into a two-legged play off with, potentially, a strong continental side.
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With the news emerging yesterday that Rio Ferdinand has officially called time on his England career after two years of bobbing in and out of Roy Hodgson’s plans, the Three Lions manager has responded firstly by paying due homage to the Manchester United defender’s achievements for the club and country over the years, but also to announce that it is finally “time to move forward”.
The former Liverpool boss continued to explain that ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he will be looking to use younger members of the squad as much as possible, in a bid to form a tight-knit group ahead of the international tournament. And with centre-back being the priority position in the England set up where there is now a glowing vacancy, he is widely expected to give either Chris Smalling, Phil Jones or Steven Caulker, a key role in the side – at least for the summer friendlies.
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But considering neither Ferdinand nor John Terry have actually been involved in an international fixture for quite some time, the former having not played for England in two years and the latter announcing his retirement after his controversial court trial last September, shouldn’t it have been the plan all along to search for a new, young and sustainable solution at the heart of the England defence?
You can’t beat experience. It is understandable that considering Roy Hodgson has only been England gaffer for just over a year, that behind the scenes he’s been doing his utmost to get either Ferdinand or Terry on board ahead of his first World Cup. The two centre-backs are a throw-back to our recently deceased golden generation, and with the exclusion of Ashley Cole, are the only two English defenders who can claim to have reached the highest height within the realms of club football – a flurry of domestic titles and cups, in addition to lifting the Champions League trophy.
Yet it has hardly been a secret that getting either of the two back into the England fold would be a task easier said than done. The Terry/Ferdinand racism scandal may have stopped the two from ever working together again, but it also created a rift between the United defender and Ashley Cole – the Three Lions’ most permanent fixture, having racked up 101 international caps since 2001 and his position at left back not coming under serious challenge until Leighton Baines’ excellent form during the course of this current season.
Similarly, with the exclusion of Ferdinand from the England squad for Euro 2012, and further comments made by the Three Lions manager on the London Underground, I find it unsurprising that he’s been giving Hodgson the run-around over the past few months, making himself unavailable for Qualifying matches against San Marino and Montenegro citing fitness reasons, only to fly out to the middle east to work as a pundit for Al-Jazeera, followed by announcing his retirement ahead of England’s next batch of fixtures.
Hodgson has known for some time that neither star defenders would likely don and England jersey again, and even if they were, by the time of the World Cup in Rio, Ferdinand would be 35 and Terry 33. You can’t beat experience – unless the experience is so aged and grey that the youth can gallop past it with ease, a recurring trend of the Chelsea man’s season, having made just seven Premier League appearances since the appointment of Rafa Benitez.
In the mean time, the void at the back for the Three Lions has been filled on the most part by Joleon Lescott, another old head who will be edging on 32 at the start of the tournament next summer. You can argue a case for the seniority rule, or even point to the veteran’s accomplishments since arriving at City, including an FA Cup and league title, but like Terry, Lescott has undergone a campaign of sliding down the pecking order, in part due to his age and in part due to his quality, making 16 Premier League starts this season.
Club selection is clearly out of Hodgson’s control, but his now most experienced defender available, with 26 caps, has prematurely entered the tail-end of his career, whilst England’s most balanced centre-back in terms of age and ability, Gary Cahill, 27, has only 16 caps to his name. Surely the Chelsea man, who was an obvious talent from his days at Bolton, and has gone on to win two European titles, including the Champions League, in addition to an FA Cup since arriving at Stamford Bridge, should have been the focus in the heart of defence from the get-go of Hodgson’s appointment, rather than being part of a rotation process, along with Lescott and Phil Jagielka.
But Hodgson should be credited for not making the same mistakes again, or those of his predecessors. The failed golden generation, in which the Three Lions were privy to a surplus of central defenders, including Terry, Ferdinand, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate, disallowed for the likes of Michael Dawson, Jagielka, Cahill and co. to receive the international exposure their form often deserved, and it has in many ways limited their progression as footballers, with Dawson currently only having four caps to his name.
With the chances of England winning a World Cup seemingly slimmer with every tournament passing by, the former West Brom manager should take the opportunity of unavoidable early elimination to build for the future. Currently, his prized youngster is Manchester United’s Chris Smalling, picking up six caps so far during his international career, four of them under Hodgson. However, I’d argue that Phil Jones and Steven Caulker, who have six caps between them, deserve equal recognition considering their potential, with the former already having performed well enough on the big occasions -including an exceptional display against Real Madrid in the Champions League – to claim a place over his fellow clubman on merit alone.
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Hodgson is certainly correct that now is the time to be looking forwards rather than backwards, but that should have been the tagline of his tenure from the start of his appointment rather than a year down the line. He made the controversial decision to drop Rio Ferdinand for rather infamous ‘footballing reasons’, and hanging onto a slim hope of the United man one day returning, or for John Terry to reverse his decision in time for the World Cup was naive, short-termist and wasting of the opportunities to give talented English youngsters an opportunity to shine, with Jagielka and Lescott performing stop-gap roles.
He’s done it in all other areas of the pitch – using Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck in attack, making Tom Cleverley a mainstay in midfield and regularly calling upon Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson, with all improving as footballers in the process – and the ageing defence should have undergone a similar process, rather than relying upon a batch of 30 year olds whom in the past were judged as not being good enough.
At least now it seems the concern for Hodgson is the future. Rather than shamelessly pursuing unachievable goals, such as tournament finals and winning every qualifying match, the England boss will look to build up a new generation of average talent into one that at the least has a wealth of experience on its side – the shortcomings of the group of players that fell by the wayside during the previous era. Hopefully he can find through Cahill, Smalling, Jones and Caulker, a partnership of good quality and strong understanding that will be a part of the foundations of the next successful England side. It is a shame however, that they are now left without any considerably experienced internationals to learn from, and only have a collection of our ‘best of the rest’ defenders to look up to and work with.
Ex-Manchester United star, Lou Macari, believes that in order for newly acquired striker Robin van Persie to be successful for the Premier League runners-up he must guard against dropping too deep to receive the ball. Van Persie failed to make an impact from the substitutes bench in a 1-0 defeat to Everton on Monday night as he made his debut for Manchester United after signing from Arsenal for £24 million pounds.
Macari told The Mirror, “I think he should have stayed around the penalty area because that’s where he does most of his good work.” Macari did admit however that the main reason RVP seemingly dropping too deep was to impress his new boss Sir Alex Ferguson, “When Van Persie came on, he realised he only had just over 20 minutes to make an impact. He obviously wanted to get involved straight away on his debut.”
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted after the Everton defeat that his side did not play to van Persie’s strengths when he came on. Indeed, last season Van Persie tormented Premier League defences with his ability to run off the last defender. The now former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song was a great catalyst for Van Persie’s goals as he provided many of the assists from a central midfield position.
To this extent, arguably Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick will be crucial to the success of Robin van Persie in a Manchester United shirt this season. Wayne Rooney will also be important for Van Persie, as he has the guile, class and industriousness to adapt his game to suit Van Persie’s play.
Despite a disappointing debut for Robin van Persie, Macari did jump to the defence of Van Persie saying that it is “ridiculous” to judge the United front man on one performance. Van Persie will have the chance to rectify his ineffectual start when Manchester United play Fulham on Saturday.
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Newcastle are one of a number of teams lining up a summer swoop for Jonny Evans – but would he be a shrewd signing for the Magpies?
According to the Daily Mirror, Newcastle will battle West Ham, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Everton to sign Jonny Evans this summer, with their sternest competition coming from the Hammers.
Alan Pardew said last year that he tried to sign the 68-cap Northern Irishman when he was in charge on Tyneside, but the towering defender couldn’t stop Pardew from getting the sack at West Brom.
As is the case every year, there are a number of Premier League quality players that will be looking for moves away from the relegated clubs, and Evans is certainly still good enough to compete in the top tier.
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The former Manchester United defender is 30 now, but he would add valuable depth to a Newcastle squad that is short of it.
Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune are both in excellent form, and adding Evans could even give Rafael Benitez the chance to play three at the back in big games.
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With a rumoured price of just £3million, moving for Evans should be a no-brainer for the Magpies.
So, Newcastle fans, do you want a bargain swoop for Evans? Let us know by voting in the poll below…
Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United side are truly finding their form in the Premier League. They have won their last six league games and are comfortably in third spot, one place and four points ahead rivals Manchester City.
But they won’t be running away with the title just yet. There is plenty to be done before they will be title contenders.
Firstly, Manchester United need to keep a firm grip on their world class goalkeeper David de Gea. He has made a huge improvement this season, and a massive difference for his side under Louis Van Gaal. Securing Champions League football will make it easier to keep him, with Real Madrid rumoured to be interesting him bringing back to Spain.
With the back line being hit with plenty of injuries this season, it makes sense to add to it. United have been linked with the likes of Dani Alves, Mats Hummels and Nathaniel Clyne. If moves are going to be made, it should be for Mats Hummels. He’s a World Cup winner and his fierce loyalty to Borussia Dortmund will only last so long.
Chris Smalling and Phil Jones may be doing well as a centre-back partnership, but if United make the Champions League then there must be room for rotation. You also cannot underestimate the impact Marcos Rojo has had on his debut season, which suggests Jonny Evans could be on his way out of the Old Trafford door this summer.
Up top, decisions need to be made as soon as possible. The future of both Robin Van Persie and Radamel Falcao are uncertain at present. Falcao’s time at Manchester United is seemingly running out, as he has just four goals to his name this season. At the time of his loan move, the price for a permanent move was quoted at £43million, which is a high price for an underachieving forward.
Robin Van Persie’s season under Van Gaal has been underwhelming. He is out of form, but he is still United’s second highest goal scorer for the season. Realistically, the Dutchman has just a few years left of playing at the highest level – but will they be elsewhere?
The Red Devils need to invest in a young, prolific, goalscoring goalscorer. Though any links with Edinson Cavani need to be nipped in the bud. He is the most expensive signing in French football history, and PSG will not let him go cheap. United themselves could put more faith in James Wilson, whose pace has been highly praised this season, and it won’t cost a thing to use him more. Either way, United need more goals to challenge for the title next year.
Louis Van Gaal’s philosophy is clearly working at Manchester United. After a slow start, we’re beginning to see the fruits of his labour, with far better performances now than at the beginning of the season – their recent convincing victories over Tottenham, Liverpool and rivals Man City are evidence of that.
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The side are good, and playing well, but tweaks should be made ahead of next season. Lifting the Premier League title will be top of Van Gaal’s list next term.
It’s far more a matter of inevitability than the changing faces of Arsenal’s supporters. Arsene Wenger won’t be at the club forever, and that closing of a chapter in the history of the club may come when the Frenchman’s contract expires next season. It’s only sense then that the club’s hierarchy take on a meticulous approach when dealing with his successor. Talk of a replacement at this stage should not be viewed as hostilities towards Wenger.
It’s in the best interests of the club that Arsenal find a way to preserve the key elements of Wenger’s reign. Far too much has been done in the shaping of the club for it to be washed away with poorly chosen appointments, and with Joachim Low’s record with Germany, as well as his overseeing of the current youth movement in German football, you feel that he is one of the ideal choices to lead Arsenal beyond 2014.
It’s probably more coincidental than anything else. Arsenal have switched their focus from the French market to Germany, picking up talented youth products as hopes for the future and securing prominent names to bolster the first-team squad. I don’t, however, believe the club have targeted the current Germany coach predominantly due to his nationality.
Low has long been a name mentioned among those at the top of European football. His name was brought up in discussions as a possible replacement for Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, as well as one to succeed Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea. He has something about him that you find in managers like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho; that steely determination married with a great sense of control and authority.
The Germany coach has taken his side to two semi-finals in international competition and a final in 2008. He’s kept the consistency and managed the expectation well to a degree, all the while ensuring that his nation could effectively move on from the disappointments of a previous generation and make excellent use of the new crop of young talents. The changing of culture in the German national team was also fundamental to his position.
There shouldn’t be any sense of doubt or worry about what he’s capable of or what he failed to achieve with Germany on the international scene. For one, he was up against the European and World champions in Spain – a team who will long be considered one of the finest in the history of international football. And secondly, the average age of the German team means he’s played a large part in cementing the foundation for successes that are highly possible in the future.
I’m also not buying the worry that could be generated from the fact that Low has been out of club management for so long, including the point that he has never been in charge of one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Football will always come with an element of risk, and those who make it to the top are often proven to be the bravest among their peers.
Guardiola was a risk for Barcelona, with his only experience coming with the Barcelona B team. Similarly, you can’t discount how much it went against the grain for Arsenal to appoint Wenger when they did. Trophies had been won around the world, but, like Guardiola, the assurance came in his philosophy and approach to the game.
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It’s not to say that Low should be the frontrunner for Arsenal’s next manager, but rather that he is one of the names who could fit seamlessly in with the club. There will still be a great appreciation for youth, as there should be, and as mentioned, Arsenal’s increased interest in German football means Low will only be of value on that front.
As reported by The Mirror, Manchester United are set to rival Manchester City for the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred this summer.
What’s the story?
One of the key areas of the Man United team that Jose Mourinho needs to address this summer is their midfield, after a disappointing season in which they failed to battle rivals City for the Premier League title.
On their radar is Fred, who City are also interested in, with The Mirror reporting that he’ll end up at one of the two clubs before next season.
The paper reckon he’ll cost around £50m.
Can United convince him his future lies at Old Trafford?
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What can he bring to United?
Paul Pogba was effective in the first half of this season but arguably doesn’t have the midfield freedom to truly focus on supporting the Manchester United attack first and foremost.
Also, his lack of desire to show tactical discipline has visibly frustrated his manager in recent weeks and months, again subbing him off during their defeat to West Brom at the weekend.
Bringing in a player like Fred would certainly go a long way to solving that problem, his style of play focusing on winning back the ball and protecting his side’s defensive line.
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He has plenty of experience under his belt despite being just 24 years of age and was integral to the Ukrainian’s progress to the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League this season.
He could be a perfect accompaniment to the French international and forge a successful career at Old Trafford, especially with ageing defensive minded midfielders potentially on their way out of the club.
With goals and assists to his name this season too, is he the midfielder all-rounder Mourinho is looking for?
Mario Balotelli put in his best performance of the season at Anfield last weekend with a wonderful goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw. But unfortunately for the striker it wasn’t in the Premier League, or even the FA Cup, but in a charity clash. And that probably tells you all you need to know about his Liverpool career to date.
The signing of the eccentric Italian striker was always going to be a risk for Liverpool and it’s safe to say it hasn’t paid off. Losing their star asset in Luis Suarez last summer was a huge blow for the Reds. His impact on the team was invaluable as they narrowly missed out on their first Premier League title. Replacing him was going to a huge ask for anybody, and so it has proved.
On the face of it, £16million for a player with proven experience in the Premier League didn’t appear to be that bad when it was announced AC Milan had agreed to sell their leading scorer. 30 goals in 54 appearances for Milan suggested Liverpool had gone someway to filling the void left by Suarez. But for some reason, it just hasn’t worked out for Balotelli.
Four goals in 25 games including one league strike tells its own story. Balotelli is enduring a torrid time at Anfield. The 24-year-old has failed to hold down a regular first-team spot and has been predominately restricted to a place on the bench since the return of Daniel Sturridge from injury.
He’s clearly not fancied by Rodgers and it seems increasingly likely that he will be shown the exit sooner rather than later. And for both player and club, you’d have to say that seems like the best option.
On his day Balotelli has shown he has the ability to cause any defence problems. A world class performance against Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 saw him score both goals; arguably the best match of his career. But he has yet to show even the slightest hint of achieving this form since his return to the Premier League, which is a real shame given his quality.
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His success at Milan came when he was the main man in the team. The team was built to play around him, and he appeared to thrive at being the focal point of every attack. But at Liverpool he is not seen in this way. And for a character such as Balotelli this hinders his performances.
A player of this ability can’t afford to be spending large parts of the season sat on the bench. He showed his capability during his second spell at the San Siro where he was a regular in the team, and he seriously needs to consider a summer move in order to get back his goal scoring form.
His omission from the latest Italian national squad would no doubt have hurt him, and should act as a huge wake up call as to what will happen if he stays at Anfield. It’s hard to see him fighting his way back into Rodger’s plans, and as a result he’s at serious risk of jeopardising his chances of appearing at next summer’s European Championships in France.
With Belgian international Divock Origi already on his way to Anfield at the end of the season, and the potential of more arrivals to bolster their attacking options, Balotelli is going to fall even further down the pecking order.
He’s sure to have a few top clubs keen giving him another opportunity, and it would be no surprise to see him return to the San Siro, either with AC or Inter where he could reunite with his former manager Roberto Mancini.
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And with Liverpool probably be willing to accept a far lower price than the one they paid for him less than a year ago, it would be a good deal all round.
It’s a shame we haven’t seen the same Balotelli that had such an impact at Manchester City, and although he was controversial at times, this was part of the reason people enjoyed watching him. He hasn’t fitted in at Liverpool and has ultimately proved to be a poor signing from the club; a disappointing observation but ultimately an unsurprising outcome.
It should be considered the summer of continued build. There’s nothing else for it other than to carry on in the same form as this past January, while Liverpool will have no reservations about drawing the battle lines in order to keep Luis Suarez away from the clutches of the continent’s elite.
Its forward thinking – as it should be. What possible good can come from Liverpool parting with Luis Suarez, even if the player kicks up a fuss? The thing is, I don’t see Liverpool as an isolated club or example heading into this summer, and certainly not when looking back to last year. Yes, it will be a blow to lose a player like Suarez, not just because of his qualities but also because fans know what to expect from him. Talent? World-class status? Whatever. There’s comfort and familiarity in seeing Suarez in the starting XI.
And yet I don’t see the walls crumbling in the quest for the top four and beyond in the Premier League should Suarez leave. The importance here is that the owner and board are committed to staying well on course and replacing more than adequately when needed. For all that can be said about Suarez and how much he’s done for this club, literally pushing them forward on his own, there are players in world football who can come in carry the torch.
Liverpool may well find themselves in a similar situation to that of Atletico Madrid, with Diego Simeone well aware that Radamel Falcao could be playing his final handful of games for the club before a move this summer. The thing about Atletico is you don’t get a sense that there are nerves or a great deal of fear going into next season should Falcao leave. Atletico have been here before, from the heartbreak of losing Fernando Torres, to having to replace the production of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan. The club are not afraid to spend when needed, and there’s already promising talk that Galatasaray’s Burak Yilmaz could be at the top of the list to replace Falcao.
It’s about knowing where your strengths are and accepting that you are not currently one of Europe’s top guns. Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and perhaps one or two others are at the zenith of European football. They don’t have to worry about their best players angling for a move (generally), and if it does come to that they’ll have a swarm of the world’s best talent talking up their credentials.
For Atletico, Diego Simeone is the key to future successes; it just would have been fantastic if Falcao was a sure bet to remain at the club for the next few years. Liverpool need to take on a similar line of thinking. It’s not to try and play down the value Suarez has, but rather to acknowledge that with the right ambition from within Liverpool, the club can continue building without going off the rails.
The position Liverpool are in is such that Suarez is not necessarily integral to a certain style of play. Brendan Rodgers has tinkered with formations and tactics and may still take some time to truly discover his preferred approach at Anfield. Liverpool is not an Ajax or Barcelona who have a set tradition which more or less goes untouched. For that, and fortunately, the talent pool becomes much wider if the club are willing to spend.
Is there much need to reel off all the players in the world who could come in and help Liverpool push on? Not really. But at this time the club should be looking toward teams like Porto and their star striker Jackson Martinez. The club are also looking at players from Ajax and Shakhtar Donetsk, which is hugely promising and will do a lot for their hopes of progressing.
I doubt I’d ever indulge in the fantasy idea that teams can’t attract good players without the guarantee of Champions League football, and for that I don’t consider Liverpool to be at a great disadvantage. Tradition and status holds far more value, as I doubt anyone would turn down Real Madrid should they fall out of the Champions League for a season. Liverpool only need to look at the deal that got them Luis Suarez in the first place and accept that deals like that can continue to be had. The signing of Coutinho was inspired, with the player’s talent and price tag immediately paying off. But in situations like the one Liverpool may find themselves in this summer, it is necessary to spend big and continue to show ambition to supporters, players and others in Europe.
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The potential departure of Luis Suarez will be a great loss and a huge disappointment. Players will come and go, and that’s just the way football is. But Champions League semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund have certainly not felt the effects of losing Nuri Sahin and Shinji Kagawa in previous summers. It didn’t have to be about big transfer fees, but rather the club’s hierarchy firmly under one banner to ensure they remained on the same path. Liverpool’s house is not resting on the foundations of just one player.