Newcastle have drawn 1-1 in their Europa League play-off fixture against Atromitos in Athens.
The hosts made it difficult for their Premier League rivals, and took the lead when Denis Epstein found the back of the net on 24 minutes.
However, Ryan Taylor guided home a deftly-taken free-kick to spare the Tyneside outfit’s blushes and ensure spoils were shared.
Alan Pardew has stated that he is confident of progressing with a victory in the home leg.
“If we are taking an away goal into the home leg, we would be favourites – but we are the favourites when we play at home whoever we are playing, in my opinion, so we have got to win the game,” he told reporters.
“In the second half, I was a little bit disappointed we didn’t get the win – I thought there were good opportunities – but overall, I was very, very pleased with the performance.
“They [Atromitos] have shown us tonight that it’s not going to be a pushover and it’s not going to be a foregone conclusion, so we have got to be right and we have got to make sure that the team is strong enough,” he concluded.
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When any transfer window rolls around, particularly in the summer, Manchester City are always expected to spend big.
The club’s owner Sheikh Mansour does not tighten the pursestrings when players need to be bought, and a recent report in the Daily Mail claimed that manager Pep Guardiola will be given in excess of £100m to spend.
The club are already above the rest of the pack in the Premier League given that they scooped the title last Sunday without even kicking a ball.
Manchester United’s shock 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion meant that City’s 16-point lead was impossible to close down.
City already have a wealth of talent within the squad but it seems that they want to take it up a notch.
One thing that evaded Guardiola and the club this season was the Champions League.
The team were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by fellow English club Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the competition.
In order to progress further than the final eight this season, it appears that Guardiola has turned his attention to Paris Saint-Germain and his former club Bayern Munich.
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According to Sky Sports News, City have placed attacker Kylian Mbappe and midfielder Thiago Alcantara on their wishlist.
Supporters have been giving their thoughts on the speculation via Reddit.
Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.Comment from discussion Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara top Pep Guardiola’s transfer wishlist at Manchester City | Football News | Sky Sports.
The Gunners have had a wonderful season, but they never really challenged Chelsea for the title.
Their problem was the fact that the team hadn’t gelled before Christmas time, and Arsenal were relying too much on Alexis Sanchez.
They’ve had a wonderful run in the league since then. Despite not challenging at the end, and despite an disappointing exit from the Champions League they can be happy with a successful season.
Here are the three areas where Arsenal need to strengthen. Three players with an honourable mention for each category….
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Defensive midfielder – Geoffrey Kondogbia
A young french international with bags of potential. Sounds ideal for Wenger, no?
Kondogbia was key for Monaco as they reached the Quarter Final of the Champions League and made a late surge to stand on the brink of Champions League qualification with only a game remaining.
Monaco are known for their solid defence this season, as arsenal found out to their cost in the Champions League first knockout round. Monaco did not concede a home goal in the league between November and and have been devastating on the counter – that’s in no small part due to their anchorman Kondogbia who stops teams from breaking down the monegasque defensive unit.
Not only will he bring defensive solidity and work rate to the midfield, but he’s also big and strong and that’s something Arsenal lack in their midfield. Even if Arsenal don’t want to replace the home-grown Coquelin, Wenger could find room for both players in his squad rotation system, or chop and change depending on the needs of each game.
Coquelin seems to play well as part of the midfield, whereas Kondogbia will be happy enough if you leave him to his beat in front of the back four. Arsenal can also use his power to attack teams too, but he’ll pick him moments and won’t blindly maraud forwards. It always pays to have more options
Honourable mention: William Carvalho – touted as an Arsenal signing in the last summer transfer window, he would certainly add physicality to the midfield this year too.
Goalkeeper – Petr Cech
One that’s been rumoured a fair amount over the last few weeks. Arsenal’s goalkeeping problems has been highlighted this year with the poor form of Szczesny and the promotion of Ospina to the number one shirt. Arsene Wenger may have different ideas, but Ospina looks more suited to life as an able deputy number two in the Premier League, and if Arsenal have title ambitions they may want to strengthen between the posts.
There are numerous choices including Iker Casillas being mentioned, but Petr Cech knows the Premier League inside out, he’s been arguably the best in the league over the past 10 years and he’s certainly not too old for a goalkeeper. Sounds like a no-brainer for Arsene to give this abandoned puppy a new home.
The stumbling block is really whether Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich feel that Arsenal are title-rivals next season. Or whether they’d be stronger title rivals with Cech in goal.
Cech, however, has been a loyal performer for Chelsea over the years and has sat on the bench for a full title-winning season without saying a peep. Chelsea might reward such loyalty by simply letting him go to Arsenal if that’s what he wishes to do. Not many players could command that sort of respect.
Honourable Mention: Steve Mandanda – There are so many goalkeepers to choose. Cech seems best for a title charge because he knows the Premier League, but my pick for best of the rest is Mandanda. He’s experienced and we know he’s very good. He’s not the youngest and, like Cech, Arsenal won’t need to nurture him. Arsenal really need a keeper they can trust, rather than an untried keeper being given his big break.
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All-purpose midfielder – Sami Khedira
Another name that’s been thrown around carelessly over the last year or so has been that of Sami Khedira. The German international hasn’t played as many games as he might have liked for Real Madrid over the last few seasons, but he was key for Germany in their World Cup success in 2014.
Often seen as a defensive midfielder, he’s not a defensive anchor in the mould of Claude Makelele or even Nemanja Matic. Nor is he a powerhouse of the ilk of Patrick Vieira. He’s a much classier player than that, he’s superb on the ball, has an eye for a pass. He even managed to pop up with two goals in the humbling of hosts Brazil, a game that shows just how much of a complete midfielder Khedira actually is. He can be used all over the midfield, and this makes him perfect for Arsenal this summer.
He’d certainly be a step up for Arsenal from what they have already in the defensive midfield category, and I’m certain he’d have no problem playing in that position for Arsenal against the lesser teams. But in a midfield that lacks power, Khedira will not provide it, and he may begin to look a little lost when his fellow midfielders join the attack and he’s left patrolling in front of the back four by himself.
If Arsenal do plump for Sami, they’ll either have to add some power in the midfield too, or else they’ll have to be careful not to leave him exposed. Which begs the question of why their midfielders can’t simply do that anyway without shelling out money and huge wages for a Real Madrid player.
Honourable mention: James Milner – If you’re linked with Khedira and get Milner then you’ll probably feel a little short changed. But Milner is a willing runner and a capable footballer. He’d be the midfield man who Arsene could trust and would help out on the defensive side of the game too. His versatility has helped Manchester City to two titles, so why couldn’t it help Arsenal too?
Roberto Martinez hailed Wigan’s performance despite losing at Manchester City and is convinced Latics will beat the drop.
A goal from Carlos Tevez seven minutes from time earned City all three points to leave Wigan in the relegation zone but Martinez says there are plenty of positives to take from the game.
Wigan created enough chances to win the game with Shaun Maloney, Arouna Kone and Franco di Santo all going close and Martinez admits they paid the price for not putting them away.
However the Spaniard says if they continue to play the way they did at the Etihad Stadium, they will get out of trouble.
“We didn’t take the chances, it is as simple as that,” Martinez revealed. “I thought we were magnificent from start to finish. We created four very good chances. I don’t think many teams come to the Etihad and create four very good chances in open play.
“Those chances need to finish in the back of the net and that’s why we lost the game. If we do that in every game, we will get a lot of points. I couldn’t be prouder of the performance.
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“We limited them to two shots on target, I don’t think many teams have done that. My players deserve huge credit. The performance is exactly what we need.”
We’re reaching the time of year in the Barclays Premier League, where blueprints begin getting devised and exit routes enter the planning phase. As the season rattles on into December, despite the utter model of inconsistency the top flight has seemed to become this year, players will begin to gauge a fair idea of where their club will be looking to finish.
And for those that don’t like what they see, the cogs of forward thinking will already be in motion – primarily in the guise of engineering a move away from the club. Or at the very least, clamouring to a decent excuse to find a get-out clause.
Some, are certainly a little more up front about it. Indeed, although he appeared to ambiguously backtrack on his original statements, Everton’s Marouane Fellaini certainly didn’t muck around earlier on in the season.
“I am just starting my fifth season at Everton, this will be one of my last,” said the Belgian.
“I have seen everything. In January or at the end of the season I will turn to another club or championship.”
Well that’s certainly one way of doing it. Regardless of whether Fellaini does or doesn’t leave Goodison Park in the near future, you certainly had to admire his honestly; no rubbish, no feeding the fans lies and no mindless posturing.
But the truth is that clear-cut, ballsy like statements of intent a la Fellaini, aren’t par for the course. In fact, they’re a damn right rarity. This is of course, the age of the 21st century Premier League footballer. Where the wages dwarf the GDP of a small island in the Pacific and the players seemingly have a divine right to success.
Indeed, where as once the term success and the relentless quest for silverware was once an ideal fought for the club and supporters, it now appears to be hijacked by the one man crusade that is the singular footballer. And it’s a term that we’re all too unfamiliar with.
Classics along the lines of “The club have to match my ambition,” or “I demand success this season,” are now well-wielded weapons in the professional’s vocal armoury. Immortalised by William “I did not join Arsenal to finish third,” Gallas, it’s a notion that we’ve become all too familiar with over the last few years.
Some of you may be wondering what the fuss is about here, let alone the relevance it has in the current day. If a club has a half decent player and the team is underperforming, does he not have a right to kick off? Isn’t it only natural that he seeks to elevate himself onto bigger and better things?
In one respect, yes, of course he does. For unless you happen to support a club that is challenging for titles week in week out, the rest of us are all too begrudgingly aware of the cliché depicting the cream rising to the top. If a player is good enough, naturally, nine times out of then he will always find his way to one of the continent’s best. The author has recently endured this experience with Luka Modric and has a similar one penned in with Gareth Bale later on next year.
But more often than not, it doesn’t feel as if it’s the mercurial talents that have single handedly carried a team for a season, are the ones coming out and kicking off. Naturally, the ones that bestow the most talent, don’t’ always have to go looking for attention. That usually tends to find them.
And past that rare percentage of players, this is where the gripes with players demanding success really kicks in.
The last time we checked, football is a game played by a team. It takes a squad of men to lift a trophy, to gain a shot at glory and harvest silverware. Success is earned as a collective – not handed to you with a silver spoon as an individual. There is a wonderful irony in the player demanding more from the clubs – in no small part due to the rather prominent part that he plays in achieving it.
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While there are a selection of bandit owners and murky chairman that exist within British football, are all clubs not striving for a common goal in success? What gives the right for a player to deride a club for not matching their ambition? Ambition is bred within the hearts of all supporters, you know, the ones who go a long way to actually paying these players’ wages.
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. But do these players making these quotes not remember the journey that got them there in the first place? Football is fluid, things change quickly and fortunes can fade often for the worse. But when they arrived at the club, at some point, they shared a common goal. There is a painful absurdity to them asking the club to match their ambitions.
The phrase ‘no player is bigger than the club’ is batted around with such regularity that to many, it must ring hollow. But in many ways, it still rankles as one of the truest sentiments football has to offer. As a collective, it is the club, the supporters and the players whom can demand success and set ambitions. Not one solitary individual.
Players will come and go and motivations will always fluctuate. If a player has naturally outgrown his club, the scope for understanding – no matter how hard that may be – will always be there. But in demanding the club match his ambition and desire for success, maybe he always will get his move. Because the delusions and misconceptions of his own ambition, are never going to be particularly conducive with that of whose really matter – the club’s.
Liverpool and Manchester United rarely do transfer business due to the fact that most players are far too aware of the intense rivalry between the two clubs.
However, a surprise story has emerged from the transfer rumour mill, suggesting that Marouane Fellaini could be on his way to Anfield.
According to L’Equipe, the Reds have offered a deal to the midfielder, who is also believed to be on the radar of numerous European clubs and those in the Chinese Super League.
The 30-year-old has often been spoken fondly of by United manager Jose Mourinho, but he has struggled for regular game time.
The Belgian has started just three Premier League matches and has come off the bench in a further 10.
In total, Fellaini has had 18 outings in all competitions, scoring four goals in that time.
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The link to Liverpool appears to have come out of nowhere, but the overwhelming reaction from the fans has been one of surprise.
It seems that not many would be keen for the club to recruit a player who is regularly mocked by his own United supporters.
Unless a team are your derby rivals most football supporters would not wish for another club to drop out of the Premier League, but after the shameful antics of Newcastle United in recent years, it is hard not to feel that they truly deserve it.
The Magpies were once a club full of ambition who, like Tottenham and Everton, were willing to challenge the usual top four in an attempt to finally break into the Champions League.
Last season under Alan Pardew Newcastle finished 10th, which was a huge improvement on the previous year, but once again they have undone all of their gains and now sit just two points above the relegation zone.
Fortunately for supporters there are at least three other teams who have had a worse campaign than they have had so a drop into the Championship is avoidable.
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But that doesn’t mean the club doesn’t deserve the humiliation. Their supporters have felt humiliated all season and can’t even look forward to a fresh start in August because there is likely to be more of the same. That is why ex-manager Alan Pardew left for the safety of Crystal Palace back in January. Pardew was never going to make the Magpies Europa League contenders, but he was propping them up and it is no surprise that since his departure Newcastle have resembled a sinking ship, while Palace are undergoing a revival.
Although the players have been heavily criticised for below-par performances, especially in recent weeks, I can understand why they may have subconsciously given up.
When your manager of four years leaves mid-season and your club is labelled as just a money maker, not to mentionthat once again there is nothing more than a mid-table finish to look forward to, I’m sure football just doesn’t feel fun anymore. Of course they are all professionals who are being paid millions to entertain their fans, but football is about passion, and I can’t imagine that there is a lot of that going around St James’ Park right now.
Interim manager John Carver has done his best but one, he probably hasn’t got the qualities to be a top manager and two, his players are not giving him their all, so inevitably Newcastle keep creeping closer and closer towards the bottom three. The situation has gotten so bad this season that there have been several very public embarrassments for the Magpies, namely a protest by a section of supporters who boycotted their home game against Spurs, and also Carver’s quite honest accusation that his squad are probably not listening to him anymore.
The club appears to be imploding, which must be both upsetting and infuriating for supporters who spend their hard earned money to watch millionaires get beaten by less capable clubs every week.
And all of this could have been averted if owner Mike Ashley had put the health of his club before the money he has earned from treating it solely like a business. Most club owners will fight tooth and nail to hold onto their best players but not Ashley, who if the right bid comes along will happily sell them on. Every time he does this Newcastle have to learn how to thrive without a key team member and ultimately they get weaker and weaker.
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Seeing as money is the only thing that seems to matter to Mike Ashley, then being relegated is the sharp slap of reality that he will need before anything improves at the club. But that probably won’t happen, so the only alternative as some supporters have suggested is to refrain from renewing season tickets, though no one ends up a winner there.
Since the inception of the Premier League, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Leeds United fans. They’ve gone from being defending champions in the inaugural season to Champions League semi finalists in the David O’Leary era before ending up in the depths of League One. The Whites are on the path of recovery now, finding themselves competing in the Championship but there have been plenty of times to forget.
Unfortunately, there’s been some utter tosh pull on the famous white shirt at Elland Road. Financial hardships meant Leeds had to rely on whoever they could convince to play for the club, or by borrowing players off other clubs. This situation has ensured the Leeds fans have witnessed some truly atrocious individuals turning out for their football club, scenes that they hope will never be repeated. It’s almost impossible to sort through some of the rubbish that has played for Leeds, but we’ve compiled the worst XI signings ever to play for the Whites.
Liverpool are closely monitoring Reading centre back Alex Pearce, who they see as a long-term replacement for club legend Jamie Carragher. Pearce, who was voted Reading’s player of the season last year, is in the last year of his contract and will available at a reduced price in January, or a free agent next Summer.
Pearce played every minute of league football in 2012 to secure Readings promotion to the Premiership, but hasn’t featured in McDermott’s side since September, in which time they have conceded 18 goals. It is believed Pearce is unhappy with his new deal that Reading have offered and has been dropped from the team until he agrees to sign it. This has invited speculation from Liverpool who are expected to come in with an offer in January.
Rodgers is well aware of the 23 year olds talents from his time at Reading and believes he would make an excellent replacement for the long serving Carragher, whose time at Liverpool seems to be nearing an end. Aside from first choice regulars Skrtel and Agger they are short on defensive reinforcements and Rodgers feels his existing options aren’t up to scratch. His former captain at Reading would be an ideal choice who has impressed both on the pitch and off it.
It seems like Liverpool are being linked with anyone and everyone for a move in January, most crucially a striker. But this is a transfer that is very likely to materialise and to turn a few heads. With Agger’s consistent injuries and Skrtel’s basic mistakes, Pearce would get his fair share of football and he looks a quality young defender. It’s to early to say yet but he has the potential to be an Anfield legend to put it mildly.
According to Don Balon, West Ham target Yerry Mina is set to leave Barcelona on loan this summer, and the Premier League is his preferred destination.
What’s the word?
Yerry Mina arrived at Barcelona in January hoping to become the next long-time servant in the heart of the Catalan giants’ defence, but the towering defender has played just once in the league since the move.
Mina’s position in the squad was clear for all to see this weekend, as Ernesto Valverde rotated the squad for the win over Leganes and still couldn’t find a place for the 23 year-old centre back.
According to the report from Don Balon, Mina wants to leave on loan to somewhere he is guaranteed minutes on the pitch, and despite interest from Girona and Villarreal would prefer a move to the Premier League.
The Hammers were the only Premier League club mentioned in the report.
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Should Moyes make a move?
Valued at £8.1million by Transfermarkt, Mina’s physicality could make him the perfect fit for the Premier League, but his lack of mobility could just as easily hamper any progress in English football.
West Ham have had plenty of troubles at the back this season, with James Collins reaching the end of his career and Winston Reid losing form, but moving for Mina is not the solution.
Mina is a raw talent, but at 23 he should already be showing the refined skills a top centre back must add to their raw instincts. West Ham already have a young star in the making in Declan Rice, who has been superb in the last two matches against Southampton and Chelsea.
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Rice may not have the physical skills Mina has, but he is four years younger and already has more experience in a top league than the Colombian.
The last thing David Moyes needs is a Barcelona reject who wants “guaranteed” minutes coming in and upsetting the dressing room. The Hammers should be looking for a bona fide star to challenge Reid, Rice and Angelo Ogbonna, not a raw talent looking for some free playing time.
West Ham fans, would you like to see a loan move for Mina this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…