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Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has stated that he was proud of his team after their 2-1 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday, and feels that the side he picked was close to his first choice starting XI.

First-half goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale gave the visitors the three points, in what was their third consecutive league win.

Despite a number of players still on the injured list, Redknapp believes he fielded a top team.

“There’s players missing, but that’s not far away from our best team. I’m not saying it’s our best team, but there’s enough good players in there to make it very difficult to dislodge them out of our best team,” he told Sky Sports.

“We’re very, very strong and I think we’ve got the makings of a really good side. We lost Jermain Defoe, who was ill overnight and had a high temperature. We had to get a driver to drive him back to London to get him home.

“Sandro came back today alongside Scott Parker and I liked the look of that combination in there. It gave us some strength and I think we’re looking strong,” he stated.

The White Hart Lane outfit dominated the first half, which Redknapp was pleased about, but felt that they could have performed better in the second period.

“It was complete domination first half really and we could’ve been at least four-up.

“We absolutely controlled the game from the start to the finish of the half, and then we did exactly what I told them at half-time not to do, and that was to get sloppy and give a sloppy goal away because they needed a lift.

“If we could’ve started the first 10 minutes as we played in the first half it would’ve been game over,” he concluded.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has stated that he was proud of his team after their 2-1 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday, and feels that the side he picked was close to his first choice starting XI.

First-half goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale gave the visitors the three points, in what was their third consecutive league win.

Despite a number of players still on the injured list, Redknapp believes he fielded a top team.

“There’s players missing, but that’s not far away from our best team. I’m not saying it’s our best team, but there’s enough good players in there to make it very difficult to dislodge them out of our best team,” he told Sky Sports.

“We’re very, very strong and I think we’ve got the makings of a really good side. We lost Jermain Defoe, who was ill overnight and had a high temperature. We had to get a driver to drive him back to London to get him home.

“Sandro came back today alongside Scott Parker and I liked the look of that combination in there. It gave us some strength and I think we’re looking strong,” he stated.

The White Hart Lane outfit dominated the first half, which Redknapp was pleased about, but felt that they could have performed better in the second period.

“It was complete domination first half really and we could’ve been at least four-up.

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“We absolutely controlled the game from the start to the finish of the half, and then we did exactly what I told them at half-time not to do, and that was to get sloppy and give a sloppy goal away because they needed a lift.

“If we could’ve started the first 10 minutes as we played in the first half it would’ve been game over,” he concluded.

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Alberto Aquilani – With Raul Meireles’s great recent run of form, much less has been said about the Italian midfielder. Although a quality midfield player who would add depth to the team, would Aqua’s return be a good thing considering he may not always get in the side? His return has become more likely in recent weeks though as Juve continue to be reluctant about paying the €12million that Liverpool are demanding for the player. According to the Italian press, Juventus want to pay less as they feel they have contributed a great deal of money already by paying the 26 year old’s wages in full from the start of the season. With the Reds now on a secure financial footing though, you can bet FSG will hold out for the €12million demanded or otherwise he could be back in the Red of Liverpool next season.

On the pitch, things are not going so well for his Juventus side. Since we last visited him, Aquilani has played in two 2-1 losses to Udinese and Palermo where he was substituted in both before the end of the match. The “Old Lady” returned to winning ways last weekend though as they beat Cagliari 3-1 with Luca Toni scoring the third (shown below). Juventus now lie 8th in the table, 11 points behind league leaders AC Milan.

David Amoo – Liverpool reserve winger has joined League One side MK Dons on a month’s loan. In the three games since his arrival, Amoo has only appeared as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient. He came on to play as a striker for Lewis Guy in the second half. Stephen Gleeson and Sean O’Hanlon scored the goals for the Dons in the match. Last weekend, Amoo was an unused sub as MK Dons drew 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday leaving the side 7th in the table, 9 points behind leaders Brighton. Let’s hope Amoo gets some more game time before the end of his loan spell.

Nathan Eccleston – The young striker is having an equally frustrating time as Amoo and has struggled to get a place in the Charlton side since his arrival on loan in January. Again he got off to a great start to his loan spell after scoring as a sub on his home debut against Plymouth Argyle in a 2-0 win. He has subsequently been used as an 88th and 80th minute substitute against Colchester and Yeovil respectively in 1-0 wins for the Addicks. New signing Bradley Wright-Phillips scored the only goal of the game against Yeovil last weekend and Charlton now lie 5th in the table with 44 points.

Emiliano Insua – After appearing in Galatasaray’s 1-0 home win against Sivasspor as a second half sub, the Argentine full back started the match against second placed Bursapor the following week. Goals from Kenny Miller and Wederson however, gave Bursaspor a 2-0 win. The 22 year old did not play in the 4-2 victory against Eskisehirspor on Sunday which left Galatasaray 7th in the table, a full 15 points behind the leaders.

Stephen Darby – After returning back to Notts County on loan in January, the right back continues to start regularly for the Nottingham club. He has started the last 3 matches for Paul Ince’s side with all three games ending in a 1-1 draw. Speculation has grown that the player will join County permanently at the end of the season. Notts County Assistant Manager Alex Rae has hinted that Darby may join the club in the Summer:

“He’s still got another year to go with Liverpool. In terms of where we go we’ll have to look at it in the summer. How he does between now and then will be a factor.”

County currently lie in 19th position in League One with 32 points.

Read more of David’s articles at the excellent ‘Live4Liverpool’

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It’s been a busy week for Coventry City Football Club as they continue to prepare for the new season.

Richard Keogh’s departure was confirmed as two new faces arrive on loan, with two more starting a trial and another close to being signed.

All of this whilst the squad we already had completed a pre season tour of Scotland which resulted in mixed results but more importantly will have given the squad a good base fitness to build upon in the remaining weeks leading up to the new season.

With Keogh gone it means the captaincy is an issue which needs to be decided. This is going to be a difficult decision to get right as we don’t really have any natural leaders left in the squad.

There are a few contenders which have already been mentioned by Andy Thorn including Gary McSheffery, Kevin Kilbane, and even young Conor Thomas.

Looking at Gary McSheffery, it’s obvious why he would be in the manager’s thoughts for the captaincy. He has had long spells with the club and being a Coventry lad himself should have the passion and desire required to be a good captain. There is however the issue of last season where I felt at times he lacked commitment and often let the team down despite being one of the more senior players in the squad.

Looking back is a negative way to do things though and I’m sure Thorn and the players will be starting this new campaign with a clean slate and I hope that McSheffery can once again become one of the stars of the squad.

Another contender is that of Kevin Kilbane who arrived at the club this summer. He clearly has bags of experience and knows the game inside out at multiple levels of English football as well as internationally with the Republic of Ireland. This clearly stands him in good stead and makes him one of the clear favourites to be given the captaincy.

A third name that has been mentioned by Thorn and used on a couple of occasions in pre season is that of young midfielder Conor Thomas. There is clear talent within him but watching him play in the past I have always thought that he plays within himself and isn’t quite confident enough to show what he can really do. I think it is this lack of confidence that meant his loan spell at Liverpool ended with him returning to Coventry. For this reason I don’t think he will make a good captain at least until he has the upmost confidence in his own abilities.

This does bring into question whether youth or experience makes a better captain. Personally I do think experience is the better option but young captains have been shown to work in the past and maybe Thorn will take a gamble on Thomas and who knows, it could end up being the making of him.

Other contenders which I personally think would be worth considering include Richard Wood and Goalkeeper Joe Murphy.

Richard Wood has had the captaincy in the past and would be an obvious choice to be captain again. However there are rumours circulating that Wood could be chopped and so he may not even be an option for Thorn.

Another issue with him if he is to stay is his injury problems which have continued to plague him over his time at Coventry and picking someone that could be in and out of the team may not be the best option.

The idea of a captain being a constant in the first team is the first reason why Joe Murphy should be considered because being the number one he is the first name on the team sheet every week. He also seems to be passionate and very vocal on the pitch as on numerous occasions in the season just gone I have heard him from in the stands getting frustrated at what he is seeing in front of him and shouting out orders to his teammates.

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There are many differing opinions out there as to whether goalkeepers make good captains but many top teams around the world have their goalkeepers as captains and based on the evidence of Euro 2012 it does seem to work with both the finalists Italy and Spain choosing their goalkeepers as their captains. For these reasons Murphy should not only be considered but should be thought of as one of the strongest options.

The captaincy is often a no brainer with clubs often having clear leaders within the squad but with the current squad it looks like Thorn has got a really difficult decision to make. I think Thorn has chosen wrongly in the past when he gave the captaincy to Sammy Clingan but I think he will have learnt from that and I trust him to make the right decision and I hope whoever he does choose can lead us on a journey back to where we belong.

Who do you think should lead Cov next season?

PUSB!!

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England made easy work of a poor Bulgarian side at the Vasil Levski Stadium, with a 3-0 win courtesy of a Gary Cahill strike and a brace from Wayne Rooney.

The victory was a major boost to Fabio Capello who has been under increasing pressure following England’s dropped points against Switzerland in their last outing, but last night’s result has all but confirmed qualification to next year’s Euro Championship.

It was a walk in the park for England and Fabio Capello was certainly justified in his selections of Gary Cahill and Scott Parker – who in particular put in an excellent display alongside Gareth Barry, as Capello chose to overlook Lampard on this occasion. It was a snub for the Chelsea man and questions will undoubtedly be raised over his international future under the Italian.

Cahill fired England into the lead in the 13th minute getting on the end of Gareth Barry’s cross to score his first goal for his country. The Bulgarian defence were struggling with the crosses delivered into their box and it wasn’t long after when Wayne Rooney rose to meet Stewart Downing’s cross to double England’s lead. The Bulgarian’s just weren’t at the races at all and England could have stretched their advantage on numerous occasions until Wayne Rooney finished off a fine team move involving Ashley Young and Theo Walcott to make it 3-0 on the stroke of half time.

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The second half never really got going and at times was played at a pedestrian pace as England saw the game out with consummate ease with Joe Hart arguably having his easiest game in the three lion’s jersey. The result puts England in pole position for qualification ahead of Wales’ visit to Wembley on Tuesday night.

The teams are in for Wolves v Liverpool today in the Premier League encounter at Molineux. Mick McCarthy’s men have the opportunity to secure the double over Liverpool in the Premiership this season after their surprise 1-0 win at Anfield earlier in the campaign in which Stephen Ward netted the winner. Wolves are in great goalscoring form, having hit the back of the net ten times in the last three matches, and will be encouraged by the fact that Kevin Doyle has rediscovered his scoring touch. However, undeniably most of the focus will be on Kenny Dalglish and his Liverpool team today, but of the below who will be the match winners?

Teams:

Wolves: Wayne Hennessey, Ronald Zubar, Richard Stearman, Christophe Berra, Stephen Ward, Stephen Hunt, Karl Henry, Nenad Milijas, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle, Steven Fletcher.

Liverpool: Pepe Reina, Martin Kelly, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Maxi Rodriguez, Lucas Leiva, Christian Poulsen, Dirk Kuyt, Raul Meireles, Fernando Torres.

So there are the teams, but of those players who are you going to select in your Picklive Trio? Now is the time for Fernando Torres to show followers of the Premier League exactly what he’s made of and having scored in Liverpool’s last away fixture at Blackpool, he now needs to find the back of the net regularly. So much pressure rests on the Spaniard’s shoulders, but he has to show why he’s world class and start winning some matches almost single-handedly.

Raul Meireles has been one of Liverpool’s better performers this season, but having signed for a fee in excess of £10 million from Porto in the summer, he should be. The Portuguese midfielder really needs to take control of matches in the middle of the park and this is something that a player of his quality should be able to do against Wolves today.

Finally there’s Dirk Kuyt. Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson and now Kenny Dalglish have all shown their faith in the Dutch forward and his work rate and determination has to be admired. Now he needs to accompany those attributes with a little bit more quality and find the back of the net himself, and not just from the penalty spot.

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So will the Liverpool revival start today? If it does then Torres, Meireles and Kuyt will be central to it, and these are THREE players that you should seriously consider selecting for Picklive: LIVE Fantasy Football today. Simply click on the link below and pick your players now!

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Love fantasy football? Love live footy? You’ll love live fantasy football! Take part in the Wolves v Liverpool match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!

It’s been a tale of two strikers at Anfield this week. Firstly, Andy Carroll has been the name on the lips of the football fraternity over the last seven days following Brendan Rodgers’ admission that he could let the club’s £35-million record signing. Word on the street is a return to this native Tyneside is on the cards whilst Big Sam Allardyce wants to offer him a temporary home at Upton Park. Rumours of Carroll’s departure were greatly enhanced upon the arrival of Italy international Fabio Borini – the man touted to bring the best out of Luis Suarez – on Friday in a deal mooted to be worth £10.5m. The 21-year-old is well known to Rodgers having coached and managed him at previous in their respective careers and he’ll know better than most how to get the best out of Borini. But theres also the lingering feeling that the money could have been invested in a higher calibre of striker. It’s a large sum to spend on a player with limited Premier League experience and one fairly good season in Serie A. Irresponsible spending proved to be the undoing of Kenny Dalglish. Plus, where does this leave Carroll? It’s evident that Borini will be Suarez’s partner next season and it’s unlikely the England forward will be content to kick his heels on the sidelines. How Rodgers manages his first real dilemma as manager on Merseyside will make for stimulating viewing.

This week on FFC is the Reds’ youth system something Rodgers needs to pay attention to and could Andy Carroll really be set for a temporary move to London?

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Best of FFC

Any way back for Rafa?

Was a change in style really what Liverpool need?

Why Brendan Rodgers needs to keep one eye on the future

Liverpool set to be offered player-exchange for Carroll

Why Brendan Rodgers would be making a huge mistake here

A Smart move for Liverpool in LGBT March

Should UEFA step in and take control of the transfer market?

Liverpool’s transfer hopes dashed by Madrid

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Jose Enrique: Good Enough Or ‘False’ Starter? – Live 4 Liverpool

‘I’m proud to be here!’ – Fabio Borini’s first LFC interview – Full transcript… – Liverpool Kop

The realistic signings Liverpool fans want at Anfield – This is Anfield

“I’m obviously very sad” – Is this the reason for LFC flop’s poor season…? – Liverpool Kop

Borini – The Type of Player the Reds Need – The Tomkins Times

Carroll Has Potential That Deserves More Patience – Live 4 Liverpool

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Why signing Dempsey for LFC makes perfect sense – This is Anfield

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Quote of the Week

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“I felt really good because I wanted to come back to England one day. I knew sooner or later I would be back.  Being back with Liverpool is even better because I can show the people what I can do – we’ve got the Europa League and lots of things to play for.

“I hope to achieve the maximum I can, by scoring goals, getting into the Champions League and all of the things the club also wants – and all the other players.” Liverpool new boy Fabio Borini sets his sights high after signing from Roma

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Featured Video

Steed Malbranque is set to become the first casualty of Sunderland summer spending spree according to the Daily Mail.

Manager Steve Bruce has deemed the French midfielder surplus to requirements after bringing midfielders Craig Gardner, David Vaughan and Sebastian Larsson in during the close season.

A move to Ligue 1 side St Etienne is now in the pipeline with Bruce looking to free up some funds to continue his recruitment drive.

It will prove to be an unpopular decision with the Wearside faithful with most considering the midfielder a key part of the side.

The former Fulham midfielder signed for the Black Cats from Tottenham in 2008 and quickly established himself as a fan favourite at the Stadium of Light.

However he never could replicate the form he showed at White Hart Lane and Craven Cottage scoring only two goals in 112 appearances during his time in the North East.

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With Malbranque now set to move back to France the Sunderland boss may now turn his attentions to a loan move for Manchester City’s Adam Johnson.

Bruce has been chasing the winger for some time and with the extra money available could force through a temporary deal for him.

Bayern Munich warmed to their DFB Pokal defence by cruising to a 4-0 victory over Alemannia Aachen in their quarter-final on Wednesday.

The German powerhouse club were on the road at Aachen’s Neuer Tivoli Stadium, but opened the scoring in the 26th minute via striker Mario Gomez.

The 2.Bundesliga club did well to hold out against Bayern until the 75th minute, when the floodgates opened for the visitors.

Germany attacker Thomas Muller netted a five-minute double before Arjen Robben added a fourth in the 88th minute to seal Bayern’s place in the final four of the German cup.

MSV Duisburg – also a 2.Bundesliga club – stunned top-flight opponents Kaiserslautern 2-0 in their quarter-final at Schauinsland Reisen Arena.

Branimir Bajic opened the scoring in the 36th minute, before Goran Sukalo made sure of the result just prior to the hour mark.

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Shao Jiayi netted an 84th-minute winner to send his second tier club Energie Cottbus into the semi-finals, upsetting Bundesliga club Hoffenheim 1-0.

It’s all gone rather quiet at Arsenal in the past seven days wouldn’t you say? The flurry of transfer activity that expected to follow the acquisition of German international Lukas Podolski has failed to transpire whilst Robin Van Persie’s contract situation has yet to be resolved. You could forgive the Gunners support for being slightly anxious as they enter a crucial period of the summer. Having lost out on Belgian duo Eden Hazard and Jan Vertonghen to their London rivals the need for Arsene Wenger to nail his primary targets has become all the more imperative. His pursuit of French midfielder Yann M’Vila will certainly be affected by the imminent European Championships with the fear that interest will soar in conjuncture with his price tag should he perform well in Poland and Ukraine. It will certainly be a testing time for Wenger as he sweats over Van Persie’s future remains unclear whilst aiming to avoid a repeat of last years last ditch scraping of the recruitment barrel. Who’d be a football manager?

This week on FFC does the Wenger need to merciless in the trimming of his squad and which French midfielder are Arsenal facing a transfer battle  for this summer?

Best of FFC

Time for Wenger to display ruthlessness and show them the door

Could Arsenal do with a similar ambassador at the club?

Jumping the gun with his Champions League dream?

A wage balance that Arsenal need to finally strike

Fast becoming a ‘must have transfer’ within the Premier League

The Top 15 Premier League players in desperate ‘need of a move’

Time for English football to break away from tradition?

Arsenal’s £12.8m bid to release clause on hold as Giroud delays decision

Tottenham and Arsenal set to compete for French ace

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Best of WEB

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Djourou: The Modern Squad Problem – A Cultured Left Foot

£28M worth spending? – Gunnersphere

A lasting legacy – Online Gooner

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Is this man really a ‘liability’? – Gunnersphere

Someone said something I disagreed with – Arseblog

Time to put Arsenal first Arsenal – Le Grove

Johan Djourou deserves better – should he leave Arsenal this summer? – Highbury House

Why Llorente Should Seize The Opportunity & Join The Arsenal – Transfer Tavern

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Quote of the Week “To ask me to play to a high standard week in, week out, in the Premier League when you think of the pace that goes with it, was very physically demanding.””People do forget how long I was out of the game and what happened. It’s been my first full season. Overall, I am happy with the way things have gone. From where I was with the injury I think I’ve done pretty well” Aaron Ramsey reflects on his first full season back at Arsenal following the double leg break he suffered in February 2010[divider]Arsenal chase Fernando Llorente

Manchester City midfielder David Silva says he would welcome want-away forward Carlos Tevez back to the club.Tevez revealed his desire to leave the club for a second time at the end of last season, claiming he wants to be closer to his family.

A reported move back to former club Corinthians in July failed to materialise and Tevez, nor signing Sergio Aguero, were at training at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Silva said his team-mates would not show any bitterness towards Tevez if he chose to return.

“Carlos has to return and that’s great. He’s a very important player for us,” Silva told The Sun.

“I don’t think we’ll have a problem. We know Carlos well, if he stays – great.”

“There are a lot of competitions and we hope to play well in all of them. He would help that.”

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As well as Tevez wanting to leave the Etihad Stadium, fellow forward Mario Balotelli revealed this week he is unhappy in England and that he does not like living in Manchester.

Supporters were able to watch new signings Stefan Savic and Gael Clichy at training as City prepare for Sunday’s Community Shield clash against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.