So much of Mauricio Pochettino’s success at Tottenham has been based on the development of young players that it is understandable to see the club’s fans fawning over the latest crop of youth talent in pursuit of the next cab off the rank who can help the first team continue their progression.
It would appear that Reo Griffiths is the man among the current crop who has grabbed the imagination to the greatest extent among the Spurs’ fanbase.
The academy prospect is a striker who scores goals for fun and there is simply nothing that gets football fans quite as excited as a player who knows where the net is.
As the Spurs Under-19s stormed into the semi-finals of yet another tournament, the prolific Griffiths was the man all the fans wanted to talk about.
Some hope he can be kept from the clutches of RB Leipzig, while others want him to become part of the first-team sooner rather than later…
Paul Scholes has risen to one of the greatest midfielders even since his retirement and subsequent return.
From a great box-to-box, goal scoring midfielder, Scholes became a deep-lying controller of the game who sprayed the ball across the pitch with ease, but the twilight of his career was undoubtedly of detriment to Manchester United in the longer term.
The career of Scholes was vastly decorated, including the magnificent treble in 1999 and his own qualities at his peak were perhaps a tad undervalued. As his role developed to a deeper player in the midfield, Scholes’ role in the side was celebrated greatly by the media. Covering for the failings of his supposed replacements, Scholes managed to string together performances like a man 10 years younger than he was at the time.
The loss of mobility is often beneficial when playing the deeper role, keeping the player within their zone in the middle to snuff out attacks and act as a building block when in possession.
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Scholes’ return to the playing staff at Old Trafford in January 2012 and the following 18 months saw him act as an illusion for midfield quality that Manchester United did not possess.
In the short-term, Scholes’ return to the centre of midfield was helpful, it has left a vacuum in his position that has taken a couple of seasons to fill.
Winning another Premier League in his final campaign was an ideal high to end on, but Scholes’ role was symbolic of how Ferguson gave up on succession planning towards his final couple of seasons.
The way that Ferguson took a step backwards to bring Scholes back and then splashed out on an ageing Robin Van Persie were contributing factors to the significant weaknesses of the squad during Moyes’ time as boss. Ferguson’s short-term planning helped to win another few trophies, but his utilisation of Scholes caused more problems than it solved for United.
The overwhelming shortage in central midfield put immediate pressure on Moyes to succeed in the transfer market, and his subsequent signing of Fellaini was hardly an adequate replacement. Of course, part of the struggles in midfield were down to poor signings and injuries, with Tom Cleverley and Anderson the two most maligned in central midfield.
Cleverley may well have benefitted from the additional game time had Scholes not been re-signed and could be playing an integral part in the Manchester United midfield next season. Although many will see it as Cleverley was given too many chances to prove himself as it was.
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Even if discounting the players that were at his disposal, it would have been far more sensible to sign a younger player to fill Scholes’ void than recall the man himself. The consistent links with Kevin Strootman were surfacing and failure to ever invest in the midfield has been a contributing factor in United’s drop away from title contention in the last two seasons.
Ferguson’s miraculous performance to win the title in 2013 was a great way to leave, but many of his decisions as he neared the end of his tenure were not beneficial to the club in the longer term. Scholes’ return was symbolic of the poor succession planning at Old Trafford and the midfield is yet to recover.
West Brom need to tie down key duo Shane Long and Youssouf Mulumbu to longer term deals, according to Gareth McAuley.
The Northern Ireland international central defender, who picked up the Player of the Year awards at the Hawthorns following an excellent campaign, pledged his own future to the club on Friday when he signed a new one-year extension to keep him at the club until summer 2015.
And the 33-year-old has been quick to point out that the priority now is to ensure influential striker, Long, and key midfielder, Mulumbu, are tied down to deal beyond two years’ time.
Long has been heavily linked with a move away over the course of the past season, but the Republic of Ireland international has always maintained that he is happy at the club, while Mulumbu has already said he is keen to sign a new deal.
McAuley told the club’s website: “They are big and important players for us and I’m sure it will be sorted out.
“It’s like my situation. I had next year as well so there’s no rush or real pressure on it.
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“But everyone will want it sorted out and the sooner it happens, probably the better it is for the lads and for the club.”
Captain Darren Bent admits the time has come for Aston Villa to bring Premier League victories back to Villa Park ahead of tomorrow’s home clash against Swansea.
Villa’s previous league win – and last in front of their own fans – was six months ago in the last-gasp 1-0 success against Fulham on March 10. That is their only top-flight victory in the past 14 attempts at Villa Park and the claret and blues picked up three points at home just four times last season. Before Fulham, the previous home league win was against Paul Lambert’s Norwich on November 5 last year.
A depressing defeat to Everton during Lambert’s introduction to Villa fans last month suggested the home hangover has been carried over to this campaign. And Bent, who scored in the Capital Cup win over Tranmere at Villa Park, admits the club must rediscover a winning habit in the league, especially on home territory. He told the Birmingham Mail:
“Our home form hasn’t been good enough and we need to start putting that right. We need to be having better performances and results to give the fans something to cheer about. They have shown they will get behind us even when we are not doing well. It’s been hard for them, but they still come and support us. They have been brilliant in the time that I have been here, to be fair. So if we can get them going by playing well then that can only be good for the team and the fans.”
Aston Villa face a tough home fixture against Swansea City on Saturday.
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Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday knowing only a win will keep their outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League alive. The Reds, meanwhile, know that just a point will clinch their place in Europe’s top competition next season barring an unprecedented turnaround in goal difference during the final few games.
It represents something of a Champions League shootout then, although Liverpool will feel confident of grabbing the points they need against Brighton at home on the final day of the season if they don’t pick them up at Stamford Bridge.
But heading into this weekend’s game, which manager is faced with the bigger injury problems? How could the referee influence the match? Who enters Sunday’s clash in the best form? And can history tell us anything about what to expect from the Blues and the Reds’ latest encounter? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 4.30pm kickoff…
What History Tells Us
Quite incredibly, from their 51 Premier League meetings to date Chelsea and Liverpool have won, lost and drawn precisely the same number of games with 19 victories apiece. The Blues will argue they’ve performed somewhat better than the former during those encounters though; they’ve scored more goals and kept more clean sheets, albeit suffering twice as many red cards in the process.
Likewise, Chelsea have beaten Liverpool more times than they’ve failed to at Stamford Bridge – a ground where the Anfield outfit’s win rate is less than 25%. But the Blues haven’t actually beaten Sunday’s visitors in the Premier League since 2014 after claiming three victories on the bounce, a run that has seen them draw 1-1 four times and lose twice.
Form Guide
Who enters this fixture in better form almost depends on your interpretation of what that means. While Chelsea have claimed more wins than Liverpool during their respective last six Premier League outings, the Reds haven’t actually lost in that time – their last top flight defeat was to Manchester United at the start of March – whereas the Blues were beaten by London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
But Liverpool haven’t faced the most formidable of competition, their highest ranked Premier League opponents being Merseyside rivals Everton. They also failed to beat relegation threatened Stoke last time out, and were held to a 2-2 draw with bottom-placed West Brom.
In terms of goalscorers, meanwhile, although he didn’t produce much against Roma on Wednesday night or the Potters last weekend, former Chelsea man Mohamed Salah has averaged more than one goal a game during Liverpool’s last six outings. Chelsea, on the other hand, have been forced to depend on six different goalscorers netting once apiece, alongside Olivier Giroud who has bagged two.
Referee Influence – Anthony Taylor
Alongside Michael Oliver, Anthony Taylor is probably the strongest referee the Premier League boasts at this moment in time. There’s real authority about the 39-year-old and all of his returns this season, ranking between seventh and 14th from the 20 referees to work in the top flight, reflect a healthy balance between avoiding needless decisions and making the important ones. That should ensure a fair contest on Sunday that isn’t decided by a moment of controversy from the man with the whistle.
Perhaps the worrying news for Chelsea though, is that less than half the games Taylor’s officiated this season have ended in home wins. Only victory will do for the west Londoners this weekend, but Taylor’s season thus far suggests that’s more unlikely than likely.
Team News
While Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Swansea City last weekend wasn’t wholly convincing, we’re expecting Antonio Conte to stick with almost exactly the same lineup, with the exception of Marcos Alonso – who Transfermarkt value at £31.5million – returning to the starting XI following his three-game suspension. Emerson Palmieri has performed well in his absence but the Spaniard has been one of the key lynchpins in Chelsea’s system under Conte since the start of last season.
And it’s likely the Italian will stick with the same shape from last weekend, chiefly because it sealed Chelsea a crucial point at Anfield in the reverse fixture earlier this season with Eden Hazard in a free role just behind a central striker. The Belgium international created five chances that day, including the assist to Willian, and completed ten dribbles.
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Likewise, although Jurgen Klopp could ring the changes after an exhausting clash against Roma in midweek, victory this Sunday will seal Liverpool’s Champions League status with a game to spare and the German gaffer will likely be keen to keep the momentum going heading into the Reds’ European final.
Once again then, the only predicted change is on the side of defence, with 14-cap England international Nathaniel Clyne potentially coming in for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The youngster was exposed at times by Roma and it shouldn’t be forgotten that Clyne had established himself as one of the more dependable full-backs in the Premier League before his lengthy injury layoff. He played the entirety of the Merseyside derby and has picked up minutes from the bench since then, so should have recovered some of his match sharpness.
It’s been a tough season for Liverpool. They’ve had to deal with a Champions League failure and a Europa League failure. They’ve tried to chase for a Champions League spot in the Premier League and have had to settle for the Europa League again.
They’ve had some poor results this season and played poorly in lots of games, but they’ve also gone unbeaten from December to March. They’ve had injuries to deal with and ongoing distractions like the form of Mario Balotelli and the starting place / retirement of Steven Gerrard.
Poor Brendan Rodgers. After a season of wonder and awe culminating in a near-miss for an unexpected title, this season has been difficult.
When a season goes bad, like this one, managers get the blame. And most of the time they should get the blame – or at least have to share some of it. Manuel Pellegrini, for example, surely has to take some of the blame for City’s poor season. After all, it’s his team, his tactics and above all, his recruitment.
Rodgers too needs to take a long hard look at himself this season.
This season, taking into account buys, sales and wages, Brendan Rodgers has a net spend of 112m. That’s not the worst in the league – City, Arsenal and United have spent more – but it still equates to over 1.8m per point as Liverpool have accrued 62 of them over 36 games.
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So that’s still fairly expensive, especially given that Luis Suarez left the club for a reported 65 or 75m depending on which reports you actually believe.
Some Liverpool fans – not all or even most – want Rodgers out. There’s a ‘Rodgers Out Club’ twitter account with over 5000 followers, and some fans even paid for a plane to fly over the ground calling for Rodgers to be sacked and Rafael Benitez installed in his stead.
I’m not sure that it’s fair. Managers deserve time to get things right, and Rodgers came very close last season. In the meantime he’s had a lot to deal with and had to replace his best player.
That doesn’t really excuse the fact that he’s spent so much money, though. The signings might gel, and they might do better next time. So it might not be all that bad. But this poor season is still a poor season.
And it gives the board a thought to ponder – stick with Rodgers or bring in Jurgen Klopp, a man who is now conveniently available.
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This has been a bad season for Liverpool, but there has been undeniable progress since Christmas. And after only one bad season that looks to have some light at the end of the tunnel, it seems harsh to sack the manager. But Rodgers has done himself no favours in this regard. He’s spent so much money and has shown little return just yet.
The board now have a decision to make regarding Rodgers’ future. They either back him with more cash in the summer or they bring in a new man.
Liverpool aren’t far away from being a team who can challenge. They are starting to gel, and from Christmas to March, they showed us that they can play some wonderful football. But Rodgers needs something to show for the progress, because as a top manager you don’t get long. And despite the positive signs, the green shoots of recovery Rodgers has left himself open to the criticism.
Alan Pardew is set for talks with Joe Kinnear this week, primarily with Darren Bent at the top of the agenda. And while Newcastle’s surprise appointment of Kinnear will be afforded full license over transfer matters, it would be too swift and perhaps too reckless a move for Pardew to resign.
Maybe a wider question here is what Mike Ashley actually wants from all this. Why did he buy Newcastle if he’s willing to make such misguided and categorically stupid decisions? Alan Pardew himself was seen as a bad move when Chris Hughton guided Newcastle back into the Premier League, though Pardew proved his worth by taking the club to fifth place in the Premier League.
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If Ashley absolutely doesn’t trust Pardew for his abilities as a football manager – and of course that now spans the on-pitch coaching to behind the scenes work with transfers – then why appoint him in the first place? The Newcastle owner failed to back his manager last summer and in turn saw the club fall so far from competing for European places that they found themselves in a relegation battle. And now, in order to “right the ship” of his own mess, he’s brought in Kinnear.
We don’t know yet whether Kinnear and Pardew can have a working relationship. The manager wants Darren Bent as his big-name forward signing this summer and Kinnear would do well to oblige him, especially considering the general feeling among most football supporters in England of his return to the game. There could be grounds for something positive moving forward between the two, as much as a stretch as that may seem.
Yet for Pardew to resign now would be a huge risk on his part. English managers are not “in fashion” at the moment, with clubs wanting to explore their options with those based abroad. There is a feeling that a manager with an exotic name and a CV that has prominent football nations listed as previous places of employment will bring greater reward than those from England. Where Pardew was seen as to have greater experience in the Premier League over Hughton, or something ridiculous, the same line of thinking may not be considered when he’s weighed up against those arriving in England for the first time with European progressive thinking.
For Pardew, he’d do well to remain on board for the time being, gathering an understanding what it will be like to work with Kinnear. When names are being airdropped in and assets sold without the manager’s consent, then there is cause for concern – as we’ve seen in the past at St James’ Park.
There is little faith in what Ashley can bring to the table in terms of footballing matters, but somewhere there has to be a degree of hope that Kinnear and Pardew can see eye to eye and put the best interests of the club first, rather than a potential internal battle that should never have been a possibility through ill-judged appointments.
Should Pardew take a stand and resign?
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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?