With just over 24 hours to go before one of the biggest Premier League fixtures of the season, Tottenham fans will be delighted to hear that Lucas Moura is in contention to feature against Arsenal, in what will be his debut for the club.
Lucas, who is valued at £25.2million by Transfermarkt, was the only new arrival at Spurs in January and fans have been eager to see the Brazilian in action.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of Saturday’s North London Derby, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino stated;
“I think Lucas will be ready to be in contention for Saturday. He’s doing well, training so hard, he’s starting to feel his legs. And yes we need to assess him tomorrow after the last training session but I hope’s he’s doing well and we can put him in contention.”
After hearing the news that their new signing could play against Arsenal, Spurs fans took to Twitter and were understandably delighted…
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The summer transfer window is yet to open, but with reports in the papers suggesting Luis Suarez is happy to stay at Liverpool, no business will be more well-received by the club than the sentiments he has been quoted as saying.
Turn the clock back just less than a year and speculation had emerged surrounding Luis Suarez’s future. The Uruguayan striker was in bang in the middle of a 10-game domestic ban, and all the noises coming from his camp – himself and his agent likewise – was that he was unsettled and that he was keen to move on to greener pastures, i.e. a club that could offer Champions League football.
Nearly 12 months on and the future looks brighter for Suarez and Liverpool.
“Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen to me. I’m very happy here and my family is happy here. If we could win the Premier League and bring the trophy home it would be incredible, a dream come true.”
And why would Suarez be considering elsewhere right now? He has just recently collected the PFA Player of the Season award, having amassed a total of 30 goals and 12 assists in the Premier League. He’s destined to be awarded the Golden Boot, and has a serious chance of collecting a Premier League winner’s medal. He’s a key part of a young, talented, and maturing side, with a progressive manager, challenging up at the top of the Premier League for the first time in years. It could hardly be more exciting for Liverpool right now, and with Suarez in tow, the outlook is even more positive.
Rumours that Real Madrid are planning a big-money move for Suarez are unlikely to tempt Liverpool, but the potential to unsettle Suarez in noteworthy. A player of his quality can’t be content at a club languishing down below the Champions League spots. But with Liverpool’s progression, and Suarez’s contribution to the cause, keeping a player of his calibre isn’t quite as taxing.
In Suarez, Liverpool have one of the very top players in the world. He is arguably one of only four or five who could even consider themselves to have reached a standard anywhere near comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He already earns big money – his recent contract extension took his earnings to over £100k per week – and he has carved out a niche in a side which allows him the freedom to express himself on the field. He has the faith of the club and the fans, and is at a club chasing major honours.
No matter how much is spent at Anfield in the summer, no piece of business they do will be better music to their ears than Suarez’s happiness. The type of talismanic ability he possesses isn’t readily available, and no replacement can be guaranteed to touch on what the Uruguayan has achieved for Liverpool this season.
Tottenham’s shambles in the last summer transfer window showed the devastating effect the loss of one key player can have. No matter how much quality they brought in to accommodate for Gareth Bale’s departure, they haven’t found a mixture that can make up for what he brought to the side.
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Competing on multiple fronts next season will require Suarez to be at his fiery, most rampant best. Ensuring Suarez is happy will keep Liverpool happy, and vice versa. The relationship is currently two-way between the club and player. As long as it stays that way, it could flower into something far more beautiful than it already has become.
It goes without saying that the Premier League is the promised land of English football; especially after a report was released showing how clubs go for broke in their desire to play in the top-flight.
A report was released by accountancy firm, PKF; which after surveying 62 clubs in England and Scotland, revealed that two thirds of these were not expecting to make a profit in the next financial period.
The firm knows all about the reckless spending that can almost destroy a football club, as they have been responsible for the running of Portsmouth since February.
The club’s demise has been well-publicised; and is the most notable example of how a team has chased the dream at all costs.
The mixture of football and business has never been a happy one, as the losses made by clubs would surely cause leading businessmen and women everywhere to blow a gasket; especially when considering the likes of Queens Park Rangers made an estimated loss of £25.8million in their Championship title-winning season.
Perhaps what is even more worrying is the fact that the gap between the Premier League and the rest is only set to increase further; with a new television deal worth a staggering £1billion set to be introduced to top-flight clubs from 2013-14.
Deals such as these look set to attract more wealthy investors from overseas to grab a slice of the action; targeting Championship clubs with significant growth potential, with a notable instance being the Kuwaiti takeover of Nottingham Forest.
But at least the football authorities have recognised the need to curb this out-of-control spending, with stricter financial regulations being enforced as of this season.
UEFA has already stamped its authority on the issue with the introduction of Financial Fair Play; and has held back prize money for a total of 23 clubs who have overdue payments.
Meanwhile, the Football League has enforced a similar model on the 72 clubs from the Championship to League Two, by limiting the amount that owners can spend and setting maximum annual losses at £5million.
Failure to adhere to these rules could involve punishments such as transfer embargos, indicating the seriousness of the problem. Therefore, it is promising to see action being taken to prevent the risks which some sides take in pursuing the Premier League dream.
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Although, it will be a long road back to financial parity for the majority of Football League clubs; and one must question whether these rulings have been introduced too late to make a real difference.
The 72 clubs have combined debts of £2billion; and as the Premier League obsession becomes greater each year, it is more with hope rather than expectation that clubs will not bury themselves into the ground.
According to reports in the Sunday Mirror, Everton are eyeing a £35m move for Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof following a tough debut campaign at the Old Trafford.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Sunday Mirror says that new Toffees boss Marco Silva has identified the 23-year-old defender as a priority signing, as long as the Red Devils are willing to offload the Sweden international.
The Sunday Mirror says there is no suggestion that Jose Mourinho wants to sell Lindelof so soon after bringing him to Old Trafford, with insiders suggesting that he will be given a second season to make a real impact.
The report adds that United could be in line to make a profit on the centre-back having purchased him for £31.5m, which is something that could tempt Mourinho given he currently has six players that can play in that position at his disposal.
How did Lindelof do in 2017/18?
The Swede may well have been expected to have formed a first-choice partnership with Eric Bailly at the heart of the back four when he was signed last summer, but it didn’t turn out that way.
The 23-year-old struggled in the early months of the campaign and he was responsible for the two goals conceded in the 2-1 defeat against Huddersfield Town, although he had Toffees winger Yannick Bolasie in his pocket when he featured at right-back in his side’s 2-0 win at Goodison Park in January.
Lindelof made 29 appearances in all competitions, but he failed to make the matchday squad for the final day of the season last month.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
Would he be a good signing for Everton?
He certainly would be, yes.
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While things perhaps haven’t worked out for him at Man United so far, his form for Benfica previously and some of the glimpses of the quality he has in his locker for the Red Devils means he would be a great addition for the Toffees.
The 23-year-old would bring some European experience to the back four, and he could form a strong partnership with Michael Keane at the heart of the Merseyside outfit’s backline.
Convincing United to sell and Lindelof that he should give up on his Old Trafford career after just 12 months could be their biggest challenge.
Manchester United have already caused an upset to their fierce rivals Manchester City by swooping in to snatch Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola’s side were heavily linked with the Chile international last summer, but in a big twist, the attacker ended up moving to the red half of the city.
It appears that City are now looking forward and have outlined a move for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte.
According to Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, the North-West outfit are prepared to meet the £60m buyout clause in the 23-year-old’s contract.
Former United captain Gary Neville has sparked a discussion on Twitter by claiming that United should try to hijack City’s deal for the defender.
United supporters have now taken to social media to give their say on potentially ruining City’s transfer activity even more.
Some also criticised their rivals for spending £60m on a player after they reportedly ended interest in Sanchez due to financial reasons.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils remain 12 points adrift of their neighbours in the Premier League title race.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has accused Arjen Robben of “making more” of the incident that led to Wojciech Szczesny’s red card, which “killed the game”.
Although the penalty following Szczesny’s sending off was missed, Bayern Munich went on to win 2-0 at the Emirates in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last 16.
The goalkeeper seemed to have clipped Robben after the Dutchman beat him to the ball, but Wenger was clearly unhappy with Robben’s reaction.
“Our keeper went genuinely for the ball, he touched Robben, who made certainly more of it, and I told him,” Wenger told BBC. “It killed the game completely.”
“He (Robben) has enough experience to know to make more of it.
“Overall I thought Bayern made a lot of every single contact, we are not used to that in England.
“There were fouls given today that usually are not given in the Premier League, but it’s different rules and we have to accept it.
“The game was, until then, top quality, and in the second half it was boring for neutral people. It was one-way traffic.”
Bayern Munich were then able to take control of the game as they took advantage of the extra man, scoring through Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller to give the Germans a big advantage going into the second leg.
It could have all been very different had Mesut Ozil not missed a penalty awarded early in the game. The German playmaker hit a weak shot which was easily saved by Manuel Neuer and looked to have affected his confidence.
“I think it affected Mesut, he was still shaking his head five or 10 minutes after that,” said Wenger.
“It had a huge impact on his performance. Confidence is your petrol in the team, it gives you the desire to play.”
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The Gunners will hope to get back on track in the Premier League, hosting Sunderland this weekend.
Wayne Rooney’s recent thigh injury may have been one of those silver linings among the dark clouds. In truth, the England international has not been up to scratch in recent times, prompting many to question whether he should be dropped altogether in favour of new signings Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie. But the injury took some of the heat off Rooney, and with Alex Ferguson talking up his attacking options for the season, he’s undoubtedly trying to force a rise from his long time talisman.
It’s not been good enough from Rooney, and you’d like to think he’s aware of it himself. Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez recently spoke out about his own form this season, stating that he’d give himself a rating of five with plenty of room for improvement. It’s a good and necessary acknowledgement of a player’s flaws and his form, but Sanchez’s admission of it should also be a good sign for Tito Vilanova.
Wayne Rooney, however, needs to be on form and playing at his very best far more consistently than he has. Manchester United do not have the personnel to fall back on that equals Barcelona’s resources, and Rooney really has to be doing better than a great scoring season once every other year.
It’s clear that van Persie’s signing was a necessity even if those funds could have been spent equally well elsewhere. It’s also a little interesting that Ferguson has spoken about the depth and quality in his attack when the reality is they haven’t been great. Javier Hernandez needs to return to the form of his first season in England and Danny Welbeck doesn’t appear to be a striker who will bag 20 goals a season; he’s certainly not higher up the pecking order than Rooney.
But what else can Ferguson do to let Rooney know that he has to take control of his ability and have a lasting impact on Manchester United’s season. He can score goals but when was the last time he looked world class? Has he ever looked like the player that was once spoken of as the English equivalent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? He’s capable of the spectacular but how long do we have to wait for one of those moments again? How long can United afford to wait for one of those moments again?
Van Persie’s first goal for his new club was outstanding, it was a work of genius, but it’s something we’ve come to expect from the Dutchman. His injuries have always clouded his career but goals such as those have been in locker with plenty of examples. Is he a challenge to Rooney’s crown at United? I think there would be a problem if he wasn’t looking to stake his claim as the best in the red half of Manchester. But that’s what Rooney needs, he needs someone who is genuinely on his level in terms of quality and with the scoring power to change games. Rooney needs an internal challenge to get himself back to his best. The Premier League wants to see the Rooney that rose to the occasion against Barcelona at Wembley and against Manchester City at Old Trafford.
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Rooney’s reputation shouldn’t force him into the starting XI for either Manchester United or England, but for too long that has been the case because neither team has anyone that’s an equal or better. Van Persie changes that at United, as well as Kagawa in the role behind the striker. It forces Rooney to pull up his socks and fight for a place with goals and high level performances. It also forces him to keep a clear head and avoid meaningless red card incidents or displays of immaturity. As soon as he’s out of the team for a handful of games, he’ll find it incredibly difficult to get back in.
West Ham United supporters are eager to sign full-back Ryan Fredericks after watching him play for Fulham in the English Championship play-off final on Saturday.
Fredericks is now out of contract at Craven Cottage and could have played his last game this weekend, but helped his side gain promotion to the English Premier League at Aston Villa’s expense.
The right-back has had an excellent 2017/18 season, creating seven assists for his side and being almost ever present throughout their promotion bid.
With pace, creativity and a desire to impact the game in the final third, he could be the kind of attacking full-back that could revitalise the Hammers’ right flank next season.
It’s been a problem position for the club and Fredericks comes with the added bonus of potentially arriving on a free transfer.
Fans are eager to get the deal done, believing he could be an important part of Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts after Saturday’s match…
It can be easy to take someone like Antonio Valencia for granted, especially in a team as talented as Manchester United’s.
Right-backs aren’t exactly the stars of the show and Valencia, although certainly capable of individual brilliance, is better famed for the consistency he provides. But the statistics are incredibly telling and United’s win-rate this season drops by 16% when the Ecuador international isn’t in the starting XI; during his absence through injury over the winter period, United lost to Bristol City before suffering draws to Leicester, Southampton and Burnley – three teams the Red Devils really should be beating.
But the 32-year-old had an instantaneous impact upon his return to action last night, which very much set the tone for the evening as United found themselves hosting a managerless Stoke City side marooned in the relegation zone and suffering from a succession of injury problems in defence.
Reminiscent of his days as United’s industrious right winger, the South American stepped inside Josh Tymon to net a beautiful curling finish past Jack Butland – it took just nine minutes for Valencia to put his side in the driving seat.
It was a moment of quality exploiting the naivety of an 18-year-old defender, but it was also a clear example of the ruthlessness and professionalism United needed to secure a routine win at home and avoid the complacency seen from during Valencia’s absence. And the 92-cap international’s influence didn’t stop there either – a highly competent defensive display saw him finish up with most tackles and joint-most interceptions to his name of any Red Devils player while completing 94% of his passes.
While United would always expect to achieve a solid result against Stoke at home, Valencia’s impact is a reminder of his importance within the squad – not only as one of the most consistent right-backs in the Premier League who can provide those moments of magic while keeping it solid at the back, but also as a leader who can set the tone for those around him.
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In the build up to this week’s FA Cup third round fixtures, I spoke to former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City striker Michael Owen about his thoughts on some of this weekend’s cup ties. We focused on the matches which will be aired live on BT Sport.
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City – Saturday 4th January, 12pm, BT Sport 1
In recent years, City have had a pretty decent record against Rovers. Winning 6 of the last 9 matches, you need to go back to 2007 for when City last lost to Blackburn. So, will City be going into the game full of confidence or will they be fearful of Blackburn as we have seen so many upsets in the early stages of an FA Cup run?
“Well, I think that it really depends on the team that goes out on Saturday. They have got such a strong squad at the moment, and it will be interesting to see if Manuel Pellegrini puts this game high up in his priority list. However, I do feel that Blackburn are in a very sticky period at the moment and I’m not quite sure whether their form is the best going into a match like this. So I think overall that it’s a nice pitch to play on and I see a City victory.”
Man City have scored 85 goals so far this season in all competitions and we’re only at the start of January. But we saw against Crystal Palace last week that City struggled to break Palace down as they played some second team players: Do you think that Pellegrini will put out his strongest side possible to avoid an upset?
“Well, I’m not sure on his strongest side as he is one of those managers that doesn’t rotate often. When you do have a squad which is the size of City’s where you’ve got so many world class players, you’ve got to give some players a bit of playing time. I think the FA Cup is an ideal opportunity for the likes of James Milner who hasn’t been starting recently, players like that who have been on the fringe of things for City this season. So I still think they’ll be a very strong side against Blackburn; even though they only scored 1 goal against Palace last weekend. City score goals for fun and Blackburn aren’t the same side of what they a couple of years ago.”
So, overall, how do you see the game going yourself? Shock or no shock?
“No shock. I think it will be Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Manchester City.”
Derby County v Chelsea – Sunday 5th January, 1.30pm, BT Sport 1
Derby are going strong in the Championship (fourth in the table …two points off an automatic promotion place) Should Mourinho be wary of this when they go to Pride Park on Sunday? Despite Derby having an atrocious record against the Blues? Derby last defeated Chelsea in 1999.
“This is one of those games where you see Derby get pulled out the hat and their at home you think, “Home tie against an inform Championship side? I want to avoid them.” Steve McClaren has done a fabulous job since taking over; he has really turned things around there. And even though they are facing Chelsea, Derby has got a great chance of winning. It will be interesting to see which team Mourinho does put out for this tie, but regardless to what side he does put out, Derby will definitely make a game of it and it should be a cracking game to watch. There is more chance of an upset happening in this cup tie than the Blackburn vs Man City game.”
Now Michael, you’ve worked with Steve McClaren when he was England manager; how would he go into a game like this? He’s won 10 of his first 14 games since taking over from Nigel Clough in the autumn which has propelled Derby up the table, so Derby fans may be going into the game with optimism that they could win. However, Chelsea have won the FA Cup 4 times in the last 7 season. How would he prepare his players for a massive game like this?
“Well, he doesn’t need to ramp up the enthusiasm anymore when facing a side like Chelsea. I think the Derby players will be full of confidence and self belief, as they’ll be really looking forward to the game. What McClaren has done since taking over is quite remarkable; he is certainly one of the best coaches I’ve worked under as I was very fortunate to work him in the England squad. He’s also had a couple of poor spells (most notably at Wolfsburg and Nottingham Forest), but he’s also had some fantastic spells as a manager; when he got Middlesbrough to the UEFA Cup final back in 2006, what he is doing now at Derby, when he was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United and of course when he won the title in Holland. He’s got a fantastic pedigree despite not having the longest managerial careers. So, I think his side will give Chelsea a good fight on Sunday.”
How crucial is it for Mourinho to ensure that his men do not get complacent? Although Chelsea may be the strong favourites going into this game, we have seen for instance Liverpool losing to Oldham 3-2 last year; is complacency a key factor for a giant killing?
“Well, when you see the position that Derby are in and when you’re playing away from home, you can’t get complacent. I think Mourinho will tell his players that as soon as they arrive at the ground that complacency isn’t an option. I don’t think Chelsea will get complacent on Sunday but if they do, it will be very foolish of Chelsea as Derby are a good side with very good players.”
When Derby last played Chelsea, they lost 6-1. This was when they were last in the Premier League when they accumulated just 11 points. However, do statistics matter in a cup match?
“No, not at all. We’ve seen recently that Tottenham hadn’t beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford since 1989, and now Tottenham have beaten United at Old Trafford for the last two seasons. Derby has got a completely different team from 2008 and they’re in a better position. Yes, they’re not in the Premier League but their sky high in the Championship and they would prefer that than being bottom of the Premier League with the lowest amount of points. And the fact they’re nearly top in the Championship will boost their confidence levels for when they do play Chelsea.”
So, overall, how do you see the game going yourself? Shock or no shock?
“Derby will scare Chelsea, but I think the Blues will just edge it. Derby County 1-2 Chelsea.”
Manchester Utd v Swansea City – Sunday 5th January, 4.15pm, BT Sport 1
Now to one of your former clubs Michael. Do you think that Moyes will be looking at the FA Cup along with the League Cup as the best chances for him to win some silverware this season?
“Yes, 100%. He desperately wants to win something; he doesn’t want his first season at Man United to end trophyless after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson. He’ll be looking at both cup completions as his best bet to win a trophy this season due to their disappointing league run. I don’t think Moyes will rest too many players against Swansea as he really needs the victory. I feel a backlash here for Swansea because despite losing to Spurs on Wednesday, United had won six on the bounce and had shown great team spirit. So I think it will be a bad time to play United as they really want to go out and win.”
After the defeat to Spurs on Wednesday and with some big names being injured such as RVP and Phil Jones, don’t you think it will be risky if he were to start with his strongest side against Swansea and risk MORE injuries. Or do you think he’ll give fringe players such as Wilfred Zaha, Anderson, Alex Buttner, and the Da Silva twins starts as they need to prove a point at United?
“Well if United were doing well in the league, he would have made a number of changes to give some of the fringe player’s game time. However, in the situation that they are in, Moyes can’t afford to lose another match especially in the cup, so he’ll more than likely start with his strongest team, bar to a couple of changes.”
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How important is to for United to avoid a slip on Sunday? Because if they were to get a draw against Swansea, it will cause a fixture pile up due to their league cup commitments which will lead to fatigue. And David Moyes needs all the luck he can possible get at the moment.
“I suppose so, but then again everyone who is connected with United would rather get a draw than a defeat. Manchester United are well equipped to fixture pile ups as we’ve seen in the past. They’ve got a very big squad so they can always rotate and these players are paid to play in the Premier League, Champions League, FA and League Cup so a fixture pile up won’t really be a problem for United. You can also say the same about Swansea: They’ll most probably play the same amount of games as United this season due to their Europa League commitments, but then their squad is nothing compared to United’s as they lack depth and quality. So a fixture pile up could be an issue, but United will be able to deal with it.”
So, overall, how do you see the game going yourself? Shock or no shock?
“No shock for me. Manchester United 3-0 Swansea City.”
Now Michael, you won the FA Cup as a player in 2001 with Liverpool, I remember it very well because I’m an Arsenal fan! Did you feel there is a difference when you play in a cup match to when you play in a league match? Or did they just feel the same?
“Well I think there is a little difference, because at the back of your mind you know it is a one off. You also have that thought where one little mistake and you’re out but if you lose in a league game, you’ve got 37 matches to rectify that mistake. There is also that feeling amongst the players when on the pitch, as you’re more careful with your passes and long balls as one mistake could knock you out. It’s a very unique cup which all players enjoy playing in.”
BT Sport will be showing up to 25 live games including the final from this season’s FA Cup with Budweiser. BT Sport is free with BT broadband, to find out more visit www.btsport.com