It was widely assumed that Tottenham may live to regret passing up the opportunity to add more attacking depth, particularly up front, to a side competing on two fronts down the home straight this season, but with new signing Lewis Holtby settling in well to an increasingly adaptable and versatile side, do they still require more striking reinforcements in the future?
Andre Villas-Boas’ side still remain well in the driving seat for the fourth Champions League spot this season as they hold a four-point lead on rivals Arsenal in fifth, with both Everton and Liverpool close behind, but with upcoming games against Arsene Wenger’s side at White Hart Lane plus a tough away trip to Anfield to contend with yet, it’s far from in the bag, not to mention testing ties against Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton.
Nevertheless, one of the overriding factors about the team this season has been their ability to grind out results, having won eight games this term by a solitary strike and despite having kept just seven clean sheets so far in the league, while they may not be the toughest nut to crack, they are a tough side to beat.
Of course, having a player of the quality of Gareth Bale within your ranks helps matters quite a lot, even if the hyperbole, with Sky the guiltiest party, has gone a bit too far and over the top at times. The thing is, Bale is so good on his own that he just doesn’t need all the faux hype; he’s an exceptional talent who could potentially become one of the best players in the world in time, but he’s not helped by the quite frankly silly comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo every week and a double against Newcastle and Lyon, while it does show the level of consistency needed to reach those heights, has only just started to become a regular occurrence, so let’s not put the cart before the horse.
Along with Bale, though, with Aaron Lennon on the opposite flank and Holtby settling in extremely well since moving to England six months ahead of schedule and his planned summer move, they have helped to cover up the fact that Emmanuel Adebayor hasn’t ever really got going this season and Jermain Defoe’s form has fallen off a cliff.
The England international has only ever been a player that has scored in patches and against lesser opposition, but at the start of the campaign, in an unfamiliar lone striking role that never looked particularly suited to his strengths, he did exceptionally well, but he’s scored just 10 times in 25 appearances across all competitions this season, which is a deceptively poor return considering the plaudits he was on the receiving end of just a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Adebayor has just three goals in 19 appearances this term after crucially missing the majority of pre-season trying to force through his move back to the club where he enjoyed such a successful loan spell last season. That Bale has just one league assist this campaign but 13 goals to his name only serves to highlight that his role within the side has shifted and so have his responsibilities. He’s such a good player that at the moment, even though to a degree he may be carrying the side, the burden has been shared out in a creative sense. It’s not a solution that looks a viable approach in the long-term, but between now and the end of the term, it may just be enough.
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It’s clear that the club require more depth up front, and in that sense, choosing not to strengthen from a position of strength during January was something of a gamble, but with Bale in such effective match-winning form at the moment in his dual role drifting in off the left flank, they have someone capable of covering up a notable weakness in their armoury. Holtby, Lennon and even Clint Dempsey have all contributed over the past few weeks, and even if at times the lack of a focal point to their attack can prove troublesome, they are muddling on by through a mixture of sheer force of will and dogged consistency. It’s not quite the hallmark of champions, but they appear to be getting on just fine without striking reinforcements for the time being.
Unfortunately, I believe Roy Hodgson’s tenure as England boss will always be sourly remembered, not for some rather inadequate results, but the disappointing, disgusting and embarrassing re-arrival of racism. Indeed, Hodgson’s appointment was off the back of a side story regarding the John Terry scandal, in which Fabio Capello refused to relinquish the Chelsea man of his England arm band.
Ever since, the legacy of the in-camp split, between Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole lives on, with England fans still divided over whom should and should not be included in the Three Lions set up, and reportedly resorting to derogatory chants with racial connotations to attack the Ferdinand brothers, leading the FARE organisation to report England fans to UEFA following their recent World Cup Qualifier against Motenegro.
Yet, while one form of discrimination is beginning to finally be confronted, from protests from senior Black players in the Premier League boycotting the rather limp in effect Kick It Out t-shirt campaign, to Sepp Blatter holding a meeting with Kevin Prince-Boateng and reversing his original stance of “everything in football can be settled with a handshake”, an equally as vile, atrocious and institutional type of prejudice is still being widely ignored and swept under the rug by football’s governing bodies.
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Of course, I am talking about the ultimate footballing taboo – homosexuality – and the structural and entrenched homophobia that has made it such an unthinkable and rarely discussed subject. According to the 2011 UK census, 6% of citizens did not categorise themselves as straight, either being homosexual, bisexual or undecided, yet in the history of World football, there have been just a handful of sportsmen who have come out as gay, such as Justin Fashanu, Anton Hysen and Robbie Rogers.
The statistics simply don’t add up, considering there are at least 500 senior players in the Premier League alone (as there are 20 squads of 25 registered players), not to mention the development squads and academy teams, yet there is not a single homosexual footballer in the top flight, or for that matter, there is not a single Premier League footballer who would describe their sexuality in any manner other than ‘straight’. It’s clear that the problem is cultural and structural; else it would not be so widespread.
English football once had the opportunity to change itself for the better. The tragic story of Justin Fashanu is well known; a £1million footballer, reduced to nothing, and through constant heckling and abuse from fans and the British media, pushed to suicide as a price for his openness and honesty. Had the public embraced Fashanu, or at least accepted him, players today would not quite simply be scared into appearing as straight.
You get the feeling agents, family members and friends urge gay players not to reveal themselves, for fear of suffering the same fate as the former Nottingham Forrest striker. Robbie Rogers, the former Leeds and USA winger, is the most recent footballer to come out. Yet, it was not until his career was over, plighted by injury, that he finally told the truth regarding his sexuality, safe from the training ground, the football pitch and the terraces.
So why is it that there is such an issue with homosexuality? What is the source of homophobia in the English game? And can we ever truly address it in the same way racism is being addressed?
West Ham’s Matt Jarvis recently sparked controversy by posing topless for gay magazine, Attitude, in an effort to bring forward the subject of homosexuality in football. He insists that although some of his team-mates started acting bizarrely towards him, even quizzing his wife about his sexuality, he was in no way discriminated against by the rest of the squad. Although there was some polite banter, mocking Jarvis as a poser more than anything else, there was nothing untoward.
The once capped England man believes the problems lie on the terraces rather than within the clubs, and the fact that ‘Matt Jarvis gay’ is the second highest available automated search on Google upon typing in the Hammers winger’s name, a place higher than ‘Matt Jarvis Attitude’, only highlights the widespread ignorance towards the issue, and how ineffective the campaign has been.
Joey Barton however has a different view of things. The former Manchester City midfielder may have a negative reputation for some of his actions on and off the pitch, but he is one of the most intelligent and well-read footballers to have graced the Premier League. According to Barton, it is individuals, mainly coaches, managers and other footballers that hold back progress: “Individuals within the game will discriminate against people. These archaic figures think if they had a gay footballer, they would have all kinds of shenanigans going on in the dressing room. That’s not the case. As I say it’s more fool them and their lack of social awareness and intelligence.”
Barton has been so outspoken over the issue after witnessing the difficulties of his gay uncle in a working class environment, yet the Marseille midfielder was eager and determined to defend his own sexuality upon a Daily Mail article suggesting he himself should come out as homosexual, as a beacon of hope for other footballers, by threatening to sue the British newspaper.
Every step in the right direction is soon stalled. Although every player, coach, manager and governing official will openly speak out against homophobic prejudice, they would still readily distance themselves from any inclination regarding their own sexuality.
Part of the problem is the nature of football itself, or rather the nature of the supporters. Although football is simply 22 men on a football pitch, when put into social context it becomes a war of identity. Within that identity, masculinity is incredibly important. I’m sure I’m not the only football fan who has heard wolf whistles when players bend over to tie their laces, chants of “she fell over”, or songs claiming rival fans are in one way or another sexual deviants, and it’s all aimed at challenging an opponent’s masculinity, either on the pitch or on the terraces.
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The notion of masculinity is so entrenched through the working class roots of the English fan base, and is further translated to the players through the physical requirements of the game itself. To weaken the masculine identity of an opposing player or fan is seen as an opportunity to gain a psychological advantage, which is exactly why having a gay player at a club is seen as an immediate danger to his team-mates, and most importantly his own fans, as their masculine identity is collectively tied, and homosexuality comes with assumptions of weakness, sexual peculiarity and effeminacy.
Yet, to keep up the comparison of war, the British army have accepted homosexual and bisexual soldiers as a policy since 2000. We accept gay people working in our government, to have the right to marrage and to raise children, and allow them to risk their lives fighting for our country, yet there is an entrenched determination to forbid them to represent our communities and our football clubs, out of fear of our own shortcomings and inferiorities.
Just as with any form of discrimination, homophobia is based on insecurity. I would argue that football’s governing bodies must undertake serious institutional change, in the same manner as it is attempted to with racism, but I fear the efforts will fall on deaf ears, and any improvements will at most be superficial.
It has been 15 years since the death of Justin Fashanu, and yet, it seems in that time that very little has been learned. Change will not occur until one player makes it so; one of the world’s best to come out of the closet, and prove that sexuality makes no difference to who you are, whom you represent or how good you are at football.
Jonas Olsson insists he intends to stay at West Brom next season because he is enjoying boss Steve Clarke’s management.
The 30-year-old Sweden international signed a four-year contract at The Hawthorns in October after a summer spent in talks with the club over his future.
However, that has not stopped the transfer speculation because his current deal includes a buy-out clause enabling him to leave Albion should one of six unnamed clubs match a fee of around £4million from any transfer window starting from this summer onwards.
Queens Park Rangers offered £5m for Olsson in the January transfer window and the player has previously stated he would like to play in London.
But when asked whether he would still be at Albion next season, he replied: “I think so, yes. I made it quite clear in October that I feel for the club and I’m happy here.
“I’ve got another three years on my contract so that is definitely the plan.
“It’s always important where you are in your career. It’s always important to have dreams you want to achieve and I said in the past at some point in my career I would like to play for a London club.
“I’m only 30, that’s not a big age for a centre-half.
“I hopefully have a lot of years ahead and I have no rush, I’m enjoying it here, I’m enjoying where the team is going and I enjoy working under this management team.”
He continued: “I never had to consider it (QPR’s bid) because West Brom turned it down.
“It’s not something I’ve thought about. My focus has been on West Brom all season.
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“I think I’ve shown that on the field as well, that my focus is here, so it hasn’t been an issue.
“A player not happy with his situation or where the team is going, would not have signed a four year deal.”
Marseille’s on-loan midfielder Joey Barton has revealed that he would like to end his career with the club rather than return to QPR.
The 30-year-old joined the Ligue 1 side at the start of the season after he was forced out of the west London club following disciplinary action over an incident of violent conduct which led to him picking up a 12-match ban.
The former Manchester City man was subsequently loaned out to Marseille on a season-long deal, while the English side have struggled to compete in the top flight and look destined to drop to the Championship.
Redknapp has suggested that the controversial player could have a future with the R’s if he wanted to return, although Barton has made it clear that he would like to end his career with Elie Baup’s side.
Barton said: “I want to stay here but it does not depend on me.
“I belong to another club.
“I had a discussion with QPR and I might stay here, but the most important thing is to qualify for the Champions League. Then we can discuss my future.
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“Everyone knows how much I love this club and if it were up to me I would finish my career here.”
If anyone ever mustered up an ounce of sympathy for Luis Suarez upon his announcement that he wished to leave Liverpool, the Premier League and England behind him, the chances are that the empathising emotion is now well long gone.
The Uruguayan’s tale has transformed from an initial statement of rather humbly telling reporters in Brazil that he is unhappy on Merseyside, which is understandable considering his reputation in Britain as a public hate figure and the media’s most detested player, to a series of bullish and selfish declarations that the Reds should adhere to his wishes, and that his agent is control of the situation.
It’s put Brendan Rodgers in an incredibly difficult position – does he buckle to player power, surrender Liverpool’s only world-class player and a good few million in the process due to Suarez announcing his apparent availability at every opportunity, or does he keep the most talented individual on the Anfield roster against his will, regardless of the potentially dire consequences?
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Former Liverpool player and fan favourite Jan Molby, anointed as an ‘Honorary Scouser’ in 2009, has had his say on Merseyside’s most pressing and controversial issue, telling local BBC Radio on the 5th of July; “The last thing you want is an unhappy player and Liverpool know that, I think he’s made it pretty clear that he would like to try something new, including playing at a club that’s in the Champions League. If that’s how he feels, the club has to do the business,” as reported by the Daily Mirror.
It’s a logic of thought that I find difficult to argue with. It’s a shocking condemnation of Luis Suarez’ personality that this is the manner in which he’s forged his own exit route out of Anfield, but the fact is, there is little you can do to keep a player at a club against his will. Most clubs would be against doing this at the best of times, with the utmost professionals, yet with a loose cannon like the controversial Uruguayan, you can anticipate the potential blowback could reach catastrophic proportions. He’s worth in excess of £40million at this point, but a year of constant drama, limited goals and regular media spats will only drive down Suarez’s price in the eyes of potential suitors, if there are any left by that point.
Similarly, although Suarez’s lack of loyalty, despite accusing the Reds of the same crime, is truly shocking, there is clearly a very simple phenomena at work here, which has unfortunately reared its head in a rather ugly manner on this occasion – the 26 year old has outgrown his club, his team-mates and his surroundings. Liverpool may be building quickly and optimistically this summer, bringing in a mixture of youth, potential, ability and experience in Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure, but overall, the Reds roster is still a good few years away from rivalling the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal in terms of quality and depth, and hence challenging for Champions League qualification.
The Anfield club finished the year with a 12 point gap between themselves and fourth spot, and although I fully expect them to make ground in closing up the void considerably next season as Brendan Rodgers and his exciting young cast grow stronger and more confident by the game, every club above them in the Premier League is set to rebuild and reinvest heavily this summer, and it remains unlikely the Reds will be able to better the progress of their divisional rivals in the transfer market or on the pitch to such a level they leap-frog them in the domestic table.
On the other hand, the difficult task of returning the Reds to former glories, handed to Brendan Rodgers last summer, can only be made harder without Suarez’s talismanic efforts up front. The striker finished the year as the Premier League’s second top scorer, recording 23 goals in 33 league appearances, in addition to five assists.
But the end product is hardly the be all and end all of the Uruguay international’s game. He’s not only one of the best finishers in England, but also one of the best dribblers, most talented creators and hardest-working players. The majority of Liverpool’s forward moves are instigated by him, as he encompasses and combines the attributes of an attacking midfielder and a striker, and although the Anfield fan base have the utmost faith in Daniel Strurridge, who was exceptional after his January move to Merseyside, the 23 year old is not ready to replace such an integral influence in the Liverpool first team, especially on the bigger occasions.
But let’s face facts here; Suarez is unlikely to make a u-turn any time soon, despite Brendan Rodgers denying that his star forward is for sale. At one point this summer, the silver lining appeared to be that at least the 26 year old would save Liverpool the heartache of plying his trade with another Premier League club, with the most likely destinations being Bayern Munich or Real Madrid – two clubs that are always difficult to refuse and beat away. Not too much loss of face on Rodgers’ or Liverpool’s part then.
Now however, Suarez appears open to a stay in England, with the Gunners making a formal £30million bid, whilst the striker has made little effort to deny that jumping ship to another Premier League team is entirely out of the question. This wasn’t part of the plan, and I’d suggest Rodgers does whatever he can to keep Suarez out of the hands of his divisional rivals at all costs.
But once again, the Liverpool gaffer’s hands may well be tied. Unless the likes of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich actually table a formal bid, there are a select few clubs that can match the Reds’ valuation of their star striker. The vast majority of Serie A and La Liga remain in troubling debt and unable to invest, whilst Barcelona, PSG and Monaco have already made their big money striker acquisitions this summer, or at least have them in the pipeline.
Similarly, English clubs have been privy to the most transparent view of Suarez’ abilities, and for all the controversy, he is arguably the best striker in the Premier League, with a proven track record in the division, who has aclimatised to the English style incredibly well, and is now readily available, albeit for a huge fee.
Whether Rodgers should or shouldn’t take Jan Molby’s advice in many ways is a moot question – he quite simply has to let Suarez go. Even if he remained extra-vigilant in keeping him at Anfield throughout the current transfer window, he would not be able to do so the summer afterwards, or even in January, and by then a lot could have changed for the worse.
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Selling to another Premier League club may be a bitter pill to swallow, but there may be no viable atlernative. The only justification in the eyes of the Anfield faithful will be in the fee received for Suarez’s services. It must be disproportionate, decadent and unprecedentedly excessive, and a replacement that maintains the Merseyside tradition of having a top class forward must be found. Even so, it is difficult to imagine the Reds can move forward at a rate that pleases the fans without their intrinsically influential forward.
Should Brendan Rodgers adhere to Jan Molby’s advice?
Manchester United boss David Moyes has called for a complete overhaul of the club’s scouting system, with the view to bring in his own choice of scouts, after a summer of immense disappointment in the transfer market for the Premier League champions. But we never witnessed such a plethora of transfer faux pas and ungraceful errors at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson and former Chief Executive David Gill.
The majority of stories regarding Sir Alex Ferguson’s transfer pursuits during his seventeen-year reign as Manchester United boss often share a great similarity. According to the likes of Peter Schemeichel, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, the United legend visited them personally, once travelling all the way to Denmark in the goalkeeper’s case, and told them simply that he wanted to bring them to Manchester United and that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
David Moyes hasn’t been in the job long enough to have such a dazzling, personal effect on his transfer targets, something which he pointed out earlier in the summer by citing he’d only been at Old Trafford officially since the 1st of July, but there’s a stark contrast between the style and demeanour of Ferguson’s escapades in the transfer market and the series of calamities his predecessor has endured this summer.
The fact the Scot struggled during his inaugural transfer window at his first major club is no secret -Marouane Fellaini’s last minute arrival, left so late that the British media couldn’t confirm his move from Everton until after the 11pm deadline, is evidence enough, especially when it’s tied in with two failed bids for Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas earlier in the summer.
But it’s since the window slammed shut that the most condemning reports of Moyes and new Manchester United Chief Executive Ed Woodward’s failures in the transfer market have come to light, and the list of transfer mishaps is now becoming a source of embarrassment for a club as prestigious and historically pivotal as Manchester United.
After failing to tempt Everton chief Bill Kenwright into selling his two leading stars over the course of the summer, Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini, it seems the Red Devils entered and conducted themselves on deadline day in an unusually chaotic fashion.
According to Sami Khedira, Manchester United made a late £34million bid for the German midfielder just hours before the 11pm deadline, playing on the fact Real Madrid were desperate to balance the books from their record-breaking deal for Tottenham’s Gareth Bale. Los Blancos rejected the offer unsurprisingly considering the timing, but it all seems a bit rash on United’s part.
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The 26 year-old moved to the Bernabeu for just £12million in 2010, and although the average price of established European players has sky-rocketed this summer, I’d argue Khedira hasn’t increased his value by £22million in the last three years, considering he’s contributed to just one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey in that time period.
David Moyes also tried to loan wantaway team-mate Fabio Coentrao from Real Madrid after realising that he couldn’t justifiably match Everton’s £20million valuation for Leighton Baines, however, the planned deal was left so late that it wasn’t completed before the 11pm deadline – not that signing the Portuguese would have done anything more than save face for Moyes after missing out on the Toffees defender and other key targets throughout the summer.
At the same time, the planned acquisition of Athletic Bilbao’s Ander Herrera ended in complete farce. It seems United’s initial £30million bid was legitimate and David Moyes’ interest in the Spanish playmaker was genuine, but at some point the deal was hi-jacked by three unknown lawyers claiming to represent the Premier League champions, and after Bilbao’s realisation that they weren’t dealing with Red Devils officials, negotiations were called off completely.
You can hardly blame the Scot for the actions of a trio of borderline con-men, but he was only £6million away from activating Herrera’s release clause, and the promising starlet epitomised the balance between attack and defence in central midfield that Moyes was desperately searching for this summer.
Similarly, according to Spanish super-journalist Guilleme Balague, the Red Devils were offered the services of Mesut Ozil on deadline day, and Real Madrid even delayed his move to Arsenal in the hope that Moyes and Woodward would launch a counter-offer to the Gunners’ £42million bid.
It seemed an offer almost too good to refuse for the new United boss considering his side have started the season with a disturbing lack of creativity going forward, but by lunchtime on September 2nd came news from Old Trafford that the Premier League champions had ruled themselves out of the race to sign an attacking midfielder who dons the most assists in Europe over the last four years. Granted, £42million is a lot of money, but The Independent reported in early August that Ozil had been offered to the Red Devils for less than Arsene Wenger eventually paid for him.
Deadline day is a crazy 24 hours, and a panic zone Sir Alex Ferguson always did his best to steer clear from, with late acquisitions of Wayne Rooney in 2004 and Dimitar Berbatov in 2008 two of a rare few exceptions – but even those transfers had been in the pipeline for some time. It’s not Manchester United’s style to run around Europe putting their fingers in every mildly-warm pie in the hope of signing any player with a decent reputation in the final hours of the transfer window.
But even before September 2nd, Moyes had made a series of ill-fated bids for various continental stars. According to Turkish news outlet Milliyet, the Red Devils made an ‘indirect offer’ for Galatasaray’s Wesley Sneijder to solve their creative midfield crisis in mid-August to no avail, and their £12million bid for Daniele De Ross was turned down by Roma but never improved upon.
Two failed attempts to sign Cesc Fabregas earlier in the summer also showed great naivety; after their first offer, believed to be around £35million, Barcelona described the midfielder as simply ‘non-transferable’. Despite the Spaniard’s apparent discontent at playing second-fiddle to Xavi and Andreas Iniesta, he’s managed 29 goals and 37 assists in 101 appearances since arriving at the Nou Camp from Arsenal two years ago.
Meanwhile, Manchester United lost out on promising Portugal winger Bruma because of their poor conduct in proceedings with former club Sporting Lisbon. The 18 year-old entered into an employment dispute with the Portuguese outfit over whether his contract expired this summer or the next, and thus the Red Devils offered him a deal at Old Trafford with no transfer fee involved.
But Lisbon eventually won their case to prevent Bruma leaving on a bosman move, meaning that his illustrious list of potential suitors, including the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United would have to make a monetary offer for his services. Miffed at how the Premier League champions had tried to circumvent them during negotiations however, Lisbon club rejected Moyes’ £15million offer and sold their youngster to Galatasaray, taking on a £6million loss in the process.
And therefore, having failed to secure the signings of any of the seven targets mentioned, five of which the Red Devils made formal bids for, Moyes went full circle and turned back to one of the first names linked with the Red Devils this summer- Everton’s Marouane Fellaini. The Toffees were too financially weak to resist a decent offer, and the Belgian was one of a rare few players guaranteed not to be put off by Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement at the end of last season.
But even the Fellaini deal has its fair share of negatives to be drawn from it. He wasn’t Moyes’ first choice of central midfielder, that much is obvious, but he could have signed the 25 year-old for significantly less a month earlier, with his previous £23million release clause expiring on the 1st of August.
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Eventually, Moyes got his man for £28million, but that’s the same amount the United gaffer offered for Fellaini and team-mate Leighton Baines just two weeks previous, and in order to force through his move to Old Trafford, the midfielder handed in a transfer request at Goodison Park on deadline day, nullifying his £4million loyalty bonus, and made haste down the M62 from Merseyside to Manchester as the 11pm deadline loomed in.
Every Premier League club has endured failed pursuits in the transfer market this summer; Arsenal missed out on Luiz Gustavo, David Villa and Gonzalo Higuain, Chelsea couldn’t lure away Wayne Rooney from Manchester United, and Manchester City’s planned acquisition of Pepe never got off the ground.
But for a club of Manchester United’s stature, it’s the chaotic nature of their summer escapades, the naivety and the clear lack of any sort of plan or policy that’s truly worrying. Moyes may have only officially took over as Old Trafford boss on July 1st, but running around on deadline day like headless chickens in a bid to find a solution to a summer of transfer disappointments is not how the Premier League champions conduct themselves – or rather, it’s not how they conducted themselves under Sir Alex Ferguson, and it has nothing to do with United’s scouting network.
Are the stories from United’s summer getting embarrassing?
At the start of the season, it would have taken a brave individual to suggest that Arsenal were genuine title contenders.
Entering their ninth term without a trophy and with no major squad additions other than Mesut Ozil to speak of, the outlook for the Gunners if anything looked decidedly bleak as opposed to prosperous.
Yet barely three months down the line, they sit top of the Premier League, five points clear of second placed Chelsea and without defeat in their last nine league games.
Since overcoming a shock opening day loss to Aston Villa, which had some ready to hammer the final nail into Arsene Wenger’s managerial coffin, the Emirates outfit haven’t looked back, producing some scintillating displays and showing they’re not the soft touch many had started to take them for.
Now, as we enter November, the question that is beginning to be asked is; are Arsenal true title contenders?
On the one hand, with the season still in it’s infancy, to talk about any team winning the league seems a little premature, however, in reflecting upon the North Londoners’ impressive start to the current campaign, it would appear that in fact, yes they are, contenders at least.
However, it is important to be realistic. Aside of Tottenham and Liverpool, both of whom gave only a lukewarm accounts of themselves, both at the Emirates, Wenger’s men are yet to face any of the England’s other top clubs.
That is by no means Arsenal’s fault, they can after all, only beat the opposition they’re up against, but it does make it harder to form a clear picture of the squad’s character when facing more accomplished opposition. Certainly, whilst there may be no ‘easy’ Premier League games, there are without doubt more difficult ones and it is these that are likely to have the defining impact on any title-chasing season.
That is set to change, however, as up next come Manchester United at Old Trafford, with an away trip to Manchester City next month.
Will it then be here, that Arsenal’s title hopes will be realised once and for all? No. But it will definitely provide a more all-encompassing insight into this season’s chances.
This too, can be said of the ongoing exploits of the Gunner’s defence, which has at times looked shaky, after conceding a late winner against Dortmund in the Champions League, and having Mikel Arteta sent off for fouling Crystal Palace’s Marouane Chamakh after the Morrocan speared a counter-attack.
If a challenge for the title is to remain on track, silly errors such as these will need to be eradicated, especially when it comes to facing the bigger sides. A point recently made by Match of the Day’s Alan Hansen.
Hansen similarly questioned the mentality of the Gunners, opining a dip in form would expose an underlying brittle confidence, which would ultimately be their undoing. This assertion, though, was strongly rejected by vice-captain Arteta, though he opted not to mention Hansen’s convicted “you’ll win nothing with kids” statement from some years ago.
It is of course, impossible to predict for sure how any stutter to the current progress made would affect the Arsenal side. But it is not difficult to imagine how the lack of trophy-winning experience in the team could hinder their chances, an issue that will require careful man-management by the hugely experienced Wenger.
A further important factor in Arsenal’s ongoing hunt for a trophy, be it the league title or otherwise, will be the performances of star-signing Mesut Ozil, who’s two goals and four assists in his first seven league games have been an inspiration to teammates and fans alike.
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The German international seems to have provided a much needed boost to the potency of the Arsenal front-line, which combined with the form of striker Olivier Giroud, has proven to be a formidable partnership.
But the Gunners impressive form so far has in fact been an ensemble achievement, with players like Wilshere, Szczesny and the sudden emergence of a mature and goal-scoring Aaron Ramsey all similarly playing their part.
In order to continue their good start, all will have to maintain their current levels of performance and do so against the big clubs.
As mentioned before, the season is but young and any talk of titles can at this stage be merely speculative. However, with big fixtures coming up, it is clear that a much more educated assessment will available in the not-too-distant future.
Arsenal fans should, however, remain confident, especially if these challenges can be overcome, that they do in fact have a real chance to end their exile from the winning of silverware.
Alex Ferguson was the Manchester United boss – it’s the simple fact and one that doesn’t need much explanation. Nor is it altered by Mike Phelan’s revelation that he was the true boss of the past few seasons.
It’s not totally surprising that Ferguson’s assistant feels that way. It’s not uncommon for managers to delegate much of the coaching of the team to his assistants. Ferguson, however, remained the glue holding United together. He was central to key decisions that needed to be made. If there is an indication as to how much power – power importantly being different to responsibility – Phelan had, he has thus far been the only person to mention this status as boss instead of assistant.
That doesn’t take away from Phelan’s importance to Manchester United. Ferguson always liked to freshen up his backroom staff, and however good the Scot was as a manager, success is normally built on the strong foundations of an entire management team.
Phelan isn’t uncredited, nor is Rene Meulensteen. They are what they are: assistants to the manager. Perhaps there was a misinterpretation on Phelan’s part when he discussing his unofficial title at the club. He spoke of wanting to take up management elsewhere, though it’s telling that he’s been out of work and largely out of the spotlight since leaving Manchester United in the summer. In comparison, Meulensteen has picked up a coaching job at Fulham with possibilities of taking over as manager.
It was always unlikely that Phelan would stay on when David Moyes took over. The former Everton manager, like most, wanted to bring in his own people. It helps, in a way, to ease the transition. And while some may have argued that it would have been sensible to retain some of the old coaching staff, Phelan has clearly been overlooked for any role under the new regime.
The struggles or inconsistencies under Moyes indicate that there isn’t much substance to what Phelan had to say. Ferguson may have offered Phelan the responsibility to run the coaching of the first team, but success and the acquisition of players, among many other things, are rooted to Ferguson himself. Delegating jobs, no matter how small, can be seen as intelligent managing of a club as big as United. Again, maybe Phelan simply got the wrong impression. Phelan’s contribution shouldn’t be overlooked, but Ferguson’s influence preceded most things at the club.
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Phelan may eventually end up taking a job as the head boss of a club in England, but it will be interesting to see how he fares. There won’t be someone with the reputation of Ferguson to fall back on, nor is the assistant’s job in any way similar to that of the manager. For now, his side of the story doesn’t carry much weight.
Liverpool came out on top in a thrilling 5-3 Premier League victory at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke City.
Here’s how Twitter reacted as both sides just couldn’t stop scoring…
5 minutes: Liverpool take an early lead as Cissokho’s long-range effort takes a wicked deflection off Ryan Shawcross and in…
32 minutes: Luis Suarez capitalises on some woeful Stoke defending to double Liverpool’s lead…
39 minutes: But Stoke get themselves back in it when Peter Crouch finds himself unmarked to head home against his former club…
45 minutes: And another former Liverpool player, Charlie Adam, pulls Stoke level with a screamer from 18 yards…
51 minutes: Liverpool take the lead via Steven Gerrard penalty after Raheem Sterling softly went down in the Stoke area…
71 minutes: Substitute Daniel Sturridge sets up Luis Suarez for the Uruguayan’s 22nd goal of the season…
85 minutes: But Stoke give themselves hope of another comeback when Jonathan Walters slides home with five minutes remaining…
87: But Daniel Sturridge marks his return from injury with a goal just two minutes later to restore Liverpool’s two goal cushion and secure all three points for the Reds…
With a depleted squad, poor form, lack of confidence and edginess from the majority of the club’s fanbase, all the signs pointed towards yet another demoralising defeat for Arsenal against Manchester City as they watch their Premier League campaign crumble before their very eyes. But they proved the majority wrong, fighting admirably from one goal behind and producing the kind of football fans at the Emirates are used to in order to claw the game back. For some it may be seen as a turning point, for others it merely papers the cracks. I fall into the latter category.
The game began in the fashion most expected it would. City came out of the blocks fastest, and as Arsenal are prone to doing, they conceded possession far too easily. City dominated the ball and found themselves rightly ahead as Lukas Podolski gave away the ball, with the result of a City counterattack eventually ricocheting over the line from David Silva. But for that, City remained in the ascendency without creating many clear-cut chances.
The second half saw a marked improvement in the Gunners’ play. They looked more composed in possession and seemed more determined in 50-50 challenges. Mathieu Flamini’s equaliser came just moments after a deflection took the ball off Per Mertesacker’s knee, just past his own post. If it wasn’t for a stroke of luck, the game could have been beyond doubt. As it happened, City took their foot off the gas and Arsenal took charge, going close through Podolski just minutes after the equaliser. The second half performance showed what Arsenal can do when needs be.
But unfortunately, the first half demonstrated the same recurring problems when playing the better sides. Keen on pressuring Man City whilst still in possession, Arsenal overloaded the attacking third. When Arsenal were dispossessed in the middle-third of the field they found themselves quickly having to recover their positions. The full-backs, in particular, are guilty of this. For City’s goal both Kieran Gibbs and Bacary Sagna found themselves too high up the field. Once the ball reached Arsenal’s penalty area, they were nowhere to be seen. Had City capitalised in the way Chelsea or Liverpool did in these situations they could have taken the game beyond Arsenal inside the first 45 minutes.
Surely Arsenal were aware of the early intensity City were going to play with. The attacking potential they have at their disposal with the likes of Silva, Samir Nasri, Yaya Toure and Jesus Navas should have provided enough of the focus of Wenger’s pre-match planning and his team-talk. With players like Navas in wide areas, it should have been the focus of Arsenal’s full-backs to prevent them from having an early influence. Instead, they approached the game in a similar fashion and, in all honesty, rode their luck greatly. City may not have been as clinical as Arsenal’s previous opponents, but Arsenal were no better than they were on those days. They were mightily lucky to hold out.
Once more, the City game further highlighted the squad depth issues that Arsene Wenger is having to contend with at the moment. Having to use the same nucleus of players week after week is beginning to take its toll. They have very few game-changers to bring off the subs bench and had to rely on much of the game for players like Flamini to add a bit of attacking intensity. This isn’t to put a downer on the performances of Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky, who both performed excellently in the second half. But the lack of options threatens to undo much of the work done earlier in the season. Players are beginning to look fatigued, and with key games upcoming against Everton and Wigan in the FA Cup, there isn’t a worse time for the Gunners to be short on numbers.
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Fortunately for Arsenal, games against the ‘big’ sides are done and dusted until next season. But their experiences this season should pose as a reminder for the distance they still have to overcome before being able to challenge at the very top. The squad depth, highlighted in recent weeks, should be of real concern to Wenger in the next few games too. Some people may be able to paint the City result in a positive light, but they shouldn’t ignore the negatives that came from it too. And if Arsenal do, it could be even more damaging.