Andre Villas Boas has stated that he feels Chelsea can still win the Premier League, and wants his side to return to winning ways against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have had an autumn blip, with a 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday making it three league defeats on the bounce for the London side.
The Blues face a tricky trip to the BayArena in midweek in the Champions League, but despite a drop in form the Portuguese coach is keeping upbeat.
“We have to believe in the work we are doing to get back to winning ways,” he told The Guardian.
“The players have immense talent and I have faith in them, and you can’t forget we are still in all four competitions. But now we have to focus just on what we are doing.
“The Premier League has got more difficult but it’s not impossible [still to win it]. We have to trust the December fixtures and, above all, we have to find the belief again to fight for the title.
“But the most important thing is finding winning ways straightaway, if possible, against Leverkusen which is a massive game.
“Then we have three games in the Premier League where we must try to get nine points. The challenge is to have the belief and strength to fight for those nine points. But if we get nine points, it would put us in a different perspective,” he concluded.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Chelsea are now 12 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City and sit in fifth place currently.
Every manager brings something different out of every player. Some managers like Wenger and Ferguson pride themselves on getting the best out of their players whilst others such as Redknapp expect their squad to prove themselves or face being dropped. Players are signed for their clubs in a frenzy of praise from manager and fans with press releases, blog posts and YouTube compilations spreading at an exponential rate the moment a player signing is announced, but it doesn’t always work out. Look at Diego Forlan. A laughing stock in the Premier League but then he gets shipped of to Villarreal and starts banging in the goals like nobody’s business. I remember one year he scored a hat trick on the last day of the season to win the golden boot for Europe joint with Thierry Henry. Not bad for a striker who supposedly didn’t know where the goal was. And he’s not the only one. Every season there is wasted talent in the league, players not being played or not benefiting from their manager’s tactics. So who are the top ten wasted talents in the premier league this season?
Click on Stephen Ireland to unveil the top 10
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Tottenham are currently the best team in the Premier League at present and represent the biggest threat in taking the title away from one of the Manchester clubs. The United boss believes it is simply a three-horse title race, with both Chelsea and Arsenal deemed also-rans for this season.
Elsewhere in the news Balotelli is urged to quit smoking; Liverpool look to gazump Chelsea to Cahill, while Dalglish is excited by Gerrard’s new start.
Ferguson fires title warning at City – Guardian
Dalglish excited by Gerrard’s new start – Independent
Balotelli urged to quit smoking – Daily Telegraph
Wenger confirms Henry’s return – Guardian
Capello: foreigners ruining England – Daily Telegraph
Gower’s day of destiny with Spurs arrives – Independent
Liverpool ready to gazump Chelsea’s Cahill bid – Mirror
QPR set to sign Man United striker Macheda on loan until end of season – Daily Mail
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
You can forget about signing Mi, Spurs – Sun
Chelsea still interested in Rodwell…but not for £20 million – Mirror
There is little doubt that the January transfer window has been something of a tame affair with many clubs opting to a more prudent approach, after the millions that were shelled out twelve months ago. Only a cool £25m has been spent so far, which is simply half of what Chelsea paid out for Fernando Torres and £10m less than Liverpool shelled out for Andy Carroll on deadline day a little under a year ago. Indeed most of the signings last January have hardly made any significant impact at any level and perhaps that is why many football chairman are unwilling to splash the cash, in what both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have both called a poor time to do any transfer business. The Frenchman in particular questions whether the attitude of the players that move on in January is right and therefore could be a reason as to why so many of them subsequently fail.
The transfer deadline is fast approaching and while Fergie and Wenger maybe right to question the wisdom of January shopping, the likelihood is that there will be certain clubs who won’t be able to resist the lure of some last minute bargain hunting. There are plenty to be had in the Premier League and who certainly can expect some last minute enquiries in the next 48 hours.
Click on Kolo Toure to unveil the 15 Premier League bargains to be had
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Roman Pavlyuchenko has stated that he is glad to have ended his time at Tottenham by signing for Lokomotiv Moscow, but does not regret moving to White Hart Lane.
The Russia international failed to hold down a regular first-team place with the north London outfit, and this season was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart commanded the starting berths in attack.
Pavlyuchenko is looking forward to starting to play again in his homeland, instead of being a fringe figure in England.
“I think all the decisions I have made during my career have been right,” Mirror Football report the eastern European marksman to have said.
“My decision to sign for Lokomotiv is not an exception. I could have stayed at Tottenham and dealt with meaningless things.
“My desire is to play. I decided, together with my family, that this is the best way.
“I was playing in a strong league, I enjoyed the game and I scored some important goals.
“During the time I spent [in England], I developed as a footballer and I became more professional.
“Lokomotiv are a top team and I want to help to reach the serious goals. This season it’s a reality to win the Russian title,” he admitted.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Tottenham have signed Louis Saha as Pavlyuchenko’s replacement, who made his debut from the bench against Liverpool on Monday night.
Without a shadow of a doubt the famous Champions League music will be ringing out at White Hart Lane next season. The bright lights of Europe’s premier club competition grow ever closer for Tottenham Hotspur as their domestic season draws nearer to its conclusion. Sitting comfortably in the Premier League’s top three with only the FA Cup to concern themselves with their time should be utilized effectively to ensure they can compete in a competition that has changed drastically during their year long absence.
Spurs’ enthralling debut campaign in the Champions League was cruelly terminated at the quarter-final stage by Real Madrid last year. A humbling defeat at the hands of the La Liga giants left supporters realising the squad would need to be strengthened if they were to compete with the best Europe has to offer. Whilst reaching the last eight was an achievement beyond the North Londoners’ wildest dreams its worth noting that emulating their feats of 2010/11 will be incredibly difficult. Big spending Manchester City and neighbours United were both knocked out of this seasons competition at the group stage whilst Arsenal and Chelsea are close to being nudged off the edge without so much as a whimper. With four of English footballs superpowers struggling to survive on the continent what hope to Tottenham have of surviving?
Arguably Spurs are a stronger side than they did 12 months ago. The addition of Emmanuel Adebayor, Brad Friedel and Scott Parker has transformed them into Premier League title contenders this season. The latter pair have been the unsung heroes at White Hart Lane this season with Friedel offering an experienced head behind a sometimes erratic back four. Younes Kaboul has been a shining light at centre half with Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou Ekotto also made of sturdier stuff. Parker has also received plaudits for his commanding displays in the engine room providing a license for Luka Modric to scheme and construct in the final third. Adebayor, should he stay, has provided the muscle they’ve lacked for so long and seems to have found a team capable of playing to his strengths. Along with the new additions a majority of the squad played together in their first Champions League adventure that took them on a wild ride to the quarter-finals.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Back then they were an unknown quantity with teams unable to fathom how to quell the threats posed by Gareth Bale and Modric. The Croatian is Spurs’ deadliest weapon when in possession and if given time to create he can split a defence in the blink of an eye. Bale is of a similar ilk. Inter Milan didn’t have the first clue how to address his speed and direct running on the night of his unforgettable San Siro hat trick. This time around they won’t have the element of surprise on their side making their task of progressing from the group stages a lot harder. Whilst they still play with the same fluid attacking style teams will have done their homework and will set out their stalls to try and neutralise their attacking threats taking out Tottenham’s principal route to goal and leaving them in need of fresh ideas. Getting the ball out to Bale or Aaron Lennon and asking them to run at the full backs just won’t cut it anymore. Modric will be man marked and choked of space and the lone striker will be nullified.
This is where manager Harry Redknapp is required to impart some tactical wisdom upon his side along with a lashing of his famed man management. Looking at it the 64-year-old will be the Lillywhites’ most potent weapon as they prepare for another assault on Europe. The job he has done at White Hart Lane in just over three years is nothing short of remarkable taking the club from the relegation zone to the brink of a title challenge in such a short space of time.
Redknapp has crafted arguably the best Tottenham squad in 60-years and it’s little wonder he is the front runner to take over the vacant England job. And therein lies the biggest problem that could dash the clubs dream of competing at the highest stage in Europe. Should he be tempted to take the national reigns where would that leave Spurs? Who else could possibly fill his shoes? Quite frankly it’s not even worth thinking about. When he took over the dressing room was filled with individuals. There was no cohesion, no togetherness and a lack of unity. Redknapp soon sought to that and the turnaround during his time in the dugout has transformed the club in a manner no one thought possible. His fabled ability to get the very best out of his players has ignited Bale’s career turning from an expensive flop into one of the best left sided players in the world. It’s not just the Welshman that has benefitted from the 64-year-0ld’s approach. Assou-Ekotto, Kaboul, Lennon, Modric and Kyle Walker to name a few have all undergone a metamorphoses under Redknapp’s leadership.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
To say Tottenham are well equipped to compete in the Champions League next season would be jumping the gun. Yes, they have a squad capable of standing toe-to-toe with the very best but Redknapp is the cement that holds the structure together. His future at the club will determine how well they do when battle commences with Europe’s finest.
Having had a detailed look at playmakers a fortnight ago, Fantasy Football Weekend Picks returns with another special, again with a focus on creativity. This time round it’s the players who have the pace, guile and delivery to unlock the division’s defences – Wingers.
The Captaincy Debate
Why not start with the fastest of them all? Theo Walcott’s performances has been questioned by fans and pundits at times this season. His final ball in particular has been scrutinized but Walcott has played a key role in helping to revitalise an Arsenal side flailing prior to the North London Derby. The Gunners have won their last six games and in this period, Walcott has two goals and four assists. Aston Villa are charged with stopping Walcott from supplying Robin van Persie this weekend. The Villains must be aware of the goal threat the England winger has too.
Another home grown international player to consider is Stewart Downing. He hasn’t been having his greatest season by any means. In fact, the two assists he was credited with on Wednesday evening were his first of the campaign in the Premier League, despite playing in all but one league match this season. This might though just give the ex-Middlesbrough man confidence going into Liverpool’s game against Wigan at the weekend. The Reds hopes of finishing in the top 5 are dwindling rapidly and a good performance from Downing would help to keep them in touch with Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle.
However, after a few weeks out through injury, Luis Antonio Valencia returned to the Premier League last weekend. Although the Wolves side he came up against was hardly brimming with confidence, the Ecuadorian turned in an assured performance for the Red Devils in their 5-0 victory. He has been deployed at right back a few times this season but his natural position is on the wing. Fulham visit Old Trafford on Monday night along with their often ridiculed away record. The Londoners will need to shackle Valencia, which sounds easier than it actually will be.
The Captain: Antonio Valencia – Such has been United’s rich vein of form coupled with Fulham’s loss of it, the Ecuadorian looks an assured option in this week’s winger special.
The Vice Captain: Theo Walcott – With Arsenal playing superbly, Walcott is a very good option to have at your disposal at the moment.
Long Term Look
Blackburn’s Junior Hoilett must be taken into consideration given his recent performances. The winger who is listed as a striker on the Fantasy Premier League site, has scored six goals and six assists this season. As he is listed as a forward, it means he has obviously not been rewarded with enough points to justify his selection until now.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As Rovers fight for survival has increased, Hoilett has improved. The Canadian, whose contract expires in the summer, has three goals in his last two games. Priced at £5.5 million his selection can be justified for the rest of the season as he looks to impress potential suitors of his signature.
For more Premier League and Fantasy Football musings, follow @arhindtutt on Twitter
The Football Association is no stranger to controversy; in fact the two are regularly seen next to one another in the national press. When the ‘board of decision makers’ aren’t busy avoiding making a decision regarding the next England manager, they’re devising new weird, wonderful and often ineffective proposals to try and improve the beautiful game. The ‘new’ technical director role appears to be the FA’s attempt at rejuvenating their image in the world of football but I bet the majority of you have absolutely no idea what the job actually entails, which is probably why the usually clueless Gareth Southgate is favourite to land the job.
In a nutshell the FA’s technical director will be responsible for helping raise the standards of both the elite and grassroots game in England. The successful candidate will work alongside Sir Trevor Brooking and be based at the new football base at St George’s Park, helping to create a centre of excellence for coaches. The new recruit will also lead the FA’s input to support the implementation of the Elite Player Performance Plan, hopefully dropping as many spanners into the works as humanly possible.
However, there is certainly a pressing need for an appointment with England remaining of the few nations in Europe without someone in a similar role. The post has been vacant since Howard Wilkinson’s departure in 2002, although Les Reed served as acting technical director up until 2004. Wilkinson was keen to stress the importance for a swift appointment claiming, “Any federation needs someone who is responsible for the strategic direction in terms of technical matters and the FA is no different.”
Alex Horne, the FA’s general secretary, added: “The role of technical director will be crucial as we continue to strive towards improving the technical ability and knowledge of our players and coaches both now and in the future.”
Putting all of this into consideration, it begs the question why Gareth Southgate has found himself as the bookies favourite?
According to recent media reports Southgate, the FA’s current head of elite development, has already been impressing behind the scenes. Just last week he jetted off to Brazil to compile possible training base camps for the 2014 World Cup finals. Apparently he’s seen as the countries very own ‘Michel Platini’, alleged one FA source, which is a fair comparison when you consider the growing number of people who seem to dislike the pair.
Southgate strikes me as a rather uninspired choice, especially for a role that has a real potential to shape a more promising future for football. Despite harbouring a certain degree of intellect, he usually spends most of his public appearances tripping over his words alongside Roy Keane and Adrian Chiles on ITV. He emits a particularly bland presence and despite his achievements on the pitch, I can’t see him being named as an popular idol amongst many of our future generation of stars.
Perhaps I’m being too harsh on Southgate, maybe you need his own brand of personality to successfully communicate with other delegates in the world of football. I’m sure there’s a number of obstacles and office politics to overcome, which would perhaps deter or suppress a more passionate candidate. The fact that he also holds a FIFA Pro Licence should not be overlooked.
The biggest reservation I have with the appointment of Southgate is his relative inexperience with youth development, let’s not forget he managed to lead a particularly promising young ‘Boro side to relegation in 2009. Perhaps the role would be better suited to the likes of West Ham’s Director of Youth Development Tony Carr or Manchester City’s Youth Academy Director Jim Cassell, who both boast a wealth of experience in this field. Although I imagine their respective clubs would put up a particularly strong fight in order to retain their services.
My ideal candidate for the role would be Steve Coppell, putting my affiliation with Palace aside for a second, he has a reputation for rearing young starlets and his understanding of the game is unrivalled.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
But who would you appoint given the opportunity? Is there a standout figure with the knowledge and experience to help England implement plans for future success?
Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’m still struggling to believe that this ‘man’ could essentially become our football equivalent of prime minister.
English football will soon witness a new dawn, as the arrival of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) looks set to spark a complete overhaul in the structure of youth development. The impending migration of the countries best talent towards the top flight surely presents us with the perfect opportunity to revitalise the matches that exist outside first-team football.
Let’s be brutally honest for a moment, football at a reserve level is in a state of disrepair. Teams are littered with players banished from the first-team, those who are recovering from injury or simply those who can no longer continue their development in the academy. The games are played at a monotonous pace in front of a handful of people, with players almost looking embarrassed upon hearing the subdued reaction when they score. Reserve football is so far removed from the intensity and atmosphere of the Premier League that clubs prefer to send their most promising youngsters out on loan, thus saving them from growing stale in such an uninspiring environment.
There have already been a number of proposals that have tried to incorporate reserve squads into more competitive surroundings. Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas advocated the concept of installing Premier League B sides into the Championship as a way of replicating the system used in Spain. However, this idea could never realistically materialise simply because the popularity and indeed identity of English football exists throughout the lower leagues. Any plan that would diminish its importance would face strong opposition up and down the country.
Everton manager David Moyes reportedly contacted officials in the Conference to enquire into the possibility of enrolling a reserve side in the Blue Square Premier. The Toffees were happy to exclude this team from ever achieving promotion but were forced to abandon the idea when told they would have to start on the bottom rung of the non-league ladder.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
The introduction of a specialised league for the swarm of talented youngsters could, under the right guidance, be hailed as an exciting, new spectacle within the game. With the right promotion, clubs should be able to convince their fans to attend these games that supposedly showcase the future of their club. Perhaps they could target those legions of fans on the waiting list for season tickets, if the likes of Spurs could appeal to a mere fraction of their 35,000 hopeful applicants then it would improve development immeasurably.
At present only a fleeting number of reserve games are shown on television and even these are exclusive to the specific broadcasting channels of each club. If the FA managed to tickle the interest of a major broadcasting organisation then this could prove to be an important new revenue stream.
The benefits for the players is obvious, instead of competing in a graveyard of forgotten talent, this new league structure could see them pitted against their fellow promising individuals who are equally eager to prove themselves. The benefits of spending an increased amount of time with these youngsters could surely involve thrusting them into a competitive environment.
Perhaps there is no need to develop a specialised league to incorporate the new influx of academy stars, as a range of competitions already exist across the continent. On Wednesday Arsenal revealed they would be entering the NextGen Series, which celebrated its debut outing last year. The format is essentially a juvenile version of the Champions League that serves to highlight and promote some of the most promising youth set-ups in Europe.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Arsène Wenger spoke of his delight at obtaining a place for next season’s tournament:
“We are excited about joining the NextGen Series next season… You play against the best players of your age and it will be a very interesting experience for us. It’s also a good way to assess your players and to give you an idea of the future potential of the Club.” (NextGen)
The Gunners will join a further six British clubs including the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool but many will be surprised to hear of the exclusion of Manchester United. Sir Alex and co declined an invitation to be included in the competition, insisting that they were already participating in a number of high-quality events. The Red Devils recently sent a young reserve side to the Elite Group competition at the Dallas Cup, losing in the final to Coritiba of Brazil. An under-17 team also suffered defeat to Ajax on penalties in the recent Amsterdam Tournament. These overseas competitions clearly present a better scouting opportunity as well as the chance to learn and incorporate foreign styles of playing techniques.
I’ve only been a reserve game once, on a bitterly cold Tuesday night down at Bromley where I became instantly aware that the players were even less interested than the fans. But what do you think, would you be interested in watching the future generation of stars strut their stuff on a weeknight? Perhaps one day the chant of ‘Thursday night, Channel 5’ will be seen as a good thing.
Roy Hodgson insists his England side will be practising penalties ahead of their Euro 2012 showdown with Italy on Sunday.
The recently appointed England manager understands the importance of shootout training but has focused on the issue far more since his side topped Group D and qualified for the knockout rounds.
According to the Guardian, Hodgson acknowledges the fear factor associated with England’s penalty shootout record after their involvement in so many tournaments has been curtailed by the dreaded spot kicks.
“We have practised them already and use the time after training sessions regularly to practise some of those. We’ll obviously take it even more seriously now, working on that aspect of the game.
“Of course, you can practise penalty shootouts until the cows come home but it’s really all about composure, confidence and an ability to block everything out and forget the occasion. You hope the practice makes a big difference but it boils down to the strength of mind of the individual. That’s what determines whether you score or don’t score.”
As the teams designated penalty taker, it is thought captain Steven Gerrard will step up should England’s quarterfinal against the Italians go past extra time. Returning striker Wayne Rooney is also expected to brave the occasion along with James Milner, Ashley Young and Ashley Cole.
By Alex Churcher
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.