Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that he was glad to get victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, despite being disappointed with his side’s performance.
Steven Gerrard opened the scoring just after the half-time break for the hosts, before Rafael equalised; Robin van Persie slotted home an 81st minute penalty to seal all three points for the visitors.
The legendary Scottish manager was happy with the result, but felt his side’s display was second-rate.
“It’s a great result for us but we didn’t play well. In the first half Liverpool dominated us. I was disappointed in our performance to be honest with you,” the trainer confessed to Sky Sports.
“Second half, we had better possession but they’ve got 10 men, so we can’t take any great credit for that.
“But a win’s a win. We’re pleased with the result but not the performance.”
Jonjo Shelvey was sent off in the first half for a lunging tackle on Jonny Evans, and berated Ferguson as he left the pitch; the United boss felt the challenge deserved a red card.
“I thought it was a clear red card. Jonny Evans went for the ball, got the ball and the boy has gone in really dangerously.
“I don’t think there was any other decision the referee could have given.
“He went for the ball, he got the ball. That’s the important thing. Their boy didn’t even attempt to go for the ball.
“He was trying to blame me I suppose.
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“He can apologise if he likes. He should do that, he’s responsible for his own actions, there’s no question about that,” Ferguson concluded.
The win has United in second place, a point behind Chelsea.
I often find that the wait for the football season to begin lasts for seemingly decades, and then when it finally arrives it passes as quickly as the speed of light. This is exactly how this season has felt, we are in the middle of October and before we know the Christmas trees will be going down, downhearted children will be going back to school and most importantly the transfer window will be open once again.
In the wake of yesterday’s article by the Daily Mail, it has been suggested that potentially the busiest side in the transfer window will be Arsenal. According to the article, Wenger will be given £35 million to spend following Robin van Persie’s departure to Manchester United. And subsequently, his efforts are on replacing that very man. For all that Arsenal have had a decent start to the first two months of the Premier League season, lying in 7th, they haven’t really found that long-term acquisition they were perhaps hoping for up front. Olivier Giroud is arguably the only out and out striker they have at the club, but he isn’t your model lone striker who will lead the line and try and play behind the last line of defence in the way that the likes of RVP, Sergio Aguero and Jermain Defoe have been so good at doing over the years. Giroud is the sort of striker who supplements play, but as a result he doesn’t offer the striking solution Wenger is yearning for. Whilst the Arsenal manager’s other summer signing, Lukas Podolski, has made an impressive goal scoring start to the campaign, scoring 4 goals in all competitions, he never has been a central striker and I think both he and Wenger feel more comfortable utilising the German international in the left wing-forward role.
Other players just don’t seem to fit the bill for Wenger. Granted, Gervinho has made a good start to this campaign after a disappointing last one, but again the Gunners boss doesn’t regard the Ivorian as RVP’s successor. It also seems obvious that for now, Theo Walcott isn’t going to be granted his wish in playing in the central striker role and Marouane Chamakh is seemingly surplus to requirements at the Emirates. So the general consensus appears to be that Wenger still needs another striker at the club. The two men reportedly on the shopping list for the Arsenal manager is Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez and Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente.
Lopez is more of the archetypal leading the line type of striker that I think Wenger is probably looking for. At 24, he is a fine-young talent. He goal scoring record is decent if not incredible. My belief with Lopez is that he will probably be more difficult to lure away from Atletico given the recent success that they have had and at his age they will be more adamant to hold on to their striker. I personally feel the better option would be to sign Fernando Llorente.
At 6 foot 5 inches he is the sort of purchase that completely contradicts the model striker I have been banging on about in this article. But there is more to his game than that. He is surprisingly fleet footed and quick for such a tall man, but the key to his success at Bilbao’s is to create space for himself. He also has a brilliant goal scoring record, much better than Lopez’s scoring 81 goals in 240 appearances. He is out of contract next summer and the 27-year-old has already announced his intentions to leave the club. As a result, Bilbao will be desperate to offload the striker a cut-price fee before he is released on a free in the summer. However, the most important attraction of Llorente for Arsenal is that he is has been successful in recent years in a Bilbao side that plays the brand of football that Arsenal play in the Premier League. They may utilise this brand of football to a less successful extent, but as Gunners fans will know at times you sometimes sacrifice slick attractive football for success unfortunately.
It has also been rumoured that Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic and Palermo’s Abel Hernandez are also targets for the Gunners, although the pair are further down on Wenger’s wish-list than the La Liga duo. For all that Arsenal have lost key men in recent seasons, which I’m sure they won’t thank the media for keep mentioning, they actually have a good squad players in all positions. Apart from the central striker position, the only other position they need to strengthen in January is in central defence where in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker they do look a little frail. It now seems apparent that Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou do not feature in Wenger’s plans, so with them two seemingly departing from the club in the near future, a move for another defender would be wise.
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The Daily Mail article also suggests that Arsenal will look at a goalkeeper to challenge Wojciech Szczesny for the number 1 spot at the club. I personally see this as unlikely as the club already have sufficient cover for the Polish ace in Lukas Fabianski and Vito Mannone. I love to hear from Arsenal fans which positions do they believe need strengthening the most? Also who would you like to see Wenger bring into the club in January?
Don’t forget to follow Matt’s articles @Matt_of_the_day
At every Premier League club, there are those players who it just simply doesn’t always happen for. Those who are desperate to prove themselves, but are unable to force their way into the first team, or even into their preferred position.
Those who have shown glimpses of what they can do, enough to convince the fans they could do a job, and that they deserve a run in the side.
Often these players don’t get given the opportunity, and despite their undeniable talent are left to fall by the wayside. Think David Bentley at Tottenham, a man who was on fire at Blackburn, but never got the run in the side he felt he needed at Tottenham.
Or Ryan Babel at Liverpool, the man billed as ‘the next Thierry Henry’ by journalists in Holland upon his arrival from Ajax. Babel never got a run in the side in his favoured position, and despite glimpes of real promise, you can now find him back at Ajax where it all began for him.
Here we countdown the top ten most under-utilised players in the Premier League this season.
Click on Yossi Benayoun below to get the ball rolling
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On loan Wolves midfielder Jermaine Pennant has made clear his desire to show he is able to compete at the top level despite Stoke manager Tony Pulis clearly feeling otherwise.
The 29 year old gave an exclusive interview to the Sunday Mercury after playing his first game for Wolves in which he featured in a single game for longer than double his time all season at Stoke. Whilst stating that “only Pulis knows the answers” as to why he failed to be considered at the Potters, Pennant has turned his attention to Wolves and getting playing time under his belt.
With the player in the latter stages of his contract there is uncertainty surrounding the his future, and Pennant himself acknowledges this, explaining “I’ve only got a few months left on my contract and I don’t know if I’m going to stay (at Stoke), but I’m not going to argue as to why I’m not playing.”
Whilst the player is keen to give his all for Ståle Solbakken’s team he confessed during an interview with BBC WM that he wanted to return to the Premier League, as for “every footballer their aim is to play in the Premier League” and is prepared to do his talking on the pitch whilst being optimistic over what the future holds.
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Brendan Rodgers has defended his decision to drop several first team players for Liverpool FC’s trip to Anzhi Makhachkala tonight.
The Kop boss has left the likes of Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Nuri Sahin and Martin Skrtel at home and replaced them with young players such as Dani Pacheco, Danny Wilson, Conor Coady, Jon Flanagan and Adam Morgan.
But Rodgers believes his 19-man group in Moscow have enough to make it three wins from four in Europa League Group A and put one foot in the Round of 32.
He told Liverpool’s official website: “I have the utmost respect for Anzhi, but because our squad is very thin in numbers and we have a lot of games and young players, I have had to look at the games and which I can chance the squad around in.
“But if you look at the games in this competition, we’ve played three and won two games and have changed the squad around.
“We have a good squad here that we feel can get a result and then we can prepare them for this weekend’s massive league game [away to Chelsea].”
Liverpool won the reverse fixture 1-0 courtesy of a Stewart Downing finish two weeks ago, and Rodgers is confident his side can come away with another win under their belts.
“I respect how difficult this game is going to be, but we always play to win,” he added.
“Every game we play, we go out with the mentality to win the game – but, of course, you can’t always win. So if you can’t win, you don’t want to lose it. If that gets us a point, then great and we’ll move onto the next game.”
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Arsenal’s Emmanuel Frimpong has rejected claims he will be shown the exit door at the Emirates in January, but will be going out on loan in the near future. It is believed Championship side Wolves are considering a loan bid for the defensive midfielder to replace suspended captain Karl Henry.
Frimpong, who has been at Arsenal since he was nine years old, broke into the first-team last season and was sent on loan to Wolves to help the West Midlands club in their failed efforts to avoid relegation from the Premier League. The midfielder’s spell at Molineux was short-lived however following a serious knee injury in February.
Since returning from the sidelines, Frimpong has made two appearances in the Capital One Cup for the Gunners but has failed to claim a place in Arsene Wenger’s starting XI despite the sale of Alex Song in the summer. Mirror Football claims the Ghanaian will be ousted in January, but Frimpong has denied he plans on leaving, and rejected the notion that he is in the last year of his contract.
The 20-year-old tweeted late last night: “Subject to rumours am not leaving afc I am positive of going on loan this week which am really excited about and I am fully committed to afc.
“And am not in my last year or looking to be sold just to clear matters thank you and going on loan to get games and cum back to arsenal.”
It is believed the midfielder, who was capped six times for England U17s but has pledged his international alliegence to Ghana, will now return to Molineux in what will be his second loan spell for the club.
Wolves boss Stale Solbakken is hoping the Arsenal man can fill in for Karl Henry, who is serving a three match ban following a red card against Brighton on Saturday.
“We’ve discussed him [Frimpong] and he has a relationship with Wolverhampton, but it’s also important he’s 100 per cent fit when he comes here and is ready, so we don’t lose a month,” said Solbakken.
“I can’t say I know in detail about his fitness because he hasn’t played many games.
“We’re monitoring the situation. But I don’t want to underestimate the players here either. It’s a balance. We’re not panicking over the situation with Karl.
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“If we sign someone, it’s important it’s someone with other qualities,” he added.
A manager loves a versatile player. Someone who can play in several different positions and maintain a good enough performance in any of them can be very useful, especially during a 38 game season, as well as domestic and European cup duties.
Good examples of versatile players in the Premier League at the moment are Manchester United’s Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, Tottenham’s Clint Dempsey and Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge. But we have also seen managers appearing to force versatility upon some top-flight players, insisting that they have what it takes to play out of position and still perform effectively.
The most notable is Theo Walcott at Arsenal. He is effective on the wing, but has admitted he’s better as a striker, although manager Arsene Wenger doesn’t seem to feel the same way, which is strange because whenever Walcott is moved into a striker’s role he seems to score.
Wenger’s determination for Walcott to remain a wide player at Arsenal looks like it could cost him dearly, what with Walcott not having yet signed a new contract and rumours suggest he wants assurances that he’ll play as a striker more often in order to secure his Arsenal future.
Last week, Liverpool’s on-loan midfielder Nuri Sahin claimed manager Brendan Rodgers is playing him out of position, with him being preferred in a No.10 role rather than his more accustomed holding midfield position. Sahin claims he’d much prefer to play as a holding midfielder because that’s where he feels he can be more effective, while Rodgers might argue there isn’t any need for him to have a holding midfielder in the tactics or formations that he uses.
That raises the question why Rodgers brought him to Anfield in the first place, knowing he was going to play him out of position, thus not getting the best out of a player who has performed well in a Real Madrid shirt in recent years.
James Tomkins at West Ham is another player who seems to have fallen victim of a manager’s belief that he is versatile and can do a job in midfield, despite being a centre-back.
Against Liverpool on Sunday, midfielder Mohamed Diame was carried off and needed replacing in the centre of midfield. Allardyce had Gary O’Neil on the bench, a player who has impressed in the middle of the park for West Ham in the past, but he chose to bring on Tomkins, a decision that many would argue cost the Hammers the game.
Liverpool scored twice with Tomkins in midfield and went on to win 3-2. A manager as experienced as Allardyce should have learned by now that Tomkins, who seems to be regularly cover in midfield for West Ham, looks out of place when he’s not in the back four.
The three examples above are examples of how not to push versatility on to a player, playing them out of position to suit their own ideas of how they want the game to be played. Arsenal could have more goals in them if Walcott played up front more often, Liverpool seem to be missing the best of an obvious talent in Sahin and Tomkins being played in midfield for West Ham pretty much cost them three points against Liverpool at the weekend.
We are always hearing players insisting they will help out in anyway possible for the manager and the team, but managers are responsible for getting the best out of their players and, unless it is proven that these players can play out of their comfort zone, it should be left to the players more suitable for the role being experimented with.
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There are, of course, occasions when a manager appears to be forced into playing a player out of position because of injuries or suspensions leaving them with no other option. One option could be to tinker with their tactics or formation a little to ensure the player playing out of position can be as comfortable and effective as possible.
Managers know best, right? Well, when it comes to playing players out of position, some of them appear to be shooting themselves in the foot. Whether it’s goals or points at stake, some bosses can’t seem to see the difference between a versatile player and a player who just isn’t up to the job they are being asked to do.
Are managers shooting themselves in the foot by playing players out of position? Should more players be asked to be more versatile to strengthen their team?
Samir Nasri should fit comfortably into the category of former Arsenal players who left and can stay well away. He’s taken noticeable jabs at Arsenal and their current standing in English football, all the while hardly making any impact of worth at Manchester City. This one should be filed under ‘good riddance’.
But it’s difficult to dismiss the idea of the player coming back to Arsenal, even if wages and maybe even reality says otherwise. It’s been said that Arsene Wenger keeps in touch with a number of his former players and it’s easy to understand why the manager would keep up to date with Nasri’s situation. The player’s relationship with Roberto Mancini and the reported disagreement could mean there is something in there, but is he what Arsenal want?
Let’s not forget, this is a supremely talented footballer who outshone even Cesc Fabregas at times during his last season at the Emirates. He may never have looked consistently brilliant, but when placed alongside the other players Wenger has opted to play out wide, Nasri always looked noticeably comfortable.
But then you come back to the reality of it and that Wenger will fight for all he’s worth to avoid bringing back old players. The returns like Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann and Thierry Henry were a different matter, but Wenger will do all he can to find other alternatives, even if looking to his old stars make the most sense.
The player’s swipes at Arsenal over the past 12-months would make it difficult to accept him back, but are Arsenal in a position where they can be picky? If given the opportunity to bring back Nasri and to a tune that would suit them financially, there can be very few negatives found.
The player might be heavily criticised and seen as spineless in the wake of his actions in the most recent Manchester derby, but it certainly doesn’t take away his talent. This is still a player who can become a fantastic footballer, but it’s the lack of guidance that is perhaps keeping him from fulfilling that potential.
He should never have left Arsenal, and the idea that last year was his first and last big pay day makes little sense due to his age. He wasn’t and still isn’t the finished article, he often fails to combine a string of back-to-back good performances, and his difficult attitude may be the only thing holding back displays such as the one which saw Manchester City put five past Tottenham last season.
Would Arsenal fans welcome him back? It’s one of those cases where many would hate to accept him back due to what’s been said in the past, but many more I’m sure would take him back. Not for love or anything emotionally driven, but rather because he is a very good footballer who can add a lot to the current Arsenal setup.
Does Nasri fall into that category of players who were badly advised? Probably. It was rumoured that an unnamed player and his agent left successful contract negotiations with City sometime last year and celebrated wildly once they were out of earshot. Unnamed, but I have a shortlist as to who that could have been.
The player has his winners medal and shouldn’t have to worry about wages for the best part of his career; he’s still young and can be a well-paid asset to a number of clubs in Europe. But the player has to start focusing on his football and making in impression in the France squad. It’s easy to accept that things might not be working out for him at Manchester City, and it’s also easy to suggest that Arsenal was always the best place for him to be. But there’s no doubting that Wenger’s track record with talents such as Nasri have been impressive and successful.
Even though the player hadn’t hit his peak for Arsenal, there were always flashes of brilliance, starting with that two-goal performance against Manchester United in his debut season with the club. He’s an intelligent and technically excellent player. Arsenal fans have every right to initially and only for a moment send a few jeers Nasri’s way should he return. But it shouldn’t be disregarded that he would be a fantastic addition to any Arsenal team.
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Remembering Tomas Rosicky’s impact when coming on against Bradford and alongside Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, Nasri is exactly the type of player to help get the best out of the leading players in the squad.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas seeks signs of improvement from his first team against Swansea this weekend, following a last-minute collapse in their most recent fixture at Everton.
At Goodison Park last weekend Spurs were moments away from gaining three-points and consolidating their fourth position in the Premier League. The win would have set the Lilywhites well on their way to challenging Chelsea for third spot.
Last-minute goals from former Tottenham man Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic made sure the North London club left Merseyside with nothing to show for their efforts.
“The dressing room was extremely disappointed after Everton. To see the result shift and us to take nothing was difficult,” said AVB.
Tottenham’s resolve will be tested at White Hart Lane this weekend against a visiting Swansea team hoping to bounce back from a crushing 4-3 loss against Norwich in their last league encounter.
AVB noted that the players came back to training with a firm desire to “improve.” The Portuguese explained that as a collective “We take the blame for the first half and how we suffered with goals,” but ultimately defeat is merely another lesson for everyone to “evolve as players and as a manager.”
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“When a defeat happens there are always things to analyse. We worked on aspects that didn’t go well last week like keeping possession and our defensive shape,” he continued.
The learning process needs to speed-up rapidly as Spurs enter a busy Christmas period, and with AVB admitting that “Michael Laudrup has taken Swansea to the next level.”
West Brom manager Steve Clarke has categorically ruled out the possible sale of centre back Jonas Olsson in January.
Olsson has been a rock at the back for Albion so far this season as they sit 7th in the Premier League going into an FA Cup tie with QPR today.
Rumours had been flying around in the media that the Swedish international has a relatively small buy-out clause in his contact at the Hawthorns and that has attracted plenty of clubs to the possibility of a smash and grab deal this month.
Arsenal were set to be leading the way to his signature but many other Premier League clubs and sides from Turkey were also reportedly interested in the 29 year old.
The Albion boss is confident that he will keep hold of all of his main stars in the transfer window and wants to build on the clubs impressive first half of the season.
“We can hang on to every single player,” Clarke told Sky Sports.
“We don’t have to sell anybody.
“Speculation is natural, because people make up stories to generate the interest. I know they make them up.
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“But it’s not unsettling for me in anyway, because I know that, come 1st February, the players that I need to be here will still be here.”