George Boateng believes that his once team-mate Ronald Koeman will be able to attract the players Southampton need after losing star names.
The Saints will be without captain Adam Lallana and star striker Rickie Lambert next season with both players set to line up for Liverpool, while teenage prodigy Luke Shaw will also no longer be on the South Coast after joining Manchester United.
To make matter worse, defender Dejan Lovren and star midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin may also leave, which would give the Dutchman a difficult task to build on the success of last season.
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But Boateng – who played alongside Koeman at Feyenoord – feels that the 51-year-old has the pulling power to attract top names to the club to replace exiting stars:
“I always knew Ronald would be a great manager,” he told talkSPORT. “He’s done a tremendous job at Feyenoord over the past few seasons with a limited budget, but it will be a tough job for him at Southampton.
“The good thing about him is that he is very international, he played for Barcelona and managed Valencia in Spain, he’s managed at Benfica in Portugal and also at Ajax and Feyenoord in Holland.
“His pedigree is right up there and his international awareness of players in very good.
“What Southampton should also be happy about is that he can get players who are now playing at the World Cup, he can attract those names to the club.
“And I’m sure that, with the right funds, he will find and sign the right players for Southampton.
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“He’s a very clever, and astute guy and I have faith he’ll do well in the Premier League.”
Koeman may end up with a budget of close to £100m with key first-team players exiting.
The summer transfer window may have only just slammed shut but we at Football FanCast are already looking forward to its winter counterpart. And we believe Spurs will be among the busiest clubs in the Premier League during the January window.Tottenham were by no means anonymous in the market during the off-season, splashing out around £32million as they welcomed a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino, but the Lilywhites still have plenty of unfinished business in the January salesÂand a number of lingering issues that need to be resolved in the new year.So without further ado, here’s the FIVE transfer dilemmas the White Hart Lane boss needs to find solutions toÂwhen the market reopens.
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It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…
If there’s one major flaw of Tottenham’s current squad, it’s undoubtedly the absence of a dependable goalscorer.
A strike-force of Emmanuel Adebayor, Harry Kane and Roberto Soldado have found just 19 league goals collectively since last summer, including a solitary one this season. It’s shown in the table too – only six clubs have netted less than Spurs’ seven since the start of the 2014/15 campaign.
In terms of budgeted stop-gap solutions, Schalke assassin Klaas-Jan Huntelaar remains the best option.
The Netherland international’s contribution to open play is infamously limited, and at 31 years of age he’s no spring chicken. But he boasts returns of 35 in 65 for Oranje and 93 in 143 for the Miners – including this strike in the Champions League against Chelsea last week:
Huntelaar’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and although Schalke want him to sign a new deal, he’ll have to take a wage cut. That makes a January departure incredibly likely. A more long-term resolution could come in the form of Swansea front-man Wilfried Bony, who netted 16 times in his debut Premier League campaign last season. Here’s a look at some of the 25 year-old’s highlights: //www.youtube.com/embed/L_zt5akDKGs Mauricio Pochettino favoured powerful, old-fashioned centre-forwards at Southampton and the 6 foot Ivorian fits the bill perfectly. Bony allegedly comes with a £19million release clause and his slump in form this season suggests a slight disgruntlement in not leaving South Wales during the summer. But whether Daniel Levy would be prepared to sanction such a costly purchase in January remains to be seen.
Adding a left winger/forward
The left side of attack was a real problem for Spurs last season, with Nacer Chadli, Aaron Lennon, and Andros Townsend failing to make the role their own before it was passed to Christian Eriksen, who remains his most effective at No.10. The Lilywhites planned to address this in the summer with a swoop for Danny Welbeck and Franco Baldini’s failure to strike a deal for the former Manchester United star could reportedly cost him the job of Sporting Director at White Hart Lane, which shows how big an issue the vacancy on the left has become for Spurs. Chadli’s filled the void impressively so far this season, as shown below:
But an inconsistent dribbler and even weaker crosser, he can’t be considered a long-term solution out wide. The Lilywhites were linked with Southampton star Jay Rodriguez on deadline day and could be tempted to revive their interest in January:
The 25 year-old flourished under Mauricio Pochettino last season to finish up as the third top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League with 15 goals. Here’s a look at his campaign highlights:
//www.youtube.com/embed/e3adfleiWiE?rel=0
But the Saints launched a staunch public resistance to selling the England international in the summer, so Spurs may have to consider some alternatives.
Perhaps Marseille wideman Andre Ayew? He’s has emerged as Ligue 1’s most potent wideman over the last few seasons, amassing an impressive 49 goals and 16 assists in 166 appearances for L’OM, and a January move seems likely with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
The Ghana international isn’t the most conventional winger but he’s strong defensively, versatile and a real threat in the final third. As viewable in the below video, he’s also outrageously good at heading:
//www.youtube.com/embed/0gIZogfsorU?rel=0
Decide the fates of fringe players
Fringe players are an inevitable part of every squad, but Tottenham have amassed quite a number over the past few years and it’s time to either get them more involved in the first team or move them on.
Moussa Dembele for example, has never quite hit the heights expected of him at White Hart Lane and he’s now being linked to Everton:
Spurs already boast decent depth in central midfield, so his departure won’t affect their first team plans too much. Likewise, £24million signing Roberto Soldado has never looked comfortable with the power and pace of the Premier League, and having featured only as a substitute thus far under Mauricio Pochettino, looks unlikely to replicate his scoring feats at Valencia any time soon. Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid have been linked and the time feels right to move the Spaniard on. That should free up some funds for Spurs to invest in a more dependable front-man. Then there’s Andros Townsend, once hailed as the future of English football after netting this wonder-strike past Montenegro last season: //www.youtube.com/embed/BAkOjFq1_Tc?rel=0 But the 23 year-old has continually struggled to evolve his game under the added pressure international football provides. Moving him on to a smaller club, or sorting out a loan stint until the end of the season, could do the winger a world of good.
Offloading the deadwood
In addition to a multitude of fringe players, there’s also a growing contingent in Tottenham’s squad that are simply surplus to requirements. For example, after signing Ben Davies from Swansea City this summer, Spurs now have five players capable of playing at left-back, including centre-half Jan Vertonghen. Two of these need to be moved on, namely Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Kyle Naughton. The former is a decent player and performed well on loan to QPR last season, providing a Man of the Match display against Charlton Athletic: //www.youtube.com/embed/2a3eNwANJTo?rel=0 But he’s now 30 years of age and appears to be only moving further away from the Tottenham starting XI. Likewise, Kyle Naughton’s versatility in being able to play on either defensive flank proved vital for the Lilywhites last season. But they now boast depth at No.2 and No.3, and the 25 year-old’s form has been questionable for some time. Here’s a look at his stats from last season:
Aaron Lennon too, although once a mainstay in the Spurs starting XI, was absolutely atrocious in terms of output last season, as shown below:
After nearly a decade in north London, his Tottenham tenure has probably run its course.
GRAB FABIAN SCHAR BEFORE ARSENAL DO
Tottenham are hardly light on bodies in defence, but if there’s one commonly mooted January target the Lilywhites must get their hands on, it’s undoubtedly Fabian Schar – before rivals Arsenal beat them to it.
As viewable below, statistically he was the best defender in the Champions League last season:
And the Swiss international’s World Cup performances weren’t too bad either, making eight interceptions during two outings at Brazil 2014.
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The 22 year-old comes with an interesting knack of scoring goals too, such as this incredible strike as a youngster at FC Wil…
He also takes set piece duties for Basel, and boasts a return of 3 in 8 for his country.
In short, Schar’s a fantastic talent, a ball-playing defender of the Jan Vertonghen mould. He’s been linked to Barcelona and Manchester United over the last few years, and if the Lilywhites don’t take up the opportunity to sign him in January, Arsenal or another top European club undoubtedly will.
Liverpool’s tricky week is set to climax with a lunchtime clash at home to Chelsea on the back of an almost inevitable loss at Real Madrid. With Brendan Rodgers’ much talked about ‘weakened XI’ having played out the clash at the Bernabeu, the focus is clearly on the Anfield game, with the runaway league leaders providing a tough task as the Reds look to get their top four charge back on track.
So can Liverpool be positive heading into the game? Certainly… and here’s THREE reasons why.
Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho all played less than 30 minutes, with a fringe XI having taken must of the toil in Madrid. As a result the likes of Jordan Henderson, Dejan Lovren and Joe Allen will all be fresh for the Chelsea game, which could be beneficial.
Fringe players looked impressive
Should Brendan Rodgers be open to using players from the Real game against Chelsea, he has plenty of food for thought. Kolo Toure impressed at the back and looked more composed that most of the Reds’ centre-backs have this season, while Lazar Markovic showed pace and guile. Elsewhere Emre Can was powerful, and could useful against the Blues.
Morale hasn’t been crushed
A 1-0 loss at the home of the European champions who possess the world’s best player and the world’s most expensive player is by no means a disgrace. The last thing Liverpool needed heading into the Chelsea game was a heavy defeat, and they managed to avoid just that in the Spanish capital.
Adel Taarabt has hit out amid claims from his manager Harry Redknapp that he is three stone over weight and is not fit enough to play for QPR.
The QPR manager made no secret of his disgust at the player’s lack of fitness and slammed him twice in the space of a week for not being good enough to contribute to the team’s fight to avoid relegation. Taarabt was considered a key player to QPR’s cause and the fact that he is not able to play for them at the moment is a massive blow. It is clear from their results that they are struggling to score enough goals to win games at the moment and they are lacking a little bit of flare and magic needed – which Taarabt would undoubtedly have contributed had he been fit.
Redknapp made no attempts to hide how frustrated he was with the player in a post match interview, saying: “No, he’s not fit. He played in a reserve team game the other day, and I could have run about more than he did. So no, I can’t pick him. I pick people that want to try, and deserve to be at a good football club like QPR, and want to work, and come in every day and want to work, and train, and show a good attitude. And that’s what I got today from the players. When he starts doing that, whether he ever can do it, maybe he’ll get a game. The other lads, I’ve got a fantastic group of lads here, absolutely superb, all of them. I can’t keep protecting people who don’t want to run about and train, who are about three stone overweight. What am I supposed to keep saying, keep getting your 60, 70 grand a week but don’t train? What’s the game coming to? The others are as good as gold.”
These were quite harsh words against the player, which – even if they are all based on truth -his manager could have held back on, due to privacy. But it seems that the no nonsense gaffer has had enough of the situation and wanted to hang his player out to dry.
Taarabt has not taken this quietly however and had this to say in return: “I was desperate to play before the game. I was fuming when I didn’t play.” Taarabt, who has not started for QPR since 27 August said. “The journalist was doing his job and asking if I was injured. He should have said ‘when he is fit he will play’. He is an experienced manager and he should have controlled that situation. I didn’t do pre-season with the team because I had an ankle injury, so I wasn’t 100%.”
So whose side of the story do you take as gospel? Is he really just struggling to shake a niggling injury that he had during pre-season? If a player does not par-take in pre-season then that usually does put them behind the rest of the squad in terms of fitness, and one could perhaps understand him missing the first couple of games, or being used as a late impact sub, so eight games into the current season, there seems to be a lot more to this than meets the eye.
Harry Redknapp says the player is still unfit, and Taarabt says he is ready to play, so it could perhaps be a clash of personality that is stopping the gaffer picking him?
It seems that the real victims of the whole situation are QPR themselves, a team currently struggling to pick up any sort of form, playing on the most part without any sort of urgency or desire to win a football match – with the exception of their game against Liverpool at the weekend which saw them put up quite a good fight and they were unlucky not to come away with anything from that game.
But whether they play well or not, they need something different, a new face in the team, someone who can inspire them to start winning and go on a little run to get themselves out of trouble, and there is a player apparently chomping at the bit at a chance to play.
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It is a very peculiar situation, but history tells us that public falling out between a manager and a player ends up with the player being shipped out on loan or flogged on the cheap at the next transfer window. It could seem that Taarabt’s QPR career could be at an end.
Following the summer arrivals of Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria, coupled with the fact Wayne Rooney, Robin van Perise and Juan Mata were already at Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal had a tough juggling act to do. In recent weeks, it has been suggested that former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie should be the fall guy. However, after his goal today, no doubt a few will reassess their opinions.
Man United are back
A comfortable 3-0 victory at home to Hull City. No more than you’d expect from any United side under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Wayne Rooney is United’s main man
Pre-match, Angel di Maria likened playing alongside the England captain as similar to playing with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and, although that is hard for many of us to believe, Rooney is certainly proving to be as key to United as Messi is to the La Liga outfit.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had insisted that the Blues squad that will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter finals on Tuesday are a different team compared to the one that lost 3-1 at the Parc des Princes last season, Express reports.
The Blues face the Ligue-1 champions once again in this year’s round-of-sixteen, with the last meeting a Champions League quarter-finals clash less than a year ago.
Chelsea only managed to qualify for the semis last season because of a late Demba Ba strike, giving the Blues an away goal advantage after the game finished 3-3 on aggregate.
And Mourinho believes that this time around the result won’t be so even, due to the new additions to his squad and because PSG practically have the same team with that of last season.
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Mourinho said: “We beat them but we lost in Paris.
“It was a knockout tie that was decided in the last minute, a small detail making the difference. I’m not saying we won because we were better than Paris.
“We won because, in this case, we scored a goal away and didn’t concede at home.
“Paris are a great team, basically the same team as they were last season, with the addition of David Luiz. The same team basically, the same coach, the same dynamic, the same profile. They have conditions to be better because they have stability.
“We have changed some players and the identity of our game. We have changed our profile. I don’t want to say if Chelsea are better or worse than last season but, tomorrow night the Parc des Princes will see a different Chelsea to last year.”
Chelsea still have the chance to win three trophies this season, with Mourinho’s men in the Capital One Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur and also seven points in front of second-place Manchester City on the Premier League table.
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Many saw Arsenal’s £16million signing of Danny Welbeck as a shrewd bit of business last summer.
The former Manchester United striker was always seen to be a player who had the potential to do great things in the game if you could get regular game time.
Arsenal offered him that opportunity and, at first, it looked as if Welbeck was about to embark on an exciting future as the Gunners’ goal-getter.
But just four goals in 22 Premier League outings suggest otherwise. Yes, he’s had injuries to deal with and also the resurgence of Olivier Giroud to contend with, but you’d expect a £16million rated striker to find the net more than once every 5.5 games.
He loves a goal for England, that’s for sure. But for Arsenal he continues to be a shadow of the player everyone hoped and expected him to develop in to under Arsene Wenger.
And the Guardian have gone some way in backing up the suggestion that the striker could turn out to be a waste of money for Arsenal in their findings below.
Welbeck has scored with just 9.76% of his shots on goal for Arsenal this term, which is the third worst conversion rate behind Bafetimbi Gomis of Swansea and Sunderland’s Conor Wickham.
To put that in to perspective, teammate Olivier Giroud has a shot conversion rate of 31.71%, which is the fourth highest in the Premier League. Stoke’s Jonathan Walter’s is statistically the Premier League’s most prolific striker with 38.89%.
But perhaps he can take some comfort in knowing he’s joined by the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku in the Premier League’s worst 11 strikers based on goal conversion (minimum three goals).
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So there. Danny Welbeck was a complete waste of money…
According to the tabloids, Manchester United are set for quite the striker switcheroo this summer.
The ageing Robin van Persie will be sold to either Inter Milan or Juventus, according to The Daily Mail, and PSG front-man Edinson Cavani has been lined up as his replacement in the Old Trafford front-line, according to The Express.
The news follows reports of an apparent bust-up with manager Laurent Blanc after the Uruguay international was subbed off after an hour against Marseille two weekends ago.
But with the French champions allegedly intent on recouping their full £55million investment in the former Napoli star, made in summer 2013, it’s hardly a deal that strikes good value for money from United’s perspective.
With that in mind and being the ever-helpful bunch we are at Football Fancast, we’ve listed FIVE cheaper alternatives to the PSG star.
Would the Red Devils be better off with one of these FIVE leading their line next season?
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GONZALO HIGUAIN
Not a striker particularly similar in style to Edinson Cavani but certainly one capable of providing a similar amount of goals, Gonzalo Higuain ended his Real Madrid career with 122 goals in 264 appearances, boasts a return of 23 in 46 for the Argentina national team and has netted 46 times over the last two campaigns for Napoli.
He’s a more diminutive forward than Cavani, measuring in at just 6 foot, but offers an abundance of creativity, having claimed 13 assists in his 61 Serie A appearances whilst averaging just over one created chance per match.
And Higuain looks almost certain to move on this summer, according to The Metro, unless Napoli can close a seven point gap on Roma with just eight games to go to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
However, The Metro also claim Arsenal are already in talks to sign the former River Plate man this summer – so United will have to act quickly.
DANNY INGS
Signing home-grown talent will be high on the agenda of every major Premier League club this summer, following news FA Chairman Greg Dyke wishes to expand the HG quota from eight to twelve players per squad from the 2016/17 campaign onwards, and few strike better value for money than Burnley forward Danny Ings.
The 22-year-old’s influence has petered out somewhat in recent weeks but nine goals and four assists in 29 Premier League appearances is by no means a poor return for an inaugural Premier League campaign – building upon the 21-goal haul that fired Burnley to the top flight last season.
In addition to the England U21’s goals, it’s his intelligence, movement and creativity that stand out, suggesting he’s got the ingredients to ply his trade at a much higher level.
Admittedly, Turf Moor to Old Trafford is a rather seismic step. But available for a nominal compensation fee this summer upon the expiration of his Burnley contract, the former Bournemouth youngster seems well worth the punt.
PAULO DYBALA
Another budding youngster on the verge of blossoming into a top striking talent, Paulo Dybala’s 13 goals and nine assists for Palermo this season have seen him emerge as one of the most sought-after forwards in Europe, with regular links to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus.
Due to his exceptional dribbling ability, deft finishing and tenacity, the 21-year-old has drawn comparisons with three South American strikers; Man City’s Sergio Aguero, Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and four-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.
High praise indeed, but it’s difficult not to overhype a 21 year-old ripping apart Serie A defences on a weekly basis.
The good news for the Red Devils is that Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has confirmed Dybala will likely be sold this summer – as reported by ESPN. The bad news, however, is Zamparini’s valuation of €40million, accompanied by the claim PSG, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea all want to sign the prodigious front-man.
KARIM BENZEMA
Gary Neville believes Manchester United must insist upon a Real Madrid player this summer if they’re forced to surrender star goalkeeper David De Gea to the European Champions – at which point, I turn your attentions to Karim Benzema.
The France international often finds himself overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo and that’s reflected in his goal tally, having claimed a somewhat unspectacular 133 goals in 278 appearances since moving to the Bernabeu in 2009.
But the 27-year-old’s blend of height, power and technique, measuring in at 6 foot 2, would make him a natural fit for the Premier League and particularly United’s direct style of play under Louis van Gaal. Of all the strikers on this list, he’s probably the most comparable to Edinson Cavani.
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Whether Los Blancos would be prepared to part with Benzema remains to be seen. He’s proved a perfect counterweight to Ronaldo in recent seasons and speculation suggests they’re intent on strengthening – not weakening – their forward cast this summer.
But a top-class talent still with a point to prove, an Old Trafford switch could be of interest to the former Lyon man.
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski only signed for Bayern Munich last summer – that infamous bosman move from divisional rivals Borussia Dortmund – but it’s hardly proved to be a match made in heaven, despite a return of 20 goals in 39 appearances for the Bundesliga champions.
Indeed, the Poland international is your classic No.9 of the Alan Shearer or Didier Drogba mould, but he’s utilised more as a poacher by the Bavarians – and, on occasion, even found himself fielded on the left wing.
There’s no questioning the 26-year-old’s talent, however; few strikers throughout the history of the sport have scored four goals in a single game against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, bringing Lewandowski’s career total to 185 goals in 340 appearances.
And having moved to the Allianz Arena on a free transfer, Pep Guardiola’s side may be willing to part with the 6 foot striker for significantly cheaper than some might expect. Reports from over the weekend, for example, claim United are considering a bid around the £35million mark.
Louis van Gaal is a tactician. He’s feted worldwide as a student of football, one of the most sophisticated coaches on the planet.
In the mid-90s, he nurtured a group of young Ajax academy graduates, coaching them to become some of the best known names in world football and helping them to a Champions League title in the process. Two finals in two years to be exact. The team included Edwin van der Sar, the De Boer brothers, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert.
It was a hell of a team, and they played some amazing football. In fact, in November of 1995 they played what van Gaal insists is the only ‘perfect game’ that any of his teams has ever played.
By this he means played to his tactics, right down to the letter. Not letting it slip once, getting the passing right, getting the off-the-ball movement right, getting the positioning right. Van Gaal’s teams play sophisticated football – every player has a job, and every movement is choreographed. Or at least, that’s what van Gaal would like it to be, he’d love to move the players around himself. You get the feeling he’s very, very good at FIFA.
And his United team have been getting better at doing his bidding this season. They’ve slowly progressed into what everyone agrees is something representing good form. They were contesting the leaders at Christmas but their challenge has waned. Yet their performances have got better. The team has got more used to the possession game, and with Michael Carrick in front of the defence – or slotting into the defence when United are attacking – the United back line looks much stronger than it did at the start of the season.
United have become more and more of a van Gaal team, as you’d expect. LvG would never compromise on his principles, and you’d always expect his teams to conform to his ideas. But over the last few games, United’s tactics have been nullified by good defending and good shape from both Chelsea and Everton. And the manager has to take some of the blame for that.
His tactics aren’t wrong, per se. He’s got a squad with the likes of Carrick, Rooney, Herrera and Mata, all players who know how to pass the ball very well. He’s got pace in Valencia and Young, and these are also two more traditional wingers who are good at crossing the ball. And he’s got the aerial threat and physical prowess of Marouane Fellaini.
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So why shouldn’t he use all of these elements?
United can pass the ball around and work it to Fellaini’s feet for him to hold it up and bring others into play. Or they can work it wide to the likes of Young and Valencia and get crosses in towards the big Belgian’s head.
They’ve done it to great effect for most of the second half of the season, and have even been accused of being a long ball team at times this season.
I don’t think anything could be further from the truth – United don’t just lump it to Fellaini, they try to work it into an area where a high ball has a better chance of finding his head in a good position. But I can see why people might think they’re a bit of a hit and rush side.
It’s got less to do with the actual high balls and more to do with the rigidity of the game plan.
United are painfully rigid at times. Yes they try to pass it around and keep possession, but it always feels like they’re just trying to work it wide so they can get a cross into Fellaini’s head. The have lots of possession, lots of outlets for passes in the midfield, but only one line of penetration.
And it’s not like Fellaini isn’t good with the ball at his feet, either.
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And you’d think that for a manager like van Gaal, the well-worked long passes to the big man would be a plan B. Something to pull out of the bag when silky football isn’t working. It’s nice to have that club in the bag, but it’s not the club you start with – more of a rescue club than a fairway wood, if you like.
But for United at the moment, it’s plan A. It worked very well against City and against Liverpool, but Everton and Chelsea were able to sit deep, man mark and easily nullify the threat. Kurt Zouma had Fellaini in his pocket all game.
And like any game plan, it’s fine to use it so long as you can change it in games where it just doesn’t work. But United can’t – when you use plan B as your plan A, it’s difficult to change things when it doesn’t work. It’s difficult to go from playing it long to passing it around in the 80th minute when you have very little time left. It’s much easier to just start to hoof the ball in the final few minutes when you desperately need a goal. Normal human psychology doesn’t really lend itself to trying to play slow, silky, thoughtful football when you’re chasing a game. Adrenaline is running too high, heart rate is high too, and there’s too much of a temptation to panic.
United won’t win the league this season, and they’ll more than likely qualify for the Champions League. Van Gaal has achieved what he set out to achieve this season, and he has brought United back to where they belong – the top table of European football. But they could maybe have had much more if only Van Gaal had stuck to his guns and played along the ground more often, using Fellaini’s height as a backup rather than a starting tactic. But i’m sure we’ll see more of this next season – van Gaal’s too classy a coach for this to last too long.
A disappointing season by Manchester City’s standards has seen them fall along way short of regaining their Premier League crown as Chelsea stole the show by becoming worthy champions and despite their defeat on Monday night still hold an unassailable eight point advantage.
City are expected to ring the changes over the summer and there looks certain to be plenty of transfer activity over the next few months as Manuel Pellegrini reshuffles his side into one that can challenge for the league once again as well as put up a better showing in Europe.
And while there have been a number of stars linked with a move to the Etihad during the transfer window, some of City’s key players could be on their way out of the club if reports are to be believed.
One of these players is England international James Milner, who looks set to leave the Blues after five years in Manchester.
The 29-year-old has been heavily linked to both Arsenal and Liverpool as his contract at City draws to a close and despite the clubs best efforts to keep hold of the midfielder he may well be leaving on a free transfer in the next few weeks.
City are thought to have offered Milner one last improved contract in a bid to ensure he remains at the Etihad, and although he has previously dismissed such offers, he really should consider staying put as he would be foolish to move elsewhere.
In the past Milner has felt undervalued at the club, and rightly left frustrated by a lack of first-team football. Having only started 12 games last season he had every right to consider a move given his quality which was being wasted as he sat on the bench.
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But City’s latest victory at Swansea saw Milner score a fine goal in his 44th appearance of the season, and 31st in the league from a possible 37 league fixtures.
Pellegrini has continued to speak of Milner’s importance to the club, and the fact he has started 27 games this term which is more than double of last season’s total, goes to show just how important he vital he has become.
And it’s not just the smaller teams he has featured against, having started in both games with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona highlighting how is also trusted in the big games.
He may feel he wants to be starting every game possible which a move to Arsenal or Liverpool may cater for, but in reality it would be step down from where he is now.
City are the second best team in the Premier League and a move away would arguably dent his chances of picking up more trophies during his career.
He’s guaranteed Champions League football, something which Liverpool can’t offer him, and with a few new additions they are sure to be challenging at the top of the table once again. The same certainly can’t be said about Liverpool, and for Arsenal, well there’s a chance but it’s not a guarantee.
And then he has the contract itself to consider. At this point in his career a four year deal of £165,000 a week is certainly nothing to be sniffed at and realistically it’s one he should be signing.
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If he puts pen to paper, the deal would make him one of the top earners at the club with an estimated £34m. Surely that type of money shows how much they value him and want to keep him.
It’s clear the Citizens are desperate to sign him up to a new contract, particularly as he is an English player, and although at first he had a right to dismiss their offer; having played a big part this season and with the contract being offered to him, it shows he is a wanted man.
To leave a club that presents him with the best chance of silverware would be a bad move, and the fact he is being offered £165k a week shows he’s not going to be a bit part player. Would they be offering that type of money if he wasn’t part of their first-team plans? Certainly not!