Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler believes that’s Steven Gerrard can mirror Manchester United hero Ryan Giggs by playing at the very highest level into his 40s.
The once rampaging attacking midfielder has now been moved into a deeper position under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers, and has been thriving in what has been dubbed by many as the ‘quarterback role’.
There were doubts surrounding the 33-year-old’s ability to tame his forward thinking instincts, but he appears to have done so with his range of passing making him a deadly weapon for the title chasing Reds from just in front of his own backline.
United ace Giggs is a prime example of a player having altered his style to play to an older age, with the Welshman now a central midfielder after making his name as a flying winger.
The Red Devils man is still a first-team player at Old Trafford despite being 40, and Fowler thinks that Gerrard can emulate his adaptation and longevity:
“I think so. I am more than pleased for Steven because a lot of people were saying at the start of season maybe he is not as good as he was, or he is finished.” He said when questioned by talkSPORT about Gerrard’s ability to play to the same age as Giggs.
“For me, he has been immense this year. I know Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and even Raheem Sterling are getting a lot of the plaudits but I don’t think you can take away what Steven has done for the club this year.
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“He has always been a fantastic player and he has certainly got a good few years left in him. What a story it will be if he goes on the pick up this Premier League trophy. I think a lot of people will genuinely love to see that.”
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Aston Villa have brought in the man who exposed attempted match-fixing in Italy last year as a community coach.
Simone Farina will aid Aston Villa in spreading a message of fair play. He will help in the development of the next generation of players in Aston Villa’s community programme.
Farina, now 30 years old, was at Serie B team Gubbio, when he turned down an offer of £160,000 (200,000 euros), which was double his yearly salary to influence the Italian Cup match between Cesena and his team last November. However, Farina, who also used to be a defender for Roma, refused, before reporting the offence to the police, leading to 17 people being arrested .
As a result, he was made the Fifa ambassador for fair play by Fifa president Sepp Blatter and was awarded a commemorative medal by Interpol, a police organisation for the contribution to law enforcement and crime prevention. Additionally, it was Interpol who recommended Farina to Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner.
Farina has been in Birmingham for the last few weeks and will help children aged between five and 12 and find talent for Villa’s Bodymoor Heath academy.
Lerner has said that Interpol’s Secretary General recommended Farina for “his immense courage and dignity when confronted with a very difficult situation.”
Lerner added: “I’m really pleased that Simone has taken up this opportunity and that he has fit in quickly and so well with our community coaching programme.”
Farina says that he is “delighted” to work with Villa and help with the development of younger players.
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He added: “I wanted to move on with my life. Now I feel that I have real purpose again because of the support and opportunity Villa have given me. Randy Lerner and Paul Faulkner have been fantastic and already I feel I am part of the Villa family, with the way the club have embraced me. The opportunity here at Villa is perfect for me.”
Farina is an FA qualified coach, and has a Level One Award in Coaching Football.
Four Sporting Lisbon players – including long-term Newcastle United target Bas Dost – have terminated their contracts with the Portuguese outfit, as reported by The Telegraph on Tuesday morning, and Magpies fans have been quick to react.
The Telegraph says that the Netherlands international – along with teammates William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes and Gelson Martins – have all rescinded their deals claiming “just cause”, with Dost one of the players injured when some supporters broke into the club’s training ground and attacked the players last month.
Meanwhile, Toon boss Rafa Benitez is in the market for a new centre-forward this summer in order to boost a frontline that only netted 39 goals in their 38 Premier League matches last term, and he would surely be tempted by the opportunity to bring a player who has scored a remarkable 61 times in 61 Liga NOS outings for Sporting.
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Newcastle supporters, who want their club to snap up a £25m Premier League winger this summer, took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “I don’t even want him anymore”, another said “Charnley is on it lads”.
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Danny Rose has failed to win over the entire Tottenham Hotspur fanbase following his outburst in the summer.
The left-back publicly criticised the club for their transfer activity and relatively modest wage structure.
Rose also questioned the club’s ambition, but since he spent the aftermath out of the limelight recovering from a knee injury, the furore soon passed.
The full-back was reintegrated back into the team and has made nine appearances in all competitions this season.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino, though, has been without Rose for the past three weeks due to injury.
The 27-year-old’s future at the North London outfit remains uncertain, but according to The Independent, Manchester United have ended interest in him.
The Red Devils were initially heavily linked with a swoop, but Jose Mourinho is believed to have abandoned plans to sign a new left-back in this window as he has been impressed with Luke Shaw’s comeback.
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This latest development surrounding Rose’s future has got Tottenham fans talking.
Daniel Sturridge says that he is happy that he left Chelsea to join Liverpool last year, with a lack of belief in his abilities while at Stamford Bridge a source of frustration.
The England international was arguably the signing of the January transfer window in 2012, as he immediately settled into life at Anfield.
Sturridge was used sparingly in West London during his time there, with the club often electing to field him in a wide position despite him being more adept from a central area.
Since joining Liverpool he has operated in his desired role frequently, and has even thrived alongside the headline-grabbing Luis Suarez in a partnership dubbed ‘SAS’.
Sturridge told the Anfield Wrap that he always had faith in his abilities while at Chelsea, but found it frustrating that he was played out of position:
“When I was at Chelsea I wasn’t myself,” he says. “I wasn’t me as a person in terms of how open I am.
“I couldn’t be myself in terms of everything. When I came here I made the point to myself, ‘You know what, Daniel, just be yourself’ and if people take it well, then good.
“I always thought I’d make it but I was never sure if I’d play as a striker because people didn’t believe in me,
“I was often asked to play in a different position and to do a job for the team but having been a striker and then being asked to just flick a switch and play on the wing was always going to be difficult because mentally you’re going to play the way you always have and I play on instinct.
“I think that now I’m just playing the way that I did as a kid but I’d never had the chance to do that. When I was playing as a winger at Chelsea I was over-thinking it because I wasn’t used to doing it. It’s about that split second when you have to decide whether you do this or do that whereas now I’m just playing on instinct. I’m just doing the natural thing, playing my natural game and doing things off the cuff.
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Despite only joining Liverpool last year and having spent a large chunk of this season out injured, Sturridge has already netted over 20 goals in all competitions.
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Micah Richards played centre back at the weekend for the first time in five months, and put in a performance to spark claims of an England call up.
After the recent international retirement from former captain John Terry, and Roy Hodgson appearing to rule out picking Rio Ferdinand, there does appear to be a vacancy at the heart of defence for England.
Richards’ ability at the highest level has consistently been questioned, and in a 6 year career he has only managed to secure 13 caps.
Despite his decision to reject the chance to be on the stand-by list for Euro 2012, the Birmingham born defender has added fuel to the fire in showing that he is ready for England.
Manchester City team mate, Pablo Zabaleta told The Telegraph, “I think Micah is a fantastic player and he deserves to be in the national team, Micah came back to the team, he was solid at the back.
“He is young, he is strong and he can give England what he wants to give Manchester City. He can play either at centre back or right back.”
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His versatility also adds scrutiny to England managers who have overlooked the talented defender.
“Terry’s not in the international team any more so maybe that is a good chance for him to get into the England team,” Zabaleta added.
Liverpool would have taken a step further in their progression had they won the Champions League on Saturday night.
However, it was not to be as Real Madrid earned a 3-1 triumph, and they were helped along by some goalkeeping howlers from Loris Karius.
The German’s performance highlighted Liverpool’s need for a goalkeeper this summer.
After the final whistle, Karius was visibly distraught and in floods of tears, much like his teammate Mohamed Salah, who was forced off the pitch 31 minutes in with a dislocated shoulder.
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Liverpool have received plenty of plaudits this season for their scintillating attacking form.
In the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp’s side finished fourth, but in three of their four fixtures against title winners Manchester City in all competitions, they showed that they are more than capable of matching Pep Guardiola’s side.
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Some may have felt that the Reds would be title challengers next season, but after their disappointment in the Champions League final, have things changed?
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Arsenal could lose out to the Premier League’s bottom side Swansea City in the race to sign AC Milan striker Andre Silva, who could be an alternative option if a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang falls through this month.
What’s the word, then?
Soccer Football – Europa League – AC Milan vs Rijeka – San Siro, Milan, Italy – September 28, 2017 AC Milan’s Andre Silva celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Well, French media outlet Le10Sport reported back in December that the Gunners were interested in bringing the Portugal international to the Emirates during the January transfer window, having been impressed with his performances for the Serie A giants.
However, there has been no further progress in the north London outfit’s interest this month and now the Daily Mail says that Swansea are targeting the 22-year-old having been rebuffed in an attempt to sign Kevin Gameiro from Atletico Madrid.
Silva only joined Milan in a £32m deal from FC Porto last June, but a move away from the San Siro appears to be on the cards before January 31 with Le10Sport reporting that he hasn’t lived up to expectations.
How has Silva done this season?
He has done very well in Europe, but not so well in Serie A.
The 22-year-old centre-forward has scored all eight of his goals this term in 10 appearances in the Europa League, but he is yet to find the net in 12 Italian top flight outings having largely played second fiddle to Nikola Kalinic at the San Siro.
According to WhoScored.com, his main strengths are his ability to play key passes, his passing, finishing and headed attempts, and the Portugal international has made 17 key passes in 18 appearances in Serie A and the Europa League group stages this season, winning 25 of the 55 aerial duels he has faced.
Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?
He certainly could be, yes.
While Silva has failed to find the net in Serie A he has largely been restricted to cameo appearances form the bench, and his record in the Europa League, as well as the fact he scored 24 goals in 58 games for Porto and has 11 in 18 caps for his country, show the quality and potential that he has.
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He is certainly a different player to Lacazette, but the north London outfit’s reported interest in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would sideline any potential move for the AC Milan man.
Things are going slightly better at Old Trafford. Since the humiliating and alarming loss at home to West Bromwich, Manchester United have gone on an eight game unbeaten run, and are now just three points off the second spot in the league. After last night’s goalless draw against Real Sociedad, they are also in a strong position to win their group in the Champions League. A season that began with concerns about Moyes’s ability to manage the champions, and escalated in to a media perception of catastrophic proportions, is about to pick itself up.
Yet, the composed but toothless performance against Sociedad suggests that there are still concerns in the United team.
But firstly, let’s establish one thing: Manchester United were never threatened last night. A point away to the fourth best team in Spain is hardly a disaster, and the Reds bossed the home team, creating enough clear cut chances to kill the game. The frailness that weighed them down in the opening league games look resolved, but I have one major problem with David Moyes’s United. They seem so reluctant to attack.
There’s a caution about Man United now that we never saw during Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign. I spotted it the first time in the home draw to Chelsea in the second round of the Premier League. Although they displayed good balance and composure in that game, there was no edge nor desire to really test Mourinho’s defense. The new manager can be excused for not risking conceding a silly goal, but as reigning champions, United are expected to threaten any back four, especially at home.
That game faded out in a boring scoreless draw. I am convinced that the Red Devils of old would have had a go. Even opportunities to counter attack were measured and considered to the degree that they lost the advantage of running at an unorganized defense. The same thing happened against Sociedad. The ball was moved around the pitch at a snugly, complacent pace, and I got the feeling they were more concerned with not loosing than winning.
Even in-form Wayne Rooney looked unwilling to properly run at the Spanish back four. Had the emphasis before the game been on winnning convincingly and secure progression from the group stages, we would have seen Rooney move the ball quicker through the middle, demand that his teammates made quick transitions, and force them to hassle Sociedad when dispossessed. Instead he looked happy to take the draw.
The midfield constellation of Ryan Giggs and Marouane Fellaini suffered from the same attacking apathy. Even if they are defensive midfielders, at the level United should aspire to achieve, they should initiate attacks and put the ball in the danger areas. Furthermore, Fellaini had one of his better performances so far, looking comfortable on the ball, and making few mistakes. But the few he made got him sent off, and this will not make his attempt to settle down in Manchester any easier. You can call the refs decision harsh, but the second yellow, received for his 639th clumsy challenge of the night, was in my opinion fair enough.
What kept Moyes’s men from claiming all three points in the end was wasteful finishing. You would put your kidneys on Chicharito to score a tap in, but this time the Mexican skied his shot. Van Persie should have converted from the spot, though the post seemed to embody karma itself when it kept Claudio Bravo’s sheet clean. Ashley Young’s pathetic dive further disgraced the reputation of a player that have yet to contribute to single positive event this season. No doubt, Moyes’s patience with the winger must be running on fumes, and I can’t see him appearing in the starting XI any time soon.
However, in the long run, I expect David Moyes to succeed at United, and I will not start posting #MoyeOut tweets on my Twitter account. Though I’m not sure his cautious approach is doing him any favors at the moment. This weekend’s clash with Arsenal gives the Red Devils an opportunity against the in-form team in England to prove that they intend to retain the title in May.
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Question is – will Moyes try to score more or concede less than his opponent?
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has once again reiterated his desire to lead the club to European glory again this season and he looks set to name another strong looking line-up in the team’s upcoming clash against Greek outfit Panathinaikos, but is he taking something of a gamble to taking the competition so seriously?
The club were handed a group stage entry position this term as a knock-on effect of Chelsea winning the Champions League last season and they’ve only had one game in the competition to date so far, at home to Lazio, so in that regard it is somewhat difficult to truly tell how the Portuguese boss is approaching it. However, it seems as if he’s in it to win it so to speak this season and repeat the feat he achieved in guiding Porto to the trophy back in 2010 before moving to Stamford Bridge later that summer for his ill-fated reign at Stamford Bridge.
Against the Italian side, while Hugo Lloris may have been handed his first start at the club in place of Brad Fridel and Kyle Naughton coming in at left-back for the injured Benoit Assou-Ekotto, it was pretty much as close as you could get to their first choice starting eleven, with only Younes Kaboul and Emmanuel Adebayor perhaps coming into contention when they both return from their spell out on the treatment table.
All the talk since he took over at White Hart Lane in the summer has been focused on winning silverware, not finishing fourth in the league, so often deemed as tantamount to success by large swathes of Arsenal supporters these days and I for one welcome the ambitious approach it displays and Tottenham are perfectly capable of going deep into the competition should they treat it seriously, I just wish more teams would follow suit.
The sheer amount of managers that treat the Europa League with disdain is shocking; they treat it as a distraction to their domestic campaign, a needless disruption to the real business of finishing in the top eight in the Premier League. The money that the Champions League brings with it by qualifying for it year on year is obviously a huge advantage and not to be missed out on if you have the chance of finishing in the top four, but somewhere along the way how we judge success has become distorted, it’s no longer measured by something tangible such as silverware, but what your club might be able to do next year and next season should they reinvest well enough.
We’ve seen in the past Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa side bust a gut and spend huge sums of money to finish 6th in the league three years running, which in itself was a great achievement, only to then go and name weakened sides in the Europa League, which makes you think, what was the whole point of last season for then?
Why qualify for a competition only to then disregard it as soon as you have a chance to play in it? Portuguese and Spanish clubs do well precisely because they take the opposite viewpoint; they realise that they don’t stand much chance of domestic success with Barcelona and Real Madrid around, so this is there one chance of winning a trophy every season and that’s the approach some English clubs would be better served looking to adopt.
While Brendan Rodgers has been naming weakened sides in it this season at Liverpool, with a first-team squad of just 19 players to choose from, he doesn’t really have much else choice, while Alan Pardew with his recent defensive injury crisis at Newcastle is in a similar boat, but there’s no reason that if they qualify out of the tricky groups stages that they couldn’t do well in the latter stages and make a real impact.
Last term Tony Pulis’ Stoke side were superb in the earlier rounds but the affect it was having on their league from was hugely noticeable and he then decided to field a weakened side away at Valencia in the first knock-out phase with the deficit at just 1-0. During that game, the Spanish side were there for the taking, but Pulis couldn’t even fill a subs bench, naming ten changes and just four subs, with only Robert Huth deemed a guaranteed first-team regular in the starting side.
It was embarrassing and Pulis left nine players at home to kick their heels in frustration, seemingly looking forward to the prospect of facing Swansea at home three days later instead. Perhaps I’m romanticising European competition too much, but it just seemed like a wasted opportunity to do something special for a club that doesn’t often get the opportunity to give its fans much to shout about.
They limped out of the competition with a 1-0 defeat at the Mestalla, but honestly, how much better does it get for Stoke? Aren’t occasions like the one in question what the club and its fan-base have been hoping and dreaming for after all those years spent in the doldrums of the lower leagues?
In such financially testing times as these, the common football fan doesn’t have all that much disposable income to spend on going to games, let alone trips abroad, so imagine their frustration at seeing a largely second-string side turn out in what represented the biggest game in their recent history? A pretty flawed and defensively suspect Valencia side went all the way to the semi-final stage before being knocked out by the side that would go on to win the tournament, Atletico Madrid.
Of course, playing a strong line-up now in Europe may hinder your side further down the home straight and key players may grow tired or jaded at the business end of a long campaign, but I honestly don’t see the problem this early on in the season playing your strongest side most weeks no matter what the competition. They’re professional athletes after all, playing 40-odd games a season shouldn’t be that tough.
Last season Harry Redknapp, and to a lesser extent Roberto Mancini’s handling of a clearly knackered David Silva after the festive period, were called into question, with many slamming how much football they had played and that their respective squads simply hadn’t been rotated enough to keep the side fresh. This is why rotating your side if you get the chance in the ‘easier’ home games around January and afterwards is crucial the later the campaign goes on, but not quite at this stage of the season.
The Europe League is often seen as the annoying younger sibling to the all-consuming money monster that is the Champions League, but for my money, it’s more unpredictable, exciting, entertaining and enjoyable than anything the largely predictable so-called premier competition has to offer, where the same teams reach the semi-final stages every year.
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Villas-Boas has become an easy target for the media simply by virtue of not being Harry Redknapp, a man who they all have an irrational love for it seems, so a stick is often used to beat him with and double-standards and hypocrisy are common place, but to chastise a manager for treating a winnable competition with the respect it deserves is ridiculous. Playing to win it is the right approach that Tottenham should be looking to take this season and the 34-year-old manager should be applauded rather than criticised.