It seems that the past week haven’t been the best for Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood. Having been under heavy media fire after criticising his players, his staff, and even the owners, Sherwood is back in the spotlight after his team fell to a 3-1 home defeat to Benfica in the EuropaAfter some Spurs players came out to confess the hostile dressing room atmosphere after Chelsea beat thrashed them 4-0, the manager was at it again as he was spotted going head-to-head with Benfica boss Jorge Jesus.Fans on Twitter as expect, had a field day, with suggestions that Tim Sherwood is not really doing anyone favours as he is finds himself in the middle of a media storm again.Is Sherwood’s time running out at White Hart Lane?https://vine.co/v/MbgbaBJ1iMI/embed/simple
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini celebrated three years in charge at the Etihad this week and he is proud of what he has achieved in a short space of time.
City have added numerous world class players to their squad and have gone on to win both the FA Cup and of course the Premier League to give Manchester the rivalry it has always craved.
The noisy neighbours will never forget what happened last season and the work that Mancini has done to build a squad capable of winning everything.
Despite reminiscing, Mancini also knows that being knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage and sitting six points behind United this season is worrying.
However, the Italian believes that he has changed football in England and in particular Manchester to dethrone Sir Alex Ferguson at the top. Winning the FA Cup and Premier League is all well and good but the best teams go on to win back-to-back trophies and consistently perform at the top, which is something Mancini is working on at the Etihad.
“I think that we worked really well because when I arrived here three years ago I didn’t think that maybe in two years we would win the Premier League and FA Cup,” Mancini told The Sun.
“I thought that maybe four or five years to win the Premier League because it isn’t easy.
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“We changed things in England, and Manchester in particular, because for 20 or 30 years United won everything.
“We’ve also made mistakes, which is normal when we work and it can happen, and we need to continue to work hard to improve our game.”
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor wants the FA to prove it can deal with racism following following the incident involving referee Mark Clattenburg and Chelsea players on Sunday.
Both the FA and the Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations that Clattenburg racially abused Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel in the Premier League clash between the Blues and Manchester United on Sunday.
And Taylor wants this case to be treated more efficiently than the one involving John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, but feels the involvement of the police won’t help.
Taylor told Sky Sports: “This time I want football to learn and deal with this issue as quickly, efficiently and as transparently as possible. Football has got to show it can deal with it.
“It’s a reflection of what happens in a higher court and we need to deal with it quickly and efficiently, and then we can move on.
“Involving the police, or being asked to wait for the police, causes a massive festering of the issue within football that has continued to cause problems. That’s not good for the image of our game because we all have to deal with this together and move forward together.”
Taylor went on to explain that the FA has to set a good example when it comes to racism issues so that they can warrant any future complaints made about incidents towards English players, like the recent events in Serbia.
“This is a football issue. We need to set a good example in this country so that we’ve got justifiable complaints about what happened in Serbia or in Spain for example,” he continued.
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“We need to show we are more than capable with dealing with it and I believe that was the mistake in delaying matters with the John Terry and Anton Ferdinand case.”
The most recent barometer of Tottenham’s readiness for the Premier League season, was last Thursday’s marquee friendly against Valencia. And whilst it was by no means a complete disaster, it spelt out emphatically the issues that Spurs have yet to address during the summer transfer period.
The way in which Andre Villas-Boas’ side went to the Mestalla and enjoyed such large spells of possession, offered real room for encouragement. Valencia are one of the more technically accomplished teams on the continent and their impressive third placed finish under ex-coach Unai Emery is testament to that. Considering the starting holding pair of Jake Livermore and Jermaine Jenas may not even make the XI on Saturday, it made the feat all the more impressive.
But there was a stark difference between the two sides last week and it wasn’t difficult to distinguish which side carried the greater threat. Valencia looked dangerous whenever they went forward, and although Spurs went down to a couple of fantastic goals, it’s difficult to argue with the final result. Tottenham looked toothless up front and it’s no surprise that Mauricio Pellegrino’s team were happy to let Tottenham see so much of the ball. They didn’t do an awful lot with it.
And the frustrating thing for supporters is that nothing that happened last week was of any real surprise. The situation that Spurs find themselves with up front, has been well publicised all summer. Jermain Defoe is the only recognised striker at the club and as great a goalscorer he may be, he simply does not suit AVB’s new set-up. Some fans may feel bored of the continuous assumption that the well-liked Defoe has no future in the starting line up, but those who watched events at the Mestalla cannot be under any doubts; that was only a sampler.
Tottenham need at least one more frontman and they’ve known that for what feels like a very long time. And it doesn’t matter how you want to frame it, if Spurs go to Newcastle without that striker, they have in some respects, failed themselves in the transfer window.
No one is under any doubts that Daniel Levy will pull a frontman out of the bag before the transfer window slams shut, but there is something macabre in the way in which it appears to be left to the last minute. Some have suggested that what the Spurs supremo is doing is a masterstroke and that there is no ‘value’ in the transfer market before August. However right that might be, the concept of it is deeply flawed.
If that was true, in essence, Daniel Levy is saying to Andre Villas-Boas that he won’t have his first choice XI for the first or arguably the second fixture of the season. Depending on how many changes hinge on the sale of Luka Modric, that could even be perceived as writing the first game off. Regardless of whether you think Spurs already have enough in the tank to get past Alan Pardew’s side on Saturday, it simply isn’t good enough. Nobody needs reminding of how many points Tottenham missed out on guaranteed Champions League football last season. You must be prepared for every game in this league. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, is an apt little adage.
Levy cannot be panned for his running of the football club and the fact Tottenham Hotspur are looking to push on for another shot at Champions League football this season, is in no small part to the stance Levy has adopted since he became chairman. But that doesn’t mean he’s bulletproof. The Essex-born businessman has invested highly in disposing of Harry Redknapp and acquiring his favoured coaching set-up in Andre Villas-Boas and his team. The Portuguese needs the best possible start; leaving the team woefully short up front for the first game of the season seems a little bit counter-productive to say the least.
It is the responsibility of Levy and his team to acquire the transfer targets, not Andre Villas-Boas. And up front, the excuses are running out for why no one’s been brought in. Emmanuel Adebayor may be flailing around with wage demands but that isn’t an excuse. Spurs should have set a deadline and they should have enforced ultimatums to the Togolese international. Putting all their eggs in the bag of someone like Adebayor is a huge gamble and at the moment, it’s blowing up in their faces. If the ex-Arsenal man couldn’t agree terms with all parties earlier, it should have been a case of thank you and goodbye.
Similarly with another massively rumoured target, Leandro Damiao, Spurs seem to have postured for an eternity with the Brazilian. For near on 18 months now, Tottenham have tracked the Internacional starlet. They knew what the goalposts were going to be. If they are that keen on him, why was it decided to leave it till after the Olympics to table an offer? The odds on him having a good tournament were always high and consequently, his transfer fee would have risen. If efforts are being made to negotiate a lower fee, than they only have themselves to look at in the mirror.
You can never second-guess what has been going on behind the scenes and it would be foolish to suggest Levy hasn’t been working hard. One or two deals have been thought to have been brokered, only to fall apart and who knows who the board were working to acquire. But all of their rivals have done the bulk of their transfer work early and they head into the season more or less there. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen were excellent deals that were sorted out weeks ago. The problem is, that could only be the tip of the iceberg.
Tottenham need at least one striker, if not two. Arguably their most talented player has no future at the club and a replacement must be sought out. To top things off, the new manager supposedly craves a new goalkeeper to bring to the fore. The new season starts in a matter of days.
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Levy will sort the problems out at Spurs and things will start moving quicker when, with all fingers crossed, the Modric deal goes through. No one is criticising the chairman for refusing to be bent over by Real Madrid. But if the team struggle to make an impression upon the Newcastle United defence on Saturday, don’t look at Adebyaor, Damiao or Villas-Boas for criticism.
How do you feel about Spurs transfer brinkmanship this summer? The right thing to do or a gamble too far? Let me know how you feel about how the summer’s gone on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and get involved with the Spurs talk.
Mario Balotelli is the gift that keeps on giving to journalists, as Roberto Mancini left out the Italian star after a night out in Manchester before City took on Real Madrid, The Daily Mail reports.
As punishment, the 22-year-old was forced to travel to the Spanish capital knowing he would not play any part in the match at the Bernabeu.
He was pictured with boxer Amir Khan at the Circle Club after City’s 1-1 draw with Stoke, against the wishes of Mancini, who asked the player to rest ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match.
It is the latest bad publicity for the club in a string of incidents involving the Italian, with perhaps the most notable of them all occurring after friends set off fireworks in his bathroom, causing a fire.
Balotelli has also been caught smoking on a number of occasions, both in and out of work, reportedly refusing Mancini’s advice to seek counselling or hypnotherapy on the issue.
A source told the Daily Star: “Mario Balotelli is in the bad books on two fronts – a very late night out after the Stoke game and his refusal to stop smoking. He and Mancini had words on Monday afternoon and it led to him being dropped from the squad.”
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The former Inter Milan manager has so far kept the faith with Balotelli, but surely it is only a matter of time before his patience is exhausted.
Swansea will be looking to halt a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats when Reading arrive at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Brian McDermott’s men are also in desperate need of points, after they were denied their first Premier League win of the season last weekend by Demba Ba’s hand.
The worry for Swansea boss Micheal Laudrup will be where the goals are going to come from, having seen his side fail to find the net in their last three.
There are no new suspension worries for the Swans, while midfielder Kemy Agustien is expected to make his comeback from a leg injury.
Defenders Kyle Bartley and Neil Taylor are long-term injury concerns for Laudrup’s men, with a thigh strain and a fractured ankle respectively.
Goalkeeper Adam Federici remains sidelined with a knee problem for Reading, while midfielder Mikele Leigertwood is expected to recover from a dead leg in time to feature in some part.
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Striker Jason Roberts has fully recovered from a calf problem and could make his first start of the season at the Liberty Stadium.
Pre-season is all about fitness, which is why there should be little importance placed on Arsenal’s 1-0 loss in the Emirates Cup to Monaco, and even less emphasis on the 5-1 hammering of Benfica a day earlier on Saturday.
Arsenal’s friendly tournament did offer a little insight to the current stages of two of Arsene Wenger’s young forwards, however.
The loudest cheer on Saturday arrived upon Alexis Sanchez’s showing, naturally. But there were plenty of eyes on Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo, with the latter picking up four goals – his first in an Arsenal shirt – against last season’s Europa League finalists.
Wenger made a point last season of commenting that Sanogo would surprise Arsenal supporters. Either it was a means to calm the unsettled masses after the comically cliché signing of the young French forward, or there was something genuine and sincere about what the Arsenal boss had to say.
Sanogo has the build to be a good player in the Premier League – there has been little doubt about that. The real question is whether he has the class and quality to play for a club like Arsenal. Though Wenger’s faith never seemed to waver last season, allowing for Sanogo to see minutes in extremely high-stakes games against Bayern Munich and Liverpool, as well as the semi-final and final of the FA Cup, the former Auxerre forward generally frustrated supporters, in spite of his willingness to work.
The Emirates Cup, as forgotten as it will be this time next week, may prove to be the watershed moment Sanogo needed. Friendly or not, scoring four goals will do wonders for the confidence of a striker who has had his fair share of opportunities to find that until-now elusive goal.
But the Frenchman is still a little way off being a good enough contributor to Arsenal, and though Wenger has a history of standing by youngsters at Arsenal, many are wise to the thought that the manager had little other option beside turning to Sanogo last season, with so few options behind first-choice striker Olivier Giroud.
A loan move for Sanogo is best, and preferably within the Premier League. It’s a huge step up from Ligue 2 Auxerre to a club battling for silverware on numerous fronts and competing in the Champions League. This time around, Wenger does have the options in his squad to relieve Sanogo for the upcoming campaign and allow for a much-needed loan spell away from the limelight of the Emirates.
One of those options is Joel Campbell, who was one of the standout performers in Arsenal’s win against Benfica.
It’s been an excellent year for the Costa Rican international thus far. He had been enjoying a promising loan spell at Olympiakos last season, but very much needed that goal against Manchester United in the Champions League to get his name out there and the ball rolling on what looks to be a bright future.
That was followed by his performances with his national side at the World Cup, in which Campbell proved to be one of the better players in his age group in Brazil. It didn’t take long for the calls from Arsenal supporters to arrive for Campbell to be included in the first-team squad for this season.
And the Emirate Cup has only furthered that claim that the 22-year-old merits a place in Wenger’s squad. Lining up on the right side of attack, Campbell was key in much of Arsenal’s good attacking play. He’s skilful, direct, possesses the quickness Arsenal were desperately short of last season, and certainly has the skill to delight supporters. His goal, Arsenal’s second against Benfica, was as good as anything he’s produced up until now.
Such has been Campbell’s ascent this year that AC Milan have been said to be interested in his services. Though the Italian side have seen a sharp downturn in form over the last 12 months, Milan is still a notable step up from Real Betis and Olympiakos – provided Arsenal choose to move Campbell on.
But in the event Wenger stays true to his word – the manager recently said one, possibly two, new players will arrive; and Arsenal will need a defensive midfielder and possibly a centre-back – Campbell must be retained to add depth and quality to the front line.
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The Costa Rican is versatile enough to play anywhere across the front three, but it’s on the flanks where his value will be most evident. Arsenal, having struggled last season in attack, need options who can get behind opposition backlines and help to stretch the play. Alexis is on the books now, so too is Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but there is no harm in adding even more quality and firepower.
Campbell and Sanogo are quite clearly at different stages in their development. Having seen plenty of top flight football in recent seasons, as well as top international football, Campbell is very much at the stage where he can be considered a valuable member of the Arsenal squad. Sanogo, on the other hand, still has a little way to go. The options available to Wenger now means he can tap the breaks a little in regards to the French forward and allow him the time to develop at his own pace.
The Emirates Cup is a good event to showcase the club’s newest arrivals, but we have also been able to take a lot from the performances of two of Arsenal’s bright young forwards.
Crystal Palace are set to offer talisman Wilfried Zaha his second new contract in just thirteen months, as they look to deter interest from Tottenham Hostpur, according to the Daily Mirror.
What’s the Story?
The contract is reportedly worth in excess of £120,000-a-week, as Palace do not want to risk losing their star player to a Premier League rival in Tottenham Hotspur.
This contract comes just one year Zaha signed a five-year £100,000-a-week deal to keep him at the club until 2022.
The new deal is likely to be more than Tottenham would be willing to pay for Zaha’s signature, dampening their chances of securing the Ivorian.
Just how important is Wilfried Zaha to the Eagles?
In a word: invaluable. The decision to stump up an extra £20,000-a-week to secure the services of the Ivorian is likely an easy call for Chairman Steve Parrish and his consortium.
There is no doubt Zaha would improve a Tottenham team who are looking to really push on under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino. However, it is by no means a guarantee that he would be an automatic starter in a Spurs team dripping with talent. Without his goals and assists, Palace fell to nine defeats in the nine matches Zaha missed, highlighting his importance to the team.
Trickery, pace, ability to take on players and a new found knack for goal scoring, he is the man who makes the Eagles tick, and the team often look lost and one-paced without Zaha pulling the strings.
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Zaha’s Perfect Club
A South London boy, Zaha’s ill fated move to Manchester United, in which he found himself frozen out by then United boss David Moyes, led to speculation he needs to be in an environment where he is the main man and has a relationship with the fans.
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Crystal Palace find themselves in a position where, if they can build a team around Zaha, they would be an attacking threat to any Premier League defence.
This contract being accepted would be a major step forward for Crystal Palace, securing their key man before adding some much needed reinforcements to the squad before the end of the summer transfer window.
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Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to snap up Crystal Palace wonderkid Wilfried Zaha as their scouting team step up their assignments on the player, according to the Daily Mirror.
Zaha has been in sublime form for the Eagles so far this season and it appears that despite Spurs being the main contenders for the England under-21’s signature, rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are also in the hunt for the pacey winger.
Palace set their asking price at a whopping £20million for their prized asset last week but it appears Spurs would be happy to pay an original £10million plus add ons for the hottest youngsters around.
The Daily Mirror also report that former Arsenal assistant manager, Pat Rice, has been to watch Zaha twice in recent weeks along with representatives from Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City amongst others.
It seems Palace will struggle to receive their £20million target, however with the amount of competition for Zaha’s signature; they may not fall too far short. I know that every Eagles fan will simply say ‘He’s just too good for you!’
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Few things bring me off my seat while watching a game of football the way Luis Nani scoring a goal does. Not only are his goals usually as exquisite as they are unexpected, but him finding the net brings on a certain thrilling anticipation; how will he celebrate? How many flicks before the back-flip?
The Manchester United winger’s talent for gymnastics has even given him a reputation for being better at celebrating than scoring. And having recorded only 26 goals in 138 appearances for United, there is some truth to that claim.
Nani has completely failed to fulfill his potential with the champions. In his sixth season at the club he is still struggling to claim a spot in the starting XI, and despite recently signing an improved contract that will keep him in Manchester for another five years, the manager seems reluctant to pick him for the big games, or indeed at all. So why has such a talented player failed to establish himself in the Premier League?
There is no doubt Nani has what it takes to make an impact in the top flight. When he arrived at Manchester United he was quickly compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, and as this was the season after Ronaldo had broken through at a consistent level, the fans where thrilled to have the prospect of a double threat on their hands. Like Ronaldo, Nani has a vicious burst of pace when running at defenders. Like Ronaldo, he has mouth-watering skills and good feet, and strikes the ball well with either foot. Like Ronaldo, he has good strength, and can cross the ball.
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The difference between the two is simply that Ronaldo consistently plays at an extra-terrestrial level, and Nani tends to drift off into mediocrity on a more than consistent basis.
Now 27, the time when the Portuguese was excused for being young and unpredictable is long gone, and Nani must be expected to be reliable should he ever get a run of games under David Moyes. For a player who ticks every box on the skill chart, though, his promise far from matches his performance level. If I was to rate Nani for Football Manager, I would give him a solid run of 20’s in the technical and physical sections, and I’d might even throw in a 15 on flair, though that is where my endorsement of his mental attributes end. Because the only possible explanation for Nani’s Lada Riva-like inconsistency is that he’s in the completely wrong frame of mind to perform on a weekly basis.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Nani acknowledged that his form is below what is expected from him, and blames confidence for his inability to excel.
“The coaches are trying to get my confidence higher to show all the qualities I have got,” Nani said.
“They are trying to get me back to my best level.”
Could the answer to his issues be that simple? Football is filled with examples of players who seem to lose their very presence once confidence drops, as we have seen with Fernando Torres at Chelsea.
The early season has also been dominated by last year’s most laughed at player by far, Aaron Ramsey. We now praise Arsene Wenger for having the vision to stick with the Welshman, despite fans continuously voicing their discontent. Perhaps if Nani was given time to settle in the starting XI there would be a reward waiting for David Moyes in the shape of a completely changed footballer.
The problem is, that reward would be on the other side of a run of games which would cost United precious points, and even a run at the title. The sort of confidence boost Luis Nani needs does not happen overnight, and the Red Devils must be prepared to drop points along the way should they choose this strategy.
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But it does seem like Moyes is more than willing to have a go at reinventing his winger. The five-year contract that was signed in October is surely a result of the manager’s long-term thinking rather than Nani’s recent performances, and Moyes has had success before with giving players responsibility.
With Nani, perhaps a run of games awards the manager with a good run of form rather than the other way around.