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.
If the narrative that’s underpinned Andrey Arshavin’s career at Arsenal is one of frustration and beleaguering mystery, then the resolution could ultimately be one of tragedy, following the news that the Russian is contemplating hanging up his boots at the end of the Premier League season.
Only five years after he had the world at his feet following his awe-inspiring performances during Euro 2008 and aged only 31-years-of-age, recent reports have suggested that the former Zenit man is seriously considering the prospect of retirement when his current deal with the Gunners expires at the end of June.
The initial outpouring of emotion from the wider footballing public towards Arshavin, however, seems to have been one of scorn.
The Russian’s career doesn’t hang in the balance at the hands of injury, nor does it find itself coming to a close towards anything approaching financial pain should he choose to retire; Arshavin is reported to earn around £95,000-a-week.
Whereas we’ve seen footballers who loved the game beyond measure, such as Dean Ashton and Fabrice Muamba, have their careers taken from them in their mid-twenties, Arshavin seems to be wasting away his outrageous gifts without much of a care in the world. And it’s within that notion of care that you’ll find the epicentre of the majority of fans’ disdain towards him.
Because following his club record £15million move to the Emirates Stadium in 2009, it simply wasn’t supposed to end like this.
After announcing himself on the world-scene with a string of magnificent performances for his country at Euro 2008, Arshavin dazzled supporters following his move to north London a little over six months down the track.
Technically gifted, a wonderful dribbler of the ball and a seemingly unstoppable force when running at speed, the little Russian showed exactly why the likes of Barcelona had battled for his signature following his exploits in Austria and Switzerland.
Despite only playing half a season with the club, Arshavin came runner-up in the voting for Arsenal’s player of the season award, following a blockbuster introduction to English football that saw him notch up seven assists and score seven goals in little over 12 games; four efforts of which came in the now infamous 4-4 draw away to Liverpool, where Arshavin became the first player since Dennis Westcott in 1946 to score a quartet at Anfield.
Far from being the tip of the iceberg in terms of what he had to offer the club, sadly that outstanding effort on Merseyside proved to be the zenith of Arshavin’s Arsenal career. Understandably, after eking out only four-and-a-half months consistent service from a four-and-a-half year deal, supporters are well within their right to lambaste a player who should have produced so, so much more for the sort of money the club had shelled out for.
Although while the buck ultimately stops with Arshavin and nobody else for his lacklustre time in North London, how much can fans really demonize a player whose fate was in no small part catalyzed by a manager who simply never believed in his record signing?
Arshavin has not been without his failings at the Emirates Stadium. If all flair players tend to bestow the footnote of ‘drifting in and out of games,’ then Arshavin’s must surely come with an asterisk beside it.
Too many times the Russian has worn the look of a man disillusioned enough with his football that the basic work ethic simply hasn’t been in attendance and for those paying their hard-earned money to watch their side play, Gunners fans have been well within their right to throw their share of stick his way.
Although if Arshavin has remained firmly in the line of fire from Arsenal supporters over the last couple of years, then Arsene Wenger has played his own part in helping him over the trench and straight into no-mans-land.
The common argument that Arshavin’s woes have stemmed from being played out of position are often batted away as the stuff of urban myth and even for those that do go along with the tactical failings that the Russian has endured, the common argument is that he should have done better under the circumstances.
But should he really have done better?
Andrey Arshavin spent his entire career at Zenit ghosting in and out of games, expertly finding space and picking the right time to expose the failings of opposition defences throughout games. Industrious defensive work, sustained deliveries from out wide and the bread-and-butter elements of the traditional winger has never been in his attacking remit.
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Yet for the vast majority of his Arsenal career, this is the role that he’s been asked to play. Has he been totally bereft of the opportunity to play as a No10? Not entirely, no and even on the rare occasions we have seen him play centrally, rarely have we been treated to a performance of the calibre he once used to produce as par for the course.
But Andrey Arshavin’s biggest failure at Arsenal hasn’t been this perceived lack of care for the badge of some form of showing of contempt for the club that pays his wages. The biggest crime he’s been guilty of is not being someone that he isn’t.
Regardless of what fate now lies ahead for Arshavin at the end of the season, the book should have closed on his Arsenal career a long time ago.
His wage demands, decreasing stock and reported reluctance to play below a level he is now surely destined for, have all played a part in ensuring interest ‘couldn’t be colder,’ from other clubs. But although the blame for his demise must lie in his lap, it’s been a two way street from the outset, however Wenger wishes to frame it.
We celebrated 20 years of the Premier League last season and what a pair of decades they’ve been. There’s been incredible goals, saves and celebrations year after year produced by a number of incredible players. England’s top flight has seen some truly remarkable talent during that time, with some of the greatest players to ever play the beautiful game lighting up the league. Much was expected of stars like Thierry Henry or Patrick Vieira when they first arrived, but others, like Cristiano Ronaldo or Cesc Fabregas, shot to stardom out of nowhere.
However, there’s been scores of players who simply haven’t delivered the goods at the highest level unfortunately. Countless times, an individual has broken through the ranks or signed from abroad with much expected from him, only to disappoint everyone when he fails to make the cut. It’s inevitable given the turnover of players these days among the top clubs that some of the replacements aren’t going to be up to scratch, but there have been some miserable flops over the years. We check out the top 15 Premier League players that offered so much, but delivered so little.
Click on Mario Jardel to unveil the 15 that offered much and delivered little
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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.”
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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Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has hit back at speculation that Christian Benteke wants to sign for Arsenal, claiming the Belgian international was misquoted and misreported.
Benteke signed for the Villans in the summer, moving from Genk for £7million, and has impressed with four goals in ten appearances for the Birmingham-based relegation candidates.
But reports released this morning suggested the Belgium striker, capped nine times for his country, had a pragmatic view of his career at Villa Park, not hiding his intentions to move to Arsenal. Many people believe that the reports also made Benteke appear disrespectful and ignorant towards his new club’s fans and heritage.
“I am not afraid of making enemies at Aston Villa by saying I love Arsenal. There are worse things one can say,” Benteke told the Daily Express.
“I am a Villa player for now. They are the right club at the right time for me. I have fulfilled a dream by playing in the Premier League.
“Villa are the beginning of my career in England. Although I didn’t know their full history, I knew they’d played in the Champions League and won plenty of titles and cups.
“At the time I signed I didn’t know where they played. I thought they were a London club.
“Arsenal are the club I love. I like their philosophy of selecting young players and, besides, they had Thierry Henry in their team.”
In his Friday press conference, that was later replayed on Sky Sports News, Lambert told reporters that his striker had fallen victim to the press and his comments had been taken out of context.
“The big guy doesn’t say two words let alone give a full story,” said the Scottish boss.
“I think that’s naughty journalism what they’ve tried to do.
“Every young footballer has a team or player they follow, if Christian has a team thats no great danger to anybody.
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“I think what it says about Benteke doesn’t really care if upsets Aston Villa fans, I think that’s really naughty, I don’t think he said that in any stretch of the imagination whatsoever,” he added.
Benteke is expected to take part in Aston Villa’s Premier League clash away to Manchester City on Saturday.
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.
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.
[cat_link cat=”manchester-united” type=”list”]
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.
Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed question marks about Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United, but admitted his selection dilemma in attack are tougher than any other point in his career at Old Trafford.
Ferguson started with Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa in attack in the 3-2 win over Fulham and Rooney came off the bench for the final quarter of the match only to sustain a gash to his thigh that will keep him on the sidelines for at least a month. Although Ferguson stated that he did not want to start with Rooney and Van Persie together due to concerns over the fitness of both, his decision to leave the former out prompted speculation about his future. But the United manager has rejected any doubt about Rooney’s status at the club, saying:
“It doesn’t bother me to be honest with you, I am not in the slightest bit interested. It won’t affect me one bit, it is not a problem. It is only one game.”
Asked whether Rooney can rediscover his previous sharpness, Ferguson said:
“Yes of course he will. He will concentrate on that. He is a boy that needs games you can see that from the frame he’s got. He’s stocky, strong and he really needs games, simple as that.”