Everton defender Phil Jagielka has praised fellow team mate Marouane Fellaini after his two goals helped Everton come away with a point against Fulham on Saturday.
Despite the Toffees conceding a last minute goal to prevent them from coming away with all three points at Craven Cottage, Jagielka has described the Belgian midfeilder’s performance as “special.”
The England international also claims that Fellaini’s ability to control the ball with his chest can make him a handful to play against.
He told Everton’s official website: “Felli scored with two fantastic finishes. First half I thought he was good, but second half he was special.
“Right from the first minute, he brought it down on his chest and you know that he is going to be a handful. He proved that because his first goal was good but his second was even better.
“He manages to kill a ball quite well. If you have ever tried to control a 40-yard pass from me on your chest it’s not the easiest thing in the world. But he manages to pick up the flight really well and cushion it down.”
Jagielka also went on to admit that he is disappointed Everton couldn’t kill the game off to ensure Fulham’s final minute equaliser wouldn’t affect the final result.
“I thought we played ok first half but in the second we played very well,” he added.
“We showed signs of how well we have been playing for most of the season. We took control of the game and got the two goals.
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“We could have got a third goal, which would have killed the game off. It feels like two points lost.”
On May 14 2012, the entire country was battered with gale-force winds after every Aston Villa supporter let out a collective sigh of relief. The news that the much-loathed figure of Alex McLeish had departed was met with rapturous applause, especially when Paul Lambert was announced as his replacement, having just guided a mediocre Norwich City to unimaginable heights.
Alas, six months later, the club is still wallowing at the wrong end of the table after securing just four Premier League victories all season while boasting the worst goal difference in the division. A demoralising festive period saw the Villans concede a startling 15 goals during three consecutive defeats in which they also failed to score. A potentially season-defining set of fixtures remain in January, but can Lambert’s young side finally fulfil their potential?
A number of underachieving clubs have already flexed their financial muscle during the transfer window, in an attempt to reverse their ailing fortunes. Unfortunately Villa cannot afford this luxury, with Lambert revealing he can only bring in ‘on or two’ players this month. A burning desire for loan signings has also been extinguished, with chairman Randy Lerner refusing to substitute the wages of any temporary solutions.
Lambert can have no cause for complaint after frittering away his transfer budget during the summer. Of the eight new faces he drafted in for a combined figure of nearly £20m, only man-mountain Christian Benteke can be considered a success. Having spent well over £200m in six years, it’s no surprise Lerner seems reluctant to dig further into his pocket.
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Two years ago, Lerner caved into the demands of former manager Gerard Houllier and funded the £18m+ purchase of Darren Bent. The move effectively helped steer this sinking ship away from the drop but there will be no repeat performance this time round, with supporters and staff both in agreement that the club cannot risk their financial future.
In truth, the accounts have slipped further into the red ever since the ‘successful’ reign of Martin O’Neill. The club did achieve three successive sixth-placed finishes, but never managed to qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy and was therefore unable to sustain its expensive pursuit for glory.
O’Neill is often credited with the profitable signings of Ashley Young, James Milner and Stewart Downing, but few remember the £8.5m dumped on Nigel Reo-Coker or the £10m on ‘future England defender’ Curtis Davies. The club’s wage bill has been slashed but still carries the likes of Alan Hutton and Stephen Warnock, while fellow detrimental signings Charles N’Zogbia and Stephen Ireland have hindered rather than helped proceedings.
There is further bad news in the money-saving quest to find a buyer for Darren Bent, especially since Harry Redknapp finally lured Loic Remy to London. If a suitable destination fails to materialise he has to be allowed back into the first-team. Villa have scored just 17 goals this term – the joint lowest in the league – and even though Bent’s immobile presence goes against everything Paul Lambert is trying to implement in his new side, his name will still regularly dress the scoresheet.
With Villa unable to buy their way out of trouble, Lambert must revive his squad of adolescent starlets struggling to cope with the pressures of the Premier League. Unfortunately his inexperienced defence, which had an average age of just 22 in the defeat to Southampton, is in desperate need of experience. Never did I think the likes of Richard Dunne or Ron Vlaar retuning from injury would be deemed so important for a top-flight club.
Lambert’s insistence on gifting opportunities to lower league players proved fruitful with the Canaries but his team lacks the grit and cohesion of a side that has battled its way up through the Championship. While the likes of Anthony Pilkington continue to play above and beyond all expectation, I can’t think of a single Villa player that is currently playing at the top of their game.
In a recent poll, 53% of voters were convinced Villa would be relegated, a split-decision that serves to embody people’s perception of the club. There is undeniable potential within the squad, which rose to the surface in the memorable 3-0 victory at Anfield but their inability to find consistency will inevitably end in disaster.
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The prolonged absence of captain Stiliyan Petrov is a painful reminder of past glories but the distinct lack of fight displayed by the current group of players is arguably more painful. The supporters are subdued yet restless as the club drifts somewhat aimlessly from one match to the next and the current stale atmosphere is in stark contrast to the air of optimism that exists among every other relegation candidate in the league.
The upcoming fixture against West Brom is rather daunting considering the pair’s contrasting league positions and while the cup games offer a nice distraction, the prospect of overturning the scoreline against Bradford and a trip to the New Den will be anything but a reprieve. At present, the club are the only side still competing in every competition they’ve entered but fans will only be satisfied if they are still in the Premier League come May.
It’s important to take note of the rise of Italian football since Juventus reclaimed the Serie A title last season in emphatic fashion. Sure, Italy’s league might not be as fashionable as it once was, with many outsiders looking to it as defend first, excite later. But you can’t hide from the rise in talent over recent years, with a great deal of players attracting attention from foreign clubs.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham will be in need of addressing a number of weaknesses in their squad, and the Italian league could prove to be a good hunting ground this summer. It’s the need to look to a market which can be exploited for one reason or another; Serie A may be experiencing a renaissance, but that doesn’t mean other clubs have to look on without taking action.
Juventus will prove to be the runaway club for the second consecutive year, and there is much to admire about the Champions League quarter-finalists. But they’re the tip of the iceberg, and there is plenty of talent to be found especially for teams like Arsenal and Tottenham.
Click on Marek Hamsik to see the full list of transfer targets
James Tomkins believes that West Ham must recover quickly from their Premier League defeat at the hands of Tottenham, as they prepare to face Manchester United this week.
The Hammers slipped to a 3-1 loss at White Hart Lane, missing their chance to move back in to the top six.
The young defender hopes that his team-mates can put the loss behind them and focus on their trip to Old Trafford:
“We didn’t play at our best but we need to put it behind us quite quickly because we have another big game at Manchester United in a couple of days’ time and the games are coming thick and fast.” He is quoted by SkySports.
“We don’t need to dwell on the result because we have the points on the board and it’s vital we go to Old Trafford with our confidence intact.
“We have to make sure we go to Manchester United 100% mentally.”
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The East Londoners have been in fine form since their return to the top flight, notching impressive victories against the likes of Newcastle and Southampton in recent weeks.
Kevin Nolan has been key for Sam Allardyce’s men, linking well with summer arrival Andy Carroll and weighing in with some important strikes.
Sir Alex Ferguson has leapt to the defence of Manchester United winger, Nani, claiming he is not a diver. Click Manchester reports.
It comes after United’s appeals for a penalty where turned down in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham, when Sandro appeared to have pulled the Portuguese’s shirt in the box.
Ferguson believes it was a decision which should have been given, but did not agree with the quotes made by Manchester City striker, Sergio Aguero, that foreign players are not treated fairly in the Premier League and feels they are the main culprits in using deception to win penalties.
“Nani is not the type to dive.He has never been that type of player. It was a penalty kick on Saturday. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t.
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“As a subject (diving) it is not worth going down because we have known for quite a few years there are plenty of players diving and, you have to say, particularly foreign players,” he said.
Arsene Wenger has claimed that Chelsea got extremely lucky to win the Champions League last season and that the Premier League is still the most important trophy, as reported by the Daily Mirror.
Wenger saw his Arsenal side beaten at home by Chelsea on Saturday, but Wenger claimed the season long test of the Premier League will test Chelsea this season.
Wenger told the Daily Mirror: “In the Champions League, you play one big game at a time. In the Premier League you play many big teams and you have to do well against all of them.
“I still think the Premier League is the massive test.
“One piece of luck Chelsea had last season was Didier Drogba in the first part of the season did not play a lot.
“He came into it in the second half of the season and he made the decision, he was fresh, focused, had a good rest and still hungry to make it happen and he had the quality to do it.
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“If you tell me would you like to win the Champions League I will of course say yes, but it’s a cup competition – not at the start, but in the final part of it, it is a real cup competition.
“You need to go into March and April with your best players available, fit, and that’s not easy, especially when you play in the Premier League.”
Although I am a fan of Roy Hodgson, having been incredibly successful during his days at Fulham and West Brom, in addition to changing the world of Swedish football as we know it by introducing zonal marking in the 1990s, I’m still yet to be convinced by his tenure as England boss.
Despite being far more likeable than his predecessors Fabio Capello and Steve McLaren, and making some difficult decisions over questions that neither dared to answer, such as the eternal Gerrard-Lampard-midfield complex, I continually find myself frustrated at Three Lions performances. If it’s not a 1-1 draw and poor showing against Montenegro, it’s a casual victory against a European minnow, by scoring from a set piece or taking advantage of lacklustre defending, rather than creating a style of play which allows the England national team to assert dominance over their opponents, despite their often lack of ability.
Of course, the team’s failings should never be attributed to the manager alone. I think we’ve all accepted that our golden generation, the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, has been wasted, and now, with the majority of the squad either firmly into their twilight years, late 20-somethings who never reached their full potential, or early 20-somethings still yet to claim a place in the national set-up on merit rather than potential, Hodgson’s options are limited due to the overall decline in ability in comparison to the mid 2000s.
But is he using the best he’s got? And furthermore, is Hodgson actually playing towards our own strengths? While many a fan are confused by the constant inclusion of Tom Cleverley, either as a wide midfielder or even more disturbingly at the tip of a midfield diamond, my concern is in the striker department. Sam Allardyce recently raised an interesting point regarding his loaned-in star, Andy Carrroll.
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When quizzed upon the Geordie being given a more important role in regards to the Three Lions, the West Ham boss replied: “Roy [Hodgson] would be scared to do it because of the reaction he’d get. He would be accused of a direct approach and people would be on his case. But playing Andy does not make you a long-ball team, it just gives you extra options. He is good on the floor and others can play off him. Andy and Wayne Rooney together would work very well and it would benefit Wayne, who is often carrying England’s hopes all on his own.”
The words ring true. You get the feeling that even if the England team recorded a surprise victory against one of the bigger European powers, there would still be an adverse reaction had it been carried out in the style of Stoke rather than that of Manchester United, and any suggestion that it might become Hodgson’s long-term tactical policy would be sternly protested against by the British media.
Yet, the height, pace and power of the Premier League is undoubtedly our strength. Similarly, while other countries focus on passing, technique and movement from an early age, our youth system, which has potential wonder-kids playing on full-sized pitches by the time they’re teenagers, has been geared towards all things physical. It’s created a generation of James Milners, Micah Richards and Gareth Barrys, who may be incredibly athletic in one form or another, but in comparison to their foreign counter-parts, are sufficiently lacking in ability on the ball.
Yet, I still witness England teams on a regular basis woefully attempting to exert control of a match via the use of the football rather than our English hustle and bustle, which more often than not results in our version of ball retention of continually passing up and down the backline, Michael Carrick or Steven Gerrard exchanging a series of short passes with a central defender, before eventually trying to thread the ball to Wayne Rooney who, due to our lack of mobility, is completely isolated as a lone striker.
In addition to playing to our strengths, the biggest advantage I can see from making Andy Carroll an England regular would be to get better use out of Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United forward has been amongst the goals on international duty this season, with seven in his last eight appearances for the Three Lions, yet apart from being able to find the net, Rooney goes absent for most of the game, and rather than being the first port of call to build an attack, he spends the majority of the match wrestling with the ball and unable to find anyone within twenty yards of him to pass to.
Playing Carroll would allow Hodgson to deploy the 27-year-old further back, in a similar position to where he is used for United, and without the requirement to spearhead the attack, Rooney would be given the freedom to find space, drop into midfield when required and play off the front man, which furthermore would make him considerably harder to mark in comparison to him being often doubled-up by opponents, limiting his capability to truly affect the game.
Furthermore, the amount of goals that Carroll creates through his presence alone far outweighs his unspectacular record of six goals and two assists in 20 Premier League appearances during his season in exile at Upton Park. His partnership with Kevin Nolan works on the simple premise that defenders will be naturally drawn towards the lanky Geordie, often attempting to block him off in front as well as behind him, which leaves space that the former Bolton and Newcastle man can then exploit and subsequently find the net.
I could never understand why Liverpool never mastered the same concept, by either using Steven Gerrard – who is essentially a rich man’s Kevin Nolan – or Luis Suarez. Similarly, I believe the simple process could be used with Wayne Rooney for the England national team.
But it all depends on your opinions of Andy Carroll in terms of quality, and whether a striker who has scored 26 goals in 103 Premier League appearances throughout his career warrants such a pivotal role in the national set-up. Whilst he has shown glimpses of his ability during the latter half of the season, with one his goals – a volley with the ball travelling over his shoulder – required exceptional skill and technique, the majority of what we’ve seen from the 24 year old has been a lot of hard work with very little end product.
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Similarly, I feel Jermain Defoe’s 11 domestic goals this season, in addition to him being an ever-consistent performer throughout his career, give him as much right to be starting for England as Carroll, and additionally, Daniel Sturridge has been exceptional for Liverpool, with five goals and two assists in seven appearances since signing in January, and more than anything I’ve found myself impressed with the 23 year old’s all round game – a stark deviation to his selfish, trigger-happy manner during his Chelsea days.
Perhaps it is too soon to be discussing the Hammers’ target man’s role in the England squad, considering he is still not at his peak as a footballer, and we are yet to see a full season of him bursting with confidence and free of spells on the sidelines. But with the 2014 World Cup just over a year away, the England team desperately need to find some sense of identity in time for the international tournament.
While perhaps Carroll would not be our most skilled footballer, or even our most efficient striker, he is the epitome of the Premier League. Although he requires an ugly style of play, which even West Ham fans still often disagree with, it is the only slim advantage we have on paper over our more technically gifted, more creative and more tactically astute European rivals. If we finally played to our strengths, rather than playing to get a result, perhaps the England team will finally put in a performance to be proud of.
Sylvain Distin is adamant that Everton are not distracted by talk of Champions League qualification and will only consider the possibility after Christmas.
The Toffees moved above Tottenham into fourth place the Premier League table, following their 2-1 victory over the Londoners at Goodison Park.
This has led to talk that the Merseysiders could make a sustained push to nick the final qualification spot for Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 2005.
But, Distin says that the squad are not distracted by the possibility:
“It doesn’t mean a lot to us now,” he is quoted by SkySports.
“It is obviously better to be there than in the bottom four but it is too early.
“The more time goes and more you stay in this position then the more you start to believe.
“But we have to get through the Christmas period and see where we are and then we can start dreaming.
“But I can’t see any easy games. Every game is important and we are really focused on what we want to do.”
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The French defender went on to say that Everton are playing the best football he has seen since joining the club in 2009.
Raheem Sterling struck his first senior goal for Livepool as they squeezed past Reading to record only a third win at Anfield in 2012.
The 17-year-old was on hand to break the deadlock just a minute shy of the half hour mark to become the clubs second youngest goalscorer, behind former striker Michael Owen.
His maiden strike delivered a first Premier League win at home for Brendan Rodgers and left Brian McDermott, who succeeded him at the Madjeski Stadium, cursing his the Royals’ slackness in front of goal.
Despite his tender Sterling’s performance was one of real maturity, linking up with Glen Johnson and Luis Suarez to great effect throughout. The teenager was a constant threat down the left and set up chances for Suarez and Nuri Sahin early on.
It wasn’t long before Sterling was presented with an opportunity of his own as he scampered onto a Suarez header just inside the Reading half before cooly slotting the ball past Alex McCarthy. Liverpool continued to dominate after the break but failed to add to their slender lead as the visitors went in search of an equaliser.
However the sense of unease held by the home support surrounding Brad Jones filling in Pepe Reina between the sticks was quickly soothed as the Australian stopped denied Garath McCleary and Jobi McAnuff McCarthy was also busy at the other end turning away Suarez’s low strike and tipping Sterling’s cross over the bar.
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McDermott threw Jason Roberts on late in the game to try and rescue a point with he and Adam Le Fondre causing a few nervy moments in the Liverpool defence but failed to really test Jones. Sterling was withdrawn five minutes from time to a standing ovation as the Reds held on to secure victory and move up to 11th in the table.
The biggest transfer rumour doing the rounds at the moment is that Liverpool forward Luis Suarez is right at the top of incoming Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola’s summer shopping list and while at the moment that is merely conjecture, how the club deal with the issue could hold the key to its immediate future.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have by and large got plenty of big decisions wrong during their time in charge of the club so far, ranging from spending ludicrous amounts of money on relatively unproven players, to hiring a manager that had been out of the game for far too long to dithering hugely over the stadium issue. Even when they have tried to show leadership over certain matters, they have often chosen the wrong path and the business of football has been a completely alien environment to them with a steep learning curve to boot. The likes of John W. Henry and Tom Werner seem inherently cautious people when it comes to their dealings with the club, which is why the future of the Uruguayan striker is such a cause for concern.
There’s a very real worry that they will see the offer put on the table for Suarez, which would have to be in the region fo £40m for them to even consider selling, judge it a reasonable one and consent to his sale, which could have a potentially damaging impact on the team’s fortunes in the short-term and whether they will be capable of competing with the top four and slowing down the regression they have been guilty of in recent years.
As the old saying goes, ‘no one player is bigger than the club’, but it’s a cliche of little substance by ex-pros clearly clueless on how to deal in anything other than meaningless, empty platitudes. The 26-year-old has been absolutely key in the club even competing for a final league position inside the top eight this season, and without him it’s not even worth thinking about where they would be. His departure could hurt the club more than any single sale since the one that saw Xabi Alonso leave for Real Madrid.
Liverpool have a history when it comes to dreadful negotiation tactics; with Alonso, Rafa Benitez practically backed him into a corner with such a public pursuit of the clearly inferior Gareth Barry as his replacement, while Roy Hodgson couldn’t even get Javier Mascherano on the phone during the summer to address his future, leading to the player refusing to play just before a game away at Manchester City.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is often a leading light when it comes to tough negotiating to the extent that it looks like he’s willing to walk away from the table at any given moment is certain deals aren’t met. This saw Real Madrid have to fork out north of £30m for Luka Modric in the summer and sign a landmark ‘commercial partnership’ package which has the potential to be worth just as much over the next few years in terms of sponsorship deals.
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Granted, the club could have sold Modric to Chelsea for £40m a window or two earlier, therefore strengthening a direct rival for a top four spot, but in biding their time and refusing to compromise below the £30m mark that Madrid deemed too high, they got a deal that allowed them the freedom in the transfer market to go out and sign Mousa Dembele, Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen.
Sometimes there is an argument to be made that the amount gleaned from such a big deal outweighs the value of a player as it allows you to rebuild the side and strengthen more than two or three positions at once, but Liverpool have had enough of shopping around the bargain bin in the past and the transfer bracket of between £8-12m, with very little success. For once they have a player of genuine quality and he is more important than any single figure at the club at this moment in time.
It might not sound fantastic to be so beholden to a player and it takes a certain amount of pride to admit as much, but Liverpool are not in a position of strength at this moment in time, rather a period of transition and whether it be £40m or £50m, they need Suarez more than he needs them. From the player’s point of view, you can hardly argue with a desire to test himself on the highest stage of the Champions League on a consistent basis playing under a manager like Guardiola, particularly when Liverpool are clearly incapable of offering him a similar package for the foreseeable future. Demanding loyalty in a game where none exists is simply unrealistic.
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It’s not only his goals this season that have stood out, Suarez’s leadership when things aren’t going the team’s way has seen him become alongside captain Steven Gerrard the one player that everyone else looks to, while his versatility and ability to create chances from open play mark him out as a much more complete player than they even had with the world-class Fernando Torres during his superb spell on Merseyside.
Just as Robin van Persie leaving Arsenal in the summer for Manchester United was widely seen as a statement of intent from Old Trafford as much as it was a signal that the Gunners lacked ambition, should FSG refuse to keep hold of Suarez due to the lure of money, even putting aside the substantive damage, the symbolic gesture alone could crush a fragile regime built on soft foundations.