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- A-League tactics: A ‘lopsided’ Phoenix beat Sydney FC
- Manchester United's Danny Welbeck cleared to travel for Hull City game
- Spurs appoint Sherwood head coach on 18-month contract
- Barkley not for sale, says Martínez
- José Mourinho orders in Chelsea grafters to run Arsenal ragged | Jacob Steinberg
- Sterling tipped for England recall
- Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
- Arsenal v Chelsea: five talking points | Amy Lawrence
- Arsenal v Chelsea – as it happened! | Tom Bryant
- Premier League: Arsenal v Chelsea – in pictures
- Mackay set for crunch talks with Tan
- Canary Islanders Pedro and Jesé swoop to save Barcelona and Real Madrid | Sid Lowe
- Football Weekly: Liverpool go top as Malky Mackay lives to fight another day
- Marouane Fellaini out for a further six weeks after having wrist surgery
- Rodrigo Palacio's gift for Internazionale lights up the paupers' derby | Paolo Bandini
- Bayern stride into winter break as Bundesliga suffers a midlife crisis | Raphael Honigstein
- French football's best quotes in 2013: Zlatan, Beckham, Barton and Ribéry
- Tim Sherwood eager for talks over his future role at Tottenham
- Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend's action | Guardian writers
| A-League tactics: A ‘lopsided’ Phoenix beat Sydney FC Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:24 PM PST Richard Parkin: Two key changes saw Wellington’s winless run come to an end against the Sky Blues  |
| Manchester United's Danny Welbeck cleared to travel for Hull City game Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:03 PM PST • Striker suffered knee injury in win against West Ham Danny Welbeck has been cleared to travel with Manchester United to Hull City on Boxing Day, after recovering from a knee injury that cut short his involvement against West Ham on Saturday. The England striker spent some time on the sidelines with a knee problem earlier in the season but David Moyes was happy to confirm he has not suffered a recurrence of the same injury. "I didn't know exactly what it was after the game. He had a problem with his knee a few weeks ago but this was just a kick right on the kneecap," the United manager said. " It is only a contact injury, one he should be able to shake off. He has trained and we hope he is OK." Welbeck has chipped in with three goals in his last three games and Moyes is anxious not to lose him while Robin van Persie is still out of contention. "I think Danny is a really good player, and we want him to become a really good goalscorer," he said. "He has a good scoring record and he has to try to keep that level up." Moyes is also pleased to see Antonio Valencia returning to something like his best, after struggling for form at the start of the season. "I think Antonio has arguably been our best player in the past month or so," he said. "He just needs to keep trying to improve his final ball but he has been great for the team. He is powerful and he goes past people. "He's an old-style winger, gets up and down, and we think he might be able to play as an attacking full-back as well, maybe in the future. His combination with Rafael on Saturday was fantastic. Rafael has put in a good couple of games too. He is starting to show me what everybody told me he was capable of." theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Spurs appoint Sherwood head coach on 18-month contract Posted: 23 Dec 2013 02:33 PM PST • Sherwood appointed André Villas-Boas's permanent successor Tim Sherwood has been appointed as André Villas-Boas's permanent successor at Tottenham Hotspur on an 18-month contract after a day of negotiations with the chairman, Daniel Levy. The 44-year-old had been hastily promoted from his post as the club's technical co-ordinator last Monday, following Levy's decision to sack Villas-Boas after an erratic period, and Sherwood made it plain that he did not want a mere interim appointment. His managerial CV extends no further than two matches – the Capital One Cup quarter-final defeat at home to West Ham United last Wednesday and the Premier League victory at Southampton on Sunday – and his ambition to be granted a long-term and full-time deal seemed at odds with Levy's desire to recruit a big-name successor to Villas-Boas. Levy was in contact with the Holland manager, Louis van Gaal, over the weekend and the Dutchman raised Tottenham's hopes by saying that it had always been an ambition of his to manage in England. Van Gaal also said that he would not job-share between a club and his country, meaning that he would not become available for Tottenham, or anybody else, until after the World Cup finals next summer. This had raised the prospect of Sherwood continuing as the Tottenham manager until the summer but, in the talks with Levy on Monday, he said that he wanted a more secure deal to implement his ideas at the club he had previously captained. He has got his wish, with the club announcing that he had been "appointed head coach with a contract to the end of the 2014-15 season". It is unclear whether Sherwood's deal contains any break clauses on either side. Levy said: "We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season but felt we had to do so in the club's best interests. We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season. We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood. We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward." Sherwood has his level one, two and three coaching badges, plus the Uefa A and B licences but he must now obtain the Uefa Pro Licence, which is a prerequisite for Premier League managers. He must demonstrate a commitment to sign up for a Pro Licence course by Monday 10 March; the League's deadline is 12 weeks after a manager is promoted to the role. Sherwood will be assisted by Chris Ramsey, Les Ferdinand and Steffen Freund, Villas-Boas's former No2. It has been a chaotic season for Tottenham, with Villas-Boas eventually losing his grip and becoming the eighth manager dismissed by Levy at White Hart Lane. But the 3-2 win at Southampton, which was marked by Sherwood's attacking selection and the recalled Emmanuel Adebayor's goals, meant that the club moved to only six points off the title pace. The mission to fire their hopes further resumes at home to West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day. Sherwood, whose playing career was defined by three England caps and the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995, was brought on to the Tottenham staff by the former manager Harry Redknapp in October 2008. He initially worked on a part-time basis but he quickly impressed with his knowledge and eye for a player. He assumed responsibility for all of the youth teams when he was appointed as the technical co-ordinator. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Barkley not for sale, says Martínez Posted: 23 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST • Everton manager rules out January exit of midfielder Roberto Martínez has said Everton would not consider selling Ross Barkley in January even if the club received an offer similar to the world record £86m that took Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. The 20-year-old midfielder gave another demonstration of his prodigious talent on Sunday at Swansea City with a fine second-half display and a stunning free-kick that sealed Everton's 2-1 win. The boyhood Evertonian has attracted comparisons to Michael Ballack and Paul Gascoigne during his first full season as a first team regular at Goodison Park, and earned three England caps from Roy Hodgson before a World Cup summer in Brazil. But with Barkley's star rising amid a dearth of young English talent, Martínez has told prospective suitors that they would be wasting their time making any offers for Everton's homegrown talent when the transfer window opens on New Year's Day. The Everton manager claimed that the club's resolve would not weaken in receipt of a bid in the Bale price-bracket. Martínez said: "Ross is in a moment of his career where first, he knows that he needs to carry on developing and this is the perfect place to do that. Second, he is a mad Evertonian and enjoying every single second. And third, we are in the middle of a season where we would never, ever consider disrupting what we have got in our squad now. "It is not the right time for the player or the club to consider anything. Even if we got a Gareth Bale-size valuation we would never even consider it in January." Everton made similar noises about Wayne Rooney when he first emerged at Goodison Park only to sell for £27m when he pushed for a move to Manchester United in 2004. While accepting every player has his price, Martínez insists Everton are a different proposition on and off the pitch than when Rooney left for Old Trafford nine years ago. He added: "What you need to understand is that you cannot fight against the trend of the modern game. You saw it with Gareth Bale, with Cristiano Ronaldo; that is the nature of the modern game. What is very important is that if anything happens, it is our club that dictates how and when. If we had a financial problem or were facing a financial disaster then we would not be in control of those aspects and I would be telling you: 'Look, we are in the lap of the Gods.' "We are not in that situation at all. "We are probably in the strongest financial position we have been for a long time. All we are going to make is football decisions. If we were going to lose a player it would be to end up with three or four replacements and in a stronger position. That is always the case. Ross is an icon for us. He represents everything we are trying to do this season, so even if a stupid offer arrived in January it would never affect us. It is important for us as a football club to show we are making the right football decisions." Barkley has two and a half years remaining on his Everton contract and the club will look to secure the midfielder on a new long-term deal before the end of the season. Martínez, who Barkley has thanked for providing more regular first-team football this season, believes the midfielder appreciates the fact that he remains in the early stages of his development with Everton. "I've never met an elite footballer with such a strong winning mentality who is so down to earth. He is so realistic about what he has to do," the Everton manager said. "What he has done on the pitch has caught a lot of attention but Ross is still a very young man and is still developing. "With Ross Barkley, or any youngster, it's about measuring them when they have had between 75 and 100 starts in the Premier League. He is in the middle of the best moment in his career [so far] right now. There is no question mark over Ross's future, he is in the best moment of his time and is everything we want a player to represent at Everton. There is not even a question mark against whether he is going to be here in February or not." theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| José Mourinho orders in Chelsea grafters to run Arsenal ragged | Jacob Steinberg Posted: 23 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST Hard running of Ramires, the nous of Mikel and the experience of Lampard were used to stifle a side with a point to prove One glance at Chelsea's line-up was enough to confirm that José Mourinho knows his history. Roman Abramovich, ever the dreamer, might crave a team brimming with fantasy but the qualities that brought Mourinho success in his first spell at Chelsea, particularly against Arsenal, were rather less romantic and this was a case of going back to what he knew best. Instead of the creative talents of Juan Mata and Oscar, he had decided it was an evening for the hard running of Ramires, the nous of John Obi Mikel and the experience of Frank Lampard. No one inside a wet and windy Emirates was labouring under the misapprehension that Chelsea had arrived to serve up a feast of football and for long periods, the forwards on both sides were forced to rely on scraps. Their main intention was to be awkward, to stifle and frustrate, so much so that there were times in the first half that Mourinho, amusing himself with his own theatrics on the touchline, was almost marking Bacary Sagna, Arsenal's right-back. For Arsenal, this was a familiar challenge and one that they have regularly failed in the past. No one, least of all Arsène Wenger, needed reminding that Arsenal had never beaten Mourinho before, losing five and drawing four of their nine encounters. Indeed since Mourinho first arrived in England in 2004, Arsenal had only won four of their previous 22 matches against Chelsea before Monday night. Chelsea's ability to give Arsenal a case of the yips is unrivalled. There had been a sense in the buildup, though, that the tide might be about to turn. Uncharacteristic cracks have been evident in Chelsea this season – last week they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Sunderland, an inauspicious way to exit a tournament – with leads relinquished with alarming regularity and a previous solid defence starting to show signs of age. Arsenal, by contrast, have been maturing all season, playing with assurance and clarity, and developing the happy knack of winning when life is a grind, which has not always been their forte under Wenger. There was a belief that Aaron Ramsey and company could impose themselves against Chelsea's muscular midfield. However, while victory would see Arsenal regain their lead at the top from Liverpool, those old uncertainties have threatened to return. Arsenal had not won in their past three matches and have looked increasingly tired in recent weeks, with last weekend's 6-3 defeat at Manchester City casting further doubts over their title credentials, so the time was ripe for them to prove they possess the nerve for the big occasions. Despite Chelsea's stuttering form, they know how to get a job done and it is impossible to say the same about Arsenal with any great conviction, not when it is nine long years without a trophy. But, as Chelsea's midfielders thundered into tackles with considerable force – one challenge on Mikel Arteta from Mikel could easily have earned the Nigerian a red card – Arsenal froze, the rhythm and pace of their passing conspicuous by their absence. Mesut Özil, whose influence has waned, was anonymous, so was Tomas Rosicky, and Theo Walcott never got a chance to run at César Azpilicueta, a right-back playing out of position on the left. How they missed the suspended Jack Wilshere, whose relentless drive and tenacity might have injected some imagination into their play. Chelsea, too streetwise and too knowing, squeezed Arsenal. They choked them. Everywhere Ramsey or Arteta turned, every time they searched in vain for a gap, there seemed to be a blue shirt, space a luxury that no player in red was afforded, and Petr Cech has surely not had a quieter evening all season. There was precious little for Arsenal's fans to get excited about. They appealed for a penalty when Walcott fell under Willian's clumsy challenge – nothing doing – and rose when Sagna broke clear down the right flank, only for his teasing cross to be dealt with by John Terry, who was imperious alongside Gary Cahill in the centre of Chelsea's defence. When Terry and Cahill demonstrate this level of calm understanding, it is not hard to understand why Mourinho has preferred them to the more glamorous David Luiz. With Arsenal struggling to make an impression in the final third, the best moments in an attacking sense also belonged to Chelsea. While their occasionally purposeful breaks were mostly snuffed out by Arsenal, whose defence has improved beyond all recognition even though they were without the injured Laurent Koscielny, they went closest to breaking the deadlock when Lampard peeled away from Arteta and ran on to Eden Hazard's chipped pass, only to volley against the bar. His technique deserved more. Before kick-off, Mourinho sat in the dug-out, all alone in his thoughts. By the final whistle, he will have been reflecting on showing Arsenal the size of the task ahead. Some things never change. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Sterling tipped for England recall Posted: 23 Dec 2013 02:29 PM PST • Liverpool manager says winger can earn World Cup place Brendan Rodgers believes Raheem Sterling can return to the senior England squad in time for the World Cup finals should he maintain his impressive recovery of form at Liverpool. The 19-year-old winger has started the last five games, scoring three times in the past four matches, and followed his fine display in the 5-0 rout of Tottenham Hotspur with another confident performance in Saturday's 3-1 defeat of Cardiff City. Sterling's promise was recognised with an England call-up in September 2012 followed by a first cap against Sweden that November. He featured in Roy Hodgson's squads at the start of this season but his international career has since developed at under-21 level. The Liverpool manager is confident Sterling will be worthy of consideration for a place in Brazil. "He's got every opportunity [of going to the World Cup]. He's done very well for the under-21s when he's played. I think if you look at a number of the English players playing for us – there was Jordan Henderson and the level of his game at the weekend. The likes of Raheem. I think this is a place where the young players are growing and developing and that will benefit England and Liverpool as well." Sterling suffered a dip in form and has had to deal with off-the-field issues since emerging at the start of Rodgers' Liverpool reign to earn a five-year contract worth around £35,000 a week. The manager believes the player is benefiting from a renewed focus in training, plus a tactical change in the Liverpool team. Rodgers said: "I always try to act in the best interests of the player. He had a real dip in his performance level for a number of reasons but the one thing is I'm always fair with players if they are performing in training and showing a real focus. He has shown he is back now. He has shown he is back to that level where he is really aggressive and direct. And what he is doing is scoring goals, which is important. "It's interesting because he has always preferred playing from the left. And, if you've seen him in the youth team, he's played from the left but when I looked at him in training all his goals were coming from the right. So it's a question of working with him. He's still so young – he was 19 the other week and I'm sure there will be other dips along the way. He's still only learning. I thought he was exceptional at Tottenham in a big game and that shows he's got the ability to play at that level." theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2013 02:22 PM PST • All the best images from the Emirates The capital's contenders have ended up merely inflicting damage upon each other's challenge to leave those mounting the charge in the north-west rubbing their hands with glee as Christmas approaches. Arsenal and Chelsea have stuttered in recent weeks and could not be separated here on Mondayt, the suspicion that the home side in particular are running out of puff prematurely after such an eye-catching sprint to the summit rather fuelled by a fourth game without success and a display rather lacking in fizz. The hosts were shrugged off their natural game by their visitors' sheer muscularity and eagerness in the tackle here, José Mourinho almost resorting to type to hassle, harry and leave opponents exasperated. He had determined early that this would be no lavish feast of football. In fact, it was a 10th game without defeat against Arsène Wenger, a reality which confirms the Portuguese knows how to nullify his opposite number's side. A point felt more satisfying on enemy territory. Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton will have shared that sentiment. This had felt an edgy if heavyweight bout from the outset, a derby fraught with tension as both teams recognised recent toils needed to be countered. Mourinho may have ambled up the tunnel and out pitch-side prior to kick-off, choosing to sit alone in the visitors' dug-out as the public address system blared away, to promote a carefree, almost casual attitude but his prowling around the technical area once the contest had started reflected underlying anxiety. He bellowed instructions at his back-pedalling players whenever Arsenal ventured into enemy territory, constantly imploring his back line to reorganise and remain resolute, and almost man-marking Bacary Sagna so close was he to the touchline. His nerves were understandable. This Chelsea side has been uncharacteristically flimsy in recent weeks, their solitary clean sheet from the previous seven matches coming in against Steaua Bucharest, the weakest of their Champions League group opponents. Sloppiness has crept in, a fragility which has merely exposed the regular profligacy at the other end. This team had been drilled relentlessly on defensive discipline in training since the Capital One Cup defeat at Sunderland, Mikel John Obi assigned to anchor midfield specifically with Mesut Özil in mind. The German had excelled for Mourinho at Real Madrid prior to his £42.5m move in the summer. The Portuguese recognised his threat. There was a snarl to Chelsea which felt reminiscent of previous Mourinho sides in this fixture, a strength designed to disrupt the home side's rhythm. César Azpilicueta, again preferred to Ashley Cole at left-back, clipped Aaron Ramsey early and seemed to send the Welshman's radar off-kilter. Mikel's stretch in challenge with Mikel Arteta was uglier, the Nigeria international planting his right foot into the inside of the Spaniards right calf. Mike Dean allowed play to continue only for Theo Walcott to topple over Willian's leg in the penalty area, the referee apparently deeming the contact minimal and the reaction excessive. Yet that represented rare incision from the hosts, the more plausible opportunities having been chiseled out by Chelsea when they injected zest into their own passing game. The first half's best move saw Eden Hazard drop into space and clip a glorious diagonal pass beyond the home side's rearguard for Frank Lampard, rolling back the years, to burst beyond Arteta and belt a volley on to the underside of the crossbar. The ball bounced down and not over the line, but the threat was clear. Ramires, forever charging into space between Arsenal lines, was a menace and might have converted a header. Willian, so improved in recent weeks, should also have done better after capping a four-man break with a weak shot that was claimed too easily by Wojciech Szczesny. Mourinho had mustered a smile when the woodwork quivered, but he was less content to see the last opportunity of the period passed up. Chelsea's problem has been transferring territorial dominance into goals, the manager pacing the line yet again as another swift counter, led by Willian, spluttered out in frustration as Hazard mis-controlled inside the penalty area. Arsenal, in contrast, had arrived here merely craving confidence after damaging losses to Napoli and Manchester City. The latter had been sustained with players apparently on their last legs, a small squad stretched by a frantic if hugely successful campaign to date, which meant the nine-day break they had enjoyed since the Etihad defeat was timely. Yet they had still lacked invention and precision, their passing too sloppy and their approach far too tentative even as opponents snapped into them. The majority in the arena bayed for more accurate urgency. Perhaps Jack Wilshere might have relished an occasion as scrappy as this, a chance to explode on to the scene and impose quality on proceedings, but he was serving the first game of a two-match suspension and watching on helplessly from the sidelines. How they yearned for a dash of quality from Özil or Ramsey to ease their nerves – though, as the rain swirled in, the frantic nature of the play did not lend itself to composure. Tempers duly frayed, players squaring up and Dean flashing yellow for lesser offences than those that had gone unpunished earlier in the contest. Maybe a fresh Olivier Giroud would have been more precise with his finish when set up by the vision of Tomas Rosicky and Ramsey near the end, but the Frenchman sliced wide. When the striker did make better contact in front of goal, there was Petr Cech to deflect the close-range attempt over the bar and Chelsea breathed again. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Arsenal v Chelsea: five talking points | Amy Lawrence Posted: 23 Dec 2013 01:59 PM PST Chelsea revert to solid habits of old as they frustrate Arsenal by congesting the midfield and counter-attacking quickly 1 We can't say Mourinho didn't warn usAs the Chelsea manager pointed out after watching his team falter in their last outing at Sunderland, it was time for a rethink and a back-to-basics approach. Having been patchy on the road, they flexed their muscles to show the solidity of old. Chelsea were set up to make the midfield congested, to ensure Arsenal would find it difficult to develop any rhythm, and to use that platform to spring on the counter attack. The closest saw Frank Lampard lash against the crossbar and Willian shot weakly. For his next trick José Mourinho has to find the balance between defensive control and a clinical attack. 2 Giroud's face was a picture of frustrationThe confidence and relentless effort that was a hallmark of the Frenchman's scoring run earlier in the season has been replaced by frustration. He has scored in only one of his last eleven outings for Arsenal. In barren runs like this questions return about whether Arsène Wenger needs a different option, or even a shift in tactics to partner Oliver Giroud with a complimentary forward, in the manner that Manchester City have used so potently with Alvaro Negredo and Serio Agüero. With chances at a premium, Giroud still had two chances to win the game. One was slammed wide, the other flicked off Petr Cech's knee. 3 Two teams caught between sticking and twistingBoth these teams needed a reaction. Ideally, it would have been a positive reaction. But there were a few too many negative thoughts as avoiding defeat outweighed the impulse to chase a win. The focus on Arsenal to respond to a bad week was intense, but they began, to borrow Arsène Wenger's inimitable phrase, in "handbrakey" mode. Chelsea's focus on resilience was not overly tested and the most dangerous moment came when Willian was the man exposed at the back. He was lucky not to concede a penalty when a trailing leg made contact with Walcott. Mike Dean, who waved it away, is not Arsenal's favourite referee. 4 Mourinho the pragmatist keeps Oscar and Mata on the benchEden Hazard shouldered the responsibility for Chelsea's creativity, and showed flashes that were too hot for Arsenal to handle. The options from the bench were tantalising, and it was Andre Schürrle who was the first trusted by José Mourinho to enter the fray, but curiously, it was in place of Hazard instead of to compliment the Belgian. It was not an easy game for the technical players. Mourinho had spoken of his affection for Mesut Özil before the game but Arsenal's record signing found it difficult to impose himself. This was a game based more on plugging away than seizing the day. 5 Not festive but a happy Christmas all roundTruthfully, it was heavy weather in all senses of the word. This was not a game to quicken the pulses. For Arsenal, it passed with barely a shot on target. For Chelsea, the late substitution of Fernando Torres for David Luiz suggested that the basic requirement was to make sure there are no silly slips to threaten a hard earned point. So, Arsène Wenger's wait for a win over José Mourinho goes on. But as both managers look at the table they can't be too disappointed. Arsenal a shade off the lead on goal difference, and Chelsea chasing hard two points off the top. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Arsenal v Chelsea – as it happened! | Tom Bryant Posted: 23 Dec 2013 01:53 PM PST Chelsea and Arsenal were both content to grind out a goalless draw on a night of filthy weather at The Emirates  |
| Premier League: Arsenal v Chelsea – in pictures Posted: 23 Dec 2013 12:26 PM PST All the action from the title-chasing battle between Arsenal and Chelsea  |
| Mackay set for crunch talks with Tan Posted: 23 Dec 2013 10:01 AM PST • Mackay 'deeply upset' by Cardiff owner's criticism Malky Mackay does not expect crunch talks with the Cardiff owner, Vincent Tan, until the end of the week, saying he has had two attempts to meet the Malaysian billionaire rebuffed. Cardiff's manager had been widely expected to be sacked after Tan sent him an email last week criticising his ability and concluding with an ultimatum that Mackay resign, or face dismissal, which the manager said left him "deeply upset". His departure looked imminent after the weekend defeat at Liverpool but the chairman, Mehmet Dalman, a close ally of Mackay's, said on Sunday that the 42-year-old would be in charge for the "foreseeable future". Included in Dalman's comments was the caveat that there would need to be some form of reconciliation between owner and manager. That would be a big surprise given the ill feeling that intensified following Tan's removal of Iain Moody as the head of recruitment in October. It is understood Alisher Apsalyamov, the Kazakh who took over Moody's role in an acting capacity, has left the club having stood aside temporarily due to visa issues. Tan was also furious at Mackay's expression of his hopes of adding to his squad in January, with his incendiary email of last week following in short order. Mackay does not expect any discussions to happen until the end of the week. "I've been asked if I will meet Mehmet [and Tan] which is absolutely something that would be for the good of us and the club," he said. "I think that should be sooner rather than later. I wanted that meeting today but that was declined. If not today, then tomorrow but that was also declined. In the meantime I will do my job. That will not change. There are certain areas that have to be addressed that were in the email. I will find out when I go to the meeting. At that point I will take stock of where I am." Mackay revealed his reaction to Tan's criticism. "I did feel I was going to lose my job," he said. "The email deeply upset me. "I declined to resign and expected to be sacked over the weekend. To give the fans a clap [at Anfield on Saturday] was something I wanted to do for the support they had given me." He reiterated he will not be quitting. "If it's anything to do with me I will still be the manager. I won't be resigning from the football club," he said. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Canary Islanders Pedro and Jesé swoop to save Barcelona and Real Madrid | Sid Lowe Posted: 23 Dec 2013 08:12 AM PST Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid all came out of the weekend and into the Christmas break relieved They'll be celebrating on the forecourts of Santa Cruz. It was the Sunday before Christmas and the children from the school of San Ildefonso in Madrid had begun their annual ritual – a sickly sweet tradition that for all its complex familiarity still maintains a surreal touch. It was the draw for El Gordo, the huge Christmas lottery, and there they were retrieving their balls from huge rotating baskets and chanting numbers, over and over, for hours, like mini Gregorian monks. All across the country people were waiting and when the chant went up, "Seventy-nine thousand, seven hundred and tweeeee-eeelve!", they went wild down in the south-east of Tenerife. José Miguel González, the man who'd brought the original number, winner of the second prize, owns a petrol station in San Isidro. He reckons there were 1,500 winners in all, having sold shares of the ticket at seven petrol stations on the south of the island, literally bringing luck to Tenerife. When they picked up this morning's sports dailies, covers dedicated to the lottery results, 79,712 stood large among thousands of winning combinations – so many numbers there was barely room for anything else. Marca ran just two small football photos, squashed onto the right side: one was Jesé, the other was Pedro … the World Cup winner whose father pumped petrol at a forecourt barely 20km away. "Pedro puts Barcelona back on top," the tiny title said. Over at Marca's Catalan counterparts the numbers had been tucked away inside, freeing up the front so the pictures were bigger, the headlines too. "Super Pedro" lauded Sport. "Pedrooo!" cheered El Mundo Deportivo. The Canary Islander had, after all, just rescued Christmas. Sunday morning's El País had run a quote from Gerard Piqué. "Pedro," he said, "is always there when you need him." And on Sunday, afternoon Barcelona needed him, big time. It hadn't been a good week. Barcelona had been forced to hand over the paperwork relating to the signing of Neymar, El Mundo linked Leo Messi's benefit games to the laundering of drugs money, and then Messi had attacked the board, describing the club director Javier Faus as "a man who knows nothing about football" and pointedly insisting: "Barcelona is the best club in the world and it deserves to have the best directors." There was, some in Catalonia said, a campaign against them from Madrid. On Sunday there really was. Well, from just south of Madrid, anyway. Getafe were tearing them apart. Less than quarter of an hour into Barcelona's trip to Getafe, they trailed 2-0 and it could have been more. Barcelona's "defending" had been awful. Piqué and Mascherano were isolated and overwhelmed: Escudero had dashed, unopposed to the edge of the six yard box to score the first while Lisandro López had headed in a corner for the second, almost as close to the goal as anyone was to him. Ciprian Marica, the striker who arrived in Spain and promptly became known by his first name, had just wasted a great chance for the third. Xavi Hernández was not on the pitch and nor was Messi or Neymar. Pinto, on the other hand, was. Getafe were confident. Under Luis García they have been a disaster against the big teams away from home: they have never won at the Camp Nou, the Bernabéu or the Calderón. But they had been defeated just twice in nine at home. And Barcelona knew that in the 10 years that Getafe have been in the top flight that when they don't win there they don't win the league. Now, as things stood, they were slipping off the top, three points behind Atlético Madrid and just two ahead of Real Madrid, who were still to play. That was when Pedro appeared. Racing on to Cesc Fábregas's clever pass, he clipped a shot over Miguel-Ángel Moya and into the net. Next, he received Andrés Iniesta's quick curling ball, cut in from the left and thumped a beauty into the top corner, screeching into the stanchion. Then, he responded quickly to hit the third into the same side of the net after Jordi Alba's cut-back was blocked. When Pedro's first shot hit the net, the clock said 33.58; the second went in on 40.35 and the third flashed in as it ticked up to showed 42.12. In the week in which he had gone swimming with sharks at Barcelona's aquarium – insert your own diving joke here – Pedro not only became Barcelona's top scorer this season, he became their fastest striker ever. David Villa scored a hat-trick in four minutes for Valencia but this was the quickest hat-trick in Barcelona's history, level with Dani García who got three versus Betis in 1999 (although his had a half-time in the way) and Laszlo Kubala's 74th to 82nd minute hat-trick against Sporting in 1953. Sometimes that line is absurdly fine. In eight minutes and 14 seconds, everything had changed. The tension lifted and the knives were put back. From the kind of defeat that would have deepened the divide, one that would have lingered over the winter break exacerbating the crisis that forever hangs over them, from sitting two points behind Atlético and only two ahead of Real Madrid, January's Atlético-Barça a threat rather than an opportunity, Barcelona were back on top. When they come back, Messi will be back and so will Víctor Valdés. They had ridden out the storm and ultimately they had done so, as the Spanish phrase has it, by convincing as well as winning: they had not just vencido, they had convencido too. The former striker Pichi Alonso likened this to a victory from a different if very recent era. Gerardo Martino described the opening 15 minutes as fatal, awful. By the end, he could have justifiably talked about Barcelona's best performance of the season, swift, slick and incisive. All the more because they had come from two down. Amidt the inevitable talk of character, Martino was putting a different slant on it. Barcelona had, he said, remained faithful to the way they wanted to play, even as the pressure built. The first of their goals came with five men pressuring to win the ball on the touchline and a perfectly weighted pass from Fábregas's and Iniesta's perfectly weighted pass led to the second. The cliche talks of games that win leagues. This may just have been one of them. If Barcelona have never won the league when they have failed to win at Getafe, they have been champions every time they have won here. Emotionally, symbolically, it felt like a huge victory. And yet it was not the only one. All three championship contenders came out of the weekend and into the Christmas break relieved. All three had conceded twice, all there had been on edge. Both Atlético and Barcelona had been losing and although Madrid hadn't, they'd been closest to dropping points – and for Madrid, who started the weekend five points behind, that might have been fatal. In the end, three fascinating games brought 17 goals: Barcelona beat Getafe 5-2, Atlético beat Levante 3-2 with Diego Costa getting two more, and Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-2, with substitute Jesé scoring the winner in the 81st minute. This was one of those weekends where the fact that the Spanish league is spread across 10 different time slots for the sake of TV is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it meant you could watch them all; a curse because it loses the drama that comes when the contenders take to the field simultaneously, their fates in each others' hands, when the table shifts constantly, everyone permanently on edge. From the first minute at the Calderón to the 10th at the Coliseum to the 27th at Mestalla. Atlético down, Barcelona down, Madrid up, Atlético level, Madrid level, Barcelona too … minute by minute, points shifting, hopes and fears intertwining. Yet even this way it was dramatic, coming to a head in Valencia. Those final minutes at Mestalla were decisive. This was the last game of the weekend, the last of the year. By then, Madrid knew that Barcelona and Atlético had won; the opportunity had been denied them, now they were confronted by an obligation. Madrid were drawing and far from dominant. 1-1, then 2-2, and seemingly some way from a 3-2, they stood seven points off, the title was slipping from their grasp. "The league was getting too far away," admitted Jesé. Like Pedro, Jesé is a Canary Islander. And, like Pedro, he appeared when his team needed him most. His shot went past Vicente Guaita at the near post and he headed off to the bench, sprinting and shouting, racing towards Zinedine Zidane and disappearing under a pile of bodies. "This was the most important goal of my career," Jesé said. Madrid had stayed in touch. Just. At the end of it all, when the dust settled and Monday morning's papers were out, the numbers showed that Real Madrid had 41 points, Atlético 46 and, thanks to Pedro, Barcelona 46. For a while it looked like they would forfeit that position but the fastest hat-trick in their history changed all that and Barcelona closed the year where they have spent the whole of 2013: on the top. Meanwhile, Pedro's petrol-pumping neighbours closed the year where they could never have imagined they would be. Down in Tenerife, they were sharing out €1.25m. Talking points• Valencia have received a takeover bid from the Singapore billionaire Peter Lim. According to the president Amadeo Salvo, who would carry on under Lim, the bid includes a willingness to assume the debt, which is around €250m, spend up to €40m on players in the winter window, and commit to finally completing the construction of the new Mestalla. Lim has given Valencia until 15 January to respond formally. Meanwhile, Bankia (effectively the club's owners after Valencia defaulted on loan repayments to them) are looking at other bids too. • So, Valencia to sign? Sevilla won at Villarreal, Athletic beat Rayo and Real Sociedad are flying again, defeating Granada 3-1 in Granada and playing lovely football. The fight for fourth could be pretty seriously tasty. • New manager, same old fate … Betis were beaten 1-0 at home by Almería, for whom the veteran goalkeeper Esteban, who's three years older than his manager, performed miracles. Betis remain bottom and are five points adrift. At the end of the game, the scenes made it look like they were already down: new coach Juan Carlos Garrido made them head to the centre-circle to thanks the fans for their support, where there were songs and tears and bowed heads. • Could this just be the saddest remark of the year, one that is depressingly telling? Vicente del Bosque admitted that he had voted for Xavi and Iniesta for the Ballón d'Or in part so as to avoid "a Real Madrid-Barcelona war." • A very Karim Benzema to everyone! ResultsElche 0-1 Málaga; Villarreal 1-2 Sevilla; Betis 0-1 Almería; Atlético 3-2 Levante; Granada 1-3 Real Sociedad; Espanyol 4-2 Valladolid; Getafe 2-5 Barcelona; Athletic 2-1 Rayo; Celta 1-1 Osasuna; Valencia 2-3 Madrid theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Football Weekly: Liverpool go top as Malky Mackay lives to fight another day Posted: 23 Dec 2013 07:20 AM PST Twas the day before the night before Christmas, when all through the pod The Premier League fans were nestled all snug in their beds, Etc, etc. Anyway, we're back on Friday 27 December. Until then, have yourself a very merry Christmas.  |
| Marouane Fellaini out for a further six weeks after having wrist surgery Posted: 23 Dec 2013 06:55 AM PST • Manchester United midfielder already sidelined with back injury Marouane Fellaini has had surgery on his injured wrist, meaning Manchester United's £27.5m summer signing will be out for a further six weeks. Fellaini was already sidelined by a back problem that had prevented him from playing for United since the 1-0 defeat to Everton at Old Trafford on 4 December. David Moyes had hoped the 26-year-old could return from the back issue to be available for the busy festive programme. The manager spoke last week of sending the midfielder for a further scan to determine if Fellaini should have the procedure on his wrist. Having now done so, Fellaini will hope on his return finally to kickstart his United career after a disappointing beginning in which his form has been uneven. The Belgian had been playing with a plaster cast on his wrist and had been in some discomfort that had been limiting his ability to play completely freely. Moyes's decision means Fellaini should be match fit for the Champions League last-16 tie against Olympiakos, the first leg of which is in mid-February. "He had his operation on Saturday morning," Moyes confirmed on Monday. "We just couldn't get him recovered from his back. We thought it would be okay after 10 days but it wasn't getting any better so we made a quick decision to get the wrist done. We think it will be six weeks but there is a chance it could be shorter than that." Moyes confirmed the back injury should recover with rest and he anticipated Fellaini, who was back in Manchester on Monday, would go on to show the form which got him a summer move from Everton in the first place. "His back problem is going to take time. That is a muscle injury which wasn't healing," said Moyes. "It is unlucky. He has not felt 100 per cent because of his wrist. He has been finding it difficult. "I asked him to see if he could get over the Christmas period. He got the back injury against Everton and since then he has never really been right. I have no doubt he will eventually be a good player for us." theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Rodrigo Palacio's gift for Internazionale lights up the paupers' derby | Paolo Bandini Posted: 23 Dec 2013 06:31 AM PST While not all may agree with the striker's assessment that the Serie A duel is 'the most important derby in the world', the match mattered to the fans and his winner against Milan was brilliant What do you buy the man who has it all? It is a question that the families of top-flight footballers might wrestle with at this time of year as they seek out Christmas gifts for loved ones with seven-figure incomes. Before Sunday's Derby della Madonnina, the Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Luigi Garlando took it upon himself to offer some suggestions – picking out presents for each member of Milan and Internazionale's anticipated starting XIs. For Samir Handanovic he proposed a stick of glue, which the Nerazzurri's goalkeeper could apply to his gloves so as not to repeat recent ball-handling calamities. Mario Balotelli got a yo-yo, which would help him to learn "the art of getting up and down" the pitch. Internazionale's Rodrigo Palacio, meanwhile, would receive a Playstation. "[He can use it] to defeat the loneliness and boredom," explained Garlando, "since [the manager Walter] Mazzarri never puts a striker alongside him." Palacio has indeed cut an isolated figure for much of this season, all alone up front in Inter's 3-5-1-1. The Argentinian had previously spent much of his career in deeper-lying roles, either supporting another striker or playing out wide in a three-man attack. But Mazzarri asked him to lead the line in Diego Milito's absence and Palacio has accepted the challenge – running himself into the ground in service of the team. His is a similar role to the one that Edinson Cavani used to fill under the same manager at Napoli. Mazzarri's formations are designed to absorb pressure before creating opportunities for swift and direct counterattacks. With nobody else up front to distract opposing defences' attention, the striker must constantly keep moving to find space and make himself available to team-mates. It is an exhausting job but one that Palacio had performed highly effectively thus far. Coming into Sunday's game against Milan, he had scored exactly one quarter of his team's 36 goals. His efficiency was startling. Gazzetta noted that 27.3% of his shots this season had wound up in the back of the net but none of those goals would mean as much as one scored in the derby. In the days building up to their clash at San Siro, both Milan and Inter were reminded many times over about how this fixture had lost its lustre, diminished by the two teams' declining performance on and off the pitch. Newspapers variously referred to Sunday's game as the "Paupers' Derby" or the "Austerity Derby". A glance at the league standings was sufficient to confirm that these two teams were no longer operating at the levels to which they have been accustomed. Inter began the weekend 15 points behind league leaders Juventus. Milan were not even in the top half of the table. Both clubs were also coming to terms with significant boardroom upheaval. The Rossoneri confirmed a new management structure last week, in which Barbara Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani will both hold the titles of Milan vice-president and CEO (the latter will retain control over sporting matters, while the former will be responsible for commercial areas). Inter, meanwhile, are still adjusting to life under their new owner, Erick Thohir. Such change has been driven by financial considerations. Barbara Berlusconi had forced her father's hand with some pointed comments regarding Milan's business strategy. Massimo Moratti sold Inter to Thohir after realising he could no longer justify pouring so much of his own money into a business that lost tens of millions of euros per year. The Indonesian businessman has made it clear that his priority is to get the club back to a more sustainable financial footing. And yet, to the players themselves, this rivalry did not feel any less important. Kaka still spoke with excitement about the prospect of scoring his 100th Milan goal in Sunday's game. "The derby is always the derby," said Inter's Javier Zanetti," preparing to play in his 47th edition of this fixture. "It means a lot to everyone." To Palacio, it also felt like an opportunity to resolve some unfinished business. All the way back in December 2007 – more than four years before he joined Inter – the striker had faced Milan in another Christmas fixture, the Club World Cup final. He was playing for Boca Juniors at the time and scored his team's first goal in an eventual 4-2 defeat. This time he was determined not only to score but also to finish on the winning side. In a poor-quality first half it was Palacio who created one of the few moments of excitement, finding room to receive a pass in the Milan area only for Cristián Zapata to foul him from behind. No penalty was awarded, however, and the game continued in its existing pattern, both teams becoming bogged down in a midfield battle that seemed to be going nowhere. Inter's introduction of Mauro Icardi, another striker, in place of Esteban Cambiasso late in the second half changed the balance somewhat – giving Milan's defenders more to think about and drawing them away from Palacio. But there was still nothing inevitable about the goal with which the veteran finally broke the deadlock in the 86th minute. Instead it was a moment of sheer inspiration, Palacio allowing a pass from Freddy Guarín to run across his body as he attacked the near corner of the six-yard box before flicking out a heel to clip the ball around his marker, Zapata. The Milan goalkeeper, Christian Abbiati, was likewise wrong-footed, as the ball ran past him and into the far corner of the net. Even on that Playstation that Garlando wanted to give him, Palacio might still have struggled to conceive a more deviously brilliant strike. It was enough to win the game for Inter, Milan unable to respond in what little time they had left. Afterwards, Palacio celebrated it as a "beautiful, beautiful goal". "I need to thank [Guarín] for the pass," he added. "I tried and it went in, fortunately, but it is also the most important goal of my career. It arrived in a derby, the most important derby in the world." Not everyone will agree with that final assessment. Perhaps not even Palacio will, once it has all had time to settle in, but if nothing else here was proof that the Paupers' Derby still mattered to somebody. The evidence from the stands at San Siro suggested that many others had likewise been swept up in the moment. Thohir, attending his first Milan derby, was among them. The owner, who had previously spoken on many occasions about the need for a team to entertain, as well as win games, brazenly described this as a "superb match". That assessment was somewhat at odds with Garlando's in Monday's edition of Gazzetta. "Don't say we didn't warn you," he wrote. "As expected, this was the most technically poor derby in Milanese history." But even the most disappointing performance is forgotten easily enough in the wake of a victory. It will be rather harder for Milan to put the negativity aside. This was their sixth defeat of the season, one that leaves them 27 points behind first-placed Juventus, not to mention 17 points adrift of the Champions League places, heading into the winter break. By contrast, the Rossoneri are only five points clear of the relegation zone. Even the most perfect Christmas gift might not be sufficient to distract the club's players from a season as disappointing as this one. Talking points• There were major developments in Italy's ongoing "Last Bet" match-fixing investigations last week, as four men were arrested, and the homes of 11 current and former footballers were searched by the authorities. Most of the headlines went to Gennaro Gattuso, the most high-profile player to receive a home visit, but truth is that he has not yet been charged with anything, and he might well not be in the future, either. More significant were the civilian arrests. Prosecutors believe that they may have identified the elusive "Mr X" and "Mr Y" who they allege were speaking to players to arrange fixes. Through extensive phone taps, they have evidence that Francesco Bazzani and Salvatore Spadaro were speaking to players before and after games, although lawyers for each man insist that these were simply innocent friendships. This story will continue to play out in court over the months ahead, but in the meantime as many as 30 Serie A games are now under investigation, including, worryingly, several from 2013. • Juventus finished 2013 on a high note, squashing Atalanta 4-1 and ending the year five points clear at the top of Serie A. Given that second-placed Roma are at present on course to finish the season with 91 points, that is quite a statement of intent. Of course, the two teams will also play one another as soon as they return from the winter break. That game has the potential to set the tone for much of the next five months. Overall, Juve have collected 2.405 points per game in this calendar year. It is the most they have had since Serie A went to three points for a win in 1995. • Roma can also feel pretty satisfied after reaching the winter break as the only unbeaten team left in Serie A. They welcomed Francesco Totti back into their starting lineup on Sunday, and promptly demolished Catania 4-0. "If it was up to me, I would play Juve right away," said manager Rudi Garcia. "I would not sign up for a draw, we want to win." • A miss of the season contender from Gervinho, in that win over Catania. • Also scoring freely this weekend were Torino, who trailed at home to Chievo for most of the first half, but wound up romping to a 4-1 win. The Granata still have some work to do to catch Inter or Fiorentina in the Europa League places, but the fact that anybody is even mooting such a prospect is a fair indication of how well this team is playing under Giampiero Ventura. Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci (who combined for three goals on Sunday) are fast establishing themselves as one of the most prolific strike partnerships in the league. • Giuseppe Rossi goes into the winter break as Serie A's top goalscorer, having found the net once more against Sassuolo this weekend. His 14 league goals represent an incredible 42% of all those scored by Fiorentina so far this season. • Vladimir Petkovic is expected to lose his job at Lazio imminently, after his team signed out for this year with a 4-1 defeat away to Verona. Only Catania have collected fewer points away from home than the Biancocelesti so far this season. • It is not yet clear, meanwhile, whether this goal from Alessandro Diamanti will be enough to save Stefano Pioli's job at Bologna. The club has been strongly linked with Roberto Baggio, who completed his coaching qualifications in the summer of 2012, and is looking for his first opportunity in club management. ResultsBologna 1-0 Genoa; Atalanta 1-4 Juventus; Roma 4-0 Catania; Sampdoria 1-1 Parma; Sassuolo 0-1 Fiorentina; Torino 4-1 Chievo; Verona 4-1 Lazio; Internazionale 1-0 Milan; Livorno 1-2 Udinese; Cagliari 1-1 Napoli. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Bayern stride into winter break as Bundesliga suffers a midlife crisis | Raphael Honigstein Posted: 23 Dec 2013 06:27 AM PST While Bayern have gone into the winter break with a seven-point lead, most other Bundesliga clubs are dissatisfied or struggling As much as it is troubling to write, this won't be a funky Christmas – the Bundesliga has got the blues. An overwhelming sense of futility and defeatism, a soul-corroding realisation that 2013-14 will be another season of little-to-no success will accompany the vast majority of clubs into the winter break. "The league is dead," is the often-heard lament in light of Bayern Munich's suffocating superiority. The league leaders have gone through the entire calendar year unbeaten in the Meisterschaft; they're so good that they're winning titles even when they're not playing. While they celebrated their triumph in the Club World Championship (after wins against powerhouses Guangzhou Evergrande and Raja Casablanca) amid belly dancers and palm trees, the opposition gave up the ghost good and proper. Dortmund lost their third home game in a row, a 2-1 defeat by Hertha. "The good thing about this last third of the year is that it's over now," said the increasingly prickly Jürgen Klopp, whose side are now fourth. "The season's targets are in danger," warned the Borussia sporting director Michael Zorc. After dabbling in Inception-style fantasy – they dared to dream about dreaming about dreaming about the title two weeks ago – Leverkusen slipped again following last week's home defeat by Eintracht, and were beaten 1-0 at Werder Bremen. And Gladbach and Wolfsburg, the two most improved sides, only managed a 2-2 draw as well. The Bayern players and officials politely refused to accept congratulations for the defence of their title but their heart wasn't quite in it. They're seven points ahead, with one game in hand, without playing anywhere near their limit except for a handful of matches. At least the unhappiness in the rest of the country is of a loud and shrill kind. Collectively, the top flight has reacted to its existentialist fear of irrelevance by adopting extreme forms of thrill-seeking and out-of-character behaviour. And as a result the Hinrunde (first half of the season) has gone ever so slightly off the rails. Experienced practitioners will recognise the symptoms: in its 51st year, the Bundesliga is gripped by a severe midlife crisis. There's no other way to explain the manic combination of white-flag-hissing and unhinged excess, as evidenced, among other things, by a total of 486 goals. That's a stupendous 3.19 per game, the highest return in 27 years. The Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol summed up the somewhat deranged proceedings after the 4-4 draw with Werder Bremen earlier in the season by saying: "If we had scored seven goals, we would have conceded seven as well." Everywhere you looked, records were broken. Schalke coach Jens Keller, who has just been given another vote of confidence following an "authentic and ruthless" review, as sporting director Horst Heldt put it, spent the entire Hinrunde walking up and down the plank, without ever getting the push. The longest goodbye in the history of the league is set to continue until May, when a suitable replacement will hopefully be found. The former S04 manager Mirko Slomka will probably be available soon. The Hannover coach saw his side complete a full set of away defeats (eight in eight) in the 2-1 loss at SC Freiburg. No one's been this pointless on opposition pitches in 25 years. "Basically, we want to continue with Slomka but sometimes you need to have the courage to make a change," said Dirk Dufner on Sunday. Hannover's sporting director has been ordered to draw up a shortlist of coaches to succeed Slomka by club boss Martin Kind, Kicker reported on Monday. Meanwhile 17th-placed Nürnberg have gone one worse. The Franconians finished the year without a single win so far this season – a feat unparalleled. Gertjan Verbeek's team have hit the post and bar 15 times and they were at least Schalke's equals in the 0-0 draw on Saturday night. The Dutchman has vowed to let his beard grow until they return to winning ways, even if he'll end up "playing Santa Claus next year", as he jokingly suggested. It will be close shave, in any case. Leverkusen, despite reverting to type, head a tiny group of non-Munich based clubs content with their lot. The formidable Hertha (sixth), Gladbach (third) and Wolfsburg (fifth) are part of this select quintet, along with Markus Weinzierl's Augsburg, who have worked wonders to head into the break in eighth. But that's it, as far as feel-good stories are concerned. Hamburg still rival Schalke as the most chaotically led giant in Germany, Bremen still can't defend, Stuttgart have become settled in mediocrity. But this shouldn't be unduly disconcerting. On the contrary, the sheer level of (relative) underachievement in Germany's top flight is actually strangely comforting. Everyone, Bayern included, can do much better and, at some point, they will. In the meantime, watching the competition rage against the red machine will provide a different but no less compelling spectacle. Have a great Christmas and happy new year, we'll see you on the other side. ResultsEintracht Frankfurt 1-1 FC Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Hertha BSC, SC Freiburg 2-1 Hannover 96, Werder Bremen 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen, HSV 2-3 Mainz 05, Braunschweig 1-0 Hoffenheim, Nürnberg 0-0 Schalke, Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-2 VfL Wolfsburg. theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| French football's best quotes in 2013: Zlatan, Beckham, Barton and Ribéry Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:41 AM PST Zlatan Ibrahimovic is unimpressed by David Beckham's music collection, Thiago Silva puts Joey Barton in his place and Franck Ribéry's wife clears the mantelpiece for the Ballon d'Or trophy From post-match brawls and Twitter spats to weather vanes, broken televisions and Justin Bieber, Football Further proudly presents its seasonal compilation of the year's best French football quotes. Argy-bargy"People have a good image of me. It's not these tramps who are going to tarnish my image. They should stop lying to the French people. It annoys me that people talk about 'your image'. My image is great in France. When I'm abroad, I don't even talk about it. But in France it's just these people, these parasites" – Patrice Evra on his friends in the media "I go to talk to the referee. At that moment, the delegate blocks me and pushes me towards the referee. As a result, I touch the referee with my back. It happened exactly like that. I didn't push the referee" – Leonardo's not entirely accurate account of his encounter with referee Alexandre Costa after Paris Saint-Germain's 1-1 draw with Valenciennes in May. It ultimately costs him a 14-month suspension, effectively forcing him out of French football "This year we've lost lots of players, as always, but we've lost something very important: the pillars of Valencia, players like Soldado, David Albelda or Tino Costa who talk in the changing room. Now there are lots of boot-lickers who don't say things to your face. That's why things aren't going well between me and Dukic" – Adil Rami explains why his relationship with Valencia coach Miroslav Dukic has broken down. And is promptly frozen out of the squad "There was an altercation that I wasn't involved in. My goalkeeping coach, Fabrice Grange, was surrounded by a load of people who were pushing him. Jean-Michel Aulas arrived – I don't know why. All I did was push him back. He says that I hit him in the back, which is scandalous. If I'd done that, he wouldn't have been able to do an interview with Canal+ three minutes later" – Stéphane Ruffier, the Saint-Etienne goalkeeper, rejects an accusation from Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas that he punched him during a tunnel scuffle after a heated derby du Rhône "And what's the other one called, Screwdriver? Rolland Screwdriver. All he does is talk" – Evra again, unwittingly rechristening manager/pundit Rolland Courbis 'Rolland Tournevis' Les Bleus"After the Euros, the media attention was very difficult to digest. I'd say that it ruined my season a bit. Everyone talked to me about it. I handled the situation badly, I accept that. I should have given a mea culpa. I shut myself off and, with hindsight, I realise that I was wrong" – Samir Nasri reflects on Euro 2012 "If I had to do everything again, if I had the possibility to relive exactly the same life, I'd do it, I'd want the same one. I'd do everything the same. It's beautiful, all the same. I'm happy with what I've experienced up to now" – Eric Abidal on his battle with liver problems "Above my mantelpiece, in the living room. My wife's prepared everything" – Franck Ribéry, when asked where he would put the Ballon d'Or trophy if he won it, reveals that he's barely given it any thought at all "When the coach told me I was playing, I said: 'We're going to Brazil.' It doesn't matter how. If I'd had to score with my hand, the ball would have been in the back of the net" – Mamadou Sakho, who scores two goals as France overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Ukraine to book their place at next year's World Cup "I'd never seen such an atmosphere at the Stade de France. It was a beautiful moment to experience, all those people behind us, the flags, the chants. From the hotel to the stadium we felt that force pushing us" – Hugo Lloris, the captain and goalkeeper "RESPECT" – L'Équipe, so often the scourge of the national team, takes its cue from Ali G with a simple one-word headline the day after the match Joey Barton v Thiago Silva"A Marseille player, whose name I don't remember, speaks badly of Neymar, Brazilian football, Beckham and Ibra. As no one talks about him, maybe he thinks he'll drool over the big players so that we know he exists. It makes me want to win even more, to shut this Englishman up. What does he know about Brazilian football? I can't remember playing against him for the national team" – Thiago Silva tires of Joey Barton's barbs against his PSG and Brazil team-mates "Thiago Silva. That the same pussy that's been injured all season. Another over-rated Brazilian. Sort your hamstrings out FatBoy…" – Joey Barton takes the bait. After likening Thiago Silva to an "overweight ladyboy" in a subsequent tweet, he gets a suspended two-game ban from France's National Ethics Committee "Joey has done all right but he has not pulled up any trees. He has been Steady Eddie, that is all. Barton is a good player, but is he as great as he thinks he is? When you have to talk up your own ability, you have a problem – Chris Waddle, the Marseille great, weighs in "He's better at tweeting than he is on the pitch" – Basile Boli follows Zlatan"I don't need the Ballon d'Or to know I'm the best. It matters more to some players" – Zlatan Ibrahimovic "After a perfectly normal challenge, Ibra turned to me and provoked me, making a joke about my moustache, saying: 'That really is terrible.' I responded by saying that he should think about his nose" – Zlatan works his charm on Anderlecht's Sacha Kljestan "Oh, le même… nose" – Zlatan spots a female autograph-hunter with a similarly shaped proboscis, only for his French to fail him at the last moment "We were looking through his playlist in the dressing room – there was lots of Justin Bieber, Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez. We were expecting some cool English rock bands and hip hop. It is nice to know that even David Beckham doesn't have good taste in everything" – Zlatan makes Becks feel at home "Perhaps you could ask Ibra for an interview. I'm sure he'd grant you one" – Laurent Blanc, to beIN Sport's Malika Ménard (a former Miss France), after Zlatan gatecrashes her interview with the PSG coach "There was a problem during the match. At one point, the Freebox [satellite box] wasn't sending the right signal. Zlatan took the remote control and showed what you had to do to watch the match properly. He's a handyman!" – A Parisian restaurant-owner reveals that there is no end to Zlatan's talents after he fixes a faulty TV while the PSG squad watch a Champions League match between Barcelona and Milan Monaco"I eat and next to me there's [Radamel] Falcao, James Rodríguez, [Ricardo] Carvalho, [Eric] Abidal, [João] Moutinho and that's when you say to yourself shit I'm here too!" – Layvin Kurzawa tweets about the surreality of life at Monaco "Nothing" – Ricardo Carvalho, Monaco's new recruit at least has the decency not to pretend when asked what he knows about Ligue 1 "I'm very happy at Monaco and I believe in the project. Everything is a lie – even the figures referred to by the press are untrue. I feel good at the club. I believe in the Monaco project and I'm going to stay here" – Radamel Falcao digs out the dreaded P-word after rumours emerge that he wants to leave Monaco for Real Madrid "Paris have lots of big champions with experience, more than Monaco. For me, there's no comparison to be made. They are two important clubs, but we are young. There's a long way to go, but this team has a future" – Claudio Ranieri, the Monaco coach, tries to water down expectations following a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes in September Chez les anglais"The first time, I heard my name but I didn't understand the words. So I looked on the internet. They chant after a goal, sometimes just after a run! I spoke about it with Moussa [Sissoko], who has his own [song] as well. Having your own song is just magnificent" – Yoan Gouffran struggles to get his ears around the Geordie accent "We've decided on something that's quite unique: I won't receive any salary. We've decided my salary will go towards a local children's charity in Paris and that's one of the things we're very excited and proud to do" – David Beckham hits upon another PR masterstroke following his arrival at PSG "I really tried to make him come here. I spoke about it to the manager, to the scouts, but here they don't know the French championship. I told them: 'He's a good player, bring him here.' They replied: 'We don't even know who he is'" – Joey Barton, on his failed attempts to convince Queens Park Rangers to take a punt on Morgan Amalfitano "You know who my idol was? Nobby Stiles! He made quite an impression on me" – René Girard, the Lille coach, reveals an unlikely source of inspiration in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine Feminism"Women who talk about football tactics, it's beautiful. I find that fantastic. And you know what a 4-3-3 is, right?" – Laurent Blanc does his bit for gender equality in response to a question from a female Swedish journalist "I don't talk football with women. That's how I see things. They can go back to their saucepans" – Bernard Lacombe, Aulas's right-hand man at Lyon, takes exception to a female caller who criticises Karim Benzema during a radio phone-in And finally..."I'm not a weather vane" – Florian Thauvin, after reports emerge that he wants to wriggle out of his transfer to Lille in order to join Marseille (shortly before he wriggles out of his transfer to Lille in order to join Marseille) "And people ask me why I want to change the stadium" – Jean-Michel Aulas sees the funny side after he and a sponsor get locked in at Stade Gerland following a friendly game against Real Madrid "I signed the first team sheet with Sakho as captain. I signed a second with Ibrahimović as captain. And then, just before the warm-up, they made me sign a third one with Blaise Matuidi" – Cédric Kanté Sochaux reports on PSG's game of Pass the Parcel with the captain's armband "The song, 'A Big Mac, for Gignac'? The PSG supporters came up with it, but not only does it mean that people are talking about me, it makes me laugh. I'm all for self-deprecation. As for McDonald's, to be honest, it's good. I really like the nuggets - not Big Macs. But I prefer sushi" – André-Pierre Gignac, the big-boned Marseille striker reveals his dietary secrets • This article first appeared on Football Further Recent highlights from the Guardian Sport Network1) Football quiz: identify the players by their statistics theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Tim Sherwood eager for talks over his future role at Tottenham Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:00 AM PST • Sherwood may be given manager's role until end of season Tim Sherwood hopes to meet the Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy in the next 24 hours to discuss his future at the club with the interim manager having made an immediate impression on the first-team squad since his elevation from his role as technical co-ordinator. The stand-in manager oversaw his first victory in Sunday's 3-2 success at Southampton and will be in charge when West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City visit White Hart Lane over the Christmas period. The Spurs hierarchy are sounding out candidates for the position, with contact having been made with Louis van Gaal and Frank de Boer, though securing a full-time appointment mid-season and ahead of the World Cup finals is likely to prove problematic. That has effectively improved the chances of Sherwood, whose previous work at the club had revolved around the academy and development squads, taking on the role at least until the end of the season. His approach to date has been that of a man expecting to assume duties on a longer-term basis, with an attack-minded tactical gameplan implemented at St Mary's and discipline already reestablished within the senior squad. "People may think that (his reputation does not carry weight), but Tim will take no nonsense from anybody," said the full-back, Danny Rose. "At his first training session, a couple of lads rolled out on the training pitch late and he got us in a circle and said it was unacceptable, in polite words. He set out some new rules and you know not to mess with Tim, and that's good. Punctuality was one of them: when we go down to eat, for team meetings, but stuff on the training pitch as well. When he speaks, you've got to listen. "Recently, we've not played the Tottenham way, attacking and counterattacking, and it's been hard with only one striker up front. Tim has said he doesn't know if he'll get the job, but that's how Tottenham should be playing – like we did in the second half on Sunday – and that's what we're trying to do, play attacking football. At times we know we may concede, but we want to be scoring quite a few goals every game." Rose worked heavily with Sherwood in his previous capacity as technical co-ordinator and the full-back credits the 44-year-old, along with the previous manager Harry Redknapp, for improving his attitude. "Tim has been backing me and a lot of the other youngsters for a good three or four years," said the youngster. "He came to the club and, probably about four years ago, I sat down with him and Harry and they told me I needed to train a lot harder to have a chance in the team. "I didn't get that many chances under Harry Redknapp. But from when I did change my attitude on the training pitch, I won Tim over and from then he has always been pushing me to try to get into the team – along with others like Jake Livermore, Nabil [Bentaleb] today and Andros Townsend as well." The caretaker's first move was to reintegrate Emmanuel Adebayor in the squad to play in a front partnership, the Togo international having fallen out of favour under André Villas-Boas. The forward began the season training with Sherwood's under-21 squad, despite being one of the highest earners at the club, and was made to stand on a raised platform and apologise for his behaviour to the entire squad. He played only 45 minutes of first-team football under the Portuguese this season but has now scored three goals in the interim manager's two games in charge having been welcomed back into the fold. "We had meetings about the situation but, if a manager thinks something about someone, then we've all got to respect," said Rose when asked about Adebayor's previous exclusion. "We might not agree with it, but we have to respect it. We are all just happy Ade's back now. When he plays like that, you can see why he's played for a lot of great clubs. He gives us another dimension: he can finish, hold the ball up, and he wins defensive headers from set pieces. He's definitely like a new signing. "The fact he stood up and apologised shows he does want to play for the club. It goes without saying, he's not short of money so he could have just sat and not done anything. But he apologised and that's that. Whatever happened with the previous manager, it's up to the manager. But, as I said, we've just got to forget about that and look forward. The top four is still the aim. The previous manager wanted to win a trophy and finish in the top four, and it should be the same whoever comes in now or for Tim. Personally, I want to finish in the top four. The club flourished playing Champions League football and that's the aim." theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend's action | Guardian writers Posted: 23 Dec 2013 01:00 AM PST Can Danny Welbeck take advantage of Robin Van Persie's injury, Joe Hart takes heart and why would anyone want to work for Vincent Tan? 1) Why would anyone want to work for Vincent Tan?Money, obviously, answers the above question but perhaps the outbreak of diplomacy over Malky Mackay's position as Cardiff City manager on Sunday followed a realisation the club's owner is not exactly an attractive proposition to work for. If, or when, the Scot leaves Cardiff his replacement would face the pressure of winning over a fan-base united behind Mackay, as demonstrated at Anfield on Saturday. That's the straightforward part and, as Southampton have shown since sacking Nigel Adkins, rapprochement is possible should the successor deliver. The added distraction at Cardiff is interference from an owner who appears to believe he is solely responsible for the club's rise. It would not be a surprise to see Tan turn into the Premier League version of Terry Smith, the American businessman who took control at Chester City in 1999 and appointed himself manager following the resignation of Kevin Ratcliffe. Andy Hunter
2) Welbeck gets chance to star on centre stageDanny Welbeck scored in Manchester United's 3-1 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford but with Robin van Persie out for at least three more weeks with a thigh injury, he has the chance to hand David Moyes a problem. Of the prospect of Welbeck becoming prolific, the manager said: "It will give me a headache. We need to get Robin back and we need to have Danny scoring goals because overall we have relied a lot on Wayne. The thing labelled at Danny was could he score? He is beginning to make a contribution to the goal tally, which we want. Because of that it is certainly helping Wayne [Rooney] and Robin as well." What Welbeck needs is what he now has: the chance of a consistent run in the XI as a striker. Jamie Jackson 3) Long tug of warSurprisingly, the suggestion at The Hawthorns is that West Brom may yet agree to sell Shane Long to Hull City during the January transfer window. Whoever is appointed new manager of the Baggies will have a say, of course, but the Irish striker's contract has only six months to run, and with Matej Vydra beginning to make an impact, sporting director Richard Garlick could decide finance dictates taking advantage of the Tigers' continued interest. Hull continue to pick up points, but with just 14 goals in 19 games, their need to find a goalscorer for the second half of the season is desperate, with Steve Bruce reported to be considering a bid for Filip Djordevic from Nantes. Richard Rae 4) Time for JFK to shineThe openness of this season's Premier League intensifies the intrigue of the forthcoming January transfer window. The boundaries of possibility have been extended for many clubs and they must be tempted to react accordingly. On the back of a haul of 19 points from the last 24 available – a run that includes wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as well as Saturday's emphatic disposal of Crystal Palace – Newcastle are suddenly strong contenders for a Champions League place. But to sustain their challenge they will surely to need to keep hold of the likes of Yohan Cabaye and deepen their squad this January. Encouragingly, no team have made as savvy use of the January transfer window as them in the last two seasons. In January 2012 they signed Papiss Cissé, who immediately went on a scoring blitz; and at the start of this year they raided France for five players who ultimately helped the club climb out of trouble. Now Alan Pardew says the club is preparing to dip into the new year market again. And this time they will have Joe Kinnear to help them. Newcastle fans may tremble at that prospect but Pardew says that, contrary to popular opinion, Newcastle's set-up is good. "I haven't really talked too much about the finance available but we've talked about players," he says. "We're making sure that we don't miss what might be a key signing. So [chef scout] Graham Carr, Joe, myself and the owner are very much on the ball for this January window. That is really the committee for transfers. With Joe's knowledge of football he knows that the manager needs certain things and that has helped in my opinion." Newcastle have been great to watch recently and in January, as so often, their activity away from the pitch will make for equally fascinating viewing. Paul Doyle 5) Would any manager be capable of keeping this Sunderland squad up?Suspend all disbelief for a moment and imagine it might be possible to organise a cross between a blind wine tasting and a footballing version of the film Sliding Doors. This little exercise would see five managers - Gus Poyet, Paolo Di Canio, Fabio Capello, Sir Alex Ferguson and André Villas-Boas for instance – placed in charge of the current Sunderland squad between now and the end of the season. They would be permitted no January signings. Which one would do best? Or would they all end up relegated, proving that, however brilliant or flawed the manager, it is the collective quality and strength of the playing staff that really matters? The suspicion is that Poyet would probably do as well as anyone – but, providing he remains on Wearside, he will have to re-build Sunderland in his own image in the Championship next season. Louise Taylor 6) Villa scrambling to avoid another Black ChristmasTwelve months ago, Aston Villa endured one of the most miserable footballing Christmases. Beginning with an 8-0 defeat to Chelsea on December 22, they lost three games by an aggregate score of 15-0. Advance to the current day and Villa have gone pointless from their last three games. This time the fixture list is more friendly, with Crystal Palace and Swansea visiting Villa Park before Lambert's men go to Sunderland, but, along with the Black Cats and Fulham, they have the joint worst home record in the division. Halting their slide is imperative to prevent another relegation struggle. "You have to try and put a stop to it as quick as you can," Lambert said. Richard Jolly 7) Hart takes heart"At last," Joe Hart might have said. Manuel Pellegrini told him early on last week that he would return from his two-month Premier League exile against Fulham at Craven Cottage, which also meant that the goalkeeper had plenty of time to think about it. There is little doubt that his previous appearance in the competition for Manchester City would have flashed through his mind - the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, when his last-gasp error cost his team so dearly. Hart, though, is made of stern stuff and his focus was spot on against Fulham. He was not over-worked but what he had to do, he did so with assurance. There were two sharp saves from Adel Taarabt, safe handling in the terrible conditions and no blame attached on either concession. Pellegrini indicated afterwards that Hart would retain his place for the Boxing Day visit of Liverpool - what a game that promises to be. Hart will approach it with confidence. David Hytner 8) Sherwood shepherded Tottenham forwardThe admission came late on in Tim Sherwood's first Premier League post-match press conference. "Attacking football is the only way I know how to play," offered the interim manager though, by then, it felt as if he was stating the obvious. Tottenham Hotspur had played with Mousa Dembélé as their only recognised central midfielder at St Mary's and the Belgian is still probably happiest operating in support of a forward despite boasting Etienne Capoue on the bench. Nabil Bentaleb, the hugely promising captain of Spurs' under-21s side, would be utilised ahead of the France international when Dembélé limped off. This was all refreshingly bold after the rather cautious André Villas-Boas era, Spurs' approach all too obvious and forever forward-thinking. It worked here partly because the visitors' attacking players were more recognisable as their old selves (not least Emmanuel Adebayor), but also because Southampton were so fragile at the back. Their rejigged back-line never suggested surety. Injuries and illness have cost them dear, so Spurs could aspire to make in-roads. They can hope to do so again in the home fixtures against West Bromwich Albion and Stoke to come over the next week, by which time they would hope to have recovered their poise at White Hart Lane and might even have confirmed Sherwood's interim stewardship will extend to the summer. Yet, beyond that, some measure of the old steel will be required. This team cannot be gung-ho against Manchester United at Old Trafford, or at Arsenal in the FA Cup, and expect to make an impression. Southampton, after all, had threatened to run riot in the opening 25 minutes here until Spurs deflated their optimism with an equaliser on the break. Sherwood can spend this week re-energising the home support at White Hart Lane with displays brimming with attacking intent. After that, his side must not be this open again. If he strikes a balance, his candidacy may prove persuasive. Dominic Fifield
9) Swansea on the slideAfter Swansea's wonderful inaugural season in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers, followed by the groundbreaking second campaign, which saw Michael Laudrup's side finish in the top half and win the League Cup, the third term is starting to feel a little flat. Sunday's 2-1 home defeat against Everton means that Swansea have won only two out of their last 13 games in all competitions and taken only 10 points out of a possible 27 at home this season. They have reached the knockout stage of the Europa League and have an exciting tie against Napoli in February to look forward to but it is hard to escape the feeling that the team has lost its edge. Laudrup looked more despondent than usual after the Everton result, which probably owed something to the timing of Ross Barkley's winning goal and also the realisation that Swansea are heading into a demanding run of games – Chelsea away, Manchester City at home and Manchester United away are three of their next four league fixtures – short of confidence and without key personnel. The biggest worry is that the diagnosis on Michu's ankle problem – expected any day – will be that he needs surgery, with the worst case scenario being that the Spaniard will be out for three months. With Nathan Dyer already sidelined with ankle ligament damage, Swansea face being without two of their most dangerous attacking players, which is a major concern when you consider that their leading scorer in the league this season with five is ... own goal. Stuart James 10) Liverpool are not a one-man teamWhen the US TV awards season comes around next year, it's a fair bet that Bryan Cranston will clean up for his lead performance as Walter White in Breaking Bad. That focus, while in no way undeserved, does some disservice to the supporting cast of Jesse, Hank, Skyler and Saul and there is a danger of something similar happening at Liverpool. Jordan Henderson had become something of a football punchline the last time he was seen in an England shirt, back at the time of the Euro 2012 exit. This season though he has added both dynamism and flair to his game; he was involved in three of his side's goals last weekend against Spurs and again had a hand in all three against Cardiff City on Saturday. Henderson is part of a midfield that also contains the increasingly visionary Philippe Coutinho and the much-improved Raheem Sterling, who was being dismissed by some supporters as a Championship-level player merely a few weeks ago but now looks genuinely threatening when running at defenders. Even better for the Reds fans is the fact that they still have Steven Gerrard to come back. If Suárez can maintain his current form over the rest of the season then England fans will rightly fear facing him in the World Cup group stages, but it's questionable whether even attack-minded Uruguay have as creative a supporting cast as his club side do right now. Dan Lucas This article has been amended as Danny Welbeck did not score against Stoke while Liverpool played Cardiff City and not West Ham, as originally stated theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
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