Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com |
- Atlético 0-2 Real (0-5 agg)
- Cardiff City 0-0 Aston Villa | Premier League match report
- West Ham 2-0 Norwich City
- Arsène Wenger bids to coax killer instinct out of Mesut Özil | Amy Lawrence
- We must respond, says Wenger
- Rodgers: Liverpool hold English core
- Martínez: top four race wide open
- Manuel Pellegrini tells José Mourinho not to talk about Manchester City
- Tim Sherwood well aware success at Tottenham is not sack-proof
- Moyes gets prickly under pressure
- Cardiff's Craig Bellamy gets three-game ban after accepting FA charge
- West Brom 1-1 Chelsea
- Hull City 0-1 Southampton | Premier League match report
- Football clockwatch – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg
- Alan Pardew: Europa League handicap led to Spurs sack for André Villas-Boas
- Atlético Madrid v Real Madrid – as it happened | Rob Smyth
- Cardiff City v Aston Villa – as it happened | Barry Glendenning
- Tottenham's Erik Lamela hits new low with injury setback
- Interview: Sydney FC's Ali Abbas
- The Fiver | Deeply professorial terms
- Everton's Roberto Martínez praises Crystal Palace's Tony Pulis before Premier League game – video
- David Moyes dismisses Rio Ferdinand retirement reports
- Manuel Pellegrini on Manchester City v Sunderland – video
- Manchester City's Fernandinho a surprise pick for Brazil squad
- Manuel Pellegrini refuses to be drawn into mind games with José Mourinho
| Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:59 PM PST Cristiano Ronaldo scored two first-half penalties as Real Madrid booked their place in the final of the Copa del Rey at the expense of city rivals Atlético with a 2-0 victory. Real were already 3-0 up from the first leg and headed east to the Vicente Calderón with a huge degree of security. They would have been expecting a rough ride, especially as Atlético are the holders of the trophy having beaten Los Blancos in last year's final, but it did not turn out that way. The game was up with just seven minutes gone as Ronaldo was felled by Javi Manquillo and got up to blast in the resulting spot-kick. His goal served to fire up the home fans even more and they nearly had something to cheer when Raúl García hit the post from 25 yards with the goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, beaten. But there was a deathly silence with 16 minutes gone as Gareth Bale traded passes with Isco, beat Emiliano Insúa for pace and was chopped down. Ronaldo stepped up to score from 12 yards. The Portuguese's reward was to be hit by an object thrown from the crowd as he left the field at half-time, but he came out for the second half and continued to torment Atlético's defence. Chances came and went for both sides in the second half – Ronaldo stabbed a shot into a crowd of bodies and Atlético's striker Mario Suarez headed wide when well set – but the damage had long been done. Barcelona or Real Sociedad will meat Carlo Ancelotti's men in the final. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Cardiff City 0-0 Aston Villa | Premier League match report Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:43 PM PST Every point is precious at this stage of the season but it was hard to escape the feeling that this was two dropped, rather than one gained, for Cardiff City, who remain second from bottom. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side kept a clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time in the best part of two months but the goal they so badly needed at the other end of the pitch failed to arrive on a night of frustration in the Welsh capital. Fraizer Campbell and Craig Noone hit the woodwork in quick succession in the first half and Kenwyne Jones had decent claims for a penalty turned down during Cardiff's best spell of the game. The other side of the coin is that Aston Villa had a couple of wonderful opportunities to win the match in the closing stages. Gabriel Agbonlahor, with the goal at his mercy, took far too long to pull the trigger and, in the dying seconds, Andreas Weimann was denied by a brilliant David Marshall save. This had felt like a must-win game for Cardiff on the back of Saturday's defeat against Swansea. Solskjaer made four changes from the side that performed so poorly in that south Wales derby, although one of them was enforced. Craig Bellamy was starting a three-match suspension after "reluctantly accepting" the Football Association's violent conduct charge in relation to an incident at the Liberty Stadium, when he swung an arm in the direction of Jonathan de Guzmán. Cardiff had hoped to land a blow of a different kind here. The home side were desperately close to the early breakthrough that would have eased some of the tension when they struck the woodwork twice in the space of 20 seconds in the 14th minute. Wilfried Zaha was the architect of the first chance, sliding a neat reverse pass into the path of the unmarked Campbell, whose clipped left-footed shot, from the edge of the six-yard box, was instinctively tipped onto the post by Brad Guzan's left hand. It was a superb save. Villa never managed to clear the danger and when the ball dropped to Noone, around 25 yards from goal, there was only one thing on the winger's mind. Noone, who was surprisingly left out of the starting XI against Swansea, shifted the ball onto his left foot and thumped a shot that took a huge deflection off Ashley Westwood, looped over Guzan's head and struck the bar. The visitors continued to live dangerously. In the 20th minute Nathan Baker could easily have given away a penalty after more poor defending. Having allowed Jones to get the wrong side of him, after a straightforward throw-in from Kévin Théophile-Catherine, Baker tangled with the Cardiff striker close to the byline and had both hands on him at one stage. Jones went down and raised his arms to appeal for a penalty but Chris Foy, the referee, waved play on. It looked a highly dubious decision. At the other end of the pitch Cardiff looked reasonably comfortable in the opening 45 minutes. Villa have a reputation for being brilliant exponents of the counter attack, in particular away from home, but they offered little threat in the first half. Fabian Delph drilled a raking shot wide in the 10th minute and Christian Benteke headed tamely into the arms of Marshall but that was as good as it got for the visitors before the break. Villa looked brighter at the start of the second half but it was Cardiff, again, who came closest to scoring after Jones's flick left Campbell one-on-one with Ron Vlaar. After getting a lucky break, when the ball seemed to bounce up off his hand, Campbell eluded Vlaar with a nice piece of skill but then snatched at his chance, drilling a low shot well wide of the upright. It was a reprieve that Villa nearly punished six minutes later when Agbonlahor set Leandro Bacuna free on the right flank. Benteke was calling for the ball at the back post but Bacuna, much to the Villa striker's annoyance, opted to go for goal and dragged wide. Villa were beginning to cause Cardiff more problems and only a couple of superbly-timed tackles from the excellent Ben Turner prevented Benteke from having a clear sight of goal. Marshall also produced a fine one-handed save to keep out Delph's 25-yard effort, which took a wicked deflection off Steven Caulker, and then another in injury-time to turn Weimann's flick over the bar. In between those two moments Agbonlahor profligately shot wide. theguardian.com © 2014 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: 11 Feb 2014 02:40 PM PST If West Ham are to remain a Premier League side this year, then there may be a little pocket in Seville that celebrates with them. The Andalucian city produced their man of the match here, with goalkeeper Adrian coming to the rescue of a side that was often outmanoeuvred and outwitted by Norwich City but eventually emerged victorious thanks to late goals from James Collins and Mohammed Diamé. As Collins capitalised on some poor Norwich marking to nod home Diamé's cross from the left with six minutes remaining, West Ham's goalkeeper held his arm aloft. He had denied the Canaries on several occasions during a match in which his side had been second best, demonstrating his shot-stopping abilities and an impressive command of the penalty area. The celebrations around Upton Park continued into injury time, when Diamé's deflected shot crept past John Ruddy to elevate West Ham into the top half of the table and inflict some severe misery on the visiting Canaries. The sides began the game level on points and entered it on the back of some much-improved performances. West Ham, who less than a month ago were in dire straits and languishing in the relegation zone, named an unchanged team from the one that overcame Aston Villa at the weekend, with Andy Carroll serving the second instalment of his three-match suspension. Robert Snodgrass came in for Anthony Pilkington as Chris Hughton's only alteration. It was the home side, who have the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season, who were lucky not to go in behind at half-time. Norwich, who retained the ball well and appeared technically superior in midfield, were denied by Adrian on three occasions, who has been a key factor in the resurgence of Sam Allardyce's team. The Spanish goalkeeper, who has usurped Jussi Jaaskelainen as West Ham's choice of No1, thrice kept the Canaries at bay in the opening 45 minutes, first denying Gary Hooper before more impressive stops that thwarted Snodgrass and then Alex Tettey. The architect of Norwich's first two chances was Nathan Redmond, by far the brightest player on the pitch, starting wide on the left but switching flanks and regularly drifting inside. After just nine minutes the young midfielder beat Guy Demel with ease and drifted a precise cross into the area for Hooper to head towards the bottom corner, but Adrian scrambled across his goal and tipped the ball wide of his left-hand post. Even better was his save after 18 minutes. Redmond again played an integral part in the move, picking the ball up in a central midfield position and clipping a deft ball over the top for Snodgrass. Adrian at first seemed hesitant to come off his line, but his decision paid off as he stood tall and stopped the Scot's goalbound attempt. Norwich had another opportunity following a swift break, but Bradley Johnson's shot from the penalty spot was blocked well, an incident that sparked the home side into life. Yet while West Ham increased the pressure on the opposition penalty area and looked to exploit a lack of assertiveness in the air between the central defensive pairing of Joseph Yobo and Sebastien Bassong, they were lacking creativity in the final third. Demel had an excellent chance but could not make sufficient contact on a dangerous cross from the left, while Carlton Cole and Mark Noble were restricted to long-range efforts. Indeed, it was Adrian, not John Ruddy, who was called into action yet again in first-half injury-time, flying spectacularly to his right to deny Alex Tettey from the edge of the area following a nice lay-off to him from Hooper. It was to be West Ham who had the last laugh amid a frantic finish. Ruddy, just a few minutes after denying Diamé with a fine save, was soon picking the ball out of his net on two occasions. Collins timed his header to perfection, before Diamé did eventually score in injury time, racing through and then firing a shot that deflected heavily past Ruddy to secure a vital three points. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Arsène Wenger bids to coax killer instinct out of Mesut Özil | Amy Lawrence Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST Arsenal's manager wants more goals from his £42m orchestrator but disputes allegations that German is lazy and does not care The message from Arsène Wenger on the delicate subject of his elusive playmaker, Mesut Özil, was intriguing: Don't read this particular book by its cover. Don't believe the impression that this languid, sometimes low-key, style reflects the man. Body language, according to the Arsenal manager, is highly deceptive in this case. "In fact," explains Wenger, his voice sharpening as if he felt a sudden urgency to enlighten everybody, "that is the contradiction in him. He's not a guy who doesn't care. His style can sometimes look like that but he's really the opposite character." Such is Wenger's obvious sense of fascination about how Özil's subtle mechanism ticks, one thing one can count on is that the Arsenal manager is driven, almost like a mad scientist, to figure out the solution to make it run beautifully. Özil's recent performances, which have a post-honeymoon lull about them, have intensified the microscope on a player who was not long ago credited by just about all his team-mates for lifting Arsenal spirits. His arrival inspired an upsurge that made them Premier League pace-setters. It almost had its own snappy label: The Özil effect. A painful performance in that 5-1 mauling at Anfield on Saturday invited critics to dissect the more complicated elements in his game which rose to the surface on a particularly bad day. It represented, in some way, the inverse Özil effect. Arsenal's pivotal player was lacklustre, error-prone, generally down in the dumps and seemed to distil all the negatives that afflicted his team as they stumbled inside a red tornado as if in the midst of a terrifying dream. A broad selection of Özil related questions have become the topics for debate before a critically important week of home fixtures for Arsenal: Is he lazy? Is it a physical weakness to deal with the intensity of the Premier League? Is it par for the course with a player adapting to a new environment? Does he lack the personality to impose himself on the toughest assignments? Is he not so effective when Arsenal are missing pacy runners to seek out with his precision passing? Wenger knows there are some glitches at the moment but betrays no sign of serious concern. While there are rumblings externally about whether Arsenal's record signing should be dropped, the manager shows no sign of losing faith. Wenger sees a talent that needs to be handled with care, musing: "He needs understanding. Because he always wants to do well. He cares. He cares about the game, he needs more support. "He feels the pressure of course. Because he knows a lot is expected when you are a big transfer like that. There is a big expectation level but he should not worry about that, just play in the team and enjoy it, give his best. That's the best way to deal with it." There are certain reasons why Özil's effectiveness has tailed off. Strategically the injuries to Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott have rendered him less effective as there are fewer runs to pick out. Physically, fatigue seems to have set in. Not only is the German not used to the intensity of the regular Premier League slog, he is also adapting to playing a full 90 minutes far more often. At Real Madrid he generally finished less than half the games he started. At Arsenal that statistic has swung and he is used for the duration more frequently, averaging 86 minutes per game compared with the 63.3 minutes in La Liga last term. "He thinks it's more physical here for sure and he works on his body strength in the gym to deal with it," says Wenger. This particular adaptation, to take a skilful luxury player and make him more competitive, is reminiscent of what Wenger did with Robert Pires. Here was another technical attacker with a reputation for shying away from combat. He needed several months to come to terms with a more robust footballing environment and learn how to use his qualities to maximum effect. But there is a big difference. Pires came into a team full of powerful team-mates who had the experience of winning titles. He had Patrick Vieira next to him, Dennis Bergkamp in front of him, Ashley Cole covering behind him. He also was not expected to be the main man. It was easier for Pires to evolve at his own pace, without the shuddering pressure that bears down on Özil. His stature as a player who was bought to hold the keys to the team, with a price tag that guarantees attention, brings a larger load on to his shoulders. When it comes to Özil, Wenger remains positive and patient. Whether this is the right time to be carefully indulging a perhaps misunderstood, elegant orchestrator whose light is currently off beam remains to be seen. A series of critical matches, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich on the horizon, demands the highest standards. Wenger is determined to coax more out of Özil. His statistics are reasonable – five goals and eight assists this season – but Wenger wants him to be more assertive and intends to turn him into a hungrier goalscorer. "You want the guy who plays behind the striker to score some goals and sometimes he is too obsessed with making the perfect pass when he could take a shot at goal," he observes. Özil has struggled to repeat the kind of conviction he displayed in a masterful performance against Napoli in the Champions League – both his goal and his assist were delivered with total confidence. Wenger has tweaked some high-profile forward players in the past to add a more clinical edge to their game, with both Thierry Henry's transformation from a winger and Robin van Persie's from a No10 remarkable examples. So how does one turn someone comfortable supplying into someone who can switch his attention to finishing? "By practising on it and convincing him by showing him situations where he can shoot more," says Wenger. "He will do that. The problem at the moment is that we are not practising much at the moment because we are playing every three days. Once we used to be able to prepare with everybody together but the problem today is that you cannot practise any more." Time is certainly pressed right now. Özil needs to deliver. But it is pertinent that his team-mates project the feeling that it is the whole team, not just their £42m extravagance, who needs to rev up. "Everyone saw him as the Messiah," says Olivier Giroud, "but he would not change the team all by himself. He is important for the team. He carries his load. But at Arsenal a lot of players can make the difference." Like it or not, though, some players are expected to make more of a difference. Tony Adams remembers getting hold of Bergkamp in 1998 and giving him the kind of gee up he felt was needed to inflict the full force of his ability on English football: "I felt at one point he was on cruise control, just going a little bit through the motions. Super, super player. But come on Dennis, it's about time you won the league, player of the year … How much do you want it?" Soon afterwards Bergkamp was player of the year and Arsenal won the double. Perhaps it is the moment for a similar question to be put to Özil. theguardian.com © 2014 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: 11 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST • Arsenal need to show Liverpool loss was just 'an accident' Arsène Wenger accepts that Arsenal's season is on a knife edge after their heavy defeat at Anfield last Saturday. They face a pivotal week which has the potential to make or break their campaign, with an FA Cup tie against Liverpool and a Champions League duel against Bayern Munich following hot on the heels of Manchester United's Premier League visit on Wednesday night. Three competitions are on the line. In recent seasons Arsenal have been derailed when a cluster of high-profile games with different honours at stake hurtles into their path, and Wenger understands why there are doubts about whether they can overcome the tendency to implode. "It's normal that people raise this kind of question," the manager said. "But we have always maintained a certain level. We have lost some championships, we have won as well some championships when the others lost it. The professionalism of the players? I have guarantees that they will give their best until the end of the season. If somebody is better than us, we have to accept it. But at the moment we are in a very interesting position and it is a long way to go. "Two weeks ago, Manchester City were unstoppable, so it changes quickly. Everybody plays Champions League, so everybody can drop points. It is just down to our belief and how well we respond." With no developments on the injury front (although Yaya Sanogo, the raw young striker signed last summer, is finally fit he is unlikely to feature) Wenger does not have the option of sweeping changes to try to shake his team up in reaction to losing 5-1 at Anfield. He often relies on Tomas Rosicky for the highest-profile challenges, so the Czech midfielder may come into the side. But otherwise Manchester United can expect a similar lineup to the one lacerated by Liverpool. "I can make one or two changes but the core of the team has to be exactly the same," Wenger said. "After a big disappointment like that you always sit there thinking: 'Do I make five or six changes or do I give them a chance to show it was just an accident?' And most of the time you give the players a chance, especially if they have done well before. If there is a continuity of a bad patch you have to change things but, if it is just one game, most of the time you give the players a chance to respond. "It is always a disappointment to lose a game but I think it was an accident because we have been very stable defensively and we have to treat it like that. We have just been on a 10-game unbeaten run. You cannot consider one game as the trend, the pattern of our season. A successful season is decided by how you respond." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Rodgers: Liverpool hold English core Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST • Gerrard has thrived in holding midfielder Brendan Rodgers has said Liverpool's 5-1 mauling of Arsenal issued "a statement" about British talent and advised Roy Hodgson to capitalise on Steven Gerrard's development as a holding midfielder at the World Cup. Liverpool had five English players in their ranks when obliterating the then Premier League leaders at Anfield – Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Jon Flanagan. Rodgers has backed Flanagan to follow his team-mates into the England ranks, though concedes Brazil may come too soon for the 21-year-old defender, and believes Saturday's performance demonstrated Britain does produce players equipped for the highest level. "I think it is a good signal [the five players] and a good statement, especially for young British players, that if you come to Liverpool you will get your opportunity if your focus is right. You will get that opportunity to play," said the Liverpool manager before Wednesday's visit to Fulham. The match will go ahead after planned strikes on the London Underground, that Fulham claimed would impact on the number of stewards able to get to Craven Cottage, were suspended on Tuesday. Rodgers added: "It has been a life's work for me. Since I started as a young coach, British players were told they were not technically good enough or not tactically good enough. I set out on a journey to prove that wasn't the case. They can be. What we had was coaches in this country who maybe didn't have the faith or the nerve to play how Europeans would play. It is the easiest thing in the world to get your goalkeeper to smash the ball as far as he can up the pitch, away from danger, and when you haven't got the ball just drop back in. It is the easiest thing in the world to coach. You could get someone, with all due respect, who is working with kids on the park to do that." As in Liverpool's previous home game, the 4-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton, Gerrard produced a commanding display against Arsenal to reinforce Rodgers' belief that his captain will flourish in a deeper role. And the Liverpool manager believes Hodgson should consider adopting the same tactic with England at the World Cup. "Everyone knows Steven's qualities but I think it would be good for Roy to see him in that central pivot that we play," said Rodgers. "We don't play with two holders, we play with one and two more attacking players. Even in that role, he has amazed me at the quality he is playing at so quickly. When he was playing as the No10 or as that advanced player for Liverpool for many years, he was incredible. His movement in the box was like a striker. So to flip that into a playmaker in the other half of the field shows the real tactical intelligence that he has." Flanagan has also impressed since returning to the Liverpool team this season and rendered Santi Cazorla anonymous throughout the 5-1 win. Rodgers is confident the youngster will soon increase the England contingent at Anfield. "I think this year might come too soon for him but there is absolutely no question he has got all the qualities to play in that position for England," he said. "The key for Jon is consistency, making sure he doesn't believe he has cracked it. I have been pleasantly surprised by how tactically good he is. Playing against someone like Cazorla, who jumps inside, we asked him to go with him at the right moments and he did. If he can do that for Liverpool in these types of games, then he can do it at international level, that's for sure." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Martínez: top four race wide open Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST • Spaniard says Liverpool have hit their peak this season Roberto Martínez believes the race for a Champions League place remains "wide open" with Liverpool hitting their peak and European commitments weighing heavily on Manchester City and Arsenal. Everton have slipped to sixth in the Premier League, five points adrift of Liverpool in fourth, after their last four matches produced one win and consecutive away defeats at Anfield and White Hart Lane. The absence of a proven striker cost Martínez's team at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and the manager will have the same problem against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, with new signing Lacina Traoré deemed unfit to start. But while Everton have faltered as their Merseyside rivals have kicked on, Martínez denies fourth place is now Liverpool's to lose. "I don't see it that way," said the Everton manager. "We have 39 points to fight for. Liverpool, I think they are in the peak of their season. They have been terrific at home, the way they use impetus and start games. In the first 20 minutes they have been a real threat, in dead-ball situations and in counter-attacking, and now it's about maintaining that until the end of the season. "They have got a little bit of an advantage because of the points tally they have, but it's small margins from now until the end of the season. "For example, some teams have seven away fixtures, others have seven at home. Playing against a team that is safe is not the same as a team that is fighting to be safe. "There are many different aspects that are going to play a big part so I see it that the race is still wide open." Martínez also contests the theory that Chelsea, Arsenal and City will take the top three places and have left only the fourth Champions League position available. He added: "I would not say that's a given. You've got clubs who are going to have incredible moments in the Champions League, not physically, but emotionally. Sometimes you get a massive blow, you lose a player or a game and all of a sudden your season crumbles for two or three weeks. That can have a massive effect. "Two weeks ago Manchester City were the champions. Now everyone is questioning them. It is about extremes, it is one way or the other. I don't see it that way. Man City have to play all the top sides away from home. They have a two-legged tie with Barcelona in the Champions League. You could say the same about Arsenal. What is encouraging for me is the way we are becoming a dominant team wherever we go and, with getting our injured players back, I think we are going to finish the season really strong. This league is wide, wide open." Everton will again be without Romelu Lukaku against Palace – the on-loan striker is not expected to return from an ankle injury until 1 March – and Champions League football appears imperative to keeping the Belgium international at Goodison Park. In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws on Tuesday, Lukaku said: "It is high time that I play in the Champions League. It is the next step I need in my development. Full stop. I must now show I'm ready for it. I still have two years on my contract and I know Chelsea follow my development. In the end it depends on what the manager thinks about me." Martínez, meanwhile, has revealed Ross Barkley is still feeling the effects of a fractured toe suffered in the FA Cup win over Queens Park Rangers almost six weeks ago. "When he pushes from the ground there is a sharp pain and that stops him thinking on the ball and about his foot instead," said the Everton manager. "He is not 100% in terms of match fitness and sharpness on the ball." Martínez expects the midfielder to have fully recovered in time for England's friendly against Denmark on 5 March. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Manuel Pellegrini tells José Mourinho not to talk about Manchester City Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST • City manager wants rival to focus on Chelsea Manuel Pellegrini has told José Mourinho to focus on his own affairs as the Manchester City manager attempted to take the moral high ground in his ongoing feud with his Chelsea counterpart. Responding to Mourinho's comments on Monday that Pellegrini needed a "calculator" and that Yaya Touré should have been suspended for kicking out at Norwich City's Ricky van Wolfswinkel, the Chilean said: "I don't think it's the way to do it. I don't talk about other teams, whether the FA should suspend players from other teams or whether the referee has given bad decisions for the other teams." Asked if he believed more respect should be shown, Pellegrini said: "I think the best way is to work with your team and leave the referees and the FA to do their work. The fair way to do it is for everyone to work with their own club." A tactic of Mourinho can be to draw rival managers into tit-for-tat exchanges but Pellegrini saidthat differed widely from his own approach. "It is not my way to act, so I will not do it," he said. "I don't think everyone should act the same way." Last week Pellegrini did discuss Chelsea when he said they are "the team that spends the most money in the last 10 years, the team that spends the most money this year, so a little bit rich" in the wake of their 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Yet he claimed this was a one-off occurrence. "I answered once what Mourinho says because he was talking about the referees but I won't be answering every week because we would just continue to give an answer and get one from the other side," Pellegrini said. "I answered just one [time] because, if you remain always in silence, you [sound as if you agree] with those things. He started talking about referees and financial fair play, I don't think it is the way." Of Mourinho's statement that Touré should have been banned for the incident which failed to bring an FA charge, Pellegrini added: "I repeat, I don't respond to things Mourinho says every week because he will continue every week to try talking about things that are not from football. I suppose the FA acts the way they think is better for all the teams. I trust in the FA and I trust in referees." City face Sunderland at the Etihad on Wednesday evening with Pellegrini's side having failed to score in their last two games, which have yielded a single point in total. Although the manager mentioned injuries to Sergio Agüero, Matija Nastasic, Samir Nasri, Álvaro Negredo, Fernandinho, Javi García and Edin Dzeko, he said this was not a justification. "It is not an excuse – I see a reality," Pellegrini said. "In the same position we have three players, all strikers, who are not 100%. And in another position we have Fernandinho and Javi García out, it is just bad luck at this moment of the season. That is not an excuse for why we didn't win both games. "It's not a weakness in our squad but some bad luck to lose two or three players in the same positions." Regarding Nasri, who is recovering from a knee injury, being available for Tuesday evening's Champions League encounter with Barcelona at the Etihad, Pellegrini said: "We will see in the next few days, up until Saturday. I think there is a chance." Agüero, who has a hamstring problem, and Fernandinho, who has a muscle issue, will not recover in time. "I don't think so," said the manager. theguardian.com © 2014 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 well aware success at Tottenham is not sack-proof Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST The rookie Englishman has shown streetwise self-assurance as Spurs manager but accepts his future is not clear Tim Sherwood says that he would not want to play poker with the Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy and who can blame him? Sherwood has a contract to manage Tottenham until the end of next season, the result of him digging in hard last December when he was offered the opportunity to succeed the sacked André Villas-Boas but nothing lasts forever at White Hart Lane and Sherwood is honest enough to admit that his situation beyond this summer is not clear. The spectre of Louis van Gaal looms large. The 62-year-old will quit his post as the Holland coach after the World Cup finals – he is expected to be replaced by Guus Hiddink – and he is on record as saying that he wants to manage in England. Tottenham met Van Gaal before they promoted Sherwood from Villas-Boas's interim successor to his permanent one and they had to know that he would not be available before the World Cup. Yet it stands to be a different story after it. Van Gaal was asked last week by Dutch reporters about the talks with Tottenham. "There will be a moment I can tell you guys more about that but that moment is not now," he replied. There was also the question about his future. "I've always been clear about my future," Van Gaal said. "I'll quit after the World Cup ... and everybody knows that there's one more top competition I would like to work in." He did not mention the Premier League on this occasion but he has done so several times previously. Perhaps, there could be another top English club that needs a new manager in the summer but it is Sherwood who must live with the innuendo. He also heard Frank de Boer, the Ajax manager, say last week that he liked the idea of taking charge at either Tottenham or Liverpool in the future. Tottenham had sounded out De Boer after they dismissed Villas-Boas but he was never going to leave Ajax in mid-season, particularly as he chases a fourth consecutive Eredivisie title. "Those two clubs [Tottenham and Liverpool] are clubs that I think in the future I could be a manager of," De Boer said. "I think the history of the clubs and what you can do with the team is my cup of tea." It ought to be noted that De Boer did not put a time frame on when he might want to fulfil this fancy. But the sentiment, or at least, how it rebounded to England, jarred with one of football's unwritten rules. "I don't think I would ever tout myself about for a job when someone was already in the hot seat," Sherwood said. "But if they want to do that, that's up to them. "I don't blame them. They just want to put themselves in the frame. Obviously, they are not happy with the jobs they are doing if they are touting themselves for the Tottenham job. It's natural, I suppose. It's a big job. "I don't know Frank. I'm not sure if it's disrespectful. I'm relaxed about it. But it wouldn't be something I would be doing." Sherwood was never going to be merely grateful to have the chance to manage at Tottenham, even though they have been one of England's top five clubs over the past four seasons and he had never previously managed. He has stuck to his principles and his sense of worth from the moment that he made it clear he would not accept the job on a caretaker basis. He wrung an 18-month deal from Levy which, it has to be said, felt like a surprise. Levy is hardly known for giving people what they want in negotiations, particularly not a rookie manager. Sherwood has imposed his style and he has brought his personality to the role. It has been impossible not to admire his streetwise self-assurance and the Premier League results have been very good; six victories, two draws and only the one defeat at home to Manchester City. He has exited both domestic cup competitions. Sherwood also showed his mettle when he effectively told Levy and the sporting director Franco Baldini that they did not need to horse-trade players in January. Levy loves a deal but chopping and changing the squad can bring its own problems. Tottenham made no new signings last month. "I think it is wrong to collect players for the sake of it," Sherwood said. "You are hoarding them and then it is up to the manager to manage them. Listen, if the player they were suggesting was far better than what we already had, then I am bringing him in and managing the problem. That ain't a problem. But it is not about collecting players who are on a par or less than what you already have." When Sherwood took over, Tottenham sat seventh in the division and were five points off the Champions League places. He inherited a good squad, although they were not his players and he wanted to instil a different way of playing to Villas-Boas, in terms of tactics and tempo. There was little time, certainly at the beginning, as the games came thick and fast, to work on things in training. So far, he has done a decent job. Tottenham travel to Newcastle United on Wednesday night, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. Yet there remains the sense that Sherwood is on trial and judgement will be meted out in the summer. "I don't even know if top four gets me the job [for next season]," Sherwood said. "You will have to ask the chairman but he doesn't give much away. You certainly wouldn't want to play poker against him." Sherwood has had no assurances. "And I'm not asking for any, either," he continued. "I just need to get as high up the league as I can. If my achievements don't match the expectations of the club, then I'll be gone. "I am so relaxed about the job and I am just going to do what I can. I can assure everyone I will give 100% to do my best for this football club and, if that's not good enough, someone else comes in and gets the opportunity." Sherwood said that he would not return to his youth co-ordinator's role at Tottenham if things did not work out for him as the manager but he wants to look forward with optimism. He is enjoying the challenge. "I don't think I could do a job if I wasn't enjoying it, even this one," he said. "If I wasn't enjoying it, I'd be gone. Listen, my life would be a lot easier if I wasn't manager of Tottenham, let me tell you that." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Moyes gets prickly under pressure Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:29 PM PST Relentless media scrutiny is clearly beginning to irk the Old Trafford manager, as he showed at a tense press conference At the end of a terse press conference on Tuesday it was not easy to know what to make of David Moyes' state of mind – other than to say he is growing resentful at the scrutiny that working for a club of Manchester United's size can bring. The tone was set when the man from Sky offered a standard "good afternoon" and Moyes stared straight back. He then proceeded to say as little as possible before a bizarre sketch at the end when he was asked about the team's mid-season trip to Dubai – they leave on Thursday on Wednesday– while he was making his way to the door. Pretending he had not heard the question, he strode out. It was an expert blanking, missing only a talk-to-the-hand speech bubble. Moyes accepted later that he had heard every word. Too much can be read into these events sometimes but it certainly offers an insight into Moyes' current mind-set when he is willing to give the television crews only three minutes of his time. What quickly became evident was that this was not going to be a time for forensic analysis. His players had been "terrific," he said. "The players are doing great. I think I've got a great group of players. I'm very fortunate I took over the champions and I think the players have been terrific." It was gently pointed out that his team were 21 points worse off than at this stage last season. "Well, I was at Everton so I wasn't 21 points worse off," he replied. "I was at Everton." OK, but United, how has it gone that way? "The improvement in the teams in the Premier League has been big," he said. "There have been a lot of improvements from sides in the Premier League and obviously we've not done as well." That was about as expansive as it became. There were little clues, however. Moyes was clearly unhappy at the reaction to the 2-2 draw with Fulham the Premier League's bottom club, and the focus on his team knocking cross after cross into the penalty area. "You need to have a football intelligence, a football brain, to understand first of all," he said of his tactics. René Meulensteen, Fulham's manager, had said United were predictable and their young defender, Dan Burn, had talked about Conference-style tactics. "Yeah, well, I thought only one team came to win," Moyes said. "But you [media] watched it yourselves, so it was probably a game for you to write how badly Manchester United had done, rather than what the opposition played like." Was he disappointed, after the signing of Juan Mata, that his players had not reacted better? "Who's not reacted?" Moyes shot back. The team? "Yeah, but we played well against Fulham and should have won the game so, if you take that, I would have to disagree." Was it time to try something different? "I disagree with that as well." Even though the results are not what they should be? "I can only give you my answer. I disagree." More staring. A poll by the Red Issue fanzine has shown Moyes has lost some of the crowd's backing recently. In January 7% of supporters wanted him sacked, with 20% saying they would give him until the end of the season. It is now 17% wanting him out now and 32% preferring a summer change. It has also emerged that United have briefed their stewards about the possibility of a new wave of protests against the Glazer family. Stewards have also been warned about a possible pay cut if the club do not qualify for the Champions League. Another questioner pointed out that at a different club the supporters might have been hounding him out by now. That was maybe the only time Moyes agreed. "That's why the right clubs pick the right managers and the right managers pick the right clubs. You pick clubs where you know it is the right place for you. "I was given a six-year contract because it was a long-term deal. It was always going to take time. There is rebuilding going on year after year here and we will continue to try to do that." By the end, however, Moyes could scarcely go through the motions when he was asked whether the team had to reproduce the form they showed when beating Arsenal at Old Trafford earlier in the season. He just nodded and stared. So, to clarify, did he think they could reproduce that level? "Yeah, I think we can." Could he explain? "Because we have done it before." It has been a long time, though. "You asked me a question about Arsenal and I am just answering your question. I think we can." And then he was off, without a single look back. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Cardiff's Craig Bellamy gets three-game ban after accepting FA charge Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:23 PM PST • Bellamy banned over incident against Swansea Cardiff City's forward Craig Bellamy will serve a three-match ban after accepting a Football Association charge of violent conduct. The former Wales international had been charged for striking the Swansea midfielder Jonathan de Guzman with an arm during Cardiff's south Wales derby defeat on Saturday. Cardiff's manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, did not believe the incident merited further action but an FA statement read: "Cardiff City's Craig Bellamy will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after he accepted an FA charge of violent conduct. "Bellamy was charged following an incident which occurred during Cardiff's game against Swansea City on Saturday. The incident was not seen by the match officials but caught on video." It means Bellamy's suspension began with Cardiff's match against Aston Villa on Tuesday night, which ended in a goalless draw. Bellamy will also miss Saturday's FA Cup match against Wigan and the home league meeting with Hull, as the Welsh club look to avoid relegation and an immediate return to the Championship. Cardiff responded with a statement declaring their disappointment after the use of video footage to charge Bellamy. The incident was missed by the referee, Andre Marriner, and his team of officials at the time but it was reviewed by a three-man panel of former elite referees who unanimously agreed it constituted violent conduct. Cardiff's statement read: "Both Craig and the club are disappointed that the three-man panel of elite former referees reached their decision based on a video review this week. "Following internal discussions at the club Craig has chosen to accept the charge and the three-match ban without appeal." theguardian.com © 2014 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: 11 Feb 2014 02:09 PM PST For Chelsea, it finished as a night of regret. For long spells it had felt like a classic demonstration of the qualities that have taken them to the summit of the Premier League but their opponents deserve great acclaim for the way they came back in the last quarter of an hour, culminating in an 87th-minute equaliser for Victor Anichebe. Anichebe had come on as substitute a quarter of an hour earlier for Morgan Amalfitano and his header was West Brom's reward for their adventure just at the point of the match when Chelsea were looking strong for another hard-earned win and a four-point lead over Arsenal. José Mourinho's team had an off night and, once again, the manager must wonder where his team could be if they had a more prolific centre forward. Yet it was not until the last quarter of an hour that Pepe Mel's side attacked with any real conviction, desperately trying to retrieve the damage caused by Branislav Ivanovic's goal late in the first half. Mel is still looking for his first win after five games in the job and West Brom have still won only once since Steve Clarke was removed as manager but this ultimately was a night of great satisfaction for a club enduring a wretched recent run. For Chelsea, it felt like two points dropped, paying the price for their late carelessness. Perhaps the most encouraging part for the visitors was the latest evidence that Willian is now fully acclimatised to English football. The Brazilian showed the combination of flair and industry that makes him an ideal Mourinho player. He was prominently involved from the start, playing with the high energy that his manager wants from his front players. On this evidence, he is going to take an influential role in the run-in. It was also his corner that led to Ivanovic's goal and another demonstration of the defender's ability to trouble opponents at the other end of the pitch. David Luiz applied the first touch, helping the ball across the six-yard area and Ivanovic was next to react at the far post, sweeping in his shot first-time. The goal had felt like a jolt because Chelsea had threatened only sporadically until that point. The leaders had plenty of the ball in the first half but showed a lack of penetration in telling areas. Willian flashed a couple of long-range efforts narrowly over the crossbar but there were only flashes of Eden Hazard's recent excellence and Samuel Eto'o, at the spearhead of their attack, was largely peripheral. At 0-0, the outstanding chance actually dropped to Thievy Bifouma, making his first Premier League start for West Brom since arriving on loan from Espanyol. Saido Berahino's header was cushioned expertly into Bifouma's path, after Amalfitano had eluded César Azpilicueta on the right, but the 21-year-old debutant did not appear to have the self-belief to take on the volley. Trying to control it in a congested penalty area just gave Chelsea's defenders the time to recover and the chance was gone. A team in West Brom's position cannot be that generous and that let-off seemed to be the signal for Mourinho's players to shake their heads clear and take more control of the ball. Nemanja Matic, once again, showed why Mourinho had wanted to bring him back to the club. Ramires, playing the pantomime villain role because of the penalty he won when these teams played at Stamford Bridge in November, was full of hard running. Shortly before the goal, Chelsea also had legitimate claims for a penalty after Liam Ridgewell knocked Gary Cahill to the floor competing for a high ball. West Brom had handled their opponents with more ease in that period than might have been expected for a side on such a poor run. Their problem after the goal was getting past the most parsimonious defence in the league and, though Berahino was lively, the home side simply did not have the ingenuity to get behind their opponents consistently. Mourinho might not have the attacking riches of Manchester City but defensively they arrived at The Hawthorns on the back of seven clean sheets from their last nine games. For a club in West Brom's position, with only one win in 16 games, the challenge was considerable. Matic alone was a formidable opponent to get past, even to reach Chelsea's back four. Cahill and David Luiz were superb and Petr Cech had remarkably little to do for an away team's goalkeeper. Chelsea did, however, need a second goal to soothe any lingering nerves in the away end. Ben Foster had to improvise to keep out a deflected shot from Willian and Mourinho was clearly after greater impetus in attack when he removed Eto'o and brought on the fit-again striker Fernando Torres. But then the recovery started. Bifouma and Chris Brunt had both missed good opportunities before another cross was sent into the penalty area and Anichebe's header was placed beyond Cech. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Hull City 0-1 Southampton | Premier League match report Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:04 PM PST With all eyes on Southampton's trio of England World Cup hopefuls, José Fonte stole in on the blindside to earn them an impressive win at the KC Stadium. Rickie Lambert, Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana were at the hub of another fine away day for Mauricio Pochettino's side but it took centre-back Fonte's 69th-minute goal – awarded with the use of technology – to seal the points. Having seen his initial header splendidly repelled by Hull goalkeeper Steve Harper, Fonte stole through the penalty area pinball to force the ball over the line despite the best efforts of Maynor Figueroa to intervene. Lambert lashed in to make sure but Fonte took the congratulations. Southampton, chasing consecutive Premier League away wins for the first time since 2001, began like a team expecting to succeed. Purposeful in possession, they camped inside Hull territory for the opening 15 minutes – no mean feat against opponents that have been excellent starters under Steve Bruce. Both Manchester United and Liverpool were behind early on here but the reds of Southampton should have been ahead. That they were not was down to some uncharacteristically profligate finishing from Lambert. Having scored 23 goals in his 18 months as a Premier League player, the England international squandered the most presentable of chances to make it an even two dozen in the fifth minute: Lallana teased in a cross that was only half-cleared to an unmarked Lambert, who curled the wrong side of the upright with the Hull goalkeeper, Steve Harper, motionless. While Hull went unpunished for being caught napping on that occasion they were to pay a heavy price when Steven Davis's razor pass cut a line through the home defence and into Lambert's path. Although the veteran Harper raced out to block, it led to a collision with Paul McShane, who remained down and had to be carried off on a stretcher, with a leg ominously in a splint. Following what was quite literally a pointless January, Hull eased relegation fears with victory at Sunderland at the weekend and Shane Long, the man that set them on the way, was agonizingly close to shaking his team-mates from their malaise in the 14th minute when his glancing header from Ahmed Elmohamady's centre struck the post. Substitute George Boyd miscued the rebound. However, Southampton also hit the woodwork as their creative elements came to the fore. Foraging in the space behind Lambert, Jay Rodriguez's crisp, precise chip on the half-hour cleared Harper but bounced off the crossbar. Back in November, Southampton's fluid system and movement of the ball were key ingredients of a 4-1 score line, Hull's heaviest defeat of the season. It led to Bruce confessing that their opponents were "a million miles better". And there was a distance between them here, emphasized by the gaps between the relative forward lines and their midfields; while the visitors jinked and probed around the fringes of the penalty area, Hull were forced to launch from deep. It made for a contrast in second-half opportunities. Lambert's half-moon turn was anticipated by Morgan Schneiderlin, although Harper was able to haul in an angled drive, while Hull were thankful that the timing of Rodriguez's run on the hour was not as precise as Lallana's through ball. Hull, meanwhile, were limited to a clipped Nikica Jelavic free-kick comfortably swallowed by Boruc, after José Fonte crudely ended Boyd's burst 25 yards out. theguardian.com © 2014 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 clockwatch – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST Minute-by-minute report: Chelsea were denied a third straight win by West Brom, while Southampton and West Ham both won  |
| Alan Pardew: Europa League handicap led to Spurs sack for André Villas-Boas Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST • Newcastle struggled last season when in Europa League Alan Pardew believes that Tottenham Hotspur's involvement in the Europa League led to Andre Villas-Boas's downfall at White Hart Lane, and that qualifying for the tournament can only prove detrimental to a club's Premier League form. Newcastle United entertain Spurs at St James' Park on Wednesday night, with the visitors now managed by Tim Sherwood following the sacking of Villas-Boas in December, despite the Portuguese coach steering Tottenham to a fifth-placed finish in his first season at the club. The managers of the other Europa League qualifiers from last year, Swansea City's Michael Laudrup and Wigan Athletic's Owen Coyle, have also been sacked this season. "I have sympathy for André," said a man who nearly lost his job at Newcastle after the strain of Europa League commitments precipitated a relegation dalliance last spring. "It's not surprising that the managers of teams in the Europa League from the Premier League and the Championship have all got sacked this season. "I don't think that playing in the Premier League on the Sunday after the Thursday night in Europe you can get to the required level. I've been saying that ever since Stoke warned me about it when we went in it." Tottenham are in fifth place again as they head to Newcastle, who are three places and 10 points behind, but despite a number of absences Pardew is targeting victory on Wednesday night. "We're certainly not looking to limp through this, we're looking to win and whatever team I put out there we'd have to look to win it," he said. "I'm not hiding behind the fact that we have a load of injuries." He will again be relying on the versatility of Davide Santon, who was once dubbed "the new Paolo Mandini" but Pardew has given his Italy international a new label. "Santon could be, in my opinion, the Phil Neville of this football club, a kind of unsung hero like Phil was at Manchester United," said Newcastle's manager. "When they won trophies Phil was very important." Although Santon has largely operated at left-back since arriving from Internazionale in the summer of 2011, he can also play at right-back and impressed in a new holding midfield role against Chelsea last Saturday. He is expected to continue in that position on Wednesday night. "The important thing is that Davide has got a long-term future at this club because he's still young and gaining experience," said Pardew. "He can play both full-back positions and now he has shown he can play central midfield so you are looking at one very important player." Luuk de Jong hopes to become a similarly integral part of Pardew's long term gameplan but Newcastle's manager will take his time before deciding whether to activate an option to sign the Holland striker in the summer when his loan from Borussia Monchengladbach ends. So far, however, the signs are promising from a player still regaining match fitness after struggling to get games in the Bundesliga. "He's settled in very well," said Newcastle's manager. "He knows Tim Krul very well and they look like brothers at times. I'm pleased with him. If we get the best out of the team around him we'll get the best out of Luuk." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Atlético Madrid v Real Madrid – as it happened | Rob Smyth Posted: 11 Feb 2014 01:49 PM PST Minute-by-minute report: Real lead 3-0 after the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, but will Atlético hit back? Find out with Rob Smyth  |
| Cardiff City v Aston Villa – as it happened | Barry Glendenning Posted: 11 Feb 2014 01:46 PM PST Minute-by-minute report: Follow all the action from the Premier League clash, with Barry Glendenning's updates  |
| Tottenham's Erik Lamela hits new low with injury setback Posted: 11 Feb 2014 01:43 PM PST • Back injury expected to keep winger out for further six weeks Erik Lamela is out for a further six weeks with an injury setback, as his first season in English football goes from bad to worse. The Tottenham Hotspur record signing has damaged his back, as a result of overcompensating to protect the thigh injury that has kept him out since the turn of the year and, although the club expect him to return before the end of the season, the prognosis was grim. Tim Sherwood, the manager, said it would be "weeks" before Lamela could play again and it is understood he meant at least six. Sherwood added that the Argentina winger, whose last appearance was as a substitute in the Premier League win over Stoke City on 29 December, would remain in England for his rehabilitation. Lamela cost £30m last summer when he followed the sporting director, Franco Baldini, from Roma to Tottenham but he has struggled to adapt, both on and off the field, where he has so far failed to learn the language. The 21-year-old has been picked to start only three times in the league and his one goal for the club came in the Europa League group phase win over FC Sheriff. Lamela was desperate for a loan move last month to reignite his career, particularly with the World Cup finals in mind, and there were several clubs in Serie A that wanted him. But Tottenham felt that they could not go from paying such a massive fee for a player to loaning him out only five months later. "Lamela had a thigh strain and he was over-compensating for that, so now he has got a problem in his back, which we are assessing and we are not too confident," Sherwood said. "It will be weeks. "It is difficult to adapt to a different country, a different league and a different language but, when you are suffering all these niggles and something more than minor at the moment, it is disappointing for the lad. "But we signed him for the long term and we are sure that, in the end, he will come good for Tottenham and be a crowd favourite here. We are all big fans of him when we see him in training. It is just difficult to adjust to a different style of play and a different language. I'm sure Erik will pick it up. By the time he is fit, he will be fluent." Sherwood will also be without the defender Vlad Chiriches and the midfielders Sandro and Gylfi Sigurdsson for Wednesday night's trip to Newcastle United. "Chiriches has a back injury that is quite similar to what Erik has got but Sandro is a bit closer," Sherwood said. "He is feeling more comfortable with his calf injury. Sigurdsson has a calf, too." Sherwood shrugged off the comments of the Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, who said that he had tried to get the Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his friend and France team-mate, to join him at the Emirates Stadium. Giroud said that Lloris was up for the switch. "It doesn't annoy me," Sherwood said. "It would annoy his goalie at Arsenal [Wojciech Szczesny], you would have thought." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Interview: Sydney FC's Ali Abbas Posted: 11 Feb 2014 12:41 PM PST Jack Kerr: The Sky Blues defender on fleeing terrorism, his friendship with Alessandro del Piero and why he backs Frank Farina  |
| The Fiver | Deeply professorial terms Posted: 11 Feb 2014 09:06 AM PST AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN?There must be something about north London, because it is only in north London where names of football clubs can be converted into verbs – and with similar usage, too. So, the phrase "to Spurs it up" describes a situation in which Spurs somehow contrive to ruin the unruinable, while its linguistic cousin, "to Arsenal it up", refers to Arsenal's craven submission to the faintest hint of pressure. At Anfield on Saturday, Arsenal absolutely arsenaled it up once again, just as they did when playing away to Manchester City – and again, they took a thorough pasting for the fragility of their indescribable beauty. Luckily, good old Arsène Knows was on-hand to explain precisely what had come to pass – and in deeply professorial terms, of course. "I think it was an accident," he revelated, and in a sense he was right. Individually, collectively and absolutely, his players involuntarily arsenaled themselves. And, being professorial, he was eager to show his workings, calculating that his team "have been very stable defensively", conceding on but six occasions – the last time that they played a decent side away from home. This midweek, Arsenal take on Manchester United and defend a proud record – they are the only side in the league's top nine to lose to them this season. They achieved this by simply turning up at Old Trafford and arsenaling everywhere at the sight of their opponents, forgetting to glance at the dug-out in order to calm their nerves. And by the time they remembered, it was too late, so they slunk away with another abject defeat. But Wenger is bullish nonetheless, rediscovering his syntactical brilliance to assert that "we tend always to forget how good we are" – an accusation never before levelled at one of his teams. As such, he determined to "remind them we have done, until now, very well", an area of management in which there can only be éclat for his élan. And once finished with his players, man-of-the-people Wenger had words of strength and comfort as organised labour continued its battle with the bosses. "We feel sorry for our fans about the tube strike, because many people will have to walk," he said, before news of its suspension arrived. Which of course should be everyone's principal concern when considering issues of job loss and underpayment. Oh, and Yaya Sanogo is now fit. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE TONIGHTQUOTE OF THE DAY"As the cliché goes, it's not only a six-pointer, it's probably a 12-pointer" – Northampton Town defender Leon McSweeney explains why tonight's game with Torquay is bigger than your game. FIVER LETTERS"Marca appear to have put the wrong name in their headline" – Ryan Bailey. "Re: Mick Hucknall at Old Trafford (yesterday's Fiver). It's clear that Manchester United are a Picture Book of a basket case. All the Men and Women there can see it's not working out with who they thought would be A New Flame. The Stars of the team are not happy with how this affects Life and making them feel Blue. Some of them want things Simplified and to Stay Home. Maybe they need an Abramovich-type figure to bring Love and the Russian Winter and to avoid Money Being too Tight to Mention" – Phillip Mercer [we regret this already – Fiver Ed]. "I was really surprised when the Fiver yesterday mentioned Mick Hucknall being at Manchester United v Fulham. I saw that on Sunday and thought, 'blimey, Charlie Drake's not looking bad for his age'" – Jackie Morgan. "I'm quite appalled at Ross Pestana's scant regard of Brazilian naming customs (yesterday's Fiver letters). As the second of two pedants, I demand that World Cup Fiver be renamed 'O Adidas Cocacola Hyundaiemirates Sonyvisabudweiser Castrolcontinental Johnsonandjjohnson McDonalds Oisearayingli Apex Brasil Centauro Garoto Itaulibertyseguros Wiseupfutbolforhope Fiverinho" – Alexandra Patten. • Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is: Ryan Bailey. JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATESWe keep trying to point out the utter futility of advertising an online dating service "for interesting people" in the Fiver to the naive folk who run Guardian Soulmates, but they still aren't having any of it. So here you go – sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly romantics who would never dream of going out with you. BITS AND BOBSRoy Keane has accused Manchester United of cutting corners in the transfer market. "They've not gone out and got the big players, and it's just caught up with them this year," parped Keane, who, incidentally, spent £23m on Craig Gordon, Kenwyne Jones and Anton Ferdinand. Manchester United boss David Moyes has rubbished speculation that Rio Ferdinand would quit at the end of the season. "I can only tell you what was written was a load of rubbish. Complete nonsense," he sniffed. Italian amateur player scores goal, smashes dug-out with head-butt celebration, gets sent off. And Everton's on-loan Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku wants hot Big Cup action next season. "It is high time that I play in [Big Cup]," he roared. "It is the next step I need in my development. Full stop." STILL WANT MORE?Nasty Leeds manager Brian McDermott stars as Dr Evil, Heston Blumenthal and more in The Gallery. Ten things to look out for in the Premier League this midweek, courtesy of Jacob Steinberg and Gregg Bakowski. Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. SIGN UP TO THE FIVER (AND O FIVERÃO)Want your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up. And you can also now receive our weekly World Cup email, O Fiverão; this is the first edition, and you can sign up for it here. A 'CUNDY' FROM WAY DOWNTOWNtheguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Everton's Roberto Martínez praises Crystal Palace's Tony Pulis before Premier League game – video Posted: 11 Feb 2014 09:02 AM PST Roberto Martínez says manager Tony Pulis has transformed Crystal Palace into a tough unit to face, and is expecting a difficult match when the two teams collide on Wednesday. Martínez's squad is looking to bounce back after being defeated by Tottenham Hotspur and force their way into the top four  |
| David Moyes dismisses Rio Ferdinand retirement reports Posted: 11 Feb 2014 07:36 AM PST • Defender will go on Manchester United's winter break in Dubai David Moyes has branded speculation that Rio Ferdinand would not go on Manchester United's winter break to Dubai and would quit at the end of the season as "complete nonsense". It had been claimed Ferdinand, an unused substitute in Sunday's Premier League draw with Fulham at Old Trafford, would miss the short warm weather training camp. In addition, it was suggested the club would confirm on Thursday that Ferdinand would be retiring at the end of the season. However, Moyes said both reports were untrue. "I can only tell you what was written was a load of rubbish," said Moyes. "Complete nonsense." Although Manchester United's manager did not say so directly, even when given the opportunity to clarify his comments later, it was subsequently confirmed by the club that Ferdinand would be going on their break. Now 35, Ferdinand's present contract is due to expire at the end of the season. The veteran defender has made just one appearance in two months. He failed to make an appearance at Old Trafford on Sunday even though two obvious alternatives, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans, were ruled out through injury. Ferdinand's long-time defensive partner Nemanja Vidic has already announced his intention to quit Old Trafford in the summer, so it would not be a massive surprise if Ferdinand did call it a day. He certainly would appear to have little future at United, the club he joined for £29.1m in 2002, although a switch to Major League Soccer is not completely out of the question. Ferdinand has also entered the debate. In addition to a put-down of the author of the story about him not going on the Dubai trip, he stated on Twitter: "Must be another slow news day." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Manuel Pellegrini on Manchester City v Sunderland – video Posted: 11 Feb 2014 07:25 AM PST Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says his team is leaving behind their recent poor performances to focus on Wednesday's Premier League match  |
| Manchester City's Fernandinho a surprise pick for Brazil squad Posted: 11 Feb 2014 07:20 AM PST • South Africa game last before World Cup squad named Manchester City's Fernandinho was a surprise pick in the Brazil squad for their final friendly before the World Cup squad is announced. The midfielder is recovering from a thigh strain suffered in training, which forced him to miss the goalless draw with Norwich City on Saturday. Neymar, Oscar, Ramires, Willian, David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Hulk made the list as expected, but Kaká and Robinho were left out by the coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Kaká has not played for Brazil since March, but his Milan team-mate Robinho made the team in November. Bayern Munich's Rafinha has also unexpectedly come in for the match against South Africa on 5 March at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. Scolari has \decided to wait until closer to the match to announce the players from Brazilian clubs because many are not in top form yet. Among the players nursing injuries and trying to get in shape in the beginning of the Brazilian season are the Fluminense striker Fred, who was crucial for Brazil at the Confederations Cup last year. Scolari said he expected to pick three or four players from Brazilian clubs. Brazil:Goalkeepers: César (QPR). Defenders: David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich), Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain), Alves (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Rafinha (Bayern Munich). Midfielders: Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Paulinho (Tottenham), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Ramires (Chelsea), Oscar (Chelsea). Strikers: Hulk (Zenit), Bernard (Shaktar Donetsk), Willian (Chelsea), Neymar (Barcelona). theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Manuel Pellegrini refuses to be drawn into mind games with José Mourinho Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:44 AM PST • 'I will not talk about things that are not important' Manuel Pellegrini has refused to be drawn into mind games with José Mourinho with the Manchester City manager attempting to end the spat with his Chelsea counterpart. On Monday, Mourinho claimed that Pellegrini needed a "calculator" following his statement last week that Chelsea are "the team that spends the most money in the last 10 years, the team that spends the most money this year, so a little bit rich" in the aftermath of their 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Pellegrini played down talk of psychological warfare, saying: "No, I don't think those are mind games. I don't think any managers can be affected by those kind of things. "I answered just one time to Mourinho because if you remain always in silence, you sound as if you agree with those things. He started talking about referees and financial fair play, I don't think it is the way. But just one time I will speak, I will not continue every week talking about things that for me are not an important level." Mourinho's comment about referees concerned Yaya Touré and how the Chelsea manager believed the midfielder should be banned for kicking out at Norwich City's Ricky van Wolfswinkel or there would be anarchy in football. Toure was not charged by the Football Association and Pellegrini said: "I repeat, I don't respond to things Mourinho says every week because he will continue every week try talking about things that are not from football. "I suppose the FA acts the way they think is better for all the teams. I trust in the FA and I trust in referees." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Written by TBMU Admin
We are Manchester United Fan located around the World which provides user friendly, effective and easy to browse info regarding our Team. Each support/info is free. Support us by clicking the ads located in this site. Thanks
Posts
0 comments :
Post a Comment