Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Moyes thanks United fans in letter
Roberto Martínez puzzled by attacks on Manchester United's Tom Cleverley
Hodgson warns hurt Wilshere not to expect World Cup loyalty
Jack Wilshere faces anxious wait in battle to make England's final cut
Credit to FA over Nicolas Anelka's quenelle but system could be better | David Conn
Bosnia's 2-0 defeat by Egypt has caused problems for Edin Dzeko and Co
A-League: what to look out for this weekend
Alan Pardew admits FA misconduct charge for headbutt but wants hearing
Norwich City's Chris Hughton: I'm not going anywhere - video
278. Loïc Rémy, Newcastle
Daniel Sturridge has the makings of an international thoroughbred | Barney Ronay
Football Weekly Extra: England dire but too strong for Denmark
The Fiver: Everything is AWESOME!!! | Simon Burnton
MLS 2014 season preview
Luke Shaw desperate to give Roy Hodgson a World Cup squad headache
England v Croatia U18 international – video highlights
Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica: what England have to fear at the World Cup
Jack Wilshere out for six weeks with hairline fracture of foot
QPR's debt rises to £177m
10 talking points from Wednesday night's international football
Ukraine find some cheer in victory over USA in Cyprus
Uruguay's Diego Lugano set to be out for three weeks with twisted knee
Craig Gordon looking for fresh start after conquering knee problem
Why RB Leipzig are sending shockwaves through German football | Philip Oltermann
Roy Hodgson impressed by young players as England beat Denmark – video

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 03:12 PM PST

• Moyes admits season has gone worse than he imagined
• Manager says fans' backing has been 'incredible'

David Moyes has written to Manchester United's season ticket-holders thanking them for their support and admitting that the season has gone far worse than he expected.

The manager has endured a dreadful start at United, with the club seventh in the Premier League, and the fans have witnessed five defeats at Old Trafford since Moyes took over from Sir Alex Ferguson.

In the letter Moyes writes: "While I knew that this job would be a challenge when I took it on, the difficult season we have experienced was not something that I envisaged, which I am sure is the case as well for you supporters – and my players, staff and I are desperate to compensate for that.

"You are accustomed to seeing a successful Manchester United and the backing you have given the players and me throughout the season has been incredible. Away from home the travelling fans have remained the best in the country while at Old Trafford your unwavering faith has been noticeable and hugely welcomed. Supporting your team when they are winning is easy but much harder when things are not going as well, and the loyalty you have shown us has been magnificent."

Moyes goes on to state his certainty that "everything we have been through will make us a better, stronger team and club in the future. Over the years you have seen great winning sides here and, in time, I have absolutely no doubt that we will see great winning sides here again."

Roberto Martínez puzzled by attacks on Manchester United's Tom Cleverley

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 02:59 PM PST

• Everton manager says England player is being hashly judged
• There were jeers at Wembley when his name was read out

Roberto Martínez has added his voice to those critical of the campaign against Tom Cleverley, arguing that the Manchester United and England midfielder is one of the best players of his generation and needs time to develop.

Cleverley's continued selection in England squads has mystified some people to the extent that a petition was organised in the hope of dissuading Roy Hodgson from taking him to the World Cup – interference the England manager made it clear he regarded as unwelcome – and, though the 24-year-old did not feature in the friendly against Denmark on Wednesday, there were jeers at Wembley when his name was read out among the substitutes.

Martínez worked with Cleverley when the player spent a season on loan at Wigan in 2010-11, and the Everton manager feels Cleverley is part of a new generation of English talent.

"There are only a few players in this country who have had the sort of education where they look as if they could have been brought up in Holland, Spain or France," he said. "Tom is one of them. I just don't understand this campaign, it is not the way to encourage young players.

"Maybe he has been given a bigger role than he should have been given but even so it is ridiculous to put someone so young in the spotlight then knock him down. We as a public are to blame if we allow that to happen. You have to help young players reach a level.

"What has happened is not Tom's fault, I think he is as good a talent as we have in the English game, and he is still growing. You wouldn't get this in other countries, and I find it disappointing that he is being judged so aggressively when he has not even reached 200 games. Such a young player does not need that sort of scrutiny or pressure, but I am sure he will come through it and be even more motivated."

Paul Wilson

Hodgson warns hurt Wilshere not to expect World Cup loyalty

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Hodgson states he will only take '100%' fit players
• Arsenal's Wilshere out for a minimum of six weeks

Roy Hodgson has warned Jack Wilshere not to expect him to "show loyalty" if the midfielder has not fully recovered from his broken foot before the England manager names his World Cup squad on 13 May.

Wilshere is facing a race to prove his fitness after scans revealed he had suffered a hairline fracture to the top of his left foot in a challenge with Daniel Agger 12 minutes into England's 1-0 win against Denmark on Wednesday.

The Arsenal midfielder played until the 59th minute, after extensive treatment on the pitch during the first half, and a scan at Wembley concluded with the Football Association's medical staff telling him there was only bruising. A second x-ray took place morning, after he had complained of the pain worsening overnight, and this time it found the damage.

He will need six weeks of rehabilitation even before he can return to training and Hodgson had made it clear before leaving Wembley that he does not want to repeat the mistakes of previous England managers by taking players to a major tournament if they are not fully fit.

"With the amount of people knocking quite heavily on the door it would be a bit sad to leave out someone who is 100% fit and in fantastic form if someone else wasn't fit and might just recover during the tournament," Hodgson said. "One thing I can tell you is that I don't think any player would expect that, or for me to show loyalty, at a time when they are not 100% fit to go there and not do a good job over someone who is fit and can do a good job."

Wilshere's latest setback in an injury-ravaged career is a considerable blow to Arsenal's hopes of finishing the season with a first piece of silverware since 2005 and Arsène Wenger, despite his close friendship with Hodgson, is unlikely to be impressed with the FA's treatment of his player.

Wenger will give his reaction at his weekly Friday press conference while Wilshere returns to the treatment room, knowing that if he cannot even resume training until late April there has to be a significant risk of him not making Hodgson's final cut.

"Following initial scans carried out by the FA on Wednesday night, further investigation by Arsenal's medical team has discovered a crack to a small bone in Jack's left foot – the navicular, an area of his foot which has not been previously injured," a statement from Arsenal read. "Jack will now require a period of approximately six weeks' rehabilitation, before starting to regain his match fitness."

Hodgson admitted after the game that he had feared the worst when he saw Wilshere in obvious pain, and the England manager was asked whether he could afford to take players to a major tournament, as he had Scott Parker in Euro 2012, when they were carrying injuries or not fully fit. "The answer to the question is obvious," he replied. "One hopes one wouldn't do that."

That leaves Wilshere with very little time to regain full fitness and match sharpness at a time when the competition for midfield places looks stronger than at any other time of the Hodgson era. Jordan Henderson's return to the team meant Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick did not play a single minute of Wednesday's game. Tom Cleverley, whose name was booed by sections of the Wembley crowd, did not feature either and Ross Barkley must have concerns that his chances of selection are dwindling.

Wilshere, speaking before his second scan, had admitted he cannot take anything for granted. "Definitely not," the 22-year-old said. "I definitely don't feel that I'm a definite on the plane. I've got a lot of work to do before May. I have to stay fit, that's the most important thing, and then we will see what happens. You've seen the players that have come in to the team, and everyone wants to impress."

Daniel Taylor

Jack Wilshere faces anxious wait in battle to make England's final cut

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 02:29 PM PST

History provides proof of the folly of trusting in the recovery of injured players as England live in hope for the World Cup

As Jack Wilshere left Wembley, he was smiling, with no sign of a limp, and happily oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. Doctors will say that can happen when there is damage to the navicular bone. First there is the initial burst of excruciating pain but it can quickly pass. Wilshere was talkative, relaxed, looking forward to the next week of his professional life. "I am fine for the weekend," he promised.

Yet it always seemed slightly peculiar. Wilshere's first reaction after Daniel Agger's studs slammed into the top of his left foot was to jut out his arm and wave, blindly, for help. In football everyone knows what that signal means. Wilshere looked as if he was crying. He rubbed his eyes and covered his face. Over on the touchline Roy Hodgson looked on anxiously. "It was a nasty one," the England manager said afterwards. "I'm relieved, more than anything. It was a 50-50 and they both went for it. Thankfully it's just a bruise rather than anything more serious."

Wilshere, walking freely, had the same misinformation. "When I was going for it I thought: 'I'm going to get this.' About a step before, I realised: 'Oh, no I'm not.' But I'm not going to pull out of a tackle. If I had pulled out I would have got hurt even more. But it's fine now. I have had a scan already and all it showed was a bit of bruising."

But the pain returned in the morning. What we know now represents devastating news for Wilshere, Arsenal and, potentially, England. Six weeks of rehabilitation will take Wilshere towards the end of April before he can resume full training. After that it is an awfully small window in which to prove his fitness, bearing in mind Hodgson names his World Cup squad on 13 May and has just made it clear he will not include anyone who is "not 100% fit to go there and do a good job over someone who is fit and can do a good job".

England have a long history of gambling in this manner, from Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking in 1982 to Bryan Robson in 1986 and 1990, David Beckham in 2002 and Wayne Rooney in 2006 and 2010. Hodgson did it himself in Euro 2012 with Scott Parker, who was struggling with an achilles problem.

"He wasn't 100%," the England manager now says. Would he do it again? "The answer to your question is obvious," he replied. "With the amount of people knocking quite heavily on the door it would be a bit sad to leave out someone who is 100% fit, and in fantastic form, if someone else wasn't fit and might just recover during the tournament. One thing I can tell you is that I don't think any player would expect that, or for me to show loyalty, at a time when they are not 100% fit."

In Wilshere's case Hodgson is such an admirer of the 22-year-old he will give him every possible chance. Equally nobody should be surprised from here if Wilshere does not make the final cut. Wilshere is not renowned for his rapid recovery from injuries or for quickly regaining his match sharpness. His fitness has been a recurring issue for club and country ever since his ankle problems flared up, under the stresses of his first full season in Arsène Wenger's team, resulting in 17 months out of the game and numerous follow-up problems. Arsenal's statement made the point that his latest injury was unrelated to his previous issues. Yet we have seen before, most notably with Beckham and Rooney, that there is more to it than just waiting for the bone to heal.

Beckham, one of the fittest players at Manchester United, was rushed back from his broken metatarsal to play in Japan after a national fervour that included the Sun publishing a front-page picture of his foot and asking readers to rub it at a selected time for good luck.

"From the evidence of the tournament David couldn't have been all right," Sir Alex Ferguson reflects in his latest autobiography. "The proof that physical frailty was still preying on his mind could be seen when he jumped out of a tackle near the touchline." That was the sequence of play that led to Brazil's equaliser in Shizuoka.

Rooney was probably in even worse condition for Germany in 2006. "It was unfair to him, to the rest of the players and to the supporters," Ferguson writes. The lesson of history? Wilshere cannot be risked if it means, in football parlance, being a passenger.

Hodgson can at least be encouraged that the competition for midfield places is as strong as it ever has been under his tenure. All the same a fully functioning Wilshere was close to being a mandatory first-team pick and precisely the kind of player England will need if the emphasis is on improving how the team takes care of the ball.

Wenger, notoriously protective of his player and with his own needs, is certainly entitled to an explanation about how England's medical team missed the injury and why a player who had taken such a heavy blow was kept on the pitch against Denmark for another 47 minutes.

"It was always the plan to replace him just after half-time," Hodgson said. "Not least of all because Arsenal have some important games coming up, a lunchtime kick-off against Everton [in the FA Cup] on Saturday and then against Bayern Munich [the second leg of their Champions League tie]. We had it in mind not to keep him on the field for too long. The kick made that a more obvious decision."

Wenger will issue his response on Friday but, whoever is in the right, everyone will feel the same regret. Hodgson lost almost a fifth of his entire Euro 2012 squad when Gary Cahill, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and John Ruddy pulled out just before the tournament and he could have made virtually an entire team out of the full list of absentees. Wilshere was among them. Two years on Hodgson has already lost Theo Walcott and now, potentially, a second Arsenal player. He must wonder who is next.

Daniel Taylor

Credit to FA over Nicolas Anelka's quenelle but system could be better | David Conn

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 02:14 PM PST

The Football Association was rigorous in dealing with Anelka but its independent commission's reasoning remains a puzzle

The public waited a week for the explanation from the Football Association's regulatory commission as to how it decided Nicolas Anelka's quenelle gesture was antisemitic but that he had not "intended to express or promote antisemitism" when he used it. The three-man commission chaired by a QC specialising in sports law, Christopher Quinlan, produced 35 pages of legal reasoning, then on this central conclusion of theirs left us none the wiser.

Their written reasons include an admirably clear explanation and conclusion that the quenelle, originated by the French comedian Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala, to whom Anelka publicly dedicated the gesture after scoring for West Bromwich Albion in their match at West Ham United in December, is "strongly associated with antisemitism".

The commission set out details of M'Bala M'Bala's public performances, including the "obviously and grotesquely antisemitic" content of the act in January 2013 which Anelka attended. That particular act included M'Bala M'Bala describing Patrick Timsit, a French-Algerian comedian, as "very, very Jewish", then suggesting that, if it were the 1930s, Timsit "better not come and hide in my cellar".

The commission found this was a clear reference to the deportation and killing in the holocaust of Jews, who did try to hide in cellars to avoid the Nazis' extermination gangs in France and elsewhere in the 30s. The commission described M'Bala M'Bala's performances as habitually referring to, obsessing with and mocking the holocaust, gas chambers and the Nazi concentration camps.

Such was the tone of this, one of the foulest documents which has ever had to be produced relating in any way to English football. Anelka tweeted on the day of the match at West Ham, 28 December, that he had made the quenelle, customarily described as an inverted Nazi salute, on the Upton Park pitch in the East End of London – where many Jewish refugees from antisemitic terror lived in the 30s – as "just a special dedication to my comedian friend Dieudonné".

Anelka's defence to the charge that he made an antisemitic gesture was amplified a little from the brief denials of antisemitism he has made since the storm broke – furiously in France, where the match was broadcast live. Anelka claimed he was unaware that the costume used in M'Bala M'Bala's show, which he saw on television, was a concentration camp uniform. He said he did not believe Dieudonné is antisemitic and he is ignorant of "Jewish stories" – the commission pointed out that the holocaust is taught in French schools, which Anelka attended.

Anelka also said he was even unaware that in France at that time, late December, a storm of outrage had broken over M'Bala M'Bala's act and the quenelle, with Jewish delegations having highlighted it in a visit to the president, François Hollande himself, which received widespread media coverage. On 19 December, nine days before the West Ham game, an undercover documentary was shown on French TV showing M'Bala M'Bala making yet another remark in his act about gas chambers, this time aimed at a Jewish radio presenter, Patrick Cohen.

Anelka said he was unaware of all that. By making the quenelle to a worldwide TV audience including in France – twice it turned out, after both of his goals, not just one – at the time of such outrage over M'Bala M'Bala, Anelka said he was simply, innocently, "saying hello," or giving a "high five," to "my friend Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala, as I knew he was watching the game".

The summary released last week of the guilty finding and five-match ban, the minimum for a racism offence, had explained that the commission did not find Anelka guilty of antisemitism but of performing an antisemitic act. Scouring the written reasons for the explanation of this contradiction produced only thin air. The commission just reproduced their conclusion in a single sentence on page 31:

"On the evidence before us we were not satisfied that Nicolas Anelka was or is an antisemite or that he intended to express or promote antisemitism by his use of the quenelle."

That was it; there was, after all of this, no explanation about how on earth they reached that conclusion.

It is important to give the FA due and profound credit for its pursuit of this case, as did the Community Security Trust, a Jewish organisation established to combat antisemitism. As the FA establishes these semi-independent commissions, chaired by QCs, to hear cases, the organisation itself becomes conflated in the public mind with their decisions, so the five-match ban could be criticised last week as too weak "by the FA".

In fact the ruling makes it clear that the FA acts as the prosecutor. The governing body of English football decided to bring the case, took expert evidence about the vile associations of the quenelle and M'Bala M'Bala's act and argued for Anelka to be found guilty and for a stronger sanction than the minimum. Partly the FA argued this offence was "aggravated" on the grounds that Anelka is high profile, and the FA "is heavily involved in combating racism in football and society". The commission, however, decided Anelka should receive the minimum sanction of five games because he had a clean disciplinary record, the gesture "was not made to any person in particular" and their unexplained finding that Anelka was not being antisemitic while making an antisemitic gesture.

In pursuing this case the FA walked the walk on combating racism and antisemitism, following all the agonised talk and high-level criticism after the John Terry and Luis Suárez incidents. It was heartening to read how the FA determinedly argued this case and established, importantly, that the coded quenelle is antisemitic. However, the governing body may need to look at tightening its rules, in the detail on what is an "aggravated" offence requiring tougher sanctions – or to look at setting up a wholly independent body to hear such cases rather than setting up occasional commissions whose rulings can be maddeningly erratic.

David Conn

Bosnia's 2-0 defeat by Egypt has caused problems for Edin Dzeko and Co

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 01:31 PM PST

• 2-0 defeat to Egypt in Innsbruck angers fans
• Edin Dzeko condemns supporters and questions manager

What happened to the mighty Dragons? The team that sensationally marched through the qualifiers, winning nine out of ten matches and racking up 30 goals, failed to score in the last two outings, including last night's surprising 2-0 loss to Egypt in Innsbruck.

More than 10,000 Bosnian supporters were aghast at the unorganised and indifferent performance and booed the display of Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, who has scored 33 goals in 60 appearances for his country and did not take kindly to the criticism.

"Thanks to the ones that support me, the rest should be ashamed," wrote Dzeko on social networks. "I came here injured and [Safet] Susic [Bosnia's manager] knew it … but he didn't replace me at half-time as planned, nor later when I asked to come off. Only he knows why."

In the post-match press conference, still unaware of Dzeko's remarks, Susic stood up for his player and denounced the fans. However, the manager has to deal with his own fault-finders. The Egyptians once again exposed all the weaknesses that this team has. Susic, not for the first time, gave the impression of a coach who lost his plot, if he ever had one. The extreme attacking style can cover all the problems when it works, but as soon as Bosnia face an organised and disciplined opponent, they are left with no concrete plan. Due to injuries they were deprived of their two most creative players - Miralem Pjanic and Zvjezdan Misimovic - but the team's problem goes way back to August 2013 and the loss to USA. Since then the Bosnians are struggling to perform, with the loss to Egypt a new low.

Introducing his nephew, Tino Sven Susic, to the side did not help Safet build bridges with the enraged public. Susic Junior was intended to solve the lack of a top-quality holding midfielder, even though he is natural attacking midfielder. Susic's approach seems to be to stockpile midfielders with similar characteristics, while not offering a proper solution in exposed positions, including the alternative for the attacker. In the last two years he has called up only two strikers - Dzeko and Ibisevic – and suspension or injury would leave him with no obvious solution.

The fact is that what now looks like a team lacking in ideas had just a couple of months ago been celebrated as a "superb attacking machine". It looks like Susic's only hope is that his luck will come back on the big stage.

A-League: what to look out for this weekend

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 01:27 PM PST

Adelaide disrupting their coach's meticulous timetable; reality check for Wanderers; Jets look up and find Engelaar in the way

Paul Connolly

Alan Pardew admits FA misconduct charge for headbutt but wants hearing

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST

• Newcastle manager accepts charge over incident at Hull
• Date for personal hearing has not yet been set

Newcastle's manager Alan Pardew has admitted a charge of misconduct after head-butting the Hull midfielder David Meyler, the Football Association has confirmed.

The 52-year-old, who had until 6pm on Thursday to respond to the charge, has requested a personal hearing, the date for which is due to be set. Pardew is facing a heavy penalty and it is understood a stadium ban is a distinct possibility.

An FA statement said: "Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has admitted an FA misconduct charge in relation to his side's game against Hull City on March 1, 2014. Pardew was involved in an incident with a Hull City player in the 72nd minute of this fixture. Pardew has requested a personal hearing."

Pardew was charged by the FA on Monday, two days after his latest touchline spat. Newcastle were leading 3-1 at the KC Stadium on their way to a 4-1 win when he and Meyler came into contact as the Hull player chased a ball out of play close to the Newcastle manager's technical area.

Pardew reacted angrily and thrust his head towards Meyler's, prompting an unsavoury melee. The referee, Kevin Friend, cautioned the player for his part in the incident and then sent Pardew to the stands, from where he watched the remainder of the game.

Pardew later issued a contrite apology, but his club responded within hours, warning him that his behaviour had been unacceptable and fining him £100,000.

That was the end of the matter as far as they were concerned, with sources at Newcastle United quick to dismiss suggestions that the manager would be sacked as a result of his actions.

Humberside Police also decided there was no need for them to be involved, confirming there would be no criminal proceedings with neither Meyler nor Hull making a formal complaint.

Norwich City's Chris Hughton: I'm not going anywhere - video

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:02 AM PST

Norwich City manager Chris Hughton says he is still the right man to lead the club despite a string of poor results

278. Loïc Rémy, Newcastle

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PST

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's verdict appears in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

For a chance to win a club shirt of your choice from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt to the value of £50 from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.

For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.

Daniel Sturridge has the makings of an international thoroughbred | Barney Ronay

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:16 AM PST

The Liverpool striker's roaming role for England against Denmark was a waste. Surely his subtlety and finishing prowess is better used up front in partnership with Wayne Rooney

For England managers there have always been two distinct kinds of problem: the talented players they don't have; and the talented players they do. History suggests the latter can often be just as much of a burden, demanding not just the usual shrugging sense of pragmatism, but a clarity of thought and purpose and a certain tactical boldness too.

In a way Roy Hodgson's job with England has been made easier by the fact he has to date overseen a relatively monochrome national team with few points of genuine strength beyond some speed in wide areas and the well-worn central drive of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. At Euro 2012 and in qualifying for the World Cup there has been little to disorientate the tactical plans of the opposition or indeed of Hodgson himself. Here is a manager who has been handed no more than basic ingredients and shown himself eminently capable of knocking up an unremarkable baked potato of an international team.

Quite what Hodgson might be capable of with greater weapons at his disposal is another question, one that was addressed only in muddled and cautious fashion during Wednesday night's 1-0 win against Denmark. In fact from a certain angle there were the first real signs at Wembley that given the opportunity Hodgson might yet turn out to be another sufferer of the familiar strain of talent-panic so prevalent among England managers, a condition that has led to generations of more mercurial England players being shoehorned grudgingly into the national team, with strengths diluted to cover weaknesses elsewhere and talent rarely trusted on its own terms.

Hodgson's England may not have much depth when it comes to genuine cutting edge. But it does now have Daniel Sturridge, a central striker with 11 goals in 11 games for Liverpool since the last international friendly and a player with a decent shot at becoming the first Englishman to top the Premier League scoring charts since Kevin Phillips 14 years ago.

Say what you like about Sturridge's late-blooming merits he is clearly flying right now. And yet at Wembley, given the chance to play Sturridge and Rooney as a rare high-class Premier League attacking pair – or at least to allow Sturridge to roam through the centre from his familiar nine-and-a-half position – Hodgson passed the buck, concocting instead a glutinous kind of staged fluidity, his front four revolving dutifully but without any clear idea of what this was supposed to achieve, and failing to disconcert a Danish defence glad to be spared the prospect of a superior pair given the game-time to establish some concerted attacking rhythm.

Rooney and Sturridge – WazzDan, RoonSturr – is in outline an intriguing partnership, with enough fluidity and unorthodox angles of attack in its own right to keep everybody going for now. Yet with England having now played their final match before the World Cup squad's selection it simply has not been given the chance to settle and find its own patterns. This is surely a mistake, not to mention a peculiar irony, given Hodgson has been criticised in the past for his overly four-square tactical simplicity. Handed the tools at last to make an orthodox-ish attacking pair work, he has instead opted for modernity-by-numbers, retaining his new-found faith in the revolving 4‑2‑3‑1 formation with the doggedness of a middle-aged man wedged defiantly into a pair of tactical skinny jeans.

Despite having a generally quiet game at Wembley, Sturridge still gave glimpses of what could still be. He was sharp in possession in the first half, once making space in the inside-left channel brilliantly before shooting wide, and carrying himself at all times like the international thoroughbred he might yet become.

Most notably, the winning goal came at a stage when Sturridge had moved to a more recognisable central position, with Adam Lallana taking the left side and crossing beautifully. Sturridge's finish, heading the ball back into the corner, was harder than he made it look, which was very easy indeed. More importantly this is where he should be for England, in positions where his elusiveness and excellent finishing can turn even a game to which he has contributed little.

In the opening hour at Wembley he switched positions relentlessly across all four forward-midfield positions, to an extent that several times Rooney looked up in possession and saw around him nothing but Danes, so busily was Sturridge filling in at left-back 30 yards behind him.

Fluidity has its place but this was a striker so fluid he seemed at times on the verge of evaporating. If this is to be the system then Danny Welbeck, a more effective defensive runner, is probably better suited to the role of jobbing inverted winger. On the other hand Sturridge has scored more Premier League goals in 34 games for Liverpool than Welbeck has in his entire seven-year professional career. Sometimes if a player walks like a top-class centre-forward and quacks like a top-class centre-forward, well … it might just be sensible to treat him as one.

So rapid has his improvement been with Liverpool there is now a clear sense of lag in his England career, albeit one burdened now by some rapidly dawning expectations. Denmark on Wednesday was Sturridge's fourth start, bringing with it his third goal in 560 minutes on the pitch. Yet it is hard not to dream of grander things. There is a slightly frayed golden thread when it comes to modern-day England strikers, running through Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, and – for all the occasional caveats – the enduringly prolific Rooney.

Aged 24, Sturridge is still an international ingenue, but he is right now the man most likely to step up, an unusual striker in an age of unusual strikers, a subtle, often rather unpredictable mover, and a genuinely expert finisher. Late-blooming talent can upset even the best-laid plans. But in this England team Sturridge should perhaps be seen as a rare and precious cutting edge rather than just another ensemble player in Roy's revolving forward jumble.

Barney Ronay

Football Weekly Extra: England dire but too strong for Denmark

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:24 AM PST

There's jollity ahoy on today's Football Weekly Extra, with James Richardson joined by Barry Glendenning and chuckle brothers Iain Macintosh and Simon Burnton.

We start with England and all the midweek internationals, before moving on to more exciting domestic matters, including Leicester running away with the Championship, Arsenal's crucial FA Cup tie with Everton, and Cardiff's trip to Fulham in the Premier League.

Plus, there's more talk about terrible football hairdos, as well as the medicinal values of tiger penis and why birthday parties are always better when someone has a bear costume.

Jimbo will have his weekly paper review for you on Friday morning, and if you're keen to see Jimbo, Barry and the rest of us in the flesh, we're bringing the Football Weekly roadshow to Dublin in March. If that sounds like your sort of thing, there are more details here.

The Fiver: Everything is AWESOME!!! | Simon Burnton

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:18 AM PST

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

I'M ALRIGHT: JACK

Jack Wilshere cut a relaxed figure as he slalomed through the media zone on his way out of Wembley after last night's thriller friendly against Denmark. True, he had taken a nasty blow to the foot from Liverpool's Daniel Agger, and had been roundly shown up by his second-half replacement Adam Lallana, but other than physical discomfort and professional embarrassment he was basically in a good place. "I'm fine," he told reporters, when asked about his foot. "It's a bit sore but it's only a bruise. I've had a scan already and it showed just a bruise, so I'll be alright."

The Fiver learned two interesting things as a result of this brief interview, one of them quite surprising and the other a little less so. Surprisingly, even though it only hosts a handful of games each year, Wembley has its own scanner. Less surprisingly, the scanner is completely jiggered. "Further investigation by Arsenal's medical team has discovered a crack to a small bone in Jack's left foot," announced Arsenal in a statement released this afternoon. "Jack will now require a period of approximately six weeks' rehabilitation."

The Fiver didn't take long to identify the problem here. An athlete would normally expect that a Computerised Tomography Scanner be used in identifying internal injuries. At Wembley, however, instead of getting a CT Scan Wilshere received an FA Scan. A CT Scanner is a scientifically cutting-edge device designed to capture precise images of the inside of the human body. An FA Scanner is designed to examine objects and, no matter how wrecked they are, announce that they're basically fine.

Earlier, Roy Hodgson had used the FA scanner to analyse England's stuttering display against injury-ravaged Denmark. "The victory was positive," Hodgson beamed. "We got in so many crosses, some a hair's breath from going in or creating a chance. That's positive. This was never an easy game. Denmark are no mugs and know how to play football." The FA Scanner also delivered clear readings on every member of the England squad – even the centre-backs. "Looking at performances, you would have to be a harsh critic to say anybody played poorly or did not do their chances a bit of good," Hodgson announced.

There is expected to be considerable demand for the FA Scanner, a scientific device utterly unique in its ability to examines broken things and declare them basically fine. David Cameron has declared his intention to use it to analyse the latest opinion polls, though the FA has already been approached by a consortium of oil producers who intend to use the scanner in their climatological investigations in the Antarctic. It is scheduled to return to London by May, in time to undertake a wide-scale audit of the Premier League season on behalf of David Moyes.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Lots of times at Real Madrid, the players would be queuing in front of the mirror before the game while the referee waited for them in the tunnel" – José Mourinho, speaking this week, clearly believes that vanity has no place on or around the football pitch.

"I never shave on the day of a match. I used to shave with a razor. I was always afraid of making a mistake with the blade and nicking my face" – José Mourinho, speaking in September 2011, clearly used to believe that a man whose face is speckled with bloody bits of tissue has no place on or around the football pitch.

FIVER LETTERS

"Can I be the first of 1,057 'blokes down the pub' to say 'Petition to ban Tom Cleverly?!?!?! BAN THE WHOLE 'RUDDY LOT MORE LIKE!' before having another sup and catching sight of another bursting blood vessel in my nose out of my peripherals?" – James Cane.

"I understand from an interview Stevie Mbe gave on the wireless that he consulted Steve Peters, a psychologist, following groin-gah. Was it really that bad?" – John Raffin.

"I know that the Guardian has a long and honourable tradition in its spelling accuracy but it's getting difficult sometimes to work out if you can tell your it's from your (non-pint-lifting) elbow – David Howells (and 1,056 others).

"A few years ago I played in a five-a-side tournament. We scraped through the qualifying group and while waiting for the other group games to finish one bright spark suggested we all ought to practice penalties to be sure we were ready if the next game came to that. So in joyful anticipation, we honed our penalty taking prowess on a spare pitch away from the ongoing action. Sadly we never got the chance to show our mental fortitude. We lost 4-0 in the first knockout round" - Dave Cross.

"Re: the number of Ps in Phillipa (Fivers passim). Aaargh! Hoist by my own pedantic petard! I knew that acute accent would come back to haunt me. I accept the ultimate penance" - Phillipa Suárez (temporarily).

• 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: James Cane.

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

We 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 BOBS

Hull City's owners have stamped their feet and threatened to scream and scream and scream until their sick in their efforts to ride roughshod over 110 years of history and re-brand their club as Hull Tigers. "If we were denied the chance to operate the business in the way we feel fit … then we would have no alternative but to offer the club for sale," blubbed vice-president Ehab Allam.

Jose Mourinho has apparently "fuelled speculation" that Chelsea could make a move for AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli by making a banal statement of the obvious that has been pounced upon by hacks ravenous for anything resembling news in a friendly international week. "In football you never know the future," he droned. "Balotelli is with a big club at the moment but you never know the future."

And Alan Pardew is expect to plead guilty to the improper conduct charge levelled by the FA and has until 6pm today to do so. Football's governing body is expected to hand down a lengthy touchline or stadium ban, although the Fiver still thinks they should force him to wear a giant sponge hat on the touchline at all away matches.

STILL WANT MORE?

Apart from the heat, the spiders, the gun crime, the snakes, the evil temptresses in the skimpy bikinis, the jet-lag and the ever-present threat of hideous embarrassment, what have England's footballer's got to fear at the World Cup? We cracked the skulls of some of the Guardian's finest together to find out.

Without a club and emerging from two frustrating years in the wilderness, the most expensive British goalkeeper in football history is back from knack and rearing to get his career back on track. Craig Gordon talks torn patellas and more with Guardian fitbaw expert Ewan Murray.

Our Football Weekly podcasters have gone so big time, their live show in Dublin next week has been moved to a bigger venue. To get a small taste of how disappointed 500 Irish people are going to be next week, download today's episode here.

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 latest edition, and you can sign up for it here.

A CERTAINLY TEA-TIMELY EMAIL IN THE DRINKER LAST NIGHT: "I'M NO DOCTOR, BUT I'D BET THE FARM YOUNG JACK HAS JUST BROKEN HIS FOOT"

Simon Burnton

MLS 2014 season preview

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:02 AM PST

MLS: Can Sporting Kansas City repeat as MLS Cup winners? How will RSL cope without Jason Kreis? Are Toronto FC genuine contenders? Graham Parker and team reps set the scene for 2014

Graham Parker

Luke Shaw desperate to give Roy Hodgson a World Cup squad headache

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:44 AM PST

• Southampton full-back impresses against Denmark
• Teenager wants to make hard for manager to omit him

Luke Shaw never imagined England recognition would come at such a young age, but now it has he is intent on making it a "hard decision" for Roy Hodgson to leave him out of his World Cup squad.

Just 16 months on from making his Premier League debut, the highly-rated 18-year-old's impressive displays for Southampton saw him collect a first England cap in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat of Denmark.

Shaw came on after the break in place of his boyhood idol Ashley Cole and seamlessly slotted in at left-back, providing an attacking option as well as a sturdy defensive presence.

Asked if he could have imagined this moment six months ago, the teenager said: "No way. I wouldn't even have thought I would even be getting mentioned to be going away with the senior squad.

"But it has happened and I enjoyed every minute of it and I will never forget the moment I came on. It has been an emotional week and the best week of my life. I will never forget this week."

Shaw's impressive debut will give Hodgson a pleasant headache when it comes to choosing his squad for Brazil. With Leighton Baines' place all but assured, it is a straight fight between Shaw and experienced Chelsea defender Cole for the other left-back berth.

"I am not thinking about that yet," Shaw said when asked about his World Cup chances. "Obviously I did play a part in that game but there are important games coming up for my club. Hopefully if I keep putting in good performances then Roy will have a hard decision to make."

Shaw found out he would be making his debut after lunch on Wednesday, when Hodgson took him aside to tell him he would be coming on in the second half. That is when the butterflies kicked in but, despite admitting it was "probably the most nervous I have ever felt", those emotions dissipated when he took to the Wembley turf.

"As soon as I got on the pitch, all the nerves went and I enjoyed every bit of it," he told Southampton's official YouTube channel. "I just tried to focus on playing my normal game.

"I had a word with Frank Lampard before the game and he said: 'I have been in this situation before, you're 18 years-old, I know how you are feeling. You are going to feel nervous but make sure you enjoy every minute of it and just play how you've been playing for your club'."

Advice from England's senior internationals no doubt helped Shaw, so too the presence of Saints team-mates Jay Rodriguez, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana in the squad.

The latter was the only other one of the Southampton quartet to feature against Denmark and provided the cross from which Daniel Sturridge headed home the winner – a moment Shaw believes will seal the Saints captain's ticket to Brazil.

"He definitely grabbed his opportunity with both hands," he said. "I think before that he was nailed on for Brazil the way he has been performing for his club and his country.

"We knew what talent Adam has and yesterday he proved it to the world."

Shaw received plenty of pats on the back when he returned to Southampton's Staplewood training ground on Thursday morning. Preparations have already begun in earnest for Saints' weekend trip to Crystal Palace, whose winger Jason Puncheon was one of the first on the phone to Shaw after the match.

"He has played a massive part," Shaw said of the former Saints man, who left in an initial loan deal last summer. "He has helped me a lot when he was here. Last night he rang me up after the game to say how proud and happy he was that I made my debut for the England senior team. He said: 'Don't stop now, just keep going'."

England v Croatia U18 international – video highlights

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:19 AM PST

Highlights from England's under-18 team's defeat by Croatia at St George's Park on Wednesday

Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica: what England have to fear at the World Cup

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:10 AM PST

Italy's 1-0 defeat in Spain, Uruguay's 1-1 draw in Austria and Costa Rica's 2-1 win against Paraguay threw up various pointers

Italy

Overall performance Overrun. Although Spain created few chances in the first half, once David Silva came on the dominance of possession brought chances. Italy had no way of stopping the movement of Pedro, Andrés Iniesta and Silva. Especially vulnerable down the left with space created in the centre when defenders pulled out to cover.

Tactics With Andrea Pirlo left on the bench and Daniele De Rossi left out of the squad, Italy played 4-3-3 but with quite a straight, defensive midfield three and the wide forwards rarely that close to Dani Osvaldo. "If we only play on the break they will beat us for sure," the manager Cesare Prandelli said, but the few chances they had were, indeed, on the break.

Best player Gabriel Paletta had a reasonably promising debut at centre-back even though he was occasionally left exposed and often pulled across. It's tempting to point at Pirlo, if only for one pass to Osvaldo. Could not control the midfield but at least sought to produce something.

Room for improvement Control, creativity, support for the striker, the ability to prevent skilful opposition cutting right to the heart of their defence … Italy have much to improve. But then, they often do, and they still have a habit of going a long way.

England need to be wary of … Why always him? Perhaps because there's no one else, unless Giuseppe Rossi makes it. Who to be wary of? The men who weren't there on Wednesday. It is hard to imagine that Italy will go into the World Cup without De Rossi and Mario Balotelli playing key roles. Besides, Prandelli says Balotelli has been an angel with the Azzurri. Sid Lowe

Uruguay

Overall performance To borrow a phrase from the manager, Oscar Tabárez, Uruguay were "rubbish" in the first half. They were sloppy in possession while they afforded Austria too much space. They conceded a bad goal to Marc Janko, after an error from the right-back Maxi Pereira and, were it not for the goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, the damage could have been worse. Uruguay did flicker in front of goal – the substitute José Giménez should have scored from close range in the 31st minute – but they were a team transformed after the interval. They came to dominate the game, with Luis Suárez, inevitably, to the fore. They had far greater offensive cohesion and deserved the equaliser, which followed wonderful work from the right-sided attacker Christian Stuani and was tapped home on the line by the substitute, Álvaro Pereira. Stuani might have had a late penalty for a trip by Markus Suttner. "The second half was the team that I wanted to see," Tabárez said.

Tactics Tabárez did not risk Edinson Cavani in Klagenfurt as the Paris Saint-Germain striker had only just recovered from a thigh problem and so he started, instead, with Diego Forlán up alongside Suárez in a 4‑4‑2 formation. Diego Pérez and Egidio Arévalo Ríos sat in front of the defence, with the former looking to man-mark David Alaba, Austria's best player. Ríos was rarely more than 10 or 15 yards in front of his centre-halves. Tabárez switched to a 4‑1‑4‑1 formation in the second-half, swapping Pérez for Walter Gargano and Forlán for Southampton's Gastón Ramírez. Gargano and Ramírez worked in front of Ríos, with Ramírez the more forward-thinking of the pair. Tabárez's other changes were broadly like-for-like. He lost the captain and centre-back Diego Lugano to a knee injury on 30 minutes and replaced him with Giménez.

Best player This will hardly come as an earth-shattering revelation but the bloke in the No9 shirt looked useful. Suárez, on the occasion of his 77th cap, did everything but add to his national-team record goals tally of 39. He rattled the crossbar with a vicious 30-yard free-kick on 22 minutes that had Robert Almer beaten while he was denied one-on-one by the goalkeeper in the second half and narrowly failed to bend another free-kick back inside the near post. Frustrated by repeated fouls in the first half, he worried Austria with his direct running after the break.

Room for improvement When the tide was against them in the first half and Austria threw men forward, Uruguay's central defenders looked vulnerable to pace. Lugano and Diego Godín rely on their reading of the game and their defensive midfielders compressing the space between the lines but Uruguay's World Cup opponents will surely attempt to expose the veteran pair, who have 168 caps between them. Uruguay were not immune to wobbles at the back in the second half, even when they were on top.

England need to be wary of … Uruguay's spirit is indefatigable. They never know when they are beaten and they will fight until the very last. This squad has been together for years and the camaraderie was clear as they bear-hugged and said their goodbyes at Vienna airport, having connected from Klagenfurt on Thursday morning, before going their separate ways. Uruguay have lost only once this season, to Ecuador, and they rallied after the substandard first half and a dressing-room inquest led by Tabárez. On the balance of the play, a winning goal would not have flattered them. David Hytner in Klagenfurt

Costa Rica

Overall performance Costa Rica did the necessary – but not much more – to beat Paraguay 2-1 in San José, with the players who had missed January's friendly back in the squad. The usual suspects Joel Campbell and Álvaro Saborío scored the goals

Tactics Jorge Luis Pinto once again used his favourite formation – 5‑4‑1 – but when the team goes on the attack the basic formation shifts to a 3‑4‑3, because the defensive wingers join the midfield and the central striker gets support of two additional midfielders.

Best player Arsenal's Joel Campbell – on loan at Olympiakos – had a very good game in San José and not just for the great goal he scored. The striker was dominating proceedings and shielded the ball impressively as his good technique made it almost impossible for the defender to take the ball off his feet.

Room for improvement Costa Rica qualified for the World Cup mainly because of their parsimonious defence. On Wednesday it again looked solid but there was a problem with set pieces and the goal they conceded came from a corner. The central midfield can also lack a bit of imagination.

England need to be wary of … Costa Rica's attack will cause problems, whoever is playing in defence for Roy Hodgson. In Bryan Ruiz, Campbell, and Saborío they have players who can provide a spark to trouble the best teams in the world. Leonardo Pandolfo in San José

Sid Lowe

David Hytner

Jack Wilshere out for six weeks with hairline fracture of foot

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:07 AM PST

• Blow for Arsenal and England after midfielder is injured
• Suffered after challenge with Daniel Agger against Denmark

Jack Wilshere has sustained a hairline fracture to the navicular bone in his left foot and has been ruled out for the next six weeks.

In what will come as a massive blow to Arsenal, Wilshere suffered the injury following a challenge with Daniel Agger during England's 1-0 friendly win against Denmark on Wednesday night at Wembley, in which he played 59 minutes.

A club statement revealed: "Following initial scans carried out by the FA on Wednesday night, further investigation by Arsenal's medical team has discovered a crack to a small bone in Jack's left foot - the navicular, an area of his foot which has not been previously injured."

The injury is a huge blow to Arsenal, whose crucial run-in to the season continues with an FA Cup quarter-final against Everton on Saturday. The news will no doubt have been a huge surprise to Wilshere, who confidently told reporters after the match that he was fine before speaking of his desire to finish the season strong with Arsenal.

"It is a bit sore, but just a bruise," he said. "I have had a scan already and I will be all right. We have all been working hard in training trying to impress the manager, but at the end of the day, it is your club form which will get you in.

"These next two months are crucial, it is a big time of the season and then when the England squad is announced, you can only perform to the best of your ability."

The prognosis means Wilshere will miss at least eight Arsenal matches, before making his Premier League return in the trip to Hull on 19 April. As well as harming the Gunners, that will give the midfielder little time to get himself match fit before Roy Hodgson names his World Cup squad on 13 May.

The England manager spoke after the match of his hopes that nobody would join Theo Walcott in missing the tournament and struck a relieved figure after Wilshere appeared to avoid serious injury.

"The last thing I want is to send players back injured especially when Arsenal have so many important games coming up, so we were delighted when he got up and we were told it was just a kick on the foot," the England manager said. "I am hoping that when he goes back to Arsenal they will soon put that right and that he will be fit for Saturday."

QPR's debt rises to £177m

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:42 AM PST

• Accounts cover period which ended in relegation from top tier
• Wages rose to £78m with turnover only £60.6m

The eyewatering cost of Queens Park Rangers' doomed attempt to stay in the Premier League last season has been revealed by the publication of the club's financial accounts for 2012-13, which show the club made a loss of £65m. During a tumultuous year in which the club's owners, led by the Malaysian airline entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, sacked Mark Hughes as the manager, appointed Harry Redknapp and backed both to spend significantly in the transfer market, the club's wage bill rose by £20m. The total wages QPR paid to all staff in the year to 31 May 2013 was £78m, £17m more than the club's entire income of £61m.

The total annual loss of £65m is the largest loss recorded by any football club in England in 2012-13, according to the accounts published so far. QPR, thought to be one of the clubs which backed the solicitors, Brabners, to issue a legal threat recently opposing the Championship's financial fair play rules, appear to have a major problem complying with the FFP limits on losses, £8m this season.

QPR did not issue a statement or respond to inquiries from the Guardian after publishing their accounts. In his chairman's introductory remarks to the accounts, Fernandes did not refer to the financial position. Describing 2012-13 as a "difficult" year for QPR, Fernandes listed the 10 players signed for Hughes in the summer of 2012, then the five players signed for Redknapp in January 2013, including Christopher Samba and Loïc Rémy, who cost a total of £20.5m, Jermaine Jenas, Yun Suk-young and Tal Ben Haim.

"When, alongside my business partners, I purchased a majority shareholding in the club in August 2011, my goal was to turn QPR into an established Premier League club," Fernandes wrote. "Being relegated was obviously not part of our plans, but our focus and determination to achieve our long-term goals has not diminished."

Fernandes and his long-term Malaysian business partners, Kamarudin Meranun and Ruben Gnanalinigam, bought 66% of QPR from previous shareholders including the Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone and team principal Flavio Briatore, just after the club was promoted to the Premier League under the management of Neil Warnock. The remaining 33% of the club (with 1% held by minority shareholders) is owned by the family of the Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, whose son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, is still on the board.

The accounts itemise that the owners, subsidising losses and the spending on player transfer fees and wages, had loaned the club approximately £166m, interest free, by 31 May last year. The club's net debt increased from £91m in 2012, to £177m last year.

David Conn

10 talking points from Wednesday night's international football

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:09 AM PST

Germany show their vulnerable side, Brazil show their brilliance, France and England show youthful zest while Gareth Bale shows why he's worth £86m with a masterclass for Wales

Will Spain's latest No9 be a false one as well?

Diego Costa made an international debut against Italy … for the second time. A year after appearing for Brazil for the first time, in a friendly, Costa finally made his debut with la seleccion and there is no doubt that he will go to the World Cup in Brazil, his home country. Yet there is work to do: Costa was denied the space in which he is so lethal and at times seemed not to fully grasp the movement of team mates around him. He almost seemed to be in the way at times. Many strikers have been tried for Spain (Torres, Soldado, Negredo, Michu, Llorente); few, it seems, have truly convinced, at least not consistently. Perhaps only Villa has and even he was sometimes more comfortable coming in front the left). Costa's debut is just one game and there is plenty of time. But it also suggested that perhaps the players weren't the problem. Spain's strikers are talented but Spain's system did not always suit them. There may be no more difficult a role than the centre forward in a team, as Spain are, whose very style denies you the natural space in which to thrive. Instead, the role can be better suited to a different type of player. "Bit by bit he will incorporate into our style," Del Bosque said. Spain have just "signed" a number nine. But despite that will their no.9 be a false one again? Sid Lowe

• Spain 1-0 Italy: match report

Benzema back in the zone

Was it really as recent as the start of this season when Karim Benzema was so bereft of form for Les Bleus that the French public voted to effectively send him to the international football guillotine? "Benzema, that's enough" was the headline in L'Equipe. Faith in him was at an all time low as he endured a goalless spell in international football that lasted well over a year. Eventually, after 1,222 minutes without success, he found a goal in a friendly against Australia and began to regain confidence. That confidence has since rocketed, and Benzema was outstanding as he led France's line with vigour, expertise and plenty of panache in the 2-0 victory against a disappointing Holland side in Paris. He brought his Real Madrid form to the party. A euphoric half-volley set France on their way to a comfortable victory, but it was his all round game - wanting to take the initiative with his assured touch and eager movement - that showed the extent to which he has emerged from the darkness and back into the limelight. Didier Deschamps has come through some difficult moments of his own to forge a France team that look capable of impressing in Brazil. With Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi setting the tone superbly in midfield, Eliaquim Mangala making an excellent debut in defence alongside Raphael Varane, this feels like a fresh chapter for a younger team with the trouble-making vibes from the last World Cup watered down. France look ready to enjoy themselves. Amy Lawrence

England v Denmark

At the last World Cup, England's ageing "golden generation" were left to look leaden footed by Germany's emerging young team. Roy Hodgson has resolved that won't happen again but has to balance youthful exuberance with big- game experience. That will leave him with some stark choices when it comes down to whittling his squad to 23. When pushed, he was forced to concede that his selection against Denmark made it appear he is determined to give youth its head and he was rewarded with encouraging performances from Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling. The contrasting fortunes of, say, Andros Townsend and Adam Lallana since qualification also highlights how quickly things can change. Form matters to Hodgson more than some of his predecessors. Yet he continues to be careful to insist that the likes of Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard remain model professionals and very much in his thoughts. Some tough choices await, but many England fans would give Hodgson more latitude if they saw a youthful, fearless, flowing complexion to the team that lines up against Italy in Manaus on 14 June. Owen Gibson

• England 1-0 Denmark: match report

Chile knock Germany out of their rhythm

If the true value of a friendly is to practice without the pressure of the game having any serious consequences, then Chile could take heart from another exhibition of fabulously fluid attacking play to cause consternation for a high profile European opponent. Having drawn 2-2 with Spain and outmanoeuvred England 2-0 on their travels this season, they left Germany feeling shocked despite a 1-0 scoreline delivered by Mario Götze's beautifully executed finish. Jogi Löw's team were knocked out of their normal rhythm. Chile wrestled control. Their flexible movement enabled them to mount a series of well-manned attacks. The build-up play, with Alexis Sánchez, Arturo Vidal, Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aranguis teasing their opponents, was scintillating. The only thing that was missing was ruthlessness to finish off their moves. If they can find a clinical edge, it would be no surprise for Chile, on South American soil, to finish above world champions Spain in their group. As for Germany, a win and a wake up call all at the same time probably won't do them any harm. Amy Lawrence

Republic of Ireland v Serbia

Whatever you think about this exciting new regime with Roy Keane, Ireland were given a more exacting glimpse of what life will be like after Robbie Keane. It was difficult to escape the feeling that, had the country's leading scorer been on the pitch against Serbia, the manager Martin O'Neill would have been celebrating a second win in three rather than a first defeat of his tenure. Instead, Shane Long missed two one-on-ones of the type that Keane has habitually finished with ease. There is a long-standing argument that Long's industry is actually better for Ireland's overall play, and that he gives the team more angles of attack. Even with Keane's waning legs, though, this 2-1 defeat displayed the elementary importance of a pure finisher to such mid-tier countries. Ireland may be more limited in what they can do, but they take more. It is a balance O'Neill is going to have to work out as the veteran striker moves closer to retirement. Miguel Delaney

• Republic of Ireland 1-2 Serbia: match report

Cahill still the one to watch for Australia

Tim Cahill returned to Millwall in style, even if his team were guilty of an astonishing collapse against Ecuador at the New Den. Australia, 3-0 up and cruising at half-time, squandered a seemingly unassailable lead against the South Americans in the game of the week without question. There was optimism in both camps at full-time, but Australia were left wondering quite how they lost a game they had complete control over. For Cahill, though, there was particular cause for celebration having become the Socceroos' leading goalscorer of all time. He took up that mantle with the opening goal in south-east London, his 30th in green and gold, and added another soon afterwards. Typically, they both came with his head but Cahill was also brought down for an Australia penalty and, playing as a lone striker, there were myriad demonstrations of quality to suggest the 34-year-old can still make an impact in Brazil. James Riach

• Australia 3-4 Ecuador: match report

Neymar so at home playing for Brazil

Brazil's poster boy has the daunting obligation of carrying the weight of World Cup expectation on his shoulders. Fortunately, when he puts on the shirt he plays with a sense of natural abandon that breathes such life into his team. Neymar excelled in an easy warm-up match in South Africa. His hat-trick demonstrated such dextrous feet – a dynamic lash with his left and a deft lob with his right set the tone, and it barely mattered that the third goal was ushered in without any special flourish. His statstics are exceptional – 30 goals and 20 assists from 47 international games. His combiantions with Oscar and Big Phil Scolari's striker of choice, Fred, ensure any defence will be fearful of meeting them in the summer. The Brazil coach had a much more experienced attacking trio last time he led his country to the World Cup in Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. Neymar will have to take on a lot of responsibility, but he does not seem awed by it so far. Living up to the hype for Barcelona might not be quite as easy, but playing for Brazil, Neymar could not look more comfortable in his own skin. Playing with freedom, relishing the opportunity, he looks as if he cannnot wait for the moment of truth back home. Amy Lawrence

• South Africa 0-5 Brazil: match report

Uruguay look vulnerable to pace

Oscar Tabárez talked about having the same objective for Brazil as his Uruguay team had in 2010, when they punched above their weight to reach the semi-finals in South Africa. "We will travel to the World Cup once again with the aim of being difficult to play against," the manager said. And yet, if Wednesday night's evidence in the 1-1 draw in Austria is any guide, his is not a team to park the bus and merely stifle. Even without Edinson Cavani, there was attacking enterprise, with Luis Suárez inevitably to the fore and it was at the back where Uruguay looked vulnerable at times. There is a lack of pace in central defence, where Diego Lugano and José Giménez partnered Diego Godín and when Austria ran at them, they caused problems. Uruguay's group phase rivals, including England, will have taken note. David Hytner

• Austria 1-1 Uruguay: match report

Ryan Giggs or Gareth Bale?

That was the question posed to Chris Coleman, the Wales manager, after an extraordinary individual performance from Gareth Bale in the 3-1 victory over Iceland. Bale set up the first two goals and scored a sublime third, running from inside his own half - and off the pitch at one point to avoid being taken out by one of the Iceland players - before curling the ball into the far corner. It was Bale's 12th goal for his country, which is as many as Giggs managed in his entire Wales career. Afterwards Coleman described Giggs as "the best player I played with" but said that Bale was "more destructive on a consistent basis" and has the potential to surpass the Manchester United legend. If the debate revolves around their contribution for Wales, Bale will surely come out on top. It took the Real Madrid forward 22 fewer caps to match Giggs's goal tally and, as well as demonstrating an ability to win games single-handedly for Wales over the last couple of years, Bale gives the impression that he is much more committed to representing his country. Giggs, lest it be forgotten, made his debut for Wales in 1991 but, incredibly, did not appear in a friendly until nine years later. In a 16-year international career Giggs, who is unquestionably one of the greatest players that Wales has ever produced, won only 64 caps. When Bale signed for Real Madrid for £80m last summer, many wondered whether Wales would suffer but there is no sign of that happening. Bale has won 44 caps since he made his debut in 2006 and judging by the way he covered every blade of grass on Wednesday night, at one stage sprinting back to his own goal to dispossess an Iceland player close to the corner flag, the words "meaningless friendly" have never crossed his mind. Stuart James

• Wales 3-1 Iceland: match report

USA may wish to borrow England's psychologist

Jürgen Klinsmann was always ahead of the game in terms of preparation and opening players' minds to find ways to think positively. The USA team are dearly in need of a boost after a woeful 2-0 defeat against Ukraine. All in all this was an unsettling experience. To start with there had been doubts about the game as first it was moved from Kiev due to the instability in Ukraine, and then there was a suggestion it would even be cancelled. Finally it was on, and the US team headed to an almost empty stadium in Cyprus for the last warm-up match involving the squad's European-based players before Klinsmann narrows down his selection in May. The coach was left dissecting a performance with almost no redeeming features. A fair number of the fringe players Klinsmann tried will not be expecting a place on the plane to Brazil. Of the regulars, only Tim Howard could escape censure. A World Cup mission that looked intimidating enough anyway - Germany, Portugal and Ghana make up Group G – suddenly looks tougher than ever. Amy Lawrence

• USA 0-2 Ukraine: as it happened

Ukraine find some cheer in victory over USA in Cyprus

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 05:56 AM PST

Ukraine beat USA with goals by Yarmolenko and Devic in game played in Cyprus due to political troubles in eastern Europe

Steve Busfield

Uruguay's Diego Lugano set to be out for three weeks with twisted knee

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 05:35 AM PST

• Injury suffered after clash during Austria friendly
• Timing a worry despite World Cup being three months away

Uruguay's captain, Diego Lugano, twisted his knee in Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Austria in Klagenfurt and fears that he could be out for at least three weeks.

Although further tests will reveal the full extent of the damage, Lugano's participation at the World Cup finals is not thought to be in jeopardy. The timing is nonetheless a worry for Uruguay, who face England, Italy and Costa Rica at the group stage, if they are to have a key player at peak condition in Brazil.

Lugano, the 33-year-old West Bromwich Albion centre-half, who has struggled since his move to the Premier League from Málaga last summer, took a heavy challenge from the Austria striker Marc Janko in the first half and, although he attempted to play on, he was eventually forced off in the 30th minute. He remonstrated with Janko as he left the field.

David Hytner

Craig Gordon looking for fresh start after conquering knee problem

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 03:48 AM PST

His £9m move to Sunderland remains a record for a British goalkeeper but it has taken specialist surgery and a long course of injections to give him a chance to play again

It had been widely assumed that Craig Gordon's next public utterance would be confirmation of retirement. Wrongly, as it transpires.

The man who still holds the record for the highest transfer fee for a British goalkeeper last played a competitive game in April 2012; even that was with the aid of a multitude of painkillers in one final attempt to earn a new contract at Sunderland.

Subsequent tales of Gordon's demise were not without foundation but he is now on the verge of a remarkable comeback, following on from the rare patella tendon injury that has had such a serious impact on his career. Three operations, several injections and even more setbacks later, Gordon has declared he is ready to return to football after taking part in full training sessions at Rangers.

This is a £9m player – Roy Keane took Gordon to Sunderland from Hearts in 2007 – capped 40 times by Scotland, who was credited with the best save in 20 seasons of the Premier League. He now has the hunger of a teenager starting out in football; finally Gordon's condition seems to match that.

"I'm 31 at the moment, I could have another eight or nine years. I fully intend it to be another eight or nine years," Gordon says. "I never carry any weight, I'm in great shape at the moment with under 10% body fat. I'm as lean as I have ever been and ready to go. It concentrates your mind when you are close to coming back because you want to be in the best shape possible.

"You never know, I could come back better than ever but that will obviously take time. It's time I'm willing to put in and effort that I'm willing to put in."

There are endearing reasons for his renewed desire. "My eldest daughter is three and a half, she doesn't remember her daddy playing football." The next step, of course, is to convince a club that he is worthy of an opportunity. Gordon believes he simply needs to manage his own day-to-day training regime in the manner of scores of other experienced players.

"I want to play games," he says. "What level that's at will depend what's available and who is looking for goalkeepers. I know it's a difficult time of the season to get in, I'm perhaps looking for an injury somewhere. Even if it was a bigger club looking towards next season who wanted me to come in and play reserve games between now and the end of the season, that would appeal to me. I am ready to play.

"I need to go and prove to people that I am fit, that I can train and play and I am totally fine with that. Any deal would probably be heavily structured because of my injury record and that's perfectly understandable, I accept that. It's just about getting that opportunity to play, hopefully before next season so that I'm not starting another new season without a club."

The low-profile assistance he is receiving from Rangers came about thanks to Gordon's former coach, Jim Stewart. Initially he used the gym at the club's training complex and now he has a strong relationship with the physiotherapist Steven Walker.

Gordon's surgery was carried out in Sweden by Professor Hakan Alfredson and subsequent treatment has involved the Barcelona-based specialist Ramón Cugat. Gordon has had a course of injections involving the removal of blood from his arm, spinning it in a centrifuge to create platelet-rich plasma, and injecting it into his knee to speed healing. Gordon's tendon was torn vertically, hence the problems discovering appropriate treatment.

Had he previously thought it was all over? "Too many times to count. There have been so many lows over the past couple of years, trying to get back and most of the time finding yet another dead end. I'm not one for giving up, I have kept going, but it has been tough at times. There has been a lot of soul searching.

"The career that I have had allowed me to spend near enough two years out of the game, trying to focus on just trying to get my knee better. Maybe if this had happened to somebody else, they would have had to go out and get a job but I have been able to focus all my attention on different types of treatment and trying to get back playing."

There is no bitterness in Gordon's outlook, though there is perhaps frustration at the way his situation was handled when it first came to light during the warm-up for a reserve match with Everton in late 2010. If there is anger, it is an understandable one towards those who questioned why Gordon was undertaking television work rather than playing even at a lower-league level.

"A lot of people have made comments without knowing what was going on," he says. "People thought I had fallen out of love with the game or I had chucked it or I didn't have the desire to get back into the game. Nothing could be further from the truth, I have done nothing but try everything possible to fix this injury. And I have done it on my own, I haven't had a club supporting me and putting me through these treatments or to pay for these treatments.

"To get to the point now where I am just about ready to get back into football, it has been a massive journey yet some people thought I wasn't trying or had somehow accepted that was it for my career, without knowing me or what was going on. That hurt me and hurt those around me.

"I have had plenty of advice to stop trying, to quit. I haven't taken that. I haven't looked at other careers. Everybody has been asking me what I was going to do with the rest of my life and I have always answered: 'I'm going to come back.' The careers officer at school used to ask me what I was going to do with my life and I always said: 'Play football.' It is the same now, I am going to get there.

"If I wasn't going to get there, I was going to try absolutely everything that was possible so that if it didn't work, I would know myself that I did anything I possibly could. That would have sat a lot easier. But for some people to think I would just quit? No, that's not me."

Still, the problem at its worst – the same one that afflicted Owen Hargreaves in both knees – had a strong impact on Gordon's everyday life. At the Stadium of Light, there was even apparent scepticism as to whether the ailment existed at all.

"If I was sitting for any length of time, I would have real pain in the knee," he says. "My knee was very hot all the time, through all the inflammation. It wasn't nice; even just walking down the street, with every step I could feel it. Thankfully that is long gone now, I can walk and run with no discomfort at all. It is a nice feeling now but I had to put up with a lot of pain for a long time.

"I regret the fact that I left Sunderland after five years having played less than 100 games. That wasn't what I envisaged when I went there and it was nowhere near enough games. I wish I could have that time again, stay injury free and play for Sunderland because it is a great club.

"I don't think people fully understood how severe the injury was at the start. I don't think the medical staff or the football staff fully realised. It went down a different road towards the end, I was even being sent to psychologists to figure out if the pain was just in my head. That was crazy to me at the time and still is, to be perfectly honest. There's plenty of evidence to the contrary, to show that there was physical damage there and that's what was causing the pain and not allowing me to come back."

Gordon is within touching distance of this road's end. Nobody should begrudge him a final bit of success thereafter.

Remember him? Big transfers with difficult endings

Francis Jeffers, Everton to Arsenal, 2001, £8m The 20-year-old strikerwas tipped to be the "fox in the box" Arsenal were looking for but an unfortunate spate of injuries combined with the impressive dynamism of Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Dennis Bergkamp left Jeffers a forlorn figure. Jeffers lined up for 11 different clubs after leaving Arsenal. Charlton signed him for £2.6m in 2004, but subsequently the fees for Jeffers's services would generate only £700,000 for the next 10 years.

Albert Luque, Deportivo La Coruña to Newcastle United, 2005, £9.5m At 35, Luque has now been retired for three years. A former Spanish international with 17 caps to his name, he won the last of these caps shortly after his move to Newcastle in the summer of 2005. He endured an injury hit career on Tyneside before being off-loaded to Ajax and then Málaga where his contract was terminated in 2011.

Adrian Mutu, Parma to Chelsea, 2003, £15.8m The Romanian's positive test for cocaine use in September 2004 meant that shortly over a year after he had been signed, Mutu found himself jobless. Controversy would follow Mutu to Juventus, where the two Serie A titles he would claim there would eventually end up revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal, while Chelsea have pursued him for breach of contract.

Andriy Shevchenko, Milan to Chelsea, 2006, £30.8m The Ballon D'Or winner of 2004 was perceived as something of a glamour buy by Roman Abramovich. The Ukrainian's return of 22 goals in 76 games for Chelsea was not catastrophic but it did not provide value for money either and he was loaned back to Milan in 2008, before finally leaving Stamford Bridge for Dynamo Kyiv a year later.

Dean Ashton, Norwich City to West Ham United, 2006, £7.25m Ashton's January move to West Ham was a record fee for the paying club. Far from it being a question of money wasted, Ashton's opening months at the tail end of the 2005-06 season culminated in performances that took West Ham to the FA Cup final. But a broken ankle on England duty in August led to Ashton being sidelined for the rest of the season. He signed a new five-year deal in June 2008 yet, stricken by injury again, Ashton would only play five more times for the Hammers and at 26, he retired from professional football.

Ewan Murray

Why RB Leipzig are sending shockwaves through German football | Philip Oltermann

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 03:26 AM PST

The Red Bull-backed team's rapid rise up the leagues is a worry for the established order but far worse is the threat to the game's structure and its cherished membership model

Only 30 fans had made the 500km journey from Burghausen in deepest Bavaria, but they had rehearsed their own choreography. Just before kick-off, supporters of the bottom-placed club in the German third division held up pieces of cardboard that spelled out 50+1 muss bleiben ("50+1 must stay"), and then, after they'd flipped them over: Red Bull vertreiben ("Red Bull go away").

The 7,000 home fans could manage only a few half-hearted boos in response. Increasingly, they are used to this kind of reception: their club, RB Leipzig, is fast on the way to becoming the most controversial club in the country. To their supporters, they are a rare beacon of hope in the bleak landscape of east German football. But their opponents fear the team's success could unravel the foundation of the Bundesliga's recent successes.

RB Leipzig used to be a fifth-division team called SSV Markranstädt that not many had heard of even in Saxony – until 2009, when the Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull bought the club's license and changed the team's name, crest and kit.

In 2010 RB moved to the 44,300-seater stadium in the centre of Leipzig, which had been built for the 2006 World Cup but wasn't in regular use: Lokomotive Leipzig, the successor of the club who won the very first title in German football in 1903, are stuck in the fourth division, while local rivals Sachsen Leipzig were dissolved in 2011.

Two years later, the former Schalke coach, Ralf Rangnick, was installed as sporting director and was handed a transfer kitty of €100m. RB Leipzig has been gradually climbing up the leagues since. They are currently second in the third division and primed for promotion.

In a rare interview in 2011, Dietrich Mateschitz, the notoriously media-shy owner of Red Bull, said: "We are developing RB Leipzig with the aim of playing in the Bundesliga in three to five years. We also want to get into the Champions League and be successful there, which is something you can only achieve with a club that plays in one of the top leagues."

Given Red Bull's financial acumen – their annual turnover exceeded the €5 billion mark for the first time last year, a third of which they are expected to invest back into marketing – that kind of statement should have touched a few nerves not just in Burghausen, but also in Munich and Dortmund.

But Germans fans don't just worry that RB Leipzig could compete with their teams for the league title in 2020. They fear that the rise of this club could undermine the very structures that have given German club football such a good name in recent years.

The so-called "50+1" rule in the statutes of the German league association (DFL) guarantees that no investor can gain majority voting rights in a club registered as a stock company, thus giving members a crucial veto over issues such a ticket prices.

RB Leipzig doesn't break the letter of the 50+1 rule – it does have a membership scheme, and it's not registered as a stock company anyway. But it does break the spirit: becoming an RB Leipzig member will set you back €800 a year, on top of a €100 first-time registration fee (for comparison, being a member of Bayern Munich costs €60 per season). On top of that, RB Leipzig reserve the right to reject any application without justification.

As a result, more than four years into the club history, RB Leipzig have only 11 members – most of them employees of Red Bull (Bayern, for comparison, has 224,000). As the journalist Christoph Biermann wrote in a recent edition of 11 Freunde magazine: "It's hard to imagine a more blatant way in which RB Leipzig could break the 50+1 rule."

Some fans dismiss such complaints as hypocrisy. They point out that other Bundesliga clubs already break the 50+1 rule, such as "company clubs" Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, or Hoffenheim, where the billionaire Dietmar Hopp is said to act as a de facto owner without holding an official function. "RB doesn't break with the principles of modern football, it merely exaggerates some of its principles", said Matthias Kiessling, who writes a perceptive blog about the club.

A self-described "tactics geek and pragmatist", Kiessling argues that Red Bull are offering a more permanent kind of investment than anything Saxony has seen since the fall of the wall. Fans of more traditional clubs in the region may express their disgust with the "plastic club", but in private they'll be proud to see an east German team put the frighteners on the traditional clubs from the west.

The much-lauded membership system, Kiessling reckons, only exists pro forma anyway, and workers' participation takes place via different channels now. "If you're a fan and you're not happy with the club hitching up ticket prices, you raise your voice on social media these days, not in the members' meetings."

Yet if you look more closely at how RB Leipzig is run, it's hard not to conclude that the club takes the commercialisation of football to a new level – not just in Germany, but Europe-wide. Other German clubs may be propped up by big business, but there is usually a geographical link between the companies and the region where the club is based: Volkswagen's offices are in Wolfsburg, software giant SAP is based in the next town down the road from Hoffenheim. Red Bull are based in Fischl, Austria, and owner Mateschitz has yet to attend a Leipzig match in person.

In the past, investors used to focus on propping up one club, but RB Leipzig is part of a global portfolio with clubs in Salzburg, New York, São Paulo and Sogakope, Ghana, all playing in the same red-and-white kit. (Rangnick acts as sporting director for both Salzburg and Leipzig, and one wonders what will happen when two Red Bull clubs face each other in the Champions League).

When Red Bull bought SSV Markranstädt in 2009, their bid to rename the club "Red Bull Leipzig" was turned down by the league – but Rasenballsport Leipzig, meaning "lawn ball sports", was waved through. In their merchandising, the club refer to themselves as Die roten Bullen, so that even the team's nickname already advertises the product. It's as if Wolfsburg were known as "The Beetles".

In brand management speak, this is known as "content marketing": rather than just pay to have their logo on a BMX cyclist's helmet, Red Bull organise the race. Rather than just sponsor Felix Baumgartner's parachute, they organise his spectacular skydive from space. Rather than sponsor a successful team, they help a team climb from the lower leagues into the Champions League and become part of the story.

Up until now, the league association has largely turned a blind eye to developments in Leipzig. But there are growing signs that other clubs could try to block the club's licence if they get promoted at the end of the season.

Bernd-Georg Spies, vice-president of FC St Pauli, one of Leipzig's potential opponents next season, told the Guardian: "When a new club is promoted from the third division, it's only right that the German football league association examines closely whether that club complies with the letter and spirit of its jurisdiction. St Pauli would encourage the football league association to look closely at clubs who actively hinder their fans from becoming members with a right to vote."

RB Leipzig have until mid-March to hand in their licence application. Should the league association reject it, or tighten the 50+1 rule altogether, the soft-drink giant could take the matter to court. Either way, the fundamental values of German football will be put to the test.

Philip Oltermann

Roy Hodgson impressed by young players as England beat Denmark – video

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 03:06 AM PST

Roy Hodgson says England's younger players impressed him in Wednesday's pre-World Cup victory over Denmark

Browse More Articles

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

Friday, 7 March 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:20

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

I'M ALRIGHT: JACK

QUOTE OF THE DAY

FIVER LETTERS

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

BITS AND BOBS

STILL WANT MORE?

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER (AND O FIVERÃO)

A CERTAINLY TEA-TIMELY EMAIL IN THE DRINKER LAST NIGHT: "I'M NO DOCTOR, BUT I'D BET THE FARM YOUNG JACK HAS JUST BROKEN HIS FOOT"

Italy

Uruguay

Costa Rica

Will Spain's latest No9 be a false one as well?

Benzema back in the zone

England v Denmark

Chile knock Germany out of their rhythm

Republic of Ireland v Serbia

Cahill still the one to watch for Australia

Neymar so at home playing for Brazil

Uruguay look vulnerable to pace

Ryan Giggs or Gareth Bale?

USA may wish to borrow England's psychologist

Remember him? Big transfers with difficult endings

Written by TBMU Admin

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Follow TBMU FBook/Twitter

Popular on TBMU

About TBMU

Friday, 7 March 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:20

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

I'M ALRIGHT: JACK

QUOTE OF THE DAY

FIVER LETTERS

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

BITS AND BOBS

STILL WANT MORE?

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER (AND O FIVERÃO)

A CERTAINLY TEA-TIMELY EMAIL IN THE DRINKER LAST NIGHT: "I'M NO DOCTOR, BUT I'D BET THE FARM YOUNG JACK HAS JUST BROKEN HIS FOOT"

Italy

Uruguay

Costa Rica

Will Spain's latest No9 be a false one as well?

Benzema back in the zone

England v Denmark

Chile knock Germany out of their rhythm

Republic of Ireland v Serbia

Cahill still the one to watch for Australia

Neymar so at home playing for Brazil

Uruguay look vulnerable to pace

Ryan Giggs or Gareth Bale?

USA may wish to borrow England's psychologist

Remember him? Big transfers with difficult endings

Written by TBMU Admin

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Follow TBMU FBook/Twitter

Popular on TBMU

About TBMU

Subscribe TBMU