Arsenal’s win last Sunday brought an air of ‘if only’ around the Emirates as Arsene Wenger’s men look back at another failed quest for the Premier League title. You do sense that next season it is vital that the club start to deliver silverware to appease those fans frustrated at the increase in ticket prices.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Arsenal blogs that includes Nasri provides Wenger with transfer dilemma; Arsenal’s own X-file mystery, while Arsene should think twice about Diaby.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week.
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Just a case of right man, wrong philosophy at Arsenal
Forget Cesc, is this Wenger’s biggest transfer dilemma this summer?
What do Arsenal need the extra £4.5m for?
Arsene Wenger right to put Arsenal first in this case
Arsenal’s very own X-File mystery
Why Arsenal should think twice about selling Frenchman
Arguably Wenger’s TEN ‘Greatest Achievements’ at Arsenal
Arsenal & Liverpool hit with £20m asking price
Arsene Wenger’s ‘Greatest XI’ of all time
If I was you Arsene Wenger…
*Best of Web*
The most frustrating religion – Emirates FC – Gunnersphere
Game over… You lose again, Arsene! – Online Gooner
Stay A Little Longer Or Walk Away In Anger? – A Cultured Left Foot
Arsenal run over the golden goose, then reverse back over just to make sure – Le Grove
The real reason Cesc wants out, R.I.P Sir Henry, No to goal-line Technology.. – Highbury House
Ignore ticket farce at your peril, Mr Gazidis – Arsenal Insider
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It would be excusable to believe that the sweeper had become a moribund position in modern football. For supporters it is not an enticing prospect to see a striker or attacking midfielder substituted for an extra defender. A sweeper traditionally plays behind the two central defenders, tasked with marking space rather than the man and clearing anything others fail to deal with. However the role was reintroduced by two British sides recently who faced Manchester United and Chelsea at their home grounds. Glasgow Rangers and Blackpool achieved contrasting success but will teams facing daunting opposition away from home be inclined to field an extra defender and apply the padlock?
For managers who decide to include a sweeper in a five man defence, the priority is to keep a clean sheet and disturb the opponent’s attackers. Rangers opted for this system against United in the Champions League last week and frustrated a team which had been rotated but did incorporate Wayne Rooney. The Scottish team’s 40-year old captain David Weir adopted this lesser seen role although cynics would argue that they defended with nine men as Kenny Miller was an isolated figure up front. Recently recalled to the Scottish national team, Weir was arguably the man of the match as he gave an assured performance which reduced the illustrious home team to a series of long range efforts.
The following weekend in the Premier League saw Ian Holloway choose to place Alex Baptiste in a central defensive three, in the faint hope of halting Chelsea’s goal scoring juggernaut. The rampant Blues scored within 71 seconds and added three more before the conclusion of the first half. The tactic had backfired with the Tangerines unable to keep their shape at the back and were mesmerised when Chelsea broke with pace. However in the traditional mould of the sweeper, Baptiste managed to occasionally get forward, evading his markers and fired a low, rasping shot at Petr Cech.
Holloway acknowledged that his tactical change had not followed the prescribed plan. But he evidently felt compelled to attempt something different given his assertion that Chelsea are “light years ahead.” He additionally suggested that the disparate PL features a number of internal divisions, reaffirming the gulf in quality between those at the top and the bottom. Newcastle outscored Chelsea in a thrilling League Cup encounter last night but few teams would travel to Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford or the Emirates in the league hoping to replicate that performance. Should more sides, therefore, consider this defensive and attritional stance when facing incomparable opposition?
The notion of not conceding and hoping to possibly grab a goal is associated with the Italian word, catenaccio which translates as padlock. This well known term is utilised to describe a team intent on defending and using pace to spring a counter attack when the opportunity arises. It is best associated with a five man defence and the inclusion of a sweeper. In this system the onus is on keeping a strong defensive shape and employing the last man to ‘sweep up’ if the two conventional centre-backs are exposed. However a sweeper should ideally be a cultured footballer, able to make clean tackles and swiftly distribute long range passes up field. As the opposition are invited to come forward and apply greater pressure, an accurate pass from defence can release quick forward players to exploit the vacated spaces. Famous sweepers in the modern game have included AC Milan’s Franco Baresi, France’s Laurent Blanc and Arsenal’s Tony Adams.
Today the role is rarely seen, particularly in England but many defenders display the hallmarks of a sweeper. Spurs’ Michael Dawson has the ability to make unnervingly precise long range passes and John Terry can often be seen making astute forward runs. Although this position/formation should not be viewed egregiously, it would understandably irritate spectators who would view it as anti football in the entertainment driven top flight. Yet when playing exceptional opposition the first task is to make your defence impregnable. Otherwise the reigning PL Champions will rack up more than four every week.
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Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that Chelsea have made a bid to sign their Brazilian attacking midfielder Willian this January.
The Brazil international joined the Ukrainian side from Corinthians back in 2007 for a fee of around £12 million, and has steadily progressed with excellent performances domestically and in the Champions League.
The eastern European outfit’s CEO has admitted that Andre Villas Boas’ men have made an offer for the South American, which was refused.
“We have received a bid from Chelsea for Willian valued at €20million (£16.7m), but he is not for sale,” Sergei Palkin told Sky Sports.
Willian would fit into Villas Boas’ ideal transfer target criteria as a young, exciting prospect, but Skakhtar seem unwilling to sell their star man.
Sky Sports do indicate however that the Ukrainian side value Willian at £29million, considerable more than what the Premier League side offered.
As yet there has been no indication into whether Chelsea will make another attempt to bring the playmaker to Stamford Bridge.
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The FA Cup has always been a wonderful competition and the beauty of the tournament is it seldom goes exactly the way you think and upsets are always likely to happen. This is my list of five of the most memorable semi-finals.
This should not necessarily be seen as a definitive list of the top five semi-finals of all time – but more an opinion piece on five of my personal favourites. I would also like to point out that I have chosen games from the modern era to try and broaden appeal.
I would also point to the fact that three of the games feature Manchester United. Sorry if this offends anyone, but that’s just the way it has come out, I am not a Manchester United fan!
5 Newcastle United vs. Manchester United 2005 (1-4)
The match in 2005 was certainly an entertaining game and featured 5 goals in a packed Millennium Stadium. However, it tendered to be a rather one sided affair in which Manchester United always had an element of control in. The Red Devils looked in complete control at half time due to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Van Nistelrooy and Scholes. When Van Nistelrooy scored his second goal of the game in the 58th minute the tie looked done and dusted – but Newcastle at least threatened a comeback when Shola Ameobi scored. However, Ronaldo made absolutely sure with the fourth united goal in the 76th minute and they were through to the final.
This proved to be a more difficult game than Manchester United were expecting. The Red Devils went into this game looking for easy progress to the final. However, Crystal Palace gave Manchester United a good fight. In the end the game played at Villa Park finished 2-2 with goals from Denis Irwin and Gary Pallister for United and responses from Palace duo Armstrong and Dowie. Manchester won the reply 2-0.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for the Top THREE…
3 Middlesbrough vs. Chesterfield 1997 (3-3)
For me this is one of the most memorable FA Cup ties. Before the match Middlesbrough were expecting a comfortable win – but there were given one hell of a fright by lower league Chesterfield United. In the match Chesterfield stormed into a 2-0 lead with goals from Morris and Dyche, but Middlesbrough were able to find a way back into the game and level matters with quick fire goals from Ravanelli and Hignett. Middlesbrough were confident of finding a winner – but continued to be frustrated. So the game entered a period of extra time – where there were two further goals, one for each side and the game finished 3-3. In the reply Boro won 2-0.
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2 Manchester United vs. Oldham 1990 (3-3)
Another fantastic example of what the FA cup brings; a classic game with both sides going all out looking for the win. It was a game that United really should have taken control of after having the lead on three separate occasions – but Oldham pegged them back again and forced the reply. Manchester United won the replay in extra time with Mark Robins hitting the winner.
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1 Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool 1990 (4-3)
What a fantastic game of football this turned out to be with Crystal Palace surprising Liverpool. The Merseyside club had led twice in the game during normal time and looked certain to win. But it was Palace who had the last laugh with an extra time winner from Alan Pardew. It proved to be sweet revenge for the London club, because they were beaten by Liverpool 9-0 earlier in the League that same season.
Nigeria central defender Danny Shittu is weighing up a number of options after ending his time at Bolton Wanderers.
The 30-year-old struggled to make his mark during two seasons with the Trotters, having previously impressed with both Watford and Queens Park Rangers.
Shittu told Sky Sports:"I believe quitting Bolton was the right step to take as I didn't have options to play at Bolton.
"I wish the club all the best in the future and now I have to find myself a new club.
"I am now reviewing my options and there are quite a few sides interested in me from Europe and the Middle East.
"Hopefully I can announce where my future lies shortly after I return from international duty."
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Scottish giants Celtic are also rumoured to be interested in Shittu, having tried to sign the stopper earlier on in his career.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham’s Europa League campaign is over, despite beating Shamrock Rovers 4-0 in Dublin on Thursday night.
The North London club’s fate was out of their hands, as they needed PAOK to beat Rubin Kazan in Greece for there to be any chance of progression, but a 1-1 draw sees the Russians take second place in Group A.
Despite this fact, Harry Redknapp’s men went about their business and tried to win their own fixture; a largely second string side was fielded at the Tallaght Stadium.
Three first half goals from Steven Pienaar, Andros Townsend and Jermain Defoe killed the game as a contest, with substitute Harry Kane grabbing a fourth in stoppage time.
The outcome means that Spurs can now concentrate on domestic upheavals, with finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League the club’s number one priority.
After the game Harry Redknapp remained upbeat despite exiting the competition.
“We did ever so well,” he told Sky Sports.
“At half time obviously we knew that the other team were losing and I thought we had a real chance then, if we could get another goal.
“I thought maybe with them (Rubin) being down to ten men, I could see the Greek team winning by a couple of goals and I thought, well maybe four goals would be enough for us tonight.”
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Spurs now face Sunderland at White Hart Lane on Sunday, and will look to make amends for last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Stoke.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean lamented a missed opportunity after his side fought out a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham.Junior Hoilett capitalised on a defensive blunder from Liam Ridgewell to help Kean’s side claim a share of the spoils at Ewood Park, after Lee Bowyer gave the visitors the lead.
But with both sides just three points clear of the relegation zone, Kean conceded a win would have been handy to better their survival prospects.
“I wanted to take a big leap today but we’re taking little steps and we just have to keep chipping away,” Kean said.
“If all the teams around you pick up wins and you only get a point you’re massively disappointed.”
“But today we’re probably a little bit better off than when we started.”
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is really down but we will soon come to realise that this is a good point today.”
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was also disappointed not to come away with three points, and the Scot was disappointed with Ridgewell’s error.
“We can’t afford to give those sorts of gifts away but we came back in the second half,” McLeish said.
“We really could have crumbled after that but we had our backs to the wall.”
“It was a bad moment for Liam but the next challenge for him was to see if he could recover from it and that’s what he did.”
McLeish’s side also had injury woes to contend with during the match, with centre back Roger Johnson forced off with concussion.
“Roger was a little bit groggy. He was desperate to go back on but I wasn’t going to compromise his health,” McLeish said.
Despite Manchester City’s transfer window shopping expected to surpass the £100m mark, this summer’s transfer market has been a decidedly low key affair. With less than two weeks to go until the new Premier League season kicks off, there has been very little transfer activity between the clubs who make up the richest football league on the planet.
While the total Premier League net spend on players last summer was down 10%, the final total still reached a whopping £450m. This season the total so far is just over £170m, with Manchester City accounting for over £75m of that total amount. Whilst there is still a long way to go until the transfer window slams shut on August 31st, it is unlikely we will see a huge increase in spending from top flight clubs.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has already confirmed he is likely to make just one or two signings before the start of the new season and has spoken in the past about his refusal to run the club into debt with over-priced superstar signings. Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti believes his Double winning side have more than enough quality to compete on all levels again next season and is unlikely to make any major changes. Liverpool have been looking to enhance their squad with free transfers and Tottenham will again look to improve with a few high quality additions.
However it is wise old owl Sir Alex Ferguson’s assessment of the current transfer market which is most intriguing:
“The enormous amounts of money they [players] are paid, not just for the transfer fees but for their salaries, I don’t think it rests easy with supporters,” commented Ferguson. “We’re in such a competitive world now that you’re hamstrung in relation to the borders people will stretch to get the best players.
“Over the years we’ve bought players for quite high amounts like Berbatov, Ferdinand, Verón and Rooney. We try to equate how we’re going to get proper value before we do it. When I see some of the values now, and you’re talking about players at £40m or £30m-odd, we have to assess our own players first.”
Ferguson obviously thinks the current market is inflated, namely because of the enormous amounts of money lavished on players by Real Madrid and Manchester City over the last two seasons. In comparison, Ferguson has added a few modest signings to his United squad, refusing to spend the majority of the world record £80m he received for the attacking talents of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer.
The current dip in spending follows the pattern of January’s transfer window, which saw the lowest transfer spending since the mid-season window opened in 2003 coming in at £30m, £140m less than the season before. Following the credit crunch, cash-flow crisis and the recession, clubs have began to extend a tighter grip over their finances and have looked to reduce the amount they are spending on new players.
The summer spending low comes after Portsmouth became the first ever Premier League club to enter administration and docked points in February earlier this year with spiralling debts of £60m. The south coast club faced a winding up order as years of financial mismanagement came to a head, with reports the club were spending a mind-blowing 90% of their income on player’s wages. Even Spanish champions Barcelona were reportedly running at a £60m loss last season and are over 442m Euros in debt, even having to take out bank loans in order to pay their player’s wages.
Football finance has come under scrutiny in the spotlight of the recession with sports business experts Deloitte warning that the current level of spending in the Premier League is not sustainable unless changes are made. UEFA have made plans to tackle the debt which threatens to engulf English football and has approved financial fair play plans. Clubs must not be running at a loss following a three year period starting from 2012 and failure to meet these requirements will mean clubs will be banned from participating in European football.
The current level of debt in European football remains a massive challenge for both clubs and UEFA to tackle. UEFA are concerned about the level of spending which has been seen in recent seasons, reporting that over 50% of Europe’s top clubs are losing money every year. “I would not paint such a cataclysmic picture of major clubs folding because football has always shown there can be solutions but having said that, we are seriously worried to see these trends,” said UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino.
“The clubs themselves are worried, the leagues are worried. These are the reasons that pushed us to take the decision to do something.”
Premier League clubs have made small steps in addressing their finances under the current restricted economic, however there is still a long way to go before Premier League clubs can start to run with a healthy profit and not rely high interest bank loans. Premier League spending this summer shows that clubs have started to change their spending habits, albeit some out of necessity. However as Manchester City up the ante in their pursuit of trophies and more clubs are taken over by wealthy foreign businessmen, it will be difficult for clubs to sit back and refuse to match them in the transfer market.
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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The January transfer window is now just a few weeks away and Premier League clubs will have set out their preferred signings for the New Year. With very few clubs able to splash mega bucks in the window, plenty of top flight clubs will be looking at the much improving Championship for possible targets next month.
There are definitely some bargains to be had in the second tier of English football and also some genuine Premier League quality that is waiting to be snapped up by the big clubs. Youngsters are breaking through into Championship sides and it may be the case that the clubs look to cash in on the future stars.
Last season Premier League clubs Birmingham and West Ham have held on to the majority of their quality players and some experienced heads are having a much welcomed second wind in their careers that could be worth a gamble on in January. Here are the ten players that have the Premier League clubs sniffing around.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish lamented his side’s luck and lack of creativity after their European campaign ended on Thursday.After losing 1-0 to Sporting Braga in the first leg in Portugal one week ago, Dalglish’s side were uninspiring in a dull 0-0 second-leg draw which sent them packing out of the Europa League.The Portuguese side were well organised and limited chances for the Reds, who could not find the back of the net despite a first start for 35-million-pound club record transfer Andy Carroll.”Over the two legs, a penalty has separated the two teams,” Dalglish said. “There wasn’t much between either side. They were very well organised and we knew the responsibility was on us to break them down and score a goal. If Andy’s header had gone in, in the first half it could have been a different outcome, but we never put anything past the goalkeeper.””You need to be really strong creatively if you are going to break down a very organised side or you need a bit of luck and we certainly have not had much fortune over two legs – but I guess everyone says they should have more luck then they get.””Like every other team in the world we could do with a bit more creativity but we are no different than anyone else.”Dalglish was pleased with Carroll’s performance but admitted he did not expect him to play the full 90 minutes and it was only the necessity for a goal that kept him on the pitch.”Carroll stayed on longer than we hoped he would have to stay on but necessity meant he had to stay on the pitch because we were looking for a goal,” he said.”Overall we are pleased to see him back on the pitch and we were not disappointed with his contribution in any way. It was a bit unfortunate he did not score a goal; he put one header wide in the first half and then had one stopped by Dirk Kuyt in the second.”Considering it was his first start I think he can be very pleased with how he played.”Dalglish said he was unsure whether it would help his side in the latter stages of the season to avoid playing European football, something his side won’t do next year unless they finish fifth or higher in the Premier League.Despite very excitable celebrations from his team after the match, Braga manager Domingos Paciencia did not apologise, preferring to explain the significance of the aggregate win for his side as they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the first time.”We have reasons to be proud tonight,” Paciencia said.”We achieved a different level that we have never achieved before. I ask Liverpool supporters to appreciate the way we celebrated the way we did because this is a different level. Don’t take things the wrong way for the way we celebrated. We are proud.”