Arsene Wenger conceded defeat in Arsenal’s title challenge and told supporters to blame him for the club’s failure to capitalise on a golden opportunity to end their trophy drought. It appears that the Gunners have never recovered from their Carling Cup defeat and it makes you wonder how different the rest of the season could have been had they come out victorious at Wembley.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include; Ancelotti claiming the title race is still very much on; Owen Coyle talks up Sturridge’s England chances, while Dalglish confirms there have been no developments over a new Liverpool deal.
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Wenger: Blame me for Arsenal’s frail end to the season – Guardian
City’s spending restricted by Uefa rules – Daily Telegraph
‘The title race isn’t over yet,’ insists defiant Chelsea boss Ancelotti – Daily Mail
Dalglish – No news on deal – Sky Sports
We must focus on league, says Mancini – Guardian
Rooney gives Fergie more worry over things said in Tweet of the moment – Daily Mail
Bolton boss talks up Sturridge’s England chances – Mirror
‘We have nothing to fear from United’ – Daily Telegraph
Freddie ready for rescue act – Sun
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Sunderland star Henderson makes his point to the Stadium of Light boo boys – Daily Mail
Mirror Football has reported that Emmanuel Adebayor will not be signing permanently for Real Madrid. Manchester City chiefs hoped a successful loan spell at Real Madrid would allow City to cut their losses with Adebayor – who fell out with the hierarchy at Man City less than 18 months after his £25m arrival from Arsenal.
Adebayor scored twice in the Champions League against Spurs and has become a popular member of the Real Madrid squad. But the Spanish giants are unwilling to meet the £15m asking price. All of this causes a major problem for Adebayor because he is now set to return to a club that doesn’t want him and his £100,000 per week wages means there are unlikely to be many suitors for the Togo player at a level he feels he should be playing at.
It appears that there is no future for Adebayor at Manchester City because the player doesn’t see eye to eye with the current manager Roberto Mancini and Manchester City signed Edin Dzeko as a replacement in January. This all is likely to mean that Manchester City will be forced to sell Adebayor at way below market value just to get rid of the player.
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A goal within the first minute from Javier Hernandez gave Manchester United a 2-1 win over Chelsea to all but seal the Premier League title.The Mexican striker gave his side an incredible start, scoring the opening goal after just 36 seconds, and Chelsea never truly recovered with Nemanja Vidic making it 2-0 after 23 minutes.
Frank Lampard did set up a nervy finale with a 68th minute effort, but the result means United can clinch a record 19th league title if they at least draw at Blackburn Rovers next Saturday.
Sir Alex Ferguson pumped his fists and bowed to the crowd at the final whistle and his side could not have made a more exciting or impressive start to their most important match of the season.
In fact they took the lead after only 36 seconds, one of the fastest-ever goals seen at Old Trafford.
It was Hernandez who scored it, racing onto a superb straight through-ball from Park Ji-Sung and taking advantage of a slip by David Luiz to calmly side-foot home.
The noise inside Old Trafford was incredible and the home crowd soon had more to cheer when a short-corner routine saw Giggs beat his man on the left and dink over a cross for Nemanja Vidic to head home a second goal in the 23rd minute.
In a riveting match both teams had plenty of other chances too in a pulsating first half that saw both goalkeepers in top form.
Van der Sar saved a follow-up shot from Salomon Kalou after Florent Malouda’s cross caused havoc in the United defence and then the Dutchman also produced a stunning one-handed save from a Kalou header just seconds after the home team had made it 2-0.
But Petr Cech was also busy. He denied Rooney a stunning goal when he dived full stretch to save a 30-yard pile driver and produced an equally impressive stop deny Park’s fierce drive from the left.
The second half proved more even and although United had chances their opponents, who brought on Ramires and Alex at half-time for Luiz and Mikel, never gave up.
And having survived a penalty scare when Lampard appeared to handle a Valencia cross, the Blues made it 2-1 with just over 20 minutes to go.
It was Ramires who crossed from the left, Ivanovic who headed down and Lampard who applied the finishing touch with Vidic playing him onside.
United almost wrapped up things a minute later, but Alex produced an incredible goal-line block just when it seemed Rooney was set to score.
That set the stage for a frantic finale in which Rooney and Hernandez had half a dozen chances to make the game safe before the final whistle eventually blew and the roof came off Old Trafford.
Sepp Blatter has offered the alarmist prediction that FIFA will cease to exist as an organisation if he is ousted as President.Swiss Blatter, 75, has held the top job in football’s governing body since 1998, but is now being challenged by Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam.
The election to date has been fought on issues such as alleged corruption within FIFA and the potential for reforms to key processes, specifically the World Cup bidding and voting structure.
But Blatter has now made by far the most sweeping statement yet in his campaign, suggesting that FIFA’s continuing existence depends on his re-election on June 1 to an office he has held for 13 years.
“The FIFA presidential election is not about candidate A or candidate B, it is about whether there will be any candidates at all in future,” Blatter said.
“The ballot on 1st June could lead to a seismic shift with irreversible damage.”
“Quite simply, the survival of FIFA is at stake. It is a question of whether the game’s established world governing body will continue to exist after this date or whether it will disappear into a black hole.”
“Is it that dramatic, you may ask. The answer is, theoretically, yes, it is.”
Blatter has already received the public backing of UEFA and South American football federation CONMEBOL and is supremely confident of seeing off the challenge of Bin Hammam.
“I am confident that I will win the election with a clear two-thirds majority,” he said.
“South America, Central and North America, Europe, Oceania and a significant part of Africa and Asia will continue to support my ideas. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile outlining what the alternative would be, i.e. none at all.”
“What applies for every carpenter also applies for us: the roof will only hold as long as the foundations are in place.”
“If the ground beneath crumbles, the entire edifice will collapse. And that is precisely what is at stake on 1st June. All or nothing.”
Paraguay and Venezuela both warmed up for the 2011 Copa America with victories in friendlies on Saturday.The two South American nations are part of a tricky Group B at the tournament – beginning on July 1 – with reigning champions Brazil and Ecuador ensuring the battle for quarter-final places in Argentina will be tough.
Paraguay’s strikers fired them to a 2-0 win over Romania at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asuncion, in a game that also doubled as a farewell match for former captain Roberto Acuna.
Hercules forward Nelson Valdez put Paraguay in front with a low shot across Romania goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon after just two minutes.
Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz completed the scoreline when he nodded in Miguel Samudio’s cross in the 28th minute.
Acuna, 39, chalked up his 100th cap for Paraguay in a starting cameo, before his substitution on eight minutes.
Paraguay will take on Chile on June 23 in their final friendly before starting their Copa America campaign against Ecuador on July 3.
Venezuela begin the tournament against title-holders Brazil the same day, and they will be brimming with confidence after clinching a 3-0 win over Mexico’s under-23 side in their final hit-out.
Diminutive midfielder Alejandro Guerra handed Venezuela the lead at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium after 13 minutes, with Deportivo Anzoategui team-mate Daniel Arismendi doubling their lead in the 66th minute.
Defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo completed a special match for Anzoategui’s national team representatives with a 90th-minute strike.
Summer 2011 was supposed to be one of excitement and incomings for Newcastle United. First on the agenda for Alan Pardew was to tie down three of his key players before embarking on recruitment drive with the instruction to turn the club into European contenders. He wanted Joey Barton, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan all tied down to new deals before dipping his toes into the transfer market
But, just like recent history dictates, nothing ever goes to plan with none of them even getting close to scribbling their initials on the contracts offered. Just Enrique and Barton remain with Nolan being jettisoned to West Ham in the blink of an eye, a decision that left fans divided and bewildered. It has been well documented that all three have demanded contracts that slip out of the clubs new boundaries.
The situation with Barton is getting out of hand. He should be bowing at the feet of St James’ Park and taking whatever the club offers after they gave him a second chance despite his time doing porridge. Simply put he owes Newcastle United and there is no way he can do better. Enrique on the other hand is a tricky one. He’s performed superbly over the last two years and wants to play in the Champions League. Despite this and the constant pleading for him to stay it would be in the best interests of the club to let him go, take the money and buy a replacement in a similar mould. We want players that wan
But what all of these players have in common is that they are all prepared to jump ship as soon as their requests aren’t met. The days of demanding top wages and holding the board to ransom are gone on Tyneside. Mike Ashley has implemented a new model and philosophy at the club that isn’t going to be changed – not even for the clubs captain!
Nolan is the worst of the lot. It’s easy to look at his goal record and completely ignore his lack of fitness, influence on games and inability to operate in the fast paced environment that is a Premier League midfield. Despite scoring 12 goals last season, including three against the Mackems, he was sold without a moment’s hesitation by Ashley with Pardew hardly putting up a fight to keep him at the club.
To me that speaks volumes. People forget that he still had two years to run on his contract, was picking up a cool £50,000 a week and just a few weeks earlier had professed his love for the club, the area and his pride at captaining the club. He didn’t have to leave the club but chose to drop down a division and sacrifice Premier League football for a hefty pay cheque.
For a 29 year old with declining on-field influence to demand a five-year contract is ludicrous! Although he did score goals for the club could have kept that up for the duration of his desired deal? The answer is no and fans need to remove the rose tinted glasses and smell the coffee when it comes to Nolan. You have to question his commitment and compare it to that of Cheick Tiote. He had the entire big four sniffing around only half a year after signing and yet penned a six-year deal committing himself to the club for the long haul.
In part some credit should go Ashley who is basing his decisions purely on business. Over the last year he has been spot on with his boardroom judgements. He does recognise when one of his employee’s deserves recognition for their achievements and when they are going to be come liabilities to both the team and club finances. Many fans might scoff at the thought of him doing good at the club. But what he set into motion after the relegation season has ultimately brought the club back to where it is. Working in tandem with Pardew has produced some surprising results.
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The additions of Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Marveaux can only be described as masterstrokes with only £10 million being spent to bring all four to the club. It now remains to be seen whether Barton and Enrique will sign on and help Ashley and co take the club to the next level.
Bayern Munich may have to make do without the services of winger Franck Ribery for the start of the 2011/12 Bundesliga seasonThe France midfielder sustained an ankle injury on Sunday and was forced to leave the training pitch due to the knock.
Bayern released a statement shortly afterwards stating that the ankle problem was not serious and that Ribery would be out of action for only three or four days.
However, Bild have reported that the 28-year-old has damaged the ligaments in his left ankle, and he could consequently miss Bayern’s Bundesliga opener against Borussia Moenchengladbach on August 7.
The player will be required to wear a cast for the next five days and could resume running exercises in ten days.
“The injury is a bit worse than we expected. I don’t know why this is always happening to me, but I have to be strong now. I don’t know whether I’ll be match fit in time for the game against Gladbach,” Ribery told Bild.
Ribery will definitely miss the upcoming DFB Pokal match against Eintracht Braunschweig on August 1 due to the problem.
An agreement as to whether the Scottish Premier League will be cut to 10 teams is no closer to being reached.A representative from each of the 12 clubs met at Hampden Park for the annual general meeting on Monday to discuss the possibility of the top flight being reduced by two teams, but there has been little progress.
It would mean 12 teams in the second-tier Scottish First Division, with SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster publicly backing the changes.
But Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston has spoken against the 10-team league, and believes it will not happen.
“I certainly haven’t changed my position and I know that there are a lot of other people around the table who haven’t changed their position either,” he said.
“I’m not worried about anything that happened today.”
Discussions regarding a SPL TV channel and a possible merger with the between the SPL and the Scottish Football League will continue in future.
The five-man board of directors was also finalised with Motherwell’s Derek Weir joining chairman Ralph Topping, chief executive Doncaster, Celtic’s Eric Reilly and St Johnstone’s Steven Brown.
With no European football to act as a distraction during the 2011/2012 season, Liverpool, a team rejuvenated following the return of Kenny Dalglish as manager in January, are being widely tipped to be a major force once again in the Premier League this season.
Some people, including Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, have hinted that the Reds under Dalglish could well challenge for the title or at very least get themselves back in the top four picture and a Champions League place after missing out for the past two years. The bookmakers football odds have made Liverpool 10/1 to win the title and evens to finish in the top four.
In the very short time that Dalglish has been back in charge at Anfield, the side has gone from strength to strength. Before the end of the season, most players were full of confidence and playing at the top of their games and it could not be too much better for Dalglish currently and the Scotsman, who left Anfield first time around in 1991 after winning three league titles will be hoping things will continue at the rate in which they’ve started, especially with the addition of some key summer signings to the squad which include Stewart Downing from Aston Villa, Jordan Henderson from Sunderland and Charlie Adam from Blackpool.
However, any Liverpool success could well hinge on a fully fit Steven Gerrard who remains troubled by a long standing groin injury and is expected to miss the first few matches of the season. That said, Liverpool’s revival under Dalglish last season which took then from 12th place in the league into 6th was achieved without Gerrard and relied heavily on the performances of the ultra gifted Luis Suarez, who showed his quality in Copa America over the Summer where his four goals helped Uruguay win the tournament. He was ably assisted in the Liverpool side by Raul Meireles and the much improved Maxi Rodriguez, who both made big contributions to the resurgent Reds in the final months of last season. Add to the equation a fit again Gerrard, a fully fit Andy Carroll together with the work rate of Dirk Kuyt and it seems very difficult to believe that Liverpool will not be there or thereabouts by the season’s end particularly with the league the sole focus on Merseyside.
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Liverpool have no European commitments this season, a factor that should leave the players a lot fresher than their main rivals who will all have heavy Champions League campaigns ahead of them starting in September. Indeed those teams, Manchester United, Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal will all have the Europe as a prime target this season, potentially playing 12 more games than Liverpool should any of England’s four representatives make the semi finals of the competition.
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In contrast, Liverpool will focus totally on the league and come January, should they be in with a chance of winning the title then it would be no surprise to see their owners, New England Sports Ventures, back them once more as they have done so already in the two transfer windows they’ve been in charge at Anfield and whilst it shouldn’t have a baring on results, who can ignore the romance of Dalglish winning a title some 21 years after leaving Anfield?
Liverpool fans should rightly be expecting a big season from their team in 2011-12 and whilst the pre-season talk has surrounding the ‘usual suspects’, Liverpool should not be ruled out of gate crashing the title party come next May and given their price in the Premier League title odds, it won’t be just Liverpool fans back the Reds to end a 22 year wait for the title.
Last season’s Midlands derby was contested with the spectre of relegation hanging over both teams. This season see’s them as early challengers at the Premier League summit. Both clubs have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season and lie fourth and third in the table respectively after two games. They have faced Fulham and Blackburn in their opening games with Wolves beating both whilst Villa secured a draw and a win.
The visitors have took maximum points so far this season and definitely go into the game as favourites. Mick McCarthy has certainly got his side playing some exhilarating, attacking football with Kevin Doyle leading the charge with his boundless effort up front. Matt Jarvis has also begun the campaign in hot form but will face a very tough test up against Stephen Warnock.
Alex McLeish has got his team off to a strong start and the win against Blackburn last week certainly released some of the pressure on his shoulders and discontent in the stands that surrounded his move from rivals Birmingham. Villa’s performance in the 3-1 win saw them play some fantastic football and in Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent up front they have a mix of pace and predatory instincts that should prove devastating providing they can keep their performances consistent.
Both clubs are in form but with the pressure cooker atmosphere of a Midlands derby that goes out of the window. With both playing well and they could cancel each other out in game that promises entertainment!
Key Players
[player_profile slug=”darren-bent” align=”left”]Darren Bent – The England striker opened his account last week and will be expected to score the goals to ensure a first Midlands derby victory for McLeish as Villa boss.
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[player_profile slug=”jamie-ohara” align=”left”]Jamie O’Hara – Wolves’ midfield lynchpin will be key to unlocking the Villa defence and providing Doyle and Steven Fletcher with plenty of ammunition to down their rivals.