Liverpool will be hoping to extend their unbeaten home record under Kenny Dalglish when they welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Monday.The Merseysiders will be looking to redeem themselves in the English Premier League after last week’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of West Bromwich Albion, now coached by former Reds boss Roy Hodgson.
And victory against the Eastlands outfit is imperative for sixth-place Liverpool, as they eye off the final Champions League place currently occupied by Chelsea.
Liverpool have looked a different side since Kenny Dalglish took over the coaching reins from Hodgson in January and instilled an attacking impetus into the team.
Dalglish will be hoping January purchases Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll begin to build an understanding up front now that the latter has returned to fitness following a three month injury layoff.
However, the Reds will be without influential skipper Steven Gerrard, who has been ruled for the remainder of the season with a groin problem, with Jay Spearking likely to remain in his captain’s central midfield role.
Joining Gerrard on the sidelines is centre-back Daniel Agger, who is battling a knee tendon problem, while fullback Glen Johnson and defender Martin Kelly are also out of action.
Manchester City enter the game in good spirits following their 5-0 thumping of Sunderland last week.
The Eastlands club, who are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Liverpool, have conceded only 27 goals this season and have kept 14 clean sheets in the league.
City boss Roberto Mancini has a selection headache, with Gareth Barry, James Milner and Edin Dzeko all fighting to return to the starting line-up after being rested against Sunderland.
Carlos Tevez will lead the attack and will likely be joined by Mario Balotelli, with Adam Johnson World Cup winner David Silva behind them.
And should Manchester City do the double over Liverpool, it will be the first time they have achieved such a feat since in 76 years.
Blackpool manager Ian Holloway says star forward Charlie Adam will be fit for Saturday’s clash against Newcastle United.The Scotland international sustained an injury in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat against Wigan but will not have to miss out on the action at Bloomfield Road, as his team fights for their English Premier League status.
Holloway said: “He has not broken his foot, it was just bruising and he has trained for the last two days.”
“Charlie is fine; it’s good news for everyone.”
Blackpool find themselves in the relegation zone with five games remaining but are currently just a point away from safety.
Holloway is confident his players can stay in the top flight because battling against the odds is in the squad’s nature.
He said: “Now we are down there, we have got to get out.”
“I think we are in a better place because we are used to looking up rather than down. I think it will suit us.”
“You have to take the positives out of it so I have been showing the players all sorts of things.”
Holloway said his players were lucky to be professional footballers and reflected on the stresses of being a Premier League player.
He added: “But first and foremost we are all having a go at being a football manager or a football player and we are very lucky.”
“We need to cherish that- we have been out in the sun today and with some sun block on and we are running about. How lucky are we?”
“What stress have we actually got apart from carry everybody’s hopes and dreams on our back?”
“Sometimes that can become a bit of a burden if you start to worry.”
Defender David Carney (shoulder) is in doubt to face Alan Pardew’s side.
It has certainly been an interesting debut season at Manchester City for 2010 Golden Boy Award winner Mario Balotelli. But, love him or hate him, he has without doubt had an impact on English football.
Signed on his 20th birthday for £24 million by his former Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini, fans were disappointed when the young Italian injured his knee in a pre-season friendly that ruled him out of action until October. And, in a stop-start season due to a mixture of injuries and disciplinary problems, the press have already started labelling the young striker a flop. But, Balotelli is still a young player in only his fourth season of first team football. Mancini knew he was signing a raw, young talent far from the finished product, so is this label really fair?
In the midst of all the on-field drama, Balotelli has scored 10 goals in 25 appearances in a City shirt including a hat trick against Aston Villa. If you were to look across the city to another expensive former prodigy, Wayne Rooney scored 11 goals in 28 Premiership games in his debut season giving Balotelli a slightly better strike rate.
But, when comparing disciplinary records, the similarities end. Whilst both players are known for their run-ins with authority, Rooney earned 8 yellow cards over 49 appearances in his first season, whereas Balotelli has accumulated 11 yellows and 2 red cards so far.
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Yet Manchester City and particularly Mancini knew they were signing a troubled and enigmatic player when they moved for Balotelli. Having had an uneasy childhood, being signed in a multi-million pound deal, being paid a reported £100,000 a week and moving abroad all by the age of 20, it has all been a lot for the young forward to take in. His various misdemeanours, whether it be his tens of thousands of pounds in parking tickets, the dart-throwing incident or even his infiltration of a women’s prison in Italy, whilst inexcusable, are all part of the learning curve. And, following his provocation of Manchester United fans and their captain Rio Ferdinand in the aftermath of City’s recent FA Cup semi-final victory, he could well have found himself a special place in the hearts of Manchester City fans.
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But to criticise Balotelli at this early stage in his career is somewhat unjust. An exciting player with undoubted talent, City fans were expecting a marquee player to match his marquee price tag. But, if they were hoping for another inspirational talisman in the mould of Carlos Tevez then Balotelli was always going to disappoint. Between the strops, red cards and apparent allergic reactions to grass there have been some moments of brilliance from the young eccentric. And, with the right nurturing he could grow into a great player as with Sir Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona or Jose Mourinho and Didier Drogba. But, having tried at both Inter and now City only time will tell if Roberto Mancini is the right manager the bring out the best in Mario Balotelli.
It is safe to say that Liverpool have not been the most adept in the Bosman free transfer market over the last few years. With limited money to spend under former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the Reds have delved into the free transfer market and come up with some real stinkers. The Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin came from Bayer Leverkusen in 2007, and he was followed to Anfield by Standard Liege’s Milan Jovanovic and Chelsea’s Joe Cole last summer. None of these deals have really worked out for the Reds, and specifically in the case of Cole, have left the club picking a sizeable tab for their wages, while they are either sidelined with injuries or sit on the bench.
I am not against the Reds bringing in free transfers per se, but as we have experienced over the last few seasons, getting in a player for free doesn’t always work out too well. Although nothing has officially been announced yet, the French press have stated that Rennes winger Sylvain Marveaux has signed a pre-contract agreement to join Liverpool in the summer. Of course, the same worries about past failed free transfer signings will crop up again, and it could be said that Marveaux could be yet another concerning signing on a Bosman.
So who is Sylvain Marveaux? He was born in Vannes, Britanny and became involved in his first club AS Menimur at the age of just 6. After 7 years, he moved to the city’s biggest club Vannes OC and was selected for the prestigious Pôle Espoirs Football de Ploufragan regional football academy where he learned his trade. After leaving the academy he signed a youth contract with Britanny side Rennes in 2001 and spent four years in the club’s highly regarded youth academy.
At reserve level, he impressed for Rennes in the 2005/06 season and playing in the CFA league, he scored seven in 21 appearances, standing out as the team’s star player. His impressive performances earned him a professional contract in the summer of 2006 and he became part of Guy Lacombe’s first team plans. Marveaux initially struggled to gain a regular place under Lacombe despite making his debut on the opening day of the season in a 2-1 defeat to Lille.
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He scored his first goal as a senior player in a 3-1 win over Auxerre in October 2006, coming on as a second half substitute, and despite not being a regular, he scored six goals in 32 appearances during the 2006/07 season. He again struggled to curry favour with Lacombe the following season though and made just 11 starts in the league, scoring his only goal of the campaign in the UEFA Cup against Lokomotiv Sofia.
The 2008/09 season was equally as unfortunate for Marveaux as after tearing his hamstring in October, it was discovered that a haematoma had formed around the injury and he had to have an operation that kept him out for five months, limiting him to just 6 appearances during the campaign. Last season was however Marveaux’s breakthrough season, and he scored 10 goals and provided 5 assists in 35 league appearances under new manager Frederic Antonetti.
This campaihn has however seen him sidelined with injury again. He sustained a groin injury in November and despite returning to fitness in the New Year, the dispute over his new contract has meant he hasn’t played since his injury. The Reds have certainly had their fair share of injury problems with players, and if Marveaux does sign, this maybe a concern. Still I feel it is best not to judge before we see him in action for the Reds. He could very well be a useful squad player and he can play on the left hand side of midfield or just behind the striker as a playmaker. He will probably be on quite low wages and he is still only 25 years of age so he may not be in the same bracket as players such as the 30 year old Milan Jovanovic and 29 year old Joe Cole who have less resalable value if things don’t work out.
With the Reds recent history of failed free transfer signings, as well as the long list of players with recurring problems, the signing of Marveaux maybe a risk, and if he does sign, lets hope he proves to be the exception to the rule regarding dud Liverpool Bosman transfers.
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Read more of David’s articles at the excellent Live4Liverpool
There have been a handful of players who have had a fantastic season for Newcastle in their return to the Premier League. Cheik Tiote has been a great addition to the Newcastle starting eleven, captain Kevin Nolan has led by example and Joey Barton has been a shining light. Let’s not forget Fabricio Coloccini or Jose Enrique either, who are both well on their way to becoming cult heroes. But who do you think deserves the accolade of being Newcastle United’s player of the season for 2010/11?
The man who has been getting most of the plaudits has been Joey Barton. Despite being regarded as a central midfielder, Barton has made the right side of midfield berth his own and has put in some stellar performances. The England international has been Newcastle’s creative force this season, and has played a hand in many of the Magpies’ goals, whether from set-pieces or open play. His discipline has been almost perfect and if he could score a couple more goals like the screamer against Aston Villa, then he’d really be a class act.
One midfielder who hasn’t been short of goals this season is Kevin Nolan. Nolan might not have the all-round game of Barton, but the ex-Bolton man unquestionably knows how to find the back of the net. The Newcastle captain has netted 12 times this season, making him the Magpies’ top goalscorer. He’s a poacher, a nuisance at corners and luckily we’ve seen that chicken dance a dozen times this season. He’ll never be the prettiest player to watch, but boy is he effective.
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If you’ve have said the name Cheik Tiote last season you’d probably have got the response, ‘who’? That’s certainly not the case anymore, as arguably the Premier League signing of the season, and definitely Newcastle’s best summer acquisition, has taken to English football like a duck to water. The St James’ Park faithful love his style of play and his stunning equaliser against Arsenal will be remembered for many years to come. It’s a shame that he’s been booked 14 times this season and thus has missed a handful of games through suspension, but I think that’s something we’ll just have to accept with his tenacious nature.
Other than those three midfielders, Jose Enrique deserves a mention. Earlier in the season he was being held in the same regard as the Premier League’s left backs, but the Spaniard’s form has dipped in recent months and I just hope the Bull’s head hasn’t been turned by a possible summer move to Liverpool. Then there’s Fabricio Coloccini, who is undoubtedly a fans’ favourite. He’s been solid in defence, showing why he’s an international performer, scored a couple of goals and generally looked comfortable at the back. Chelsea fans might be raving about David Luiz, but he’s just a poor man’s Coloccini!
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So, who gets the nod? The popular vote is probably Barton, but I’m going to go with Tiote; with or without the yellow cards, the Ivorian has been a revelation on Tyneside, strengthens the spine of the Newcastle team no end and scored ‘that’ goal against Arsenal (I’m sure you won’t mind me mentioning it again). Who do you think deserves to be crowned Newcastle’s player of the season for 2010/11? I’ve gone all democratic and added a poll below so you can decide…
English Premier League chairman Sir David Richards does not believe allegations of corruption at FIFA have seriously damaged the English game.Richards was happy the claims were being properly probed, despite an independent investigation apparently clearing executive members of any wrongdoing.
He also reaffirmed the English FA’s desire to have the FIFA presidential election postponed, despite the stance coming under fire from several fronts – including Argentina Football Association president Julio Grondona.
FA chairman David Bernstein tried to have Wednesday’s vote delayed, with Sepp Blatter set to be elected unopposed for another four-year term.
Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam had been due to contest the election, but withdrew from the race when he and CONCACAF president Jack Warner were alleged to have offered cash to Caribbean Football Union officials for their vote.
A delay will not happen, however, after the FIFA Congress voted heavily against a postponement on Wednesday.
When asked if he felt the controversy surrounding FIFA had damaged the reputation of English football, Richards replied: “No not at all. The English FA and English football is in a good state and I think we will be fine.”
But while Richards backed the FA’s stance, FIFA senior vice-president and AFA president Grondona accused those in the English game of ‘always complaining’.
Grondona said he voted for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup because he thought ‘a vote for the US would be like a vote for England’ and claimed he would only have voted for the English bid if they handed the Falkland Islands back to Argentina.
FIFA has been repeatedly criticised by the English media, which accused the body of corruption before the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes.
“To present such a project as David Bernstein presented is like shooting a penalty because it cannot be always from the same place that the insults and problems come from,” Grondona said.
“I see it at every congress. They have specific privileges with four countries having one vice-president. I don’t know what our president has said, but we have seen the World Cup go around the world, to South America and Africa and it looks like this country does not like it.”
“It looks like England is always complaining so please, I say, will you leave the FIFA family alone, and when you speak, speak with truth.”
“Yes, I voted for Qatar, because a vote for the US would be like a vote for England, and that is not possible.”
“But with the English bid I said: ‘Let us be brief. If you give back the Falkland Islands, which belong to us, you will get my vote’. They then became sad and left.”
As the controversy surrounding world football’s governing body continues, protestors gathered outside the conference to demonstrate against FIFA’s tax status in Switzerland.
They allege that FIFA avoided paying tax in the country by having non-governmental agency status.
Liverpool winger Milan Jovanovic was quoted yesterday as saying he has been given permission by the Reds to speak to other clubs:
“I got the paper from Liverpool that I am free to search for a new club. Up to now, I still haven’t received an official offer from Olympiakos, but I am looking forward to hearing their plans.”
The Serbian’s stay at Anfield has been a very brief one indeed, and even though it has to be said that it was expected considering how he failed to establish himself in the team, there was a lot of optimism last summer over the player’s arrival.
The move for the Standard Liege forward was tied up before Rafa Benitez’s departure from the club, and this inevitably meant that the Serbian’s settling in period to English football was going to be even harder that he could have imagined.
A new country, a new league and a new manager were all obstacles to Jovanovic being a success on Merseyside and it proved an insurmountable task for the 30 year old. As if said, Jova’s arrival in the summer was met with a good deal optimism by Reds fans. Although not many had seen him play in Belgian football, his displays in the World Cup, especially against Germany, meant that there was some confidence that he had the attributes to succeed in the Premier League.
It became obvious very quickly though that Jovanovic was not going to fit in on Merseyside. Bought by Rafa Benitez, who would have been aware that his prime position was as a striker, and secondarily as a winger, new manager Roy Hodgson primarily saw him as a winger rather than as a striker.
As it inevitably turned out, Jovanovic would struggle to fit in to the 4-4-2 system adopted by Hodgson. He showed some of his quality in front of goal with a well taken goal which was overshadowed by the disastrous League Cup exit to Northampton, but that seemed to be it for the Serb. He was progressively sidelined by Hodgson as the months wore on.
Still there was hope when new manager Kenny Dalglish came in January, and the Serb was picked to start in King Kenny’s first league match against Blackpool, but he quickly fell out of favour again. Still being picked as a winger rather than a striker, Jovanovic tended to run into dead ends, despite having a good deal of pace and dribbling ability.
The fact he didn’t convince either Hodgson or Dalglish of his merits to the side means he has been denoted to be “dead-wood” by Reds fans and journalists. He must be wondering what might have been if Rafa Benitez had stayed but even then there was no guaranteed of success. He will go down as another one of those Bosman flops the Reds have been accustomed to in recent years.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is adamant he wants to keep a hold of French midfielder Samir Nasri.The 24-year-old starred for Arsenal last season, netting 10 goals from 30 Premier League appearances, which saw him attract the interest of many clubs around the world, including English rivals Manchester United and Manchester City.
Recent reports suggest Nasri may have rejected a new deal with the Gunners, but Wenger was insistent that he wants the former Marseille midfielder to stay in North London.
“We will do everything to keep Nasri at the club,” Wenger said.
“My wish is that he stays here. If he looks back he can see that he’s come quite a long way with us, and I think there is still a bit to do. It’s the club that makes the player’s career.”
Wenger also spoke about his desire to keep Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy, who are attracting interest from Barcelona and Manchester City respectively.
“Obviously we want them to stay,” he said.
“They are part of Arsenal and big players for the club so we want them to stay, but we will see.”
Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung has been offered a two-year contract extension, boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed.The South Korean’s current deal expires at the end of the 2011-2012 campaign, and there had been speculation that the 30-year-old could leave the club.
However, Park now looks set to commit his future to the Premier League champions, with Ferguson hailing the player’s professionalism and also signalling he is firmly part of his plans for this season.
Speaking to reporters on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA, the Scot said: “He’s been offered a new contract, yes. I’m sure he’ll sign it. His career at United has been nothing but excellent. He’s a tremendous professional.”
“I’m sure he’ll accept a new offer and tie himself to the club for the next two years.”
Meanwhile, Ferguson has moved to allay any fears over the departure of Portuguese winger Nani, whose position at the club has been drawn under scrutiny following the arrival of Ashley Young.
“Nani is a good player and his personality is improving. We will be challenging next season and will play a lot of games. He did really well last season, but Valencia came back and his form was so good it was difficult to leave him out,” he said.
“Nani was unfortunate not to be picked for the Champions League final, but he is still young and he is maturing all the time.”
The Scot also remains confident his compatriot Darren Fletcher will regain fitness in time for the new season. The 27-year-old has only played 106 minutes of first-team football since March 6, having contracted a virus in February.
“Darren’s recovering from this virus he’s had for quite a few months,” he said.
“Sometimes viruses do take time. He’s been into Carrington for the last few days and he’s doing a weight program at the moment. Hopefully by the time we get back he’ll be rejoining us.”
Owen Hargreaves’ possible arrival at West Bromwich Albion, though not yet finalised, would be one of the most surprising deals of the summer. The injury-hit midfielder left Manchester United this summer after another disappointing season that was again ruined by tendinitis in both knees. The former England international’s career in this country looked to be over until Roy Hodgson and West Brom considered giving him another chance. But do teams take too many risks by taking on injury-prone players?
Two players in similar situations to Hargreaves are Jonathan Woodgate at Stoke and Kieron Dyer at QPR. Both players have experienced stuttering Premier League careers thanks to long-term injury problems but despite this both were given a fresh chance to prove their fitness with new Premier League clubs this season. Whilst Woodgate showed why taking that risk could eventually be worth it, Dyer once again suffered his injury curse and QPR must have been left wondering why they signed the former West Ham midfielder.
Only minutes into his league debut for the newly promoted side Dyer had to be stretched off with what looked to be a serious injury. Despite it looking like the foot injury is not as bad as first thought, manager Neil Warnock was forced into an early change that must have unsettled his starting line-up in such an important game. The 32-year-old signed a one-year deal this summer but this latest injury setback highlights the risks of taking on such an injury-prone star. Dyer only managed 35 appearances in four years with the Hammers and Warnock will need to get a lot more from the midfielder if he is able to justify the signing at the end of the season.
Another injury-hit star looking for a fresh start is former Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate. After his release from Spurs this summer Stoke took a chance on the 31-year-old and offered him a one-year deal. Despite various injury problems that have blighted his career Woodgate has made a bright start to his Stoke career. He was very impressive in Stoke’s first Premier League outing against Chelsea on Sunday, helping his side earn a very good point and keep a clean sheet. Despite not playing a full game since November 2009, he has now played two full 90 minute matches (against Hajduk Split in Europe and then Chelsea on Sunday). If Woodgate can continue to improve his fitness and perform for Stoke then the Potters have made a very good signing.
Hargreaves’ move to West Brom has yet to be confirmed but his arrival would be a risk for Hodgson. Despite being very experienced both domestically and internationally, he only managed 39 appearances in four years at Old Trafford. Signing a player like Hargreaves, Woodgate and Dyer means managers not only take risks by throwing the players back into action on the pitch but they also dedicate a portion of their wage bills (though Stoke were wise to make Woodgate’s salary dependent on appearances) on players that are not guaranteed to fulfill their contracts.
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But as Woodgate showed at the weekend, if you can get the best out of these obviously talented and experienced stars, then a one-year contract might be worth the risk.
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Do you think injury-prone players are worth the risk in the Premier League? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5