As Jose Mourinho prepares to lead his Chelsea team against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, he takes the time to explain his tactics while highlighting the importance of playing a specific way to get a specific result, Mirror reports.
The Portuguese boss has blasted his critics, slamming them “stupid football philosophers”, and claims that his style of football works in the best interest of the situation which exploits the weakness of his opponents.
After Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers accused Mourinho of “parking two buses” against his attacking outfit.
However, the Liverpool boss later cleared the air with the Chelsea mastermind congratulating him on the victory.
‘The Special One’ said: “You know, at this moment, football is full of philosophers – people who understand much more than me, people with fantastic theories and philosophies.
“It’s amazing. But the reality is always the reality: A team that doesn’t defend well or doesn’t score lots of goals, if they concede lots of goals, is completely in trouble. A team without balance is not a team.
“When they have the ball, we have to try and stop them scoring. When we have the ball, we want to try and score. This is football – the football that I know.
“I remember saying in my first period here, if you have a goalkeeper like Petr Cech who puts the ball in the opponents’ box, and a striker like Didier Drogba who wins everything in the air, why play short? Because you are stupid?
“If your opponents are very fast on the counter and want space behind your defensive line, if you give them that space you are stupid.
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“It seems that 10, 20, 30 years ago, when a team plays strategically, thinking about their team and the qualities of the opponent, it was ‘good, intelligent’ football. But now, at this moment, depending on the coach and the club obviously, the critics speak.”
The rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal has always been at boiling point, but that hasn’t stopped United legend Gary Neville coming to the defence of Arsenal’s under performing playmaker Mesut Ozil.Ozil is again being heavily scrutinised for his performances in both legs of Arsenal’s Champions League defeat Bayer Munich.But Gary Neville believes the German international needs more time to get used to football in England but will no doubt repay the club-red £42million the Gunners paid for him.Like him or not, you can’t argue with Neville’s argument…
Like the majority of us, it looks like Liverpool have well and truly taken notice of Xherdan Shaqiri’s exploits at the World Cup. The stocky Swiss attacker made a slow start to the tournament, but since his opening performance he has really risen to the occasion. After impressing in the defeat to France he smashed in a stunning hat-trick against lowly Honduras last night to ensure that his nation will be in the tournament’s last 16 – something England cannot boast.
Reports today suggest that the 22-year-old has agreed a £95,000-per-week contract at Anfield after growing frustrated with a lack of playing time at Bayern Munich and that a fee of around £15m-£20m is likely to quickly settled for his services.
The potential move may well spell the end of Liverpool’s interest in Adam Lallana, but it is by no means a statement that the Merseysiders’ doors are now closed for the summer. Brendan Rodgers is known to be chasing a number of players to bolster his side for Champions League football, and here are six that might follow Shaqiri in the next few months…
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Alberto Moreno
Like the Adam Lallana saga, Moreno’s move to Liverpool appears to be on the rocks due to a disagreement over a fee. A matter of weeks ago the Spaniard was said to have had his bags packed ready to travel to Merseyside for a medical ahead of a £16m move, but this talk was quickly dismissed as Sevilla announced their £20m+ demands.
Since then the trail has gone a little cold, but there are still suggestions that Rodgers has his heart set on the 21-year-old as he looks to address his left-back concerns once and for all.
The stats show, Moreno was impressive last season as Sevilla ran to Europa League success, maintaining a good pass success rate while notching three goals.
Toby Alderweireld
Liverpool chased the silky Alderweireld last year but ultimately lost out to Atletico Madrid. Yet just 12 months on the Belgian is said to be back on the market, with reports indicating that the Reds are discussing a £7m move.
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After conceding a whopping 50 goals in the Premier League – only three fewer than promoted Hull City – it’s clear that something has to be done to plug the holes in the Anfielders’ backline, and Alderweireld could be just the man to help. The classy defender can operate at either left-back or right-back but is most comfortable in the centre of the defence and has been praised for his reading of the game and composure in the tackle. An upgrade on Daniel Agger? Looks like it.
Alexis Sanchez
It looks like Liverpool’s dream summer signing is Alexis Sanchez, with club idol Phil Thompson having suggested that a deal is almost done for the Chilean. This move could hinge on Suarez’s fate, but should the spikey striker head to Barcelona or Real Madrid the 25-year-old could well be the ideal man to replace him.
Tricky, nimble and electric quick, Sanchez is being chased by a host of clubs and could form a fearsome front three with Shaqiri and Sturridge. Life after Luis? Maybe…
BOOM!
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Guillermo Ochoa
With Brad Jones well out of the picture at Liverpool and Pepe Reina likely to be shipped out permanently, Simon Mignolet could be short of back up next season. Rodgers has faith in the Belgian, but an able challenger could be needed, and Ochoa looks about as able as they come.
//www.youtube.com/embed/znnlGGVy3Fs
The Mexican has been starring at the World Cup lately and after being released by Ajaccio he is available for free. FREE. Arsenal are also keen, so Rodgers may have a job convincing the Central American to sit on the bench at Anfield, but it may well happen.
Yevhen Konoplyanka
A botched move for Konoplyanka’s signature in January doesn’t look to have deterred Liverpool from chasing the Ukrainian star as they look to add yet more goals to their ranks. Dnipro held form over the winter to keep their star man, but this time around a £12m release clause is likely to leave them powerless.
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‘Kono’ is understood to have agreed terms with the Reds almost six months ago, which would suggest that a deal could be tied up quickly this time around. Manchester United are also circling, but Champions League football at Anfield may be a decider.
Watch the wing wizard twist Kyle Walker in circles!
Divock Origi
19-years-old, World Cup goal and comes from a nation responsible for producing some of European football’s top players in recent years. Things indeed look bright for Divock Origi. Since he helped Belgium make the last 16 in Brazil with a late effort against Russia the teenager has found his name aligned with some of the Premier League’s top sides, including Liverpool.
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Although by no means a like-for-like replacement, Origi has been mooted as a potential arrival if Luis Suarez leaves thanks to his eye for goal and potential. As this video shows, he really knows how to find the back of the net.
The Championship is increasingly becoming a breeding ground for Premier League future stars.
The top clubs loan their young stars down to the second division to get some first-team football in an extremely competitive league where, week in, week out any side can get a result.
Here are three players we believe are calling out for a chance with a Premier League side.
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CLICK ON TROY DEENEY TO REVEAL THE THREE
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Jordan Rhodes
Jordan is now 24-years-old and his goalscoring record is phenomenal. In his first season with Huddersfield in League One, the then 19-year-old scored 21 goals in all competitions. He scored 22 in the following season as Huddersfield lost in the playoff semi-final for the second consecutive season. Huddersfield reached the playoffs again and this time were promoted via a penalty shootout. Rhodes scored an incredible 40 goals in just 46 appearances in all competitions, including 5 versus Wycombe and 4 versus Sheffield Wednesday. His first season in the Championship and the Scottish international showed no chance of slowing down as he bagged another 33 goals including 3 for Scotland. That was enough to trigger a club record bid for Rhodes from Blackburn Rovers and in his first season with them he netted 25 goals.
It would be costly for any club to sign Rhodes but it doesn’t look particularly likely that Jordan will get his chance with Blackburn Rovers anytime soon as they are looking more like a comfortable mid table side with each passing season.
Troy Deeney
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The 26-year-old has been a consistent goalscorer in the Championship and he scored 24 goals last season and 19 in the season before. The Englishman is a real threat in front of goal and he has been rumoured to be joining numerous of Premier League clubs in the past few transfer windows – he was linked with all three promoted sides recently. He led Watford into the playoffs in 2012/13 season, and they have started very well this season. He may get his chance in the Premier League with Watford but the Championship is notoriously difficult so don’t be surprised if he moves when a true offer is made.
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Tom Cairney
Like Rhodes, Cairney was born in England but has so far represented Scotland at international level, and like Rhodes he is currently plying his trade at Blackburn Rovers. Cairney has already had a small opportunity in the Premier League with Hull City back in the 2009/10 season as The Tigers were relegated. He has mixed feelings at Hull and since joining Blackburn he has been growing in confidence and his performances last season were outstanding. Tom is an attacking midfielder and he netted 5 goals last season and contributed a further 6 assists. Cairney was voted Blackburn’s Player of the Year in his first and so far only season with the club so far, and he was competing with the likes of Jordan Rhodes. He is still only 23-years-old and if he can prove himself again with Blackburn this season, he would be a shrewd signing for any ‘lesser’ side in the Premier League next year. One to keep an eye on this year and he has already netted twice.
Gerard Pique has insisted that he has no interest in a January move back to Manchester United as he intends to finish his career with Barcelona.
The Red Devils have been linked with a £20m raid for their former youth star in January amid reports that he’s no longer seen as a key player at the Camp Nou.
Although he’s been a big part of Barca’s recent successes, a dip in form has seen the 27-year-old slip in and out of Luis Enrique’s XI this term.
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United and Chelsea are watching the Spaniard – who has a World Cup winner’s medal – but the commanding centre-back is adamant that he has no desire to leave his boyhood club for a return to Old Trafford:
“I was really happy and left a lot of friends [in Manchester], even if I didn’t play as much as I’d wanted, but I’ve always said I want to stay here all my career and retire at Barcelona,” he is quoted by Goal.
“At Manchester United I had Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic ahead of me, players who were never injured, never red carded … f**king hard [to dislodge] but this is the first time at Barcelona I’m not playing as much as I want to.
“A lot of people say: ‘Pique is not fit or not playing well’ but Pique is really playing well. After the World Cup I admitted I maybe hadn’t been at my level but, in pre-season, I worked really hard and I’m really happy about my performances during the season.
“At the moment I’m not thinking about leaving. I’m really happy if it’s true that United want me but I’m a Barcelona fan, I have been since I was a kid. I want to stay here.”
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Over the last few years, I think it’s safe to say that Sunderland have had the better of their Tyne-Wear clashes. Former Magpies ball-boy Adam Johnson struck a 90th minute winner on Sunday, as the Black Cats beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James’ Park.
The Sunderland fans must be getting used to winning at Newcastle in recent times. After two consecutive 3-0 scorelines, Gus Poyet’s side travelled the short distance to St James’ Park looking for a hat-trick of back-to-back wins. They were made to wait an awful long time – the whole game in fact – as their side broke forward quickly, and a smart move was emphatically finished off by local lad Adam Johnson.
The ex-Middlesbrough and Manchester City winger, scored his third goal in three successive Sunderland wins at St James’ Park. The 27-year-old scored the second in the Black Cats’ 3-0 win in April 2013, and the second goal yet again in the repeated scoreline earlier this year.
Speaking to Sky Sports after Sunderland’s win, Johnson said: “Three years in a row – they must hate me here, but I’m delighted. Three wins here and three clean sheets, we can’t ask for much more. I was a bit disappointed as I should have scored earlier on so if I had missed that one I would have been gutted tonight. I took my time and set myself and thankfully it went in.”
Gus Poyet has instigated the last two Sunderland victories at St James’ Park , but it was Paolo Di Canio who set the trend – with the Black Cats’ 3-0 win in 2013. You have to go all the way back to October 2010 for the last time Newcastle got the better of Sunderland at home. It was a resounding scoreline too, as a Kevin Nolan hat-trick inspired Chris Hughton’s Magpies to a 5-1 win. Since then, Newcastle have only beaten their rivals once – a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light in August 2011 – courtesy of a Ryan Taylor goal.
So what’s the secret behind Sunderland’s recent superiority in the Tyne-Wear derby? It’s hard to put your finger on it, but in the last two seasons, it could be argued that the Black Cats have wanted it more. Both 3-0 wins came at desperate times in the season for Sunderland, and they were both well earned. But as for Sunday, the commitment was there from a Newcastle perspective, they had chances of their own to win it, and on another day Alan Pardew’s side could have won 1-0, as opposed to losing 1-0.
As for Poyet’s Sunderland – who are the Premier League’s draw specialists with an unrivalled 10 draws – the last-minute winner was just what the doctor ordered. The three points lifts them up to 14th in the Premier League table, and it was their first top flight victory since a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace in early-November.
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The Sunderland fans have the bragging rights yet again over their North East neighbours – and they can bask in that glory – at least until April when the two sides next meet at the Stadium of Light. As for Pardew and the Magpies, they have to put a stop to this horrible run against their bitter rivals, if only for their fans.
It has been an excellent turnaround in the space of a year for Manchester United. Under David Moyes, the Red Devils finished 7th in the Premier League, which was their worst league finish since 1990.
But, under Louis Van Gaal, it certainly looks like United have finally turned a corner and will be playing Champions League football again next season.
It has been far from plain sailing, though, with defeat to Swansea on the opening day and the 5-3 embarrassment to newly promoted Leicester among the worst moments. Who can forget the terrible 4-0 loss to MK Dons in the League Cup, although many players were rotated for that fixture. United haven’t lost since a 1-0 defeat to rivals Man City in early November and are nine Premier League matches unbeaten.
It has been suggested that Man Utd are still in with a chance of winning the league but, being 10 points behind and with leaders Chelsea playing so well, that may be a little too much to ask. But a top three finish – which they are on course for – should be more than enough to satisfy the fans for this season at least.
It was always going to take some time before United reached the heights achieved under Sir Alex’s reign, and after the mess Moyes left them in then you would have to give Van Gaal credit for turning things around so quickly.
It did take a while for the team to click but, now that they have, they are playing a hell of a lot better than last season. Obviously the money spent on new players in the summer helped – nearly £150 million was invested on the squad. Despite the millions spent, it doesn’t necessarily buy you instant title success. It was always going to take a little bit of time for players to get used to the Premier League and learn to play together. That is why a return to the Champions League would be a job well done for Van Gaal’s first season and next season will be the time to push on and start challenge again.
Despite the many injuries that United have suffered this season, the system implemented is looking strong. In recent months, Van Gaal has reverted back to a back three, with Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia as wing backs. It has allowed United to defend in numbers and look extremely dangerous going forward. Although Wayne Rooney is better suited as a centre forward, perhaps his new role dropping into midfield might just work.
It allows United to play Falcao and Robin Van Persie upfront and, even with Rooney in midfield, when United do go forward they have these three plus Spaniard Juan Mata all looking to attack. This was demonstrated against Newcastle, where Rooney still managed to get two goals from midfield. The Red Devils have looked much tighter at the back during this unbeaten run as well, and with David de Gea at his very best, the team as a whole looks at its most balanced for over 12 months.
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And with even more money rumoured to be available next summer, it won’t be long before Manchester United can think seriously about adding to their 20 league titles.
Despite the extremely disappointing 4-2 defeat away to relegation threatened Rotherham mid-week, the goalless draw at Anfield to Liverpool on Saturday night shows signs of optimism for Bolton Wanderers.
Overall however, it has been a poor season in the Championship with the Trotters currently sitting in 16th position. They are in no danger of relegation but are too far away for a late play-off push.
That wasn’t the case when Dougie Freedman was in charge, as he left the club second from bottom after 10 matches before being sacked in early October. Neil Lennon has managed to galvanise his troops moving them to the comfort of mid-table with a rebuilding job on his hands before challenging for promotion, probably as early as next season. Lennon has a 50% win rate since taking over from Freedman in October and has added a couple of familiar faces to help the team steer clear of any trouble.
It has been a troubled past few years for the club, which included relegation from the Premier League in 2012. Several mediocre years in the top flight culminated in relegation, but things haven’t improved at a level down in the Championship. Bolton narrowly missed out on a play-off place in the 2012/13 season, with just goal difference separating themselves and Leicester who finished in 6th position. Last season was very disappointing, ending up 14th, which has seemingly started the trend with another below par mid-table finish on the cards this season.
But drawing 0-0 to a very strong Liverpool side on Saturday evening suggested to fans that Bolton can be challenging for promotion in the next season or two. They were extremely impressive throughout the 90 minutes, with a defensive display of a high quality. Adam Bogdan has found himself to be the second choice goalkeeper behind Andy Lonergan, but put in an exceptional display to take the game to a replay. After that performance, there is now a case to be made for Bogdan to win back the number one shirt again especially after the dismal defeat to Rotherham in which he was dropped for.
In defence,Matt Mills put in a captain’s display to help deny Liverpool, with Dorian Dervite and American international Tim Ream also impressing. The old guard of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Emile Heskey – who were both signed in December – added experience and quality to the team, and it showed against Liverpool. Gudjohnsen could have won it for the visitors, missing two clear cut chances in the second-half.
The draw against Liverpool and the win away to Sheffield Wednesday in the previous match were both terrific results for the club. But the mid-week display reinforces the fact that Neil Lennon still has a massive job on his hands to turn this team around. Rotherham who are in 21st position fighting for their lives, comfortably defeated Bolton 4-2 after going 4-0 up before the hour mark.
Two late goals brought back some respectability to the score but Bolton will be hugely frustrated with this result, especially after proving that they can be a decent side. The change of goalkeeper from the Liverpool game didn’t help but Wanderers simply have to be winning matches against teams such as Rotherham.
Manager Neil Lennon has been astute in the transfer market with the signings of Heskey and Gudjohnsen. The recent loan addition of Cardiff striker Adam le Fondre reinforces that point and is an excellent acquisition for a side that have struggled to score goals for much of the season so far.
Le Fondre has been a goalscorer throughout his career, netting over 150 times. Although around half of his appearences for Reading came from the bench, he still managed a healthy return of 39 goals from 104 league matches. He scored 12 goals in his only season in the Premier League and 15 goals last season for Reading.
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Le Fondre will be sure to get many more starts at Bolton and could be what they need to claw back some respectability to an otherwise frustrating season.
Three wins on the bounce and five in six matches has seen Leeds United climb from a potential relegation battle, to the comfort of mid-table.
The Whites are now ten points above the relegation zone and if recent form is anything to go by, the threat of playing League One football next season is now all but over.
It has been a remarkable change of fortunes for Leeds after falling to within just a point of the drop zone in early January are were really struggling to put a string of results together. But under Neil Redfearn, there finally seems to be some stability on the pitch and, at long last, the club can start to look forward rather than continually over its shoulder.
Redfearn is currently the fourth manager Massimo Cellino has hired since officially taker over in April last year. The constant change in manager hasn’t helped matters on the pitch, with Leeds struggling for consistency until very recently. Despite this, Cellino looks to have finally got it right with Neil Redfearn but the main thing the manager needs is time and patience to build a team capable of challenging for promotion.
He needs to be given some faith when a few results go against him because he has shown until now that he is able to get the best out of the current group of players, who seems as though they are enjoying playing under him.
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Along with Redfearn, another reason why Leeds have suddenly got themselves well and truly out of trouble is down to their goalkeeper. Marco Silvestri was signed from Cheivo in the summer and has been a stand-out performer so far this term. The 23-year-old Italian has won points on his own and kept the team in games at times throughout the season and will surely be in high demand once the transfer window re-opens in the summer.
Silvestri has been consistent throughout the season, with several stand-out performances. In August he produced a fine man-of-the-match display against Bolton, which helped his side win 1-0. He also made fantastic saves in both the victories over Bournemouth and Middlesbrough, with last weekend’s performance arguably his best of the season so far.
Against Middlesbrough, the young keeper made at least three tremendous saves along with constant blocks that kept the home side at bay. It is safe to say that Silvestri was the main reason why Leeds came away with an impressive away win and has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league. Knowing how important a quality goalkeeper is at this level, the club will be desperate to keep hold of him for as long as possible.
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Leeds have been through an extremely tough ride in the past decade or so. With no Premier League football since 2004, and a three year spell in League One, it is only now that the club looks as stable as it has been for many years. With a manager who has been performing excellently since taking charge and a team that is starting to look exciting, perhaps for the first time in a long time there is hope amongst the Leeds United faithful.
We’re down to the last few weeks of the league season. Cups are being decided, European places are being decided, and we’re also about to find out who’s going up and who’s going down.
Form is everything at this stage of the season. If you go on a run, you can find yourself in the middle of a late charge for silverware or a good league position, like Manchester City last season winning their final five games to win the league, or Wigan in the past under Roberto Martinez when they managed to climb out of the relegation places in the final few games on a frighteningly regular basis.
But while form at this stage of the season can give you a great ending to the season, it can also give you the momentum to start next season very well too. With a little bit of strengthening in the summer, here are five form teams that can have a stellar season next time out.
Arsenal
I don’t mean to give you nightmares, but Arsenal have won nine of their last ten league games. That is seriously frightening. The last time they lost a league game was away to Spurs and a late Harry Kane goal on the 7th February. Before that it was away to Southampton on New Year’s day. They have won every other game since Christmas. So if they are not in a title race, no one can say it’s because they had their typical Arsenal run in February/March. It’s simply because they lost and drew too many games at the start of the season.
But on this sort of form, with the players really starting to play well together – and come back from the treatment table, crucially – then Arsenal can perhaps look to a full-on title tilt next season. Adding a midfielder with more power to their ranks, someone who can either sit in front of the back four or who can overpower opponents would see their squad pretty much completed. They have two decent keepers – though if a better one comes along they wouldn’t say no – they have enough defenders now, after a scare at the start of the season, and their attacking midfield is second to none. They also have Olivier Giroud in sensational form, having scored 14 Premier League goals despite a broken leg in August. If they go well next season, it won’t surprise anyone.
Manchester United
United are another form team. Despite a rocky start to life under Van Gaal, they’ve pulled together and they too are looking to mount a title challenge and a win against Chelsea this weekend will really set them up.
Van Gaal was roundly criticised at the start of the season for the amount of money he spent to bring the likes of Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria to the club, and the signs are he’ll be looking to spend more this summer. But United don’t necessarily need to spend all that much more. They have a squad that is clearly up there in the league,
Liverpool
Despite losing to Arsenal and Manchester United in successive weeks, Liverpool are still close to the top of the form table.
They’re also still in the FA Cup, facing Aston Villa for a place in the final, and are miraculously still on course for a Champions League spot after Manchester City’s apparent implosion. It’s not bad for a team that had as bad a start to this season’s campaign as Liverpool, and losing their best player in the summer.
They may well lose Raheem Sterling this time, too, but the Chairman has said he’s staying. He also said that Suarez would be staying the summer before last and was true to his word then, so we’ll take him at face value this time around.
The new recruits that Liverpool have brought in to replace Suarez are starting to fire and gel together, and so Liverpool may well be a team who can challenge next season. They’ve only lost twice in the league since Christmas, and if they can use this recent form as a springboard to get a decent start to next season too, then they may be in with shout of the title next time.
Swansea
Swansea City were in a bad place just over a year ago. They sacked Michael Laudrup who managed the club to a League Cup success only a year previous to his sacking, and had got the Swans playing some lovely football. But Garry Monk came into the managerial role to steady the ship and steer the Swans away from relegation. In fact, he did more than that. He has overseen some real progress at a club who were facing a real prospect of relegation only a year ago.
Last season he took them to a safe spot in the league, and this year they’ve progressed even further, sitting comfortably in the mid-table spots throughout the course of the season. In fact, if they were to go from now until the end of the season perfectly, they’d still be in with a chance of Europa League qualification.
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That’s a slim hope, though, and all it does is show their progress. Even though Wilfried Bony has left, Bafetimbi Gomis has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks and led the line well. His injury will probably stop them from carrying the momentum on too far this season, but it doesn’t look too tall an order to ask for Swansea to continue their progress next season. Who knows, maybe a European place could be reachable next time around for Monk’s Swans.
Norwich City
The last team I’m going to put here is Norwich City who have been really wonderful in the last few months of the Championship season.
Since the 9th January, when 33 year-old Alex Neil took over as boss, Norwich have lost only twice as they now sit on the brink of promotion and only a point behind league leaders Bournemouth. They only have three games left, and this Friday game against Middlesbrough – who are only a point behind the Canaries – looks huge. If they win that, automatic promotion looks a real possibility and they can start building for next season.
Norwich could be coming straight back up, and strengthening their squad to compete in the Premier League may not be that hard for them. They still have a core of the team that played in the Premier League under Paul Lambert and Chris Hughton, and added Cameron Jerome who has scored 19 goals so far this season.
They aren’t up yet, obviously. But if they do manage to win promotion, the way they’ve been playing recently and the way the new manager has got them playing will give them lots of confidence to take on the Premier League, especially with the experience they already have in the squad. They’ll also loanees returning – Kyle Lafferty, who’s been banging them in for Northern Ireland and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel who has scored goals more regularly for St Etienne in France this season. So Norwich, if they win promotion to the Premier League, could be a team to watch next season.