Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic believes the fight for the Serie A crown will be harder than ever next season.The midfielder admits thoughts have already turned to the likely Scudetto battles with champions AC Milan next term.
“We want to do well and we have to build for the future following last season,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“All the teams are strengthening their squads, not just us or the big teams, but everyone.”
“It will be a hard fight, and so we have to prepare well for next season.”
“We are working hard in training, and the will to do well is always there.”
On new coach Gian Piero Gasperini’s formula, Stankovic said: “Gasperini takes care of all the details, he explains things and talks about what he wants. We are getting to know each other.”
Inter are set to start their pre-season fixtures on July 24 when they will take on Turkish giants Galatasaray.
With the Newcastle hot-seat still warm following Chris Hughton’s shock departure, Mike Ashley has moved quickly to find a permanent replacement. With Alan Shearer ruling himself out of the running and saying that; “I won’t be the next Newcastle manager, I can guarantee you that”, and Martin Jol reportedly turning the job down on the grounds of limited transfer funds and contract details, it is Alan Pardew who has emerged as the man most likely to take the job.
There is no question that Pardew is not the big name that Toon fans were after, but is he the right man for Newcastle?
Arguably, his biggest and most difficult job will be to win over the famously passionate Newcastle fans who are still recovering from Hughton’s sacking. A quick look at an online Newcastle message board where Pardew’s potential appointment has been described as a ‘joke’, an ‘insult’ and as ‘one of the strangest decisions in football’ tells you what you need to know about popular opinion.
It seems to defy logic that Mike Ashley is set to replace Chris Hughton, a manager who came from nowhere to bring relative success and stability to a team on the rocks, with a man whose last job was at Southampton in League 1. The only thing that seems to be in Pardew’s favour is his limited Premier League experience, but his seasons in the top flight with West Ham and Charlton can hardly be classed as successful. He took West Ham to 9th in 05/06 but was sacked in December 2006 after a poor start to their second season in the Premiership. He then took over at Charlton Athletic for the second half of the 06/07 season but was unable to steer them away from trouble. What does Ashley believe Pardew can do for Newcastle that Hughton couldn’t?
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The only reason that I can see for appointing Pardew is that no compensation will need to be paid and he available to take over immediately. Obviously I can understand that Ashley would want to get in a replacement quickly in order to restore some normality and order to his club, but if he doesn’t want to disrupt Newcastle then why sack Hughton in the first place?
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I think that Mike Ashley would have rebuilt some of the bridges that he’d burnt if he had persuaded Martin Jol to take over. Earlier in the week when Jol resigned from Ajax on the same day that Houghton was sacked it seemed as though he was destined to take over, but alas it wasn’t to be.
If, as expected, Alan Pardew takes over in the next few days I wonder how fans will react during Saturday’s home game against Liverpool, will Pardew get their backing or their wrath? This is another twist in the Newcastle history books just when things were starting to settle down and I find myself feeling a little sorry for Pardew who is inevitably going to become the new face of Newcastle fans’ angst. I get the feeling that over the next few weeks fans and the media alike will realise just how important Chris Hughton was to the Newcastle renaissance.
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The constantly shifting football landscape has been dramatically restructured since the advent of the Premier League, and with it comes a remarkable adjustment of exactly what it means to be successful.
Despite bringing a first major trophy in six years to Anfield as well as narrowly missing out on another, Liverpool’s abject league form this season has seen Kenny Dalglish dismissed on the back of failure to reach Europe. How can we quantify success in football nowadays? Is a burgeoning bank balance more important than a bustling trophy cabinet?
Trends across English football in recent years tend to suggest that at the farther reaches of the spectrum clubs are increasingly placing greater prominence upon European qualification, whilst for clubs engaged in the relegation quagmire survival is paramount above all else. Cup competitions in the modern era are a mere side-note to the rampaging PR machine that is Premier League, aided to no end by the preposterous hyperbole spouted by Sky Sports. The stakes are so unattainably high in the Premiership that clubs can no longer afford to brace their season upon a lucky cup run or seek glory elsewhere; it is the league or bust.
Witness Birmingham’s capitulation at the end of the 2010/2011 season, in which despite lifting the League Cup they were unable to stave off a drop into the Championship: would Blues fans have taken safety over glory? In a similar fashion, Middlesbrough’s run to both domestic cup finals in 1997 also coincided with relegation. On the flip-side, observe Arsenal’s agonising trophy drought and the ensuing backlash from sections of Gooners this season, in essence implying that patience is wearing thin at the Emirates: would Arsenal fans take a domestic trophy over persistent fourth place finishes?
Intriguingly, Chelsea’s season has been startlingly reinvigorated with the capture of the FA Cup and the potential of greater riches this coming weekend, in spite of a staggeringly average league campaign. Nonetheless, this was more of a salvation mission for the Blues in the wake of a collapsing crusade for league supremacy as opposed to any great desire to prioritise the cup competitions. Upon Andre Villas-Boas’s departure the only form of redemption left for Chelsea was a stab at glory away from the Premiership, which has reaped substantial dividends.
Naivety would suggest that clubs will now begin to recognise the benefits of giving greater precedence to cup campaigns from here on in, yet recent history indicates that the rampant domination of the Premier League upon the agenda of clubs will continue for sometime. After Liverpool’s cup treble of 2001, the prime concern of clubs remained survival and European qualification, whilst the experiences of the likes of Birmingham and Portsmouth in relation to cup runs and adverse league form has deterred many clubs in the middle rung of the Premiership from investing resources in potential cup success.
Stan Collymore recently tweeted that “English clubs (in modern football, like it or not), prioritise: 1. Champions League, 2. Domestic League, 3. Top 4, 4. FA Cup, 5. League Cup, 6. Europa League.” Unfortunately, though not always one to show impeccable awareness, Collymore’s words ring true. The sheer magnitude of funds available to clubs for European qualification or even just the monetary difference between 12th and 13th place far outweigh the prestige and pride on offer with the capture of a domestic trophy.
Before the advent of the Premier League and stretching perhaps to the turn of the Millennium, many fans and observers would have seen Kenny Dalglish’s time at Liverpool as a success. A first trophy in six years, a first FA Cup Final in six years. Yet the failure to attain the lucre necessary to buffer the club’s bank balance has proved fatal.
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We now live in a footballing world where being fourth best is the most coveted prize for the majority of Premiership clubs: glory supplanted by greed.
Do you think football is too money driven? Are clubs right to focus on fourth place? Tweet me @acherrie1
Colombia striker Radamel Falcao sounded a note of caution after his side’s 2-0 victory over Bolivia at the Copa America.The Porto striker scored both of Colombia’s goals in Sante Fe on Sunday, sending his side through to the quarter-finals in Argentina.
Colombia failed to concede a goal on the way to clinching top spot in Group A, with seven points from three matches.
After becoming the first team to reach the last eight – ahead of favourites Argentina and Brazil – Falcao understands that the fans may be excited about the team’s results so far.
But the 25-year-old has urged expectations to be kept under control.
“We are not the best nor the worst,” Falcao said.
“We are not in the final, we have just moved on to the second stage and we need to have our feet on the ground.”
The former River Plate man failed to score in the first two games, but made up for it with his first brace at international level against Bolivia.
After the match, Falcao said he was never worried about his individual return.
“Our priority is the group. It does not matter who scores. The important thing is for us to grow as a team,” Falcao said.
“Our goal is for Colombia to win. Personal goals will come as the team get stronger.”
Questioned about the team he would like to face in the last eight, Falcao said: “At this point, you can face any team. If we want to aspire to continuing (in the competition) we have to beat anyone.”
West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has insisted the club will not make any rash decisions over the future of manager Avram Grant.
With the Hammers rooted to the foot of the Premier League table with just nine points from their opening 12 games, times appear tough at Upton Park.
But the former Birmingham City managing director is looking at ways to improve their fortunes on the pitch rather than ditching the beleaguered Israeli, who joined the club from Portsmouth in the summer.
"I think it's very easy for people who run football clubs to sit back and that finger of blame comes out and ultimately always ends up on the manager," Brady told Sky Sports News.
"We don't want to hit the panic button yet but we do want to look deep into ourselves and say 'what can we do to help the team and the manager and what can we do to improve things?' as opposed to sitting and playing the blame game, which unfortunately, there are no winners in.
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Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic will serve a three-match ban after seeing his appeal at the FA’s verdict of violent conduct rejected.
The Serbia international was caught on television footage punching Shaun Maloney in the Stamford Bridge club’s clash with Wigan last weekend, which was missed by officials.
Despite Ivanovic’s pleas of appeal, he will now be unavailable for the side’s next three domestic fixtures.
“Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic’s appeal against an FA charge for violent conduct has been dismissed,” an official statement from the FA reads.
“The incident, which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video, occurred during his side’s game against Wigan at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 7 April 2012.
“A Regulatory Commission heard the claim today and Ivanovic’s three match suspension will commence with immediate effect,” it stated.
Ivanovic will not be available for selection in Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Sunday, or Premier League fixtures against Arsenal and QPR.
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FIFA whistleblower Chuck Blazer has been sacked from his position as CONCACAF general secretary, it was announced on Tuesday.Blazer, who is also a member of FIFA’s executive committee, stole headlines across the world on Thursday when he accused AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner of corruption.
The allegations were particularly focused on bribery regarding the bidding and awarding of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, which were given to Russia and Qatar respectively.
As a consequence, FIFA suspended the pair from any football activity, but just five days after the allegations surfaced, Blazer was removed from his post with CONCACAF, possibly due to his claims of corruption against Caribbean football federations.
Blazer was ‘terminated as general secretary of CONCACAF with immediate effect’, it said in a letter addressed to him, written by Lisle Austin who has assumed temporary duty of the CONCACAF presidency, after Warner’s suspension.
In the letter it said that Austin thought Blazer had ‘grossly insulted and defamed’ associations of Carribean football by suggesting ‘that each member association was under investigation for bribery’.
Austin also claimed that Blazer had ‘improperly appointed five non-elected members of CONCACAF to congress’, while he also said that Blazer had no authority to hire a pair of Chicago based lawyers, who made the report which resulted in the suspension of Warner.
“The above conduct is inexcusable and a gross misconduct of duty and judgment. It is apparent that you are no longer fit to act as secretary general of CONCACAF and to represent its members,” the letter also said.
The firing of Blazer could also lead to the re-instatement of Bin Hammam and Warner by FIFA.
After last Saturday’s poor performance by Crystal Palace, in which they lost to fellow strugglers Middlesbrough 2-1, it seems to be that George Burley’s men are lacking the spirit and character that ensured them safety last season.
The Championship’s bottom club went into half-time with a 1-0 lead at the Riverside, but the Eagles were out-played in the second half and goals from substitute Kink and a second own-goal of the season from captain Paddy McCarthy meant Palace would stay in the dreaded 24th place.
With Edgar Davids confirming yesterday morning that he would be leaving Selhurst Park after only seven starts for the South London outfit, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better for the Eagles after such a poor start to the season.
The most frustrating thing for Palace fans would be the lack of spirit and character that everyone expected to see last season and what ultimately ensured Palace would stay in the second tier of English football after the nail biting draw against Sheffield Wednesday in the last game of the season.
But what has gone so wrong for Palace this season?
Having lost influential youngster Victor Moses and manager Neil Warnock during important stages of the campaign last season, Palace done well to avoid relegation but if the performances don’t change this season, it may be too late for the Eagles to make another ‘great escape’.
Being a Palace fan, I feel strongly about this subject and in my opinion, the loss off Clint Hill and Shaun Derry to QPR was massive and George Burley is feeling the effects having not found suitable replacements for the pair.
Although the duo were not the best footballers, the work rate they both possessed and the spirit that they showed was second to none and they always managed to ensure they had to whole squad behind them.
With no disrespect to the Palace players, the likes of Darren Ambrose and Julian Speroni clearly possess talent but in the dressing room there are no real personalities who can get the team behind them, lead from the start and scrap for a win.
The other problem I feel for Palace is that the squad has too many young loan-signings, where they are not committed to the cause and have no experience in a relegation scrap.
The likes of Obika and Bennett seem to be fringe players at their parent teams who are sent out on-loan to teams like Palace who are desperate for players and play just for the sake of it.
After watching every home game at Palace for various seasons, these loans singings seem to lack commitment as they know by the end of the season they will be back at their clubs and Crystal Palace will be a distant memory.
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Going into the game against Sheffield Wednesday last season, Palace had the likes of Matt Lawrence, Danny Butterfield, Alan Lee, Stern John and Shaun Derry, all of whom have various experiences that most loan singings and youngsters lack.
With the majority of the squad leaving Palace during the summer, George Burley was left with a very small team and has done extremely well to bring players in but experience is always necessary when building a successful team and this season, the Eagles lack that experience.
However, with Palace securing a vital three points against high flying Watford on Tuesday, could George Burley’s Palace career finally get going?
This season it’s been a case of Palace performing well but failing to take their chances, however the win against Watford proved to fans that Palace can win ugly when the odds are against them.
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After going into half-time with a 1-0 lead, Palace looked to throw the win away for a second successive time when Watford scored two quick fire second half goals, but Owen Garvan wasn’t willing to let Palace go down without a fight and the Ireland u21 international scored two fantastic long range efforts in 3 minutes to secure a thrilling 3-2 win at Selhurst Park.
The effort and commitment shown throughout the emphatic win against Watford is exactly what I am questioning and nothing would please me more than to see that exact performance against Coventry this Saturday.
I have to say that George Burley got his tactics 100% correct when he brought Wilfred Zaha on as a substitute for Counago when Palace went 2-1 down and the youngster changed the game in an instance when his cross after fine play caused Watford problems and Garvan equalised for Burley’s men.
Although I won’t get too ahead of myself as Palace seem to perform badly when things are just starting to look good, Tuesday’s performance really did show the fans that Burley can do things the right way and we can show the character that is needed to secure hard wins.
To make the win even better, all three goals from the Eagles were absolute screamers with Darren Ambrose scoring his first goal for the Red and Blue army since his return from injury.
I’d like to think that things will eventually come good and after the owners assured fans that Burley is staying, it looks to be a case of Palace fans getting behind the team home or away as they usually do and the spirit I’m desperately asking for will eventually show in every game.
It’s always going to be an impossible mission to map out Arsene Wenger’s movements in the transfer window. He likes to create an illusion that he’s hot on the trail of one target, before presenting another from as far out of left field as physically possible. But there’s no questioning that the surgery to this Arsenal squad in the summer needs to be one which injects the kind of quality and experienced names that can help the team build on their recent good form. More importantly, however, there needs to be genuine strides towards keeping hold of Robin van Persie.
We’re still waiting on the announcement of Lukas Podolski’s arrival at Arsenal, despite German sources claiming that the transfer would be confirmed early this week. Regardless, it’s still a massive step in the right direction for Arsenal; a player who has a phenomenal scoring record at international level and one who certainly fit’s the bill of what van Persie and many Arsenal fans are looking for.
In some ways the signings of Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker were precursors to Podolski’s transfer, a move away from a signing for the future and someone who can make an impact now. Will he reach the impressive numbers posted by van Persie? Unlikely. But then again, Thierry Henry was flanked by two wide players who were certain of 15 goals a season in Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires. Podolski’s arrival may be more in tune with those players rather than an alternative or replacement for van Persie.
In a squad where the next highest goal scorer isn’t even in double figures, the instincts of the German international around the penalty box is more than welcome to help ease the burden for Arsenal’s captain.
Even though Arsenal seem well stocked in the centre of defence, the latest round of Jan Vertonghen to Arsenal rumours are sure to add even more steel and versatility to a back-line that was once embarrassingly self-destructive. While many would query whether Arsenal need another centre-back capable of easily slotting in to the starting XI, they simply have to remind themselves of the damaging nature and unpredictability of Arsenal’s injury record.
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Over the past two season the Gunner’s have suffered heavily at both full-back and centre-half. It only takes an injury to either Thomas Vermalen or Laurent Koscielny before Arsene Wenger has to make the difficult decision of either Johan Djourou or Sebastian Squillaci. With Vertonghen’s ability to play as a holding midfielder as well, he would provide a much more defensively disciplined alternative to Alex Song, potentially giving Wenger the choice of pushing the Cameroon international further up the pitch.
Another signing in the right direction? There’s no questioning that the leadership qualities of Vertonghen and his partnership with Vermaelen at Ajax will play a big role in convincing Robin van Persie to stay on at Arsenal.
It’s always been a common trait with Arsene Wenger to bring in a player who can play in a number of positions. But one place that has taken a heavy hit since the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri is the creative options from midfield.
Even though talk of a move for Mario Gotze won’t disappear, despite many claiming he’ll remain in Germany, the youngster may still be a little too far out of reach financially. Alternatives are always available in a popular market for Wenger and in his homeland. Marvin Martin has been a target in the past, while the Arsenal boss continues to monitor Yoann Gourcuff’s difficulties at Lyon.
What is imperative, though, is that Arsenal bring in another body in midfield. There’s no telling how long Jack Wilshere will take to recover from a year out of football, while Aaron Ramsey continues to play with many question marks about his role in the squad, and Abou Diaby simply cannot be relied upon.
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What may be a more predictable move for Wenger in the summer is his insistence on only bringing in three or four bodies at the most. Despite the heavy activity of last summer’s transfer window, Arsene Wenger never likes to bring in too many new faces at once. A clear out of the dead wood in the side seems almost certain, but looking to players such as Ryo Miyaichi and Joel Campbell to supplement three big signings at the most would seem the most likely outcome.
The focus going into the summer has always been to get Robin van Persie to sign another contract. The move for Podolski coupled with a real sense around the club that they’re willing to move much more aggressively in the transfer market may be enough to build the strong side that the Arsenal captain deserves.
There have been some stella performers this season in the Premier League and they rightfully get plenty of plaudits for their contributions. The likes of Carlos Tevez, Nemanja Vidic, Jack Wilshere and Gareth Bale have all had praise lavished upon them. However there have also been a fair amount of players who have performed exceptionally well that haven’t necessarily got the credit they deserve. Therefore I have compiled a list of ten players who I think have been stand out performers for their clubs this season. I considered the likes of David Silva, Seamus Coleman, Vincent Kompany and Ji-Sung Park for the list, but decided although these players haven’t got the same recognition as Vidic, Bale etc, they have been noticed sufficiently and don’t fall under the unsung category.
The players I have chosen have played a particularly important role for their team and while it may have gone largely unnoticed in comparison to some of the big names I think they have impacted upon the league considerably. Behold my ten unsung players……..
Feel free to add any glaring omissions in the comments below
Click on Pablo Zabaleta to unveil this season’s 10 unsung heroes
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