Title hopes and Champions League aspirations are on the line when Chelsea host London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.With just four matches remaining in the English Premier League this season, both sides still have plenty left to play for in the run home.
Defending champions Chelsea trail league leaders Manchester United by six points and must win all of their remaining games to keep their slim hopes of back-to-back titles alive.
The Blues extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday, with 50 million pound signing Fernando Torres finally breaking his drought with his first goal for the club.
The win came at a cost however, with Michael Essien injuring his knee in the match, while Ramires and Alex both remain on the sidelines.
Florent Malouda joined Torres on the scoresheet at the weekend, and said Chelsea will keep fighting for the title until the final match.
“That’s our object until the end of the season,” Malouda told Chelsea’s official website. “Right now we are getting back to our best performances, so we have to keep putting pressure on and keep winning.”
“Honestly, (winning the title) will be difficult. The only thing we are looking at now is winning every game we have, then you never know.”
For Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham, the aim for the remainder of the season is ensuring a Champions League berth for next season, aspirations which took a blow after they were held to a 2-2 draw by West Brom at the weekend.
Despite being a revelation on Europe’s biggest stage this season, reaching the last eight of the Champions League for the first time, Spurs are in danger of missing out on next year’s competition as they trail fourth-placed Manchester City by four points.
They also come into Saturday’s match on a horrible run of form, with just one win in their last nine matches in all competitions.
Tottenham’s injury concerns have eased slightly, although Ledley King, Alan Hutton and Jonathan Woodgate are all unavailable, while Gareth Bale is expected to play after completing a full 90 minutes against West Brom at the weekend.
With familiarity breeds contempt as the old saying goes. Last night’s El Classico proved to be the most ill-tempered, bad-natured tie of the three to date and there are very real concerns that the bad-feeling and outright tribalism conjured up by this gruelling set of fixtures between the two over the past two weeks could have a lasting and destabilising effect on the Spanish national team’s performances on the international scene in the future.
One man with such a concern is Spanish national team coach, Vicente Del Bosque, who prior to last night’s game stated: “I’m worried about the quarrels between my players during these classicos, which I hope don’t find their way into my dressing room. Good relations inside the dressing room are the basis for our future success.”
With last night’s tie proving an advert for everything a supporter hates about the game – pathetic theatrics, countless incidents of diving and players surrounding the referee every time he has to make a decision – it’s fair to say that the game failed to live up to it’s billing. With Barcelona’s substitute goalkeeper Pinto sent off at half-time for a scuffle in the tunnel between the two sets of players, what was previously a tense and spiky affair has now threatened to boil over into something approaching outright turf war.
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The Spanish national side, prior to the all-conquering force of a side that they have at their disposal, has always been a collection of immensely talented players hampered by irreparable divisions within the squad. The myriad of social, political and geographical factors within the country has meant that it has proved nye on impossible at times to unite everyone under one banner, something which Luis Aragones and his successor Del Bsoque have somehow managed to achieve.
Success breeds team spirit better than anything else and after their success at the Euro’s in 2008, Spain have looked a formidable outfit on and off the pitch. Xavi has often spoken about his friendship with Iker Casillas, yet when to comment on Alvaro Arbeloa after their Copa Del Rey final defeat last week, he would only state that they maintain a ‘professional relationship’, hinting at a degree of tension below the surface – of course, tempers flared between the two last night once more.
Looking for a chink in Spain’s armour has proved difficult in the past, but perhaps their biggest weakness is the fact that the large majority of their starting line-up hails from the big two in Spain. Their biggest downfall in the future could prove to be themselves. Of the starting eleven that took to the field for last summer’s World Cup final, only Villarreal’s Joan Capdevilla played for a club other than Barca or Real.
It has become abundantly clear that these ties have taken on a level of personal hostility. A strong will to win is what defines the good from the great, and in Barcelona and Real Madrid we have unquestionably the two greatest sides on the planet, both of which aren’t avert to using the games darker arts to attain an edge over their opponents.
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An interesting footnote to the duopoly of the Spanish game will be how Del Bosque manages to salvage any semblance of team unity going into Spain’s next set of fixtures, for the acrimony that these ties have ignited shows no signs of abating any time soon.
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On Easter Monday, Swindon Town became the first club to be relegated from League One this season. A 3-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday confirmed their place in League Two next term, a feat that few would have predicted at the start of the season – following their success in the previous campaign.
Little under a year ago, Swindon were just 90 minutes away from the Championship, after a 1-0 defeat to Millwall in the play-off final saw the Robins narrowly miss out on promotion from League One. But, fans remained confident that the club would mount a similar promotion charge this season. So why is it Swindon now find themselves exiting the division in the wrong direction?
The club were dealt an early blow in the summer when top-scorer Billy Paynter turned down a new deal in favour of a move to newly-promoted Leeds. However, the club did keep hold of his striker partner Charlie Austin, who had been a sensation since joining from non-league Poole Town the previous year. Along with this, Togo striker Thomas Dossevi was brought in to help fill the void Paynter had left.
Poor start to the season
A disappointing start to the season saw the club without a win in the league until mid-September, a run which had seen Swindon drop into the relegation zone. However, two wins in two weeks against Southampton (one being in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy) reminded everyone of their promotion credentials. Wins against Walsall and Huddersfield saw them move further up the table.
But, in what seemed to be a very stop-start early season, they went on to suffer two defeats in a week – to Plymouth and Dagenham and Redbridge. After another JPT win against Torquay, they went on to beat Bristol Rovers. However, this was followed by a four-match winless streak in the league, a run which saw them plummet down the league.
After an FA Cup win against Plymouth, they dropped out of the JPT after losing on penalties to Brentford. But, a win in early November against Colchester saw them pull out of the bottom four. Again, they could not build on this and had to wait until December for their next win.
On the end of a giantkilling
An undoubted low-point of the season was the defeat to non-league Crawley in the FA Cup. After an initial draw away from home, the Blue Square Bet Premier side won 3-2 in extra time at the County Ground. Luckily, the bad weather moved in and gave the club a bit of time to regroup over the Christmas period. A 1-1 draw with Peterborough rounded off 2010.
After a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on New Year’s Day, the Robins recorded an impressive 4-2 win away at high-flying Charlton, helped by a brace from top-scorer Charlie Austin. Although the fans were hopeful of a 2011 revival, little did they know that this would be the last time they tasted victory until April.
Disappointing defeats to Oldham, Yeovil Bristol Rovers saw the club on the brink of the relegation zone. The club decided to sell promising defender Sean Morrison to Reading and, following the 0-0 draw with Tranmere, top-scorer Charlie Austin left to join Burnley.
Post-Austin
This proved a pivotal point in the season. Looking back over results from the point they sold Austin proves it. While Austin was at the club, the scored 37 league goals – since his departure, they have managed just 11 goals. The last thing you want to do when battling relegation is sell your main source of goals!
In an attempt to fill the huge gap left by Austin, boss Danny Wilson brought in Elliot Benyon from Torquay on transfer deadline day. Despite this, February proved to be as disappointing for the club and things seemed to get worse. From the six games they played, Swindon managed to pick up just a single point – courtesy of a late Benyon equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Rochdale. The club also found themselves stuck in the relegation zone, with just a brief escape post-Southampton defeat thanks to superior goal difference.
With the club looking at a desperate battle to avoid the drop to League Two, boss Wilson decided enough was enough and resigned on March 2. The club wasted no time in replacing him, bringing in experienced head Paul Hart, who had helped Crystal Palace survive in the Championship the previous season.
The failed Hart transplant
However, the Hart-factor came to no avail as March offered little more in hope of avoiding the drop. A 0-0 draw with Walsall in early March saw the club re-enter the bottom four – a place they would fail to leave for the rest of the season. The Robins went on to pick up a further two points that month, thanks to draws with Dagenham and Redbridge and Huddersfield.
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With desperation and panic truly set in at the club, they were given a glimmer of hope when recent loan signing Calvin Andrew scored the winner at Brentford – their first win since the turn of the year. However, the damage had already been done and three games later they would find themselves relegated.
Consecutive home defeats to MK Dons and Notts County left the club on the brink of relegation to League Two – something that was finally confirmed by a loss at Hillsborough on Easter Monday. Fans of the club would probably accept it had been inevitable and just a matter of time.
So where does that leave Swindon now? Paul Hart has departed, chairman Andrew Fitton has resigned – things do look bleak for the Robins. All fans can hope for is a positive end to the season, with both Oldham and Tranmere still to play.
But let this be a lesson to other clubs who fail in the play-offs this season. One year you may find yourself just missing out on bigger and better things, but the next you would give an arm and a leg to be in that position again. Just ask Leeds fans, they suffered the same fate a few years ago.
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Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has paid tribute to his team-mates after breaking the La Liga goal-scoring record on Saturday.The Portugal star was on the scoresheet twice, taking his season tally to 40, as his side romped to an 8-1 thrashing of the relegated Almeria.
Ronaldo’s tally bettered the 38 goals scored by Hugo Sanchez (1989/90) and Telmo Zarra (1950/51).
“The only reason I have scored so many goals is because of my team-mates and I am extremely appreciative. The Pichichi (Trophy) is for them and the fans,” Ronaldo, 26, said.
“I am generous with my team-mates and they are generous with me. I wouldn’t have scored 40 goals in La Liga without them.”
No player has won consecutive Pichichi Trophies since Sanchez won four in a row from 1984/85 to 1987/88.
But Ronaldo did not rule out matching his feat and said he was delighted the team finished the season with such a big win.
“We are happy to end this season in this fashion. It isn’t easy to score 102 goals, so hats off to my team-mates,” he said.
“The coach wanted to end the season with a lot of goals in order to start the next one with ambition and we did.”
“It will be hard to score this many goals again, but nothing is impossible and I will work hard to do it.”
Assistant coach Aitor Karanka hailed Ronaldo for his season.
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s numbers are astounding. He is talented, strong and ambitious. He broke the record because he is simply amazing,” he said.
Dignitaries arriving at the FIFA congress in Zurich on Tuesday have said little on the controversy surrounding football’s governing body.Allegations of corruption surrounding several high-profile executive committee members have erupted in the lead-up to Wednesday’s presidential election, with AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam withdrawing his candidacy shortly before his suspension over allegations of bribery.
FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has also been suspended, while questions have been raised on the way the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Incumbent Sepp Blatter is now the only nomination for president, and he received backing from Hungarian Football Federation president Sandor Csanyi when addressing reporters as he made his way into the congress.
Csanyi was, however, reluctant to elaborate on the scandal rocking FIFA.
“I’ve only just arrived and I wouldn’t like to talk about it,” he said.
“I just heard (the election won’t be postponed). I support Mr Blatter.”
“I think (it should go ahead). Definitely.”
It was more than reporters got from Task-Force Football 2014 member Sir Bobby Charlton, who was far happier to talk of retired Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.
“I only heard today that he’s retiring,” the former United captain said.
“I think that we’ve tried as hard as well as we could (to keep him), but he’s his own man. He’s a great player and he will be badly missed.”
“He’s instinctive, really. He makes his mind up instantly. He’s got fantastic peripheral vision. He can see everything, even though he’s not looking that way. Brilliant player though.”
“Well he will (stay on as coach), which he’ll be very good at too.”
When quizzed on the trouble at FIFA, however, Charlton was less forthcoming: “I said I was going to speak about Paul Scholes. You ask FIFA,” he said.
Liverpool have confirmed that right-back Glen Johnson has signed a new contract extension with the club, but have not revealed the finer details of how many extra years have been agreed.
The England international has been a regular in the Anfield side’s first team since moving from Portsmouth in 2009, and the new deal is of delight to his employers.
We are absolutely delighted,” director of football Damien Comolli told the club’s official website. “It was easy to find an agreement because he wanted to stay and we wanted him to stay.
“We are very pleased he wants to commit long-term, and I think he was pleased we went to him and asked him to.”
Comolli is hoping for many more years with the ex-Chelsea defender at the club and feels he can still improve as a player.
“His best years are to come. Very often defenders peak between 26 and 31, so he is just entering into those years where a maturity comes in and his knowledge of the game gets better and better. We are happy his long-term future is at Liverpool.
“It’s obvious when you watch him play his technical ability is second to none. Physically he is absolutely fantastic as well and his fitness level is great. Towards the end of last season he showed how versatile he is by playing at left-back or right-back – mostly at left-back – and was outstanding.
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“For us he is a great asset to have around. As we’ve always said, we don’t want to sell our best players or sell our assets, and as long as the players are happy to be here, we’re happy to commit to them,” the former Tottenham executive concluded.
The deal comes in quick succession to news that Liverpool have agreed a fee with Blackpool for Scottish international Charlie Adam.
As the new season draws ever closer, thoughts already begin to turn towards who will be in the running at both ends of the table come next May. Sir Alex Ferguson has already been made to field questions over who will be the strongest challengers this season, and he trotted out the same stock answer of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool… and Manchester City?
This is the same manager who for the past two seasons has written City off as title contenders, dismissed their plans for financial domination and described them as a, “small club with a small mentality.” Ouch.
So why the change of tune? Well, Sir Alex was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a defeat which has apparently ignited Mancini’s men, being the 1-0 semi-final defeat at Wembley in April. This enabled the Eastlands club to head back to London and win their first major trophy for 35 years, and Ferguson believes this is the spark that they needed to go on and challenge for more.
But is the Manchester United manager right to fear his (geographically) closest rivals?
Let’s look at last season. If ever there was a chance to usurp their trophy-laden rivals it would have been last year, with nobody running away with the title or even looking like they wanted to win it. In the end they finished 3rd, level on points with Chelsea but with an inferior goal difference, and 9 points behind Manchester United. So they achieved their goal of Champions League qualification. They picked up 43 points at home, winning 13 of their 19 matches, but only 28 away from the newly-christened Etihad Stadium, so maybe they need to improve their away form to close the gap to the top.
But the real area that they lost points last season was in matches against their title rivals. Out of a potential total of 18 they only picked up 5, two draws with Arsenal and United and a win over Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side picked up 10 points in the same fixtures, suggesting that the difference between the two sides in these matches could be crucial. Were Manchester City able to improve in these fixtures this season, they could offer a real test to United’s ability to retain the title.
This season’s transfer targets have looked to address the issues in the squad from last season. The defence looked exposed and thin on the ground at times, and Mancini has brought in Stefan Savic to solve this problem. With Wayne Bridge looking to be heading out, Gael Clichy has been drafted in to provide competition for Aleksandar Kolarov, and so Mancini appears to have achieved his goal of having two quality players for every position.
The question still remains as to whether or not Carlos Tevez will remain in Manchester for the coming season following his failed return to Corinthians, so there is still potentially business to be done by Sheikh Mansour. Sergio Aguero’s name has been the most strongly-linked to replace his fellow countryman, and this would be a fairly like-for-like as transfers go. If Edin Dzeko can rediscover the form that made him so sought-after in January and Balotelli can continue to develop, the addition of Aguero would do nothing but strengthen an already impressive strike force.
Ferguson’s comments are cleverly timed with the Charity Shield Derby fast approaching, and he will hope his words will increase the pressure on Mancini’s men. But even if this is a case of mind-games, there is clearly truth in what he says. Manchester City will be contenders next season.
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Chelsea striker Fernando Torres says he has settled at his new club and is ready to kick-start his career at Stamford Bridge.The Spanish forward endured a miserable four months after his 50 million-pound move from English Premier League rivals Liverpool in January, during which time he scored just one goal in 18 appearances.
After winning the 2010 World Cup with Spain, Torres’ 10 goals in the 2010/11 campaign was well down on his previous seasons.
But he is eyeing a return to the form that made him one of the league’s best strikers.
“It was a difficult four months for me last season but now I am settled and really happy,” he said on Monday.
“It’s a new start for me and I am feeling sharper and fitter.”
The 27-year-old implied that fatigue from several consecutive years of non-stop football had taken its toll, as he spoke happily of enjoying some long-awaited rest this summer.
“After five years without a break I could finally enjoy my holiday this summer so I am happier after a rest and some time with my family,” he said.
“Now I am feeling good and ready to start the new season.”
Last season in brief: A season where I would have been happy to just avoid relegation and stay in the Championship so we can start rebuilding again, however after being so close to the top and throwing it away in some games (think relegated Preston at home!) Finishing just outside the players felt deflating. Had some good results though to prove we can compete including the double over comfortable winners QPR.
2010/2011 Final Finish: 7th- on the face of it a good return to the Championship with Norwich exceeding expectations to achieve back to back promotions. It could have been so much better if we had managed to stop conceding silly goals as we scored plenty at the other end.
Who’s New: Paul Rachubka, Michael Brown, Andy Lonergan and Monty Gimpel.
Who’s Out: who isn’t!?! Schmeichel, Kilkenny, Johnson, Naylor, Higgs with Eric Lihaj, George McCartney, David Gonzalez and Sanchez Watt all had loan spells end. Also Bessone and Grella have been told they can leave.
Who to Watch: the attacking four of Snodgrass, Becchio, Gradel and Howson (providing we keep them all!) would be the obvious ones if they can re-create their form of last season. I am keen to see Ramon Nunez get a bit more of chance, he did well for Scunthorpe at the end of last season and has looked live in pre-season by all accounts. Monty Gimpel is another one- he apparently turned down Liverpool and Chelsea to sign for us so he must have some talent, although I am not sure how many games he will feature in.
Who’s going up: I can’t look any further then West Ham and Leicester to get the automatic promotion places, they both have good squads already and have strengthened with some very good signings. The battle for the play-offs should be interesting though and I can see that being between Leeds, Southampton, Burnley, Reading, Ipswich and Birmingham. Also Hull had a good run at the end of last season so if they can build on that they could be up there.
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Who’s going down: 3 from Doncaster, Peterborough, Coventry or Barnsley. I can see a suprise for relegation this season with the league being stronger.
Where will you finish: I would be happy with a play-off finish I think this season so that there is some improvement on last season, although I do think the league is a lot stronger this year than last so it will certainly be a massive achievement for anyone who manages to progress into the promised land of the Premiership. I am happy with the changes so far, although doing the maths 11 players out and only 4 in must leave us a bit short on strength in depth in order to be able to compete in games, especially in the busy Christmas period. I would also like a decent performance against a Premier League club in the FA Cup like the last couple of season, not necessarily beating one of the big teams but giving a show of ourselves to prove we can do it- in fairness although a cup run is great I don’t think our current squad would be able to cope. I think a lot of our season rests on our attacking prowess being up to the same standard as last year whilst strengthening at the back as well, if we manage that then I could see us breaking into the top 2.
With finances tight in the modern day Premier League the ability to loan players has taken on greater significance.
Transfer fees, wages, agent fees and bonuses are rapidly inflating every year making permanent transfers for some clubs not even an option. Loaning players on the other hands can prove to be a cheap, short term solution for a few months or the entire season.
Now this list is probably going to be littered with Manchester City rejects who aren’t wanted by Roberto Mancini. But they do have some quality players kicking their heels in the reserve squad waiting for a club to come in and save them. In fact the Premier League is streaming with players who are too costly to buy permanently but just within budget to bring in temporarily.
For the most part it’s promoted teams or those that continually hover in mid-table downwards that look to loan players to help out when transfers become a little too costly or all the money is blown on an expensive foreign import.
However there is evidence to suggest loans actually work for both players and clubs. Bolton Wanderers are testament to that after they signed Jack Wilshere and Daniel Strurridge on loan in consecutive seasons. Wilshere signed in January 2010 for the rest of the season and his performances at the Reebok Stadium catapulted him to England stardom. The same goes for Sturridge after a similar loan spell last season saw him notch eight goals in 12 games and is now considered one of the best strikers in the top flight.
Obviously there are loans that haven’t worked out but lets not get into that as i’m trying to stay positive here. Okay, i’ll mention Patrick M’Boma at Sunderland but thats it!
To summarise, loan players are a marvellous quick fix for any side but don’t overload on them! For me they are like Mars Bars. One is superb but eat too many and disaster will strike.
Click on Daniel Sturridge to see the top 10 players for hire
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