AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri has called for his men to relax ahead of their Champions League second-leg match against Spurs.Milan will have to overturn a 1-0 deficit at White Hart Lane on Wednesday, after a highly charged first leg at the San Siro that saw several heavy challenges and an ugly confrontation between the Serie A club’s skipper Gennaro Gattuso and Spurs assistant coach Joe Jordan.Allegri wants his men to go into the round-of-16 clash relaxed, claiming that worrying about the scoreline will be detrimental to their chances of progression to the quarter-finals.”I’m quite calm, it also could be harmful if we go into a match feeling too tense,” Allegri said. “We need to remain as calm as possible, but being aware of the importance of every match that we play from now right up until the end of the season.” “We also need to be aware that Wednesday’s match is decisive in terms of remaining in the competition. We will think about Sunday’s match (a Serie A clash with Bari) from Thursday morning onwards.””Of course we are aware of the fact they’re strong and have 25 excellent players. They’re doing very well in the (English) Premier League.”Allegri said he would not spend too much time worrying about Welsh winger Gareth Bale – who is only rated a 50-50 chance of starting the match as he recovers from a back injury – claiming Spurs have plenty of talent across the whole pitch.”We know Bale is an important player, a player with both physical and technical qualities. He has improved a lot this season,” he said. “But I believe there is more to Tottenham than Gareth Bale. They’re a team made up of many excellent players with excellent technical skills, in the midfield and up front in particular.”
February 2011 marked the ten year anniversary of the ENIC leadership of Tottenham. What I look back on today is what Daniel Levy, managing director of ENIC, has done for this club. The job of a football chairman is in many ways a poisoned chalice. Chairmen are criticised for their decisions based on short-term effects when they have made them for a long-term impact; this is true of Daniel Levy’s management.
As I write this, Tottenham are placed fifth in the Premier League table and are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. This season has been one of their best for the last twenty years. In that sense Daniel Levy has got the fans to where they all wanted to be, but it has not been an easy ride. Here are some of the most important aspects of Levy’s reign that, at the time, might seem incorrect, but have proved to be astute decisions.
Director of Football Role
Before Arnesan and Comolli, Tottenham had been used to buying players like Chris Perry, Rebrov and Tim Sherwood. These signings were all very much reactive in the sense that players would fill a hole for a season or two. Under this transfer policy the club were not going anywhere. The director of football role got Tottenham planning for future success; that success in now being realised and Daniel Levy can take credit for that.
Under Frank Arnesen, Tottenham bought players like Carrick (£3m), Lennon (£1.5m) and Defoe (£7m). Then under Damien Comolli, players like Bale, Berbatov and Modric. If you look at the personnel bought under the ‘director of football’, almost all have developed into very good players. Occasionally, they might not have produced their best football for Tottenham, but they have been sold for more than they were bought for. The director of football role might have had a short-term negative impact on the way the team played on the pitch, but the long term results are there for all to see and importantly it brought a change in attitude to spending at White Hart Lane.
Sacking of Jol
Arguably the most controversial decision Daniel Levy made was sacking Martin Jol. Levy received a lot of criticism for the manner in which he sacked Martin Jol. Jol may have been a genuinely nice guy and popular amongst of the Tottenham fans, but the fact was that Jol did not have the capabilities to take Tottenham to the level that Levy wanted. He may have never let anyone down, but I don’t think Martin Jol would have led Tottenham to break into the top four and beyond, at least not consistently. Levy is ambitious and ruthless and while this may have meant that Jol was mistreated, in the end it appears to be the right decision.
[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]
Stadium Move
Levy has recently come under criticism for planning a move away from White Hart Lane to Stratford. Many have labelled this as ripping the heart out of the club. Much has already been written on this and will be fresh in people’s memories, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Tottenham need to increase their stadium capacity if they are going to regularly compete for a Champions League spot. Levy’s ambition to make Tottenham into a club that regularly finishes in the top four, may at times unsettle fans, but his desire to move stadium is based on the long term future of the club and is not just a get rich quick scheme.
Financial Management
There are benefits that Levy has brought to White Hart lane that I have not had room to go into detail in here. For example the club’s wage structure meaning that it runs at a relatively low debt. Tottenham’s spending has meant that they are not now in tatters like for example Portsmouth or West Ham. Importantly, Levy he has not invested huge amounts of borrowed money like some of the other foreign investors in the Premier League (Liverpool and Manchester United) and he is not relying purely on the money of ENIC to fund the expenses of the club (Chelsea and Manchester City). In fact, after Arsenal, Tottenham is, financially, the best run club in England.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In truth, Daniel Levy’s legacy will be judged by more than just one season. If he is to go down as a legend, Tottenham will have to maintain the standards they have set in the last two seasons. But considering the ambition and desire he has shown in the last ten years, there is no reason to expect Tottenham to fade away. In ten years he has taken Tottenham from a struggling club to one of the top clubs in the country. Tottenham now play exciting football under a great manager, have some of the most exciting talent in the country (as well as some awesome youth prospects) and all at a comparably low debt. Huge credit must go to Daniel Levy for this.
If you want to join Joe in applauding Daniel Levy you can do so on twitter.
Santos Laguna striker Darwin Quintero has had a six-game ban for violent conduct reduced to four on appeal.The Mexican Football Federation’s disciplinary committee, which handed the Colombian international the initial suspension on Monday, reduced the ban on Friday on appeal from Santos.
“After analysing the evidence supplied by the club, in the second sanction it is clear the hit made by Darwin Quintero is not violent so it is reduced to one match (from three),” the federation said in a statement.
Quintero had been given two bans of three matches each after being sent off in the 71st minute of Santos’ 3-0 win over Cruz Azul last Saturday when he headbutted opponent Christian Gimenez.
Quintero, 23, said he had reacted to being racially abused by Rogelio Chavez, an accusation the Cruz Azul defender has denied.
Quintero will miss four of the remaining five matches in the round-robin phase of the Clausura championship including Saturday’s visit to title holders Monterrey, returning against Estudiantes UAG on Aril 29.
Santos have also lost goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez, a 37-year-old veteran of three World Cups, for the rest of the season with a broken toe following an accident at home, the team’s coach Diego Cocca said.
Santos, runners-up to Monterrey in the Apertura in the first half of the season, are fifth in Group One, 10 points adrift of leaders Tigres UANL and seven behind Monterrey.
The top two teams in each of the three groups plus the next two best-placed teams in the overall standings go through to the knockout phase.
This season the Premier League has proven to be one of the most tightly contested since it’s inauguration. With four games to go until the end of the season there is only nine points separating ninth placed Newcastle to bottom placed West Ham.
The race for fourth place is still wide open, with Liverpool’s resurgence under Kenny Dalglish adding them to the mix along with Tottenham and Man City. Arsenal’s failure to beat Bolton on Sunday has all but ended their title hopes and the title looks to be heading to Old Trafford. However, with the budding Champions still to play Arsenal and Chelsea the Blues are still in contention. So with everything to play for in all areas of the league I have compiled a list of the top ten players I think have contributed towards this ultra competitive season. These ten players are the surprise packages of the season.
The players who we maybe didn’t know much about, or who have excelled and made us stand up and take notice of them. You may disagree with some of my choices or think I have overlooked a player so feel free to throw your own choices in…..
Click on Peter Odemwingie below to see the 10 surprise packages
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Arsene Wenger has been left frustrated by his Arsenal’s team latest failure to sustain their challenge for major honours at home and abroad.Arsenal are in action at home to Aston Villa on Sunday, but they would prefer to be contesting the FA Cup final at Wembley the day before.
Wenger’s side bowed out of the competition against Manchester United in the quarter-finals.
They had already suffered a shock defeat to Birmingham in the League Cup final, before also exiting the Champions League against Barcelona for the second successive season.
And a run of frustrating results saw the north London side drop out of contention for the English Premier League title yet again.
“We just felt we could not get over the line,” Wenger said.
“We want to analyse why that was.”
“It is very frustrating for us because we were very close in every competition. We feel very flat because we wanted to be involved in the FA Cup final this weekend.”
“We do not feel that we under-performed overall because we were in the Carling Cup Final, the quarter-final of the FA Cup against Manchester United, we lost three days after Barcelona, so we produced quality games and at the end of the day there are objective signs for us that show we have the quality.”
Boasting some of the more impressive statistics in the Premier League, Wenger believes his team are agonisingly close to finally turning potential into prizes.
“We are the best team in the league away from home and we have the best defence in open play,” he said.
“We feel we have made up some of the gap between us and the top teams from the seasons before – we are top of the league in the top four of Man United, Chelsea and Man City. So we have every reason to be frustrated.”
Wenger thinks Arsenal could still overhaul Chelsea and claim second place, provided other results go their way in the final two matches.
“We can still catch the second place and we can finish second, third or fourth, depending on our results.”
“Of course we want to finish in the top three and if possible second. It is not unrealistic to finish second when you are just three points behind.”
“If Man City can want third place because they are only two points behind, so it’s open.”
Midfielders Cesc Fabregas (thigh) and Samir Nasri (hamstring) are doubts for Villa’s visit to the Emirates Stadium.
Defender Laurent Koscielny (thigh) and midfielders Abou Diaby (calf) and Tomas Rosicky (thigh) are all out.
Mick McCarthy described Wolves’ 3-1 win at home to West Brom as ‘a huge result’, but knows his team are still two matches away from safety.A Steven Fletcher brace and Adlene Guedioura’s volley secured what could prove to be three vital points at Molineux, as Wolves climbed out of the English Premier League relegation zone.
They are now one point clear of Blackpool and Wigan and three ahead of bottom side West Ham, with matches away to Sunderland and at home against Blackburn still to come.
“It is a huge result,” McCarthy told Sky Sports.
“But as I have said it is May 22 when it counts, so it a great result and we are out of the bottom three and we want to stay out of the bottom three but we have two huge games to play.”
Set-pieces proved to the difference in the match, with both of Wolves’ two first-half goals coming from corner kicks.
Guedioura’s strike in particular will have left West Brom boss Roy Hodgson scratching his head, with the Algeria midfielder left completely unmarked barely a metre out from the goal-line.
“I would like to think we are good at corners, but Roy will think they did not defend, but re-starts are a big part of the game,” McCarthy said.
“There were times when we had to keep the ball and we did get at them, but they are safe and they could do damage to us, so we had to get into their faces and see who wanted to win more, but they did put us under pressure in the second half.”
Hodgson was proud of his beaten players for keeping up the fight, despite going 3-0 down with nothing left to play for this season.
“We had a lot of opportunities in their box and did our level best to get back from 3-1 down, which I don’t think many teams would have done at this stage of the season when they’re safe and they’ve got the beach to look forward, and there’s no question of that,” Hodgson said.
It’s that time of the year when the seasons are winding down. On one end there are dreams being realised and at the other there are hearts broken. There is safety in avoiding the drop and euphoria at being counted amongst the collective ‘elite’ in next season’s competitions.
In the all-encompassing emotional rollercoaster that is World Football, it would not be complete without the transfer rumour mill doing its bit to pull at the heartstrings once more. Your favourite player is linked with a move away from the club after declaring his undying love and kissing the badge all season long; the manager is looking to spend the whole season’s budget on one player; the squad needs more depth; the squad needs more youth; the debt needs reducing; the sponsors are packing it in… It’s everywhere!
Speculation is always rife in the upper echelons of football royalty and as usual it’s chief amongst the ‘Big Four’ who will now be three, the ‘Big Two’ in Spain, Ze Germans, and even to some extent the French…everybody is getting in on the action. Closer to home though, this is the time we will hear a host of football star names linked with Chelsea Football Club and one such names that has made many appearances in recent weeks is that of Romelu Lukaku.
Who is this, you may ask, having NEVER heard of the kid until he was linked with the biggest names in European football. He is the 17 year old wunderkind from BELGIUM! If you are sensing a little bit of tongue-in-cheek there, you are not mistaken. Something about wunderkind and Belgium and Anderlecht that brings a wry smile, but let’s have a look at where this all comes from.
With a hefty price tag, the Belgian ‘sensation’ has been dubbed ‘The New Drogba’ and so having known the old Drogba over his career, particularly with the Blues it was easy to look at this youngster and make that comparison. So in digging a little deeper to see what the fuss was about I have to admit that, he is a little Drogba-esque to some extent. Actually, not little at all. At 6’3” the 17yr old is just as likely to take on the Klitschko brothers (yes, both of them).
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]
He looks more on the money to knock Pacquiao out in 6 rounds than Floyd Mayweather. His 6’3” frame is coupled with pace off the mark, being good in the air, leading the line as a lone striker, a not too shabby first touch and after a quick turn he can rifle those shots in with some aplomb. So far so good, pretty much like the old or should I say CURRENT Drogba. We’ll tick that box.
So here’s this 17yr old with less than a handful of international caps being touted as someone to lead the line in years to come. In as much as there has been some positive talks about him coming out of Belgium, it’s exactly that isn’t it: Belgium. And that already leaves me with room for doubt.
Too long have a litany of ‘star’ players come from leagues where they have shone and as soon as they leave for the British shores they falter considerably, like Adrian Mutu, Helder Postiga, Massimo Taibi (ha ha ha), Claudio Pizzarro and Tomas Brolin to name a few. There’s no guarantee that strikers and midfielders who come from higher reputation leagues will cut it in the Premiership, and many such have failed, and surely coming from a ‘lesser’ league and at that age there is reason to question his signing at that price.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The similarities can be drawn to one young Brazilian whose name has been bandied with Stamford Bridge, and that is Neymar. Like him, Lukaku’s people have been blowing hot and cold on his transfer to London, and it begs the question of the seriousness of this whole debacle.
Will Anderlecht look to cash in on a striker who will not get much better than he already is by staying, and with the names that are in the hat does it justify the inflated price? Or like Drogba, will this youngster prove to be the beast that he is mentioned currently, and bring fear to Premier League defenders like he does in Belgium? Richard Dunne beware!
Fabio Capello admits he cannot find the answers to England’s woes. The Italian boss suggested that fatigue played a major part in the limp display at Wembley and while he may have a point, there should have been enough to beat the Swiss. Stuart Pearce believes that the players shouldn’t hide behind tiredness as an excuse citing that mentally players can force their bodies to do anything.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include; Nasri won’t rule out switch to Man United; Crouch refutes claims that he has quit, while Bobby Zamora urges a quick appointment at Craven Cottage.
*
Capello admits he cannot find answers to England’s woes – Guardian
Warner’s ‘football tsunami’ fails to materialise – Daily Telegraph
Agent Joorabchian says Hughes stepped down to boss at ‘higher level’ – Daily Mail
Nasri won’t rule out switch to Man Utd – Guardian
Tevez: I could leave City if I wanted to – Daily Telegraph
Crouchie: I’m no quitter – Sun
Zamora urges quick appointment for new Fulham boss – Mirror
Chelsea to move for Hiddink this week – Guardian
Bendtner confirms Arsenal departure after growing tired of bit-part role – Daily Mail
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Young: Let me be a Euro star – Sun
United to miss out on Henderson as Sunderland midfielder opts for Anfield – Daily Mail
Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund have snapped up Australian teenager Mustafa Amini from the Central Coast Mariners.The 18-year-old has been linked with a move to Europe for several months with Scottish giants Celtic said to be battling with Dortmund for his signature.
But it was the German club who won out, signing Amini for an undisclosed fee believed to be worth well in excess of the 90,000 pounds.
Amini will remain with the Mariners on a 12-month loan deal, allowing him to represent Australia at the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia before returning to Australia to play in the A-League.
“I’d like to thank Peter Turnbull and Graham Arnold at the Mariners for working on this with Dortmund,” Amini said. “I’m really excited to be joining Dortmund, they’re a big club with amazing supporters.”
“It would be amazing (to play at Dortmund’s 80,000 seat Signal Iduna Park), but first of all I want to have another great season with the Mariners, as well as a good Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.”
Mariners chairman Peter Turnbull was pleased to secure a deal which was beneficial for everyone involved.
“I am pleased we have been able to secure a much improved deal for all parties, and thank Dortmund for their consideration of our requests,” Turnbull said.
“We now have a deal that satisfies everyone. Musti’s international future, the clubs needs and more importantly, the fans.”
“They will now be able to see Musti play out the balance of his original contract plus the Asian Champions League group stage.”
Amini made 23 appearances for Central Coast in his debut season last term, and has been capped by Australia at Under 17, Under 20 and Under 23 level.
We all love a spectacular goal, and since the start of the Premier League back in the 90s, we have seen a fair few stunners. But what would you regard as the greatest Premier League goal of all-time? Would you go for a goal that required a great technique? Is a long-range strike what you’re looking for? Or does it all depend on how important the goal is?
Choosing the best Premier League goal of all-time is too great a task for one man, so we’ve gone all democratic and decided to give you the fans the final say! There will be no coalition here, just one great goal that has received the most votes. There’s no way you can remember all of the great goals that the Premier League has seen, so we’ve even got some videos to jog your memory. Simply watch a bundle of great strikes and then vote for the greatest Premier League goal ever!
Click on the image to see the contenders – ENJOY
[divider]
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.