The two managers involved in this clash both share mutual ground in that they are desperate to get their ailing sides back on track.
The Magpies languish in 14th placing after only managing to pick up 17 points from 16 games and have failed win in 5 of their last 6 Premier league outings.
Alan Pardew did not mix his words when his side slumped to their latest defeat against Fulham on Monday night saying “It’s no good having great performances at Stoke and here (at Craven Cottage), but not getting anything out of it”.
The Lunchtime kick off at St. James’ Park could provide some relief for the home side with them managing to secure four league victories for Newcastle.
Man City also have reason to feel that it is not all doom and gloom as they travel to Tyneside. They remain unbeaten on their travels having won three and drawn four.
Mancini’s men will be looking to recover for a last gasp 3-2 derby day loss to Manchester United last weekend and now trail their bitter rivals by six points.
Pardew will hoping that Ben Arfa returns to full fitness ahead of this clash, whilst they still have permanent absentees in the shape of Obertan, Ryan Taylor, Steven Taylor and Yohan Cabaye.
City are waiting on the verdict of the FA on Gareth Barry following an allegation of abusing a match official during the derby day defeat.
Roberto Mancini will be hoping that Vincent Kompany has recovered too after limping off after 21 minutes in the same game.
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Most expect Carlos Tevez to start from the off after being left on the bench, as Mario Balotelli was preferred last time out.
If Newcastle can hang on till half time they would be buoyed by the stat that 33% of their goals have come in the 15 minutes just after the break, a higher percentage than any other team in the league.
Sam Allardyce has confessed to being in the dark regarding Mohamed Diame’s future and admits the midfielder could leave West Ham this month, the Metro understand.
The Senegal midfielder has revitalised his career at Upton Park since joining on a free transfer from Premier League rivals Wigan in the summer, but has been tipped to leave the Hammers ever since it was revealed his contract contained a £3.5million release clause.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with an approach for the 25-year-old, while Tottenham have now entered the fold after they lost Sandro for the rest of the season following knee surgery.
Allardyce admits he is unsure where Diame will be playing his football come the first day of February and confirmed West Ham fans’ worst fears, acknowledging that he could be sold before the transfer deadline on Thursday after talks over a new contract broke down.
“It is total confusion,” said the manager, when quizzed over the player’s future.
“I’m as confused as anyone. I hope we don’t, but we might lose him.”
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It’s believed that Diame will cost his potential suitors £5m in total, when factoring in the release clause and potential agent fees, and he is open to a move to either north London club.
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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is confident that the team can still advance to the last-16 of the Europa League.
The Reds suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Zenit Saint Petersburg in their first-leg clash last week, leaving their hopes of European silverware on a knife-edge.
This result followed a shock home defeat to West Brom in the Premier League, a game in which the Anfield side dominated for vast periods, but were unable to land the killer blow.
However, they bounced back from this with a 5-0 win over Swansea on Sunday, and Lucas feels that this result will help then in their tie with Zenit:
“We started the week thinking it could be a really good week for us.” He is quoted by Sky Sports.
“But we had the defeat to West Brom and then the Europa League loss but we have finished the week off in a positive way by scoring five goals and keeping a clean sheet.
“We know we still have to improve a lot but this victory will give us confidence going into Thursday to try to get through against Zenit.”
Although they were beaten in Russia, Liverpool created numerous chances during the 90 minutes, and were slightly unfortunate to concede two goals, which came in the space of three second-half minutes.
Lucas believes that if they match that level of performance this Thursday they still have a chance of booking a spot in the next round:
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“With the way we played over there, we created a lot of chances, if we do that again and take them then we’ll have a great chance of getting through to the next stage.
“We have to make sure we go with a positive and offensive mentality but knowing that if we concede it’s going to be very hard.”
Nicklas Bendtner needs to take a step down and get his career back on track, according to Hamburg Sporting Director Frank Arnesen.
The idea of playing at one of Europe’s big, glamour clubs was too much to resist for the Danish striker, even if he’s only started three games for Juventus. Bendtner’s time at Arsenal wasn’t filled with spells of prolific excellence in front of goal, either. When once he was out of the line-up for an extended period of time in 2010, the Legend of Bendtner was created, allowing Arsenal supporters to value him far higher than his actual worth. In fairness, it was during a spell where Andrey Arshavin was chosen as the team’s centre-forward, flanked by players like Tomas Rosicky and Samir Nasri, so the demand for a natural striker, even if it was only Bendtner, was understandable.
The young striker was never able to build on arguably his finest moment in the red of Arsenal, scoring the winner in the North London Derby immediately after coming on as a sub. There was a sense of entitlement about Bendtner; one that stretched far beyond comments about him being one of Europe’s best forwards. There was very little work ethic about his game, possibly based on the assumption that he was deserving of a place in the starting XI and that the team were fortunate to have him leading the line.
But Arsenal didn’t want him, and nor did Sunderland and now Juventus. Taking it down a notch is one of the few obvious avenues left for the forward to explore, where there is still sure to be a large queue of clubs around Europe keen on his services.
It’s hard work and the desire to play football as well. It’s not just about landing at a club in Europe, no matter their stature, and expecting the best. Bendtner has looked very good for the majority of games he’s played for the Danish national side, which is more than enough to suggest there is a good player in there. Yet it’s the attitude of the modern youngster which holds him back; the image he wants to portray that he’s made it in the game and that everyone else seems to misunderstand him.
Yes, maybe he should have left Arsenal a few seasons ago. Bendtner is a player of international quality and with the experience of having played at the highest level of club football. But has he ever looked like a player who belongs at the pinnacle of the European game bar a few promising moments?
Borussia Dortmund were rumoured to have come close to signing the forward last summer and could once again line up Bendtner as one of the players to replace Robert Lewandowski’s production at Signal Iduna Park. However, will Bendtner grab the opportunity with both hands and count himself fortunate that he’s once again landed at one of Europe’s top clubs? Will he thrive under the prospect of silverware in Jurgen Klopp’s side? Will he show a little more willingness to perform well in Dortmund’s pressing game?
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You never get the sense that Bendtner is of the maturity to accept when he’s doing things wrong. He won’t accept that a step down is best for his career and longevity in the game. As always, it’s everyone else’s fault – not his.
Fulham boss Martin Jol believes that his team can build on their 3-2 victory over QPR on Monday night to finish the season in the top-half of the Premier League table.
The Cottagers’ win moved them onto 39 points, all but ending fears of relegation to the second tier with nine points separating them from the bottom three.
They also maintained tenth position with the result, moving them to within one point of Swansea in ninth.
Jol is confident that his team will be in the top tier again next term and has now switched his focus to moving up the table:
“Everyone tells me that in England 39/40 points will do and I have worked here for five or six seasons and in one or two seasons 37/38 points was enough and we have got 39 points now and hopefully we will be fine, but in this league you never know,” he told Sky Sports.
“We have got 39 points now so hopefully we can look up now and get as high as possible.”
Fulham have performed admirably this term, with star performers such as Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey leaving Craven Cottage over the summer months.
Jol admitted that he was expecting a tough campaign and that he is delighted with the points tally his side have amassed:
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“We lost [Clint] Dempsey, [Mousa] Dembele, Danny Murphy and I thought it could be a difficult season for us but in the first week in April to be on 39 points I think is fantastic.”
I had originally intended to write this blog and had planned it all out before Luis Suarez decided to chow down on Branislav Ivanovic’s arm. Alas, we digress and it gives more argument and debate to the following blog.
Despite what drama circulates Luis Suarez, it is clear to see the boy has incredible talent. Spellbinding footwork, excellent dribbling and a deathly finish. The Uruguayan has had his best season for Liverpool, scoring 23 goals and grabbing 8 assists in 33 Premier League games. A form which has seen him nominated for PFA Player of the Year. With his unique playing style Suarez has built up a dangerous reputation. Suarez’s stats for Uruguay are just as impressive with a total of 31 goals in just 62 games. Suarez embeds a technique where he tends to turn and run into players rather than dribbling round them. This without speaking the obvious, terrifies defenders, all Suarez needs is a lucky bounce or a deflection and he’s away with his electrifying pace.
With all the praise Suarez deserves for his incredible skills, there is still a very ugly side to his personality. Almost like the Jekyll and Hyde of football. Here is a list of the controversies Luis Suarez has been involved with:
2007: Suarez makes his senior debut for Uruguay and gets sent off in the 85th minute after receiving two yellow cards.
2007: In his first season for Ajax, Suarez was fine for a half-time altercation with fellow team-mate Albert Luque.
2010: Historically one of the most recognisable incidents of the 2010 World Cup, Suarez hand balled on the line to stop Ghana scoring in the 90th minute. Rightly Suarez was sent off, however Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty which could have sent Ghana through. Uruguay went on to triumph in the penalty shoot out and proceeded into the Semi-Finals.
2010: Suarez was banned for 7 games in the Dutch league for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal in a domestic match.
2011: After a month long investigation Suarez was found guilty and charged with racially abusing Manchester United left back Patrice Evra. Suarez was fined £40,000 and given an 8 match ban.
2013: In the 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Chelsea, Suarez was involved in a tangle with Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic, in which he bit down on Ivanovic’s right arm. The incident was not seen by the referee and Suarez stayed on the pitch. Causing more controversy, Suarez then scored a late goal to level the game. Liverpool went on to fine their Forward for an undisclosed amount and the FA banned him for 10 games.
With the overwhelming evidence shown it’s pretty clear that Suarez has an evil streak within him. Reds defender Jamie Carragher even stated in his column for the Daily Mail that: ‘Rather than hounding him out of the country, shouldn’t we be helping him?’. Liverpool fans, as much as they would prefer Suarez to do the things he does, will also be very quick to forgive and forget. With what he brings to the team, Liverpool will not want to lose him and if Suarez feels like the fans are against him it wouldn’t be too long before he walks. At the age of 26, Suarez is starting to enter the prime of his career, with already impressive statistics next to him name, the question begs how much better can Suarez get?
Working his way up, from club to bigger club Suarez is ready to take the leap to an even bigger club. But where to go? Suarez will not stay in the Premier League after Liverpool, with the reputation he has Suarez will look elsewhere. Three clubs which spring to mind are Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Bayern Munich: Difficult to find where to slot into this impressive side, but Pep Guardiola may look to imbed a striker who will show flair as well as grab assists which is important to the German side. Suarez will certainly find silverware at this club as long as he doesn’t mind being on the bench every now and then.
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Real Madrid: With Cristiano Ronaldo as a linchpin and Benzema and Higuain for goal back up, Real Madrid have a pretty solid outfit. Although with Benzema and Higuain never really sealing full-time positions Suarez could take this role. The rumors are still circulating as to either one of the Real forwards leaving, meaning a position would be vacant. Ronaldo works best behind a forward who he can work with, Suarez definitely has the capability to use his intricate skills to form a deadly frontier with Ronaldo.
Barcelona: For me the most likely out of the destinations. No matter who you have in the squad Messi will still always get you goals but Barcelona need to tie down a solid forward who can also bang them in. With last weeks 4-0 drumming by Bayern Munich and scraping past PSG it’s a big wake up call for the catalan side. David Villa hasn’t managed to tie down a regular start since coming back from injury and increasing speculation about him departing in the summer makes this move the ever more likely.
Suarez does indeed have the world at his feet, but can he take it? More importantly will clubs want to offer him the chance to play there? Suarez needs to show that he isn’t all Mr Hyde and to get his head down and concentrate on his game. If he can do this then Suarez has a very bright future ahead of him. Champions League medals and League winner’s medals await Suarez, time to act your age.
With both clubs already safe Southampton and Stoke shared the points in a low-key end of season encounter at St Mary’s.
Mauricio Pochettino post-match… “I’m satisfied with how the season has gone but I’m a bit disappointed that we haven’t been able to win today and climb positions up the table. We’ve played very well today but as has happened in the last few games, we have played better than the rival teams but we haven’t been able to get the win.”
Tony Pulis post-match… “It was a good game. I thought they created two great chances after half-time which Asmir’s made two great saves from and we’ve had a couple of opportunities second half. But, all in all, it was a boiling day out there and I thought the two sets of players approached it in the right manner.”
Man of the Match…Morgan Schneiderlin: Illustrated why he picked was crowned as Southampton’s Player of the Year with a typically industrious display in front of the defence. Tackled, broke up attacks and ran till his lungs ached for air.
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Flop of the Match…Marc Wilson: Difficult afternoon for the Stoke left back up against the pacey Clyne. Penned into his own half for much of the 70 minutes he was on the field until an injury forced him off.
The start to the season has been somewhat of a mess for Sunderland. They occupy the bottom spot in the Premier League with only one point from their first four games.
The aura of the whole club at the moment is chaotic. Some may say manager Paolo Di Canio doesn’t help with this perception. Brought in as a short term fix to keep Sunderland in the top flight last time around, the long term negative effect of appointing a character such as this now seems to be taking hold and the Italian’s criticism of his players in the aftermath of their game against Crystal Palace on the 31st August compounded the feeling of indifference at the Stadium of Light.
Things just aren’t going well for Sunderland at the moment. They were unlucky not to claim an equaliser at the weekend against Arsenal due to a ridiculous refereeing decision in which he saw no advantage for Jozy Altidore even though the American was through one on one with the keeper.
However, critics will point to more than this in analysing Sunderland’s poor performances so far this campaign. After bringing in no less than 14 summer signings Di Canio recently claimed he needs more new faces. He is probably right, not because 14 isn’t enough – but because the 14 signed are somewhat mediocre players with very little experience of a competition anywhere near the intensity of the Premier League.
This is bound to have unsettled their incumbent players. Sunderland need some genuinely exciting quality in January otherwise it looks certain that they will be embroiled in a second successive relegation battle, with or without Di Canio at the helm.
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Liverpool have been riding high of late. A club that look finally set to re-emerge from the ignominy of Premier League mid-table mediocrity and return to the upper echelons of European football where they surely belong. Indeed the Roger’s revolution has been gathering pace, with many tipping the Anfield club to finally end their exile from the Champions League.
Last weekend though threw a major spanner in the works. Defeat to newly promoted Hull City was one thing, but to be largely outplayed and deserving of a humbling 3-1 reverse is surely of more concern to Rodgers. As good as Hull City were, Liverpool seemed intent on giving their Humberside opponents the impetus to win.
The worry is that there is a gulf emerging between Rodgers’ squad players and the smattering of star studded quality that they currently possess. A Liverpool side with the likes of Suarez, Sturridge and Gerrard in their ranks is a team that could give anyone a match, but without them they seem to be largely devoid of genuine quality.
[cat_link cat=”liverpool” type=”list”]
Going into the busy and often decisive festive period, Rodgers is now increasingly concerned about the depth of his new-look squad. Daniel Sturridge already looks set to miss up to 8 weeks of action with ankle ligament damage, a huge blow for a side that have been dependent on his 11 goals so far this season and who without him lack a genuine out and out frontman. Liverpool were also nursing an injury to Coutinho, who was only able to complete just over 20 minutes for the Reds. Rodgers knows about the fragility of his squad, another injury could put an unbearable strain on his resources and undermine the success of the clubs Champions League charge.
Al this from a side that spent over £50m on players this summer, is Rodgers really being serious?
I think the frailties of the Liverpool squad are there for all to see, Rodgers may well have spent big but for me the problems still run deep. The Northern Irishman inherited a squad that contained a lot of overrated and overhyped footballers, re-addressing the balance was always going to take time. In order to buy he has had to sell, and his purchases have all been with a view to the future. The likes of Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas are not the sort of players to provide genuine quality in reserve just yet, maybe in a few years time.
Liverpool are in a position where they have a few world class players and a large amount of capable players that could possibly develop into something a little better. Most people in and around the club realise that injuries to top players could well destabilise the clubs position and until the side can call upon a greater wealth of talents this situation won’t change.
Many may criticise Rodgers for not spending on proven world-class talents, and I would agree if he had the club may well be better placed going in Christmas. The reality though is that football is a balancing act, the difference between a wafer thin squad and an overburdened one is smaller than you might imagine. Take a club like Spurs that have spent even bigger than Liverpool, and who are now dealing with the ramifications of a mass squad overhaul. Few would doubt that the North Londoners don’t possess quality in abundance, but most would accept that their transition will take time and that a large squad may well pose considerable problems for the manager going forward.
Liverpool never had the chance to make such changes. No big money sale of Suarez and owners that look to be taking a more prudent stance going forward, Rodgers has had to settle for second best with an eye firmly on the future.
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The Anfield club look set to challenge this season, but key to these ambitions is maintaining the fitness of some of their key players. Unlike many of their rivals Liverpool simply don’t have the squad to call upon when they need it, and therefore negotiating the rigours of the winter months may well be telling for the Merseyside club.
A squad too small or one that is perfectly streamlined? Rodgers has a tough task on his hands and those in and around the club will have the fingers firmly crossed for the next few months.
Fulham secured a crucial three points at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 win against Aston Villa, with Steve Sidwell and Dimitar Berbatov providing the finishes, for what could be a really important victory for the West Londoners.
Rene Meulensteen claimed his first victory since becoming Fulham boss and will see this result as a welcome bonus. In their previous outing, at home against Tottenham, they provided an admirable performance with no end product to show for their efforts but they were ruthless her, in their search for only their second home victory in the Premier League this campaign.
In the first half there was a renewed vigour and application, compared to their performances under Martin Jol, from Fulham and when Steve Sidwell managed to strike home from a difficult angle on 21 minutes he set the Cottagers well on their way.
Berbatov knocked the ball down to Dejagah and he slipped a first-time ball through to Sidwell, who made no mistake with the finish, despite being hauled down by Bacuna for his troubles.
The visitors tried to respond through Christian Benteke, who was back in the side, following his demotion to the bench, midweek against Southampton, but to no avail.
Fulham provided a sucker punch only nine minutes later as the superb Dimitar Berbatov slotted home a penalty on 30 minutes.
Kacaniklic went down contentiously from a challenge from Bacuna as he looked to be heading away from goal, but the Bulgarian maestro made no mistake from the resulting spot kick.
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Berbatov had a real steadying influence on his side for the rest of the game. Riise hit the outside of the post and could have put the game beyond doubt, whilst Agbonlahor had a penalty claim denied by Mike Dean, which could have provided a nervy finish.
Fulham are within touching distance of safety as only goal difference separates them from West Ham above them outside the relegation zone.