Tag Futebol

Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford last night gives the North London outfit an excellent chance of retaining the FA Cup this season, while good league form has Arsene Wenger’s side sitting pretty in the top four.

Although some of the Emirates Stadium faithful will feel aggrieved at the lack of a title push and a potential exit from the Champions League at the hands of a modest Monaco side, there are other promising signs of progress in North London.

Arguably the most pleasing thing for Wenger this term will be the fact that two young stars that have patiently waited for a chance to impress have been given that opportunity and excelled.

In midfield Francis Coquelin has been recalled from a loan stint at Charlton and shown that he has the attributes to be an essential member of the Gunners’ side.

Meanwhile, with Mathieu Debuchy’s injury having Wenger weighing up his other options at right-back, Hector Bellerin has stepped into the breach and shown that he is certainly not out of his depth.

The development and evolution of these two young stars will be a fillet for Wenger, who has proven himself over the years as a manager capable of breeding young talent in the Premier League.

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However, with the Gunners starting to spend big on the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, the balance of being able to rely on young players from the academy is a desirable aspect also.

Bellerin has started nine Premier League games this season and been very consistent; so much so that the youngster has a shot at being the North London club’s first choice at right-back.

With the 19-year-old Spaniard’s only other senior football a handful of games for Watford last season, opposition wingers would have been rubbing their hands when Bellerin’s name was initially on the Gunners teamsheet.

However, the forward-thinking full-back has shown maturity beyond his years and slotted into the team’s back four seamlessly.

Coquelin’s ability to command the Arsenal midfield has been even more impressive, with the 23-year-old Frenchman looking like one of the Premier League’s best defensive midfielders this season.

Recalled from a loan in The Championship to cover for the glut of injuries in the Arsenal midfield, most would have expected the Laval-born man to make a few appearances before leaving the club this summer after his contract expired.

However, Coquelin has provided the balance in the Arsenal side that has been missing since the days of Patrick Vieira; a determined, physical and dynamic enforcer in front of the team’s defence that has allowed the attacking elements of the team to stream forward at will.

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The Frenchman’s statistics in relation to successful tackles and interceptions have been mightily impressive in the 13 appearances he has made, with Coquelin earning himself a new deal at the Emirates Stadium in the process.

There is no doubt that Arsenal need to spend big this summer again if they are to keep pace with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

That said, Coquelin and Bellerin have shown that they have exciting futures at the club and highlight the importance of giving youth team graduates a chance on the biggest stage.

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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.

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Manchester United ensured rivals Manchester City would not be celebrating a title win at their expense on Saturday, producing a huge derby comeback to win 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

Finding themselves two goals down at the interval after goals from Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan, Jose Mourinho’s side rallied after the break to score through Paul Pogba twice, eventually securing the winner thanks to defender Chris Smalling.

No-one typified United’s comeback more than Smalling who had a particularly poor first half before finding the winning mentality to inspire the derby victory.

Fans were impressed with that turnaround, respecting the way he managed to put initial mistakes behind him to play such a pivotal role in such an important match.

The title may be beyond them this season but supporters will be hoping they can keep winning in the tail-end of the season to secure second place and head into the summer with as much positivity as possible.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Smalling’s Saturday display…

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Arsenal legend turned radio presenter Ray Parlour is supporting London and South East finalist Jake Goodall in The People’s Pundit, championed by the Carlsberg Fan Squad, and came to watch a game with him at the Carlsberg Bar in Leicester Square to give him some top tips on punditry.

We went along to watch the Barcelona and Manchester City game to find out more about what he thinks makes a brilliant pundit team.

Ray believes you need a mixture of a fan and a footballer to get the perfect balance: “Fans have got a great feel for the game, they can be completely neutral and just have an amazing knowledge of the game.

“Footballers have a knowledge of how footballers can play and what they are thinking when they have the ball.”

He added: “You never know what you are going to do after football, I got the opportunity so gave it a go and I loved it and thankfully they asked me to come back!”

Jake (pictured with Parlour above) entered the competition at the last minute when his friends phoned him to tell him about it getting his application just 20 minutes before the deadline.

Luckily it paid off! He is the first finalist to be announced after winning a two part semi-final, which involved commentating on a goal and an on the spot question live with Jeff Stelling.

He said: “I have always wanted to be a pundit – I sent the application and thought nothing of it.

“Growing up, I watched Jeff Stelling every Saturday I could – I have admired him greatly from a young age. Commentators have a hard job but it’s something I cannot wait to try more of.

“I can’t believe it could actually come true! I cannot wait for the next stage.”

Ray spent the evening watching the match and giving Jake tips on commentating, though both were gutted about the result.

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Ray said: “That first goal is so crucial. It was always going to be a big ask for Man City.”

Jake is now waiting to find out who his fellow finalists will be in Boot Camp.

“The mission of the Carlsberg fan squad is to make football better for fans. That’s why, If Carlsberg did Pundits…they’d probably be just like you. Ray Parlour caught a game with London and South East finalist, Jake Goodall, at the Carlsberg Bar in Leicester Square to help him prepare for Boot Camp in the People’s Pundit, championed by Carlsberg – the official beer of the Premier League. To find out how Jake and all of our other pundits get on in the race to secure their big break on talkSPORT, or to find details of a regional heat near you, head to ThePeoplesPundit.co.uk. Plus, if you’d like to show your support to Jake, follow him @GoodallJake4 #PeoplesPundit”

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.”

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As reported by Talksport, Liverpool transfer target Abdoulaye Doucoure has made it clear he would love to one day play for the Reds.

What’s the story?

The Watford midfield has been heavily linked with a move to one of the big six in the English Premier League recently, including Liverpool, but a move failed to materialise in January.

With recent comments, the midfielder has made it pretty clear which club he’d prefer to play for and it’s the Anfield outfit who have emerged has possibly his preferred choice.

As quoted by Talksport, Doucoure said: “Liverpool is a club that need no introduction. I was impatient to play there, at Anfield. I wanted to feel the atmosphere. For me it would be a dream to play in a club like this.”

With Emre Can’s future at the Reds in doubt, would Doucoure be a good addition to add depth to Jurgen Klopp’s squad next season?

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Good enough?

Doucoure is having a fantastic season at Watford, helping them to stay clear of relegation and proving to be one of the better central midfielders in the league outside of the top six clubs.

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Primarily focused on the defensive side of the game, he’s shown enough attacking ambition that suggests he could fit into Liverpool’s forward-thinking outfit, scoring seven goals and providing three assists across the season.

Rated at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, he is well within reach of the Anfield side and with Can potentially on his way out of the club, Klopp could do a lot worse than making a move for the Frenchman.

This afternoon’s Merseyside derby was unfortunately one that won’t be remembered in the annals of the fixture’s history. Neither Everton nor Liverpool managed to get on the score-sheet at Goodison Park, and both goalkeepers were rarely tested despite Simon Mignolet and Joel Robles enduring rather ropey form of late.

Everton and Liverpool are two clubs synonymous with developing young players however, and if there’s one silver lining to be taken from today’s 0-0, it’s that there was plenty of impressive youthful talent on display for both sides.

With that in mind, here’s the THREE young hotshots that lit up an otherwise drab Merseyside derby.

JORDON IBE

Brendan Rodgers saw fit to issue Jordon Ibe his first Premier League start since returning from a six-month loan spell with Derby County against Everton this afternoon. It didn’t take long for the 19 year-old to repay his manager’s faith in him, producing this cracking effort half-way through the first 45, chipping Joel Robles’ wood-work:

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In fact, he finished the first half with the most successful dribbles and second most shots of any Liverpool player, as detailed below:

Unfortunately however, his influence waned in the second half.

JOHN STONES

Although there were no goals to speak of today, one positive Everton can take is their clean sheet. The Toffees have defended nothing short of woefully at times this season, conceding 34 goals in just 24 games – only Newcastle and the Premier League’s bottom three have a worse record.

Reinstating John Stones at the heart of defence since his return from injury however has made a huge difference, and Everton have now recorded three clean sheets in their last three Premier League outings with the young England international in the side, including in today’s Merseyside derby.

In terms of the stats too, he was arguably the Goodison outfit’s best defender today, as detailed below:

That produced was a positive response from Everton fans on Twitter:

EMRE CAN

In terms of value-for-money, Emre Can might well be Liverpool’s best signing of the summer. Despite being primarily considered a defensive midfielder, he’s excelled in the unique right-centre-back role Brendan Rodgers has thrust him into in recent weeks. Whoscored.com actually rated the Germany U21 as the Man of the Match – here’s a look at his stats:

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To summarise, that’s the most tackles, interceptions and successful dribbles of any Liverpool player. Not bad for just under £10million. Add that to a pass completion rate of 87%, and there’s surely enough evidence to suggest Can’s future does indeed lie further up the pitch.

Once again, Liverpool fans on Twitter were very impressed:

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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Southampton Football Club revealed their ultimate XI as voted for by the supporters as part of a local exhibition at the SeaCity museum via their official website on Wednesday, and Saints fans were quick to react.

The St Mary’s faithful had been voting for their best team comprised of players that had made at least 150 appearances for the south coast outfit, with the results announced on Wednesday.

Peter Shilton, Jason Dodd, Claus Lundekvam, Jose Fonte, Wayne Bridge, Alan Ball, Matt Le Tissier, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Mick Channon and Alan Shearer made the cut, with Terry Paine and Kevin Keegan perhaps two of the biggest surprise absentees from the side as they only made the substitutes’ bench.

Southampton supporters, who have also had their say on the club’s reported interest in Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner, took to social media to give their thoughts on the ultimate XI, and while one described it as “outrageous”, another said “Wayne Bridge? Surely not?”

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Since one bustling Ivorian has already made his name at  the Etihad Stadium in recent years, there is no reason to suggest that Wilfried Bony can’t push on and become as popular as Yaya Toure, should his reported £30 million move to Manchester United push through.

The big-man certainly has his options open this January, as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea are also said to be keen on landing Bony’s signature as the transfer window plays out.

Whilst such a move would seemingly signal heartbreak for the Liberty Stadium faithful, who have overseen their marquee centre-forward blossom in the Premier League with Swansea since his arrival in 2013, there are several other candidates available for Garry Monk should he eventually lose his main man.

With the January transfer window now upon us, here are FIVE noteworthy strikers who could potentially fill the void left by Wilfired Bony at Swansea:

Loic Remy

While the Frenchman may not pack quite the same punch as Bony in terms of physicality and stature, Loic Remy nevertheless deserves credit for what he can bring to the table.

Scoring goals may be his most important asset, with an impressive 14 recorded for Newcastle United last season, but Remy is also famed for his quick turn of pace and intelligent reading of the game. The Chelsea no. 18 has something very Henry-esque about his style, and whilst he is certainly not at the Arsenal legend’s level quite yet, under the right set-up Remy could definitely thrive.

Although the tricky striker seemingly wanted to make a name for himself at Stamford Bridge, if Bony were to make the move to West London, Remy’s game time would suffer even more. For that reason, a player + cash deal could be a decent move for the Swans, and for Loic Remy himself.

Lima

Despite being a grand 31-years-old, Benfica’s Lima has proved to be a handful of a striker, both domestically in the Primeira Liga and in the Europa League for several consecutive seasons.

The uncapped Brazilian may not have made any waves on the international scene, but the powerful no. 11 has become a firm fan favourite at the Estadio da Luz with over 50 goals scored in the past two seasons. Lima has the strength and reliability in front of goal, and whilst his days of being a quick mover may have passed him by now, the Brazilian hit-man could still be a force in the Premier League.

Although the South American forward could certainly prove an asset at the Liberty Stadium, the apparent lack of sensation and excitement that would arrive upon him signing on the dotted line could see this potential deal become a non-starter. Lima’s goal stats remain undeniably impressive however.

Seydou Doumbia

Another powerful Ivorian striker who could fill the void left at Swansea, Seydou Doumbia marks a transfer target who is similar to Wilfried Bony in terms of what assets he brings to the game.

The CSKA no. 88 has already given the Premier League reason to remember his name after his Champions League destruction of Manchester City back in November 2014. He has played countless games for both club and country, and with his powerful stature mixed with a calm composure when under pressure, the Ivorian forward’s achievements come as no surprise.

Although Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool are said to also be interested in landing Doumbia, if the Swans take home the reported £30 million price tag that they have set for Wilfried Bony, Garry Monk could certainly let the money do the talking in his quest to secure a replacement at the Liberty Stadium.

Emmanuel Emenike

Arriving as the undisputedly greatest ‘beast’ on this list, Emmanuel Emenike could offer Swansea the perfect solution should they fail to keep hold of Bony this January.

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Whilst he doesn’t quite share the same technical ability with the ball and composure in front of goal, Fenerbahce’s bustling forward still has several essential qualities to make it in the Premier League. Emenike is undeniably strong, hungry for goals and worthy enough to test even the best defenders in England. He may not be quite as prolific as some other striker candidates, but the 27-year-old could nonetheless still do a great job for Monk this season.

Tottenham Hotspur have already expressed an interest in signing the Nigerian hitman, but as the apparent dismissal of their reported £8 million bid highlights, Swansea won’t be able to pick up Emmanuel Emenike on the cheap.

Jackson Martinez

The potential signing of Porto and Colombia hot-shot, Jackson Martinez, would certainly prove to be a landmark deal should the Swans pull it off.

The fiery 28-year-old may have already made a name for himself prior to the 2014 World Cup last summer, but even when operating from the bench in Brazil, Jackson Martinez proved to be a deadly finisher with a cool nature on the ball. This is just the kind of player Swansea require in the potential absence of Wilfried Bony.

Both Marvin Emnes and Bafetimbi Gomis would certainly benefit from playing alongside the Colombian star, but as his asking price will likely be a bit steep with several of Europe’s big-boys also in the hunt to land his signature, Swansea could face stiff competition in the quest to tie down Jackson Martinez.