Premier League - Team of the Week 20
Kingson (Blackpool)
Hutton (Tottenham) - Evatt (Blackpool) - Johnson (Birmingham) - Baird (Fulham)
Lennon (Tottenham) - Ferguson (Birmingham) - Parker (West Ham) - David Silva (Man City)
Campbell (Blackpool) - Berbatov (Man United)
Dream Team-ul ultimului deceniu
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Neville (Man United) - Terry (Chelsea) - Ferdinand (Man United) - Cole (Chelsea)
Gerrard (Liverpool) - Lampard (Chelsea) - Ryan Giggs (Man United) - Ronaldo (Man United)
Owen (Man United) - Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
Arsenal vs Manchester City preview
The hotly contested Premier League title race could take another twist when Manchester City visit Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
City's trip to London will be a mouth-watering battle of second versus third and could see either take the lead from Manchester United if they fail to take 3 points against Stoke City.
City are behind United on goal difference with 41 points, while Arsenal are 2 points back and pressing for a top 2 spot.
Both sides are in the midst of terrific runs of form, with City take all of 9 possible points across the holiday period with wins over Newcastle (3-1), Aston Villa (4-0) and Blackpool (1-0).
Arsenal, meanwhile, collected 7 points from their holiday fixtures with wins over Chelsea (3-1) and Birmingham City (3-0) and a (2-2) draw at Wigan Athletic.
Gunners striker Robin van Persie opened the scoring at Birmingham and admitted afterwards he is looking forward to taking on Roberto Mancini's men.
"It is a big game. Man City has a great side and we have a great side as well so it's game on", Van Persie told ESPN.
The Dutchman's return to fitness has been instrumental in Arsenal's form of late, as has Cesc Fabregas finally shaking off a hamstring strain that blighted the start of his season.
Arsenal have gone unbeaten at home in their past 4 matches across all competitions, but City have not lost away from Eastlands in over 2 months and will back themselves to take the points over the Gunners.
And with fixtures against bottom-half clubs Wolverhampton, Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich to come, a win at Emirates could give City the grounds to make a serious push for a clear lead on top of the table by February.
But fresh injury worries could take their toll, with Italian starlet Mario Balotelli sitting out the win over Blackpool with a knee complaint and David Silva limping off in the same match.
City coach David Platt said the club is hopeful both will be ready to go against the Gunners.
"Silva got a bang on his knee and just opened his knee up a little bit", Platt said.
"The pleasing thing was that he walked off the pitch and hopefully it's not anything too serious."
"Mario had a knee problem. In the early part of that operation, a bit of blood leaked in there. Every now and again he has a little swelling on it."
Regardless of whether Balotelli's injury keeps him out of Wednesday's game, expect Carlos Tevez to come out firing after a horrid day against Blackpool.
Premier League - Team of the Week 21
Joe Hart (Man City)
Sagna (Arsenal) - Dawson (Tottenham) - Djourou (Arsenal) - Baines (Everton)
Johnson (Man City) - Parker (West Ham) - Fabregas (Arsenal) - Nasri (Arsenal)
Torres (Liverpool) - Tevez (Man City)
Vieira talks of retirement
Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira has revealed he may hang up his boots at the end of the season.
"There is a 50% chance that I quit at the end of the season", the 34-year-old Vieira, whose contract with the Premier League club expires in June, told L'Equipe.
"I think Manchester City will be my last challenge. Calling it quits in June would not bother me. It will be an easy decision."
Vieira, a former captain of France, appeared 107 times for his country, helping them win the 1998 World Cup and EURO 2000.
He started his professional career at Cannes in 1993 before joining AC Milan in 1995.
The Senegal-born burst on the scene at Arsenal, winning 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups in 9 seasons at Highbury from 1996.
He then moved to Inter Milano before joining City a year ago to try to revive his hopes of representing France again in the World Cup. He was, however, overlooked by then coach Raymond Domenech.
"I accept the fact that it is almost the end. There is a past, wonderful memories, but it was before", he said.
"If I had to do it again, I would not change anything."
TURUL 4
Sheffield Wednesday vs Wycombe/Hereford
West Ham vs Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa vs Blackburn Rovers
Stevenage vs Reading
Notts County vs Leicester/Man City
Doncaster/Wolverhampton vs Stoke City/Cardiff City
Birmingham City vs Coventry
Burnley vs Burton
Swansea vs Leyton Orient
Southampton vs Man United
Everton vs Chelsea
Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal/Leeds United vs Huddersfield
Bolton vs Wigan Athletic
Watford vs Brighton
Torquay United vs Crawley Town/Derby County
Van der Vaart wants Spurs stay
Rafael van der Vaart wants to stay at Tottenham for the rest of his career and the Dutchman insists his side can win the title.
The Holland international has been a revelation since his £8 million deadline day move to Spurs last August and is enjoying life in north London.
"I love it here. I love the players and I love the down-to-earth attitude at the club", said the 27-year-old.
"If I have the opportunity, I would stay here for the rest of my career."
Van der Vaart views Sunday's clash against Premier League leaders Manchester United as the most eye-catching game of the season so far.
"Is the biggest game of the Premier League", he added.
"Not only for us at Spurs but for all the Premier League because United are unbeaten."
"If we beat them, it opens up the league for everyone else who is chasing the title."
"And that includes us - we've got the squad to win the league."
"United not invincible"
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp does not think that Manchester United are good enough to remain unbeaten for the entire season.
Spurs are preparing to host the Premier League leaders on Sunday as the White Hart Lane club aim to keep their own title hopes alive.
United are 8 points clear of 4th-placed Tottenham, with a game in hand, after avoiding defeat so far this season to threaten Arsenal's 2003/2004 unbeaten record.
But Redknapp thinks that there are chinks in the armour of Sir Alex Ferguson's team and he hopes that Spurs can be the side who expose the weaknesses.
The Tottenham boss said in his column in The Sun: "As good as they are I do not think they are good enough to go through the whole season unbeaten".
"Even if they win the Premier League title this season, Arsenal are the original Invincibles and their record is going to stay intact."
"Of course, I'd love it if it will be my Tottenham team that ends United's unbeaten run on Sunday and we have a chance of doing it."
"It's not as if United are FC Barcelona or Real Madrid who are on another planet to everyone else."
"We can bring them down to earth and for the sake of the title race I bet everyone who doesn't support United will be hoping we do."
Mancini and Nasri receive Barclays awards
Manchester City's Roberto Mancini and Arsenal's Samir Nasri have been named Barclays Manager and Player of the Month.
Mancini wins the award after guiding Manchester City to 4 wins from 5 matches in December, a month which saw his side establish themselves as genuine Barclays Premier League title contenders.
City enjoyed home wins over Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa as well as away successes at West Ham and Newcastle United as they continued their charge up the Barclays Premier League table. In a busy month that saw Mancini's side also take part in 2 Europa League matches against Red Bull Salzburg and Juventus, they only dropped points in the 2-1 home defeat to Everton.
Meanwhile, midfielder Nasri has been rewarded for his outstanding form for Arsenal, most notably his 2 memorable goals against Fulham and his performance in the Gunners' 3-1 win over current Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea.
The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel, which includes representatives from football's governing bodies, the media and fans.
Premier League - Team of the Week 23
Brad Friedel (Aston Villa)
Kelly (Liverpool) - Vidic (Man United) - Ivanovic (Chelsea) - Kolarov (Man City)
Walcott (Arsenal) - Modric (Tottenham) - Yaya Toure (Man City) - Malouda (Chelsea)
Tevez (Man City) - Odemwingie (West Bromwich)
Everton re-sign young duo
Everton duo Seamus Coleman and Victor Anichebe will both remain at the club until 2015 after signing new contracts on Thursday.
The pair both penned new 4-and-a-half-year deals that will keep them at Goodison Park for the foreseeable future.
The news will come as a relief for manager David Moyes, who will pleased that two of his most talented youngsters are staying with the club after Steven Pienaar left to join Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.
The form of Coleman, 22-year-old, has been nothing short of outstanding this season with the former Sligo Rovers product announcing himself to English football with 5 goals from 22 appearances.
Signed in 2009 for just £60.000, Coleman was immediately shipped out on loan to Blackpool, before returning to Merseyside and making a dramatic impact in his first full season with the club.
The signing of Anichebe - also 22 - will be met with joy, with the Nigerian striker's deal due to expire at the end of the current season.
Anichebe has struggled for first-team football with constant injuries in the last 2 seasons but after veteran striker Yakubu departed on loan to Leicester City, there was no way Moyes was letting go of another of his forwards.
Anichebe has made just 6 appearances this season, but can expect more first-team football if he is fit throughout the second half of the season.
Welbeck set for 2 months out
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has been dealt a fresh blow by the news that strike Danny Welbeck could be out for up to 8 weeks after undergoing knee surgery.
Welbeck, who is on loan from Manchester United for the season, underwent an operation on Wednesday to repair a torn knee cartilage a day after former team-mate Darren Bent had sealed his big-money switch to Aston Villa.
That leaves Bruce with only one fit senior striker - record signing Asamoah Gyan - for Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Blackpool.
Bruce said: "Danny was operated on yesterday and it was confirmed he had a torn cartilage and he will be out for 6 to 8 weeks".
Smith blow for Newcastle
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew fears Alan Smith could be out for the season with the ankle injury he sustained in the derby against Sunderland.
The midfielder had a scan on the joint on Wednesday and complications from a previous injury mean his absence is likely to be far longer than first thought.
Pardew said: "It's sad news for Alan because it's an ankle he's had problems with and we think he'll probably be out for the rest of the season".
"Because he's had a dislocation and a break on that ankle before, when you get a heavy blow like he did it's a very low recovery rate."
Pardew is also likely to be without striker Andy Carroll for another 2 or 3 weeks while Dan Gosling has suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious knee injury.
Last edited by beavis; 20-01-2011 at 18:24.
Balotelli aims for derby return
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is expected to be fit for the derby against Manchester United on 12 February.
Balotelli, 20-year-old, is in United States to visit specialist Bill Knowles as he attempts to overcome a long-term knee problem.
The Italian has struggled with a knee injury since joining City from Inter Milano in the close season.
He missed 9 weeks after aggravating the knee in September and has been out of action after the problem flared in City's 4-0 win over Aston Villa in December.
Balotelli, no stranger to controversy during his short career, recently made the bold statement that he was a member of the best attacking line-up in the world.
He also claimed United forward Wayne Rooney was "not even the best striker in Manchester".
The comments have angered the red half of the city, but Mancini believes the outspoken Balotelli should be taken a little less seriously.
"I haven't read the interview so I don't know what he has said. But he likes to joke sometimes and these things are jokes", Mancini said.
"We live in a free world. If someone wants to say something, it is better that he does. I respect every opinion."
"We are not in a war. We are free to say what we want."
Premier League - Team of the Week 24
Paul Robinson (Blackburn)
Olsson (Blackburn) - Dunne (Aston Villa) - Coloccini (Newcastle)
Lennon (Spurs) - Meireles (Liverpool) - Richardson (Sunderland) - Dempsey (Fulham)
Torres (Liverpool) - Van Persie (Arsenal) - Berbatov (Man United)
Long lay-off for Johnson
Roberto Mancini has confirmed that Manchester City winger Adam Johnson will be ruled out for 3 months with an ankle injury.
Johnson suffered ligament damage in a freak incident during training on Thursday and scans have confirmed Mancini's worst fears.
"We have lost Adam Johnson for 3 months", said Mancini.
"This will be a very big problem because he is an important player."
"The injury is like the one Aleksandar Kolarov had earlier this season. We do not have another player like Adam."
Nasri a major doubt for Barca clash
Arsene Wenger admits Samir Nasri is now a major doubt for Arsenal's Champions League clash against FC Barcelona.
Wenger's gamble "backfired" when the influential midfielder picked up a hamstring injury in Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup 4th round win over League 1 Huddersfield at Emirates Stadium.
Because of concerns over the fitness of Tomas Rosicky, who has been troubled by a virus, Wenger elected to put Nasri in the starting XI.
It had all been going to plan when Nicklas Bendtner's angled shot deflected in off Terriers skipper Peter Clarke to put the Gunners ahead on 22 minutes.
However, French playmaker Nasri then limped off with a hamstring problem as he chased a long kick up field from Manuel Almunia.
Wenger said: "Nasri looks to have a serious hamstring injury. Usually it is 3 weeks. We have to see if it is a grade 1, it will be 2 weeks, so we will see".
"I have now regrets because the plan was to play Rosicky, but he was still too weak because he was sick, so I took the gamble on Nasri."
"It backfired, but he could have come on and that happened as well. It is very difficult to predict."
Kaboul set for Tottenham absence
Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul will undergo an operation on his knee and is expected to be out for 6 weeks, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has confirmed.
Kaboul was missing from the 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Fulham after picking up the injury last week.
"Kaboul is having an operation on his knee", Redknapp said.
"I'm not sure how long he'll be out for. Maybe 6 weeks."
Kaboul will miss both legs of Spurs' Champions League tie with AC Milan and leaves Redknapp desperately short of cover at centre-back.
Michael Dawson was sent off at Craven Cottage and will serve a 3-match suspension, William Gallas has a hip niggle and Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King are both some way off full fitness thanks to long-standing groin injuries.
Centre-half Bongani Khumalo, a £1.5 million signing from South African side Supersport, and versatile full-back Vedran Corluka may now be forced into action over the next few weeks.
Suarez passes Liverpool medical
Luis Suarez is set to complete his transfer to Liverpool on Monday after he passed his medical and agreed terms with the club.
The Reds have announced that all necessary medical checks have been carried out on the Ajax striker, with a statement on their website confirming: "Luis Suarez has successfully passed his medical and personal terms with the player have been agreed. We expect to complete the remainder of the paperwork tomorrow".
The 24-year-old, who has scored 111 goals in 159 games for Ajax, is expected to move to Anfield for a fee of £23 million and will be Kenny Dalglish's first signing since becoming manager for a second time.
It remains to be seen whether he will arrive as a partner for Fernando Torres, though, with Chelsea still to reveal whether or not they will make a second bid for the wantaway Spaniard.
The Premier League champions had a bid for the 26-year-old rejected last week, with Torres handing in a transfer request the day after.
The club rejected that, while Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was coy on the matter on Saturday, saying: "I don't know, we will have to wait. There is no change".
Last edited by beavis; 05-03-2011 at 12:42.
Modric blow for Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric will be out for around 2 weeks after having his appendix removed.
The club confirmed on Wednesday morning that the Croatia international underwent surgery on Tuesday night, meaning he could now miss the Champions League last 16 first leg at San Siro on 15 February.
He will also sit out the Premier League game at Ewood Park and will be unavailable for Saturday's home clash with Bolton and the following weekend's trip to Stadium of Light.
Tottenham said in a statement: "Luka Modric has undergone surgery to remove his appendix".
"The Croatia midfielder was diagnosed with acute appendicitis after contacting our medical staff complaining of abdominal discomfort. He is likely to be sidelined for around 2 weeks."
... ce noroc au milanezii
Kenny Dalglish was delighted Luis Suarez was able to mark his Liverpool debut with a goal in front of the Kop in the 2-0 victory over Stoke City.
Leading through Raul Meireles' strike early in the second half, Suarez came off the bench just past the hour and opened his account 17 minutes later.
It secured a third successive victory and kept the Reds in the hunt for fifth place, although a win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday will have them thinking about making a late run for the Champions League.
Suarez's dream debut obviously grabbed the headlines and Dalglish had nothing but praise for the £23 million signing.
"I am delighted for him - and for Raul for getting the first goal", said the Scot.
"He not even had the opportunity to train with us because of administrative stuff which had to be sorted out."
"When he starts training with the lads I think we might see an improvement."
"He has a big smile on his face every day. He's a happy guy and a good guy."
"We've got a press conference on Thursday so we can extol his virtues then."
Suarez's shot after rounding goalkeeper Asmir Begovic finished in the back of the net courtesy of an attempted clearance from Andy Wilkinson which rebounded off the post.
However, Dalglish said there was no doubt in his mind who the goalscorer was.
"I gave him it. It was going in", he added.
"It is a great start to score on your debut and he worked hard; him and Dirk Kuyt linked up well a couple of times."
Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp praised his side's defensive efforts in their 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Wednesday.
A Peter Crouch goal after just 4 minutes was enough to hand all 3 points to Spurs, who posted their first win in 4 games and their first away win in Premier League in 2011.
Redknapp attributed the victory to his defenders, who responded strongly to their 4-0 FA Cup mauling at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
"It was a big win. It's not an easy place to come to. They've had a good run recently so to get a win and a clean sheet was a good performance for us tonight", Redknapp told BBC.
"Gallas was magnificent tonight. Bassong had a bad day on Sunday, him and Michael Dawson had a nightmare start to the game but he came back tonight and did so well."
"He won his headers and always looked comfortable. They did a great job."
Chelsea signing Fernando Torres said he doubts he will celebrate if he scores against his old side Liverpool when the sides clash on Sunday.
The Spanish World Cup winner made the switch to Stamford Bridge for £50 million during the week, but has pledged to keep the celebrations low-key if he puts the ball past Reds goalkeeper Pepe Reina in their English Premier League clash in London.
"First of all, I have to play. After that, I have to score. Something has to happen. But I have a big, big respect for Liverpool fans so I don't think so that I will celebrate."
"I will never say anything bad about the people at that club or anyone in that city. I understand they will be angry and may not understand my decision. But I am sure in a few days or weeks, maybe I will not have to explain all the reasons."
"But I want to start talking about the future now so thanks to them, thanks very much. Because I wasn't much of a fan when some of the big players left the club, I didn't understand."
In terms of handling a new set-up under manager Carlo Ancelotti, Torres said he was willing to line-up alongside the Chelsea forwards who he once feared at Liverpool.
"It is a big challenge, playing alongside either Anelka or Drogba. When we played against Chelsea, we were very worried about both of them. So it's an exciting opportunity to be playing in the same side as them. So it depends on my work if I can play", he said.
"Hopefully I have the chance to play in the same side as them and enjoy working with this kind of players that everyone wants to play with. So I'm looking forward to getting the chance to play with them."
Chelsea face curăţenie!
Criza financiară începe să-şi arate colţii în Premier League chiar şi la echipele din Big Four. După ce l-au transferat pe Fernando Torres de la Liverpool pentru nu mai puţin de 50 de milioane de lire sterline, iată că acum se anunţă şi că mai mulţi jucători vor fi puşi pe liber .
Printre cei vizaţi se află vedetele Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, John Obi Mikel, Jose Bosingwa şi Yuri Zhirkov, conform englezilor de la The Sun.
Chelsea trebuie să-şi refacă bugetul, iar cei cinci jucători au dezamăgit în acest sezon, plus că salariile lor sunt printre cele mai mari din Premier League.
Clubul englez tocmai a anunţat că în acest sezon a avut pierderi de 70,9 milioane de lire sterline.
Chelsea vs Liverpool preview
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has yet to decide whether to start Fernando Torres in Sunday's Premier League clash against Liverpool. Ancelotti confirmed his £50 million signing was available against his former club but was considering introducing him from the bench. A decision also needed to be made on new defender David Luiz, who was not expected back in London until Saturday after returning to Portugal, while Alex (knee), Yury Zhirkov (calf) and Yossi Benayoun (Achilles) were still sidelined.
New Liverpool signing Luis Suarez is pushing for his first start against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after scoring on his debut against Stoke City in midweek. The Uruguay international came off the bench and looked lively in his 27-minute run-out. Having tailored his formation to 3-4-2-1 to face Stoke, manager Kenny Dalglish is likely to revert to a more orthodox line-up against the Premier League champions. Midfielder Christian Poulsen sustained a back spasm in the warm-up before Wednesday's match but should have recovered to take his place in the squad. Vice-captain Jamie Carragher returned to the squad for Stoke City for the first time in 2 months after a shoulder operation, but may have to settle for a place on the bench again. Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole injured a knee in training on Tuesday and is a doubt, while Jay Spearing is out with a broken foot.
MATCH FACTS
The last time Kenny Dalglish managed Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were a newly promoted side.
Fernando Torres scored 7 goals in 8 appearances against Chelsea for Liverpool.
The last 4 Premier League games between Chelsea and Liverpool have all ended 2-0.
Both sides have scored in only one of the last 9 Premier League meetings.
In the last 7 games against Chelsea, Liverpool have scored 6 goals, 5 by Chelsea new-boy Torres and an own goal by Bosingwa.
Liverpool have only scored 7 goals in 18 Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge, failed to score in 12 of them and the only goal they have scored in the last 6 visits was an own goal by Bosingwa.
Bruno Cheyrou was the last Liverpool player to score at Stamford Bridge in Premier League in 2004; the Reds have gone 9 hours and 57 minutes without one of their players scoring since.
Raul Meireles has scored 3 goals in his last 4 Premier League games.
Liverpool have not won 4 league games in succession since September 2009, a run that ended with an away defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Premier League - Team of the Week 26
Joe Hart (Man City)
Walker (Aston Villa) - Huth (Stoke City) - Carragher (Liverpool) - Elokobi (Wolves)
Pennant (Stoke City) - McCarthy (Wigan Athletic) - Barton (Newcastle) - Dempsey (Fulham)
Louis Saha (Everton) - Carlos Tevez (Man City)
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