Monthly Archives: September 2010

Toure fires Chelsea warning

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Kolo Toure believes Manchester City (12/1 to win 2010-11 Premier League title) are capable of ending Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season and feels stopping Didier Drogba is the key.

City are up to fourth in the Premier League following their win at Wigan last weekend – seven points behind Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

The defending champions have made a faultless start to the season, with five wins out of five, but they face their toughest test yet as they travel to Eastlands on Saturday (Man City 21/10, Draw 9/4, Chelsea 6/5 – Match Betting).

City (4/6 Top Four Finish) beat Chelsea home and away last season and Toure admits confidence is high that they can claim the three points again this weekend.

The former Arsenal man said: “We need to make sure we take something from it. If we can get one point that would be great, but if we can get all three like we did twice last season, that would be fantastic.”

Toure has revealed that Roberto Mancini has had his squad working hard in training on the defensive side of the game, which looks to be paying dividends.

City have conceded just two goals in their opening five matches and will need to be at their best again to keep the free-scoring Chelsea at bay.

Toure has pinpointed Ivory Coast team-mate Drogba (6/4f to be 2010-11 Premier League Top Scorer) as the main danger for Mancini?s men and feels the Chelsea striker has been better than ever this season.

The centre-back added: “It seems like he’s getting better with age because he’s such an intelligent player. He’s had to change his game. He knows he needs more help from his team-mates now.”

“I know his game well, but he’s still difficult to play against because he’s so powerful,” he said. “He’s playing so well and with all these assists, he seems to have improved his style of playing.

“At the moment, I’d say he’s on fire. So we’re going to have to defend really well as a team to stop him. We’re going to have to be really strong on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini has played down suggestions of a bust-up with Emmanuel Adebayor.

There have been suggestions that the City boss had a row with Adebayor regarding the striker’s current injury – with a dead leg seeing him miss the last three games.

Mancini says the former Arsenal striker trained with the squad on Monday and could come into contention for the visit of the league leaders (Both Teams To Score – 5/6).

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McLeish hails ‘mission impossible’

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Alex McLeish claims it is “nigh on impossible” for his Birmingham City side to finish in the Premier League top six this season (14/1 – top six outright).

The experienced Scottish boss knows expectations at St Andrew’s have increased after last season’s impressive ninth-placed finish last season and also the investment into the side over the summer.

His side have had an up-and-down start to their Premier League campaign this season and sit 12th in the table with six points. They went down 3-1 to local rivals West Bromwich Albion (6/5 – relegation outright) at the weekend after taking the lead through Cameron Jerome.

There are a number of club fighting for a top-10 finish this season and the Premier League looks as being competitive as it has been in recent years, and McLeish has poured scorn on suggestions Birmingham could finish in the top six by stating it is “ludicrous to suggest that”.

The likes of Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa (5/2 – Premier League top six) are all likely to be fighting for a top four spot and McLeish knows his side would have to finish above a couple of these to secure a top-six spot.

He has said that he knows the “whole squad” at Birmingham are capable of playing in the Premier League, but he needs to be honest about their aspirations for the season.

“My experiences in the game tell me it is nigh on impossible. We can all dream and have ambition but there are about eight teams in there who, over a length of the season, will always come to the fore,” said the boss.

“Then the rest are fighting for the other places. If we come ninth again, it will be phenomenal.

“I would judge that even better than last season. Finishing in the top 17 is our priority again.”

McLeish is preparing his side for a Carling Cup tie with League One side MK Dons (Birmingham 2/5 to win, MK Dons 5/1, draw 10/3 – 90 minutes) at St Andrew’s on Tuesday night and he is set to give starting spots to summer signings Nikola Zigic, Matt Derbyshire, Jean Beausejour and Martin Jiranek.

The likes of Keith Fahey, Michel and Alexander Hleb are all set to start also and the manager has admitted “the gauntlet is being thrown down” to these players to show him they are worthy of stating in Birmingham’s next Premier League game against Wigan at the weekend.

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Spurs ‘the bigger club’

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Rafael van der Vaart has stoked the fires ahead of Arsenal’s trip to White Hart Lane in the Carling Cup third round (11/8 – 90 minutes) by insisting Tottenham are the bigger club.

The north London rivals have been paired together in the tie of the round and while the match is unlikely to feature all the top stars from both clubs it’s likely to be a competitive affair.

Overall Arsenal have the better recent record against their local counter-parts, although they were beaten 2-1 by Spurs on their last trip to White Hart Lane.

The last time the two sides meet in the Carling Cup it was Tottenham who came out on top again, drawing the first leg of their semi-final 1-1 at the Emirates before spanking the Gunners 5-1 at home as they went on to lift the trophy in 2008.

Despite the opportunity to add some much needed silverware to their trophy cabinets the Carling Cup is likely to take a backseat with both sides in the Champions League this season.

Each side also have injury concerns to deal with and are unlikely to risk anyone who isn’t 100% fit for the game.

Tottenham (12/1 Carling Cup outright) will more than likely be without Ledley King, Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson and Jonathan Woddgate while Arsenal (16/1) won’t be able to call on Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Thomas Vermaelen.

Despite the lack of star players on show White Hart Lane is a sell out and new signing Van der Vaart says he has been made aware of the importance of the game by Holland team-mate Van Persie.

The Dutch midfielder only joined Tottenham three weeks ago but has already settled into life in English football.

Van der Vaart tucked away a penalty on Saturday to help Spurs on their way to victory over Wolves and has further endeared himself to the Tottenham faithful with his comments about Arsenal.

Despite Arsenal’s success since the Premier League was formed Van der Vaart has stated that Tottenham remain the bigger club in his eyes.

“Spurs are the bigger club,” said the midfielder.

“Everybody has been talking about the Arsenal match all week.

“Robin told me when we were together in the national team what a big game it is. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Tottenham (11/4 top-4 finish) have made a solid start to the season, picking up eight points from their first five matches to leave them fifth in the Premier League.

Van der Vaart says he is really enjoying himself at Tottenham having been frustrated with his lack of first team opportunities while with Real Madrid.

“We are a team who love to play football,” he added. “Although I have only been in England two weeks, I love it.

“The speed of the game is much higher than in Madrid. Teams like Wolves are really strong and run all the time. You don’t get a break.”

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Ancelotti expecting tougher tests

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Carlo Ancelotti said tougher games await his Chelsea team after their victory against Blackpool ahead of a run of fixtures which will see them play Manchester City (12/1 Premier League outright), Arsenal (11/2) and Aston Villa (300/1) in consecutive matches.

The Blues have won five out of five in the league thus far and already boast a goal difference of plus 20 in what is a record breaking start by the west London outfit.

Ancelotti’s side were too good for Blackpool on Sunday as they rattled in four goals in the first half.

They also missed a hatful of chances to further boost their goal difference before the Seasiders mounted something of a comeback in the second half.

While Chelsea might have been fortunate with their run of fixtures at the start of the season they have certainly shown their dominance after claiming their third Premier League crown last season.

However, a test of the champions’ credentials is likely to come at Eastlands next weekend when they square off against mega-rich City.

Roberto Mancini’s side are expected to push the Blues and the other title contenders all the way after another summer of spending.

It doesn’t get any easier after the trip to Manchester with Arsenal (1/5 – top 4 finish) making the short trip to Stamford Bridge on October 3, followed by a trip to Aston Villa (10/1) on October 16.

Ancelotti says he is expecting his side to be sorely tested in the coming weeks and claims he is hoping Chelsea will do better in their clash against City this season.

“I learned that we are in a good moment, we’re showing good play, we are fit, everything is okay at this moment,” he told Sky Sports.

“But we will arrive at more difficult games and we have to be ready for the next game.

“We wanted to start like last year, we had a good start last year, and we are doing that [again], now we have to look forward.

“Last year we lost a big game against Manchester City and this year we want to do better.”

The Italian revealed the Blues are expected to be boosted by the return of Frank Lampard and John Terry for the game against City on Saturday.

Both missed the visit of Blackpool last Sunday with their respective hernia and rib injuries but should be back at the weekend.

Chelsea welcome Newcastle (8/1 – 90 minutes) to Stamford Bridge for their Carling Cup third round clash on Wednesday.

Ancelotti is expected to start a number of youngsters in midweek and rest some of his big names ahead of the trip to Eastlands and the return of the Champions League next week.

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Mancini eyes Tevez improvement

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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says he expects captain Carlos Tevez to get better this season after handing the Argentina star the armband in the summer (City 12/1 – Premier League Outright).

Tevez was on target at Wigan on Sunday in a 2-0 win as the Blues surged into the top four of the Premier League which is widely thought to be the minimum requirement for Mancini this season.

City’s ambitious owners – the Abu Dhabi United Group – are desperate to secure Champions League football for next season and, as Mark Hughes discovered, perceived failure is not an option.

Mancini settled on handing Tevez the captaincy after talks with the forward during the summer and he has since weighed in with three league goals for the Eastlands outfit.

However, the Italian does not feel the former Manchester United and West Ham United is anywhere near the peak of his powers yet following his exertions with Argentina at the World Cup finals in South Africa (Tevez – 7/1 Premiership Top Scorer).

On the captaincy, Mancini said: “I thought about it during the summer and I spoke to Carlos about it.

“He is an important player and he can improve as captain and we can have more of him.

“I’m very happy for him because at this moment he probably isn’t at 100% of his form.

“Maybe his goal (at Wigan) can help him and it is fantastic he got it today.”

City’s other goal came from Yaya Toure as the Blues eased past the Latics at the DW Stadium at a canter to leave the home side third from bottom on goal difference.

Meanwhile, Mancini has admitted he will reluctantly allow out-of-favour goalkeeper Shay Given to move on during the forthcoming transfer window.

The 34-year-old Republic of Ireland international has fallen behind England number one Joe Hart in the pecking order and appears resigned to the fact his first-team chances at Eastlands have come to an end.

Given will also be aware of the need to stay sharp for his country’s Euro 2012 qualification campaign as the Irish look to make their first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

For now the former Newcastle favourite is kicking his heels in the reserves although talk of a return to St James’ Park might surface after Magpies keeper Steve Harper suffered a shoulder problem against Everton.

Mancini said: “I have a lot of respect for Shay and I told him the situation before the finish of the [transfer] market.

“I told him: ‘Shay, you can choose. I hope that you stay here but I respect your decision and if you want to leave you can.’

“He decided to stay here and until January he must stay here.

“I understand his frustration but I need that Shay stays here and puts in 100%. In January if he decides to leave I respect his decision.”

Harper is set to miss weeks if not months with ligament damage which is a cruel blow for a player who has been forced to wait until his 35th year for a crack at the Premier League on a weekly basis.

The Easington-born keeper has made just 138 appearances for Newcastle since 1993 having acted as back-up to Pavel Srnicek, Shaka Hislop and Given over the years (Magpies 11/2 – Relegation).

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Gerrard upbeat over Liverpool’s fortunes

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Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists the Reds will ‘beat most teams in the league’ if they can repeat their display at Manchester United on Sunday (Liverpool 2/1 – Top 4 Finish).

The Reds may have come away from Old Trafford with nothing to show for their efforts following the 3-2 defeat, but the England midfielder is confident progress is being made under boss Roy Hodgson, who was only appointed in the summer.

A big piece of Hodgson’s summer transfer dealings was keeping Gerrard and star striker Fernando Torres out of the clutches of rival clubs, and the former Fulham chief was rewarded as Gerrard weighed in with a brace which included a penalty at the weekend.

Although naturally disappointed to go down at United, Gerrard was upbeat on Monday morning over the Merseysiders’ chances for the rest of the campaign.

He said: “It is going to take time before the new manager gets his feet in the door and gets his ideas over.

“We are improving and the performance yesterday was very good.

“If we play like that most weeks we will beat most teams in the league.”

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov’s first hat-trick for the club ultimately proved the difference between the two sides, but it still did not stop Gerrard from stressing what he thought were the positives.

“We kept the ball away from them and I thought we passed it really well; of course we had to be edgy in the first half because we were away from home,” said Gerrard.

“I thought second half we were much more positive and played some terrific stuff but you get nothing for that.

“When you go to places like that you have to create chances from your possession and score goals.

“We scored two but it was not enough.”

One of the main talking points post-match was the form of Berbatov after he stole the limelight with possibly his best game in a United shirt.

But talk also centred on the out-of-form Torres who has found himself accused of cheating following a tussle with United utility man John O’Shea which saw the Irishman booked.

Sir Alex Ferguson commented: “I have watched it again. Fernando Torres made a meal of it, an absolute meal of it. There is no doubt he tried to get the player sent off.”

United (11/2 – Carling Cup Outright) are back in action on Wednesday when they make the trip to Scunthorpe for a Carling Cup third-round clash while Liverpool (15/2) entertain Northampton.

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Fergie unsurprised by Reds change

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Manchester United (8/11 favourites in the match betting) boss Sir Alex Ferguson has said that Rafael Benitez was lucky to last as long as he did at Anfield ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with arch-rivals Liverpool (4/1 to win, 5/2 the draw).

“I wasn’t surprised at all that Liverpool changed their manager in the summer. I think everyone expected it even though Benitez had signed a new contract,” Ferguson told The People

He added: “That was the only complication about it. If he hadn’t signed a contract the previous season then I am sure he would have gone before the end of the last season.”

Benitez signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool back in June of last year but his contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier in the summer and he left to take up the reins at Inter Milan in June of this year.

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson will welcome back captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres, after the players were rested for the Europa League win over Steaua Bucharest in midweek, for the game at Old Trafford, while Joe Cole is able to return after serving his three-match ban for his red card picked up against Arsenal on the opening weekend.

Hodgson, who has seen his Liverpool side register just five points from four games in their opening fixtures of their current campaign, said ahead of the clash: “The first thing to do when you go to Old Trafford is to defend well because there are some very good attackers.

“They are very dangerous offensively so if your defensive set-up is wanting then they will punish you.”

United, who already trail title rivals Chelsea by four points, are likely to welcome back Rio Ferdinand for his first Premier League start of the season, with in-from Dimitar Berbatov partnering England striker Wayne Rooney (4/1 to score first goal) up front, but will be without Anderson, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as well as Antonio Valencia, who suffered a horrific injury in the draw with Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed though that Nemanja Vidic will get the captain’s armband back, despite Ferdinand skippering the side in midweek, and will be keeping it for the rest of the season.

“He started the campaign as captain and it will stay that way,” Ferguson said. “What we wanted was someone who was consistently available for us.

“Everyone recognises Nemanja Vidic would always be there. He has been fit all season and you don’t leave him out of the team unless you are going to rest him.”

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Stoke sweat on key men

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Stoke City (5/1 to be relegated from Premier League) are hoping injuries picked up by Jon Walters, Kenwyne Jones and Jermaine Pennant this weekend are not serious.

All three players were withdrawn in the second half of their 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Saturday and Stoke’s medical team will assess the trio this coming week.

Potters assistant manager Dave Kemp said: “We started the game very slowly and we let West Ham have too much of the ball. But after we got the goal we started playing better.

“But every time we got up a head of steam, we picked up an injury. That affected us. On reflection it could be two points lost, but maybe it was one gained.”

Kemp added: “It is a groin with Kenwyne, a hamstring possibly with Jermaine and an ankle with Jon Walters. I don’t know how serious those injuries are, we will have to wait and see.”

The stalemate saw Stoke climb out of the relegation zone on goal difference whilst West Ham (8/15 to stay in Premier League) remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

West Ham’s Scott Parker was pleased to see his side pick up their first points of the season, after he opened the scoring at the Britannia Stadium.

The Hammers star said: “It is a platform for us to build on.  We have got off to a bad start and come here low in confidence.

“We can leave high in confidence and take a lot of positives.  We look forward to Tottenham next Saturday.”

Under pressure boss Avram Grant was absent from the dugout at the Britannia on Saturday due to a religious holiday.  However, Parker quelled any suggestion that the manager’s absence affected the West Ham dressing room.

Parker said: “It is always going to be difficult when the manager is not there. We all understand the circumstances.  That is football. We have just got on with it and got the result which is good.”

With Grant not on the touchline, West Ham coach Paul Groves filled the void and was pleased with what he saw.

Groves said:  “We have faced different types of challenges with the types of teams we have played lately, like Chelsea and Manchester United.

“It was pleasing that we stood up to this challenge and the work-rate of the group was fantastic. It was a decent performance. We created a number of half-chances in the first half and probably controlled the first 45 minutes as much as you can in terms of playing against Stoke and dealing with what they throw at you.”

He added: “It was different in the second half, but I felt that we showed good character, good spirit and good togetherness in terms of answering one or two questions when they managed to get the goal early on.”

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Big Sam makes Wenger comparison

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Blackburn manager Sam AllardyceBlackburn boss Sam Allardyce believes that Arsenal (9/2 to win the 2010-11 Premier League) boss Arsene Wenger is no more ‘advanced’ a coach than he is.

The Rovers manager’s comments come just days after he claimed that he could comfortably manage Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Allardyce and Wenger have had a history of tension with the Frenchman accusing players at the Ewood Park club of being over physical.

Wenger’s disapproval of Allardyce’s style of play has continued since the Rovers boss was at Bolton Wanderers who were somewhat of a bogie team for the Gunners.

The English manager has continued to spat between the two experienced coaches, stating that he has not been represented well in the media.

Allardyce said: “There is a problem with perception. Arsene is seen as a sophisticated Frenchman while I’m just a rugged English centre-half from the Midlands with an accent to match, but is Arsene more advanced than me in terms of coaching? Not a chance.

“Does he use live fitness data on his players during games? Does he study sports psychology every day? Does he use sports science to the extent that I do? I doubt it,” he added.

Arsenal and Blackburn (8/1 to be relegated from the Premier League) have already met in the Premier League this season at Ewood Park where the Gunners proved to be too strong for the home side, running out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin.

This was a fixture that in the past Arsenal have failed to pick up maximum points from thanks to direct style of play from Rovers, which the North London club have found difficult to cope with.

Allardyce has declared though that he does have respect for Wenger for the way he has managed Arsenal since he took over in 1996.

He said: “None of all this affects my view of Wenger. I have total respect for the way he changed his philosophy in recent years when the £400million move to the Emirates Stadium reduced his spending power in the transfer market.

“He hasn’t won trophies yet with his current crop but he has stuck to his guns by insisting that nothing will prevent the development of his young players.”

“Arsenal play some wonderful football but what makes the Premier League interesting is the difference in styles between teams,” he added.

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Friendship and rivalry ahead of Old Trafford clash

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There is arguably no bigger rivalry in English football than that between Manchester United and Liverpool (United 8/11, draw 5/2, Liverpool 4/1).

The two goliaths go head-to-head at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Paul Scholes expressing his belief that the animosity between the two clubs will never die. Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson has extended the hand of friendship to the Merseyside club following Rafael Benitez’s departure from Anfield.

Scholes (11/1 for first goalscorer) has admitted the intense hatred between fans of the two clubs will ensure that the intensity of this fixture will always be preserved. Even when fortunes of the two sides were contrasting, that rivalry was still present.

Liverpool’s last title came 21 seasons ago whilst United had a barren spell which lasted 26 years when Liverpool were at their peak. However, despite these circumstances, the animosity endured and Scholes does not see this changing.

“You can’t get away from the fact that both teams don’t really like each other,” said the United midfielder ahead of the clash.

“We are both desperate to win and I don’t think that will ever change.”

The United boss has already described this game as ‘the’ Premier League fixture but has offered the hand of friendship to opposite number Roy Hodgson.

Generally, the relationship between the United and Liverpool managers has been cordial but this changed under Benitez, who became increasingly obsessed with Ferguson. The Spaniard claimed that the United boss was treated with kid gloves and that he escaped censure from the authorities.

Ferguson has generally not risen to the bait, the only significant war of words coming over a ‘game over’ signal during a clash against Blackburn. Speaking about his rivalry with Benitez,
Ferguson stressed: “I have never been personal. You have to examine him, not me.

“I have always enjoyed a good relationship with Liverpool managers. Both clubs have always addressed the situation properly after the games.

“That changed under the last regime. It is not a big issue for me.”

Building a more cordial relationship with Liverpool will be easier now that Roy Hodgson has assumed the hot-seat at Anfield. The two managers were friendly before the move and Ferguson has expressed his deep admiration for Hodgson due to his managerial record.

Last season, he guided former club Fulham to the Europa League final, a feat that Ferguson has described as ‘absolutely extraordinary’. He also cited his ‘wealth of experience’ in Switzerland, Finland and Italy as worthy of praise.

Ferguson still believes that the clash between United and Liverpool is the biggest of the season, even though Liverpool have rarely been title contenders in recent years. Despite this, the Merseyside outfit have inflicted some memorable defeats on the Red Devils, United’s win in March breaking a three-match losing streak against Liverpool.

United go into this match on the back of two disappointing results – a 3-3 draw against Everton in the Premier League last Saturday and a 0-0 Champions League draw against Rangers. United are already four points behind table-toppers Chelsea in the Premier League title race and will be hoping for three points from their fierce rivals on Sunday.

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