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Ten points from the weekend

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Bet on the Premier LeagueIt has been a busy weekend of football. Here is what we have learned in the last two days.

1) Chelsea are by no means assured of the Premier League title after losing at home for the first time this season to Sunderland. Many thought they would be out of sight by Christmas, with those below failing to mount a serious challenge, but there are still at least four title contenders in mid-November (Chelsea 8/11 to win Premier League).

2) Arsenal are one of them and proved that, despite having a young side, they are capable of sustaining a challenge with their fourth away win of the campaign at Everton. Of the chasing pack, they look the most likely to upset the Chelsea bandwagon as they still have Robin van Persie to come back into the side.

3) Roberto Mancini still has not grasped the fact that attacking teams win Premier League titles and bore draws and defensive football just drive away the fans and lose highly-paid managers their jobs (Man City 2/5 to finish in top four).

4) Liverpool have turned the corner only to find a brick wall in front of them. The mini-revival is over and the bottom three is not too far away again after a 2-0 defeat at Stoke. The club may now be stable off the pitch but look anything but on the playing surface.

5) There is only so long you can say that a team’s position in the table is false and they will turn things around if they keep going. Wolves fans must be sick of hearing those words after yet another defeat – this time at home to Bolton – saw them remain second bottom, off rock bottom only on goal difference (Wolves 8/11 to be relegated).

6) Ian Holloway might fancy putting out his second XI once again after the so-called Blackpool first team failed to hit the back of the net against West Ham after the ‘reserves’ hit two against Aston Villa in midweek in their narrow 3-2 defeat. It remains to be seen whether the club will be fined and the boss will carry out his threat to quit.

7) Gareth Bale has a head as good as his left foot after he got the ball rolling with a superb header in Tottenham’s 4-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers.

8 ) Fabio Capello is prepared to give wayward players a chance as Andy Carroll was called into the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly with France. He has the talent to make it at international level and Capello believes the young Geordie will toe the line (Carroll 20/1 to be Premier League top scorer).

9) West Ham could be in for a long season after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with relegation-tipped Blackpool and, if the inspirational Scott Parker ever gets injured, Hammers fans might want to check out where the likes of Scunthorpe, Barnsley and Hull are when they plan next season’s away trips.

10) Playing outside the top flight and outside England is no barrier to an England call up as Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd was named in the England squad to face France. The much-travelled forward has scored 15 goals already this term as Cardiff replaced QPR at the top of the Championship on Saturday. He could form an unlikely partnership with Carroll against the 1998 World Cup winners at Wembley (England 11/10 to beat France).

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10 things we’ve learned from the Premier League this weekend

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1)      Sunderland (8/1 Top Six Finish) need to improve defensively and Steve Bruce is this week’s most unpopular person on Wearside.

2)      Feuding Manchester City are far from the finished article and don’t look title contenders (City 2/5 Top Four Finish).

3)      Manchester United are not the same team without Wayne Rooney (Rooney 16/1 Premier League Top Scorer), but is Nani the new Ronaldo?

4)      Liverpool need Fernando Torres fit and on form to qualify for Europe….as there’s nobody else!

5)      Tottenham are not good enough to mount a title challenge and will never get a refereeing decision at Old Trafford!

6)      Aston Villa are going to take a while to get to grips with what Monsieur Houllier requires!  Not sure the fans will remain patient though (Villa 14/1 Top Four Finish).

7)      Start counting your money if you’ve backed West Ham to be relegated – not even Scott Parker or Rob Green can save the Hammers from the drop (Hammers 10/11 to be relegated).

8)      Blackburn can actually play some football and Benjani could keep them in the top flight this season.

9)      Fabio Capello hopefully has a short memory, as Joey Barton looks good enough for a call-up to the England squad (1/6 to win Euro 2012 Qualifying Group G).

10)   Everton are the in-form team in the league but don’t count your chickens on a European place – a lack of goals could cost them.

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No panic from Ancelotti

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Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will not be making any hasty signings following his side’s disappointing pre-season as he feels the side will hit top form (Chelsea 13/8 – Premier League Outright) once his World Cup players get back to peak fitness.

The Blues boss was remaining calm after witnessing his double-winning side crash to a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. It was the fourth successive defeat for the west Londoners in pre-season and raised some question marks about their chances of retaining the Premier League title ahead of their opening game against West Brom (Chelsea 1/7, West Brom 11/1, draw 11/2 – 90 Minutes) this Saturday evening.

However Ancelotti, who is thought to be close to snapping up Ramires, has so far only signed Yossi Benayoun this summer. And, despite calls his squad could do with further strengthening, the Italian tactician is happy with his lot and just feels the players who returned to training late following their World Cup exploits are still slightly short of fitness.

“Fortunately, it’s pre-season,” he said. “I think that there is time to come back to win.”

He added: “It was not a good pre-season for results. We lost four games but I think we did our best.

“We need for the players who came back on July 26 to have more time to train.”

Ancelotti is pleased that the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard will feature in England’s international friendly against Hungary to help boost their fitness levels.

“The England players are very close to being fit,” he said.

“It’s good for them to play an international game. They could play 70 minutes without a problem.”

In the meantime Ancelotti felt his side did need to improve on their display against United at Wembley on Sunday ahead of the big kick-off this weekend.

He added: “We have to have more time in possession.”

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England rise from bowels of defeat

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England (9/1 to win Euro 2012 outright) have been given a small boost following their World Cup disappointment as they have risen one place in Fifa’s world rankings.

The newest release of the standings from the governing body of football show that Fabio Capello’s men have climbed from eighth to seventh – despite the fact they managed only one win and two draws at the World Cup.

Germany (5/1 to win Euro 2012 outright), who overcame England 4-1 in the second round in South Africa and finished in third place in the World Cup, are now ranked as the fourth best team, a rise of two places on their previous position.

Following their World Cup win, Spain (7/2 to win) have replaced Brazil at the top of the Fifa world rankings.

England could take some solace following their World Cup showing in that they have risen, whereas two other teams that disappointed in South Africa have plummeted down the Fifa rankings.

The former World Cup winners France and Italy (12/1 and 9/1 to win Euro 2012), who both failed to get out of the group stage, have slipped 12 and six places respectively in the standings to 21st and 11th.

England could class themselves lucky that their performances in South Africa did not result in them dropping down the list, especially as the latest release of the world rankings comes a day after a separate Fifa report showed it was officially the Three Lions’ worst World Cup performance in history.

Capello’s side were ranked 13th out of the 32 teams competing in South Africa, which beat their previous worst of 11th in 1958.

This ranking was also topped by Spain, with the top four positions mirroring the final tournament finishes so Holland, Germany and Uruguay took the next three slots.

England suffered the embarrassment of finishing behind the likes of Japan and Chile in the standings, and Fifa president Sepp Blatter stated he could not understand why the national team failed to perform in South Africa.

He said: “You will have to ask the Football Association.

“England is considered as being the motherland of football, as Brazil is the heartbeat of football, but there are no small national teams any more.

“There are small countries but their national teams are very strong as football has developed.”

One member of the England World Cup squad who thinks the situation is not all bad is Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.

He scored against Slovenia in South Africa and has told Sky Sports that he thinks the current squad are good enough to still be competing at the 2014 World Cup and Capello remains “definitely the right man” for the England job.

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Reid retires from international football

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steven reidRepublic of Ireland have suffered a blow ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with the news midfielder Steven Reid has decided to retire from international football (Republic of Ireland 80/1 to win Euro 2012).

Reid has 22 caps for his country and made his debut in the 2-2 draw with Croatia in 2001 but has decdied to call it a day at international level in order to concentrate on his club form with newly-promoted West Brom  (West Brom 4/5 to be relegated from the Premier League next season).

“It was a tough decision because I’ve had some terrific times with Ireland,” said Reid who has recently signed a new two-year deal with the Baggies.

“But having weighed everything up, I know this is the right decision. The injuries I’ve had over the past couple of years have been well documented and I’ve taken this step to prolong my club career and to spend more time with my family.”

Reid was part of the Ireland squad that reached the knockout stages of the 2002 World Cup and his performances gained him a move to Premiership side Blackburn.

However, his stay at Ewood Park was blighted by injuries and Reid says that retiring from international football was a decision made in conjunction with his new club’s medical staff as he looks to make a fresh start at the Hawthorns.

“It’s a decision I came to after lengthy discussions with the club’s medical staff and my family. I’ve had some unforgettable times with Ireland, the highlight being making two appearances at the World Cup Finals in Japan and South Korea in 2002 and it has always been a huge honour for me to wear the Irish jersey.

“It’s just a shame my injuries cut short the number of caps I possibly could have won over the past few years.”

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni said he was “sorry” about the news and thanked the midfilder for his contribution to the side in recent years.

“We are sorry to hear about Steven’s decision to retire from international football to concentrate on his club career at West Bromwich Albion.

“His commanding presence for the Republic of Ireland will be missed by his teammates and fans alike. Steven always showed tremendous commitment to the Irish jersey even during difficult times in his career and for that we thank him most warmly.”

He added: “On behalf of the Irish team, we wish Steven well for his future club career and we thank him for his outstanding commitment.”

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There is more to come from Chile – Gonzalez

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Chile international Mark GonzalezFormer Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez believes there is much more to come from his Chile (7/10 to qualify from Group H) outfit in the World Cup.

The Chileans impressed in their 1-0 win over Honduras as they started their Group H campaign in Nelspruit.

Jean Beausejour’s 34th minute goal was the first time Chile had hit the net in the World Cup finals since 1962, but Gonzalez says the team won’t be celebrating their success too long, with Monday’s clash against Switzerland in Port Elizabeth just around the corner.

The 25-year-old, now at CSKA Moscow, said: “It is always important to win the first three points and after that you can think you have one leg in the second round.

“We just want to celebrate, especially because we have made history – for so many years Chile did not win a game at the World Cup.

“We are very happy about that but looking forward to the second game now.

“We just have to think about Switzerland now. It will be a tough game and we will have to keep up our good work.

“I don’t know much about the Swiss but we know they are a very tough team.

“We will watch videos during the week, so we will know them better.

“We will try to win the next game so we can think about the next round.”

Chile are joint top of the group, along with Switzerland who shocked World Cup favourites Spain 1-0.

“We can’t relax yet,” Gonzalez added. “I think we can do much better.

“We won 1-0 but could have scored more goals. As a team we did things wrong and we will try to fix that up.”

Honduras’ first World Cup in 28 years started with a whimper, even before the game, as key striker David Suazo failed a fitness test on a thigh injury and playmaker Julio Cesar de Leon was ruled out of the tournament on the eve of the match after breaking down in training.

Honduras now have five days to lift themselves before their daunting match-up with Spain at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.

Veteran captain Amado Guevara said: “Nobody likes to lose, less so in a World Cup, but there are things we can salvage.

“We knew Chile would play to attack but we lacked the patience to control the ball.

“We misplaced too many passes and we need to be more relaxed.”

For De Leon, the result compounded his sadness at being forced home early.

The Torino midfielder suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the week and, after being told to rest for at least a fortnight, gave up his place in the squad.

De Leon said: “I go with the bitterness of not giving the people what they deserve, not showing the world my football.

“There’s something dead inside me, I have no strength to mourn.

“But I must be positive, put on a brave face and smile, because some people are worse off than me.

“For years I struggled to achieve my dream of playing a World Cup, and it has gone – but every player is exposed and unfortunately it befell me.”

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Italy reeling from Buffon blow

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Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi BuffonAn injury to Gianluigi Buffon that will sideline the goalkeeper for Sunday’s Group F match against New Zealand is a major blow for Italy, defender Giorgio Chiellini has admitted (2/11 Italy 11/2 draw 14/1 New Zealand – match betting).

Buffon, the Juventus stopper, suffered a herniated disc and is out indefinitely after being substituted during his team’s 1-1 draw with Paraguay in their World Cup Group F opener.

He will miss Sunday’s match against New Zealand in Nelspruit and almost certainly their final group game against Slovakia on June 24 in Johannesburg.

“Gigi has charisma,” said Chiellini.

“He gives strength to others. His saves’ worth are like goals from strikers.

“I know what it means for him to play at the World Cup.

“We miss Gianluigi as a man and we hope he will recover as soon as possible.”

However, the Juventus defender believes Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti will be a good replacement.

“Federico has matured,” said Chiellini.

“He proved against Paraguay that he is a good goalkeeper and he is calm and ready to help the team.”

Chiellini believes the team will improve as the tournament goes on (8/15 Italy – Group F winner).

“Italy can do well,” he said. “We want to score more goals and we will continue to grow as a team.

“Perhaps the draw between New Zealand and Slovakia is a point in our favour but we will have to show a lot of strength to beat New Zealand and finish first of our group in order to avoid facing Holland in the next round.”

Chiellini expects a tough match against New Zealand, a side Italy faced last year in a friendly in Pretoria which ended 4-3 in favour of the reigning world champions.

“New Zealand are a very physical side, mentally strong and dangerous in dead-ball situations,” Chiellini said.

“They take few risks and I remember last year they scored two goals against us because of dead-ball situations.

“We need to bring more flair in attack and take more shots.

“I don’t want to think about a draw.”

Italy will also be without playmaker Andrea Pirlo for the clash against New Zealand but are hopeful the AC Milan man will return in time for the match against Slovakia.

Meanwhile, Marchetti says he is worried about the official Jabulani ball ahead of his first ever World Cup start.

The 27-year-old Cagliari goalkeeper said: “We know the ball does unexpected things and the goalkeepers, like defenders and strikers have to expect a change of trajectory or a strange bounce.

“The pitches are heavily watered so the ball skips off the surface really quickly and hence that makes things much harder.”

Marchetti also agreed with England coach and compatriot Fabio Capello that this is the worst ball he’s ever played with.

He added: “It’s a difficult ball, I think it’s the worst. Gigi (Buffon) and Morgan (De Sanctis) who have played in previous World Cups and have the experience of other balls say it’s the worst of all time.

“The thing that makes you understand just how bad it is, is that all players are complaining about it.

“The flight changes unexpectedly. High balls, low balls, the flight is not that of a normal ball.

“It’s difficult to read and goes faster than normal balls.”

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Rio reeling from injury hell

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England captain Rio Ferdinand has said the injury which put him out of the World Cup in South Africa was a complete accident (England 3/1 to be Europe’s top team).

Ferdinand, who has been replaced by Steven Gerrard as England skipper, is to return to England after the team’s opening Group C encounter with USA on Saturday (4/9 England 16/5 draw 13/2 USA – match betting).

The incident which ended his World Cup dreams happened at England’s Bafokeng Sports Centre base, during a challenge with striker Emile Heskey.

“It was a complete freak, an accident,” said Ferdinand.

“The ball came in from one of the lads to Emile, I’d gone to try and tackle him from behind – he didn’t actually see me coming – we both went off balance and Emile’s weight went down on my knee.

“It’s no fault of his at all. It’s just a freak accident that could happen at any given time and it had no connection to any previous injuries I’ve had.”

The central defender said he knew even before the scan that he would be forced to miss the tournament.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to play in the World Cup even before I got the scan (result) – I was just waiting to get it confirmed,” he told BBC Radio Five Live.

“It’s disappointing, but I’ve come to terms with it now.

“The first night was quite a pretty long night, going over what could’ve been and to not be able to represent your country in the World Cup.

“I was going over scenarios in my head of what could’ve been.

“Leading out your country into a major tournament is the stuff of dreams and it’s taken from under your feet.

“It was a long evening thinking about stuff like that.

“But after that I’ve thought to myself I’ve got to get on with it. There’s a lot more people worse off than I am.

“I’m not dying and it’s not like I’ll never be able to play football again.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to come back, do some good rehab and I’ll be fit and that’s what I’m concentrating on now.”

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Eto’o threatens to withdraw from World Cup

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Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o has threatened to withdraw from Cameroon’s World Cup squad (Cameroon 9/2 to be top African team at the World Cup).

Eto’o was responding to criticism of his performances for his national team, from the former Cameroon striker Roger Milla.

The former Barcelona striker revealed that he is considering whether he should participate in the tournament: “Is it worth me going to the World Cup?”

“I still have a few days to think about it but I will see if my participation is important because I don’t need this in my career.”

“What has Milla done? He did not win the World Cup. They played in a quarter-final and with what a team.

“And you wonder, ‘are they my people?’. Are they really my people?”

The Cameroon skipper has scored 44 goals in 94 appearances for the Indomitable Lions and is hugely important to their World Cup campaign (Eto’o 33/1 to be the World Cup top scorer).

Eto’o is the record goalscorer in the African Nations Cup and comes into the World Cup off the back of a successful debut season for Inter Milan, in which they won the Champions League, Serie A and the Italian Cup.

Such achievements have not impressed Milla, who criticised Eto’o’s contribution for Cameroon: “For me, for the moment, Samuel still hasn’t brought anything to our national team.

“The people of Cameroon expect a lot of him at this World Cup, that he show his true face as he did at Barcelona or as he just did at Inter Milan.”

Milla scored 28 goals for Cameroon in his 102 appearances, between 1978 and 1994. He is best remembered for his exploits in the 1990 World Cup, where as a 38-year old he scored four goals, as Cameroon reached the quarter-finals of the competition.

The former Saint-Etienne and Montpellier star, defended his criticism of Eto’o: “I have a right to criticise things that aren’t going well in the country, in my national team, because I fought for this team to be where it is today.

“If I can’t criticise it then I don’t know who can. Now that he is captain, Samuel has to give a good example.”

Cameroon have been drawn in Group E of the World Cup, alongside Holland, Denmark and Japan.

Since the success of 1990, Cameroon have failed to progress from the group stages in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and did not qualify in 2006.

They are rated as contenders to emerge from Group E, but would surely struggle if they were to be without the services of the talismanic Eto’o.


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No contact from Barca – Gunners

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Arsenal have claimed Barcelona have not been in touch about the potential signing of the Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal 6/1 to win the Premier League outright).

The Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood has stated that he has heard nothing from Barcelona concerning their coveted player.

Barca have won La Liga this year and have already looked to strengthen their side for next season with the signing of Valencia striker David Villa.

Fabregas has stated that he would like to move to Barca at some point in his career and speculation has increased as to whether he may move in the summer before he flies to the World Cup in South Africa with the Spanish national team (Spain 4/1 to win the World Cup outright).

“You see your Spanish team-mates succeeding here at Barcelona and it is exciting because you have worked alongside them for so long,” said Fabregas.

“I think I would like to go to Barcelona, whether or not they want me is another thing.”

The Catalan club have clearly shown interest in the 23-year-old, who started his career in Barcelona’s academy.

Spanish team-mate and current Barca star Xavi has stated that he would love to play alongside the Arsenal player at club level.

He said: “It is criminal for a player of Cesc’s quality not to be winning the biggest prizes in football.

“He really has no choice but to leave. He is making the right decision and I hope Arsenal fans wish him well.”

The Spanish giants sporting director Txiki Begiristain has stated that the club will respect the current contract Fabregas has at Arsenal.

Begiristain has described the young midfielder as a “Barca (style) player” but admits that the player, who is key to future success at Arsenal, will be difficult to prise away from the London club.

Arsenal have gone yet another season without any silverware and manager Arsene Wenger is looking to bring in new faces whilst trying to hold on to his star players.

The Gunners boss has stated that conceding 40 goals last season was the reason his side could not win the Premier League title and that he is looking to sign one or two defensive players over the summer.

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