Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is determined to make the most of his opportunity to become the regular first choice at Arsenal.
The 25-year-old has impressed since taking over from the injured Manuel Almunia around six weeks ago and Fabianski is eager to prove his worth.
"I always say my only thing is to keep working hard and try to play as best as I can, to try to help the team," Fabianski commented.
"Of course I have been through a difficult period, but that is life, that is football. You have to just keep working hard and hopefully it will pay off.
"Even when there was a difficult time for me I was always focused on my job or I was always working hard. That is the only way I think you can achieve something.
"I just want to stay focused. That is the main thing for me, to keep working hard.
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Fulham striker Clint Dempsey believes Mark Hughes is the right man to lift the Cottagers up the Premier League table.
Draw specialists Fulham had to settle for another point from the weekend clash with Birmingham City, a result that left them only one point clear of the drop-zone.
Hughes, who replaced Liverpool-bound Roy Hodgson in the summer, has been coming under pressure of late, but USA international Dempsey said:“We believe in the manager and we can only keep working for him.
“It’s not wrong of fans to expect more. After last season, we’ve come to expect more of ourselves.
“We were taking the game to them before Birmingham scored. But we wanted to show character after last week’s game against Manchester City (a 4-1 defeat), although it’s frustrating with so many draws.
“Lots of guys have been here when it’s been backs-to-the-wall, including me, two out of the four years I’ve been here.”
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It is often quite difficult to define a manager in terms of the tactics, players and shape that they like to go with, as things often change to combat your next opponents, but one noticeable trait of Roberto Mancini’s during his time at Man City thus far has been his defensive attitude which not only stifles some of the clubs creative talents, but fails to get the best out of some of their most expensive acquisitions, namely in this case, £26m summer signing James Milner.
Milner, the swashbuckling try hard, a player that is both dynamic and versatile, has disappointed somewhat since his long drawn out move from former employers Aston Villa to Man City this summer that went some way to signalling the departure of Martin O’Neill from Villa Park.
Last season was a breakout season for the England international, establishing himself as Capello’s ‘go to’ man whenever a position needed filling in the national side, it was his deployment in central midfield that sparked such fine form that prompted moneybags City to move for him.
He scored 7 league goals and delivered an impressive 12 assists from his position just ahead of Stiliyan Petrov in the middle of the park last term, which it makes it all the more strange that despite such perseverance in pursuing his signature based on this form, Mancini has reverted to playing back Milner on the wing.
Of course, £26m (£18m in fact, with £8m value Stephen Ireland being exchanged in the opposite direction) was always way too much for a player that seems to lack the pace to truly trouble the best, but such is the way with the market being inflated for English talent, that a premium is put on such players simply due to the nature of their passports, coupled with the fact that every man and his dog knows that City have money to boot. Yet Milner, by his standards anyway, has been inconsistent this term and for this I don’t blame the player, but his current manager’s tactics.
Man City still very much have the look about them of a team of fine individuals as opposed to a fully functioning outfit, so much so that it prompted England international (still feels slightly odd calling him that) Kevin Davies to say as much via his Twitter feed after Saturday’s lacklustre defeat to City away from home. But it’s in Mancini’s inherent cautiousness that Man City have found their biggest achilles heel to date.
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Quite why, with the likes of David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and to a lesser extent Adam Johnson and James Milner within their ranks and at his disposal, Mancini feels the need to persist with three recognised holding midfielders in their starting eleven is beyond me.
Gareth Barry’s slump has turned into the norm and he can no longer be expected to look anything other than pedestrian. Nigel De Jong, while a dirty bugger, is certainly one of the best enforcers around, so his position shouldn‘t be under any threat. Whereas Yaya Toure, despite a lovely pass to set up the only goal for Carlos Tevez at the weekend, looks lost at times in an unfamiliarly attacking role.
Toure is used to playing a full 15 yards further back, a role he’s played throughout most of his career, and while technically he is sound, he looks too cumbersome to provide the spark Mancini is looking for on a consistent enough basis and so the link between midfield and attack is often a stunted one, and the over-reliance on Carlos Tevez has become plain for all to see.
A simple remedy to this would be to abandon some of the shackles that seem to be holding this Man City side back and deploy Milner back into the heart of midfield to add a further attacking dimension to their play through the middle. To an extent, Milner may be tired from his excursions playing for his country in this summer’s World Cup in South Africa, as the fatigue that dogs so many after an international tournament seems to have reared it’s ugly head again this time around with many of the league’s elite that played that travelled to Africa this summer failing to sparkle, but I think in the main, it has to do with his role in the side.
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This Man City side, at the moment, do not look like capable of challenging for the title, which sounds ludicrous given the amount of money they’ve spent, and it’s not down to so-called in-fighting or the strength of other sides, for this is the most open title race (not quite sure if it qualifies as one after 16 games yet, but hey ho) in recent memory and the league really is there for the taking this year with every other side possessing such obvious flaws.
The fact of the matter is that Milner, while adept at playing out wide, is not a £26m winger, or even an £18m winger depending on how you approach the value of Milner/Ireland deal. He simply can’t beat his man enough on a regular basis and while his delivery can at times be fantastic, to the tune of 4 assists so far this term, he is so much more when giving the license to tear around in the middle of midfield.
The form that prompted Mancini to part with so much of City’s hard earned came from the centre and that’s where he should be restored, otherwise Tevez will continue to be cut an isolated and frustrated figure and Milner will remain a casualty of Mancini’s meddling.
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Speaking before last night’s draw with Manchester City, Arsene Wenger has spoken about the problem that Chelsea and Manchester City have become to football and how he could never manage Manchester City. Where most football purists want to see the back of billionaire owners, is it proactive for Wenger to constantly attack what they are doing? What is right for one club may not be right for another. While Arsenal fans trust Wenger, they must be frustrated at the lack of spending at The Emirates.
“I run Arsenal like I feel it needs to be run. It is a new problem but they don’t steal the money, they have it.
“I’m personally a big fan of the way we do it, so I try to be successful with the way we do it.
“You can also do it the way Inter do, or Manchester City. They buy the best players in the world and it works as well. What I want to show is it works our way as well.”
The problem for Arsenal fans must be the trench that Wenger is digging himself. It is clear that he despises what these clubs are doing, and is determined to beat them his way. Is that at the cost of Arsenal though? Is Arsene Wenger refusing to spend money, so he can prove that his way is the right way? Arsenal fans know that if the squad is to challenge for honours they need to invest in the squad this January. Arsenal desperately needs a quality centre half, but will Wenger invest in a player of the quality Arsenal fans expect?
Arsene Wenger needs to strike a balance between his own philosophy and that of the ambitions of the club. What can’t be hidden is the fact that Arsenal have not looked like serious title contenders for many years, now they do, is it time to invest? There is no doubt that Arsene Wenger has nurtured a side that is good enough to challenge, but if he was to spend a large sum of money, that potential could turn to medals come May.
I don’t think any Arsenal fan would want their club to invest a huge amount of money on players. It would actually stunt the development of some very promising youngsters at the club. However, as many have argued before, there needs to be a balance. If Arsene Wenger was more willing to invest a bit more there is a case to argue that the squad would learn a great deal from a different method of thinking. For example, if Arsenal were to bring in a top quality centre half in the mould of David Luiz, he would bring with him his own set of training principals that Arsene Wenger could tap into. Without investing in the very best, can Arsenal hold on to Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie?
If Arsene Wenger has entrenched himself into a transfer policy that could harm the success of Arsenal, he needs to reverse his thinking. Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have shown English football that success can be had without spending vast amounts of money. However, times have changed and unfortunately for the game the change is irreversible. Money controlling football is here to stay and Wenger must now strike a balance in order to compete year in year out.
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The glitz, the glamour, the fast cars and the beautiful women. Yes, the life of a Premier League footballer sure is tempting. The closest that I ever got to this lifestyle were the dreams of international soccer stardom that I had as a kid, but for a few select youngsters the Premier League is within their reach. The lure of playing of playing in sell-out, state of the art stadia every week can be too much to resist, but are too many of the brightest young players making this jump too early in their careers?
The mentality of getting to the top as quickly as possible exists in just about every profession with the lure of the big bucks often hard to turn down. However, a young player turning his back on a lower league club to join the riches of the Premier League can often find himself consigned to the reserve team scrap-heap. The buzz around the youngster fizzles away and he becomes another ‘what if’ player.
The latest young players linked with their big Premier League moves are Ipswich’s Connor Wickham and Southampton’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and both have gone about their business very differently.
Oxlade-Chambelain is only 17 years-old and has just broken into the Southampton first-team, yet has been tipped with a move to the Premier League since December. It appears like he is keen to make the move this month to either Liverpool or Arsenal and his father, Mark Chamberlain, has made no secret of who he’s like his son to join. He said: “Arsenal, with the manager there, the way they play and how they develop players I think they are the ideal choice”.
On the other side, we have Wickham. Wickham is also 17, yet has made almost twice as many first-team appearances as Oxlade-Chamberlain. He has been on the big boy’s radar since making his debut at the age of 16 in 2009 and is continually linked with the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal. He has gone about his business quietly and has remained a consistent performer at Portman Road. He has recently signed a new deal which will keep him at Ipswich until 2013 in order to keep progressing and playing football.
Both players have chosen to take different paths in their careers and only time will tell who has made the better decision for their career.
It is important for young players to be playing first-team football regularly – which is the reason that so many Premier League teams send their young players out on loan to lower-league clubs. Nowadays teams sometimes use the option to buy a player and then let him spend the first year of his contract on loan at the team which they have brought him from, a scenario usually beneficial to all parties involved. The lower league team can retain the players’ services for another year, the player himself continues to develop in familiar surroundings and with the same coaches while the buying team know that their investment is playing regular football and is in good hands. From a fan’s perspective, if they know a young player won’t go straight into their first team and risks being forgotten about in the reserves then the loan move is clearly the better option.
Tottenham’s squad contains good examples of players who have made the step up at an early stage in their career, but to mixed fortunes. Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton, both right backs, both joined Spurs from Sheffield United in 2009. While thought highly of by fans, they have amassed a total of four first team appearances between them since they joined. Walker was loaned back to Sheffield United for the 09/10 season where he played every game until February, but Naughton was not. Both have gone on numerous loan moves since, but with Alan Hutton, Vedran Corluka and even Younes Kaboul ahead of them in the pecking order neither is any closer to a regular staring place now then when they joined.
Gareth Bale and Tom Huddlestone’s stories though have been slightly more successful. Bale joined at the age of 18 and Huddlestone joined at the age of 19 and both currently find themselves a permanent fixture in the first team. So why the contrasting stories?
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Like it or not, footballers rely heavily on luck. Would Gareth Bale be making headlines if Benoit Assou Ekotto hadn’t got injured last January? Who’d have thought that Alan Hutton would still be at Tottenham, let alone having an extended run in the side, thus keeping Naughton and Walker away from the first team? Things happen in football which means that some players get breaks and some don’t. Bale and Huddlestone both had to wait their turn in order to get their chance, so young players need to remember that the opportunity that they crave may take some time in coming.
It should be considered that just because a player isn’t making headlines on the back pages it doesn’t mean that he isn’t progressing as a player, learning the game and growing up. Some players take longer to mature than others. But then some players just aren’t suited to the Premier League, but how will they know unless they try? – surely it’s better to make the move when you have the chance then risk never having the opportunity again.
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With their FA Cup campaign over, Wolverhampton return to the business of staving off relegation with a trip to Bolton on Wednesday.
Wolves cruelly fell 1-0 at home to Stoke City in the fourth round of the cup on Sunday, with Serbia international Nenad Milijas blowing a chance to equalise from the penalty spot in the shadows of full time.
With that disappointment fresh in their minds, Wolves must now attempt to turn around their English Premier League campaign, which is in dire need of resuscitation.
Wolves are wallowing at 19th on the table with a mere 21 points from 23 fixtures, ahead of bottom-placed West Ham United only by goal difference.
Mick McCarthy’s men were soundly beaten 3-0 by Liverpool last Saturday – their third loss from the past four games.
Milijas believes his side can draw confidence from their performance at home to Stoke, even though it ended disastrously.
“We need to turn things around and we need to think about the Bolton game and taking points there to stay in the Premier League,” the Serbian midfielder told TheExpress and Star.
“That’s the most important thing for us, the fans – everyone. We have good players and I hope we can win it.”
“If we play like we did against Stoke but keep a clean sheet and don’t make a mistake to allow them to score, I think we’ll be okay because I’m convinced we will score.”
Bolton, meanwhile, have slid to 11th after taking just one point from their past five fixtures.
It has been an incredibly disappointing run for Owen Coyle’s side, who were comfortably in the top 10 in the earlier half of the season.
On Monday, the Trotters bore the brunt of Chelsea’s stunning return to form, going down 4-0 in a thoroughly lopsided display.
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That loss was just the second time this season Bolton had failed to take a point at home, and with Wolves losing nine of their past 10 on the road the Trotters will surely fancy their chances of getting one up over McCarthy’s men.
But the Wolves boss may have an ace up his sleeve in the form of Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who has signed on loan at the West Midlands club until the season’s end and could make his season debut on Wednesday.
Kevin Doyle missed the clash with Stoke due to illness but is expected to be fit for Bolton, though Stephen Hunt is in major doubt with a calf strain.
Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic watched Bolton’s loss to Chelsea from the bench and could be handed some time on the pitch by Coyle after recovering from a groin strain.
I know it’s a cliché, but it’s funny how things work out in football sometimes isn’t it? Just ask Niko Kranjcar. Last month he could have been forgiven for thinking he was being hung-out to dry at Tottenham. Harry Redknapp signed Steven Pienaar, failed to bring in Charlie Adam yet rejected bids for his seemingly out of favour Croatian playmaker. Fast-forward a couple of weeks and now it seems Spurs’ hopes of remaining in a top four spot come the end of the season, rest on the shoulders of the forgotten man.
His timing couldn’t have been any better really. Injuries to Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart had Redknapp scratching his head a little going into the last two games. But six points from six could have quite easily been a lot less than that had Kranjcar not been on the pitch. It looks as though Bale will be missing for the Champions League clash with AC Milan this week, but should the other two return, it will be interesting to see what Harry does with Kranjcar.
By his own admissions, the Croat could have left in the transfer window, had a good enough offer been tabled. It surprises me that clubs like Aston Villa and Liverpool spent so long pursing Charlie Adam when he was never really available and just as good an option was sat waiting to be given a chance of first team football.
But as it stands, Kranjcar remains a Spurs player and it would seem his loyalty has been rewarded with a bit of luck, and a run of games. No one ever doubted his ability, and against Sunderland it didn’t look like that was only his second Premier League start this season. The 26-year-old has emerged out of the shadows of Bale and co to provide his manager with a little reminder than he is still very much an option despite the plethora of midfielders he has at the club.
Kranjcar has been unlucky to miss out so much this season, but his recent performances won’t have done him any harm either way you look at it. Once the big guns are back, if Redknapp continues to use him sparingly, or not at all, then he has placed himself into the shop window for other clubs to have a good look at. Alternatively, he could now become an important player in Spurs’ run in. They are still keeping up with the pace-setters and given Chelsea’s unpredictable form, they have every chance in beating them to fourth place.
Only time will tell if the Croat is cast aside again once Bale and Van der Vaart return, but if that is the case, then it will be Tottenham’s loss. The man who could well have rescued their season over the past couple of weeks, would be a welcome addition to any other club.
Food for thought, Harry.
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Arsenal look set to end their trophy drought and bet365 are 11/10 about Arsene Wenger winning more trophies than Sir Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United team this season.
Arsenal are heavy favourites to win their first trophy for five years this weekend as they face Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final at Wembley. Despite losing Theo Walcott to injury and captain Cesc Fabregas being a doubt for the match, the Gunners should still have enough quality to overpower the Blues.
In the Premier League Arsenal are just one point behind Manchester United following their victory against Stoke at The Emirates, but the Red Devils do have a game in hand. In the Champions League Arsenal have given themselves a chance against Barcelona as they take a 2-1 lead into the second leg at the Nou Camp, while Man United will be confident about turning over Marseille at home following a goalless draw in France.
The pair are set to meet in the 6th round of the FA Cup, provided Arsenal dispose of Leyton Orient in the 5th round replay. bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth “Fergie has dominated Wenger recently on the trophy front, but the Frenchman looks to be holding the upper hand this season and the pair also look set to lock horns in the FA Cup.”
So who will win the most trophies this season; Arsene Wenger of Sir Alex Ferguson? And how many trophies will each team win? Arsenal are 200/1 to win all four trophies and 11/2 to finish the campaign potless.
Arsenal and Manchester United fans – make your bets now!
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In a week where it has seemed every single match has had a controversial refereeing decision, the inevitable watchword in the press has been “cost.” How much will Martin Atkinson’s decision not to send off Chelsea’s David Luiz on Tuesday night cost Manchester United come the end of the season? Similarly, how much will Andrei Arshavin’s legitimate strike being ruled out for offside against Sunderland at the weekend cost Arsenal in terms of their pursuit of a first trophy since 2005?
Interesting questions these may be, however the sentiment behind the thought process is fatally flawed. If Manchester United fail to win the title or if Arsenal are unable to capitalise on their rival’s profligacy the refereeing decisions over the last seven days will be unable to disguise the fact that each side deserves their fate.
Arsene Wenger might have labelled himself “disgusted” with the decision-making of referee and linesmen during Saturday’s stalemate with Sunderland, but in reality he will be far more livid with his side for missing an absolute golden opportunity to establish a real foothold in the battle for Chelsea’s Premier League crown. For all the talk of potential and excitement, home draws against mid-table teams are the sorts of results that have blighted Arsenal’s past endeavours at top-flight glory, and Wenger knows it.
Similarly, Ferguson’s outspoken outburst came in the knowledge that his attacking gamble backfired. Hoping to land a decisive blow in the race for the summit, his side threw away their first half ascendancy at the Bridge on Tuesday and as a result enabled a confidence poor Chelsea back into a game they had no right to win.
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Over the course of a 38 game season, the chances of the best side not winning the league are inevitably miniscule. Keen followers of the division may argue that this has all but happened in two of the last three years – Chelsea nearly stole the title from a Manchester United side that had dominated all comers and included 42 goal Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, and last year United nearly returned the favour by almost pipping the West London outfit to the line despite the Blues having won all six of their fixtures against the then established ‘Big Four.’
Nevertheless, despite these close run races, the best team will ultimately out. Chelsea might argue that had the referee given Wigan a penalty when Rio Ferdinand handled on the final day of the 2007-08 season or had under-pressure Atkinson not awarded the Blues a disputed free-kick during last year’s clash with Ferguson’s men that the championship trophy would have ended up in different hands.
This is not to give in to the old cliché that Steve Bruce likes to exploit when he is feeling pragmatic that; “decisions even themselves out over the course of the season” because for many sides, they don’t. However, opportunities will present themselves – if you are good enough to take them then moments of glory and success will follow.
Even in the face of the worst refereeing performances imaginable, you cannot allow any excuses over decisions to remain. Think back to Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in that Champions League last four tie from 2009. Whilst the five time semi-finalists rightly felt aggrieved about the quality of officialdom that night, it is often forgotten that Didier Drogba and Juliano Belletti missed golden opportunities to make sure that the perceived injustice did not count against them. As it was, Barcelona scored with their only shot on target during the whole match and went on to win Europe’s premier cup competition, landing plaudits the world over. Scarcely deserved, you might argue, but in a black and white world, Chelsea had only themselves to blame.
Ultimately, you cannot simply rely on every refereeing decision to go your way – from a manager’s point of view, put your faith in anything other than your own team’s performance and you are courting trouble.
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There were 90 minutes in which Arsenal had the chance to put Sunderland away on Saturday, but with one eye on this week’s trip to Spain, Wenger’s men hoped that should they turn up and drift a win would be easily attainable. Some sides are able to take that risk and come through matches of that sort unscathed, however in a closely packed title race the cost of that attitude can be unimaginable.
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Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Paul Scholes are just an example of some of the fantastic players who have graduated through Manchester United’s terrific academy system. I wonder how the careers of the three players mentioned above would have turned out if Sir Alex Ferguson had relinquished their services at a young age. What’s your point, I hear you cry?
Well, I can reveal rumours are circulating that current United starlet Danny Welbeck has had his future cast into doubt in some of the Sunday morning papers after being linked in a potential part exchange deal with Everton’s midfield dynamo Jack Rodwell. Welbeck, who is currently on loan at The Stadium of Light, has produced some fine form for the Wearside club this season, including a goal in the 3-0 whitewash they handed out to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Would Sir Alex be willing to part company with a product of United’s renowned youth development set up at such a tender age?
Let’s not forget Sir Alex is a managerial great, and he has not got to where he is today by dispensing of talented young players who have been nurtured in harmony with the club’s ethos. However, if he sees an opportunity to capture someone of Rodwell’s ability, whom David Moyes has previously denied Everton had any intention of selling, would Fergie be willing to sacrifice Welbeck to bring Rodwell to Old Trafford?
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In an ideal world I’m sure Manchester United would like to retain the services of Welbeck, and snare the signature of Rodwell without having to yield Welbeck as a deal clincher. Furthermore, David Moyes is blessed with a great deal of experience in the transfer market and if he wanted to deter Manchester United’s pursuit of Rodwell, throwing Welbeck’s name into the equation may do the trick!
Clearly there will be divided opinion among many United fans as to whether a deal for Rodwell at the expense of Welbeck is justified. There will be those fans who don’t think Welbeck is good enough to play in Manchester United’s attack in place of Berbatov, Rooney or Hernandez. Alternatively, some fans will see a bright future for Welbeck in the famous red shirt.
Welbeck himself may have a part to play in any potential deal – if he thinks his future is going to be restricted to substitute appearances, maybe a move to Everton could be just what he feels his career needs? The other side of the coin is would Rodwell, a boyhood Everton fan, want to leave the club he evidently holds dear to his heart? That question is one only Rodwell himself can answer, but the lure of Champions League football year after year, and the exposure it would bring would be hard to resist, as Wayne Rooney’s transfer proved.
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I personally feel it will come down, as it often does in football, to a question of money. If United are set on Rodwell as a future signing they more often than not get their man. Maybe initially Everton will resist the advances towards their player, but eventually the bids will increase and so to will the pressure on Everton to sell. In addition, if United are insistent that Welbeck will not be part of the deal I would imagine they will get their way….. after all, we are talking about a world super power within football.