Manchester United have named Darren Fletcher in their Champions League group stage squad.
The Scotland international has been out of action since half-way through last season after suffering a bowel condition, and has been ill.
However, with a thorough rehabilitation process underway, the combative midfielder is close to making a return to action and has been included in the Red Devils’ contingent for the European competition.
Sir Alex Ferguson is pleased with Fletcher’s progress and hopes he can call upon his countryman in the near future.
“Darren’s put a lot of weight back on,” the United manager told reporters, published in Sky Sports.
“He’s back to his normal weight from two or three years ago. It’s a case of wait and see.
“But Darren comes into the 25-man squad quite easily, without me having to leave others out because we have a number of players who we don’t need to register because of the time they’ve spent with us as an academy player.
“That’s an advantage. He’s training well every day and played really well the other night for the under-21s,” Ferguson revealed.
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In a way you have to feel a degree of sorrow for Brendan Rodgers, in what can only be described as, a nightmare start to his reign as Reds boss. Three games into the new Premier League campaign and already the vultures of pessimism are circling around Merseyside ready to gnaw a chunk out of Rodgers at every available opportunity. Question marks over his relationship with owner John W. Henry have also come into question after a misunderstanding that saw the Northern Irishman sanction a loan move for Andy Carroll only to learn he wouldn’t have the funds to bring in a replacement. It’s just another off the field distraction that has contributed to a disappointing start to the season. Rodgers’ plan to build a new Anfield dynasty is also under threat after Henry commented in the week that the days of affluent spending is over as the club battle to balance the books in the aftermath of Kenny Dalglish’s catastrophic second spell in the dugout. Altering their recruitment strategy in order to focus on cost effective signings with significant sell on value isn’t necessarily a step back but with the 39-year-old having blown a substantial hole in his budget during the summer is there enough in the pot to strengthen his squad in January?
This week on FFC is Pepe Reina becoming a liability for the Reds nowadays and which Italian superstar did the club make a last ditch bid for?
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Best of FFC
In light of Liverpool’s woe, is it dangerous to have owners who are tied up elsewhere?
Fast becoming a liability at Anfield?
Are Liverpool The First To Feel The Pinch?
Brendan Rodgers left in the mire
The criticisms show how short-sighted football has become
Are Liverpool still paying the price for his failings?
Did the Premier League miss the boat on this player?
Pignata confirms Liverpool made late bid
Liverpool ace to fight for his place at Anfield
Luigi insists they won’t budge on Damiao valuation
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Best of WEB
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Loss Highlights Lack of Tiki-Taka Experience – Live 4 Liverpool
Bravo, Brendan! You did the right thing trying to shift KD’s flops… – Liverpool Kop
“Death by football” – Rodgers explains his Liverpool vision – This is Anfield
‘He had no impact!’ – Fairclough blasts ‘ineffective’ Gerrard. Drop him? – Liverpool Kop
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Can We Ever Get Back to the Top? – The Tomkins Times
Who’s Really To Blame For Lack Of Deadline Day Dealings? – Live 4 Liverpool
The curious case of FSG: where now? – This is Anfield
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Quote of the Week
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“We are still in the process of reversing the errors of previous regimes. It will not happen overnight. It has been compounded by our own mistakes in a difficult first two years of ownership. It has been a harsh education, but make no mistake, the club is healthier today than when we took over. We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages. We have no fear of spending and competing with the very best but we will not overpay for players. We will never place this club in the precarious position that we found it in when we took over at Anfield.” John W. Henry defends Liverpool’s new transfer philosophy
Tottenham have enjoyed a decent start to their Premier League campaign under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, taking eight points from their first games to sit in eighth in the table. One of the major plus points of this start has been the form of striker Jermain Defoe, who appears to have adapted brilliantly to his new role as a lone front-man. This in turn has cast a shadow over Emmanuel Adebayor’s starting place in the side, but is there a way for both of them to co-exist?
The 28-year-old Togolese front-man was superb last season at White Hart Lane, finishing the term with 17 league goals and 12 assists and it should have been a lot more given his sometimes profligate ways in front of goal, Nevertheless, he was a fabulous focal point to their attack, holding the play up well, bringing the best out of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon out wide and ensuring that the side were an extremely dangerous side to play.
Defoe’s start to the new season, though, which has seen him strike four league goals in their opening five games has really caught the eye. He can still be wasteful, with the game against Reading serving as a prime example – his movement throughout was nothing short of brilliant and he managed to create space for himself easily against a shaky defence and despite a marvellous solo goal, it’s also worth remembering that he missed at least three other gilt-edged chances that game despite finishing with a double.
Nobody in their right mind felt that Defoe was tailor-made for Villas-Boas’ system and in a lot of way, he still isn’t, he struggles to hold the ball up and he can go missing for spells, but he’s a very good finisher when in this kind of form and he thrives on the sort of service that both Bale and Lennon provide, particularly against lesser opposition.
However, whenever the side’s two wingers manage to beat their full-back on the outside and arrow in a low cross, Defoe is often caught on his heels and it’s the sort of run that they’re used to Adebayor making. They may have scored eight goals in the league so far this season, but with the sheer volume of chances that they’ve created, it should have been many more and they were scintillating in the second half against QPR in particular.
A noticeable aspect of the club’s lacklustre first half performance against the Hoops’ was how much they lacked a cutting edge up top, failing to establish a platform in midfield. This all changed in the second half after a tactical substitution by Villas-Boas, as he compensated for his initial mistakes on what was an unbalanced starting line-up.
This saw the ineffectual and quite frankly awful Gylfi Sigurdsson hauled off, Bale restored to the left wing and Clint Dempsey moved inside behind Defoe, with Steven Caulker coming in at the heart of the back four, with Jan Vertonghen shifting to left-back. The result was an excellent second half performance from the entire side, with Bale and Vertonghen a constant threat down the left flank and Dempsey coming into the game more and more through the middle.
Liverpool were linked with a move for Dempsey all summer but they were pipped to his signature by a late move by Tottenham on transfer deadline day. Moreover, I always insisted that Dempsey was not ideally suited to playing in a 4-3-3 formation, given that he was too slow to play on the wing and would narrow the midfield and played more as a conventional forward last term than midfielder for Fulham.
While he is certainly a key squad player and he did well against Lazio in their Europa League clash mid-week, perhaps seeing Adebayor given the nod ahead of the American would see the side become even more of a goal threat. Defoe’s movement could see him drop deeper behind the Togolese striker and be a success, while they’d still retain the physical option of the former Manchester City man as the spearhead to their attack.
Sigurdsson has started life slowly so far at White Hart Lane and unless he’s scoring, he doesn’t especially contribute a whole lot else to their attacking play and his passing can be both ponderous and wayward. Dempsey is the natural choice to fill the role instead given his successes at Craven Cottage last year and they would be mad to drop Defoe while he is in such good form, but Adebayor is a class act and it was a surprise not to see him given a run-out against Lazio.
He appears to still be counting the cost of missing nearly the entirety of pre-season and while he may still be a bit rusty, he is only going to get better with games. His move from the Etihad was completed nearly two months later than initially expected and like Robin van Persie at Manchester United, he will inevitably be a bit off the pace as a result.
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Tottenham may have threatened during decent spells in certain game and the signing of Moussa Dembele already looks a masterstroke give what he can offer the team’s midfield with his surging forward runs and ability to beat a man in the middle of the park, but they have also flattered to deceive just as many times, drawing their opening two home games against Norwich and West Brom at the start of the season.
Defoe is on fire and is assured of a starting place at the moment, but with Villas-Boas showing a willingness to adjust his side if it isn’t doing well against QPR, bringing in Adebayor from the start is the next logical step in making the side an altogether more aesthetically-pleasing and dangerous outfit.
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is reportedly interested in signing CSKA Moscow striker Seydou Doumbia when the transfer window reopens in January, according to Talk Sport.
The Magpies face tough opposition in the race to sign the 24-year-old, with Italian giants Lazio and Napoli also vying for Doumbia’s signature. It is thought that the Russian side CSKA Moscow would be willing for the Ivorian international to leave the club for a fee of around the £16 million mark.
Doumbia made his reputation at Swiss outfit Young Boys where he scored 57 goals in two seasons – before joining Moscow in the summer of 2010. Young Boys missed his presence the following season as they failed to qualify for the Champions League proper losing 6-3 to Tottenham in the fourth round qualification stage.
The striker then continued his impressive goal tally netting 26 goals for Moscow last season. Doumbia won the Russian Premier League golden boot despite CSKA Moscow finishing a disappointing third in the table and failing to qualify for Europe.
Pardew may envisage Doumbia as a replacement for Demba Ba, who has recently voiced his discontent at St. James’ Park.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have been bolstered by the news that Pardew has signed at the new contract at club meaning the 51-year-old will not stay at the club until 2020.
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Everton defender Phil Jagielka has admitted that there will be more opportunities for him due to John Terry retiring from England duty.
The Chelsea stalwart hung his boots up on international action earlier this year due to the ongoing FA investigations into his reported racist remarks to Anton Ferdinand.
As such, Jagielka feels that there is healthy competition for places at centre-back for the Three Lions, and is eager to be involved against Poland on Tuesday.
“John and Rio played together for England forever didn’t they?” Jagielka stated to reporters, published in The Telegraph.
“They had a great partnership. In the last 10 or 11 months, many things have changed. With John deciding to call it a day, it opens the door even more. It is not too cut out who is first name down and that only makes it healthy. No one is guaranteed a place any more.
“I wouldn’t say I resigned myself to not starting but that’s the role you get put into when there are people in front of you who aren’t particularly giving you the opportunity to get a game. If the manager did decide to rest a couple of players in the previous years, when the international qualifiers came around again, you would expect John Terry and Rio Ferdinand to be playing again.
“I’m gutted as an England fan. Terry has been a fantastic player for England, he’s put his body on the line for many years now.
“But he had his reasons. It was his decision — he wasn’t forced as in like a gun to his head or anything. If you look at it from a purely personal point of view, it was one less person to compete with playing for England.
“As much as I was gutted he wasn’t going to play for England again, it was also an opportunity for me to try to go higher up the pecking order. I’ve been around the squad for the last couple of years or so, played a game here and there, and I’d like to play on a more consistent basis,” he concluded.
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Manchester City are hoping to lure Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi to the Premier League during the January transfer window, according to reports from The Telegraph.
Roberto Mancini held his first meeting with new Director of Football Txiki Begiristain earlier this week and the pair have put the Italian international at the top of their list of targets.
The 29-year-old is believed to be unsettled in Rome following the arrival of new coach Zdenek Zemen.
Under the Czech manager De Rossi has been played out of position on the right hand side of a 4-3-3 formation, which has left the local hero disillusioned and frustrated.
City failed with an approach to sign the holding midfielder over the summer, as he pledged his commitment to the club.
However, Mancini believes he may now be able to entice his target to the Etihad Stadium by taking advantage of his unrest.
Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be monitoring the situation and could rival any approach from the Citizens.
De Rossi was a key member of the Italian squad during EURO 2012. His displays in the centre of the park aided the team on their journey to the final, which they eventually lost to Spain.
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Although he is a central midfielder by trade, the Roma vice-captain has been known to play as part of a three-man defence, which may appeal to the Premier League champions who have adopted the same system on multiple occasions this season.
Mark Hughes is finding votes of confidence easier to come by than points at the moment. Tony Fernandes, the Queens Park Rangers chairman, has given a second message of support to the manager in the space of a week, and the players who are bottom of the table have also issued a ringing endorsement of the manager’s credentials.
“For all QPR fans. Fans who analyse properly. I am not changing anything. And all shareholders agree,” tweeted Fernandes on Sunday morning, in response to the criticism that followed a fifth defeat of the season. “No team except the first game [against Swansea] has outplayed us. We need a consistent four defenders, not changing every week, especially left and right-back. Mark is the right man. For all those calling for change, this is the team that outplayed Spurs [and] gave Chelsea a damn good game, and you want change? No way.”
Hughes, in other words, is in for the long haul. Fernandes, though, has helpfully identified a few areas where the manager needs to get to work.
Esteban Granero, one of 12 summer signings, suggested the finger of blame needs to be pointed at the players, rather than the manager who has picked up 22 points from his 25 games in charge. “We all support the manager – we know he is the best manager we can have,” said the Spaniard, whose fine goal in injury time counted for nothing. “Most of the losses are not his fault. It is our fault – the people that are on the pitch. We are the ones who have to improve. We are worried because this is not where we want to be. This is not expected of the squad we have.”
It is arguable that QPR lack a leader figure on the pitch. Mark Hughes likes a good leader in his sides. Someone who can defend well, and have a multiplier effect on those around him. Someone to lead by example by blocking a shot, or simply to talk team mates through situations. When to stay on their feet, when to foul, when not to foul, and so forth. It’s the reason John Terry was his number one target when he was City manager, and why QPR made bids last January for Alex and Chris Samba, both aerially and physically dominant players. It’s the reason why QPR targeted Michael Dawson this summer, agreeing a fee but not personal terms with the Tottenham captain. None of these deals materialised and the club were left rudderless.
QPR have since made Park Ji-Sung, a great pro and example to team mates, the club’s captain. What Park does not bring is vocal leadership, a particular ability to organise those around him, or the ability to do things like talk to the referee. With Park missing from QPR’s trip to Arsenal, Ryan Nelsen took over the captaincy of the side. Now, no disrespect the veteran New Zealand defender, but Nelsen is no longer a particularly good player and was signed this summer as much for his dressing room influence and experience as his actual defending.
Beyond that, there are few candidates for a leadership role. In it a sad indication of QPR’s footballing character of the last few seasons that their previous two captains were Adel Taarabt and Joey Barton. Of course, Taarabt was never captaincy material, but the armband lifted his game and he played a massive part in getting QPR in to the Premier League. After his outbursts about departing the club, Joey Barton took over as club captain. QPR struggled massively, Barton performed poorly and the side very nearly went down. Another club who made a new signing captain, Wolves, were relegated. QPR have now done the same for the second season in a row and have started poorly and look more likely to be in a relegation scrap than in a comfortable mid-table position.
Any side without a good organiser in defence will struggle at defending crosses and set-pieces. These have been QPR’s biggest issues this season as opponents have lost their markers. Every player appears concentrated on their own jobs, and not able to cover for those around them. The poor disciplinary record is alarming – 11 red cards since the start of last season. This appears to stem from a lack of on-field leadership, and Mark Hughes must take some of the blame for this too. His Blackburn side were overly physical at times, but they had the football intelligence to make sure there were not too many red cards. Stéphane Mbia’s frankly ludicrous sending off may very well have cost QPR a point at The Emirates. This was from a player who has spoken in the past about not wanting to play in central defence for Marseille. You can’t help but question whether frustration over his position played a part.
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The results on the road have been extremely poor. In Hughes’ 14 away league games in charge, the side have picked up only 2 points – draws at Aston Villa and Norwich. Away trips are about defending well and being tactically intelligent. It’s also about keeping your emotions in check, and using some important tools to stop opponents – occasional tactical fouling, slowing the game down, wasting time, and drawing fouls. These can all be done within reason without cards being shown. However, there’s no player to be the manager’s on-field incarnation. Experienced managers can pair up weaker personalities with a stronger one on the field to talk them through games, remind them of their responsibilities, ensure they’re picking up their man at set-pieces etc. QPR are lacking in any types of these players, never mind having enough to have a leader in each department of the side.
The next few games may very well decide Mark Hughes’ future at QPR manager. Southampton, Aston Villa and Fulham all visit Loftus Road and this is a good chance to pick up some wins. If they don’t pick up a decent haul of points from these games, Hughes might find himself getting the sack. Not a lot can be done about the team lacking a literal and figurative spine until the January window opens.
Juventus have made a move for highly rated Udinese defender and Liverpool FC target Pablo Armero, according to talkSPORT.
The Italian press have reported that Juventus have made the first step in claiming Armero, by tabling an €8 million bid. However, it is thought that Udinese will hold firm for their €10 million valuation of the Columbian international.
It was thought that Brendan Rodgers was keen to bring in defensive options in January, after a less than impressive start to the Premier League season. Juventus’ swift movements will mean that the new man at Anfield will have to act quickly or risk losing his top transfer target.
Armero started his career with Columbian side Deportivo Cali before moving to Palmeiras in 2009. Impressive performances for the Brazilian side ignited interest from Italy and while a move to Parma collapsed at the last minute, in August 2010, Udinese claimed the defender.
At just 26, Armero already has 30 caps for Columbia. His position for his club tends to be at left wing back as Udinese play with an effective 3-5-2 formation. However, the South American plays left back for his country and started at centre back for Palmeiras so is versatile along the back line.
No comments have been made by the player himself but it is thought that now Italian giants Juventus have made their interest known, that will be Armero’s likely destination in January.
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Manchester City had to settle for a point as they continued their unbeaten start to the season against Everton at the Etihad Stadium.
Roberto Mancini has now won just once in seven meetings against the Toffees since arriving in the blue half of Manchester, but will the draw as two points lost having won six out of seven games on home soil.
The Merseyside club have stuttered of late following a blistering start to the campaign, sharing the spoils for a third game in succession and haven’t tasted victory since beating Sunderland on 10 November.
Goalscoring opportunities were few and far between as both sides adopted a cautious approach during the opening phase of the game.
And it was the visitors to strike first blood in the 33rd minute, Marouane Fellaini needing to bites of the cherry to beat Joe Hart, bundling the ball home with his thigh after the City keeper had saved his header from Leighton Baines’ cross.
The hosts responded in robust fashion and went close to an equaliser when Tim Howard clawed Edin Dzeko’s strike round the post before the Bosnian won his side a penalty two minutes shy of the half time, going to ground after Fellaini tugged his shirt in the area.
Referee Lee Probert immediately pointed to the spot and Carlos Tevez stepped up to beat Howard from 12 yards, firing the ball straight down the centre.
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Fellaini then forced Hart into a low save just before the break but it proved to be Everton’s last clear cut chance of the game as they struggled to contain the home side in the second half.
Howard did well to keep out a powerful, swerving effort from Maicon with Mancini sending Sergio Aguero on for Carlos Tevez with 20 minutes to go but the Argentinian couldn’t provide the inspiration to find a winner.
Over the fifty years of its history, the League Cup and especially this season’s Capital One Cup, has seen more than its fair share of last-minute drama – and since the turn of the 21st century, every season seems to have been littered with late, late winning goals. With the advent of the extra-time period to replace replays, we now have the opportunity for two separate periods of last-minute drama in the same game (see Reading v Arsenal this season) to keep fans of the League Cup entertained.
This list includes some of the most famous last-gasp goals in the League Cup’s recent history, as well as one or two game-winning blasts from the past. There’s everyone from Arsenal to Derby County and Luton Town represented, so whether you cheer the Goliath or the underdog, this list is for you…
Click on Theo Walcott to see the full countdown of last-gasp goals
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