James Milner hopes to help Manchester City move on from their failed title bid by securing the FA Cup trophy.
Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday ended City’s hopes of successfully defending their league crown.
Milner admits his side is bitterly disappointed to have failed to defend the Premier League title but hopes to end the season with silverware by securing the FA Cup title.
City will take on Wigan in the final next month and Milner is desperate to add the FA Cup to the Etihad Stadium trophy cabinet.
“It hurts,” Milner told Sky Sports News. “Well done to Manchester United, they’re obviously a strong team and the league doesn’t lie, so they deserve the league.
“We’re massively disappointed, but it fuels the fire for next season and we’re desperate to go again next season to try and win it back.
“Hopefully we can finish this season with silverware.”
The England international feels City must take inspiration from United’s efforts this season in the 2013/14 campaign.
Milner believes United have used the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title last season as motivation this term, and he feels City must do the same next year as they bid to wrestle the title back.
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He added: “We’ve seen how hard it is to retain the title and how much they (United) used that disappointment from last season to drive them on this year.
“They’ve been very good in the league, very solid and seem to grind out results every week. They’ve deserved it and we have to look at where we’ve gone wrong and try to put that right.”
Newcastle fans are dreading the thought of losing Kenedy this summer, after the impressive Brazilian was linked with Bayern Munich and PSG.
According to Sky Sports, PSG and Bayern Munich are two of a handful of huge clubs keeping an eye on Chelsea loanee Kenedy.
The Brazilian winger has grabbed two goals and two assists since his loan move to Newcastle, and fans on Tyneside have fallen in love with his work ethic, audacious skills and passionate celebrations.
Apart from the obvious task of keeping Rafael Benitez at the club, the Toon Army have been stressing for weeks about the prospect of keeping Kenedy this summer, who seems to have formed a real relationship with St. James’ Park.
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Of course, the better he plays the more interest he will attract from elsewhere, and Sky Sports’ claims that he is wanted by some of Europe’s elite is troubling news indeed.
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While some fans are doubting the validity of the links, others are freaking out at the possibility of losing their new fan favourite.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Right at the end of the season, with nothing to play for, Manchester City fans have only three games to soldier through before they put to sleep this disappointment of a season and look forward to a summer of change and a new season of hope.
Next up is QPR, and there will be no repeat of 2012’s end of the season clash against the London club at the Etihad when Aguero snatched the Premier League title out of Alex Ferguson’s grasp in added time.
No, this time the atmosphere will be flat. But actually, City’s season is not done yet.
It might not matter much to City fans or even the club itself, but City will have a big say in the doling out of Europa League places between now and the end of the season.
Last week, City beat Tottenham who remain only a point ahead of Southampton as a result. That’s the race for 6th. A Europa League place could still go to 7th place. And that’s where it gets interesting, strangely. Because it’s not totally sewn up for Southampton just yet.
And that’s because Southampton go to Manchester City on the final day after games against relegation-threatened yet on-form Leicester City in Leicester and Aston Villa in Southampton. So Saints don’t have the easiest of run-ins.
Spurs, meanwhile face Stoke, Hull and Everton. Not that they’re the easiest games to have either, but Everton and Stoke have little to play for at the moment, though I’d put Hull in the same category as Leicester and Villa. They could spring a surprise.
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So neither of the Europa League chasing teams have their final three games sewn up, and both could drop points. In the race for 6th, Southampton’s final day showdown with City at the Etihad could be crucial.
But there’s still a race for 7th that no one is talking about.
Partly this is because we’re not certain that 7th place will yield a Europa League spot at the end of the season. An Aston Villa FA Cup win would see 7th place disappointed. And it’s partly because the focus has been on Southampton and Spurs for so long.
But Swansea aren’t out of it yet – it’s unlikely, but they can’t be written off. They sit four points behind Southampton and five behind Spurs.
Their last three games are daunting, though. Away to Arsenal, home to Manchester City and away to Crystal Palace.
But if they win all three, they could probably consider themselves unlucky not to overtake one of the teams in front and finish 7th.
And it’s not impossible. City have little to play for, Arsenal are in the same boat. They might be motivated by the thought of having to qualify for the Champions League if they finish 4th, but that’s nothing compared with the motivation of actually finishing in Europe or not.
So there’s a race for Europe happening. Liverpool may still harbour hopes of catching Manchester United, and Swansea – albeit with harder fixtures – may just hold out hope of catching Southampton.
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And so it’s Manchester City who will have a big say in where those places end up. After Southampton’s defeat to Sunderland, they remain only a point behind Spurs because City won at White Hart Lane. And City will also have a part to play in the final fixtures of Swansea and of Southampton.
It’s interesting that each club has to play the deposed Champions. But it’s more interesting still that City aren’t competing for anything at this stage of the season. That means we can’t predict their form. They can still play brilliantly – as they did at times against Spurs – or they could completely capitulate.
So both Saints and Swansea have a chance to beat them, yet it’ll be tough for both teams. It’s entirely possible that Swansea beat City at the Liberty Stadium, but Saints come up short at the Etihad.
So the race for the Europa League is still on, and we’ll be watching all the fixtures with an interested eye. But it’s events involving Manchester City that seem to add spice to this race, so we’ll be watching them with more attention than possibly even their fans will be over the next three matchdays. There’s still lots to play for in games involving City, but it’s just not City that are bothered, really.
It’s a name that’s been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur for nearly a season now, but as the transfer speculation heats up regarding the club’s potential swoop for Hamburg forward Heung-Min Son, some supporters are already turning their attention to where the Korean might fit in their side.
While the club’s interest in Son can be traced back to the summer of 2012, it’s believed that the 20-year-old’s hesitation in signing an extension to a contract that expires next season could see him leave the Imtech Arena for as little as £8.5million.
And further still, if a report in this morning’s Independent is to be believed, the player himself is said to be keen on the prospect of linking up with Andre Villas-Boas’ side, too.
But with the team screaming out for a forward of the highest calibre and several other elements of the side needing addressing come the summer, can Spurs really afford to invest the best part of £10million in a player whose age and inexperience ensures a potential deal remains very much an eight-figure gamble?
The cynics among the Lilywhites support won’t even necessarily need to have seen the Chuncheon-born talent play, to raise suspicions about the club’s motivation to acquire his signature this summer. Barely out of his teens and adjoined with a lofty reputation forged on the continent, Son bears the hallmark and resale value of the sort of player that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy loves to bring to the club.
Throw in the usual skepticism that follows the import of a player with the marketing capacity to unlock the lucrative Asian market and perhaps it’s understandable that not all supporters are jumping out of their seat at the prospect of the South Korean making the move to N17.
But regardless of what Son might bring to the club off the pitch, he also has the capacity to have a profound effect on the field of play. His signing might please Levy, but don’t think for five minutes that Son might find himself out of his depth in the white side of North London.
After joining the Bundesliga side at the tender age of only 16, Son has had to endure the usual sort of labeling that comes with such a high-profile at such a young age. Certainly, the ‘Asian Lionel Messi’ was a tag did little to encourage his development when he first arrived on German shores.
But if the pressure did little to aid his evolution from a fledgling, enigmatic youth player, it’s not done much to harm him, either.
Still three months off his 21st birthday, Son can already lay claim to 13 caps for his country, 67 top-flight appearances for Hamburg and an extremely impressive 17 Bundesliga goals to go with them – nine of which have come during the 2012/13 campaign.
The finished article, Son most certainly is not, but don’t let his age belie his capabilities. Equally adept with either foot, Son offers a threat from anywhere across a front attacking three and what’s more, he doesn’t seem to have a preference where, either.
“I don’t care where I play,” were the South Korean’s words upon breaking into the team in Hamburg.
“The main thing is I’m in the game. I can play right, left, as a forward or behind. What the coach says, I’ll do. I don’t have a favourite position. I’ll be anywhere and always on the throttle.”
With Tottenham’s lack of attacking potency past the duo of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon being woefully exposed in recent games, oh how Villas-Boas’ side could do with Son’s talents now, as opposed to three or four months down the track.
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He offers pace, close control, an admirable work ethic but most importantly, a goal threat when positioned out on the flank. This season has seen the South Korean stationed out on the right-hand side more often than not for Thorsten Fink’s side and while supporters will be mindful of the worth that they place on current incumbent Aaron Lennon, Son would offer Villas-Boas a completely different option in terms of setting his side up.
The notion of recreating the 4-3-3 that the Portuguese enjoyed so much success with at Porto has largely been made redundant due to several factors, but the lack of another goalscoring winger has been one of the most poignant. Son’s composure in front of goal could open some more doors for Villas-Boas tactically and ease some of the goalscoring burden that Bale has had to shoulder for far too long this season.
For as efficient as Son might be in front of goal, despite his ability to play as a central striker he wouldn’t really offer Spurs a viable option as a long-term centre forward and that must be the priority at White Hart Lane this summer. But should the 20-year-old continue to stall upon a new deal at Hamburg, there’s absolutely no reason why the club shouldn’t pay the rumoured £8.5million fee that the German club are asking for.
Even at such a cut-price figure, there can be no denying that any deal to take Heung-Min Son to White Hart Lane will be something of a gamble. But if the £15million that Manchester United have recently shelled out to take Wilfried Zaha to Old Trafford can be deemed as something resembling a good investment, then Son’s signature must surely be a potential steal.
Everton fans are certainly growing tired of the lack of end product from their wide men this season, but who should start on the left wing against Swansea on Saturday?
The Toffees have had their fair share of problems this season, but with the return of several experienced figures at the back the focus shifts once again to the lack of production up front.
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s injury was a huge loss, and the enigmatic disappearance of Davy Klaassen continues to confuse fans, but the arrival of Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott has certainly aided the Blues in attack.
That said, fans are still unconvinced by Yannick Bolasie on the left wing, who has been anything but prolific since his return to the side.
The 28 year-old Congo international scored a wonderful consolation goal against Manchester City, but spurned a fantastic opportunity to keep his side in the game in the first half.
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Nikola Vlasic has received plenty of support from the Goodison faithful, but Sam Allardyce is yet to put any trust in the youngster
That leaves Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been the Toffees’ most prolific player in the league this season in terms of goals and assists.
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Although he has played his best football more centrally, Big Sam has to go with the 21 year-old on Saturday against Swansea.
Everton fans, who do you think should start at left wing on Saturday? Let us know by voting in the poll below…
Liverpool’s top four ambitions took a considerable blow yesterday as rivals Manchester United left Anfield with all three points after a 2-1 victory.
The result leaves Brendan Rodgers’ men five points adrift of the Old Trafford outfit, with their hopes of Champions League football next season now hanging in the balance.
Although Steven Gerrard’s dismissal at the start of the second-half played a part in the Reds being beaten, an abject first-half display was where the bulk of the damage was done.
A key tactical error by Rodgers was exposed, as Raheem Sterling’s use at right wing-back limited the impact of arguably the host’s most explosive and dangerous attacking player.
The England international emerged from the Anfield youth ranks as a flying winger and certainly has the versatility and ability to play as a wideman in Rodgers’ bespoke 3-4-3 system.
However, this ploy neutralises his impact, with Sterling handed a fair amount of defensive responsibilities and accountable for tracking back against opposition wingers and full-backs.
On Sunday, with Marouane Fellaini drifting towards Sterling’s side of the pitch repeatedly and Daley Blind getting forward at every possible opportunity, the Liverpool man had his hands full in his own half.
This meant that the sight that the Kop would have most relished – Sterling running at pace against an unconvincing United rearguard – did not happen.
Rodgers has developed something of an embarrassment of riches in his three attacking positions, with four top-class players challenging for three starting roles.
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Daniel Sturridge has returned to fitness and started as the number nine on Sunday, whilst Rodgers opted to continue the impressive attacking midfield pairing of Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana just behind the former Chelsea forward.
However, while there is certainly a merit in trying to get all your best players on the pitch, having Sterling at right wing-back was a tactical error.
Lallana has reportedly picked up an injury, which could actually work in Liverpool’s favour, as Sterling will surely return to a more offensive role.
In the long run, and with the English star’s contract dilemma still to be sorted out, finding continuity in the position that Sterling is deployed will be important for the progression of both the player and the team.
The 21-year-old adapted well to the lead striker role in Sturridge’s absence, but it appears that his preferred and most dangerous position is in an attacking midfield berth alongside Coutinho.
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In Liverpool’s amazing title challenge last season Sterling operated centrally in a number ten role and evolved as a player – it is here where he can pick up intelligent positions off the ball and cause the opposition the most damage.
Playing him repeatedly at right wing-back, where he appeared reluctant to feature and not entirely happy yesterday, could even have a bearing on his decision-making process this summer when a new contract is set down in front of him.
All-in-all, had Sterling been in Liverpool’s attack from the start of the match yesterday instead of in a wide role, the hosts would have been a much more dangerous proposition; it is a mistake that Rodgers must not repeat if the Reds are to have any chance of a top-four finish.
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris added insult to injury for Arsenal after declaring their clash with Liverpool will pose a much tougher test, the Mirror reports.
Spurs claimed a crucial 2-1 victory in the North London derby at White Hart Lane on Sunday that lifted them back above Chelsea into third and left the Gunners with a mountain to climb if they’re to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
And while Lloris basked in the glory of a Derby victory he urged his team mates to remain focused before admitting the trip to Anfield is one he considers a daunting assignment for Andre Villas-Boas’ side.
“We don’t know what can happen so we have to keep going, not look at the other teams and be focused on ourselves,” the French international stated.
“But it will be another game next Sunday. Liverpool are playing maybe the best football in the Premier League at this moment. They proved that in their last game against Wigan. It will be a very difficult game but very exciting game in Anfield.
The French stopper also reiterated that now is the time to kick on and that Champions League football is far from being sewn up for the Lilywhites.
“The season is not finished,” he added.
“There are 10 games to go so we have to keep concentration and be focused on the end of the season.
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“Of course it’s better to be in this position than Arsenal although we have to keep a lucidity of the situation. The most important thing is to be in the Champions League next season and I think we have to keep our ambition.”
Everton fans are getting excited about the future after reports that Marcel Brands is set to join the club, and they hope it means the end of Steve Walsh’s recruitment.
According to Sky Sports, PSV technical director Marcel Brands will replace Steve Walsh as director of football at Everton this summer.
PSV are currently seven points clear at the top of Eredivisie, and Sky Sports claims Brands will leave the club once they are crowned as Dutch champions.
Everton fans hoped it would mean the end of Steve Walsh as director of football when the links to Brands surfaced last month, and now they’re getting excited about the switch.
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Walsh has not been particularly successful since he was handed the role, and the influx of mostly disappointing signings last summer may have put the nail in his Everton coffin.
Brands is highly regarded in the Netherlands, having signed players like Davy Propper, Dreis Mertens and Georginio Wijnaldum before moving them along for tidy profits.
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The 55 year-old is represented by super agent Mino Raiola and Everton hope the pair can bring in the type of talent needed to break into the top six.
Fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…
Defeat to Hibernian last Friday night was Rangers’ third loss in a row in all competitions.
This was the first time Rangers have been on such a dismal run since October 2000. The previous two losses came in both domestic cup competitions, including an abject performance against bitter rivals Celtic. The 2-0 defeat to Hibernian leaves Rangers with a very realistic chance of playing Championship football for a second year. They currently sat in third position, 22 points behind Hearts in first, albeit with three games in hand.
The only way the Gers can make it back to the Premiership would be through the play-offs where there are two stages before the final against the 11th place Premiership side. With Hibs more than likely to meet Rangers along the way in the play-offs, and given the fact Rangers have already lost three times to them this term, that’s is going to be a big mountain to climb to secure promotion.
Five of Rangers’ six league defeats this season have been to Hibs and Hearts, which is the reason why automatic promotion is now out of the question. Off field problems and the resignation of Ally McCoist hasn’t helped at all, but with the entire vibe around the club completely negative, it has definitely shown on the pitch.
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In the League Cup semi-final loss to Celtic, the Gers managed to register just one shot on goal in the entire match. The whole performance was extremely flat and the team showed little passion, despite it being the first Old Firm Derby since 2012. This has carried on in the club’s last two performances, including a shocking loss at home to Raith Rovers in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. A crowd of under 12,000 turned up at Ibrox to watch the humiliating defeat in a match where Rangers should have run out comfortable winners
But perhaps the most worrying of those defeats came on Friday night as Hibernian left Ibrox with all three points following a 2-0 win. Rangers had 21 shots at goal during the 90 minutes and the complete lack of finishing cost them dearly. Kenny Miller looked off the pace yet again before injury forced him off after just half-an-hour. Kris Boyd hasn’t looked his usual free scoring self this season and had the service to put that right this time around. But he again missed a couple of clear cut chances which he would have probably scored this time last year.
The team suffered from a complete lack of confidence as two of the four chances Hibs had on goal were converted. Poor marking and the lack of ability to stick with their designated man is what cost Rangers at least a point. It was all too simple for Hibs which is unacceptable from an experienced defence with the likes of Lee Wallace and Darren McGregor.
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The five players brought in on loan from Newcastle have failed to have much of an impact on the side due to a lack of match time. Rangers will be desperately hoping that this changes as soon as possible because they need fresh blood to stop the rot at the club. With the way things are going all around the club, promotion back to the Premiership seems a long way off at this stage in the season.
awful form these past few months has seen them slide irrevocably down the league table and exit at the third round of the FA Cup, and with manager Alan Pardew admitting that the club are now in a relegation dogfight, will the pressure start to mount even further on the man in charge? Or to put it more pertinently, can he survive in the role for the foreseeable future?
After being handed a scarcely believable new eight-year deal by Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias, it seems even when the club is trying to consolidate, take a long-term view and plan for the future that they leave themselves open to mockery. It’s irrational on almost every level and never before has a manager earned such a deal in the game based on so little success.
It doesn’t explain at all why he was given a new contract when there was seemingly no pressure from Pardew’s side to hand him one, while the length of it, even if you approach it from the viewpoint that it was supposed to scare off potential rivals for his signature and protect the club with a healthy compensatory package doesn’t quite explain why eight years and not say four or five? However, it’s been mooted by many supporters now that the only thing keeping Pardew in his job is the compensation package the club would have to fork out to fire him and when it gets to that point and that’s your only reason for keeping someone around, you know you’re on sticky ground.
Pardew signed his new deal on September 27th and since then the team have recorded just three Premier League victories and five across all competitions, against Bordeaux, Club Brugges, West Brom, Wigan and QPR. During that 22-game run they’ve lost 12 games and drawn five, conceding 40 goals and keeping just four clean sheets. This is a horror run, the sort that ends managerial reigns at clubs no matter what contract they have.
They now sit just two points above the drop zone after 21 games and following the humiliating loss to Brighton away from home, Pardew started to sound like a man trying to dig his way out of a hole: “We need to get our best players back and quickly. We need to sustain ourselves and make sure we’re a Premier League team next season. We want to stay there but we are in real danger and we need to get our best players out on the pitch. We’re not too big to go down and we accept that. We need to make sure we are a Premier League team next season. Our team today is a shadow of the team we can put out.
“Not once this season have I had my best side out. We’re not too big to go down. I think it is important to spend. We lost Cheik and Demba, one to African Nations and one to a transfer. The most important thing for us is our Premier League status now because we’ve put ourselves at risk with all the injuries and the run we’re on. We need to make sure we’re a Premier League side next season. We’re not hiding from that. We need our best players back.”
Ah, injuries, the manager’s go-to defensive position, blame mitigating factors outside of your control for you waning influence on the side. Nevertheless, Pardew may actually have a point this season and aside from Demba Ba, who has now left the club, each and every key member of the side that were so successful in finishing fifth last term has endured a spell on the sidelines – Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez, Papiss Cisse, Tim Krul, Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa.
The problem with Newcastle’s squad is that there is a very strong first eleven there, but dig a little deeper and the support cast simply isn’t up to scratch, as the Brighton display brought home; Dan Gosling, Romain Amalfitano and Xisco (yes, he’s still there somehow) do little other than eat up valuable wages. This has left youngsters such as Shane Ferguson and Gael Bigirimana to unfairly carry the burden when it should really be up to the more senior players to step up.
The club currently have the second-worst defensive record in the entire league after leaking 11 goals in two games against Manchester United and Arsenal and it seems at times like Fabricio Coloccini, who looks in dire need of a rest, is having to put out fires all across the back four and Mike Williamson, Davide Santon, James Perch and Tim Krul’s form just isn’t a patch on what it was last campaign. The January signing of the impressive Mathieu Debuchy is a step in the right direction and when they have a fully fit side back, they should have enough if confidence isn’t at such a low level by then to stay up, but more investment is required.
It’s easy to blame the manager in certain situations such as this but Pardew’s dreadful long ball tactics really haven’t helped matters and have been more than partly to blame for their horrific form, with the side increasingly looking like it lacks a coherent plan not only to stop the opposition, but a style of their own to go to when the going gets tough. At present, he looks short of ideas to address and arrest the decline.
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Changing managers can often give way to the much-needed honeymoon effect, but unless the systemic problems are actually looked at and tackled, as Sunderland surely attest to, form is only temporary, a lack of class is permanent. Sacking Pardew right now isn’t quite the answer, for their problems will ease just as soon as their injury table load does, but it’s clear that he needs to be more proactive and get a hold on where things have gone wrong, because at the moment he looks clueless about what system and style the side needs to pursue with.
With the calendar relenting a tad to more one-game weeks and winnable fixtures against Norwich, Reading and Aston Villa up next, Pardew’s fate could be decided by not only the superficial battles he has to fight in the media, but the substantive ones out on the pitch between now and the end of the month. You have to ask yourself, is Pardew the man to turn things around for the Magpies? When once the response to that was easy to muster, with things going on as they are, it is only going to continue to get murkier by the week.