Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that his side’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Schalke was a “fair” result for both teams.
The Gunners were two goals up after 30 minutes, but let their advantage slip coming away with a single point.
Although they occupied a commanding position, the Frenchman believes that there were many positives to take from the encounter:
“With all the stick we got after Saturday’s game, it was important to show a good response and I think we did that.” He told SkySports.
“It was a difficult game – a good one as well, both teams played very well.
“It was unfortunate that we conceded that goal before half-time, and in the last minute we had the chance for 3-2, but overall I think a draw was fair.
“At 2-0 you have not won the game in the Champions League.
“German teams have physical quality and technical quality and they never give up, so I never felt the game was over.”
Theo Walcott missed a good chance late on which midfielder Mikel Arteta admitted was a big moment in the game:
“Considering we were 2-0 up, it can’t be good for us. We had the last chance too with Theo.
“We were unlucky to concede just before half-time. It was a completely different game, but that happened. But this is not an easy place to come. We’ll take the point.”
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Arsenal took the lead through Walcott after quarter-of-an-hour before Oliver Giroud doubled the advantage with a fine header on the 26 minute mark.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s clinical strike made it 2-1 on the stroke of half-time and Peruvian winger Jefferson Farfan completed the comeback with a deflected effort after 67 minutes.
Everton support striker Marouane Fellaini has flourished at Goodison Park during the last two seasons in a more advanced role than we have usually become accustomed to seeing him in since he first arrived in England four years ago. The Belgium ace looks every inch the game-changer as he was against Fulham at the weekend, but how far in the game can he really go?
Part of the increasingly talented Belgian contingent currently operating in the top flight, Fellaini has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United in the past, but would he merit a place in their teams on his current form or would he have to revert to a deeper-lying, more reserved role to force his way into the starting eleven?
After scoring eight goals in his debut season in the Premier League back in 2008-9, the 24-year-old then went on to score just six goals over the course of the next three seasons and 11 across all competitions. However, since it became clear that Tim Cahill’s time at the club was winding down, Fellaini has been pushed forward to support Nikica Jelavic to truly superb effect and ensured that David Moyes’ not only haven’t skipped a beat, they’ve become a more threatening and consistent attacking force.
With five goals and two assists in his first nine league games so far this season, including the winner during the team’s 1-0 season opener against Manchester United at home were he bullied a makeshift defence and the brace this weekend against Fulham, his sheer physical presence marks him out as a special talent.
Often when players are lauded as ‘having a good touch for a big man’, it’s about as back-handed a compliment as you can get, as if being tall simply isn’t conducive to having good technique, but Fellaini is able to combine his physique with no end of finesse and he’s capable of scoring all kinds of goals, as displayed by his double at Craven Cottage.
The first goal was a lesson in movement and he completely left Chris Baird for dead before latching on to Kevin Mirallas’ cut-back before lashing home, while his second displayed what he’s capable of doing with more direct service, brilliantly bringing down Phil Jagielka’s long punt forward onto his chest, out-muscling Aaron Hughes before finishing with aplomb into the bottom near post.
That Fellaini has been able to make the move from a central midfield holding man to a deadly support striker is well worthy of admiration and it’s hardly as if the two position are transferable, but ever since his arrival in England, the player has spoken of how he sees playing further forward as best suiting his skill set and only now are we truly seeing that on a consistent enough basis.
While Everton would obviously love to keep hold of them and should they achieve Champions League football this season, a feat not entirely out of the realms of possibility given the respective struggles of top four rivals Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham so far, then they may be able to hold on to him for at least another season. Nevertheless, you sense that there’s an expiry date on his time at Goodison Park and that he’s destined for more than the club can offer him.
He certainly wouldn’t look out of his depth playing for someone like Real Madrid, Chelsea or Manchester United on current form and while the £25m fee that it would probably take for him to part Merseyside may be seen as a bit on the steep side by some, international team-mate Axel Witsel recently transferred to Russian club Zenit St Petersburg for €40 million and Fellaini is arguably a more effective and versatile performer than him, already familiar with the top flight, albeit with limited European experience, so it’s about right if you ask me.
There’s an argument to be made that Fellaini may be slightly too cumbersome and slow to play an attacking role in Jose Mourinho’s side, while Manchester United and Chelsea are less prone to supplying the sort of direct service he thrives on, even if at Old Trafford he would have an ample supply of crosses to get his head onto.
Moreover, cast your eye around Europe at the moment and the lack of quality, recognised holding midfielders on show is scarce and there appears to be a real dearth of talent in that role at the moment. At Barcelona, Javier Mascherano has been converted into a sweeper to make up for the injury-prone nature of the ageing Carles Puyol.
Elsewhere, the likes of John Obi Mikel and Darren Fletcher both have their flaws, with really only Javi Martinez, Sergio Busquets and Sami Khedira to write home about. There’s nothing to stop Fellaini being held in such esteemed company in the future, but he may have to forgo his fondness for an attacking role to achieve it.
He is an hugely intelligent, adaptable and tactically aware player who uses the ball well in tight spaces, not to mention his aerial dominance and robustness in the tackle. At the true pinnacle of European football, though, there will always be quicker, trickier players capable of ‘breaking lines’ in the opponents final third and Fellaini may come to resemble a limited throwback to a forgotten generation of stylistic stagnation.
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There’s no doubting his talent and the fact that he has something to offer the truly best teams in the world at the moment, but there are legitimate concerns over whether he is the right fit for the slick, fluid forward play that has become the fashionable in-vogue style on the continent. He has all the tools, but where he uses them will dictate how successful his career will eventually turn out to be.
If the yearly panto season of novelty charity matches have taught us anything, it’s that menfolk can never let go of the idea they could be professional footballers, no matter how successful they’ve been in other walks of life. There seem to be a never-ending slew of politicians, musicians, disgraced television presenters and former Eastenders actors unsure of their place in the world since they ended the Bill, more than willing to be annually celebrated in their delusion for our amusement. Of late the phenomena has even ensnared some notable Hollywood A-listers. Who can forget Woody Harrelson triumphantly slotting a penalty past Jamie Theakston with all the grace and poise of a drunk man trying to kick a pigeon, disproving once and for all that White Men Can’t Punt. Or imagine the sight of Sam Allardyce crying hearty tears of joy into his Bovril as Mike Myers hoofed a ball downfield with little or no aim or specific purpose.
But while the world of film is filled with cameos and misguided star vehicles for American sports stars, there remains a paltry selection of footballers who’ve crossed the hollowed line into film. You may remind me of the indomitable Goal film trilogy, and Alan Shearer’s immortal delivery of the classic line “you done with that son?” Or indeed that Vinnie Jones technically qualifies as a footballer, but I would laugh heartily in your face. The fact remains that the world’s most popular sport is still woefully represented in the realms of it’s most popular procrastinatory pass time.
And in that spirit, the noble elves at Football Fancast have bravely procrastinated like no other to help you pass the time, and imagine what a world of footballers in films would look like. And it’s a horrible, scary world of puns and bad photoshopping.
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Alan Pardew believes Sir Alex Ferguson should be banned for his remonstrations at the officials during Newcastle’s 4-3 defeat to Manchester United on Boxing Day.
United’s boss was left enraged by referee Mike Dean’s decision to overrule linesman Jake Collin’s offside call and allow Jonny Evan’s own goal to stand, giving the Magpies a 2-1 lead at half-time.
Dean chose not to send the Scot to the stands and has left his altercations with the manager out of his post-match report, but Pardew feels the Football Association should take retrospective action.
“I think Mike Dean might feel slightly disappointed he didn’t do something about it,” Pardew told The Guardian.
“I think the pressure that was on him was tough for a referee to take. Sometimes when you reflect on a game you think you might have acted differently. You do that as a manager and I think he might have done that as a referee.
“But it’s an emotional game and apparently they had a cordial discussion. I’ve had a few of those myself and sometimes I’ve ended up in the stands as a result of that cordial discussion.”
Pardew was also angered that the FA missed Toon defender Fabricio Coloccini allegedly receive a blow to the face from Reds striker Robin van Persie.
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He added: “I think there were a lot of things the FA could look at. But it seems they are looking at none.”
The defeat at Old Trafford has left the Magpies in 15th place, five points above the relegation zone.
Liverpool will be extremely eager to make amends for their last outing at Anfield when they suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Prior to the visit of the West Midlanders Brendan Rodgers had made optimistic noises of try to chase the top two in the Premier League.
Last weekend may burst the Northern Irishman’s bubble slightly, but they are only 7 points off the top four and all is far from lost.
The Reds may have had a “bad day at the office” in the words of the manager last time out but will be hoping from a routine home win to bring some festive joy around Merseyside. There was bright news for them this weekend already as Raheem Sterling looked close to committing to a new long term deal which would be an early Christmas present for Liverpool fans.
Fulham fans will be hoping for a lot better this weekend than what they had to see in their last viewing of the Cottagers against QPR at Loftus Road. They were the team that finally helped QPR end the League’s most barren run without a win.
This weekend’s away fixture is significantly longer to Liverpool and they don’t travel particularly well with their last three points on the road coming against Wigan at the DW Stadium in September.
The Cottagers have won once in their last 9 games and will be hoping that they don’t creep closer to the drop zone this weekend.
Jose Enrique is available for selection again after a hamstring injury. Nuri Sahin is back too having finally recovered from his broken nose suffered against Udinese earlier this month.
Despite starting the last three games Lucas is struggling for fitness. Suso is expected to step in for Sterling.
Steve Sidwell is suspended having reached his fifth booking last time out. Sascha Riether is available after recovering from a knee problem. Mahamadou Diarra and Bryan Ruiz can’t make this one with knee and hamstring issues respectively.
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Fulham have hit the target with 53% of their shots this season in the Premier League; a higher proportion than any other side, and will be hoping they can strike lucky with one of these chances in the 5.30 kick off on Saturday.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Fulham
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Brendan Rodgers has challenged his Liverpool team to prove that they can compete with the top six sides by improving their results against them.
The Reds’ loss against Manchester United on Sunday was yet another game against one of the top six that they have failed to win, and with Arsenal and Manchester City on the horizon, Rodgers has challenged his side to prove they can mix it with the best in the Premier League.
“It’s not a problem mentally,” Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.
“We should have beaten Man City earlier on, we should have beaten Everton – but we haven’t.
“It’s not something mental, but it’s something we need to do if we’re going to progress.
“I feel that we’re a match for any of the teams in this league. But what allows you to close the gap in terms of the points is obviously having the squad that allows you to compete.”
January arrival at Anfield, Daniel Sturridge has hit the ground running, scoring two goals in his first two appearances for the club and already seeming to form an understanding with top scorer Luis Suarez.
The Liverpool chief has also seen Italian striker Fabio Borini return to the fold, further boosting his options.
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The Reds sit eighth in the Premier League table following Sunday’s defeat, three points adrift of Arsenal in sixth, and nine behind Tottenham in the lucrative fourth Champions League spot.
We are down to the last 16 of the Europa League and Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle are flying the flag for English clubs in pursuit of European glory. Tottenham v Inter Milan is arguably the tie of the round and Andre Villas-Boas will be eager to see Spurs progress ahead of his quest to be the first manager to win the Europa League with two different clubs.
There are some excellent fixtures to look forward to and below are the ten key facts ahead of the last 16 ties.
1. The round of 16 participants come from 11 countries, with representation split as follows:
3 clubs – England, Russia
2 clubs – Italy
1 club – Czech Republic, France, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey
2. Of the eight clubs that transferred to the competition after the UEFA Champions League group stage, only three survive: Chelsea FC, SL Benfica and FC Zenit St Petersburg.
3. Only three remaining clubs have graced the UEFA Europa League round of 16 before: Zenit (reached 2010/11 round of 16), Benfica (2010/11 semi-finals, 2009/10 quarter-finals) and FC Rubin Kazan (2009/10 round of 16).
4. UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea are among four previous winners of the European Cup, along with FC Internazionale Milano, Benfica and FC Steaua Bucureşti.
5. Three other clubs in the last 16 have won a major UEFA club competition title: Zenit, S.S. Lazio and Tottenham Hotspur FC. Newcastle United FC won the non-UEFA-backed Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
6. There are two reigning domestic champions competing in the round of 16: Zenit (Russia) and FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland). One is guaranteed to reach the quarter-finals as the pair meet in the last 16.
7. Including qualifying and play-off fixtures, the clubs who have required most games in Europe this season to reach the last 16 are Basel, FC Anji Makhachkala and FC Viktoria Plzeň, each with 14. Anji and Plzeň are the UEFA Europa League’s longest survivors this season, having entered in the second qualifying round. Basel began their European campaign at the equivalent stage of the UEFA Champions League.
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8. Rubin and Steaua are the only surviving participants that have appeared in all four editions of the UEFA Europa League.
9. Tottenham’s André Villas-Boas is bidding to become the first coach to win the UEFA Europa League twice, having captured it with FC Porto in 2010/11. Chelsea’s Rafael Benítez won the UEFA Cup with Valencia CF in 2004.
10. Only two coaches involved in the round of 16 have lifted the European Champion Clubs’ Cup – Anji’s Guus Hiddink, a winner with PSV Eindhoven in 1988, and Benítez with Liverpool in 2005. Additionally, Villas-Boas was the Chelsea coach for part of their triumphant 2011/12 UEFA Champions League campaign before being replaced by Roberto Di Matteo.
With the Premier League’s final run in now well under way, Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa looks set to finish his debut season at Old Trafford with not only a winner’s medal, but a whole realm of warm goodwill to boot.
You’ll find few supporters who have anything in the way of a bad thing to say about their Japanese superstar and the general consensus in the red half of Manchester, is that the recently turned 24-year-old has enjoyed a solid start to life within English football.
And when he has played, it’s felt incredibly difficult to argue with that. Technically gifted with an outstanding eye for a pass, the way in which the ex-Borussia Dortmund man plays football is incredibly easy on the eye and his recent hat-trick in the 4-0 win against Norwich City, displayed exactly what he’s capable of when at his devastating best.
The only problem, however, is that we’ve not seen Kagawa at his devastating best particularly often this season. In fact, over the course of the campaign, we’ve barely seen him at all.
With only 11 starts and two substitute appearances in the league this term, Kagawa has only made three more than the minimum ten showings you need to qualify for a Premier League winners medal. Having made a mere 18 appearances in all competitions, we’ve perhaps only learned marginally more about the talented midfielder, than we did before he first left the Bundesliga.
It does however speak volumes about the impact that he’s had with the Old Trafford faithful, that despite a debut campaign that’s been largely ravaged by injury – most prominently a twisted knee picked up against Braga in October that kept him out for two months – his initial £12million acquisition from Dortmund has been deemed a relative success.
But while he remains a prodigiously talented attacking outlet, he still resembles something of an enigmatic presence within this United side and one that perhaps Sir Alex Ferguson is yet to truly figure out.
His initial showings within English football at the start of the season, were understandably a mixed bag. As high as expectations were following his summer arrival, those that were left slightly puzzled at Kagawa’s inability to produce the goods from the off, were maybe being a little unrealistic in their demands.
The Kobe-born star remains in the process of adapting to the rigors of English football and back in October, he was keen to remind supporters that he was working hard to do his bit in smoothing the transition, telling The Independent: “I’ve realised that I need to limber up and strengthen my body trunk,” as he liked to put it.
Despite continuing to offer brilliance in short bursts, rather than sustained periods, Kagawa has slowly looked a more comfortable component within Ferguson’s side, even if his mid-season injury lay off represented a huge disruption in his adaptation.
But after carrying on from where he left off, since Kagawa’s return from injury, while his individual performances have begun to look a lot less puzzling, his presence remains an enigmatic puzzle piece within the overall collective at Old Trafford.
Because fitting his talents within a side that include both Robin van Persie but most prominently, Wayne Rooney, has proved a difficult prospect at the very least and one that still doesn’t look closer to reaching a permanent solution any time soon.
When Kagawa has played in his favoured position as the No10 behind Robin van Persie, that’s when we’ve tended to see the very best out of him, although the role behind the Dutchman just so happens to be the one in which Rooney also looks most comfortable. Ferguson’s managerial skills may well be peerless within the game, but fitting two into one is a feat that even the Scot may well find a bridge too far.
Kagawa’s fitness issues seem to have swept the issue under the carpet for large parts of the season but within recent weeks, it’s becoming increasingly impossible to ignore. With Van Persie a seeming lock-in up in attack and the flirtations with a diamond midfield now consigned to recent history, there’s only room for one behind the ex-Arsenal man.
The trend for much of the season when Kagawa and Rooney have been playing together, has been to shift the one not playing centrally out on the left hand side. But while Kagawa has perhaps suffered more when played out wide, he’s also arguably looked far more effective than the Englishman when he’s got the nod as the No10.
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And it was during the most memorable moment of Kagawa’s short United career so far, that Ferguson may have finally found the best way of cracking his Japanese enigma; but the answer isn’t one without difficult ramifications.
After a first 45 in which Rooney found himself playing centrally against Norwich City, it was when the ex-Everton striker swapped placed with Kagawa, that we really saw what United’s mercurial summer signing had to offer. Kagawa was absolutely magnificent playing in the archetypal playmaker role and despite the questionable quality of the opposition, he arguably looked like the best fit that United have had in that position in months – maybe even all season.
The problem for Manchester United is that for as potentially brilliant as Kagawa may be, exuding the very best performance out of him in the long term is going to have to come at the cost of pushing Wayne Rooney even further away from goal and for as polarising as he may continue to be, that remains an extremely difficult decision to make indeed.
But with Rooney no longer looking bulletproof within this United side, the prospect of Kagawa securing a central role for himself might not be so distant after all.
Tottenham Hotspur might not be a club necessarily blessed with an abundance of natural leaders, but in Michael Dawson, supporters at least have one figure they can count upon when the chips are down.
Quite how downcast the mood is within N17 is of course open to discussion, but following the central defender’s rallying call to fans this week, you get the idea that after the side’s dispiriting wobble which saw them drop out the top four for the first time since December last weekend, Dawson’s sentiments were very well timed indeed.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, the 29-year-old reassured fans that no one in the squad was contemplating a failure to finish within the top-four.
“We’re not thinking of that,” he said this week.
“As players you can’t. Who knows what will happen on 19th May? Hopefully it will be a good day and we’re celebrating. There’s a lot of hard work to go in from ourselves and also the other teams to get there.
But while his positive reflections will sit well with supporters, it was his call to the White Hart Lane faithful to raise the volume level against Manchester City this Sunday, that felt particularly poignant.
“There is no better place than White Hart Lane when it’s rocking and that support can make such a difference,” the former Nottingham Forest man continued.
“When the players are performing and the fans are behind us, they are our 12th man, just like they were recently against Arsenal. We’d all love a repeat of that.”
On face value, there’s nothing within Dawson’s cries for an added vocal presence in N17 that particularly resonates as out of the ordinary. Calls for solidarity and a collective grouping together when clubs’ backs are against the wall is nothing new and if such a thing as a skipper’s handbook existed, you imagine the previous sentiment would feature somewhere towards the front.
Yet after a season that has seen White Hart Lane draped in a blanket of tension and a mire of skepticism – perhaps thanks in no small part to the side’s difficulty in finding a rhythm when playing in front of the home crowd – the debate upon the atmosphere is more a topical point of conversation, as opposed to a small flash in the pan.
And following Clint Dempsey’s recent suggestions that the unease emitted from the home support might be beginning to have a detrimental effect upon the first team, Dawson’s recent comments might hold a little more weight than simply a series of throwaway remarks.
This isn’t to say that the England man has wheeled out something of a coded jibe to a set of fans in which he is thought very highly of indeed, but following a 2-2 draw with Everton played out in front of a backdrop of frustration and jangling nerves, there might have been more to Dawson’s comments than initially met the eye.
And although sensitivity must always be harnessed when approaching the subject of dwindling atmosphere with supporters, with so much on the line for Spurs this season, it’s perhaps imperative that the subject has been given an added spot of prominence over the last ten days.
Frustrations with the noise levels at White Hart Lane have been bubbling under the surface for a while now. Some have attributed a harder-line approach from stewards to standing at games – an obvious flouting of the regulations but commonplace across the more vocally prominent stands in the Premier League – while others have looked towards the jagged and awkward performances that Villas-Boas’ side have served up in North London.
But although both of the aforementioned have played a part, the patented vivacity and energy of the White Hart Lane crowd just hasn’t been there for large parts of this campaign and it’s something which has to change over the last handful of games this season.
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As Dawson mentioned, we know that this home crowd is still capable of carrying their team over the line, as they did almost single-handedly during the 2-1 over Arsenal earlier on this year and although a north London derby can of course be classified as a one-off, the fixtures against Manchester United and West Ham drew a similar level of passion out of the paying public in N17.
And moving forward, that’s what the Tottenham support simply have to try and replicate during their remaining home clashes with City, Southampton and Sunderland on the last day of the season.
The likelihood is, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be scrappy and it might not necessarily be pleasant. But now’s not the time to start yearning for anything approaching box office football.
Spurs have to get over the line one way or another, but the chorus of moans, groans and general feeling of discontent that felt palpable at times during the Everton game isn’t likely to help anyone. Be it the genteel smattering of boos that greeted Emmanuel Adebayor’s name on the line-up or the general feeling of disdain that Clint Dempsey seems to have attracted, regardless of how much supporters may believe it’s affecting the first team, it’s certainly not having a positive effect.
It’s time to lay the arms down, take a deep breath and put the frustration on the backburner in N17, at least until the end of the season. Tottenham need their 12th man back and they’d be no better time to return than against Manchester City this weekend.
Summary: Manchester United were crowned Premier League champions after Robin Van Persie’s stunning first-half hat-trick sunk struggling Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
It was fitting that Van Persie, wearing the number 20 on his back, was the man to fire United to their 20th top-flight crown and regain the throne from local rivals Manchester City.
Their intent was clear from the first kick and within 90 seconds the PFA Player of the Year nominee had the hosts in front. Rafael’s deep cross from the right was expertly returned back across goal by Ryan Giggs giving Van Persie the easy task of turning in from a yard out.
After a two-month drought the Dutchman was accused of fatigue but gave everyone a reminder of his world class credentials with a stunning second just before the quarter hour. Wayne Rooney clipped a wonderful ball over the Villa backline and Van Persie watched the ball drop over his shoulder before unleashing a breathtaking first time volley into the bottom corner.
The hat-trick was complete 20 minutes later with Giggs picking out Van Persie once again and the Red Devils leading scorer stabbed the ball past Brad Guzan to register his 24th goal of the season and move above Luis Suarez in the Golden Boot stakes.
Unfortunately for Villa, who remain 17th and in deep trouble, they had to endure a second half which more or less resembled a procession for United. They did come close to a consolation when Andreas Weinmann’s header beat David de Gea but not Van Persie on the line.
Ferguson rejoiced on the touchline as his year-long quest to recapture the title finally came to a happy ending as joined the players in a lap of honour around Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson post-match…”It is sweet, doesn’t matter when you win it, the consistency has been phenomenal. We have lived up to the expectation. This could arguable be [our best ever squad]. There is a lot of youth and a lot will get better, we expect that.”
Paul Lambert post-match…”You want to give a good account of yourselves at Old Trafford but after the start we had you are not wanting to concede more goals. The lads kept on going and, for us, next Monday [against Sunderland] is the one we have to win.”
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Good night for…Robin Van Persie: His decision to leave Arsenal in the summer in search of a title winners medal was fully justified tonight. A stunning treble, the second of which is destined to be a contender for Goal of the Season, capped an excellent night and season for the prolific Dutchman.
Bad night for…Ron Vlaar: Not the captain Villa need in this time of struggle. Allowances are made given he was coming up against a world-class striker but the rate at which Vlaar crumbled after the first goal went in should surely lead to Paul Lambert questioning whether he has the mental strength to lead the club on the field.