That Liverpool have had such a strong second half of the season in the wake of Philippe Coutinho’s departure to Barcelona is a remarkable thing considering how important the Brazilian playmaker was to the way the Reds emerged as a lethal attacking force under Jurgen Klopp.
The season started with serious worries that they may even crumble should he move away from Merseyside, worries that have obviously been obliterated by the incredible season Mohamed Salah ended up having.
Still though, the goal in this summer’s transfer window must be to support Salah rather than rely on him in the way they did on Coutinho. If the Anfield side are ever going to compete seriously for the English Premier League title they need an array of superstars in support of the Egyptian sensation.
Coutinho was destined to never have the opportunity to play for too long with Salah and as such there are still puzzles left to be solved by Klopp, his coaching staff and those tasked with completing transfers.
One player that has been linked with the Reds this week is Lyon’s 24-year-old star attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir, a French international who is making quite a name for himself in Ligue 1.
He’s been instrumental in his side’s bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions League again, making them the best attacking outfit in the league outside of the untouchable Paris Saint-Germain.
From Liverpool’s perspective, his form has also been a demonstration that he can replace what Coutinho left when he moved to La Liga.
The player’s stats on WhoScored.com are evidence he can be a big hit at Anfield and offer Liverpool a level of excellence and style of play in midfield that they currently lack.
Even at an initial glance the signs are good considering nobody in the Liverpool squad has scored more than his 17 goals in league action.
On the creative side, only Salah has more assists than the Frenchman, with Fekir’s key passes also higher on average than everyone at the Reds this term apart from the departed Coutinho.
His average of 3.1 dribbles per game bests the entire Liverpool squad this season, including the Brazilian, who certainly wasn’t shy in taking the opposition on with the ball at his feet.
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That his numbers sit in the same conversation as both Salah and Coutinho is a testament to his ability, which is still improving all the time at 24 years of age.
Surrounded by better players Liverpool he can potentially flourish into a devastating weapon for Jurgen Klopp and help them reach their Premier League potential next season.
This week the summer’s transfer business seems to have shifted up a gear with Manchester United splashing the cash on midfield reinforcements and Liverpool finally agreeing to allow Raheem Sterling to leave for Manchester City.
Big deals like these, either by their success or failure, continue to shape the fortunes of clubs at the top end of the table.
By contrast though, Abou Diaby was released by Arsenal this week. Had things worked out differently for the big Frenchman, the landscape of the Premier League might have been startlingly different over the last decade.
The most successful Arsenal team of Arsene Wenger’s tenure had club legend Patrick Vieira at it’s heart but it is now ten years since he moved on. Some would say that the Gunners have been one Vieira short of being title winners ever since. Diaby should have been that man.
The club finally drew a line under the gangly midfielder’s time in North London this week, with injuries having wrecked his career.
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Diaby arrived at Arsenal back in January of 2006 when the club was in the midst of it’s last season at Highbury. It was a modest fee of £2million, which was a sign of the times given the vast expenditure on the Emirates Stadium.
It was testament to his potential though, that he was able to choose between the Gunners and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea at the time.
Diaby came oozing with youthful athleticism. He was a natural powerhouse, an effortless mover, a sharp passer and ultimately a Vieira in waiting.
He was just 20 when he left former club Auxerre for the Premier League brimming with potential.
Now though, nine years on, Wenger has finally been forced to let him go and will feel huge regret that he was only ever able to field the giant Frenchman 125 times during all those years.
The coach was quoted this week as saying it was one of his “saddest moments” being denied the opportunity to get the best out of Diaby. Wenger praised not only his natural ability but his attitude towards training and recovery stating “he didn’t deserve what he got”.
What he got was horrendous luck with injuries. He suffered an ankle break within four months of arriving at his new club causing him to miss the Champions League final in 2006.
Much of the following season was spent attempting to recover from three separate operations. A thigh injury then caused him to miss a large part of the 2007-08 campaign.
The pattern continued throughout his career in North London. Every time he returned to fitness and began to show his potential a fresh problem sidelined him again, including a nine-month layoff with anterior cruciate ligament damage in 2013.
Diaby, with 16 France caps to his name, has now finally seen his Arsenal dream end at the age of 29.
There is reported interest from MLS sides but it remains unclear where he will go to attempt to salvage a few years at the end of what should have been a glittering career. He has been robbed of the success that his talent should have brought him.
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Arsenal too, have been denied their next Vieira. Could Diaby have been the box-to-box phenomenon that would have converted so many top four finishes into genuine title challenges?
How different would the list of Premier League winners over the last decade have looked had fate not dealt him such a cruel hand?
Even Vieira himself no doubt wonders. The World cup winner said: “He could have reached an exceptional level. He is better than me, better on a technical level, a better dribbler and a better scorer too”.
Sadly Diaby was only ever able to show us glimpses of this. Maybe he can do it elsewhere in the next few years, but for Wenger, the search for another Vieira goes on.
Retiring Liverpool star Jamie Carragher claims he would run away if he was asked to take a penalty in his final game against QPR.
The veteran defender is calling time on his 16-year career after Sunday’s game with already relegated Rangers at Anfield, and he doesn’t want anything to blot the day.
Carragher claims he couldn’t cope with the pressure of taking and converting a penalty in front of the Reds’ famous Kop, even if the team are cruising towards a home victory.
When the scenario was put to him by reporters, the former England international was quick to dismiss the idea out of hand, with a clean sheet and a good solid performance no doubt at the forefront of his mind, on what is sure to be an emotional occasion for him.
He said: “No, imagine missing that on your last game and going for a pint after the game and people say, ‘You missed a penalty in your last game!
“I’m not the type of person who likes that but it’s going to be like that isn’t it? I just don’t want it to overshadow the game. I just want this game to go well and if it doesn’t it’ll annoy me after the game.”
The 35-year-old has long known that he would be hanging up his boots at the end of the season, having decided over 12 months ago, even though Carragher didn’t make his thoughts public until February.
However, he has been living in fears for the last few weeks that he would miss his own send-off with a mistimed tackle or an errant handball, potentially ruling the centre-back out of the clash with Rangers in what will be his 737th appearance for the club.
He added: “Before the Fulham game, someone texted me and said ‘don’t get sent off’ so I had a word with Mark Halsey before kick-off.
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“I just said ‘if I’m misbehaving or whatever, get them to bring me off’. He said ‘don’t handball it on the line or do a professional foul and you’ll be all right’.
“I thought, imagine if you end up missing your last game through being suspended.”
Swindon Town defeated Stoke City 4-3 in the Capital One Cup after extra time at the Britannia Stadium. A 119th minute winner from hat-trick hero James Collins saw the League One side progress into the third round. Swindon had previously knocked out Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Robins started the game positively in the sparsely filled stadium. As Swindon played the ball around well, chances were created and in the 26th minute Collins capitalised on a mistake by Stoke City keeper Sorensen. Swindon kept up the pressure after the goal and in the 39th minute De Vita collected a wonderful cross field pass from Robins captain Alan McCormack, who darted past his marker and his shot hit the woodwork. This momentum continued and just a minute or so later Swindon had a corner from the left, in which De Vita’s cross was met by a brilliant header from James Collins, for his second of the night. This sent the travelling fans into raptures. A brilliant first half display was finished off by another De Vita strike hitting the same post.
At half-time I rang my friend and was very concerned that if Stoke were to play high balls and if they brought on Peter Crouch then we could be in serious trouble. I had been at the Leeds 2 -2 Swindon League Cup game some 9 years ago and it had all the hallmarks of a repeat occurrence.
Stoke started better after the break, strong half-time words from their manager must have done the trick. They started using long high balls to a great effect. Swindon’s back line was in trouble and this was exposed in the 63rd when Trinidad & Tobago star Kenwyne Jones headed home Shotton’s cross from the right. This was Swindon Towns first goal that they had conceded all season.
The Robins had little chances during the period after Stokes first goal but had soaked up all of the pressure brought onto them by the Premier League side. A triple substitution in the 78th minute by Tony Pulis saw Crouch, Ness and Walters on for Shotton, Jones and Jerome.
Following the substitutions Stoke City looked to utilise high balls especially with Crouch on the field. In the 85th Minute a hopeful ball up field saw the ball fall for Walters who slotted the ball home past Swindon keeper Wes Foderingham. The sense of relief from the Stoke fans was apparent and the disbelief from Swindon fans that their side had failed to hold on to a comfortable 2-0 lead was clear to see..
Deep into the four minutes of added on time, Stoke had chances to snatch victory, with Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant both going close. As the final whistle went and extra-time loomed, Swindon Town could be proud of their performance thus far.
Extra time started and within five minutes both sides had chances to make the scoreline 3-2. Devera got in the way of Walters at the back post whilst at the other end Williams dragged a shot wide from close range. Soon after this McEveley had to be replaced by Nathan Thompson after a head-to-head collision with Potters striker Walters. After chances from Cameron, Crouch and Upson coming to nothing it seemed the first half of extra-time wouldn’t end with a goal. This was until the last action of the half were a corner from Matt Ritchie saw Aden Flint, rise above everybody at the back post to nod in Swindon’s third goal.
After 115 minutes, Swindon Town, of League One were in front at The Britannia Stadium 3-2, where just 48 hours previously, Arsenal, three times Premier League winners had failed to scored a single goal.
With less than ten minutes remaining of the 2nd half of extra-time, Swindon Town players were looking very fatigued, they had given there all for over 110 minutes, but a simple cross from the right saw Peter Crouch comfortably rise above the Robins defenders to simply nod home there equaliser.
With two minutes to go Williams skipped clear of the Stoke back-line but his shot was straight at Sorensen. On the next attack, Swindon Town’s Miller shot from inside the area, Sorensen palmed this away, then Williams headed the ball across goal for James Collins to score his hat-trick. This sent the away fans into raptures. The relief, excitement and joy of every single Robins fans was very clear.
Some two days later and I still have a beaming smile on my face, I can honestly say that this was the best match I have ever been to. Performance wise and the way in which we won was absolutely amazing. I ended up being on BBC Radio Wiltshire after the game but I cannot really remember what they asked me, the adrenaline running through me was unbelievable.
Match Statistics…
Stoke Swindon
52% Possession 48%
17 Shots 25
8 (On Target) 15
7 Corners 11
13 Fouls 12
Now Burnley…
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Last night the draw for the Capital One Cup Third Round took place and Swindon will now face Burnley at The County Ground. The last time that these teams met was on 17h April 1996 when the teams played out a 0-0 draw. A notable former Swindon Town player will be making his return to The County Ground for the visitors in the form of Charlie Austin. The 23 year old, signed for Swindon Town in 2009 from Non-League Poole Town. Austin played 54 times for The Robins where he netted on 31 occasions. Austin joined Burnley in 2011 where he has netted 18 goals from 48 appearances.
Preston…
Swindon Town play Preston North End on Sunday for the first time since 1986. The 2 sides have met on 26 previous occasions whereby Swindon have only won 7 matches. Back in 1935, 24,480 fans saw Preston defeat Swindon in the highest attended match between the teams, somewhat suggests that this will not be beaten when they meet at Deepdale.
You can follow me on Twitter for even more Swindon Town discussion.
Leeds United failed to build on last week’s win in the English Championship on Saturday, losing 2-1 away to Norwich City.
Pressure is building on manager Paul Heckingbottom, despite only being in the job for just under three months.
The Elland Road side have won just three of his 15 games in charge and fans appear to have had enough.
Many feel he isn’t the right man to take the club forward beyond the summer and worry they will suffer more mid-table mediocrity if he stays in charge.
They harbour ambitions to make a serious bid for the play-offs next term and are now pleading with their club to make the change they feel is needed.
Is it harsh to be questioning Heckingbottom’s management so soon into his career at Elland Road or are fans correct to look for change before what will be a massive summer for the club?
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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
They may not have shown it yesterday afternoon against Manchester United – a 1-1 draw in which the Gunners didn’t get going until the last half an hour – but Arsenal are a few signings short of a title-winning side. The only problem, however, is whether or not Arsene Wenger will make them this summer.
British punditry are fairly unanimous on what they think Arsenal need in the coming window – I too am largely in agreement. The intrinsic weaknesses lay in the spine of the team; particularly, at goalkeeper, central midfield and centre-forward. A top class centre-back – if we’re being idealistically greedy – can probably be thrown into the mix as well. That’s not a sleight at what the north Londoners already have, rather the objective acceptance that what Chelsea and Manchester City have is proven to be superior.
David Ospina has exceeded expectations since stepping in for Wojciech Szczesny as Arsenal’s No.1. But how much that’s down the Colombian international, or whether he’s simply been propelled from the coattails of the Gunners’ improved form since the turn of 2015, is open to interpretation.
And we’ve been here before with Gunners goalkeepers; Manuel Almunia was a stand-in for Jens Lehman before becoming first choice and Szczesny took the No.1 mantle from the Spaniard after a string of impressive Premier League displays. But neither were purchased as indisputable starters and a few seasons later both proved short of the required standard.
A top-class goalkeeper of undoubted Champions League quality could make all the difference. It’s impossible to quantify how many points a world-class goalkeeper adds to a Premier League campaign, but we can say for certain that an average one will comparatively add little.
Rhetoric from Wenger thus far, however, suggests he’s fairly pleased with his current goalkeeping options. He’s recently described Ospina, Szczesny and Damian Martinez as ‘three world-class goalkeepers’, whilst constantly batting away rumours linking the Emirates outfit with Chelsea’s Petr Cech.
Few managers head into press conferences dancing and singing about buying their alleged targets, purely due to the fact demand increases price, and the Blues appear particularly reluctant to let Cech join a direct divisional rival. But if we take Wenger’s words at face value, signing a new No.1 isn’t at the top of his summer agenda – in fact, it hasn’t entered his thoughts at all.
One area I’m almost certain the Gunners will strengthen, however, both figuratively and literally, is central midfield. Although Francis Coquelin has proved useful in adding a more defensive, sturdy and predictable dynamic to Arsenal’s engine room – allowing Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla to enact upon their more progressive urges – it still lacks the level of brutish physicality that can compete with Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, Manchester City’s Yaya Toure or the Premier League’s other top enforcers.
With Mathieu Flamini’s contract set to expire this summer and Mikel Arteta moving further away from the playmaking influence he once was with every injury, it would constitute an unforgivable oversight if Wenger didn’t bring in a defensively-minded lump of brawn during the coming window.
Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin seems destined to move on after another impressive Premier League campaign, Sporting Lisbon have paved the way for William Carvalho’s departure after restructuring his third-party ownership agreement to ensure full profits from any sale, Sami Khedira will be leaving Real Madrid on a free contract and Monaco’s Geoffrey Kondogbia has received plenty of column inches in recent weeks – so it’s certainly not a question of availability. Even Bayern Munich’s forgotten man Javi Martinez, a towering battering ram who would also provide depth at centre-back, is a realistic possibility.
In terms of centre-forwards, however, I’m not so optimistic. Wenger’s perpetual faith in Olivier Giroud has only grown over the course of the season whilst, for whatever reason, he seems determined to prove Yaya Sanogos’ free transfer from Auxerre in summer 2013 is the smartest piece of business he’s ever done.
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Rather than going out and getting a Gonzalo Higuain – expected to leave Napoli due to their absence from the Champions League next season – a Christian Benteke, reportedly available for just £30million, or a Karim Benzema, who Real Madrid are allegedly going to flog for around £40million this summer, it’s more than likely Wenger will stick with what he has, hoping Sanogo can finally live up to the hype whilst Danny Welbeck continues to transform his industry into the occasional goal. Recently, he’s even declared Theo Walcott ready to play as an out-and-out front-man. So once again, a top class striking addition seems unlikely.
But the fact of the matter is that in the last five seasons, not one club have been named Premier League champions without their top scorer netting in excess of twenty goals. Diego Costa, only through injury, might prove to be a rare anomaly this term in a consistent Premier League trend. Giroud, meanwhile, has never scored more than 16 in his three top flight campaigns. Although Arsenal’s midfield offers more goals than most, the 28 year-old is not the talismanic match-winner the Gunners desperately need spearheading their attack.
So who will Arsene Wenger sign this summer? The growing concern is yet another attacking midfielder – or failing that, a rabble of young, undeveloped talent adding depth to an already overwhelming squad. For all of Arsenal’s progress over the last few months, their manager’s inability to be ruthless in the transfer market could once again hold them back.
‘Modern football’ instead of just ‘football.’ It says a lot about the characteristics of the game that we can’t just accept and acknowledge the sport in a sweeping manner. Those traits aren’t there to signal the various points in which the game has changed; we can all accept that sports go through cycles and phases. The term ‘modern,’ however, has negative connotations attached to it. Whenever you’re drawn to one of the disappointments of the game, you precede it with ‘modern football.’
The issue about patience in football is something that’s driven by the way the sport has evolved. Rather than looking for sporting stories, where incidentally some find them mundane, we’re force-fed news items of political breakdowns within the walls of football clubs. Of course fans are going to feed that frenzy. Are we supposed to believe that every manager is placed under unbearable pressure because every set of supporters believes their club have a right to immediate success? The media have made it such that managers aren’t given lengthy and historical tenures, even if they are right for the job.
If David Moyes is to feel any pressure at Manchester United it won’t come from within. Clubs like Manchester United have a way about them that is derivative of Alex Ferguson’s time in charge. There were lessons learnt and an understanding that patience does eventually win through. United are a big-spending club, but you don’t normally lump them in with the new money clubs of ‘modern football’ – if you do then it probably says a lot about the way you look at the game.
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It is ironic that Moyes is the topic considering his time with Everton. Now that both he and Alex Ferguson have left their managerial posts of last season (and Tony Pulis) there isn’t a single manager who comes close to matching the tenure of Arsene Wenger. It’s not because football fans are impatient; how can they be? What makes football fans in England so different from North American sports fans and huge sports markets like New York and Toronto, where the Rangers haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1994 and the Maple Leafs experienced a nine-year absence from the playoffs? Quite simply, the media won’t allow for lengthy tenures in English football because it doesn’t sell newspapers.
Ferguson may have offered his insight into the matter and parted with words of confidence and backing for the new United manager at the end of last season, but underneath it all there were hints that he wasn’t really talking to the supporters, at least not exclusively. Ferguson is made of tough stuff, the kind of manager whose reputation and respect from others always allows him to hold a much, much higher standing. Of course, Moyes will know how to take care of himself and he’s far from unaccustomed to the ways of the English media. But Everton and Manchester United are completely different stories. Everton are not flying the flag for English football. Everton are not battling to match Barcelona or Bayern Munich. It’s a level of expectation that far surpasses anything Moyes has known during his time at Goodison Park. Fundamentally, the media, at least large sections, don’t have that connection that allows them to view Moyes or the club in the same light as the supporters. What difference does it make to them if he leaves after two seasons? As long as people read their account of events.
There’s already a lot to like about this appointment from Manchester United. Naturally there were small groups of fans who opposed the idea of bringing in Moyes, but that was overshadowed by the story of Ferguson’s retirement and where the club would go in the immediate future. Simply, there was enough Hollywood in the other stories to make any opposition to Moyes an afterthought. But even then, even if supporters take a few seasons in the Premier League to get to grips with Moyes, nothing will be made of it until it starts becoming a news item. Instead of reporting on football, we’ll probably end up being fed the surrounding stories that don’t really matter. Okay, so some fans don’t like a manager. What else is new? Hardly worth much attention, especially if there is nothing wrong with what Moyes is doing. But the pressure and the weight of it all comes from outside the club. The sensationalism and hysteria can make even the most experienced managers fumble their lines and force errors – it just feeds the monster.
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Modern football isn’t what fans make it, at least not in this country. Supporters would like to think so, they’d like to think they have a say in matters which form such a significant part of their lives. But the media has much more say in what goes. Moyes is in a good environment, and why shouldn’t Manchester United bide their time and wait patiently for their next ‘dynasty’? Unfortunately, after a while the waiting becomes boring. Instead of talking about football, we start to discuss names from abroad coming in and are led to believe it’s interesting. It’s not. But for those who need to sell it makes a better headline.
According to reports in The Mirror on April 24, West Ham United are one of six clubs interested in signing Manchester United contract rebel Marouane Fellaini this summer.
The Mirror says that the 30-year-old has turned down a new offer to stay with the Red Devils despite Jose Mourinho’s efforts to keep hold of him, and he looks destined to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season when his current £80,000-a-week deal is due to expire.
The Belgium international will be able to join whichever new club on a free transfer, and the Irons and manager David Moyes are reported to be in contention along with Leicester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Monaco and Besiktas.
Meanwhile, Fellaini’s former club Everton could be set for another big summer in the transfer market following a largely disappointing campaign, and whether Sam Allardyce is in charge or not next term the Merseyside outfit will already have identified players that can make a positive difference for them.
The Toffees, whose fans are keen to see John Stones return this summer after he was reportedly put up for sale by Manchester City, boosted their chances of securing an eighth-place finish at the end of the campaign when they beat Newcastle United 1-0 at Goodison Park on Monday night, and they should certainly have Fellaini on their radar this summer to help them try and challenge the top six clubs going forward.
Here are three reasons Everton should hijack West Ham’s bid to sign the big Belgian…
Everton already know Fellaini’s qualities given he scored 33 goals and provided a further 26 assists in 177 appearances in all competitions for them before he joined Manchester United, and he certainly hasn’t lost any of those during his spell at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old is still a strong, physical player in the middle of the park, while he offers a big threat in both his opponents’ and his own side’s penalty area.
The Belgium international would also offer plenty of versatility to the Merseyside outfit, given that he can play as a central midfielder or in a more attacking midfield position.
With almost 250 Premier League appearances to his name as well as experience in the Champions League and Europa League during his time with Manchester United, Fellaini has plenty of know-how and that is perhaps what Everton have lacked at times this season.
They have been missing leaders during the difficult times this term and there is no doubt that the Belgium international is a strong character ad would be a big presence on the pitch and in the dressing room, and he could help the Merseyside outfit make the progress they are looking for during the 2018/19 campaign and beyond.
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While The Mirror reports that Fellaini is looking for a big final pay day given he is earning a modest £80,000-a-week at Old Trafford, the fact that the 30-year-old will be available on a free transfer should mean that Everton can stretch to almost double that for the Belgian – the amount it may take to sign him up.
The fact that the midfielder is looking for big wages may put some people off, but there is no doubt about the quality Fellaini can bring on his day, and it would be a no-brainer to sign him given he is available for nothing.
The ever exciting saga of David De Gea’s potential move to Real Madrid has been addressed by his boss. He has made a handful of comments on the situation, none of which are very revealing, but he has said he is preparing for life without the Spanish ‘keeper. And it should be no surprise.
Firstly, why else has Louis Van Gaal signed Victor Valdes? Valdes joined back in January, and eased himself back into football after injury with the help of Van Gaal. But you do not bring in a player of Valdes’ calibre just for him to keep the bench warm.
Admittedly he has had very little impact on the current Premier League campaign, but if De Gea does go, there will already be an incredibly experienced goalkeeper waiting to fill his spot. The only issue with bringing in Valdes is his age. De Gea has improved massively yet he is still only 24-years-old, while Valdes is 33.
It should be no surprise that Louis Van Gaal is planning for life without one of his biggest players, even if it is fuelling rumours. Realistically, Van Gaal should be prepared to lose any of his players, whether they are vital to him or not.
At the end of the day, this is football. Loyalty does exist within the game but it is becoming harder and harder to find. If a player has ambitions to join another club, they will. If a club throws enough money at you, you will sign. Louis Van Gaal is just being a smart manager by preparing for the loss of De Gea to his United side.
Football is unpredictable, and you can only take what people say with a pinch of salt. Louis Van Gaal lining up replacements for De Gea does not necessarily mean the Spaniard is already gone. But it does not hurt to be prepared for when the day does come.
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Nigel Adkins is predicting a sharp return to the Premier League for Reading and says there will be no summer exodus.
A brace from Hal Robson-Kanu helped the Royals to a 4-2 victory at Fulham on Saturday afternoon but it came too late after the club were relegated to the Championship last weekend.
However Adkins is keen for his side to finish the season as strongly as possible to build confidence ahead of next season, when he hopes to mastermind a promotion campaign.
Keeping the squad together will be one of his big jobs over the summer but he does not think it will be a problem as key players like Robson-Kanu are tied to contracts.
“He (Robson-Kanu) is well wrapped up with us. We are all right from that point of view,” Adkins revealed. “It is not as if there is a situation where players are out of contract and there can be a mass exodus. We are in a good position.”
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