Quote of the day: ”I think it is difficult for two
English teams to win the Champions League two years in a row. Of course
the Champions League will be our target but first we must fight for the
title. I think we can make progress in Europe this season. We would
certainly like to make it out of the group stage and see how far we can
go in the Champions League but putting up a good defence of our league
title is the most important priority.” – Roberto Mancini.
Runner-up: “Robin van Persie will play his first
game this Sunday [Arsenal v Cologne]. He has told me he is at least
going to play 45 minutes this weekend.” - Holland’s boss Louis van
Gaal.
read more
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Watch Chelsea vs Manchester City – Psychological FA Community Shield battle
Chelsea vs Manchester City
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Di Matteo confident Torres will shine
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has given Fernando
Torres his full backing and is expecting goals from the forward this
season.
"He scored some important goals for us last season," Di Matteo said.
"I don't want to put pressure on one player. We operate as a team. Hopefully, our strikers will score lots of goals. But he's not the only one. We have Daniel Sturridge and midfielders who can score, too.
"His price comes from the fact that he's been superb for the teams he's played for in the past. We have every confidence in him."
Torres' struggles at Chelsea have been well-documented but, having scored against Barcelona in the Champions League last season as well as collecting the Golden Boot at Euro 2012, Di Matteo says things are looking up and that the Spaniard is raring to go.
"I was very happy with him at the end of last season," Di Matteo said.
"There are great expectations on the club and the team and he is part of that. He was brought in to be a fantastic striker and, hopefully, he will be able to fit into our team and show the qualities he has. He's full of confidence and is looking good in training."
Chelsea go into the new season with trophies to defend, after winning the FA Cup and Champions League last season, but Di Matteo says he has already put the European Cup triumph behind him.
"I have to forget about the Champions League, absolutely," he said.
"It’s part of the past, done and dusted. We have a new start, new challenges and it's going to be difficult for us. Everybody is going to raise their game against us."
Preview: Manchester City v Chelsea - A marker for the season?
This afternoon Chelsea travel to Villa Park to take on Manchester City
in the Community Shield - the traditional curtain raiser for the new
season.
Some people are saying that this game alone could show everyone where we are at compared to City and last season but I am not so sure.
For me, it's all about our performance today. Of course I want us to win the game but let's be honest, with the way we have been defending lately, I would be happy with a clean sheet and to win this on penalties (Remember the last time we had a penalty shoot out?).
The team selection will be interesting to see with the likes of Romeu, Bertrand, Sturridge and Juan Mata all back in contention after missing the nightmare at Brighton last week.
Could we see a signal of intent from RDM with his formation and team selection? Could we see Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 formation begin to take shape with the likes of Mata, Hazard, Ramires playing in behind Torres?.
What is interesting at the moment is that Chelsea have taken huge strides in the transfer market this summer and City haven't signed anyone! However, we all know the strength in depth City do have and they shouldn't be taken lightly today.
Chelsea have the players to beat City, the question is can they get the performance right at the back to give us a base to build on through the rest of the game?
My predicted starting eleven for Chelsea is:
Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry (C), Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Hazard, Mata, Ramires, Torres.
Some people are saying that this game alone could show everyone where we are at compared to City and last season but I am not so sure.
For me, it's all about our performance today. Of course I want us to win the game but let's be honest, with the way we have been defending lately, I would be happy with a clean sheet and to win this on penalties (Remember the last time we had a penalty shoot out?).
The team selection will be interesting to see with the likes of Romeu, Bertrand, Sturridge and Juan Mata all back in contention after missing the nightmare at Brighton last week.
Could we see a signal of intent from RDM with his formation and team selection? Could we see Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 formation begin to take shape with the likes of Mata, Hazard, Ramires playing in behind Torres?.
What is interesting at the moment is that Chelsea have taken huge strides in the transfer market this summer and City haven't signed anyone! However, we all know the strength in depth City do have and they shouldn't be taken lightly today.
Chelsea have the players to beat City, the question is can they get the performance right at the back to give us a base to build on through the rest of the game?
My predicted starting eleven for Chelsea is:
Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry (C), Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Hazard, Mata, Ramires, Torres.
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Sheffield Wednesday’s Final Decision On Trialists
We’re into the final month of madness.
There are 20 days left of the current transfer window, three days until Sheffield Wednesday’s first competitive game against Oldham, and eight days before the blue and white hordes descend on Derby County’s Pride Park.
Our final warm-up game saw a much changed Wednesday outfit finish in style with a 4-1 victory of Scottish Premier League opponents, Kilmarnock, with current trialist, Marlon Harewood, staking one last claim for a contract at Hillsborough by grabbing a hattrick.
Meanwhile, three other trialists, Gill Swerts, Marek Jarolim and
Gorka Larrea, also had steady games in Scotland and, though those three
won’t be signing, now it’s up to Dave Jones to decide which players have
done enough to pull on the famous blue and white stripes this season.
Look, the big one is Harewood, and honestly, I’m not too sure. The six-footer had his best run of form during his days at West Ham United a few years back and has been somewhat of a journeyman since then. He’s played for Villa, Wolves, Newcastle, the local Dingles, Barnsley, Blackpool and Chinese club, Guangzhou R&F. Presumably the R&F doesn’t stand for ‘Reputable and Fantastic’…
Anyway, look at his stats…
He’s 32 and has played for 11 clubs. According to Wikipedia, he’s scored 139 goals in 470 games, not a bad return in my eyes considering that a lot of that time was spent with club’s struggling in the Premier League, although, his last spell, with Nottingham Forest, ended up with him playing six games, losing six and scoring none.
However, we’re a side that’s just been promoted to the Championship, we need to make sure we have a certain amount of higher level experience in the squad, and, let’s face it, Harewood’s on a free and surely can’t be asking much in terms of wages.
Dave Jones has explained that he’ll be sitting down with the former Ipswich Town man over the next week to discuss the way forward and, I think, following his hattrick, he could well offer him a deal. If Harewood wants more than we’re offering then he can bugger off, but I reckon a short-term deal wouldn’t hurt.
Yes, he may look like a Goomba from the Super Mario Brothers film, but maybe he can do a job for the Owls this season. I mean, if he can cause Mario and Luigi a bit of hassle then I’m sure he can ruffle the feathers of some of the defender’s the Championship has to offer.
In other news, DJ recently revealed that Jason Koumas would be joining the Owls for a second training stint with the club, this time with a possible view to signing for the club.
I think Koumas, also 32, has a top left foot on him and could also be a decent squad player if we can get him on a reasonable deal.
I’m not going to lie to you people, this season excites me. A lot. I’m half way across the world but I can still sense the air of optimism that surrounds the club ahead of our new campaign and honestly, I think we can do something this year.
Jones has a few more decisions to make but for the first time in a while I trust our gaffer implicitly. I reckon we haven’t seen the last new face enter his ranks, but I’m already dead chuffed with the squad and, since the acquisition of Michail Antonio, I really think we’ll have something to shout about…
As a closing statement on behalf of Marlon Harewood, I think it’d be epic to hear the Wednesday faithful chanting Mario Bros. related songs during our Premier League push. What do you reckon Wednesdayites?
When the ball hits the net,
They can’t jump on his head,
It’s our Goomba…
Written by Joe Crann
There are 20 days left of the current transfer window, three days until Sheffield Wednesday’s first competitive game against Oldham, and eight days before the blue and white hordes descend on Derby County’s Pride Park.
Our final warm-up game saw a much changed Wednesday outfit finish in style with a 4-1 victory of Scottish Premier League opponents, Kilmarnock, with current trialist, Marlon Harewood, staking one last claim for a contract at Hillsborough by grabbing a hattrick.
Meanwhile, three other trialists, Gill Swerts, Marek Jarolim and
Gorka Larrea, also had steady games in Scotland and, though those three
won’t be signing, now it’s up to Dave Jones to decide which players have
done enough to pull on the famous blue and white stripes this season.Look, the big one is Harewood, and honestly, I’m not too sure. The six-footer had his best run of form during his days at West Ham United a few years back and has been somewhat of a journeyman since then. He’s played for Villa, Wolves, Newcastle, the local Dingles, Barnsley, Blackpool and Chinese club, Guangzhou R&F. Presumably the R&F doesn’t stand for ‘Reputable and Fantastic’…
Anyway, look at his stats…
He’s 32 and has played for 11 clubs. According to Wikipedia, he’s scored 139 goals in 470 games, not a bad return in my eyes considering that a lot of that time was spent with club’s struggling in the Premier League, although, his last spell, with Nottingham Forest, ended up with him playing six games, losing six and scoring none.
However, we’re a side that’s just been promoted to the Championship, we need to make sure we have a certain amount of higher level experience in the squad, and, let’s face it, Harewood’s on a free and surely can’t be asking much in terms of wages.
Dave Jones has explained that he’ll be sitting down with the former Ipswich Town man over the next week to discuss the way forward and, I think, following his hattrick, he could well offer him a deal. If Harewood wants more than we’re offering then he can bugger off, but I reckon a short-term deal wouldn’t hurt.
Yes, he may look like a Goomba from the Super Mario Brothers film, but maybe he can do a job for the Owls this season. I mean, if he can cause Mario and Luigi a bit of hassle then I’m sure he can ruffle the feathers of some of the defender’s the Championship has to offer.
In other news, DJ recently revealed that Jason Koumas would be joining the Owls for a second training stint with the club, this time with a possible view to signing for the club.
I think Koumas, also 32, has a top left foot on him and could also be a decent squad player if we can get him on a reasonable deal.
I’m not going to lie to you people, this season excites me. A lot. I’m half way across the world but I can still sense the air of optimism that surrounds the club ahead of our new campaign and honestly, I think we can do something this year.
Jones has a few more decisions to make but for the first time in a while I trust our gaffer implicitly. I reckon we haven’t seen the last new face enter his ranks, but I’m already dead chuffed with the squad and, since the acquisition of Michail Antonio, I really think we’ll have something to shout about…
As a closing statement on behalf of Marlon Harewood, I think it’d be epic to hear the Wednesday faithful chanting Mario Bros. related songs during our Premier League push. What do you reckon Wednesdayites?
When the ball hits the net,
They can’t jump on his head,
It’s our Goomba…
Written by Joe Crann
Young Millwall XI will wrap up pre-season preparations
A predominantly young Millwall XI will wrap up pre-season preparations
with a trip to Blue Square Southern League side Bromley this Saturday
11th August (3pm).
A smattering of senior players including Alan Dunne, Shaun Batt and John Marquis will get some useful match minutes along with some of the club's up and coming prospects.
The full squad is: Bartlett, Dunne, Goodman, De Havilland, Hunter, Shitta, O'Brien, Sammoutis, Wilkinson, Marquis, Batt, Alabi, Newman, Wellham, Callaghan, Oregun.
Ticket prices for the game at Hayes Lane are as follows: £12 adults, £5 U16s and £6 over 60s.
A smattering of senior players including Alan Dunne, Shaun Batt and John Marquis will get some useful match minutes along with some of the club's up and coming prospects.
The full squad is: Bartlett, Dunne, Goodman, De Havilland, Hunter, Shitta, O'Brien, Sammoutis, Wilkinson, Marquis, Batt, Alabi, Newman, Wellham, Callaghan, Oregun.
Ticket prices for the game at Hayes Lane are as follows: £12 adults, £5 U16s and £6 over 60s.
Wenger happy with Arsenal's business model
Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and now Robin van Persie - for the third time
in a year, Arsene Wenger has been forced to engage in a transfer
struggle that threatens to wreck the Arsenal manager's plans for the new
campaign and deliver another blow to his managerial philosophy.
Fabregas and Nasri delivered damning verdicts on the decline of Wenger's Arsenal when they engineered moves to Barcelona and Manchester City last year despite the Frenchman's public insistence that both would remain at the Emirates Stadium.
Fast forward 12 months and Wenger is once again battling to persuade his team's star player - this time Dutch forward Van Persie - that Arsenal can still compete for major trophies without resorting to the kind of big-spending that has brought the English Premier League title to both Manchester City and Chelsea since the Gunners were last crowned English champion in 2004.
While even Wenger's staunchest critic knows it is impossible for Arsenal to match the resources of billionaire-backed Chelsea and City, he still has cash invest and, until this summer, chosen to spend most of it on potential rather than proven talent.
Even Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is unable to compete with Chelsea and City in the transfer market, but he has still been able to build teams capable of winning both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League during the same period that Arsenal has failed to land a single trophy.
So it is hardly surprising that Van Persie - the scorer of 37 goals for Arsenal last season - should have his head turned when United, City and Juventus, all champions within the last two years, come calling.
After all, Van Persie's reward for his heroics last season was two Footballer of the Year awards and nothing more. Praise rather than prizes is the currency of Wenger's crumbling empire.
Although Van Persie is still an Arsenal player at present, his announcement last month that he wouldn't be signing a new contract - his current deal expires at the end of this season - left Wenger with no option but to consider offers from his captain.
Yet, even after such a turbulent close-season, Wenger remains blinkered to the possibility of changing his philosophy.
Signing Germany forward Lukas Podolski from Cologne and French striker Olivier Giroud from Montpellier will add depth to his squad, while Spanish winger Santi Carzola is an exciting addition.
But it is hard to imagine, even if those three can adequately replace Van Persie's contribution, that Arsenal will do any better than finish in the top four again.
For a club that won the Premier League three times in Wenger's first seven seasons that is a shocking decline.
Wenger appears sanguine about his club's position on the fringes of the title race, saying: "I find the situation very exciting.
"I was very, very worried last year for a long part of the season and very anxious for a long time because we faced such a tough competition.
"Now I am excited because we have learned from last year, we have a new start and a new opportunity.
"Hopefully we can be the surprise of the season because we have stability and stability is important."
Wenger pays lip service to the fans' desire for silverware, but the reality is he knows securing a place in the lucrative Champions League keeps the board happy and allows him to attract enough good players to at least keep Arsenal competitive.
And that appears to be Wenger's only aim now. Trophies seem a bonus rather than a priority.
"We are now 15 years on the trot in the Champions League and I believe that shows that our (business) model works," Wenger said.
"On the other hand we are very ambitious, we want as well to win trophies.
"It's not enough just to be in the Champions League and we are focused on that of course.
"I am confident that we have to be faithful to what we believe is right in football and in the game - the way we play football."
Fabregas and Nasri delivered damning verdicts on the decline of Wenger's Arsenal when they engineered moves to Barcelona and Manchester City last year despite the Frenchman's public insistence that both would remain at the Emirates Stadium.
Fast forward 12 months and Wenger is once again battling to persuade his team's star player - this time Dutch forward Van Persie - that Arsenal can still compete for major trophies without resorting to the kind of big-spending that has brought the English Premier League title to both Manchester City and Chelsea since the Gunners were last crowned English champion in 2004.
While even Wenger's staunchest critic knows it is impossible for Arsenal to match the resources of billionaire-backed Chelsea and City, he still has cash invest and, until this summer, chosen to spend most of it on potential rather than proven talent.
Even Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is unable to compete with Chelsea and City in the transfer market, but he has still been able to build teams capable of winning both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League during the same period that Arsenal has failed to land a single trophy.
So it is hardly surprising that Van Persie - the scorer of 37 goals for Arsenal last season - should have his head turned when United, City and Juventus, all champions within the last two years, come calling.
After all, Van Persie's reward for his heroics last season was two Footballer of the Year awards and nothing more. Praise rather than prizes is the currency of Wenger's crumbling empire.
Although Van Persie is still an Arsenal player at present, his announcement last month that he wouldn't be signing a new contract - his current deal expires at the end of this season - left Wenger with no option but to consider offers from his captain.
Yet, even after such a turbulent close-season, Wenger remains blinkered to the possibility of changing his philosophy.
Signing Germany forward Lukas Podolski from Cologne and French striker Olivier Giroud from Montpellier will add depth to his squad, while Spanish winger Santi Carzola is an exciting addition.
But it is hard to imagine, even if those three can adequately replace Van Persie's contribution, that Arsenal will do any better than finish in the top four again.
For a club that won the Premier League three times in Wenger's first seven seasons that is a shocking decline.
Wenger appears sanguine about his club's position on the fringes of the title race, saying: "I find the situation very exciting.
"I was very, very worried last year for a long part of the season and very anxious for a long time because we faced such a tough competition.
"Now I am excited because we have learned from last year, we have a new start and a new opportunity.
"Hopefully we can be the surprise of the season because we have stability and stability is important."
Wenger pays lip service to the fans' desire for silverware, but the reality is he knows securing a place in the lucrative Champions League keeps the board happy and allows him to attract enough good players to at least keep Arsenal competitive.
And that appears to be Wenger's only aim now. Trophies seem a bonus rather than a priority.
"We are now 15 years on the trot in the Champions League and I believe that shows that our (business) model works," Wenger said.
"On the other hand we are very ambitious, we want as well to win trophies.
"It's not enough just to be in the Champions League and we are focused on that of course.
"I am confident that we have to be faithful to what we believe is right in football and in the game - the way we play football."
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