It was a horrendous afternoon for Arsenal and their fans at Wembley yesterday, as they went down 3-0 to Manchester City in the League Cup final.
Vincent Kompany’s strike for the second goal and David Silva’s finish for City’s third were hard to stop, but Gunners fans were less than impressed by Shkodran Mustafi’s feeble attempt to defend Claudio Bravo’s long ball over the top to Sergio Aguero.
Rather than attempt to defend the long clearance, Mustafi instead flung his hands in the air appealing for offside, leaving Aguero to nip in behind him and lob the oncoming David Ospina.
Arsenal fans responded by handing Mustafi an embarrassing 2.5 out of 10 in our poll earlier today, and aside from that hiccup it’s easy to see why the central defender earned his supporters’ lowest rating.
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83% of City’s shots came from within the 18 yard box (WhoScored), an area where Mustafi was all at sea as the Citizens put Arsenal’s defence to the sword.
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Here’s the full report on what Arsenal fans thought of their players’ performances:
Manchester United dropped their first points of the season after Stoke came from behind to snatch a well deserved point at the Britannia Stadium.
Peter Crouch was the Potters hero heading in his first goal since his deadline day move from Tottenham to cancel out Nani’s opener and ruin the Premier League leaders 100% start to the campaign.
The Red Devil’s had much criticised goalkeeper David de Gea to thank for pulling off a number of outstanding saves to keep out the hosts and keep his side level.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side remain a point ahead of rivals City in the table but could have easily lost the game with the second half an entertaining end-to-end affair.
United were without top scorer Wayne Rooney who missed the game due to a hamstring injury and also lost Johnny Evans in the warm up meaning winger Antonio Valencia played at right back.
Ferguson suffered a further blow when Javier Hernandez was forced off after clattering into Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic. The incident should have seen United given a penalty as the Mexican darted clear only to be tripped by Jonathan Woodgate causing him to smash into Begovic.
The contest was certainly a feisty one with tackles flying in all over the place with referee Peter Walton being called into action more times than he would have hoped.
He was forced into booking Glenn Whelan after a rash lunge on Patrice Evra that had Ferguson off the bench and remonstrating for a tougher punishment for the midfielder.
Stokes physical style didn’t perturb a patched up United side and they took the lead courtesy of Nani with the Portuguese winger exchanging passes with Darren Fletcher before shifting the ball onto his left and firing it low beyond Begovic from just inside the area.
The Potters responded immediately and finally called De Gea into action. The Spanish keeper showed outstanding reflexes to tip Andy Wilkinson’s rasping drive onto the bar and preserve his sides slender lead.
He then showed his agility getting down low to tip Jon Walters’ low effort round the post as the Tony Pulis’ side dominated in the minutes leading up to half time.
They continued that supremacy after the restart penning United back into their own half and finally making the breakthrough with Crouch breaking his Potters duck in the 52nd minute.
Matthew Etherington fired over a delicious corner from the right finding the head of Crouch after the England striker had ghosted in between Phil Jones and Rio Ferdinand to nod the ball home.
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United’s defence was looking weaker by the minute and they had their young goalkeeper to thank yet again for keeping them level. Crouch again found space in the area only to see his header from Jermaine Pennant’s cross batted away by De Gea’s elbow.
The visitors were then adamant they should have had a penalty with Evra’s shot appearing to hit Ryan Shawcross in the arm only for Walton to wave away any appeals.
With just minutes left on the clock both sides had chances to snatch victory with Crouch dragging a shot wide after chesting the ball down in the area.
Ryan Giggs then squandered a fantastic opportunity slicing his volley wide of the goal after Nani had picked him out with a beautifully floated cross leaving the veteran staring into the heavens.
Gabriel Agbonlahor has admitted that he came close to quitting Aston Villa under Gerard Houiller, and stated that he is much more content with new boss Alex McLeish at the helm.
The attacker found first team opportunities limited under the French coach last term, and has spoken of his frustration.
“At one stage I did think about leaving,” the forward told The Telegraph.
“I thought if this is how it is going to stay and the manager is going to stay here, with this formation, then I would have to leave. It hurt more as a Villa fan and local boy. Luckily the manager left and (Gary) McAllister left as well.
“It killed me a lot. It did not help me with England. The manager had his formations and he was not going to change that. Gerard was not much of a talker. It was more McAllister, but he was not very good to be honest. I did not really get on with him,” Agbonlahor stated.
The sprightly striker has stated that he did not agree with Houiller’s rotation system, and that other Villa players were unhappy also.
“I don’t think a lot of the players were happy with he way he set up things. There was too much rotation. You look at who was left out. [Stephen] Warnock, [Stephen] Ireland and [Richard] Dunne. It was a crazy season,” he continued.
The Midlands club appointed McLeish from cross-town rivals Birmingham in a controversial move in the summer, but Agbonlahor feels this has been positive, and may help his international chances.
“It feels happier and more organised. Everyone is enjoying the training more and there is a better atmosphere around the place.
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“Euro 2012 is still a target. I would be excited to go to those championships, but England have really good players,” he concluded.
Agbonlahor has bagged two goals in the first four games of the season for Villa, who take on Newcastle at home on Saturday.
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has stated that he is desperate to win a trophy, has one eye on the FA Cup and would even potentially prioritise a victory at Wembley over a top four finish.
With the Manchester clubs eliminated from this year’s competition The Gunners are one of the frontrunners, and the England international is eager to be victorious.
“A winner’s medal in the one thing I would like more than anything. When I’m older, I want to look back on my career at the trophies I’ve won – and there are none yet,” he confessed to Mirror Football.
“I haven’t even got anywhere set aside at home for when I do win some medals.
“But the FA Cup is a great opportunity for us this year because some big teams have gone out of the competition early.
“It’s tough to choose between finishing in the top four or winning a trophy – ideally I would like Arsenal to finish fourth, or higher if possible, but we need to win a trophy if we can,” he concluded.
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Kevin Bond has admitted that Tottenham are prepared to sell Luka Modric if their valuation is met according to the Daily Mail.
The Spurs assistant manager made the startling revelation despite chairman Daniel Levy insisting that Modric was not for sale ‘at any price.’
It comes in the wake of Chelsea preparing a third offer for the Croatian midfielder who they have been trailing all summer.
Bond has now opened the door for a switch to Stamford Bridge conceding that Spurs could sell if the price is right.
He said: “We desperately don’t want to lose him, but everyone has a price.
“If somebody came along and the money turns your head and he did go – although the chairman is adamant he doesn’t want to sell him – then we’d have to get on with it.”
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Modric is keen to leave White Hart Lane after Levy reportedly went back on a gentleman’s agreement to sell him if a bid from Chelsea came in.
He still has five-years remaining on the deal he signed last summer and Spurs are unwilling to sell below the £40 million asking price.
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero has admitted that the rift between the club and Carlos Tevez is not ideal, and that he hopes his countryman can yet be included in Roberto Mancini’s plans.
The controversial South American striker refused to warm up against Bayern Munich in a 2-0 Champions League defeat on September 27th, and has since been suspended for two weeks and fined four-weeks wages.
With no end to Tevez’s exile in sight, Aguero has stated that the situation is saddening and that he hopes a solution can be found in the near future.
“Unfortunately, the club and Carlitos haven’t reached an agreement and it pains me, as an Argentine and a team-mate, it makes me sad,” Aguero told ESPNDeportes.com.
“I can’t get involved in defending Carlitos or the club because I don’t know what happened. Only they know. It’s a shame for everyone.
“Hopefully, in these days or the next month it can be solved and he will be with us,” he concluded.
A January transfer away from the Etihad Stadium looks likely for Tevez, whilst Aguero has had an excellent start to his time in England and harbours much of the responsibility for filling his countryman’s boots.
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Arsenal midfield star Henri Lansbury is a target for Blackburn Rovers according to talkSPORT.
Rovers boss Steve Kean has suffered a frustrating time in the transfer market so far this summer missing out on several targets.
Lansbury has now emerged as a target with Kean desperate to reinforce his squad before the transfer window slams shut.
The England-Under 21 midfielder, who made his Gunners debut in 2007, helped Norwich City to promotion last season and was almost named the Championships Young Player of the Year.
It was thought that Lansbury would finally stake a claim for a starting berth at the Emirates Stadium next season especially with Cesc Fabregas’ leaving for Barcelona and Samir Nasri on the verge of a move to Manchester City.
However it seems that manager Arsene Wenger may be willing to cash in on the 20-year-old, which has alerted Blackburn.
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A move to Ewood Park would certainly guarantee Lansbury first team football every week although whether he would be prepared to leave North London remains to be seen.
If Kean were to persuade the midfielder to join Rovers it would be a sizeable coup for the club and a major breakthrough in the transfer plans.
From the outside looking in, from a neutral perspective, Unai Emery couldn’t be doing a better job at Valencia. His side currently sit third in La Liga, holding that position comfortably since the league table took a shape that realistically portrayed each team’s standing—except for maybe Levante and Rayo Vallecano. But while Valencia look to finish third behind Barcelona and Real Madrid for a third consecutive season, the calls for Emery’s removal from his position as manager are deafening.
Valencia’s financial problems are well documented: they’ve had to halt the construction of their new stadium due to lack of funds—something which has fortunately been resolved this season—and the departures of their World Cup winning superstars in David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata should have left the side all at sea with little hope of finishing in the Champions League places in the league. But Unai Emery has kept his side competitive, rebuilding, reshaping and moving impressively in the transfer market to acquire players which he believes are good enough to retain the title of the ‘second league’ in Spain. But the players entering the door at the Mestalla have not done enough to quash the demands from fans for their managers head.
Sergio Canales, despite missing a large part of the season so far through injury, gave another glimpse into the future of Spain’s midfield, as he comfortably slotted into the heart of the midfield alongside Ever Banega. The new-look centre-back pairing of Adil Rami and Victor Ruiz has done well at the back for Valencia, but it’s not been enough.
Fans are complaining of a lack of identity, a lack of motivation, and, most importantly, a lack of excitement and anything of note to cheer for. Coming third best in a league dominated by two of the biggest clubs in world football is not enough, the fans want to be closer to Barcelona and Real Madrid, rather than picking up that fictional first placed trophy for the other league in Spain and being over 20pts adrift of the top two.
In the fans’ eyes, Emery is tactically inept. Surrendering a two goal lead on the weekend to Mallorca is simply not good enough, even if it was preceded by a 4-2 win over PSV in the Europa League on Thursday. The supporters are tired of draws against the top two being the best they can hope for. While they are of aware of their limitations restricting them from overhauling Barcelona and Madrid, they just want to know that there is progress being made. Unai Emery is certainly not that man in their eyes to catapult them onto the next level.
The decision to fire Andre Villas-Boas by Roman Abramovich may be all the impetus Valencia president Manuel Llorente needed to make up his mind that Emery would be gone in the summer, with the Portuguese likely to head the list—albeit, apparently a very short one—to replace Emery.
Despite his extremely early dismissal at Stamford Bridge, Villas-Boas has not had his reputation tarnished in Spain. They understand the demands of the Chelsea job and there is still a feeling that somewhere down the road he may take on the job at one of the big two in Spain.
As for Unai Emery, England could be a likely destination; with the manager taking English lessons and the likely availability of a number of jobs in the Premier League opening up in the summer.
At this stage it would be wrong to assume Emery may be a candidate for the Chelsea job. It would be a re-working of the Villas-Boas episode, and a likely destination would be a team more inclined to offer the manager time to make positive strides forward.
It’s still unclear what the situation at Tottenham will be come the summer with Harry Redknapp keeping himself in no-mans land and not committing to either England or Spurs for the moment. But Tottenham are keen to look for managers with a higher reputation than the Spaniard, despite his excellent work over the past four seasons.
Liverpool could be a possibility, with calls recently from a minority of fans to remove Kenny Dalglish, and with the feeling from the new owner that Dalglish was never intended to be in place for the long-term. John W. Henry always wanted a younger manager who could take the managerial post for many years, with Jurgen Klopp as the front runner prior to Dalglish’s appointment. Picking up another manager from Valencia could be a positive move, as Emery has shown his relentless attention to detail and his ability to keep his side competitive despite a number of injuries to key players.
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Whenever it’s questioned why Valencia fans aren’t happy with the manager they have, in light of his excellent achievements from a neutral spectator, the short reply is simply that you wouldn’t understand. Valencia’s proposed move into the Nou Mestalla in 2013 could lay the foundations for a much stronger push to close the gap on the leading two in Spain. But for now, the certain dismissal of Unai Emery in the summer maybe something they look back on as a mistake, especially in a climate where there is very little domestic or European clubs can do to stop the might of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The Premier League has long been dogged by claims that it’s an elitist league almost impossible to stay in for promoted clubs – the disparity between quality out on the pitch and reddies in the coffers apparently too large to breach. However, season by season now, promoted clubs have more than often fared well in their maiden voyage into the top flight. With the Premier League now beginning to shape up in three distinct groups. Now, more than ever before, the gap appears to be shortening.
For instance, in 2008/9, perennial yo-yo club West Brom were promoted alongside Hull City and Stoke City. They went onto finish 20th, 17th and 12th respectively in a season that appeared to mark a watershed for promoted clubs, with two of them beating the drop.
In 2009/10, Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley all came up, with only the Clarets dropping down again. Last season Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool all came up, with only the Seasiders missing out due to some final day heartache.
This term, QPR, Norwich and Swansea have all adjusted to the demands and step up in quality with apparent ease, with all three sides claiming scalps along so far. They occupy 12th, 8th and 10th positions so far respectively.
To put it into context, when you tally up the final league positions of the past 12 promoted teams, prior to this season’s exciting triumvirate, then you are left with an overall final league position of 16th. Of the same 12 promoted sides, only 5 have been relegated in their first season.
Of course, you are dealt with such anomalies such as yo-yo clubs like West Brom and the fact that Birmingham have been the unfortunate recipients of two relegations inside three seasons, but by and large, promoted side are certainly more competitive than in season’s past. The likelihood of encountering another unprepared Derby side, which finished the 2007/8 season with just one victory to their name for the entire campaign and a pitiful tally of just 11 points, a whole 24 points adrift of 19th place, has diminished.
The Championship is famed for being one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Getting out of that league is often seen as more difficult and more of an achievement than staying in the top flight. Of the three relegated sides from the 2009/10 season (Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull), it’s worth noting that none of them bounced back immediately and the highest league finish among them was Burnley in 8th, just outside the playoffs.
Spending your way out of the Championship is no guarantee of success either. Middlesborough went into the 2009/10 league campaign as the hot favourites for promotion, after Gordon Strachan saw his mini Old Firm revolution backed to the tune of £6m – they went onto finish a lowly 11th, with Strachan departing the season after with the club stranded in 20th place.
This term, Sven Goran Eriksson has already received his P45 at Leicester after an expensive overhaul of the squad in the summer which saw the club spend upwards of £20m in the last year or so and have seen little change back from that hefty outlay. With mixed results on the pitch, entirely understandable it has to be said considering the number of fresh faces, Leicester currently sit in 8th just two points outside the playoffs.
The Premier League can be neatly split up into three sections – we have the top two of Manchester United and Manchester City. Then you have those chasing the other European spots and league positions between 3rd and 8th which includes Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and at a push both Everton and Stoke and then from 8th downwards you have everyone else.
Last season, just 16 points separated 8th from bottom – the season before it was 42 points. The final league table was extremely congested which suggests a decrease in quality – a levelling of the playing field as it were; a situation that all promoted sides will be familiar with from the Championship. From Fulham in 8th to Wigan down in 16th, there was a separation of just seven points.
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To put it quite simply, the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is shortening because the gap in quality within the top flight itself is widening. If you swapped West Ham, Southampton and Middlesbrough for the current bottom three, would anyone really notice the difference?
On one hand, the increasingly competitive nature of promoted sides is a positive thing, with Stoke providing the model by which others should look to follow in the future. But on the other hand, the lack of competition in the higher reaches of the Premier League is concerning.
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Alongside Stoke’s unexpected European soirée, that is what makes Newcastle’s surprisingly excellent start to the season so exciting with the Magpies currently sat pretty in 3rd, making a mockery of those that considered them one of the favourites for the drop and consigned them to relegation before the season had even begun.
The strength of showing that the recent promoted outfits have provided only helps serve to highlight the relative lack of depth to the top flight. Thus far, the likes of Swansea, QPR and Norwich have been rewarded for failing to compromise their footballing principles. The days of having to adjust a team’s style of play to deal with the step up in class are over.
Promoted clubs are still often among the favourites for the drop before a season begins, and this doesn’t look like changing any time soon, but by taking a closer look at the evidence, more and more sides are acclimatising to the step up with ease. As a result, this season’s relegation candidates look likely to come from a small group of established Premier League sides as the gap continues to close.
Liverpool’s Managing Director Ian Ayre has attracted widespread criticism for his outlandish proposal for each club to sell their foreign TV rights individually. As Man Utd and Chelsea have looked to distance themselves, Ayre looks to be well short of the required 14 clubs needed to start his rights revolution. Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan has rightly lambasted the plan hinting that if it were to go ahead, it could open up a future that saw the Premier League fall by the wayside, instead giving way to a European Super League.
The vocal Whelan stated: “I have just read his (Ayre’s) comments and I find them diabolical – I just can’t believe what he has been saying. It is the ‘American Dream’ this, they are thinking ‘how can we get more money?’You won’t get more money by killing the heart and soul of the Premier League and killing the heart and soul of football in England.
We invented the game and we have still got the finest league in the whole world and some of the finest supporters in the whole world and they want to rip the whole thing up. It is absolutely scandalous. It would kill Wigan Athletic. It would kill Blackburn.”
It’s hard to argue against Whelan’s argument to be honest. The current overseas TV rights deal is worth £1.4bn and comes to an end in 2013. At the moment it works out as roughly £18m per team each season and is in stark contrast to what happens in Spain, whereby Barcelona and Real Madrid take away 60% of the revenue between them, leaving the other 18 sides to divvy up the remaining 40% between them.
Unsurprisingly, this has left La Liga uncompetitive. Stoke Chairman Peter Coates had this to say on the matter: “I think what we’ve got is a pretty good system that works well and is probably a model for European countries to follow. I don’t think what Spain has done has done anything for Spanish football. As I understand it, their own clubs and supporters and everyone connected with the game in Spain is pretty depressed with what has happened there.
Furthermore, both those clubs [Barcelona and Real Madrid] have got huge debts and that’s with all the money they get. I think things are structured very well here and to change that would be very much a step in the wrong direction. I think we’ve got it about right and I’m disappointed that Liverpool think differently. But hopefully the majority of clubs will recognise we’ve got a system that works well.”
In order for any proposed deal to go through, 14 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs need to vote in favour of change. It really is like turkey’s voting for Christmas. Whelan’s rage is entirely understandable as it would initially leave the top flight as a two-tiered division.
The likes of Wigan, Stoke and Bolton hardly have a global following. The only benefactors from such a deal would be Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City due to the fact that each of their respective clubs can now be considered a global brand. Name recognition of Wigan Athletic in Beijing is most likely to be met with a dumbfounded and blank stare.
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Ayre argues: “Is it right that the international rights are shared equally between all the clubs? Some people will say: ‘Well you’ve got to all be in it to make it happen.’ But isn’t it really about where the revenue is coming from, which is the broadcaster, and isn’t it really about who people want to watch on that channel? We know it is us. And others. At some point we feel there has to be some rebalance on that, because what we are actually doing is disadvantaging ourselves against other big European clubs.”
It’s crucial to keep Man Utd and Chelsea on side in this debate rather than falling in line with Liverpool. Chelsea released a statement confirming that they remain “Supportive of the Premier League on this and want to continue with the way they sell [TV rights] collectively.”
Man Utd’s position is less clear cut, with mixed messages coming from manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Chief Executive David Gill. Ferguson decried last month that: “When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price. Television is God at the moment” before later tacitly agreeing with something similar to Ayre’s proposal with “There is a negotiation to be had there next time around. [Individual rights] is the big issue in Spain at the moment but I’ve no great feelings about that. We’d love to have our own but I don’t think it should happen that way. It’s quite fair to have all equal shares.”
David Gill told a parliamentary inquiry last season that: “The collective selling of the television rights has clearly been a success and it has made things more competitive.”
The temptation to give in must be great. The current domestic TV rights deal is worth £2.1bn over three years, but when both sets of deals are next up for renewal in 2013, the overseas deals have the potential to dwarf the domestic rights package. While Liverpool would undoubtedly benefit, no-one would more so than Man Utd.
And therein lies the real worry – could the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea potentially breakaway and form their own Super League?
If they’ve negotiated their own TV rights deal, what is to stop them negotiating their own individual league deal in the future. It could include the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrird and Bayern Munich too. All the best clubs in the world in one terribly boring league getting richer and richer by the second.
The Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules mean that clubs are now looking for other ways to maximise their profits. The age of the mega-rich owners is coming to an end; Man City and PSG managed to sneak in there just in time.
It does seem somewhat strange that Ayre has been hung out to dry quite as much as he has been, though. He surely, in private, must have canvassed opinion around other clubs before publicly expressing his owns intentions. However, the likelihood of such a proposal coming to fruition is slim to none. But still, the warning signs do set a precedent of what the future holds for the game further down the line.
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Whereas once upon a time the idea of a European Super League would be laughed out of the halls of power, there is a creeping suspicion that it would now be welcomed with open arms in a manoeuvre that would be mutually financially beneficial. Michel Platini’s FFP rules are entirely admirable in their aims, but in practice, they could simply force clubs to find other ways to make their money.
The Frenchman’s influence at UEFA would quash any idea at present, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and with the dollar signs flashing in every big club’s eyes at the prospect, they’ll patiently bide their time for now, even if Ayre’s move does seem a tad premature side.