As doubts surround the future of Roberto Mancini, Ajax boss Frank De Boer has admitted he wants to manage Manchester City.
Mancini could be facing the axe in the summer after falling well behind Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title, while an early exit from the Champions League also did not help matters.
De Boer has been mentioned as one possible successor should City decide to make a change at the end of the season and the Dutchman has admitted a move to City appeals.
“Manchester City are something I want to do, yes. But it is difficult for me to move my family abroad at the moment,” he revealed. “I have to consider others, not just myself.”
Meanwhile, Ajax director Marc Overmars also admits that they could face a battle to keep hold of De Boer with City in the hunt for his signature.
“Am I worried? Not for losing Frank now, but City will be a big competitor for his signature in the near future.” he said.
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Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Federico Fazio suffered a nightmare night as AS Roma were beaten 5-2 by Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie at Anfield on Tuesday night, and Spurs fans were quick to react to the £9m-rated centre-back’s display.
The 31-year-old lined up as part of a three-man defence against Jurgen Klopp’s in-form attacking trio of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, and the high line they tried to play proved to be a disaster as they found themselves 2-0 down at the break, and then 5-0 behind with more than 20 minutes still left to play.
Spurs signed the Argentina international from Sevilla in 2014, but he struggled and only made 32 appearances in all competitions for the club before re-joining the La Liga club on loan, and then eventually signing permanently with Roma last summer.
Tottenham supporters, who continue to heap praise on one of Fazio’s old centre-back partners Jan Vertonghen, took to social media to give their thoughts on his latest performance, and while one described him as “worse than Lovren”, another said “that’s why we got rid of Fazio”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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After getting so close to the Premier League title last year, Liverpool fans were praying this year could be theirs. But once again it wasn’t meant to be.
The Reds have some fantastic individuals but their team form has let them down. The signing of Mario Balotelli during last summer looked like it was going to be a great one, but he hasn’t found form at Anfield. The side are unbeaten in their last 50 Premier League home games when they are winning at half time and their home form has been great this season, so why haven’t they been able to make an impact and win the League?
Rodgers has become the first Anfield boss since the 1950’s not to win a trophy in his first three seasons in charge and many are calling for him to be sacked, but it isn’t the right answer. Sir Alex Ferguson was a legend for Manchester United but it’s easily forgotten that it took him four seasons before he won his first trophy at the club.
Since taking over at Liverpool in 2012, Rodgers’ main strategy was to build a new squad. Rodgers said: “We might not be ready for the title but the process begins today, it’s a new cycle, and that is something that we will work towards in the years to come.”
More than eight players came in over the summer so it was never going to gel straight away.
When the Northern Ireland man was announced as the new guy in charge, owner John Henry said: “We do not expect miracles overnight nor should anyone else. But we firmly believe that the direction the club is heading in will lead to Premier League championships.”
This is why former Liverpool player Mark Lawrenson believes that fans are expecting too much of Rodgers: “When you have young players then you are going to have highs and lows. No-one was moaning when they were on a 13-match unbeaten league run between December and March.”
It is all well and good saying that time is what they need, not a new manager, but Liverpool players are growing restless. Ex-Liverpool player John Scales said: “Liverpool are way short of where they want to be and where the team wants to be. There are lessons to be learned.”
This season there has been many embarrassing incidents, including last Monday night’s 1-0 loss to Hull City. Daniel Sturridge looks to be out for the rest of the season. It is unsurprising that Liverpool have struggled. When a team loses their top goal scorer they are bound to struggle. Chelsea lost Diego Costa to injury at the beginning of April and they haven’t been as polished since.
While fans are getting annoyed about the lack of energy at Anfield they are forgetting how things have improved since he took over. They have reached two cup semi-finals and got back into the Champions League this season.
Rodgers deserves to stay. He is building the future of Anfield and if things hadn’t been as good as they were last season, the fans would have this season’s expectations set so high.
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Rodgers deserves one more season- it is what Fergie got!
Mario Götze’s move to Bayern Munich has dampened rumours that Robert Lewandowski will head over to the Bavarian giants. The Polish number 9 endured a quiet start to the season – possibly due to a high-pressure summer with Euro 2012 – but has once again proved his worth with some impressive performances in Europe.
Of course, playing for Dortmund is still an attractive prospect. Their stadium – the Westfalenstadion – is among the continent’s elite, with a brilliant atmosphere conducive of their loyal fan base. And as Dortmund head into their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid tonight, European football is guaranteed for the foreseeable future.
Bayern are unlikely to spend much more money; €37m (£32m) represents a large chunk of their budget on Götze, and considering last night’s exploits, there aren’t many areas left to improve. Apart from central defence, where Van Buyten is showing his age.
With that, and Lewandowski’s desire to leave Dortmund in mind, Tottenham should be moving quickly to tie up the potent forward’s signature. And here’s why.
Adebayor’s performance against Manchester City was indicative of his time in North London since his permanent move. Andres Villas-Boas demands dynamism from his team; it’s not quite the total football displayed so delectably by Barcelona, but his lone striker needs to link up play with Dembele, Sigurdsson, Lennon and, most importantly, Bale. Lewandowski is undoubtedly an upgrade on the increasingly languid Togolese forward.
Furthermore, despite Defoe’s brilliant goal on Sunday, the perennial finisher can’t be expected to do that every weekend. He might be enjoying his best season in a Lillywhites shirt, but if Spurs were to reach their top four goal this season, three strikers would certainly be needed for the next.
Europe’s striking options are thinning. Falcao has priced himself out of a move to all but the richest clubs, as has Cavani, while Fernando Llorente has secured a Bosman transfer to Juventus. Levy could look to Brazil for Leandro Damião, but recent stutters in that move might make a follow up difficult.
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Lewandowski can either leave this summer for £18m – which in today’s climate isn’t hard to justify for a top striker – or go for free next summer, making his wage demands higher. Daniel Levy, who is so often a savvy mover in the transfer market, should take the opportunity to secure one of Europe’s hottest properties now – before it’s too late.
Manchester United have ramped up their interest in Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, who is now their top summer target according to the Express, and will send a scout to watch him face Rangers this weekend.
Signing the Scotland international ahead of a more high-profile and experienced man would show that Ed Woodward’s Harlem Globetrotters transfer approach may be a thing of the past and that Jose Mourinho is beginning to understand the club’s tradition of developing their own players.
What’s the story, then?
The report states that Tierney – valued at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt – has moved to the top of Mourinho’s shortlist as the former Inter manager prioritises left-back as an area to improve in the summer.
Apparently, Jose will have the Scotsman watched in the Old Firm derby and has spoken to former Scotland manager Craig Brown about the full-back’s development.
It will not be easy, as Tierney has a Celtic contract that runs until 2023 but Mourinho has reportedly told Woodward to break the bank to get the deal done.
It would be a proper Manchester United signing
With the signings of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, it felt almost like United were more concerned with attracting clicks and headlines across the world than they were about how the players would fit in at the club.
For example, Lukaku, Sanchez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well, have all hamstrung the development of Marcus Rashford in terms of gametime and the young Englishman is exactly the kind of player who would have been at the forefront of plans under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Obviously the Scottish connection is easy to make, but Tierney feels like another player Ferguson would sign – young, hungry, ambitious and used to playing for a huge British club.
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Other players – Alex Sandro or Jordi Alba, for example – might attract more publicity but Tierney is a transfer that would be made with affairs on the pitch put first. That’s why it shows Mourinho is really the man in charge, not money man Woodward.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has blasted his side after their 2-1 FA Cup loss to Aston Villa on Sunday, according to reports from Sky Sports.
The Reds looked to be heading towards the final when Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring in the 30th minute, but Cristian Benteke equalized shortly after, before Fabian Delph sealed the win for Villa with a second half strike.
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And Rodgers believes his side lacks the mentality to win big games, and that they need to avoid succumbing to the pressure during the occasion.
“We need now to have the courage and bravery to play better in the big games, because we didn’t play well enough today,” he said.
“We weren’t quite on it. We looked as if maybe the occasion and the energy got to us a bit today, but that’s what can happen with young players.
“We have come up short in a few games and it is something we certainly need to improve. We are a team that is growing, but all these experiences will hopefully help.
“We’re obviously bitterly disappointed but more with the performance. You can always lose a game but you need to play well and give yourself an opportunity.
“We had some chances but I thought they were better than us today to be honest.”
The loss will come as the biggest blow for Steven Gerrard, who was hoping to end his Liverpool career by winning the FA Cup ahead of his summer move to MLS club LA Galaxy.
However, Rodgers still lavished praise on the Kop captain, who he believes had a good game.
“Is it a shame? Absolutely,” Rodgers added.
“I think he was doing everything he possibly could today to help the team.
“I thought he was excellent, collectively we did not perform well enough.”
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Villa will be facing Arsenal, who beat Reading 2-1 after extra time, in the final at Wembley on May 30th.
During the recent Rooney-Gate scandal, in which every paper around the country blindly followed the story that Wayne Rooney was to be sent packing in the summer, based on the fact he had been caught smoking earlier in the season and was benched for the second leg of Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid, Steve McClaren described Sir Alex Ferguson as having a ‘helicopter view’ of the club, in which he could see the direction that every player, youth product and staff member were inadvertently moving in, and whether their paths clashed with his vision of the near future at Old Trafford.
And despite running away with the Premier League in some style, all be it due to the inadequateness of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal to mount any serious challenge to United’s dominance of the Premier League table, Fergie is still not happy.
While he has been fairly outspoken over the future of Wayne Rooney, insisting he will be donning a United jersey next season and is not for sale, banning several tabloid papers from club press conferences until they formally apologise for implying the England man and the Red Devils gaffer had a damaged relationship, he is yet to state his position on the transfer status of his ostracised winger, Nani.
The Portugual international became the scapegoat for a 5-4 defeat to Chelsea in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup, with Ferguson revealing after the game: “We gave the ball away for the third goal having been in complete control of the match at that point. All we needed to do was see the game out with good possession. Nani is experienced but he’s a player who wants to beat men and I often discourage him from that.
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“In that situation, if we’d kept the ball at the corner flag, the game’s over. We had a lot of attacks and nothing came of them, and their counter-attack was very good, but if you’re winning 3-2 in the final seconds of the game then you should see it out. We’ve only got ourselves to blame really.”
If you substitute the words “we” and “ourselves” with “Nani”, you begin to understand why the United winger has played just seven games since the October 31st, and only turning out for the full 90 minutes in a single fixture, against QPR. But is the Portugal international being treated unfairly by Fergie? Should one season really dictate a player’s future? Or is it for the best if he’s scrapped in the summer transfer window?
In a year of incredibly slim pickings for Nani, he’s picked up one goal and two assists in 14 appearances. However, as Fernando Torres has found out during his Chelsea career, form can be incredibly self-fulfilling. Usually, when it’s pointed out an individual isn’t playing well, it does little to halt his bad run. Similarly, once a manager gets it into his head that one of his players is underperforming, the tendency to use him sparingly only serves to amplify the situation.
This season has been a disaster for the 26-year-old. Even when given the opportunity to redeem himself against Real Madrid, his evening ended in drama with the now infamous red card for dangerous play. Although at the time Fergie sternly protested against the refereeing decision, behind closed doors it could well be the final nail in the coffin.
It’s Nani’s addiction to drama and controversy which is one of the main arguments supporting his future departure. Almond Holmes recently described him as “an accident waiting to happen” and it’s certainly true that his lack of composure and concentration can be a burden on the rest of the team, as it appears his head is sometimes quite simply not in the game. Furthermore, as pointed out by Ferguson, the selfish nature of Nani’s play, the constant desire to beat the opposing full-back in a glorious fashion rather than using his brain to successfully analyse the situation can be incredibly frustrating for those around him.
Yet there is little doubt over the United man’s ability, which is exactly why Ferguson picked Nani for one of the most important games in the club’s recent history in their Champions League clash. During his tenure at Old Trafford, he stands with an impressive record of 49 assists and 26 goals in 133 Premier League appearances. Although perhaps he isn’t quite the next Cristiano Ronaldo, as many assumed upon his arrival to England, he is up there with the best wide men in world football, and if transfer fees and wages were no issue, only a handful of clubs would actively turn down signing the winger in the summer.
Perhaps if the Red Devils had not had such a successful season, this debate would not be happening. Fergie knows that despite having a bit-part role, Nani is arguably the club’s best and most natural winger. He has more quality than Ashley Young, he’s twice as fast as Ryan Giggs and provides a more adventurous attacking threat than the hard-working styles of Antonio Valencia.
But having two hands on the title already has given the United boss the freedom to pick and choose for his next campaign, without getting tied up in what would have been incredibly important fixtures against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City at the business end of the season, during which Nani’s presence on the pitch as one of the best wingers in the Premier League would have been more vital.
Alas, with the Premier League already over, opportunities for Nani to prove himself are now rather muted by the lack of pressure for results. Similarly, the lack of game time has created the assumption that he is no longer an integral element in the United starting line-up.
With Wilfried Zaha’s summer transfer to United already agreed, it is clear that someone has to go, and it will unlikely be the ageing veteran Ryan Giggs. Personally, I believe that Nani has a lot more to offer the Red Devils than Ashley Young, who is not only older but much less consistent, and unable to make as considerable an impact in the big games.
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The England man’s six goals in 41 league appearances since moving to Old Trafford leaves a lot to be desired, and quite frankly, apart from winning penalties with mazy runs into the box against Premier League minnows, I fail to see what the 27-year-old actually gives to the team that they don’t already have.
But one thing is certain at Old Trafford; no matter who you are, what your reputation is or how regularly you play in the starting XI, if Fergie doesn’t like you, you won’t last long. He’s gotten rid of some of United’s best players, in their prime, often based upon personal preference, or his interpretation of new trends developing within the Premier League. Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov were all moved on for the sake of the team, despite never failing to deliver good performances on a regular basis.
I do not believe it would necessarily be the right decision to axe the Portugal international, but it is always difficult to criticise a man who has been so consistently successful, and expelled players in the past that have been far more integral than Luis Nani.
Yet I believe next season, the title race will be a lot closer, as Chelsea and Manchester City especially come to realise that they were quite simply not up to the task this year. And in those big games, that will effectively decide the title, having that real quality, the difference between the Nanis and the Ashley Youngs of this word is perhaps where the Red Devils will be found lacking.
Aaron Ramsey has not always been loved by Arsenal supporters during his 10-year spell at the North London outfit.
The Wales international has been struck by various injury problems, and some of his performances have been put under the microscope.
Recently, though, the 27-year-old has been producing positive displays on the pitch and questions are now being raised about his future at the North London outfit.
A recent report in The Sun claimed that Serie A giants Juventus are interested in potentially signing Ramsey for £35m, while Manchester United are also thought to be keen.
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The midfielder’s current contract expires at the end of next season, and at the moment, he is yet to pen fresh terms.
Arsenal have left themselves in trick contract situations before; more recently Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, who were allowed to enter the final year of their respective deals.
Ramsey’s future at Arsenal continues to be a talking point in the background, and the club have a desire for the midfielder to stay.
On the pitch, the Welshman has been getting praise too, mainly for his incredible volley in last week’s 4-1 victory over CSKA Moscow in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
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Ramsey latched onto Ozil’s pass with a ridiculous flick from the outside of his boot and the ball hit the back of the net.
Now, Arsenal Magazine have been asking supporters on Twitter to relive their favourite goals from the midfielder.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has hit out at his misfiring strikers after the Reds were knocked out of the Europa League by Besiktas, according to report from the Express.
Rodgers was disappointed that the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling were unable to take several opportunities during the game, which resulted in the Turkish club progressing via a penalty shoot-out.
Tolgay Arslan scored for his side in the 72nd minute to cancel out Liverpool’s 1-0 lead from the first leg, and it was Reds centre-back Dejan Lovren who missed the deciding penalty kick – the only effort off target of the 10 taken by both sides.
But Rodgers believes that if his side took their chances, then they would have netted the all-important away goal, making them favourites to progress to the next round:
“I’m disappointed, of course, to go out in the manner we did,” said Rodgers. “I thought we created opportunities in the first half to make it really difficult for them.
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“Over the course of the game, we defended very, very well and limited them to very few chances.
“We created chances in the first half. We were missing a lot of our creativity (with the absent players), but it’s no excuse.
“The one mistake we made we got punished for when we were too deep for the moment they scored. It was a tight game and we just didn’t manage to finish the opportunities that we had.
“I can only give credit to my players even though we went out on penalties.
“Good luck to Besiktas and their supporters. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a good place for us this time in the Ataturk.”
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Liverpool have less than 60 hours to prepare for their crunch Premier League fixture this weekend, in which the Merseyside club hosts champions Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday lunchtime.
Considering their reputation as one of the Premier League’s most hard to beat teams it’s difficult to fathom why Stoke are still searching for their first Premier League win in 2013. Since beating Liverpool on Boxing Day the Potters have trundled through a sequence of six winless games that has put their Europa League objectives on hold. Tightening up that once impenetrable back four, which has shipped 16 goals in half a dozen matches, will be Tony Pulis’ main concern especially as they come up against in-form Reading. They showed signs of recovery against Arsenal last week and Pulis can also take solace in their record of one defeat in 12 matches at the Britannia Stadium this season. He will undoubtedly be advising his side to keep an eye on Adam Le Fondre following his heroics for Reading last month.
The Royal’s frontman came off the bench to score five goals in his last four league games, with braces at Newcastle and Chelsea earning his side four valuable points. It earned him the Player of the Month award for January and Brian McDermott, who picked up the manager’s prize, will almost certainly call on him to make the difference if Reading find themselves in another sticky spot with time running out. McDermott will undoubtedly want his side to take a leaf out of Stoke’s book in terms of modelling themselves as consistent top-flight peformers and knows victory in Staffordshire would push them closer to the magic 40-point mark.
Team News
Deadline Day signing Break Shea could be in line for his Stoke debut but Marc Wilson won’t feature despite making his comeback from a broken in a friendly on Tuesday.
Adrian Mariappa, Jobi McAnuff and Garath McCleary will all have their fitness evaluated after playing for Jamaica against Mexico in midweek, while Noel Hunt returns after a two-game absence.
What the managers said…
“There’s been a lot of talk about Begovic. But no-one from the big clubs – Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal – have called me. There was no thought in my mind that we were bringing Butland in just in case Begovic went. We thought Butland was a great opportunity for the club to sign a top young goalkeeper. If United or someone else come in and offer an enormous amount of money for Begovic we’d have to look at it, but I haven’t brought Butland in because of that.” Tony Pulis insists Asmir Begovic has a future at Stoke despite the signing of Jack Butland (The Sentinel)
“It’s fantastic to win it and the most important thing is that the team and staff have done a fantastic job. And the bigger picture is that we’ve got a lot more points and given ourselves a real chance. We are competitive in every single game and we’ve learned a lot in a short space of time. We’ve changed a lot of things in the last six weeks to find a way to win. We’ve hung in games, played good football, and the players deserve credit. We need to keep doing it in February as well. People talk about what happens when you win manager of the month – but I knew I’d won before the Sunderland game and we’ve already won our first game in the month!” Manager of the month Brian McDermott heaps praise his players for Readings recent upturn in form (Reading.co.uk)
Pre-match Statistic
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Reading haven’t tasted defeat against Stoke in their last six league meetings and expect the net to ripple at the Britannia Stadium with the Royal’s last five Premier League games seeing at least three goals scored.