Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has praised Luka Modric and Emmanuel Adebayor, after the duo starred in the London club’s 4-0 victory over Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Modric scored the first goal of the rout, with Adebayor grabbing a brace, in what was Spurs’ first home win of the season.
The Croatian midfielder was the subject of a number of transfer bids from Chelsea over the summer, but Redknapp now believes that his playmaker is back focussing on his football again.
“Luka is fine now, he’s just getting on with it,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think the chairman will sit down with him now and discuss his contract. That’s what I’d like to happen. It was a great strike today. That’s why we were offered £40million because he’s a top player.”
Meanwhile former Arsenal striker Adebayor has had an impressive start to his time at White Hart Lane, scoring three goals in his first two appearances, and Redknapp applauded the African’s qualities.
“I asked William Gallas about him, who came to us from Arsenal, of course, and he told me he was a fantastic player. Gallas won our fans over – he was close to being player of the year last season – and this is a great chance for Adebayor.
“At Wolves last week, he held the ball up, brought people into play, scored, and looked a real handful. He’s got to prove that just because it didn’t work out for him at Manchester City, he’s still a top drawer striker. It’s great chance for him – and a no-brainer for me to take him on loan.
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“He has been flying in training. You think he’s going to run out of petrol but he doesn’t. He trains like someone’s wound him up. He always has a smile on his face. Let’s hope it continues,” he concluded.
A Europa League final between rivals Porto and Benfica beckons should they hang on to respective first-leg leads over Villarreal and Braga.The Portuguese heavyweights have already met five times this season, but could be set for yet another encounter on the continental stage.
Porto already have one foot in the final at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on May 18, having thumped Villarreal 5-1 in the first leg of their semi-final tie at the Estadio do Dragao last Thursday.
Porto’s treble of league, domestic and continental trophies looked in danger at half-time after Cani’s strike Villarreal, but four second-half goals from in-demand striker Falcao and a headed effort from Colombia team-mate Fredy Guarin turned the tie on its head and in their side’s favour.
Guided by highly rated 33-year-old manager Andres Villas Boas, Porto’s attacking troika of Falcao, Brazilian Hulk and Portugal winger Silvestre Varela troubled Villarreal’s defense with their pace and movement.
Villarreal, however, do possess the talents to arrest the deficit. Former Manchester United forward Guiseppe Rossi rivals Falcao for interest in his signature, while Brazilian strike partner Nilmar can prove a headache for any defender on his day.
But the La Liga outfit will need to score at least four goals to win the tie, all the while keeping Porto’s front line – which troubled Villarreal so much just seven days earlier – starved of opportunities.
Porto sealed their Liga Sagres title on April 3 courtesy of a 2-1 win at last season’s winners Benfica.
Perhaps with one eye already on avenging that defeat, Benfica hold a 2-1 lead going into the second leg of their own semi-final tie with another Portuguese club in Sporting Braga.
Braga have home advantage this time around but have lost all three encounters against the Lisbon side this season, including a 2-1 loss at home on March 3.
Braga defeated some big names long their way to the Europa League semi-final, including five-time European Cup winners Liverpool and Ukraine heavyweights Dynamo Kiev.
They also defeated English Premier League outfit Arsenal before their exit at the group stage of the Champions League.
They possess a squad more effective than star-studded, with the graft of Leandro Salino and Vandinha in Braga’s engine room complemented by the vision of former Newcastle United midfielder Hugo Viana.
Up front, Braga have had to learn quickly to deal with the January transfer of striker Matheus to Ukraine Premier League outfit Dnipro.
Manager Domingos Paciencia opted to start Alan, Lima and Albert Meyong Ze his front third in the first leg, and Benfica would expect him to do the same on Thursday as Braga chase a result.
Benfica’s stars are far more glittering, from towering Paraguay forward Oscar Cardozo to creative Argentine quartet Nicolas Gaitan, Javier Saviola, Franco Jara and Pablo Aimar.
They will fancy their chances of progressing past Braga into another meeting with Porto, giving them a much-cherished chance to rain on their bitter rivals’ parade in Dublin.
The Seattle Sounders beat the Chicago Fire 2-1 while Philadelphia edged New York by a goal in the MLS.The Sounders opened the scoring through O’Brian White in the seventh minute, although the Fire responded almost immediately when Diego Chaves equalised.
But the home side hit back as Steve Zakuani combined with White to restore the lead as Seattle hung on for the three points and their first win of the season.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union defeated New York Red Bull through substitute Roger Torres’ late strike in the second half.
New York went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when Juan Agudelo hit the post in the 21st minute before he again struck the woodwork 10 minutes later.
But the final say went to Torres, who fired a low shot past Red Bull custodian Bouna Coundoul after receiving a pass from Danny Mwanga.
Elsewhere, Real Salt Lake, who recently qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League final, had a 2-0 victory over New England Revolution while David Beckham’s LA Galaxy could only muster a 1-1 draw after they conceded a late equaliser against DC United.
The scores finished even in the match between San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC while Chivas USA and Columbus Crew played out a 0-0 draw.
John Terry has admitted it is his ambition to captain England at a major tournament, as his nation are on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2012.
The Chelsea defender will lead his side out against Montenegro on Friday night in Podgorica, knowing that a draw will ensure The Three Lions’ participation in Ukraine and Poland next year.
With the centre half having missed out on leading the team at the World Cup in 2010 due to allegations about his private life, he is hoping he can skipper his nation in the upcoming European Championships.
“It is obviously my dream to take the England side into a big and major tournament,” he stated to Sky Sports News.
“Personally that is my aim, but collectively the team is the priority and whether that is a draw or a win we have to do the right thing, we are full of confidence and top of the group but we have to get over the line.
“It brings back memories of the Turkey game a few years ago when we needed a draw in Istanbul to go through to Euro 2004. The manager has got us in the right frame of mind for the game,” he stated.
England suffered a poor World Cup campaign in South Africa last year, but Terry believes the team have put the disappointment behind them.
“We have come back and taken a look at ourselves and we have come together collectively, we are very pleased with how things have gone and make sure we put ourselves in the Euros,” he concluded.
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In Rio Ferdinand’s absence either Gary Cahill or Phil Jones is likely to partner Terry in the centre of the visitors’ rearguard, and the Chelsea man’s experience will be vital in nullifying Montenegro’s able forwards Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic.
Manchester United are well known and celebrated as the most famous team in all of
English Premier League football betting but what has not been so celebrated has been the other local EPL team, Manchester City, who are leading the EPL standings with a 2 point advantage over Manchester United.
Manchester City rather than Manchester United have been the most dominant team in English Premier League football action this season with a perfect record of 12-0 at home and a +44 goal differential based in large part on a defence that had allowed just 19 goals in 24 games. That goals allowed mark was the best in the EPL but Manchester City was also the highest scoring team in the league with 63 goals.
Sergio Aguero has been the scoring machine for Manchester City as he had a team best 15 goals to go along with 5 assists. Edin Dzeko has also been a valuable asset with 11 goals and 4 assists. Joe Hart has been the stingy heartless goalkeeper with a 0.83 goals against average and 9 shutouts. Aguero hails from Argentina and at age 23 had become one of the world’s deadliest and most feared strikers. This is his first season in the Premier League after playing for Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Manchester City are coming off a strong 3-0 win over Fulham at home that followed a surprising 0-1 loss to Everton. Perhaps the loss at Everton should not have been a surprise as Manchester City had just 1 win in their previous 13 visits to Everton. Aguero got Manchester City back on track though against Fulham as he had a goal and an assist.
Manchester United have been in good form as of late with 3 wins and a draw in their last 4 games to stay within striking distance of Manchester City. Wayne Rooney, who is often in the news for the wrong reasons, was atop the team stats with 13 goals in Premier League action. Manchester United are coming off a thrilling 3-3 draw with Chelsea as Rooney had 2 goals in the effort. Chelsea outshot Manchester United 20-16 in that contest.
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Speaking of contenders, Chelsea was in 4th place behind Tottenham with a record of 12 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses while Tottenham had 15 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses.
The quality of play and amount of good teams has made the EPL season an excellent one with the two Manchester teams battling for the top spot.
Reports in the British press on Wednesday are linking Arsenal attacker Andrei Arshavin with a potential January move to Lazio.
The Russia international has lost confidence and form at the Emirates Stadium, and is no longer guaranteed a first-team place when everyone is fit and available.
Arshavin himself has admitted that his form over the last 12 months has not been good enough, and is eager to be at his best to represent his country at Euro 2012.
Mirror Football state that Arsene Wenger is ready to let the Eastern European leave North London for around £6 million, with the Serie A side keen to bolster their attacking options.
Arshavin’s contract is due to expire in the summer of 2013, and Arsenal have a dilemma on their hands whether to try to extend his deal or sell him before he can leave for nothing.
The Russian’s deal runs out at the same time as club captain Robin van Persie, but Wenger has admitted that Arshavin’s situation is somewhat different.
“He is a bit older than Van Persie,” the Frenchman told Mirror Football.
“Sometimes the visual impression you get from a game has been frustrating, but he is very efficient. We can all have big responsibility but we need confidence for what we do,” he concluded.
By Gareth McKnight
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Fabio Capello will not field an entirely new England team against Ghana on Wednesday, but the coach is planning significant changes.England secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Wales in Euro 2012 qualifying on Saturday, but six of the players involved have now been released to rejoin their club sides.
With a near-capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium expected to see a second-string team in the international friendly, Capello has been forced to justify his thinking.
“There will not be 11 changes. It will be seven changes, depending on which players will be fit tomorrow (Tuesday),” the Italian said.
“(Phil) Jagielka, (Gary) Cahill, (Leighton) Baines and (Andy) Carroll will start, (Gareth) Barry will be captain and (Joe) Hart will be in goal.”
“It is important for me to see the players play a team like Ghana, this is a really important team.”
“I respect the fans but it will be interesting to see some players they don’t know so well.”
“It will be interesting for me as well because these players who will play are really good.”
Reinstated captain John Terry, Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard were among those who featured against Wales but have now been released.
All six players are expected to be in Champions League action next week.
“The players that went home are not here because I prefer to preserve them for the clubs and for us,” Capello said.
“At this moment if you are tired it is easy to be injured.”
“They would have played four games in 10 days. It is dangerous for players to play so many games in a short time. Now they will play only three in eight days.
Capello also gave his blessing for Jack Wilshere, newly promoted to the senior team, to take part in the England under-21 side’s European Championship campaign in June.
“Yeah, I will support him 100 percent because I think the players will be really important for the under 21s,” he said.
Football is a funny old game as the old adage goes – it’s a sport that’s much more prone to sentiment than almost any other, and one in which the heart often rules the head; and emotional returns are all just part and parcel of this.
There is a saying though that you should never go back; that any return is doomed from the beginning because it is downright impossible to live up to the previously high expectations set by a player or manager during their original stint at the club. If there is one fixed point of reference in football over time, it is most definitely the law of diminishing returns.
However, there remains hope for fans all over the country. Amidst talk of Kenny Dalglish being offered a two-year managerial deal at Liverpool and even a surprising move by Arsenal for former stalwart Jens Lehmann after a goalkeeping injury crisis, it appears emotional returns are now back in fashion, when it looked as if they were all but confined to the scrapbooks.
Here, in this list of top ten returning heroes, I will chart the careers of ten players, managers, and not to give anything away too much, chairmen, who have done the unthinkable – they’ve gone back to the scene of their past glories and have expanded on their legacy rather than tainted it like so many have done before them. So without further ado, here are ten people’s careers that may go some way at least to disproving the well worn theory that you should never go back.
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Click on Dalglish below to see the Top TEN Returning Heroes
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%image% Celtic moved to within a point of first-placed Rangers in the Scottish Premier League after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Kilmarnock on Sunday.It took Neil Lennon’s side until the end of the first half to finally break the deadlock through Scott Brown and winger Kris Commons guaranteed the points in the 68th minute, keeping the pressure on Rangers with two games remaining.
Both sides had early chances but it was Celtic who found the net after 19 minutes when striker Gary Hooper nodded in from close range, only for his goal to be disallowed for offside.
It was one of two times the Hoops were denied by the assistant referee in the first half after the flag was again raised when Commons poked home later.
But Brown eventually gave Celtic a deserved lead on the stroke of half time when he headed home after teenage midfielder James Forrest had squared a cross from Irishman Daryl Murphy with a header of his own.
Commons doubled their advantage in brilliant fashion midway through the second half, controlling a pass from Brown before unleashing an unstoppable 25-yard drive into the top corner.
Celtic finish the league season with a home game against Hearts and a trip to Motherwell, while Rangers host Dundee United and travel to Kilmarnock.
Kilmarnock can finish as low as sixth if Motherwell can recover a three-point deficit in the last two games of the season.
It would be so easy to laugh at Arsenal right now. In fact, I have, in the not so distance past. Financial restrictions, injuries at the most inconvenient times and your star player wanting to leave. The truth is, it could so easily be us in Arsenal’s place right now.
A couple of important things happened in 2005.
Arsenal won their last trophy and The Glazers took full control of our club, placing a massive debt on to us. Then, in 2006, Arsenal moved from Highbury to The Emirates Stadium, which also put Financial strain on them. At the time, Manchester United and Arsenal were the two teams in the league who were battling it out for the title and the trophies, year in, year out. Chelsea had just started to find their feet after the injection of Abramovich’s cash and won the league in 2005. The difference in Manchester United’s and Arsenal’s fortune since 2005 has been like night and day. While Arsenal have not won anything, Manchester United have won 4 Premier League trophies, 3 Carling Cup trophies and 1 Champions League trophy. Arsenal have not spent much since their last trophy win (if Manchester United had spent as little, I am sure we would be struggling too) They have instead decided to give their young players a chance to shine. This is an ideology shared by both Manchester United and Arsenal.
Whether the lack of spending is down to Arsene Wenger or the Arsenal board, you have to say, it is a problem. The Glazers have taken a lot of stick since they took control of our club. Personal abuse, TV documentaries and fan protests about how they run the club, have been common place over the past couple of years. However, the way they run the club since, is the difference between us and Arsenal. Well, that, and of course, the absolute brilliance of Sir Alex Ferguson . Despite the huge debt we have, the Glazers have made sure that we have kept competitive, not only in the Premiership, but also in Europe. They have made a lot of money available to buy some of the best young players in the world. They allowed Ferguson to spend £30 million on Berbatov, while we still had Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez at the club. They have even allowed Ferguson to take risks in the transfer market, with the signing of Bebe being the biggest example of this.
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While Arsenal still boast to have the best young team in the Premiership, they have slipped behind on this front too. They have two of the best young mid-fielders in the world in Jack Wilshere and Arron Ramsay, but beyond that, and the possible emergence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wojciech Szczesny, you have to say that Manchester United have the better young players. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Fabio Da Silva, Anderson, Nani, Ashley Young, Danny Wellbeck and Chicharito would each walk in to the Arsenal first team, with David De Gea and Tom Cleverley probably on a par with Arsenal’s first team. The future off the pitch also looks great for Manchester United. With the sale of a relatively small percentage of the club, it looks as though the huge debt on our club, may be cleared.
This would probably mean even greater power in the transfer market for years to come. It would also mean that the Glazers would own the majority of a club, and in the end, not paid any money. In fact, they may have even made a profit. While Arsenal have fallen behind over the past few years, Chelsea, and now Manchester City, have emerged as our main rivals. While Manchester United and Arsenal both used the money gained by their success to get by, Chelsea and Manchester City are both bankrolled by their rich owners. That is why I have a little soft spot for Arsenal. If you get past the dislike for some of their players, they are a club a bit like Manchester United. Giving youth a chance and using success as a springboard for even more success is the way football should be done.
As a Manchester United fan, I miss fighting for the title with Arsenal. I would much rather have them as our main title rivals, than Chelsea or Manchester City. I find their recent demise really sad, and, although I don’t like to admit it, I really hope they turn things round.
Article courtesy of Stockport Red from the excellent Red Flag Flying High
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