Blackpool striker DJ Campbell is available again for the weekend clash with Arsenal. The terrier like forward has been suspended since his dismissal in Blackpool’s 4-0 defeat to Wolves on February 26th. His comeback has been hampered by international fixtures falling between games in the recent period. However, he is raring to go again and intends to fire the tangerines to safety.
Speaking to the clubs official website Campbell talked of his combined emotions of frustration and regret:
Gareth Bale has refused to rule out moving abroad to further his football career, saying leaving the United Kingdom holds no fears for him.
The Tottenham winger announced himself as one of the young players to watch with a number of reel-ready highlights this season, notably a hat-trick at Inter Milan that set tongues wagging about a possible move to Spain.
Bale is travelling southward on Tuesday but for different reasons, with Spurs set to take on Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals.
The Wales international, speaking to Spanish media ahead of the Bernabeu clash, said he can see the benefits of moving overseas in the future.
“You never know (what will happen) but I have no fear about leaving the country,” the 21-year-old told AS.
“If there is a great opportunity then that has to be considered seriously.”
“I left home when I was 15. If I leave the Premier League, learn another language and see another country then I will grow as a person.”
Bale has struggled with a hamstring strain of late and was rested for Spurs’ 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic at the weekend as a precaution.
But the Welshman said he is raring to go against Real and is particularly excited about facing Cristiano Ronaldo, assuming the Portuguese ace recovers from his own hamstring injury in time.
“We are looking forward to it, we know both teams can play,” Bale said.
“They are a fantastic team, I have seen them almost every week for years – I love the Spanish League, but we know how to win.”
“I see Cristiano, what he does – and sometimes a sideways pass is the best option. I see him, his power and speed, when I see him do things I am looking to repeat them.”
Mon 4 April, 2011Gareth Bale has refused to rule out moving abroad to further his football career, saying leaving the United Kingdom holds no fears for him.
The Tottenham winger announced himself as one of the young players to watch with a number of reel-ready highlights this season, notably a hat-trick at Inter Milan that set tongues wagging about a possible move to Spain.
Bale is travelling southward on Tuesday but for different reasons, with Spurs set to take on Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals.
The Wales international, speaking to Spanish media ahead of the Bernabeu clash, said he can see the benefits of moving overseas in the future.
“You never know (what will happen) but I have no fear about leaving the country,” the 21-year-old told AS.
“If there is a great opportunity then that has to be considered seriously.”
“I left home when I was 15. If I leave the Premier League, learn another language and see another country then I will grow as a person.”
Bale has struggled with a hamstring strain of late and was rested for Spurs’ 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic at the weekend as a precaution.
But the Welshman said he is raring to go against Real and is particularly excited about facing Cristiano Ronaldo, assuming the Portuguese ace recovers from his own hamstring injury in time.
“We are looking forward to it, we know both teams can play,” Bale said.
“They are a fantastic team, I have seen them almost every week for years – I love the Spanish League, but we know how to win.”
“I see Cristiano, what he does – and sometimes a sideways pass is the best option. I see him, his power and speed, when I see him do things I am looking to repeat them.”
Mon 4 April, 2011Velez Sarsfield won a bruising Copa Libertadores clash with Union Espanola on Thursday, while Leon de Huanuco’s campaign is all but over.
Qualifying for the continental tournament through their second placing in the Apertura of the 2010 Argentine Primera Division season, Velez Sarsfield needed a win at home to keep them in touch with Group 4 leaders Universidad Catolica.Ricardo Gareca’s men duly delivered with a 2-1 result against Union Espanola, elevating them to second in the group standings.Defender Emiliano Papa opened the scoring for the home side, lashing in the rebound on 23 minutes after a close-range effort from striker Santiago Silva had been blocked by Union goalkeeper Eduardo Lobos.But the lead lasted just 11 minutes, with the Chilean outfit equalising when defender Leandro Delgado beat the off-side trap to flick his header past Velez shot-stopper Marcelo Barovero.Having gone close in the build-up to the opener, Uruguayan Silva did not leave empty handed when he nodded home in the 69th minute after Maximiliano Moralez’s cross into the area was sent back across the face of goal.Velez survived several desperate attacks as the clock wound down, and could also be considered lucky not to have accumulated more than three yellow cards after a handful of robust challenges went unpunished by Brazilian referee Salvio Spinola Fagundes Filho.Union drop to bottom of Group 4, but are just three points from fellow Chilean side Universidad in the standings, with two games remaining.Bolivian club Oriente Petrolero hopes of progressing beyond the competition’s group stages are well over, but they provided a hammer blow to Peruvian outfit Leon de Huanuco’s own campaign with a 2-0 win at home.Alcides Pena’s 17th-minute opener was complemented by a 78th-minute sealer from Bolivian international midfielder Jhasmany Carlos, handing Oriente their first points of the stage.The result leaves Leon de Huanuco three points and goal difference from second-placed Gremio on the Group 2 table, with the Brazilian club possessing a game in hand. Colombian side Junior are the runaway group leaders, having won all four games.
Fri 25 March, 2011Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean cancelled his players’ day off this week in a bid to halt his side’s bad run ahead of their match at Fulham on Saturday.
Blackburn have lost four of their past six Premier League games including a comprehensive 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa last week and Kean knows they desperately need to create more goal-scoring opportunities.
“We have got to make sure we get service to the front men and make sure we can dictate play. That has been one of the disappointing aspects of recent weeks; we have not had enough service to the front unit. We have been working to fix that,” he said.
“We had a good meeting with the players on Tuesday afternoon and we watched certain aspects of the game against Aston Villa. We’ve worked on that all week and the mood is good.”
The players have been forced to forego their usual Wednesday day off in order to get in an extra day’s preparation for the Craven Cottage showdown.
With new club owners Venky’s expecting great things from the Lancashire club, the manager will be trying everything he can to improve on the club’s current 14th position in the Premier League table.
“We’ve had a long week; normally we train very hard on a Tuesday and I give them the Wednesday off but we’ve been in all week. They have put in a lot of hard work on the training ground so hopefully we will see the rewards on Saturday,” Kean said.
“This match is an opportunity for us to bounce back. Fulham are in decent form so we know it will be a tough game.”
Blackburn will be without David Dunne (hip), Mauro Formica (fitness) and Phil Jones (knee). Junior Hoilett (hamstring) and Roque Santa Cruz (back) are both doubtful.
Fri 4 March, 2011Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean cancelled his players’ day off this week in a bid to halt his side’s bad run ahead of their match at Fulham on Saturday.
Blackburn have lost four of their past six Premier League games including a comprehensive 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa last week and Kean knows they desperately need to create more goal-scoring opportunities.
“We have got to make sure we get service to the front men and make sure we can dictate play. That has been one of the disappointing aspects of recent weeks; we have not had enough service to the front unit. We have been working to fix that,” he said.
“We had a good meeting with the players on Tuesday afternoon and we watched certain aspects of the game against Aston Villa. We’ve worked on that all week and the mood is good.”
The players have been forced to forego their usual Wednesday day off in order to get in an extra day’s preparation for the Craven Cottage showdown.
With new club owners Venky’s expecting great things from the Lancashire club, the manager will be trying everything he can to improve on the club’s current 14th position in the Premier League table.
“We’ve had a long week; normally we train very hard on a Tuesday and I give them the Wednesday off but we’ve been in all week. They have put in a lot of hard work on the training ground so hopefully we will see the rewards on Saturday,” Kean said.
“This match is an opportunity for us to bounce back. Fulham are in decent form so we know it will be a tough game.”
Blackburn will be without David Dunne (hip), Mauro Formica (fitness) and Phil Jones (knee). Junior Hoilett (hamstring) and Roque Santa Cruz (back) are both doubtful.
Fri 4 March, 2011Radiohead will release new album The King Of Limbs on Saturday February 19th 2011.
Chelsea midfielder wants to finish his career by swapping Stamford Bridge for samba football.
Chelsea tickets available at Tixdaq.com
Watch Fulham v Chelsea live streaming with GetSport.TV
Jose Mourinho admits it will be ‘difficult’ for Real Madrid to win the La Liga title after their shock 1-0 loss to Osasuna on Sunday.
Javier Camunas was the hero for Osasuna at the Estadio Reyno de Navarra, with his second-half winner meaning Real have now slipped seven points behind league leaders Barcelona.
Barca have lost just once this season and seem destined to claim their third straight title, and even Mourinho admits his side have a mountain to climb if they are to resurrect their championship hopes.
“This is our second defeat in La Liga and we are in a very difficult situation with respect to the first-place team,” Mourinho said.
“I don’t like to lose when you give the match away by not playing, not fighting or not being committed or focused. That is not the case.”
“Tonight the other team played its heart out and had a week to prepare for the match. They played to the brink.”
“My players have done their jobs with dignity and I have nothing to reproach them for, they fought to the end. We lost three points that we didn’t deserve to lose.”
“Tomorrow is a new day. There will be another match and we will be there.”
Mourinho paid tribute to struggling Osasuna, who broke an eight-game winless run with their victory on Sunday.
“Osasuna are a tough team and the crowd was fantastic,” Mourinho said. “I don’t think many teams win here.”
“We had opportunities to score in both halves, but we haven’t done it. And if the opponents score first it is very difficult. Congratulations to Osasuna.”
Mon 31 January, 2011Roberto Martinez says Wigan Athletic must take the disappointment of spending Christmas Day in the bottom three out on Wolves on Sunday.
Wigan travel to Molineux looking to put daylight between themselves and their opponents, who lay just a point and a place below them in the Premier League table.
“We all realise how important it is to go to Wolves and get a positive result,” Martinez said.
“Wolves have got a little bit of form, especially at home, where they have won their last two games.”
“We didn’t play last weekend, but in any situation, you always try and look at the positives.”
“Midfielder Tom Cleverley will be fully fit,
Roberto Martinez says Wigan Athletic must take the disappointment of spending Christmas Day in the bottom three out on Wolves on Sunday.
Wigan travel to Molineux looking to put daylight between themselves and their opponents, who lay just a point and a place below them in the Premier League table.
“We all realise how important it is to go to Wolves and get a positive result,” Martinez said.
“Wolves have got a little bit of form, especially at home, where they have won their last two games.”
“We didn’t play last weekend, but in any situation, you always try and look at the positives.”
“Midfielder Tom Cleverley will be fully fit,
Emirates boss looking for a new keeper.
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To infinity and beyond.Yesterday, something like a modern 4-2-3-1 made its first appearance for Liverpool since Rabotnicki, and as much as such an occurrence is reason to celebrate it’s also something to scratch your head over. For the last few months, many have taken to remembering that outing against a gawking Macedonian side as being little more than what one would expect against over-matched opposition more interested in going home with photos of themselves on a famous pitch than with a famous result in hand. Throw in the short lived buzz surrounding a new manager who was going to fire up the squad with some much needed man management and it wasn’t so much a question of how Liverpool could have looked so dominant against a weak side, as how it could have been otherwise.
Of course, Liverpool would later go on to lose to Northampton, likely the widest gulf in position between LFC and any club they had ever fallen to. After all, Worcester City may have been the lowest opponent to beat them back before Shankly dragged the club out of the second division, but Liverpool itself was far further down the pyramid at the time and it was also on the road. So blame it on those rugged, rough and tumble lower league players who wouldn’t have the same tourist mentality, perhaps. Blame it on the “b-team” even if the first leg against Rabotnicki had been very much a weakened side. Blame it on the rain, even.
Or blame it on playing two passive banks of four against Northampton: lying deep and inviting pressure while refusing to get drawn out by pressing the opposition in turn. Because that was the biggest difference between Rabotnicki and Northampton, confirmed by a depressing re-watching of the extended Rabotnicki at Liverpool highlights late last week in an odd confluence of nostalgia for a fluid, winning performance and guilt at being one of those calling for Roy Hodgson’s head. Overlapping wingbacks, lonely center halves pushed up into the center circle, feisty attacking midfielders closing down possession. Somewhere in the striving fight of ten against eleven when Arsenal came to town that was lost, and no matter what one called the formation those core components of a pressing, possession-based game never returned.
Even against Napoli they didn’t come to the surface, despite a passive opponent. In that match both sides seemed more than willing to accept a well earned point against what they saw as a tough opponent–both sides came into it with a loser’s mentality of defending in numbers and hoping to nick a goal from the small handful of chances that might pop up either on the counter or from set-pieces. In the end it may have been a tough venue, but neither side really did enough to win all three points. One would have expected different against Blackburn, but when Sunday rolled around it appeared that Sam Allardyce had, like his Napoli predecessor, not gotten the memo about what happens when you put Liverpool under pressure. Either that or he’s given up on Madrid and is now angling for work in the typically slower paced Serie A.
Maybe next year, Doc.Only this time around Liverpool didn’t match a passive opponent in their style of play. Some might write it off as being at home, though to do so would be to ignore that passive and organized has been the cornerstone of every Liverpool match in every competition since the league started. No, this was unusual: for the first time since Rabotnicki the fullbacks were regularly pushed up past midfield–and with one of those fullbacks being Carragher it seemed an even less likely thing to bear witness to–while the ball was passed out of defense and Torres was actually, finally, given a bit of support instead of being left to feed off long balls played six feet above his head. At times, with its lack of width from midfield, Liverpool might have previously appeared to be setting out in some kind of 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2, but if so it was a formation hobbled to the point of uselessness under Hodgson until yesterday.
***
It’s been talked about often enough before, but the cornerstone of a functional, possession-based 4-2-3-1 variant is a high defensive line and passing it through the middle rather than bypassing the midfielders to send long balls to the striker. It’s a cornerstone because without these two elements it becomes almost impossible for those fullbacks to get down the pitch and provide width. It’s not rocket science: make them regularly run twenty yards further while getting the ball downfield in half the time and no fullback in the world is going to be able to provide decent, natural width in attack. And without proper wingers this is exactly the situation that had everybody following Liverpool ready to rip out their hair against Everton and City and Birmingham. At some point, it stopped being about the results and became about how the team looked hopeless–both in their play and in their body language.
And yesterday it all changed.
After rants about 35 years of experience and not needing to change his approach, it’s difficult to understand what we saw even if it’s what–in a general, tactical sense–we’ve been asking to see for weeks now. When, after the match, Hodgson then talked about taking the game to the opposition, pressuring and controlling the park, it seemed even more at odds with every tactical choice we’ve seen made since that game at Anfield against Rabotnicki. Inevitably, this seemingly unexplainable sea-change has resulted in rumours to try and explain it all away: mainly that the players got together and demanded a different approach, or alternately that Sammy Lee has been hammering away for the past month and finally got Hodgson to change.
…one in the hole, you say?These seem odd, to say the least, especially in the wake of Hodgson’s determined display with the press after Napoli and talks of never stepping down. He didn’t seem to be a man prepared to make any concessions to try and save his job, in part because he showed no signs of realizing his job might be in need of saving. Beyond that, they also don’t line up with earlier ugly rumours of a growing English clique that helped push Benitez out. Before it was supposed to be player power saying that the side would set up with a deep line to satisfy Carragher, and that Gerrard would play in the center of the park with Cole having been brought in to play in the hole. Now it’s Carragher, in at right back, helping to push for a high line with overlapping fullbacks while Gerrard goes to second striker and Cole plays on the left? For those rumours to be at all true would require a bigger shift than Hodgson suddenly deciding to approach things a different way after steadfastly defending his approach all year. Even if you discount the earlier rumours completely you still run into Hodgson’s recent defense of his methods–as well as then having a situation where the players now decide the tactics, and they’re tactics the manager isn’t comfortable with.
The Sammy Lee idea is at least easier to get one’s head around, though it still seems an odd situation that doesn’t add up any way you look at it. Which is why some people feel the need to pull on threads–threads that say, “The only match we looked at all like yesterday in was right at the start, before Roy Hodgson managed to ‘install his ideas’ fully.” The problem is that even if the players calling some kind of meeting and requesting that they be allowed to set out with different tactics seems unlikely in all of this, it doesn’t seem all that much more so than in the course of two days Roy Hodgson deciding he’s suddenly going to become a convert to the modern, high-pressure 4-2-3-1. Because yesterday looked a hell of a lot closer to them playing against a Macedonian side with no new “system” installed than it did to anything else we’ve seen so far this term.
So now we cross our fingers and hope, even if we aren’t sure what we should be hoping for, because no matter why yesterday happened it only makes it harder to judge the kind of job Roy Hodgson is doing. We don’t know anywhere near enough to know what that anomaly of a match against Blackburn really means. And meanwhile we’re still in the relegation zone.
But at least we have hope. Maybe. Depending on what the hell happened yesterday.
Category: Miscellaneous
Tags: Blackburn, Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole, Miscellaneous, Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, Steven Gerrard, Tactics
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