Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has stated that his side are out to win the game against Real Madrid on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Premier League champions travel to take on a misfiring Los Blancos side in what is a mouth-watering clash, and the Ivory Coast international insists that his team are out to make history with a victory.
“I maintain contact with some ex-companions at Barca but I do not need their advice over Real,” The Sun quote the African as saying.
“The City staff have prepared for this match in great detail and that’s enough information for us.
“Our last campaign was a disaster and we want to change all that.
“To win in the Bernabeu is a unique experience, enough to put you on the front pages. We shall put in our maximum to achieve that. So we shall be concentrating hard from the very first second.
“For me, the key to the result means winning the midfield battles with Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira. This is the key for the match,” he concluded.
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Madrid were beaten 1-0 by Sevilla on Saturday and have suffered a slow start to their domestic season.
The year is 1989. Margaret Thatcher is still the British Prime Minister, the Berlin Wall is about to come down taking the Cold War with it and a fresh faced Sky Television is about to begin broadcasting as the first satellite TV service in Britain. When you put it into context, 1989 feels a lot longer ago than its 23 years. And until Saturday evening, it also represented the last time Tottenham Hotspur had come away from Old Trafford with all three points in a league game.
Indeed, Tottenham’s eventual match winner on Saturday in Clint Dempsey, was only six years old when the last man in a Spurs shirt won a game for the Lilywhites at United’s hallowed old ground. That man was a certain Gary Lineker. Supporters will be hoping they won’t have to wait till Dempsey’s 52nd birthday before they celebrate another win there.
Because for all the talk and hype around Tottenham’s Old Trafford hoodoo, the fact is they have traditionally had a dire reputation when it comes to putting the top teams to the sword away from home. On a positive note, we’ve seen Spurs go a long way to disposing of some of their more embarrassing records in recent years. The challenge is to make sure they don’t happen again.
Indeed, their last victory away at Arsenal in 2010 represented their first win at their North London rivals’ ground in 17 years. Likewise, their 2-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield in the May of 2011, was their first three-points there since August 1993. As for their record at Stamford Bridge, the men from N17 haven’t registered a win in any form of competition since 1990. Even the most fervent of Spurs fans will admit that their side’s away record against the best teams in the land, have been nothing short of atrocious.
Of course, the last 20 years have seen the side go through some tumultuous times. It is easy to get blinkered with Tottenham’s success in recent years, and perhaps no one should ever forget the amount of mid-table mediocrity the club endured during much of the 90’s.
There’s been some bad luck along the way too, if you can call it that, including that Pedro Mendes shot against Roy Carroll in 2005 and Frank Lampard’s ghost goal at Stamford Bridge in the April of last year. But even if you include some refereeing howlers and a perpetual dose of general underperformance, their inability even fluke a win a these places has been quite unbelievable.
But this Tottenham Hotspur side of 2012, are quite a bit different from the vast majority of their counterparts over the past 23 years. Despite the endless torrents of bad press that have surrounded Andre Villas-Boas’ appointment in the mainstream media, the buzz, optimism and excitement that surrounded White Hart Lane in pre-season, has made a surging early October return. But most prominently, the Portuguese had been appointed with the remit of taking the football club further; a sideways step won’t do. The adjustment period of adapting to a new system, with a new manager and a balanced pallet of new players is ongoing.
There has been a relatively palpable sense of frustration to certain aspects of Spurs’ start and although the boo-boys were out of line to be so vocal in demonstrating their displeasure, Villas-Boas needed to supply fans with a timely reminder of the talent and potential that the club can bestow under his blueprint. The 3-2 win and breaking of the Old Trafford hoodoo on Saturday, represented just that. But it cannot be just a one-off.
When Andre Villas-Boas spoke to reporters after his appointment as head coach in July, he stated his desire to put “Tottenham on the road to titles,” and about “bridging the gap towards success.” Naysayers and doom-mongers may be happy to afford themselves a sneer at such a remark and in terms of this season, they would have a point. Even if they do attain Champions League qualification, this season till represents one of transition. It will take time to mould the team into Villas-Boas’ vision.
But even though the hype that surrounded Harry Redknapp’s side at the turn of year was perhaps overzealous at best, Spurs aren’t a million miles away from the next level. They have a selection of wonderfully gifted footballers, they now have a state-of-the-art training ground to rival that of any club in the world and potentially a new 60,000-seater stadium round the corner. But they cannot progress in the league unless they begin to consistently produce results against the likes of United, Arsenal, Chelsea and now Manchester City.
No one is suggesting that if Spurs fail to produce victories at places like the Emirates and Stamford Bridge every single season, that Villas-Boas will have failed in his task. But they can’t let these records stack up anymore or rock up these places with the expectation that a plucky performance will negate the loss of three points. They have to develop a winners mentality and a steely exterior and hopefully the three points attained against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will go some way to producing this.
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AVb spoke after the game about how the victory against United was ‘inspirational.’ Without raining on the parade, Spurs’ apparent refusal to keep the ball for the last 30 minutes could well have ended in a point on another day, so it’s important to keep the feet on the ground and perspective in sight. But ultimately, it wouldn’t have mattered if they scraped a 1-0 victory- the stats are there and the result is cast in stone. Spurs did beat United in their own back yard and no one should underestimate the poignancy of that.
There will continue to be bumps along the way during Tottenham’s metamorphosis under Andre Villas-Boas and if they loose against Aston Villa at home this weekend, Saturday’s result counts for very little. But it’s time for Spurs to throw away their away day hoodoos against the top teams forever. And AVB might finally be the man to make that happen.
Can Spurs use Saturday’s result as an inspiration when facing the big boys? Is Villas-Boas the man to end all of Tottenham’s hoodoos? Let me know on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and let’s talk Tottenham.
Everton boss David Moyes has confirmed that he is yet to be offered a new deal at the club despite their fine start to the season, but the Scot also claimed it wasn’t an issue.
Moyes celebrated ten years in charge of the Merseyside club earlier this year but he doesn’t want any speculation involving his future to affect the players’ good early season form.
“My commitment at Everton is total and it always will be,” Moyes told the Daily Mirror.
“I don’t see it as a big problem. I’ll be asked more questions the longer it goes on. But right now if you asked me if it was even in my head, it’s not even crossed my mind.
“I feel as though I am happy with the situation. The chairman is as well. And when we need to, we talk.
“We talk on the phone every day so it’s nothing that needs to be resolved by any big talks.
“We have a good relationship and when it comes to that that’s the way we will deal with it.
“I don’t want anything to get in the way of how well the players are playing,” Moyes added.
“If that became a problem, then I’d need to look at it. But hopefully it won’t. The players are focused and we all know what we are trying to do.
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“We have no real need (to talk) at the moment. I am heavily concentrating on the team and I personally don’t feel that we have to sit down and do it.
“I don’t think the club feel there is a need either, because whatever happens, I’m here until the end of the season anyway. There’s no panic.”
Fulham kept up their formidable home record with victory over Aston Villa at Craven Cottage courtesy of Chris Baird’s goal four minutes from time.
The Cottagers have taken 32 points out of a possible 39 on their own turf but left it late to see off Paul Lambert’s men, who are now teetering just above the relegation zone after their worst start to a season in 26-years.
Villa’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal was frighteningly evident as Mark Schwarzer enjoyed a relatively incident free afternoon in the home goal.
In contrast Martin Jol’s men, spearheaded by Dimitar Berbatov, were a constant threat with the sultry Bulgarian pulling the strings from the first whistle.
Berbatov’s early snap shot forced Villa keeper Brad Guzan into a smart save before denying a close range effort from Kieron Richardson with his legs. At the other end Schwarzer remained untested as until Gabriel Agbonlahor cut inside and brought a save out of the Australian with a fierce deflected effort.
The Villa striker then failed to hit the target with two headers following crosses from Stephen Ireland and Darren Bent. After the break Fulham continued to apply pressure and looked capable of scoring every time they ventured into the Villa half with Berbatov seeing an acrobatic volley sail well over.
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As tensions begin to rise Baird popped up at the near post to allay any nerves, tapping home John Arne Riise’s in swinging corner for his third goal in 150 games for the club. Celebrations were almost short lived as Villa mounted an immediate response but Christian Benteke summed up their season in front of goal, failing to even hit the target from six-yards out after being found by Charles N’Zogbia.
Phil Bardsley has admitted that he is unhappy with returning from injury to play his part in two matches that have ended in defeat.
Sunderland’s Capital One Cup loss to Middlesbrough last week was Bardsley’s first game back in the team since coming back from an ankle injury.
Sunderland then lost to Aston Villa this Saturday, but although Bardsley admits it is not an ideal situation, the 27-year-old feels that the Black Cats must score more to sort out their problems – something which he believes will improve the atmosphere among the club and its fans.
“It’s not the way I’d have liked to come back at all with two defeats. The fans stayed with us on Saturday, but it must be difficult for them to come and watch us at the moment,” he told the Shields Gazette.
“Some of the performances have been good, but we need to score a goal. When we get one, that will lift the whole place. Everyone knows the problem – it’s not rocket science.
“Everyone needs to do their bit, and if we’re not scoring, we need to make sure we keep the ball out at the other end, unfortunately, we didn’t do that on Saturday.
“It was a decent performance from the lads and just a little bit of luck will do. You just wonder how we didn’t score a goal and we’re all scratching our heads.”
Bardsley also pinted to the spirit in teh dressing room, despite a run of bad results for the Black Cats so far this season.
“The spirit in our dressing room is unbreakable with the group of players we’ve got. We’ve got two tough away games coming up but hopefully we can dust ourselves down, have a little rest and start again in training. Hopefully we can get something at Everton,” he added.
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Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has urged Arsene Wenger to bring Thierry Henry back to the Premier League during the January transfer window.
The Gunners are said to be interested in luring the New York Red Bulls striker back to the Emirates Stadium on loan with the MLS season finished.
He re-joined the club last year on a similar deal and hinted at the end of his spell that he would be happy to return should the Londoners be interested.
Giroud believes that the 35-year-old would be a good addition and that he would love to work alongside him:
“Henry misses the enthusiasm around the Premier League,” he is quoted by The Metro.
“But he didn’t tell me if he will be back.
“It would be great joy to play with him.”
Henry left Arsenal in 2007, following a long and successful period in North London, to join Barcelona.
After three seasons he exited the Nou Camp to join the Red Bulls, becoming their second Designated Player.
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With the MLS calendar ending during the winter, players are free to join European clubs as long as they have their employer’s permission.
Henry took advantage of this last season to return to the Emirates Stadium, where he was impressive during the short stint.
The likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane have all utilised this option to move on a temporary basis during the American off-season.
“Winning isn’t everything,” says Tom Fox, the Arsenal commercial officer. And that is all we needed to confirm that Arsenal are no longer a football club, but rather a business who use the sport as a device to grow financially.
Maybe that’s not always the best way to paint the picture; plenty of clubs, whether they’re football teams or clubs of other sports, drive to become stronger financially. But the need has always been to invest in order to grow on a number of different fronts. It just seems to make very little sense to sell a losing club as a fantastic model for which others should follow.
Where does Theo Walcott come in? Well like every season gone past, and starting with the year Ashley Cole moved to Chelsea, the club have seen little value in rewarding and keeping it’s best players. I’m firmly of the belief now that the Walcott ship has sailed and the player will be off come the end of the season. ‘Its not about winning’ is just a method to paper over the impending disappointment of losing another player for whom many supporters can identify.
Yes the player has been frustrating for so long, but there are very few fans who want to see the player leave. At the other end of the scale, many, many fans want to see the player as a regular member of the starting XI following his good performances up until this point.
Tom Fox is one of the many names currently at the club who have no idea how to run a football club or what it means to be a football club. How much of Arsenal’s identity will be preserved with people openly talking about winning being a secondary to something else? It’s almost as if the club are drawing the landscape for the future, yet one that doesn’t feature the trophies that helped elevate Arsenal’s status in English football.
Naturally, Fox, Ivan Gazidis and Richard Law’s job descriptions are likely to be rife with terms that keep the club’s finances in check, and that just sums up where we are with Walcott.
Arsene Wenger seems determined to keep the player, although it’s difficult to say how much influence he has over the matter of the final wages offered.
There is no ambition other than to sit on as much cash as possible—from the board’s perspective, not Wenger’s—even if it means the best players move on. There’s no concern for strengthening your closest rivals while you continue to decline.
Gazidis came from the MLS and Stan Kroenke owns franchises in America, but do any of them know how to properly run a football club? It’s all about working to a wage structure that is unrealistic of what the club needs: Champions League football.
It worked for so long because players were in place from a previous regime, but slowly and without remorse, the current figures at the club have helped to disband a squad who were the only alternative to the heavy spending of clubs like Chelsea. Now that Walcott and soon Bacary Sagna remain the final few to be forced out the door—because I’m not convinced either of them want to leave—where do the club go next?
There seems to be absolutely no method to the madness, at least from a footballing perspective. Perhaps that is why there is such an emphasis on the club retaining Wenger, for he appears able to keep the club at the highest level. It’s maximum revenue from competitions and match days, but extremely little spend when in comparison to others. At some point or another, the well will run dry and the club will have no answers.
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On the pitch, Walcott is one of the team’s most dangerous players. He makes the team come alive and helps them raise the tempo, something which is absolutely key for the style of football they play. But he’s so much more than just an important figure in the squad. It’s players like Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who you want representing your club. Yes there’s the English factor and the sense of connection with the fans, but it’s also the role models and the players who know how to speak in front of the camera.
None of that is taken into account, and yet the club think they’re standing in a reasonable position when offering £75,000-per-week. Theo Walcott may not be worth £100,000-per-week or just shy for his abilities on the pitch, but everything that adds up including the morale at the club is so important. Yes he is worth more than the reported wages he’s been offered, but the club do not see it that way and they never will.
One of the most respected people in football is the ‘cult hero.’ For a small club like Charlton it isn’t hard to make a list of players that have been so respected over the years by the fans. Here is a list of the top 10, which has been to accommodate what I deem are the biggest cult heroes to play for Charlton.
Missing from the list are a host of names which quit easily could have entered the list but have narrowly missed out. From the likes of Stuart Leary, Stuart Balmer, Mark Kinsella the list of names could go on.
But this is my definitive list of Addicks legends, a hall of fame who will be remembered by fans for years to come.
Click on Scott Parker to see the full list of Charlton cult heroes
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Everton came from behind to beat West Ham at Upton Park to retain fourth place in the Premier League table in game that saw both clubs reduced to 10-men.
The Toffees are unbeaten in six games now since losing to Reading in mid-November and will celebrate Christmas safe in the knowledge that their Champions League hopes are firmly intact following a tricky trip to the capital.
Sam Allardyce will feel his side were unfairly handicapped when Carlton Cole was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor with the game poised at 1-1 with 25 minutes left to play.
But, that was just one of a number of strange decisions made by Taylor, who also sent off Darron Gibson in stoppage time, throughout the afternoon.
The first came just in the 10th minute when Leon Osman’s header from Leighton Baines’ corner was ruled out after Victor Anichebe was ruled to have impeded Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Everton’s frustrations were compounded three minutes later as Cole was given too much time to turn and take aim and lash a low show past Tim Howard from 20-yards.
After a dull first period the visitors intensified their search for an equaliser after the break and should have been level when the ball broke to Nikica Jelavic in the penalty area but he could only shoot straight at Jaaskelainen.
David Moyes’ men were certainly missing the physical presence of suspended top scorer Marouane Fellaini but finally broke the West Ham resistance when Anichebe rose to deftly guide Steven Pienaar’s cross into the net in the 64th minute.
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Cole was then handed his marching orders a minute later for raising his boot too high in a challenge with Baines and the numerical advantage worked in the visitors favour as Pienaar bundled home after neat interplay with Osman on the left.
Kevin Nolan went close twice in the closing stages before Gibson suffered a similar fate to that of Cole after a challenge with Mark Noble.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes he can still get better this season and that a top four finish isn’t beyond his side.
Gerrard has been in fine form recently and was influential in helping his side to three victories out of four in the league over the festive period, and he is confident that he can still lead the Reds to a Champions League place this season.
“I’m confident that come the end of the season I will be satisfied with myself and the team because I do believe we can finish the season really strong.” Gerrard said of his sides chances to ESPN.
The 32-year-old has played every minute of every league game so far this season for manager Brendan Rodgers, however he admits his form has had it’s ups and downs, saying:
“I’ve had mixed experiences this season.”
“I’ve passed some unbelievable landmarks for club and country, getting to the 600-games mark and winning my 100th cap for England.”
“I’ve played well in some games but I’ve been disappointed with myself in others and I’m not happy with my goal tally at the moment.”
Gerrard also hailed the return of defensive midfielder Lucas, and how it allows him more freedom to get forward.
It is no surprise that Liverpool’s recent improvement in form has coincided with Gerrard’s own return to as close his best as we have seen for some time.
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They will hope their skipper can continue in this vein to ensure that 2013 is a more successful year than 2012 was at Anfield.