When a football club appoints a new manager it often brings about a time of upheaval. New backroom staff and players come in, new tactics and formations are utilised and, as is so often the case, the new man at the helm wins his first game in charge. Thankfully, John Sheridan and his Plymouth Argyle side did just that on Saturday.
In the days leading up to his first Argyle match, a home game against Morecambe, Sheridan had spoken about how he planned to take the game to the Shrimps and attack from the off. Simply the mention of attacking football had Argyle fans excited for the game, but with limited attacking options in the side it was hard to see the low-scoring Pilgrims finishing off many more chances than they did under Carl Fletcher.
Yet, just 16 minutes into the game, and Sheridan’s reign at Argyle, the home side were two goals to the good after a blistering start to the game. As the rain came down on a damp Home park the nervousness and stress that surrounded the last few months lifted from the crowd and was replaced with a sense of disbelief. Was this really happening?!
It was indeed happening and during the next 10 minutes Argyle proceeded to pass the ball around confidently and not let Morecambe back in. New loan signing Ronan Murray looked like creating something every time he got on the ball and Guy Branston, playing for Argyle again 13 years since his last spell with the club, looked like the perfect replacement for Darren Purse, who has gone to Port Vale.
Morecambe had the better of the later stages of the first half and the second period as Argyle dropped deeper and deeper, but when the Greens had possession of the ball they looked dangerous on the counter attack and the pace of Murray and Paris Cowan-Hall caused the Morecambe defence serious problems. And elusive clean sheet was not kept in tact when Ryan Williams somehow managed to beat Rene Gilmartin from 30 yards but Argyle held out for a vital victory.
Sheridan, who had impressed the Green Army in his interviews leading up to the game, then gave a refreshingly honest post-match interview. He didn’t just focus on the positives that led to the three points but also things he felt the team could have done better with and will look to improve on in the next few weeks. It would have been easy for him to be jubilant in the wake of a victory in his first match in charge but instead he switched the focus to the match at Southend, saying how he has a good record at Roots Hall and Argyle will be going there looking to win.
It may seem very generic stuff for a manager to say, but for Argyle fans it is just so refreshing. Carl Fletcher never enjoyed talking to the media which resulted in the Green Army hearing very little than the same talk week in, week out from Fletcher. Now we have somebody in charge that says it like it is and won’t hide away his real opinions on aspects of the game.
We are only one game into John Sheridan’s reign as Plymouth Argyle manager, but the early signs look promising. A good performance led to three points in a vital home game against Morecambe, the new gaffer has already made what looks to be two very good signings and he speaks to the media with a sense of confidence. There is still a long way to go until the end of the season but there is a positive air returning to Argyle again.
One cup final down, 18 to go.
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On paper this looks set to be an archetypal mid-table slog between two of the Premier League less than glamorous sides. In fact the form of Stoke and West Ham mirrors each other with both recording just one Premier League win in their last six games. Although the Potters sit three points and four places above their opponents the disparity between the two sides is slim. Tony Pulis’ side have failed to build on their early season promise and European qualification looks to be slipping away. Scoring goals has been the key issue for Stoke with just 26 coming in their 27 games but should revel in the comfort of their home surroundings against the Hammers having taken 24 points from a possible 39 at the Britannia Stadium.
Similarly the Hammers have struggled to find the net this season, notching one less than Stoke, and its likely Sam Allardyce will set his side up to avoid defeat having lost nine times in 13 games on the road this term. Historically though they’ve enjoyed their trips to the Potteries and have avoided defeat in six of their last seven visits. Allardyce, however, won’t read too much into that as he desperately strives to secure West Ham’s safety after defeat at home to Tottenham on Monday left them just six points above the relegation zone. That being said they looked good for much of the game against Spurs but know they face a very different proposition when they lock aerial horns with Stoke.
Team News
Matthew Etherington and Michael Owen will have their fitness assessed before the game, while Robert Huth starts a three-match suspension. Despite breaking his nose at Fulham last week Steven Nzonzi could feature wearing a protective mask.
Captain Kevin Nolan is out with a broken toe, Mark Noble (arm) is a doubt but Guy Demel is available.
What the managers said…
“You take Manchester City, Swansea and the first half at Fulham last week out of it. And our performances away have been better this season. Even against the top teams, we’ve got draws at Liverpool and Tottenham, we went to Manchester United and gave them a game, went to Chelsea and were unlucky and went to Arsenal and got beat by a deflected goal. What we are doing is putting an infrastructure in place that a lot of Premier League clubs would like – and we are doing that and staying in the league at the same time. And all because we want a future with a good side in the Premier League.” Tony Pulis believes the critics are being unnecessarily harsh on his Stoke team (The Sentinel)
“Of course we are. We’ve always looked up the table this season and we’ve always tried to get into the top ten and with a good result on Saturday we can push ourselves a little bit closer to that. I think the away form hasn’t been as good as we’d have liked. I think our home form has been really, really good, even though we’ve lost a couple. We have to address that, we’ve got to be a little tighter and a bit more physical away from home and make sure we try and keep a clean sheet. And if we can do that, that gives us a good chance to get back to winning ways on our travels.” West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald admits the club are concerned at their close proximity to the relegation zone (whufc.com)
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Pre-Match Statistic: Despite the Britannia Stadium being renowned a fortress for most teams Stoke have struggled against West Ham winning just once on their last seven meetings in the Potteries.
When told that your club is set to sign a highly rated young foreign footballer, it becomes somewhat of a tradition to type ‘said’ players name into a popular video based search engine.
From there you sit back, wonder why the video creator found it necessary to set the video to a Katy Perry soundtrack, and base your whole opinion on 4:47 seconds worth of tricks, flicks and general wonder goals from the players career.
The thing with a highlights reel is that you can find 4:47 seconds worth of class in any youngsters game. I myself scored my fair share of wonder goals during my younger, fitter days, and could easily fill up that kind of time-frame. However I could also add numerous video of my miss control or the tap ins that ended up in the farmers field onto my highlights reel. It’d probably be enough to keep you entertained for days, maybe even weeks.
YouTube’ing is always a lazy and naive way to judge a player and more often than not it proves to be unfounded. For example I dare you to search for ‘Emile Heskey- Greatest goals compilation.’ Some absolute genius/student with too much time on their hands has managed to stretch that out to more than six minutes, it was so good I almost wanted to sign him on Football Manager. Thankfully in the short time it took for me to close my browser and load up the game I suddenly remembered that he was in fact shite and that the video was brainwashing me.
However, sometimes it isn’t that easy to shrug off YouTube when forming an opinion, and other types of trickery come in to focus to also try and brainwash you. For example, what if I told you that the player that your club was interested in was Spanish and came through the ranks at Barcelona? What if also told you that the first video available on the player was a casual 4:47 seconds video of him having a friendly kick around with Ronaldinho when he was aged just 12. You’re automatically excited, right?
Well that’s the position that fans of Tottenham Hotspur found themselves in during the summer of 2011 as the attacking midfielder Cristiano Ceballos, who is now old enough to have started puberty, moved to White Hart Lane after a successful trial period.
It was a move that delighted Tottenham technical co-ordinator Sherwood, who said in an interview shortly after the transfer had gone through:
“Cristian trained hard and showed some real quality when he originally spent time here towards the end of last season and was even involved in some of the first-team training.
There was other interest in him too. He needs to be patient and if he can fulfil his potential we believe he can play at the top level.”
Now 18-months down the line, Ceballos has started to make a name for himself at the club as he tries to fight his way into the first team plans of Andre Villas-Boas.
The versatile attacking midfielder, who can also put a shift in on the flanks or when playing just off the striker, has been a regular on the stats lists this season having created countless opportunities and assists as well as burying the odd goal himself for the U21’s.
In fact he was the star man in last month’s win over Midlands outfit West Bromwich Albion as he got on score sheet twice and set up the third, helping his side to an easy 4-0 win.
Basically what I’m trying to say is that the midfielder is becoming instrumental in a side that is running away with the U21 title and that sometimes YouTube IS all you need to forge an opinion on a player.
Although it’s clear that it’s not just Ceballos doing all the hard work in such a successful U21 campaign, what is clear is the ability for the player to adjust to the English game and deal with whatever is thrown at him.
A case could even be made for the Spaniard to get a chance of first time action in the coming weeks. It’s no secret that the Tottenham ranks are thread bare when it comes to attacking options, especially when your two best chances of grabbing a goal (Bale and Defoe) have found themselves on the treatment table.
And yes I am fully aware that Emmanuel Adebayor plies his trade at the club, But I’m also fully aware that the Togo international has only found the back of the net seven times in the Premier League, around about the same amount of entries he’s got into this campaigns edition of miss of the season.
But when you consider that Ceballos and his U21 pals have found the back of the net 32 times in just ten games this season you tend to ask yourself why they couldn’t help the first team squad out with a bit of flair and goal scoring presence.
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There is no doubt that Ceballos has the skills to become a first team player next season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Spaniards chance come a little earlier.
He could easily develop into a an iconic player at White Hart Lane, bringing the type of flair and creativity that Luka Modric once brought to the club.
This is the day Sir Alex Ferguson has longed for. Fuelled by vengeance and the sting of dethronement, the stage is set for Manchester United to regain the Premier League sovereignty. From the moment Manchester City swiped the title from under his nose in last seasons final seconds revenge has been their driving force. And City’s surrender at Tottenham on Sunday left the gap at 13 points with five left to play United are only a win away from being crowned for the 20th time in the top-flight and concluding a year-long quest for Ferguson. Truthfully, it has been a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ the Red Devils would reclaim the trophy as they’ve led the table for large parts of the campaign but it’s the relentless pursuit, exemplified by their manager, that makes them worthy champions elect.
And ‘elects’ is what they will remain. Of course nothing in the Premier League is set in stone and it would be a great disrespect to Aston Villa to refer to United as champions before a ball has even been kicked at Old Trafford. The Midlands club are on a crusade of their own to avoid dropping into the Championship and Wigan’s loss at West Ham on Saturday has thrown down the gauntlet to Paul Lambert’s and his side. Victory would create a relatively safe six-point buffer above the relegation zone, although a draw would almost certainly be considered a positive result given the opposition, venue and whats at stake.
Team News
Ashley Young won’t feature against his former club after an ankle injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Apart from that Manchester United have no fresh injury concerns.
Aston Villa can call on Gabriel Agbonlahor after he shook off a groin problem that forced him to miss the draw with Fulham last time out. Chris Herd, Marc Albrighton (both foot) and Richard Dunne (groin) remain sidelined.
What the managers said…
It’s not beyond the team at all. If you’re asking if Manchester United can win five games in a row, well how many times have we done that? There won’t be any slacking off by the players. That’s good for the fans to debate what our best team is. I get it all the time: what is my best ever team? What may create more awareness of the side we have this year is how many points we get.
‘We won it in 1997 with 75 points and have been second to Chelsea with 85 and City with 89 points last season.” Sir Alex Ferguson wants United to eclipse Chelsea’s 95 point haul from 2005 (Daily Mail)
“In a roundabout way [the party atmosphere] can [help us]. Put it this way I don’t want them to win it against us, because I want us to try and win ourselves. We’re playing well enough, we’re on a good bit of form at the moment and we’re going into a game on Monday where it’s going to be tough and no-one expects anything from us but we’ll certainly go there to try to win it.” Paul Lambert hopes Aston Villa can spoil United’s title party (Independent)
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Pre-match Statistic: This is why they’re Champions elect! Manchester United have recovered an astonishing 28 points from losing positions this season – a Premier League high.
A Champions League place maybe out of Everton’s reach due to a lack of investment in the club, according to Leighton Baines.
Everton are still in the hunt for a top four spot come the end of the season but they look more likely to make it into the less glamorous and less lucrative Europa League.
Baines, who is seen as one of the club’s most valuable assets, says the lack of investment in the club is once again coming back to haunt them as their squad depth is nowhere near as strong as their rivals.
“We have been steady over the years. We have been shy of challenging for the Champions League places and are managing to edge our way closer,” Baines said.
“We have not had that big push in terms of giving the manager that backing to go and buy the players who would really put us right in the mix.
“It is one thing having it and obviously you have to spend it wisely.
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“You have to get the right players and those who fit, so it would not be a given if we were to get a good amount of money, but it would definitely help.”
Phil Neville has told Bill Kenwright that he wants to be considered for the manager’s job at Everton.
Neville is coming to the end of his playing career, although he has yet to make a cast-iron decision on that and is waiting to have his knee injury looked at, and has already moved into coaching helping out Stuart Pearce at England under-21 level whilst working towards his Uefa pro-licence.
The departure of David Moyes to Manchester United has changed his immediate plans for next season and now, along with fellow internal candidates Alan Stubbs and David Weir, he has spoken to the chairman to say he would like to be considered.
Neville told the Guardian: “It would be a really good job to get. I know there are players who have gone into jobs and failed but I just think I have prepared.
“I have prepared for the last five seasons and I have got some really nice decisions to make. I am prepared for every eventuality.
“I’ve not reached the end of my career and thought: ‘I know, I’ll be a manager.’ I have had a lot of experience, studying coaching practices. I’ve got files on every training session from the last three seasons.
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“I have been away with the Under-21s. I’m half-prepared for what I am going in to. I pick his [Moyes’] brains constantly.”
New Manchester United boss David Moyes finds himself under pressure already after guiding the Champions to their worst start to a season in nine years.
And the last thing he can afford to do is have to explain how United managed to lose to two bitter rivals in a week, which will no doubt add to the weight of pressure currently stacked up on his shoulders.
And if the pressure of a potential cup exit wasn’t bad enough for Moyes, the news that Brendan Rodgers will have Luis Suarez available after his 10-match suspension means his hopes of an easy ride against a weakened Liverpool side are over.
Liverpool haven’t won at Old Trafford since 2009, but they do have a good record against United in this competition – three wins and a loss in their four previous League Cup meetings. And if it’s records like that one that gives Liverpool hope of a first Old Trafford victory in four years, it’s also worth noting that their unbeaten in their last six away matches in all competitions.
Despite the rivalry between these two sides, we can still expect both managers to make several changes to the ones we saw in the Premier League over the weekend.
Nani and Wilfried Zaha are both expected to start for the hosts, but Robin van Persie is set to miss out again as he struggles to overcome a groin strain. Brendan Rodgers will be without Glen Johnson, Philippe Coutinho and Joe Allen, although Daniel Agger could feature after a rib injury.
Moyes’ side will want to put their humiliation at the hands of Manchester City behind them, but Liverpool will be equally desperate to add to United’s so-called ‘downfall’ since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
Liverpool also have a disappointing result to get over – their 1-0 home loss to Southampton at the weekend – and they’ll be confident of doing just that now they’ve got Luis Suarez back in the side. Suarez was Liverpool’s goal-machine last season and, aside from being such an important team player, he’ll want to get back in amongst the goals for personal reasons too.
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With all things considered, this Capital One Cup round three tie has everything about it to be a classic.
It’s the year of the comebacks at the Emirates. Arsenal are finally back in the Premier League title race, Mathieu Flamini is back doing his running man act in central midfield and Nicklas Bendtner is back on Capital One Cup duty.
Flamini was a signing I snarled, laughed, bit my thumb and turned my nose up at after Arsene Wenger snapped him up on a bosman move from AC Milan in the summer. But I’m now eating my words. The same goes for Arsenal’s title ambitions this season.
So with it being already proving to be a season of glorious returns for the Gunners, should Arsene Wenger add to his list of comeback kings in January in the form of former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song? The Cameroonian could provide a simple, obvious and relatively cheap solution to the North Londoners’ physical imbalance in the middle of the park.
Things haven’t gone too well for Song since he left the Emirates for Barcelona in summer 2012. Playing for the most successful club side in the history of the beautiful game is the kind of heavenly calling a professional player at any club can’t ignore, but the 26 year-old’s La Liga tenure has become more of a hell – or rather a melancholy purgatory that the ex-Gunner is trying desperately to escape from.
[cat_link cat=”arsenal” type=”tower”]
Since arriving at the Nou Camp, the Cameroon international has made just 41 appearances in all competitions, most of which have been from the bench and in Song’s less favoured centre-back berth. Cameo contributions to the Catalans’ title-winning triumphs last season means that Song’s Barca tenure can be hardly judged as a failure, on paper at least, but at a personal level, being a regular bench-warmer and part time defender is not what he’d signed up for.
He’s now considering a January departure just 18 months after he left North London for a £15million fee. At the same time, reports in the Spanish media have suggested the Barca management are now preparing to flog Song to the highest bidder in the January transfer window.
So availability is no issue for Arsenal, and neither is finance; Arsene Wenger still has plenty left in the transfer kitty from the summer, and with the Catalans now looking to get rid, they’ll undoubtedly let Song leave for less than the £15million they splashed out on him a season and a half ago.
But would the Gunners gaffer actually want the powerful Cameroonian back? Or rather, should he want him back?
As previously mentioned, everybody at the Emirates is over the moon with the hard-working efforts of Mathieu Flamini in the middle of the park. The Frenchman is aggressive and tenacious, tireless and committed, and he goes a long way to address the flair player bias in Arsenal’s midfield.
Consistent displays against the Premier League rank-and-file clubs are expected – that’s what he’s paid for – but performances against Serie A leaders Napoli in the Champions League, and a second-half showing during the Gunners’ 1-0 North London derby win have been particularly pleasing, to such an extent that some pundits are claiming the returning running man could prove to be a better summer signing than Arsenal’s new messiah Mesut Ozil.
In terms of quality, perhaps not, but pound for pound, you can’t argue that a player who was a 29 year-old free agent just a matter of months ago is already exceeding expectations.
That being said, the Frenchman has come off early in his last two Premier League appearances through injury, and was sorely missed during heavyweight clashes with Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea as a result. Baring that in mind, it’s unlikely a midfielder who has made just 24 appearances over the last two seasons in Italy will be able to make it through an entire Premier League campaign without regular bouts on the sidelines.
Gunners fans will be eager to point out Mikel Arteta has done a fine job in holding midfield over the past few seasons at the Emirates. But I’m of the opinion that Song could be doing much more for the Arsenal first team than the Frenchman or the Gunners vice-captain.
Arteta has transformed from a wide man at Rangers, to a central midfielder at Everton to a defensive midfielder for Arsenal throughout his career. And there’s certainly something to be said for his manner of anticipating loose balls and neatly distributing them from deep midfield.
But in the traditional, English, Premier League sense, a defensive midfielder he is not – he’s certainly more Andrea Pirlo than he is Claude Makelele. Tough tackles, putting his body on the line and marking opponents out of the game are not integral parts of his footballing nature, and in my opinion at least, it’s an intrinsic flaw that will cost the Spaniard and subsequently Arsenal on numerous occasions throughout the season.
Song can provide that natural defensive awareness that Arteta is lacking, and the physical prowess that both the Arsenal vice and Flamini can’t provide. Overall, none of the Gunners midfielders measure in at over 6 foot, or don any particular brute strength or power. Admittedly, since the days of Patrick Viera, that’s not been the North Londoners’ style.
But compare it to the powerhouse engine rooms at Chelsea and Manchester City – the likes of Yaya Toure, Javi Garcia, Fernandinho, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Ramires – and it’s not hard to envisage Arsenal being outmuscled and trumped for height against their title rivals. Last night’s Capital One Cup defeat to the Blues provides a classic example, although it should be mentioned that the Gunners were by no means at full strength.
Similarly, far from physicality taking away from Arsenal’s aesthetic and technical footballing ethos, which has often been the logic behind Arsene Wenger opting against signing conventional holding midfielders in the past, Song represents the perfect balance. The 26 year-old recorded 14 assists during his final season in North London, and his ability on the ball can only have further improved at Barcelona.
On the other hand, there are plenty of Arsenal fans who wouldn’t welcome the Cameroon international back with open arms, and their point of view is certainly understandable. There were countless occasions during his Emirates tenure where Song was found wanting when screening his back four.
The 26 year-old’s positional sense is arguably his weakest attribute, often caught out too high up the pitch and exposing significant gaps behind him. At the same time, his tackling was hardly clinical. During his final campaign with the Gunners, the Barcelona midfielder picked up ten yellow cards, nearly double the amount Arteta gave away donning the same holding midfield role last season. Some would even argue, despite Song being often deployed at the heart of defence during his time with Barcelona, that the former Gunner shouldn’t even be referred to as a holding midfielder at all, with too much free-roaming and positivity on the ball to ever fulfil the services of an anchorman to their proper extent.
Furthermore, Song was a part of an Arsenal side that contained Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, and despite the wealth of fantastic quality, the Gunners were still some distance behind their divisional rivals in the title race. And with Arsene Wenger currently spoilt for choice in the middle of the park, admittedly with several variations of the same type of creative player, there’s arguably no room for the want-away Catalan at the Emirates.
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Even more so, although Arsene Wenger does have a significant sum in reserve for January expenditures, his transfer kitty is by no means endless. Seeing as the Gunners’ midfield is already packed with top talent, even if it’s lacking a player of the physical and powerful Song mould, the leading priority for the Gunners in the coming transfer window remains a striker who can compete with Olivier Giroud and is capable of sharing goal-scoring responsibilities adequately.
But the current campaign remains Arsenal’s greatest chance to break their silverware duck for some time, be it in the form of the Premier League title or one of the auxiliary tournaments. To do so however, to effectively fight on all fronts and keep their title bid intact for the duration of the season, you need an Alex Song ,a physical and combative figure, in your squad. Perhaps not every game, but certainly for the heavyweight, season-defining affairs against quality opposition.
He addresses a number of the issues with Arsenal’s midfield, that has already been found wanting without enough athletic and aggressive presence on two occasions in the last week. Furthermore, with Barcelona ready to sell and Song already planning on leaving, Wenger could snap up the midfielder for significantly less than the £15million he left the Emirates for two years ago – yet another piece of astute business for the Frenchman to add to his wise dealings at the end of the summer.
They say you should never go back in football, but Arsene Wenger has broken that taboo twice already this season. Doing it again for a midfielder established at Premier League, Champions League and international level, that will also provide a positive equilibrium for Arsenal’s lack of physicality in the middle of the park, can hardly be considered an illogical move, although there are certainly more risks than first meet the eye.
There was a lot of pre-match amble about the decision to include Demichelis against such an attacking Barcelona side, especially when he was going to be babysitting Messi for the match. That pre-match joking became a reality in the second half when he took down Messi in the area (debatable) and got sent off. 1-0 Barcelona and an uphill struggle for Man City.
2 But playing Silva in a more advanced midfield role was spot on
David Silva showed his class all night long and relished his more advanced midfield role. To be fair you can put him anywhere and he will look world-class, but against Barca he was a leading light. I mean, if Chelsea fans are even saying they would like him, then he’s gotta be doing something right.
3 Kolarov and Clichy didn’t click. Where was Nasri?
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Pellegrini decided to start Kolarov and Clichy on the left but the combination never really worked. It’s obvious he saw Dani Alves as a threat but by not starting Nasri City lacked that attacking impetus.
Reading manager Nigel Adkins has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant West Brom job, as reported by Sky Sports.
Numerous betting firms narrowed the odds on Adkins taking over at the Hawthorns in the past 48 hours but the Reading boss has admitted he is not even thinking about leaving the Royals.
West Brom have still not appointed a new manager, despite Steve Clarke being sacked almost six weeks ago.
Caretaker manager Keith Downing has won two league games on the bounce for the Baggies, although the Midlands club were toppled by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup yesterday.
Reading also lost in the cup and Adkins used the opportunity to distance himself from talk of leaving the Royals.
“The bookmakers are covering themselves and this has come out of the blue,” Adkins said.
“West Brom don’t have a manager but all my focus is to try and improve Reading. All the energy and focus is to us.
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“We’ve got a fantastic board and the chairman will do everything that is right for the club. We’ve got to let the board get on with it.”