Chelsea have been recognised for their domestic and continental success during the 2011/12 season by being crowned ‘European Club of the Year’ by the European Club Association.
According to Sky Sports, the award was distributed to the Blues on Monday at the third annual ECA awards.
The award highlights an incredible contrast in the fortunes of Chelsea football club, who, in March, sacked the current Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas after a poor run at form which saw the club not only outside the Champions League qualification places but also facing a potential early exit from the Champions League itself, after a 3-1 defeat away to Napoli.
Although the incumbent manager Roberto Di Matteo was unable to improve Chelsea’s league position which resulted in the West London side finishing sixth, the Italian did manage to win two very important finals for the club.
Firstly Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final in May. Then against all odds, after dramatically overcoming Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the semi-finals, (which, for if nothing else, will forever be remembered thanks to Sky Sports’ Gary Neville getting a little too excited at Fernando Torres’ equaliser) Chelsea then defeated German giants Bayern Munich in their own back yard thanks to an enthralling penalty shoot-out.
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The Premier League leaders will now be hoping to maintain their 100% start to the campaign when they travel to Loftus Road to face Queen’s Park Rangers in an eagerly anticipated West London derby.
On Saturday evening I asked Argyle fans when was the last time the Pilgrims came from behind to win a game at Home Park. Nobody could actually give me the answer as it is simply so long ago.
After searching through various Argyle websites and rifting through my own memory I found out for myself. The 23rd November 2010. That was the last time Argyle won a game at Home Park after being behind, it was an npower League One fixture against Dagenham & Redbridge. That record stood, until Saturday.
Despite his return on loan from Burnley being greeted with excitement by most Argyle fans, Alex MacDonald found himself on the bench for this game, alongside 32-year-old Rhys Griffiths who was making his first competitive appearance of any kind for Argyle after turning professional to sign for us in the Summer.
The game kicked-off at a very slow pace with neither side really taking the initiative. Onismor Bhasera and Paris Cowan-Hall both had pop shots that went wide and were saved respectively, before Bhasera nearly headed in at the back post off a Durrell Berry cross.
The visitors, who understandably looked more than happy to soak up the little Argyle pressure after only playing Wolves in the Capital One Cup on Thursday night, then scored with their first attempt on goal.
Quite how Alex Nicholls was allowed the time and space to turn and shoot with his back to goal with three green shirts around him baffles me. The 24-year-old took advantage of the lax marking to swivel and poke home the opener in front of the Devonport end.
Conor Hourihane almost found instant parity for the home side, but his shot from just inside the area flashed just wide of the post. In all honestly he should have buried it. Shortly afterwards Paris Cowan-Hall, who was making good progress down the right flank, had to go off due to injury. On came Alex MacDonald, receiving a warm applause from the Home Park faithful who hoped he could recreate some of the magic they had seen from him last season.
The substitute did not immediately turn the tide though, as Northampton spurned two or three good chances to increase the lead as half time approached.
Standing there at half-time, I could see nothing but a loss for us. We looked short of ideas and I could see the Cobblers scoring again. One point after now four league games seemed to be beckoning.
As the teams re-emerged for the second half, we could clearly see that Fletcher had gone for a change of personal and tactics. Paul Wotton made way for league debutant Rhys Griffiths as Argyle changed from 4-5-1 (never understand why we play this at home anyway) to 4-4-2.
The change, and what was probably said in the changing room, ignited the sleeping Pilgrims.
First Bhasera got on the end of a Griffiths knock down before hammering his shot at Lee Nicholls in the Cobblers goal before the equaliser arrived through the same route. Bhasera again benefited from a Griffiths touch before running towards the box and delivering an inch perfect cross for Warren Feeney to glance across Nicholls and into the far corner. 1-1, and with only two minutes of the second half played and Forza Verde now in full voice it was game on.
Argyle started to pour forward in numbers, and before long they had the lead. Bhasera – who was having the half of his life – played the ball to Feeney who layed it off to Griffiths. The Welshman then found MacDonald in acres of space on the right. He drove towards the box and crossed a ball that always looked like it would cause trouble for the Cobblers. A combination of Warren Feeney and a Northampton defender resulted in the ball rolling loose towards the edge of the box, right into the path of a perfectly placed Griffiths who stroked home.
Sadly though, Griffiths outstanding league bow was to last only 22 minutes as he trudged off with a small injury.
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The Pilgrims kept pressing though, and made it three not long after Rhys had departed. Robbie Williams crossed a perfectly flighted ball for stand-in striker Curtis Nelson to nod home. The Cobblers did score again, but Artell’s header deep into injury time was little more than consolation.
None of us saw that second half performance coming. Hopefully we can continue in that vein on Saturday, with a Devon Derby against rivals Torquay United. The 32-year-old Rhys Griffiths was working as a fireman just a few months ago and playing for Llanelli in the Welsh Premier League. He scored 182 goals in 182 appearances for them. On the 22 minute showing we saw on Saturday, what a signing Fletcher could have made here.
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As expected, Anton Ferdinand refused to shake the hand of John Terry before the Queens Park Rangers – Chelsea game on Saturday but Rangers captain Ji-sung Park was also in on the circus performance the Daily Mail report.
A heated exchange, or lack of exchange, pre match saw John Terry, who was found innocent of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand in court late last season, snubbed by Ferdinand but also by Park when the captains met in the centre circle.
Terry, seemed unworried by anything that happened in the pre match handshake department, was clearly surprised when QPR’s new signing from Manchester United and newly appointed captain refused to acknowledge him in the captains meeting for the toss.
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Ferdinand also refused to shake the hand of Ashley Cole, who gave evidence in the court case supporting his team mate Terry and the Football Association are still looking into the incident from 2011 in a debacle that seems to be dragging on for a needless amount of time and the 0-0 draw at Loftus Road yesterday has gone no way to putting the incident to bed.
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis was left surprised and upset when he found out that Potters striker Peter Crouch was once again left out of the England squad by manager Roy Hodgson, as reported by The Sun.
Crouch has been on fine form for Stoke this season and at the back end of last term, but having not played for his country for two years now, it may be the end of the 31-year-olds chances of international football.
“I spoke to Peter about it [not getting an England call-up] and said the best thing he can do is keep doing what he is doing,” Pulis told The Sun.
“He’s played exceptionally well last year and he’s started this season on fire.
“He’s been our best player probably over the games we have played and his goal tally is very, very good and we’re very pleased with him.
“We’ve been a bit disappointed that one or two Stoke players over the last two years haven’t got that reputation.
“With Matthew Etherington, I thought at one stage he should have been playing for England, or Ryan, and we’re disappointed that Peter has not been selected.
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“But, having said that, the lads are experienced enough and they’re at a good football club that will look after them and supporters that idolise them in lots of respects.”
Liverpool have been strongly linked with moves for two out-of-favour wingers in recent times, with both Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge widely tipped to make the move to Anfield in January, but are these really the sort of player that the club should be pursuing?
The flawed transfer policy of buying the best of British has set the club back in its attempts to rejoin the elite in the Premier League over the past two years, with Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli both sacked for their involvement in buying the likes of Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson and the subsequent under-performance of them all, which contributed to a lowly eight-placed league finish last year.
Walcott is still at loggerheads over a new contract at the Emirates, although the initial reasoning has since been dispelled by the player himself; he’s not after more money, simply a return to a more central striking role that he played during his youth career and brief time in the Southampton first-team.
The 23-year-old has noticeably improved his end product in recent times yet at the same time remains frustratingly inconsistent. The theory is that playing out wide is an easier place for a young player to learn due to being granted more time and space to make decisions. At the same time, though, players are often faced with more decisions out wide than they are in the middle – when to pass, run, cross, dribble, time a run and shoot. Unfortunately for Walcott, while there has been a tangible development to his game, progress has been slow, painfully so at times.
His pace is his greatest asset but he’s also increasingly clinical in front of goal and in all honesty, Walcott remains a player full of contradictions. He can often be found marking himself out of games, marooned on the touchline with his lack of intelligent movement off the ball, but his sheer acceleration negates that the opposition has to play deeper to counteract the space they grant him, so even when he’s not playing particularly well, he’s having an effect on the game.
He just so happens to possess what is widely regarded as the most visceral of attributes and in full flight he can look quite something, while every now and again he pulls a finish out of nowhere to make you think he could still be a world-class player one day, unfortunately they’re simply too few and far between. In Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system, I simply don’t think he’s good enough on the ball to occupy the lone central striking role and there’s a doubt about whether he’d be any good at holding the ball up or with his back to goal.
Sturridge is in a similar boat at Chelsea and after turning down a loan move to Anfield on transfer deadline day, fast forward a few months on and he may be more willing to make another short-term move away from Stamford Bridge should Liverpool not be able to cough up the full fee that’s required.
In my eyes, Sturridge represents a better and safer bet than Walcott. While his form may have nosedived after Andre Villas-Boas exit last term, he’s more comfortable with the ball at his feet and has a bigger physique which could mean he’s more transferable to the central role he so desperately craves.
Suarez is at his best as a creator for others rather than the focal point of attacks and Sturridge would allow him to return to the left, drifting off the flank like he has to such devastating effect for Uruguay in the past. The former Manchester City man would also be able to interchange positions more than Walcott in a 4-3-3 and he appears a more intelligent player than his Arsenal counterpart.
Where he does need to improve is his work ethic and the fact that he’s still far too selfish at times; some put this down to an over-inflated ego, which may be true to an extent, but it’s much more likely due to a keenness to impress. It’s no coincidence that his form tailed off after falling down the pecking order under Roberto Di Matteo and the signing of Victor Moses above all others this summer must have been seen as the final insult.
Rodgers has insisted that fans have yet to see the best of Borini yet, and that’s partly down to him being played out wide, but he’s struggled to make a telling impact as yet. However, for me the ideal, affordable and realistic candidate lies north of the border in the shape of Celtic forward Gary Hooper, while strong cases can also be made for Loic Remy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar if the budget can stretch as far as that.
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Liverpool still remain an attractive proposition for prospective players and the fact that they still have European football remains a factor. It’s a potentially exciting era at Anfield right now but whether Walcott is right for the role on offer, I have my reservations, just as I do with Sturridge, to a slightly lesser extent. With belts being tightened this summer, it remains to be seen what sort of players will be within Rodgers’ price range and that more than anything else will dictate his movement, even if the options on offer at the moment all have major question marks against them.
Who would you like to see Liverpool move for in January to address their striking shortage?
global advisor Shebby Singh believes the Ewood Park club have got the right man in charge to take the club forward.
The Championship club, who currently fifth in the table, have been searching for a new manager since Steve Kean resigned at the end of September.
And Singh believes that the club are now in right position to begin moving forward with their aims of returning to the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports: “I cannot do anything about speculation. The club was linked with everybody, but we all know who we actually approached and who we actually spoke to.
“Yes, we have made the right decision.”
But Singh also admitted that the club had made mistakes in the past by rushing in to managerial appointments and insisted they made the right decision this time round by taking their time.
“We drew up a list of criteria that we were looking for and then we tried to find the best individual who meets that. That takes time,” he added.
“Also, lessens from the past are very important. We possibly rushed in to a decision last time but we could not afford to do that, which is why we have taken our time.
“It might have taken longer than usual for some people but I don’t think it has been detrimental to the progress of the club in any way.”
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Berg’s first game as Blackburn manager will be a trip to managerless to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Gylfi Sigurdsson believes Tottenham Hotspur must score early against Maribor in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Andre Villas-Boas’ team have drawn all three of their Group J games so far this season and could only manage a 1-1 draw against the Slovenian champions last time out.
But the Tottenham midfielder is hopeful that an early lead will open the game up and encourage the White Hart Lane crowd to get behind the team.
He told Tottenham’s official website: “It would be ideal if we get an early goal. That means Maribor cannot just sit there and defend and it would the game up.
“That would also get the crowd right behind us and it will be a great atmosphere. That is important for us.”
Sigurdsson, who scored the equaliser at the Ljudski vrt Stadium two weeks ago, also believes the size of the White Hart Lane pitch will work in their favour and that Spurs still have a realistic chance of progressing in to the knock out stages.
“It’s a big pitch at White Hart Lane so hopefully we will get wide, get some crosses in and break them down this time,” he added.
“It is still in our hands and we now have the advantage of playing at home. Hopefully we will use that advantage and take the three points.
“We want to progress to the knockout stage, so it is important for us.”
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes that his side’s performance in their goalless draw with Swansea illustrated the progress being made at the club.
The Reds suffered defeat during their last visit to the Liberty Stadium in May, but came close to taking all three points this time out.
Jose Enrique had an effort ruled out for offside before Raheem Sterling crashed a half-volley against the crossbar.
Rodgers was happy with his team’s display despite failing to come out on top:
“I was really pleased with the quality of our game today, I thought our build-up play was good and we got through the thirds well.” He told SkySports.
“I just thought we needed a fraction more belief in the final third. There were opportunities around the box where we could have got a shot off a bit quicker.
“That comes from certain types of player and personnel you have in.
“I thought the method in our game was good, and people who would have seen the game at the end of last season would have seen a difference today, hopefully.
The Northern Irishman believes they may have claimed the win if luck were on their side:
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“We were unfortunate with the offside goal that was ruled out. I thought that was a goal having seen the replays of it.
“I’ll never say coming here is two points dropped because it’s a difficult place to come. Our performance level is continually improving. We’re just chipping away at climbing up the league, and we’ll do that.”
Manchester City midfielder David Silva could miss his side’s crucial derby day fixture against Manchester United at the Etihad stadium this Sunday.
The Premier League encounter at 13.30 on Sunday is already being billed as a huge game in the title race and the Spanish international would be a big miss for City.
Silva also misses tonight’s Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, suffering from a hamstring injury.
Mancini told the Daily Mail “Silva is not here because he has a hamstring injury, and we do not know at the moment if he can recover in time for the derby,’ ‘We will try, but we will have to see.”
The Manchester City boss did insist though that tonight’s fixture was important too with a place at the Europa League at stake.
He added “‘We want to qualify for the Europa League, and all the players who are fit and available are here with us. We have several injuries, but those who were fit to travel are ready to do everything they can to win the game.
“It will be difficult, because Borussia Dortmund are one of the best teams in Europe, but we will do our best to avoid dropping out altogether.
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“It could be difficult for us if we manage it, because in the Europa League, you play Thursday and do not have much time to recover for the Premier League. But we need to reach the Europa League if we can, and we will be doing our best.”
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Willian has revealed his desire to play for a bigger club in a bigger league, preferably to Chelsea and the Premier League, but should there be another London destination he would be better suited for?
Interest in the Brazilian attacker has increased since impressing for the Ukranian club in the Champions League this season, scoring four goals six games, and he is destined for a move to one of Europe’s big clubs in the not too distant future, with the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Juventus all reportedly willing to meet Shakhtar’s £24 million asking price.
If the Premier League is indeed his next destination he’ll have a big decision to make. The Brazil international plays as a left attacking midfielder for Shakhtar, but can also play as an attacking midfielder.
At Stamford Bridge Willian would be competing with the likes of Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard, all of which have made hugely impressive starts to the season, for a starting berth. They are working well together in Chelsea’s attack and without one of them, Chelsea lose a dimension to their threat going forward.
There is no questioning Willian’s ability to play regularly at Chelsea, but with the caliber of talent that’s already there and performing well, he’d have a tough job keeping of of the aforementioned players out of the side.
At Tottenham, however, the quality of competition is a little less tough to break down. There’s no denying Spurs are a quality side who will mount a serious charge on the top four this season, but a player like Willian would fit in perfectly at White Hart Lane.
Since Rafael van der Vaart left in the summer, Andre Villas-Boas has been searching for the Dutchman’s perfect successor. Mousa Dembele and Gylfi Sigurdsson have both turned in impressive performances in the attacking midfield role, while Gareth Bale has been his usual, threatening self on the left.
Willian, however, would be a stronger candidate in attacking midfield than Sigurdsson and Dempsey, being the provider to Jermain Defoe and whatever striker Spurs sign in January, while his flair will add an extra dimension to their attacking play.
Furthermore, Chelsea seem to be in a state of transition and, despite still sitting third in the Premier League after just one win in their last six games, they are no longer a dead cert for a top four finish. Nor a Tottenham, we know, but recent performances and given the current stability at each club, Spurs look a more attractive prospect moving forward at this very moment in time.
Benitez’s Chelsea future seems to be decided game by game at the moment, just like most of Chelsea’s previous managers, while Villas-Boas looks like he may have finally found a working formula at Tottenham.
Both side’s attacking threat are currently two of the best in the Premier League and capable of damaging most clubs, but there seems to be more room for strengthening in Tottenham’s and Willian would fit in nicely there. Also, the fact Spurs have room for improvement but still look as good as they do means there can only be successful days ahead for Villas-Boas at White Hart Lane.
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If I was Willian, the choice would be an easy one to make. Chelsea have a manager the fans don’t want and are not performing at their best, while Spurs are improving week by week and are strong candidates for a top three finish, let alone challenging for fourth.
So much talk these days is about whether players and clubs are the perfect fit and, well, Willian and Tottenham might well be a match made in heaven, while Willian and Chelsea could end up being a huge regret for both parties.
What do you think? Is Willian better suited at Tottenham given the competition? Or should he follow his dream and choose Chelsea as his next destination? Leave your thoughts below.