Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta has cooled speculation that the club are preparing a move for Liverpool star Luis Suarez.
The Italian giants have been heavily linked with a move for the Premier League’s top scorer for some time, with many speculating that a serious offer could be made this summer.
Suarez himself has sparked rumours recetly, by suggesting that he would be willing to leave Anfield for a team competing in the Champions League.
But Juve, who have also been linked with Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez, has revealed that the Serie A title holders are not close to submitting a bid for the Uruguayan attacker:
“Who would I like as a birthday gift between Sanchez and Suarez? I am happy with our players and I cherish them. At this time of the season, we don’t think about the [transfer] market.” He is quoted by Sky Sports via Italia 2.
Juventus manager Antonio Conte has also been the subject of speculation in recent months, with reports circulating that he is being lined up by Chelsea to replace Rafael Benitez.
But, Moratta says that his coach can fulfil his ambitions in Turin and will not be leaving any time soon:
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“There is not clause in his contract, but I think he will remain for many years and may get a lot of satisfaction from Juventus.”
After picking up four victories in their last six matches in all competitions its fair to say Wigan’s springtime escape act is well and truly underway. Its unlikely they’ll have to repeat the run of seven wins in their final nine fixtures that secured their Premier League status last season and if they maintain current form will avoid the final day scramble for safety. With a game in hand and three points separating them from 17th placed Aston Villa the ball is firmly in the Latics court. They now enter a pivotal phase with a basement battle with QPR and the FA Cup semi final with Millwall coming after the visit of Norwich. Thankfully for Roberto Martinez his side have started to make home form count at the right time and demonstrated their fighting spirit with a late win against Newcastle at the DW Stadium last time out.
Chris Hughton’s side, although not in the same predicament as Saturday’s hosts, need points to guarantee they’ll be a top-flight club for the third successive season. The Canaries currently sit 12th and seven points clear of the drop zone having drawn their last two games. Although there is no immediate danger of them being dragged into a scrap for survival Hughton won’t leave anything to chance. One thing he must solve is his side’s inability to score goals with the net bulging a paltry three times in their last six matches.
Team News
Roberto Martinez is hoping controversial winger Callum McManaman can recover from an ankle injury in time to feature for Wigan. The 21-year-old has courted controversy in the last fortnight following his horror tackle on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara and Martinez may opt to remove him from the spotlight.
Norwich boss Chris Hughton will hand a rare start to goalkeeper Lee Camp with Mark Bunn suspended and John Ruddy still sidelined. Alexander Tettey (knee) is fit to return as is Russell Martin (hamstring). Anthony Pilkington is won’t be back until next week.
What the managers said…
“He’s a joy of a human being and I know he will come back a stronger person after this. He’s already represented England at Under-20s level, and was involved in the squad for the youth World Cup in Colombia in 2011. Callum has that raw talent to help England a few years down the line. I’m not saying now, but in three or four years he will be someone, who can bring something completely different to the England squad.” Roberto Martinez has revealed he believes Callum McManaman will play for England one day (The Mirror)
“The ironic thing is that they’ve found themselves in this position before, but I think arguably they’ve played better this season than other seasons, so it’s probably a little bit of a surprise to see where they are. They are a very good footballing side. Their form has been up and down, as indicated by their league position. It’s a position that they’ve managed to get out of in the past, though. It’s got to be about us, and we’ve got to make sure we go to Wigan with the same approach as we did going to Sunderland in our last game. We need to give ourselves every chance of winning the football match.” Chris Hughton expects Wigan to pose a stiff test on Saturday (canaries.co.uk)
Pre-Match Statistic: Norwich, along with Watford and Swansea, are the only teams Wigan have never beaten in the Premier League despite three attempts.
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Prediction: Wigan Athletic 2-0 Norwich City
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Tom Werner has said there would always be a job for Jamie Carragher at Liverpool in the future after his retirement.
The 35-year-old will make his 737th and final Reds appearance against QPR on Sunday before moving into television punditry next season.
However, Werner said the club would welcome back Carragher’s experience with open arms.
“We wish Jamie well in his new career and the door will always be open for him at Liverpool,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
“I really hope we see him back at the club one day because with all that experience and knowledge we know he has so much to offer.
“Whether it’s as a coach, an analyst or whatever, there will always be a job for him here. We hoped he would play on for another season but we fully respect his decision to retire.”
Werner added: “He wants to leave the party before the last call and I understand that. I have nothing but admiration for him – both on and off the field.
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“It’s a big challenge to try to replace him. He’s a unique individual and I think finding another player just like him will be impossible.”
Brian McDermott said it was “job done” for Leeds and revealed he wanted talks about new signings.
The former Reading manager saw his two-match winning start to his Elland Road reign brought to a halt in a 1-0 defeat by Birmingham on Saturday courtesy of a Hayden Mullins goal.
The defeat leaves the West Yorkshire club in 13th place in the Championship – seven points above third-from-bottom Wolves – but McDermott insisted the club’s fans could sleep easier knowing relegation was no longer a concern.
He said: “When I arrived at the club I put my reputation on the line and to make sure Leeds remained in this division. So far as I am concerned it is job done.
“Everyone must be going in the same direction. If that occurs in this club you have a major chance.”
McDermott also revealed he would be seeking assurances about bringing in new players for an assault on promotion from the Championship next season.
He added: “I think we have to talk about who needs to come in. If we can add to the squad with good quality players who know this division we should progress.
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“Leeds were possibly in trouble when I came in. I am delighted with the boys. They played two games at home and we won them both. They were pressure games.”
Wouldn’t last January be seen as a bit of a waste if Newcastle opted to sack Alan Pardew this summer? Why does it have to be this way in football? One season offers nothing but high praise; the next is built on undertones that a new dawn is needed. Isn’t it enough that Pardew and Newcastle avoided the drop? Where’s the sense of long-term building?
It would be a mistake to write Pardew off now. Why was he good enough when Newcastle finished fifth in the Premier League but not now? I’m sure he didn’t tell Mike Ashley to keep his chequebook well away from last summer’s transfer activity. The real building on from that fifth place finish took place this past January. Were we to expect anything else in terms of results after such a high volume of new arrivals midway through the season?
What I’m not going to do is talk Pardew up as one of the best managers in the country; there are other football writers who choose to do so. What should be said is that he has done a fantastic job of enhancing (or redefining) his own image and status in English football. Newcastle should have been battling for mid-table mediocrity in that season, but instead they challenged the might of the Premier League were rewarded (because it is a reward) with Europa League football.
It’s a learning curve for Newcastle as a whole. Play the game like they did last summer and there will be discussions and contingency plans for relegation. But it shouldn’t have come to that this season. Newcastle are comfortably better than all three of the teams who faced the drop, and yet the performances say more about the club’s desire to sit back on their past glory than any major shortcomings of the manager.
What good will it do to sack Pardew now? You have to ask where Newcastle will look for another manager. Spain? Yes possibly. France have a title-winning manager who could be had this summer. Yet it begs the question as to what the last few seasons were for. Most importantly, that eight-year contract will look immeasurably stupid on the part of the Newcastle board.
What are the grounds for looking for another manager at this stage? Because Newcastle finished just above the relegation zone and watched their ‘equals’ in the league drive on past them? What about losing 3-0 to Sunderland when they too were in turmoil? Let’s be honest, Newcastle aren’t above battling it out the hard way or losing convincingly to their rivals. If they were, they’d be well and truly challenging for the league title every season, and yet even Manchester United have felt the sting of humiliation in recent seasons.
The eight-year contract was symbolic of a club who had finally found all the right pieces in the important places. I’m not buying the idea that Graham Carr and the scouting system will get ‘found out’ sooner or later by the rest of Europe. That’s a lot of nonsense. Yes, others will look on and admire, like many Arsenal supporters who regularly questioned why they didn’t have enough about them to land Yohan Cabaye or Mathieu Debuchy, among others. Here was a manager who finally seemed to be on the same page as everyone else at the club, and yet the blame can and should be laid at Mike Ashley for not continuing to build when it was necessary. The fact that they did go on to strengthen in January just shows that it was always possible, yet complacency was the easier choice of the two.
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The end of next season will be a better time to judge Pardew, provided, of course, Newcastle address their squad this summer. Replace the likely outgoing Fabricio Coloccini and add depth where at matters. Tactical shortcomings can be balanced out by a good squad who know what’s required of them, as well as the benefit of a pre-season with the latest arrivals. Above all, maintain stability while it is still an option.
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It was a milestone moment in Coventry City’s season as they wiped out their 10 point deduction after just six matches.
A 2-0 win over Colchester was enough to lift them off the bottom of the table and city can now finally begin to look upwards. especially as the young players begin to sign new contracts with defender Jordan Willis being the first to do so and Callum Wilson
It was a match that Coventry were favourites to win and duly delivered with what can only be described as close to the perfect all round performance as Coventry have managed in a very long time.
From the very start it was clear that Stephen Pressley’s team were intent on taking the game to Colchester. It wasn’t long before we began to create a multitude of chances and Leon Clarke was the one at the forefront of this. It would turn out to be a frustrating day on a personal note for Clarke though as chances came and went. Colchester’s keeper and the woodwork would thwart Clarke throughout the game so it was left up to our other striker Callum Wilson to grab the goals to win us the game.
Wilson managed another brace in the game scoring two good striker’s goals. The first a real poachers goal as Wilson reacted first from a parried shot from Blair Adams. His second was a finish that was coolness personified. He took his time to round the Keeper and confidently slotted home like there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to score.
That is now 8 goals for Wilson who tops not just the clubs scoring chart but the leagues and the country as a whole. Wilson has been a revelation and his partnership with the experienced Clarke has been one of many things that has been positive so far this season.
This result brought the Skyblues off of the bottom of the table for the first time this season as there 10 point deduction has been wiped out in no time at all. It is a chance now to forget about the point’s deduction and look forwards at what this young team may be able to achieve.
Stephen Pressley has moved to quash expectations and suggests there will be set backs along the way and I think if we are all being realistic we know there will be. Pressley along with assistant MacFarlane and club captain Baker attended a fans forum this week where there was some really interesting insight into the clubs footballing policies and beliefs.
There was much focus on the style of play that the team has adopted under Pressley and he was keen to stress the fundamentals behind this style of play.
We all know and appreciate the way Barcelona play and the success that this has brought them and Pressley is a huge admirer of them but not just for their obvious passing style of play. He eluded to an interview given by striker Villa who at the time had been at Barcelona for a year. Asked what he had learned the most since arriving he said how to get the ball back.
Many people may have been surprised to hear this but there is reasoning behind it. In this country we all look at Barcelona in awe sometimes in the way they control matches and we focus on the passing game that they play. Whilst this is vital part of the game and a very attractive part of the game it is missing something when it is deployed on its own. Ex-city manager Andy Thorn tried to bring the passing game to us but we ended up passing side to side and never really dominated teams.
Another good example in English football is that of Martinez’s teams. Wigan despite their clear lack of quality always had a passing game which often allowed them to dominate possession. This is the same since his arrival at Everton who are yet to win a game under his guidance despite having the best possession statistics in the league.
I put this down to what Pressley reiterated in the forum that there is often especially in this country a lack of respect for the football that needs to be played when out of possession of the ball. Going back to Villa’s quote and Barcelona’s ethos isn’t just the passing game it is the hard work that goes into their pressing game in order to retrieve the ball back in advanced areas. It is this pressing game which allows teams like Barcelona to keep possession for long periods.
Coventry’s pressing game has been for me the most notable change at the club since Pressley’s arrival. The players are set up in such a way that when they lose the ball they all seem to know when the right time to press the ball is and they do it as a team which is vital to the success of the pressing game.
Fitness is another key feature to the pressing game and Coventry’s fitness seems to be at a level that we have not had for a long time. Pressley eluded to this fact when he suggested that teams in this country do not train hard enough. Training in any sport is pivotal to the success of the team or individual athlete. Tennis players are the example used by Pressley in that they have managed to train their bodies to a level of fitness which allows them to play gruelling 4 hour and above matches twice in the space of 3 days.
It is the idea that our human bodies can often take a lot more than we give it credit for and we should push a bodies closer to the limit. In this country especially training almost takes a back seat when the season gets underway as players are rested and nursed through so they can play in the match at the weekend.
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Pressley feels and I agree that eventually you end up de training and obviously this is detrimental to any athlete. I think a great example of the work ethic that Pressley has instilled is as baker said that despite what was a fantastic performance against Colchester they were back in training on Monday morning where Pressley and his staff had the players doing box to box running.
There are many of us who don’t think footballers do enough to earn the wages they get paid but it sounds like Pressley is more than making them work for it and it is clearly paying dividends on the pitch as we continue to improve week in week out.
Let’s hope the lads keep it up and in Pressley we have a manger who is still learning his trade but a manager who is more than confident in what he is trying to achieve. In Pressley we can trust and that is something I am becoming more sure of each time I see us play.
Tottenham saw plenty of possession but created little.
That description could be applied to a number of games over the season so far, particularly the last two Premier League games against Hull and Everton.
The early-season hope has been extinguished – and if it hasn’t, it should. The top four isn’t beyond Spurs, but the league title is. It doesn’t matter who you are, titles aren’t won off the back of one transfer window.
But it was easy to see why there was so much excitement generated at White Hart Lane. The majority of Spurs’ acquisitions this summer had been attack-minded players, each looking to play their own part in replacing the output of Gareth Bale. And why not? How often is one better than four or five?
Spurs, however, haven’t struck a balance yet. It may be all well and good to talk up the team’s current position in the league table. With 20 points, they’re currently one ahead of free-spending Manchester City, albeit with a greatly inferior goal difference. Though that is obviously owed to City’s hammering of Norwich on the weekend.
The point is, Tottenham still have some way to go. If other teams are sitting in a precarious position, whether it be due to a lack of depth or an inexperienced manager, why does the same rule of thinking not apply to Tottenham’s inability to convert possession into goals?
[cat_link cat=”tottenham” type=”list”]
It’s November. I, like many I’m sure, explored the reasons for Erik Lamela’s omission from the starting XI in the past. The Argentinean is yet to start a Premier League game, despite being the club’s record transfer. Soldado, too, needed some defence for the fact that only one of his Premier League goals didn’t come from the penalty spot. But as I said, it’s November; how much longer do the excuses wash?
Tottenham’s inability to create isn’t a problem that stretches into the realm of the tactically fluent. Quite simply Spurs don’t have a playmaker. In the absence of one last season, namely Luka Modric, Gareth Bale became the difference maker. This time, we’re struggling to see anything similar.
Against Everton, Lamela and Christian Eriksen remained on the bench. Prior to the reintroduction of Aaron Lennon, it was questioned whether he’d replace Andros Townsend on the right flank. Instead, Andre Villas-Boas opted for both, fielding two wingers who would now look to cut inside onto their favoured foot instead of providing needed width. If Everton was seen as too much of a tricky away tie to field a creative outlet over one of the two wingers, then what exactly is the point of a double-pivot in Sandro and Paulinho?
Bayern Munich formed a double-pivot with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez last season, allowing them to capture the treble. But both of those players offered far more than Tottenham’s duo, whoever it may be.
There’s no bridge from the midfield to the attack. Isn’t it slightly odd that Jan Vertonghen, a defender, offered some of Tottenham’s best moments in front of goal? As for Lewis Holtby: he’s good, he offers another option and a more than capable body, but he’s not the midfielder who will dictate play and carve out chances for forwards.
Villas-Boas has been praised numerous times for being tactically progressive. He’ll tinker with the team’s setup far more than his predecessor. But why is there such a reluctance to go for the win? On the two recent league games alone, Tottenham scored once, and that came extremely late in a game via a penalty. You simply can’t get by with that mentality. Tottenham may be defensively disciplined, but others will outscore them, whether it’s in a game or on the league table.
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Some may say that this is just the beginning and when it falls into place Spurs will kick on. Well that’s the point of this: when do they find that balance and kick on?
Lamela is the most gifted attacker in the Tottenham squad. If he had remained at Roma, he’d be one of Rudi Garcia’s integral pieces and a regular starter. There is no reason, from a tactical perspective, to keep him out of the team. Above all, he’ll offer a good deal of excitement to what has been a handful of tedious games.
Back in the summer, we witnessed Arsene Wenger break the habit of a lifetime when he launched a last-minute swoop for Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil. In sharp contrast to a club that held the £13million acquisition of Sylvain Wiltord in 2000 as their record transfer fee for the next eight-and-a-half years, Arsenal splashed out an unprecedented £42.5million on the German international.
The move broke almost every rule in Wenger’s transfer rule-book; big bucks on an already established player that undoubtedly morphed the Emirates’ rigid wage structure too. So twenty games into his Premier League career, it’s time to give the first analysis on whether Ozil has justified the Gunners gaffer’s transfer agenda-bending, and that eye-watering £42.5million fee.
I’m sure you will have noticed that this article has coincided with the North London side’s shock 5-1 defeat to Liverpool last weekend. The result’s aftermath has seen the 25 year-old bare the brunt of criticism from fans, pundits and BT Sport’s Michael Owen.
I do not intend to venture down the road of hyperbolas rant – one performance does not define a player, especially a player with such proven pedigree as Arsenal’s summer signing. Owen’s judgement that Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho is ‘more influential when it counts’, was unjustified, unnecessary, and unfounded in fact.
But let’s not commit to the other extreme of ignoring Ozil’s dismal Anfield display in its entirety – it did illustrate many criticisms one could have of the Germany midfielder.
Firstly, as the retired Kop Icon also pointed out, Ozil does have a tendency to go rather absent in the big games. His Champions League showing against Napoli, grabbing a goal and an assist in Naples, was certainly impressive, and an indicator of what the former Werder Bremen playmaker is truly capable of.
But on the Premier League scene, the midfielder has found just one goal and two assists thus far against top seven opposition. Although Arsenal have decisively crumbled against the likes of Chelsea, City, United and Liverpool this season, and therefore the entirety of the blame for Ozil’s performances against the bigger clubs can’t be attributed to him as an individual, this is essentially where you’d expect your £42.5million signing to stand up and be counted.
Following on, it also demonstrates how despite the enormous fee spent on Ozil in the summer, he hasn’t been by any stretch of the imagination Arsenal’s most defining player this season – the one that will come to symbolise everything good about the campaign in the minds of the fans. That title most likely belongs to Aaron Ramsey, who was dominating the Premier League in terms of goals, assists and tackles from midfield before his recent injury bout, or the club’s top scorer this year, Olivier Giroud.
But as previously stated, let’s not get over-influenced by what we’ve learned from one Premier League performance out of twenty, and let’s not ignore what we already knew about Mesut Ozil before he arrived in England.
The German may still have some way to go in his last 13 Premier League games to match the nine goals and eleven assists he found in La Liga last season, but there’s no doubt Ozil’s four goals and eight assists this term have been pivotal to the Gunners cause. Comparatively, the twelve goals the attacking midfielder has been in some way responsible for is only bettered in the Emirates squad by Aaron Ramsey (eight goals, six assists) and Olivier Giroud (ten goals, six assists).
And in the Premier League throughout, his eight assists is trumped by just Wayne Rooney with nine, whilst his average of 2.8 key passes per match – a statistic which essentially summaries the core reason Arsene Wenger was willing to part with £42million for Ozil’s services – is only overshadowed by David Silva (3.9) and Luis Suarez (2.9).
That being said, the Die Mannschaft star is still yet to produce performances of playmaking dominance that parallel the efforts we’ve seen from the likes of Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, David Silva or Eden Hazard over the last few years, or match the kind of prolific form we witnessed from a then 21 year-old at the 2010 World Cup for Germany.
That could come with time however; let’s not forget that this is Ozil’s first campaign in England, and Arsenal purchased the player with the view to have his services for the next five years. A stat-filled article on Kickoff.co.uk has pointed out that the midfielder’s return from his inaugural Premier League season is very much in line with those of David Silva’s, Oscar’s and Juan Mata’s. The only criticism of that however would be that all three arrived in the English top flight for between half and two-thirds of the Gunners’ £42.5million investment.
One should also consider the positive psychological lift the 25 year-old’s summer arrival has had on the Emirates camp this season, in what has been dubbed by many as the ‘Ozil effect’. In a nutshell, who Arsenal splashed the cash on in the summer window didn’t really matter, rather, it was simply a case of a club breaking their dormancy at the top end of the transfer market by bringing in an already established world-class talent. It proved to the Arsenal faithful and the roster that the North London outfit can still be considered a major club, capable of attracting major players.
The benefits have been obvious; Arsenal are back in the title race for the first time in nearly a decade, and although Ozil’s overall influence in their rise to the Premier League’s summit is still open to debate, there are few who argue the Gunners would be in the same position had they not spent so uncharacteristically boldly back in the summer.
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Should the German international’s £42.5million capture prove to be a watershed moment in Arsenal’s future transfer endeavours, acting as an appetising beacon for other high-quality targets to be attracted to, it will undoubtedly be viewed as money well spent in the years to come, and a positive reason to deviate from the Gunners’ transfer norm.
But the ultimate litmus test of whether Arsenal have invested wisely will undoubtedly be whether Ozil can take them to the next level during his time at the Emirates, which in my opinion can only be determined by silverware. The Gunners’ eight-year trophy drought is beginning to venture upon the absurd, and if their summer signing wishes to truly prove he’s worth the £42.5million fee, he needs to be a major contributor in bringing the baron run to an end.
Failing to do so, and Arsene Wenger may as well have spent the money on another four Mikel Artetas.
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Until his recent performances, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had become somewhat of a forgotten figure this season.
A knee injury suffered in the surprise opening day defeat to Aston Villa ruled “The Ox” out for much of a campaign in which Arsenal, to the surprise of many, have mounted a credible challenge for the Premier League title.
The stunning £42million deadline day capture of Mesut Ozil and the Gunners blistering early season form had largely overshadowed Chamberlain’s absence.
However, since announcing his return with both goals in a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates last month, Chamberlain has become a regular in Arsene Wenger’s team selections.
Theo Walcott’s cruciate ligament injury has opened up a position out wide, with one former Southampton player’s misfortune granting an opening for another.
It is an opportunity which Chamberlain has seemingly grasped with both hands, with his recent form for the Gunners earning him an international recall for the friendly against Denmark.
The player’s ability to play anywhere across the midfield at this stage of his career is an asset that will likely see Roy Hodgson include him in the 23 man squad to compete in Brazil this summer.
However, versatility can actually be detrimental to a player’s career and the need for the 20-year-old to define himself in one role over the coming years is of the utmost importance.
During his short career with the Gunners to date, Chamberlain has primarily been deployed to great effect by Wenger as a winger.
The power in his running on the ball has earned the youngster the nickname of “The Ox” and also a selection as Hodgson’s wildcard for Euro 2012.
But that is also an attribute that Chamberlain has utilised to great effect from the central midfield area, most recently in the fixtures against Coventry City and Crystal Palace.
In the aftermath of the victory over the Sky Blues, the youngster revealed his desire to make the central role his own in the coming years.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Chamberlain stated: “I don’t know whether I will end up there, that’s for Arsene Wenger to decide, but it’s definitely something I’m excited about the prospect of doing.”
The versatility in his game is an asset that will likely earn Chamberlain more playing time at such a crucial time of his footballing development, but it is an attribute that he cannot afford to let define his career.
The warning signs should be evident in the career of fellow English midfielder James Milner. An industrious player capable of fulfilling any role across the entire midfield, the former Leeds, Newcastle and Aston Villa player has been unable to cement a consistent position for his country or current club Manchester City. Without the definition of one clear role, Milner has fallen into the trap of becoming a utility player and suffered as a result. Although he has clearly demonstrated his merits as a footballer, his versatility has ultimately proven a hindrance rather than a help.
Parallels can also be drawn to Phil Jones’ start at Manchester United. Signed from Blackburn Rovers in 2011, Jones initially impressed with his ability to seamlessly switch from central defence to midfield. However, his form dipped as product of this lack of a consistent role and question marks remain over where his long term future on the pitch lies.
Like Chamberlain, Jones’ career will benefit from a judgement on the matter being made in the coming years, ideally sooner rather than later.
For “The Ox” however, it appears that his manager has already decided upon the player’s long term role at the Gunners.
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In several interviews, Wenger has outlined his intention to mould Chamberlain in to a central figure in his side. After the Crystal Palace result, he likened his attributes to those of Steven Gerrard and said that “certainly in a few years he will be a central midfielder.”
From other comments made by the Frenchman, clearly the Arsenal manager agrees with the need for Chamberlain to assert himself in a single role. But for now, Wenger sees the youngster’s versatility as great route to further his footballing experience.
Speaking after the FA Cup 4th Round victory over Coventry in January, Wenger spoke on Chamberlain’s future and argued that “it is good for his education to play on the left, right or centrally, but after the age of 23 or 24 he will settle into a position.”
For the moment then, Arsenal and England fans will continue to see “The Ox” adopt numerous roles across the midfield as he continues to develop his all round game.
But under Wenger’s tutelage and long-term vision, Chamberlain looks set to avoid the fate of becoming a victim of his own versatility. By the time of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Arsenal and England fans may have witnessed the youngster’s evolution into a dominant central midfielder.
The merits of a manager publicly criticising his own players are always questionable. The idea of management itself suggests responsibility. You tell a group of people what to do, and assuming they at least attempt to do it, the results of their actions reflect on your orders.
Players know this. Their job is to do as the manager says. They may play badly one week, and well the next, but once they’ve followed the instructions of their manager, they cannot be held accountable for the team’s overall success or failure.
So when a team loses, and a manager openly attributes the failure to his players, it always feels like it has the potential for disaster. Either the manager knows something we don’t know, or is acting out of desperation. With Tim Sherwood, it feels unfortunately like a lot more of the latter.
The funny thing is, Tim Sherwood was right to believe that his players were to blame for their recent 4-0 defeat to Chelsea. The first goal part defensive slip, part high-risk back-pass. The second was a clumsy penalty conceded. The third an even more embarrassing slip than the first. And the fourth an attempted header back to the goalkeeper gone wrong.
Up until Tottenham went behind, they’d actually played quite well. The team was well organised and limited the home team to very few chances for almost an hour. So it’s understandable that Sherwood would feel his players, and not himself, were to blame.
However, what made Tim Sherwood’s comments so strange was that he did not blame bad luck, or a lack of skill, or lapses in concentration, or anything at all that seemed relevant to the manner of his team’s defeat. Instead, the manager attacked his team’s character.
“Lack of characters,” was Sherwood’s assessment. “Too many of them [are] too nice to each other. You need to show a bit more guts and not want to be someone’s mate all the time. They need to drag it out of each other”.
These feel like the ill-considered comments of desperate man rather than a premeditated piece of oratory made in order to garner a reaction from his troops. But then that’s just how Tim is; or at least how he’d like to be seen. He ‘wears his heart on his sleeve’. He ‘shoots from the hip’.
Sherwood’s promotion of these personal traits is as much in boast as it is in order to highlight what he perceives to be falsehoods in the game. And again, Sherwood is right to see falsity as a major part of the modern football. Unfortunately, it would seem that telling a certain amount of non-truths is now necessary practice for any good football manager.
Ferguson was a good manager; a good manager who liked to criticise his players. Such was the Scot’s penchant for a rollicking that it had it’s own metaphor attached to it. “Expect the Man United players to be getting the ‘hairdryer treatment’ at half-time,” we were regularly told.
However, the difference between Ferguson and Sherwood was that the Manchester United manager knew that the hairdryer’s rightful place lay in the dressing room. He never took it out in public. The public was where you criticised everything else; the referee, the pitch, the opposition, the media, the FA, the nature of modern celebrity, whatever you wanted. But not the players.
There was no point anyway. They’d already know all about if they’s done wrong. Why bother telling anyone else?
This policy helped forge the ‘us and them’ dynamic that Ferguson used so well to his advantage. It’s also a much safer strategy than airing your grievances in public. Modern footballers are aware of the dispensability of managers and their personal value to the club. If they’re constantly been hung out to dry by their own manager, where’s the incentive to play for him?
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It’s hard not to feel that Sherwood would be better advised to pre-plan his media encounters than continue with his word vomit approach. However, even this in itself feels like an act.
Tim Sherwood has done well to paint himself as the no-nonsense Englishman here to defend common decency against the tyranny of lies that have infiltrated the beautiful game. But such is his vehemence of insistence on this that it has crossed the line into caricature.
If Sherwood is going to put on an act, he’d be better following everyone else’s lead and lie about what he thought of his players in public. It may be false, but it’s not exactly all truth coming out of White Hart Lane either.