Michael Carrick is in the news today after releasing a video releasing a video with Puma showing off his skills as a midfielder. This video is a good representation of why the Manchester United star has been a model of consistency over the years. With some Puma players on set, Carrick gives a thorough explanation on how to be a fundamentally sound midfielder.
This video got me thinking on what has shaped the English star’s career. After stints West Ham United, Tottenham and a few loans, he has established himself at Old Trafford over the past seven seasons. He also has 29 appearances for the England National Team but has yet to be used in a World Cup despite being in the squad.
Even though he is not much of a goal scorer, Carrick is known for his great distribution of the ball and can play either a holding midfielder or further forward. As you can see in the video, he is also great with both feet.
Last season was an interesting one for Carrick. Sir Alex Ferguson had him start the season as a makeshift centre-back, a role he was inexperienced with. As a result he showed flaws earlier on against Everto, but when moved into his natural role came into his own. He had a streak of streak of 33 consecutive starts, showing some of the best form of his whole career.
Now with David Moyes at Old Trafford, it will be interesting to see how Carrick will be used at the back end of the career. Either way, you know the 31-year-old will bring his inventive and versatile style.
//www.youtube.com/embed/lntRrPEMp1s
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Barcelona 5-2 away to Getafe was far more difficult than the final score would suggest. Within the opening 15 minutes, Tata Martino’s side were two-nil down, with the Madrid side taking advantage of a rusty Dani Alves on Barcelona’s right side.
But it was Pedro who turned the game around with a nine-minute hat-trick, emerging from the shadow of Lionel Messi and more recently Neymar to keep Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table going into the winter break.
It proved to be a forgotten source. Pedro remains one of Barcelona’s better players under Pep Guardiola, but a failure to recapture those glory days consistently has relegated the winger to a place on the bench and the regular featuring of Alexis on the right.
Even after a fantastic display on the weekend – and the nine-minute hat-trick does do Pedro justice, plus an assist for Cesc Fabregas – the La Masia graduate’s future remains unclear.
Pedro has made no secret of his desire to remain at the Camp Nou, but his future will be decided based on the minutes he sees over the course of the season. It doesn’t bode too well that Alexis appears to be returning to form after an extremely poor campaign last term, and while the injury to Messi should theoretically open up a space in the front three, Martino has a preference for Cesc Fabregas in that central role.
Only 10 starts in the league this season has rightly led to Premier League clubs showing an interest. Manchester United in particular, whether he’s currently on their radar or not, should be looking to the Spain international as a means to upgrade the wide areas in the team.
Pedro is a significant step up from Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia. Under Guardiola, the youngster was given an opportunity, like Sergio Busquets, to prove that he was able to make the step up from the B team. One of the highlights of the winger’s career thus far was the opening goal in the 3-1 win over Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final, coming at the end of a two-year spell where he scored over 20 goals in consecutive seasons.
Pedro’s most obvious asset is his pace, providing the width that was crucial to Barcelona’s success in the past. The club now may be treating him as expendable, based on his rotation in and out of the side over the past 18 months, but there would be no shortage of suitors should be become available. At 26, Pedro is approaching the prime of his career, one which has already seen him win everything there is to win in the game.
It’s also telling that last season – an odd one for the Catalans despite their title win – the most effective line up of the Guardiola era was reintroduced for a crucial Champions League tie. With Barcelona 2-0 down against AC Milan in the last 16, Jordi Roura, standing in for Tito Vilanova, started a front three of David Villa, Messi and Pedro, resulting in a 4-0 demolition of the Italians.
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The game against Getafe should act as an indicator as to how important Pedro can be: he stepped up in the absence of Barcelona’s primary goal threats and turned the game on its head. His pace, intelligent, direct running, and finishing ability caused havoc and noticeably upset a Getafe side who were buoyed by their early lead.
With a contract that reportedly runs until 2016, Barcelona will be mindful of a player who has expressed a desire for more minutes – either at the Camp Nou or elsewhere. Manchester United should be at the front of the queue if the winger decides on a move in the near future.
Liverpool’s ability to hang onto Luis Suarez has been the catalyst for their tilt at the Premier League summit this season. The Uruguayan is central to the Merseyside club, and John W. Henry’s insistence on keeping him is probably one of the most telling decisions of his tenure at the club.
It is easy to forget that the enigmatic forward was facing the exit door last summer, in a number of interviews he reiterated his desire to leave with either Real Madrid or Arsenal appearing to be the likely beneficiaries of the move. A summer of uncertainty for Suarez culminated in Arsenal offering a pound over £40m for his services in a bid to trigger the release clause believed to be in his contract.
Six months on and the Uruguayan is still at the club, in fact he is in such a rich vein of form with 24 goals fro his last 23 league appearances that many are seemingly willing to write off his summer exploits.
Liverpool fans have had their faith largely repaid, but is it really all that prudent for the owner to dismiss the saga so publicly? Speaking this weekend at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, in a filmed panel discussion, Henry said Liverpool stood a chance of winning the Premier League title this season, and suggested keeping Suarez had been key to that prospect:
“Luis Suarez is the top scorer in the English Premier League which is arguably the top soccer league in the world,” Henry said.
“And he had a buy-out clause – I don’t know what degree I should go into this – but he had a buy-out clause of £40million – more than 60 million (US) dollars. So Arsenal, one of our prime rivals this year … they offered £40million and one pound for him and triggered his buy-out clause. But what we’ve found over the years is that contracts don’t seem to mean a lot in England – actually not in England, in world football. It doesn’t matter how long a player’s contract is, he can decide he’s leaving.”
Henry may just be speaking the truth, but as the owner of Liverpool it doesn’t seem particularly necessary or helpful to be blowing the lid on the whole saga. Suarez can be condemned as a mercenary and much as people like, but to ignore a contractual stipulation places Liverpool on equally shaky ground.
This may not hurt Liverpool while the going is good, but for someone that spoke so openly about leaving in the summer you do wonder whether this will come back to bite when Madrid come calling once more. Last summer it was Liverpool that seemingly had the moral high ground, holding a player to his contract when so many other clubs would buckle. In fact many applauded Henry for his entrenchment given the fact Spurs had folded under similar pressures regarding Gareth Bale.
But as it turns out Liverpool held onto their start striker under false pretences, preventing him from speaking to Arsenal when he was entitled to do so. Henry may have held onto his man for another season, but in terms of the long term happiness of the player this revelation can only do harm.
Real Madrid’s admiration of the player is widely known, and just because they managed to get Bale last summer doesn’t for one minute mean they wont try again for Suarez. Last summer Suarez looked like a spoilt child, but if we have a similar situation this time round the diminutive forward has all the moral ammunition he needs.
It would be naïve to think that Suarez doesn’t still have designs on a move away; the Uruguayan is ambitious and willing to do anything to get his own way. Henry’s revelation just gives the player the ammunition he needs in the future, something that doesn’t seem all that shrewd from a Liverpool perspective.
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Whether this was egotistically driven or not, Henry’s comments are unnecessary and unhelpful. Things may be bright for Liverpool at the moment, but don’t be surprised if this comes back to bite them soon.
Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made an approach to sign Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf, according to the Guardian.
Solskjaer worked with the former Manchester United forward during his time as Molde manager, and now hopes to do the same in the Premier League.
The Bluebirds have already been active during the January transfer window, with Norway international Magnus Wolff Eikrem joining the club from Heerenveen, while a deal for Mats Moller Daelhi is expected to be completed with Molde before Saturday’s crucial clash with West Ham.
Solskjaer now hopes he can bring in Diouf to add more firepower to his Cardiff frontline for the second half of the season.
A Hannover spokesman confirmed Cardiff had approached the Bundesliga club about the possible signing of Diouf.
The Welsh club are reportedly willing to pay around £2.5million for the 26-year-old, who has managed an impressive total of 30 goals in 61 appearances for Hannover.
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His spell with Manchester United was not so successful however, as Diouf managed to make just five Premier League appearances over the course of three years at Old Trafford, managing just a single goal.
Are Liverpool truly playing without fear this season? Well that’s certainly the opinion according to The Redmen TV’s Paul Machin. The passionate Liverpool fans is anxiously awaiting the crescendo of the Premier League season, knowing his club are but four games from securing their first league title in 24 years.
A push that was aided by Tuesday’s 2-2 between Manchester City and Sunderland, attention now quickly turns to the Reds’ game against Norwich City at the weekend. Likened to a Champions League final by Steven Gerrard, talk has also focused on the club’s cavalier approach in front of goal, which Machin feels could be down to the influence of psychiatrist Steve Peters, who has spent the season working with the club.
“There’s talk of having Steve Peters involved behind the scenes and they’ve got the mental coaching behind it, I think the fans probably need it more than the players at the minute,” Machin told Ball Street’s 4-5-1 show. “There’s definitely nerves off the pitch and I think they’re playing without fear because they know they’ve got goals in them.”
The Reds currently top the Premier League’s goals scored column having netted an amazing 93 times this season — 27 more than second placed Chelsea. Yet although the title seems to be edging towards Anfield, Machin admitted he is refusing to believe it just yet, conceding the club have seen ‘so many false dawns’.
“Over the last 24 years, since we last won a league title, there has been so many false dawns. We’ve had so many times we thought: ‘this is it’. It’s our season every season, that’s what it’s like to be a Liverpool fan, we start every season with the thought we’re going to win it this year and it hasn’t come. We almost don’t want to get carried away too soon.”
It says a lot about the quality at centre-forward available to Colombia coach Jose Pekerman that Carlos Bacca (and Adrian Ramos) is yet to kick a ball at this World Cup.
Bacca had a fine first season in Spanish football last term, joining Sevilla from Club Brugge and pairing up with former Paris Saint-Germain striker Kevin Gameiro in an attempt to reproduce the goals of Alvaro Negredo, sold to Manchester City that summer.
The reality was that Sevilla ended up seeing a vast majority of Negredo’s production in front of goal covered solely by Bacca, who hit 21 in all competitions (Gameiro also found the net 20 times in all competitions). The Colombian international brought with him a healthy mix of speed, strength and aerial ability. The £6 million investment quickly began to look like a fantastic piece of business for the club.
But prior to the end of last season, Sevilla were reported to be looking to cash in on the striker, who scored seven goals en route to Sevilla’s Europa League win over Benfica in Turin. Clubs outside of Spain have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old, as well as more recently Atletico Madrid.
Bacca’s major flaw isn’t so much to do with what he can provide on the pitch, but rather his general lack of star power. In comparison to countrymen Jackson Martinez and Radamel Falcao, he’s an unknown. But should Arsenal be looking to the apparently available Sevilla striker?
What is important at Arsenal this summer is that they sign a player who is widely considered world class, a player who can help to elevate the club further and replicate the good feeling produced following Mesut Ozil’s signing last summer. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a centre-forward.
As of now, the major name linked with a move to the Emirates is Alexis Sanchez. Judging by recent reports, the club want two forwards, one of the style of Barcelona’s Alexis, who can play in either of the wide positions, and a central striker to take some of the load off Olivier Giroud.
WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Latest transfer news
With the need for a defensive midfielder, a large chunk of Arsene Wenger’s transfer budget looks set to be spent on one forward, with the other being a cheaper addition. An indicator as to why the club have been linked so heavily with Loic Remy.
Various personnel at Arsenal have denied links to Mario Balotelli, while the player’s agent has also said there has been no contact with the club. Is Carlos Bacca a viable alternative?
For starters, the Colombian is far less volatile and a much safer bet to quietly adjust to life in north London. Balotelli has an excellent scoring record since moving back to Italy, and his age and talent means Arsenal could potentially have a consistently brilliant world-class centre-forward.
But it’s difficult to see Wenger giving up totally on Giroud. The Arsenal manager has placed a lot of faith in the French international and, after this World Cup, he’s unlikely to want to disrupt Giroud’s further development by benching him for prolonged spells in the wake of a signing like Balotelli.
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What Arsenal need is the option to call on fresh players who are good enough. Despite being a relative unknown, Bacca has proven to be good enough, both domestically, where he’s scored against both Barcelona and Real Madrid, and in European competition. Going into this World Cup, many had predicted he’d start for Colombia.
The possible purchase of Alexis will also mean the focus is on the Chilean, rather than Bacca. The Colombian is good, but he wasn’t the star player at Sevilla and is unlikely to be ready to take on that level of responsibility. Furthermore, Wenger seems to abhor sweeping changes to his team. In the event Alexis does sign with Arsenal, I’d expect Giroud to start the team’s first game of next season, with the new striker signing on the bench.
With £9million being the figure reported earlier this year, Arsenal could do far worse than a striker who has shown such quality in front of goal since moving to Spanish football.
When Balotelli left Manchester City back in the January of 2013, the Premier League lost one of the world’s most enigmatic characters in football.
But after just a year in a half back in Serie A with AC Milan, the Italian superstar is returning to the English top flight this time playing in the red of Liverpool.
With 30 goals for AC Milan in his 54 appearances, his time away from the EPL could be enough for him to have matured, knocking back all the shenanigans that have caused so much trouble for Balotelli in the past.
Could this REALLY be the year that Balotelli bursts from his massive potential to become one of the world’s finest players?
Here are FIVE REASONS to be excited about new Liverpool signing Mario Balotelli.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON SUPER MARIO TO SEE THE FULL LIST!
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1) He likes to shoot
//www.youtube.com/embed/gWCd3MNQA8Q
“If you don’t buy a ticket, then you won’t win the lottery.”
Well Balotelli needs no invitation to purchase tickets, as ever since the striker moved to Milan in January 2013, no other player managed more shots in the Italian Serie A than Mario, with 229 (Squawka).
He may have missed most of those, but when he does hit them sweetly there’s not much a goalkeeper can do about it.
Balotelli is the type of player that can produce a goal out of nothing, which was what AC Milan relied on much of last season. However with Liverpool much more composed in possession when compared to the Serie A outfit, Balotelli may not need to conjure something out of nothing week-in-week-out and focus on finishing off his chances.
2) Balotelli is under-rated for his distribution and creativity
//www.youtube.com/embed/dDp5k7E1uds
Much like a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the beginning of his career, Balotelli has a very keen eye for a pass and has the required technique to execute it.
The Italian is extremely strong when holding up play in the opposition half, but instead of playing a simple pass back to a midfielder Balotelli has the ability to pick out his team-mates making runs in behind him.
Chests, back-heels, headers… Balotelli can send a player through on goal when you least expect it.
Why don’t you just ask Sergio Aguero?
3) He can form a great partnership with Daniel Sturridge
Liverpool are by no means desperately in need of a new signing, but by adding Balotelli they now have the depth and the firepower in attack to push themselves further in Europe as well as challenge for the EPL title.
Balotelli and Sturridge have a very similar style of play, but it is expected that Sturridge will be moved to the flanks to make room for the feisty Italian.
However like we saw with Suarez, the friendly competition Balotelli and the Englishman will have for goals can keep Liverpool ticking… especially with a host of players behind them able to supply the ammunition.
4) Balotelli will draw media attention away from team-mates
Luis Suarez was not far from controversy during his three and a half years at Anfield, and Balotelli is likely to be involved some way or another in the English press.
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However the focus the media has on the Italian greatly shifts their attention from Liverpool’s other stars, to the Reds’ advantage.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho does the same – albeit intentionally – so his team doesn’t have to deal with the scrutiny from journalists and critics alike.
Instead of articles bashing Liverpool’s display, they could be more focused on how Balotelli insulted a referee or more spectacularly, lighting fireworks in his toilet.
5) Balotelli is Balotelli
However he performs for Liverpool this season, Balotelli will draw crowds of people all over to world to not only watch him play, but follow his daily life.
Liverpool fans and neutrals will be extremely excited to see what the maverick Italian can bring back to the Premier League, whether it’s scoring a hat-trick against Manchester United or throwing darts at the Liverpool Youth team.
Even during his time in Italy, “Super Mario” is seen weekly in the British press. Now that he is back in England, they won’t be able to get enough of him.
West Brom manager Alan Irvine has told Tottenham that Saido Berahino is worth much more than £15m.
The in-form England U-21 star has already notched five Premier League goals this term, leading to talk that Spurs are ready to launch a January raid for his signature.
With his fine tally and his future potential, the Lilywhites are ready to pay around £15m for the 21-year-old, but Irvine believes that in the current market his Baggies star is worth much, much more than the Londoners are reportedly willing to pay:
WANT MORE? >> West Brom transfer news | Spurs transfer news
“It doesn’t sound a lot. I would be absolutely astonished if anyone could sign Saido from us for £15m,” he is quoted by the Daily Mail.
“You look at some of the fees going around in the transfer market that’s just been, everybody seems to start at £7m.
“Ross McCormack went for £11m Championship to Championship. What the right figure is I have absolutely no idea and I wouldn’t make the decision as far as that was concerned.
“But £15m doesn’t sound like a lot of money for a talented, young, English player with great potential who is playing really, really well in the Premier League at the moment and who is scoring goals. It would have to be higher than that.”
But Irvine went on to say that if Berahino goes continues to perform at his current level West Brom may be unable to keep him at The Hawthorns:
“That’s something which could happen, there’s no question about that but I don’t want him to play poorly so that they don’t come,
“I am desperate for him to play really well and if that means other clubs come and start knocking on the door then the club will make a decision on whether these clubs are making the right kind of offers or not.
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“If Gareth Bale can be prised away from Tottenham I think it means every player has got his price.”
According to the Daily Mail, Mesut Ozil’s eternal struggle for form in the Premier League could come to an abrupt end in January, with the midfielder allegedly growing increasingly unhappy at the Emirates and Bayern Munich prepared to spend £30million to bring him back to his native Germany – something the 25 year-old has since denied adamantly on Twitter.
But every transfer rumour, no matter how farcical or absurd, dips itself into reality somewhere along the line. Perhaps a murmuring of discontent overheard in a quiet corridor. Perhaps gossip from an agent targeting another jackpot. Or simply, a representation of prevailing public opinion, picked up and distorted into something new by the tabloids.
The latter suggestion certainly rings true with Ozil – the German international has never truly looked comfortable in his own skin at the Emirates, regularly dividing opinions of supporters, pundits and journalists alike. So, the question must be asked; are Arsenal about to give up on their club record signing?
Looking back on it, Ozil was always an unnecessary purchase, a reactionary one, somewhere between the realms of vanity and panic. The last thing the Gunners needed as they approached the 2013/14 campaign was another lightweight, offensive playmaker – their squad already was, and still is, riddled with them.
But after pulling out of the deal to sign Gonzalo Higuain over the issue of valuations, Wenger found himself confronted with a stadium’s worth of angry supporters demanding a marquee signing as Arsenal lost 3-1 to Aston Villa on the opening day of last season. The Gunners gaffer quickly responded by declaring ‘the transfer window starts now’ and by the end of the week had attainted Ozil’s signature.
Since then, Arsenal have been trapped in a fruitless experiment of trying to find room for Ozil in a midfield that’s already bursting with high-quality attacking talent, and are still waiting for positive results; on the left, on the right, or in his favoured position at No.10, the German international is yet to dominate games in the manner a £42.2million signing should.
There are apologetic arguments out there, some of which I largely agree with; Ozil has played a constructive, almost subliminal hand in several Arsenal goals, the ‘second assist’ if you will. He’s also averaged 2.3 key passes per match in the Premier League this season, the best return in the Arsenal squad.
Likewise, the central role is one he’s largely excelled in for Real Madrid and Germany, yet Wenger seems almost allergic to the notion of playing him there regularly. For that reason predominantly, the Arsenal boss has never truly treated Ozil like a club-record signing. His position in the starting XI often comes at some form of compromise, when in truth, the team should be structured around his playmaking qualities.
After all, this is one of the leading talents in world football we’re talking about – one who made Cristiano Ronaldo ‘furious’ when he left the Bernabeu in summer 2013, one who Jose Mourinho once compared to Zinedine Zidane.
But in comparison to the dynamic, impactful attacking midfield displays we’ve become accustomed to in the Premier League, such as those of Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata or David Silva, Ozil’s performances in the last year have been way below the standard.
I’m a firm believer in the old adage of allowing a season to settle, yet the 25 year-old’s displays in the current campaign have been arguably more disappointing – in the Champions League, where stars of his calibre should be earning their pay cheques, particularly. One can discuss Ozil’s position in the starting XI until the cows return to pasture, but it’s not as if opportunities to prove himself as something more than simply a flamboyant sideshow on the flanks haven’t been forthcoming.
Does that mean Arsenal are ready to quit on the most expensive acquisition in their history? Wenger’s an exceptionally stubborn manager – something Arsenal fans will already be more than aware of – and it’s seems more likely he’ll spend the next decade attempting to make Ozil a success at the Emirates than admit defeat and sell him on after just eighteen months.
Yet, Wenger’s had one year and three transfer windows to find a solution that better facilitates the German star. So far, he’s come up with nothing, almost distracted by the superior form of Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and more recently, Alexis Sanchez.
And, according to reports, Ozil’s departure would pave the way for Sami Khedira to join the Emirates ranks in January, swapping one high-earning World Cup-winning German for another. The Real Madrid man, although not the complete holding midfielder he’s often made out to be, would provide intrinsic balance to Arsenal’s midfield, adding some vitally-needed physicality and tenacity when facing high-quality opponents. He may not be as eye-catching, as elegant, or as well suited to Arsenal’s philosophy, but the 27 year-old would bring variety to Arsenal’s fatally lopsided squad.
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Finding a player of such category has lately been playing on Wenger’s mind, believe it or not. He told BeIN Sport in September; “We still need a physical presence with prodigious ability like Vieira or Petit.” Khedira more than ticks that box.
For that reason alone, the old German switcheroo, Arsenal might – just might – be prepared to cut their losses, both in footballing and financial terms, on Mesut Ozil.
Matchday 5 of the Champions League is upon us, and while six teams may have already booked their places in the knockout stages with two games to spare, there are still ten spots in the last 16 up for grabs. Of the four English teams participating in this year’s competition, Arsenal and Chelsea look likely to be in the hat for the next round, while Manchester City and Liverpool – the champions and runners up of last season’s Premier League – face a real battle to avoid elimination. Anything but maximum points from their remaining group games will almost certainly signal the end for these two sides, which should make their ties against Bayern Munich and Ludogorets fascinating affairs. There is much more to look forward to across all groups, of course; here’s the pick of the bunch
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1. No respite for beleagured Wenger in Europe
Football – Arsenal v RSC Anderlecht – UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday Four Group D – Emirates Stadium, London, England – 4/11/14Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger looks dejectedMandatory Credit: Action Images / Tony O’BrienLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
If Arsene Wenger thinks that he can seek solace on the continent after another traumatic loss in his Arsenal side’s shambolic domestic campaign, he has another thing coming. Qualification was always to be expected in what is a largely straightforward group, and with seven points from four games – five ahead of third-placed Anderlecht – they will almost certainly progress. However, it has not been an easy ride for the Gunners. Their last outing in Europe saw them squander a three-goal lead at home to Anderlecht – on paper, the weakest team in the group – while their fortuitous last-minute comeback win against the Belgian side in Brussels at the end of October was, in hindsight, a crucial victory. Borussia Dortmund are the opponents on Wednesday, and the German outfit have already qualified for the last 16 with a maximum 12 points from their opening four matches, the first of which was a dominant 2-0 victory over Arsenal in Dortmund. Wenger will have no weak sides to fall back in the knockout stages, which makes this game an important one to determine whether his team is truly good enough to compete with the genuine heavyweights of Europe. Another insipid loss will only further anger the already discontented fans, many of whom are already calling for managerial change. The pressure is most certainly on for Wenger; he cannot afford to take his side’s remaining group games lightly.
2. Mourinho’s fringe players to get a run-out?
If Wenger is feeling the heat in North London, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is as cool as an inuit’s cucumber in the west of the capital. Not only do his side look unstoppable in the Premier League, they are also top of their Champions League group, although qualification is not yet guaranteed after the Blues had to settle for a draw against Slovenian minnows Maribor three weeks ago. An away tie against Schalke on Tuesday will by no means be a stroll in the park, but Mourinho may still decide to rest the likes of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, especially with the gruelling Christmas schedule looming large. The Chelsea boss was critical of a number of fringe players in their tight League Cup victory over Shrewsbury Town last month; Tuesday’s match represents an excellent opportunity for these bit-parters – many of whom would walk into most Premier League sides, let us not forget – to prove a point.
3. Do or die for Rodgers
For a number of weeks now, it seems that every Liverpool game has been promoted to ‘must-win’ status, yet Reds boss Brendan Rodgers remains in charge even as his side has succumbed to loss after hapless loss, the most recent of which was a frankly pathetic 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace in the league on Sunday. While ‘must-win’ is of course nothing more than a catchy phrase used by the media to elevate the importance of a game, one gets the feeling that Liverpool’s crunch match against Basle at Anfield on Wednesday evening really is all or nothing for Rodgers. After an atrocious start to the domestic campaign, the 41 year-old simply needs to secure progression to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Reds fans have waited five long years for their side’s return to Europe’s elite club competition; elimination at the group stage would not go down well with the Anfield faithful, to put it kindly. A Basle win would end Liverpool’s participation in the tournament, and with the way things are going so far for the Reds it would not come as a great surprise if the Swiss side got a result at Anfield. Rodgers must ensure that this does not happen, otherwise his time on Merseyside would surely be up.
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4. Time for AVB to prove his worth
Andre Villas-Boas entered English football management as one of the brightest coaching talents in the world; only 33 years of age when he took over at Chelsea in 2011, he had already won a treble during his time at Porto, leading the Portuguese side to an undefeated season in his single campaign in charge. Two years later, he left England with his reputation in tatters, having lasted just eight months at Stamford Bridge and a season-and-a-half at Tottenham Hotspur. AVB opted to head to Russia to restart his career, and has been in charge of Zenit St Petersburg since March. A current win percentage of nearly 70% suggests that the Portuguese is doing a decent job, yet he has found it difficult in the Champions League so far this season; Zenit are third in their group with four points, and must get a result against Benfica on Wednesday to stand a chance of qualifying. Villas-Boas clearly has the ability to succeed in continental competition, having guided Porto to Europa League glory in 2011. A convincing win this week against Porto’s fiercest rivals would go a long way to silence his critics.