Tag Futebol

Joe Cole to Lille? Owen Hargreaves to City? Madness, and it’s not even transfer deadline day yet.

If there was a sentence I didn’t expect to hear was: ‘Owen Hargreaves in line for City move.’

And it’s news like this that sum up everything I hate about City.

Don’t get me wrong, they play some sensational football and have a squad of players that, I fully predict, will push Premier League champions Manchester United all the way in this season’s title race. But their never ending campaign to buy players like they’re playing a game of Football Manager simply ruins everything I love about the sport.

Despite being strongly linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa – sensible career opportunities – the former Manchester United midfielder has moved to City; how did that happen?

Why do clubs buy players they simply do not need?  Mancini will have to work out how to fit Hargreaves into a team that already boasts a wealth of midfielders.

Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson, Nigel de Jong, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Shaun Wright-Phillips – that’s not to mention City’s £25 million summer signing, Samir Nasri.

The only logic I can find in acquiring Hargreaves is the inevitable call up of Yaya Toure to the African Cup of Nations, but let’s not forget we’re talking about a player who made just 26 starts following his £20.2m move from Bayern Munich in July 2007. Do City not have any youth they can call upon?

Hargreaves, a pretty sound bench-warmer to say the least – but City have a few of those already.

So many players have made the ‘dream move’ to City only to fall by the wayside, failing to make an impact and a hand-full of appearances.

Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor, even Carlos Tevez, all fantastic players, but players that can’t get a game at City and are either frustrated or have moved on.

I appreciate the need for strength in depth and fully admire Manchester City’s ability to attract such big name players, but I fail to see the desire to need or want a player that has had an injury mired career, a player that has not played in two years, a player they simply do not need.

Doubts over Hargreaves fitness have been rife ever since his move to Manchester United. But any recent doubts appear to have been quashed with a series of YouTube videos aimed at proving the midfielders fitness.

City can afford Hargreaves to get injured and not play; if he’s fit I guess that is a bonus to them and it’s perhaps this that annoys me most.

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Manchester United fans may feel a little let down by a player they held such admiration for and a player they stood by for so many years while he recovered from a number of injuries. For them a move across to the blue side of Manchester is the ultimate insult. But, we are talking about a player that offered to play for free this season – United turned down his offer.

City can’t seem to stop buying players. In August 2010 they spent in excess of £130 million strengthening their midfield and have spent £70 million this summer bolstering their side.

The ‘can’t beat them, join them’ mentality lives strong at City and Hargreaves is just the latest addition.

Follow me on twitter: @iamdanmorris

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I know every man and his dog has had something to say on the whole Olympic legacy and which football club is deserving of the keys to the Stratford stadium; so I figured I would continue to throw a few more column inches to the debate. What concerns me is not which club ends up moving into the new arena; but more the shameless way in which the respective club owners have gone about their business without any consultation with the very people that make their football club’s tick – the fans.

I know it is nothing new; hey club owners have been dictating to the fans for years, but surely when it comes to moving stadiums a little communication with the supporters who will be filling it should have been forthcoming, shouldn’t it? I mean how many Tottenham and West Ham fans really know the ins and outs of their club’s respective bids? It seems to me that it is Fleet Street that has dragged out the intentions of the two football clubs, rather than a direct and straight forward dialogue from the respective owners in the past few weeks. Daniel Levy did write an open letter to the club supporters after the application deadline had passed on Friday; however I couldn’t help but feel that it was too little, too late.

I was debating the whole Tottenham move to Stratford with supporters before yesterday’s game at St James’s and many agreed that they have been left in the dark. Unfortunately a lack of communication had meant supporters had to decipher what they could from the little bits of information within the media of the club’s intentions, without being presented with the full facts. Surely a little courtesy to the people who religiously pay out anything between £600-1200 on a season ticket every year, on top of endless pounds spent on away trips and merchandise, deserved to know the club’s intentions with their bid for the Olympic stadium, given they were so open with supporters with regards to the Northumberland Development Scheme. It is the supporters after all that are going to see their natural landscape being dragged from under their feet should a move to Stratford be successful.

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As a Tottenham fan myself I would be desperately sad to see the club move away from N17. I am not naive to the fact that the club needs to move to a bigger stadium in order to compete financially with the big boys in Europe, and if a move to Stratford is the only genuine option we have to achieve this then so be it, but I stress again it would have been nice for supporters to be consulted about our club’s intentions, before filling our heads with grand plans for this NEW Northumberland Park development. We deserved that much, didn’t we?

Bookmakers across the board are already reporting taking huge bets on the likely Premier League Golden Boot winner for the upcoming 2012-13 season and it is Sergio Aguero, whose 23rd goal of last season’s campaign won the Premier League for Manchester City in the most dramatic of fashion, who has been installed as the 8/1 favourite to finish top goalscorer in 2013.

There is little doubt that from the moment he arrived at the Etihad Stadium that Aguero was a very special player. He opened his Premier League account with a brace against Swansea on his debut and had scored eight of his total goals in his first five league games in England.

From then on, he scored regularly in what was almost an injury free season and one in which he was clearly marked down by City boss, Roberto Mancini, as a regular starter in an otherwise flexible selection process. That same situation should apply again this season, which should mean that Argentine will be scoring plenty of goals once again and barring injury problems, should once again be in contention at the top of the goalscorer table throughout the season.

Next in the betting is Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney who finished last season with 27 league goals, three behind Golden Boot winner, Robin Van Persie. Rooney’s 27 goals came from only 34 appearances, suggesting that if he was given an out and out strikers role at Old Trafford, he could well average more than a goal a game.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson recognises the all-round ability of his best player and uses the England international in a variety of roles which often takes him out of the firing line. Nonetheless, his profound ability will undoubtedly see him finding the net equally as regularly and he should not be ruled out of winning the Golden Boot for the first time and is a best price 9/1 to do so in the odds.

Robin Van Persie, whose thirty goals won him the 2011-12 Golden Boot, has expressed his desire to leave The Emirates and the Gunners are prepared to cash in now before he can leave on a free transfer in 12 months’ time.

The Bookmakers have installed Van Persie as a general 10/1 chance to win a second successive Golden Boot but those odds will shorten considerably should he move to another Premier League club. It is understood that Man Utd are in poll position and if that transpires to be true then both Van Persie and United would be threat to all on comers in both the league and Champions League.

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Fernando Torres is also listed as a 10/1 shot but before backing him with your life savings, be sure that his attitude is as good now as it was when he finished last season by scoring in the Champions League final.

As it stands currently, Torres will be heavily relied upon by Chelsea to lead their attack with goals, following Drogba’s departure. As the lead striker at Stamford Bridge, Torres could well begin to justify his £50m price tag during 2012/2013.

The Spanish international only netted six times in the Premier League last season, from 32 appearances, although the majority of those appearances were made as a substitute. If compared to his first season at Liverpool when he found the net 24 times from 33 games, then Torres has been a very poor purchase by Chelsea. However, should he recapture that level of form he showed in that opening season at Anfield, then there will be no stopping him in the race for the Golden Boot this season.

There are many Liverpool supporters who will be keeping the faith with Luis Suarez but he could only find 11 goals last season and was responsible for squandering at least as many again. The Uruguayan international has been welcomed with open arms by Liverpool fans and there is little doubt about his overall ability but to back him with odds of 16/1 to be this season’s Premier League top scorer is a non-starter.

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Carlos Tevez is a very interesting contender whose goal scoring exploits for both Manchester United and Manchester City have been well documented, sharing the Golden Boot in 2011 with Dimitar Berbatov. Roberto Mancini seemed in favour of playing the wayward Tevez alongside his Argentine team mate, Sergio Aguero, up front when he finally came back to the fold last season and when playing together, they were both regularly finding the net which is great for the team but sharing goals with Aguero does affect Tevez’s chances, which is why he is double the price of Aguero at 16/1.

Of course, one cannot mention Manchester City and its goal threat without mentioning the enigmatic Mario Balotelli, who without doubt, would back himself to win the Golden boot. However, the unpredictable Italian knows that until his behaviour becomes a little mote conformist then he will not be in a position to guarantee a place in the starting line-up.

That said, Balotelli, was still good enough to score 13 times in 23 games last season and showed signs, particularly when representing his country in the Euro 2012 that maturity is slowly but surely being reached. Given a run in the team, Balotelli would be hard to resist in the Golden Boot competition. He has odds as long as 20/1 with some bookmakers but whilst there are no guarantees he cannot be backed with confidence .

One player that should not be ignored is Papiss Cisse of Newcastle United who was a revelation when he arrived at St James Park from SC Freiburg during the January Transfer window. The Senegal international scored 13 times in 14 games, a ratio that would be almost impossible to maintain throughout the season, however, it is a record that strongly suggests that if Newcastle have an equally as good a season as they had last term, then Cisse is sure to feature amongst the Premier League’s top goalscorers and of all the pkayers, makes the most appeal at 25/1 to finish top of the pile.

Last weeks disappointing draw away at Stoke wasn’t the start new Chelsea boss was hoping for and will be looking for a better performance in his first match at Stamford Bridge. His side lacked any sort of creativity from midfield although Fernando Torres looked like he was getting back to his best. Opponents West Brom travel to North London on the back of an opening day defeat to champions Manchester United.

It’s a tough start for Baggies boss Roy Hodgson having to play last seasons top two but his life will be made much easier with Peter Odemwingie set to return along with winger Jerome Thomas. Record signing Shane Long made a goal-scoring debut last weekend and Hodgson will be looking for him to do the same.

Chelsea on the other hand don’t have any major injury concerns with Michael Essien the only long-term absentee. David Luiz could be in contention after recovering from a knee injury. All eyes will be on Torres though after his encouraging display against Stoke and whether he can open his account for the season.

Key Players

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Frank Lampard: With creativity lacking in last week’s game Lampard will have to step up his game and form the link between midfield and attack to get Chelsea firing once again.

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Youssouf Mulumbu: He is the heart of Albions engine room and he’ll need to be ready to put in a massive shift to thwart Chelsea’s attacking threat.

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Match Verdict: 2-0

Roberto Mancini’s men bounced back from their disappointing home defeat against Everton earlier in the week in the perfect way with three points away at Newcastle. If Manchester City were slow out of the blocks at Eastlands against the Toffees the exact opposite was the case at St James’ Park today as they stormed into a 2-0 lead within the first five minutes.

Manchester City were clinical in the opening exchanges as first Gareth Barry and then Carlos Tevez found the back of the net. The latter was in particularly good form, netting again late on and making the three points completely safe after Newcastle had threatened a comeback through Andy Carroll’s header. The win takes Manchester City up to second in the Premier League table behind United, and keeping them firmly in the title race.

So what five things did we learn about Man City today?

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Manchester United have had a £30 million bid for James Rodriguez rejected by Porto according to The Daily Mail.

The Red Devils are looking to rebuild and strengthen after losing their Premier League title to cross-town rivals Manchester City last term, and have already added Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell to their first-team squad.

One of the criticisms of the United side last season was a lack of penetration in midfield, and Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have upped his efforts to bring Colombia international Rodriguez to Old Trafford.

The Porto star has been a key man for the Portuguese club for a number of seasons, and has impressed in performances domestically and on the continent.

Rodriguez has the ability to play on either flank or up front, and this versatility has caught the eye of the legendary Scottish coach.

However, Porto are said to have knocked back a £30 million bid from the Premier League giants in a bid to keep the South American.

However, it is believed that Rodriguez has a release clause in his contract at around the £40 million mark, with United now having to consider upping their offer.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Carlos Tevez’s hopes of signing for Corinthians appears to have fallen through after the Brazilians pulled out of a £40m move for the Manchester City striker. Rumours are suggesting that they are simply looking to play hard ball with City in order to drive down the asking price, given the transfer window in Brazil is set to shut within the next 48hrs.

Elsewhere Blackburn pulls out of their Indian tour; Luis Suarez hailed by Tabarez, while David Beckham is relishing the challenge against Manchester City – plus much more…

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Breaking FFC News

Corinthians fail to sign Tevez

Blackburn back out of Indian tour

Tabarez hails Suarez masterclass

Beckham relishing City challenge

Modric all class, says Terry

Arsenal conduct their transfer business in private

Sir Alex Ferguson conceding defeat in transfer pursuit

Oxlade-Chamberlain seeks Premier League move

Harry wants Ade on the cheap

Elsewhere in the Press

Ferguson: Berbatov may want to leave United – Daily Telegraph

Villas-Boas fuels Terry’s coaching dream – Guardian

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Scudamore says Premier League could have goal-line technology next year – Daily Mail

McLeish: I’m big enough and ugly enough to handle stick from Villa fans – Mirror

Balotelli: Utd so right to fear City – Sun

Guardiola joins Barcelona’s public chorus over Fabregas – Independent

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Manchester United extended their lead at the top of the Premier League courtesy of a wonder goal by Nani that sealed a 2-1 win. Elsewhere Birmingham eased the pressure at the bottom of the table with a last gasp win; while Mark Hughes will be delighted to see Fulham record their biggest win of the season at Craven Cottage.

In the papers this morning there was a mixed bag of stories including Toure playing down Ade bust-up; Ancelotti concedes he is lucky to avoid the boot; while Sir Alex Ferguson warns the rest of the Premier League that United will only improve.

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Pires – Houllier feeling heat – Sky Sports

Arsene: I’m a fan of spending cap – Sun

Toure plays down Ade bust-up – Sky Sports

Manchester United target Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar – IMScouting

United will improve, warns Ferguson – Guardian

It ain’t scarf hot as Av wraps up – Sun

I won’t quit cash-strapped Everton – Moyes – Mirror

Spurs cool on Beckham loan move – Guardian

Don’t expect Tev or Cesc to stay – Sun

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Carlo ‘lucky’ to avoid boot – Sky Sports

Play me or I will leave, warns Agger – Guardian

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France crashed to a 2-0 defeat to Sweden on Tuesday night, meaning they finish as runners-up in Euro 2012 Group D.

Goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sebastian Larsson sealed a pride-restoring victory for the Scandinavian side, and means that England leapfrog Les Bleus into first place in the pool.

Laurent Blanc was not happy with his side’s showing, and feels his men were second best.

“Sweden beat an average France team. They were better in all departments. If we analyse the game I think we struggled throughout,” Blanc told local reporters, translated to English by Sky Sports.

France midfielder Yann M’Vila has also admitted that the showing was not good enough, and knows that his side will have to improve in the quarter-finals against Spain.

“We came upon a team that was far stronger than us,” M’Vila stated.

“We are going to play Spain, the world and defending champions.

“It is up to us to show another side to our game and to prove that we can go far in this competition.”

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By Gareth McKnight

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Juventus have signed Chile international Arturo Vidal from Bayer Leverkusen, allowing Felipe Melo to join Galatasaray on loan.Turin-based side Juventus, who finished seventh in Serie A last season, will reportedly pay an initial fee of 10.5 million euros for Vidal, rising to 12.5m with additional clauses.

Vidal, capped 34 times by Chile, joined Leverkusen from Colo-Colo in 2007, going on to score 15 times in 117 league appearances.

He helped Leverkusen to second place in the last Bundesliga campaign and will join Stephan Lichtsteiner, Reto Ziegler, Andrea Pirlo and Michele Pazienza as the fifth player to sign for Juventus in the off-season.

Vidal’s arrival coincided with the departure from Juventus of Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo, who joined Galatasary on a one-year loan deal.

The Turkish club have an option to sign Melo for 13 million euros at the end of the next season.

In other transfer news, former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze has joined Roma from Marseille.

Argentine Heinze remained under contract at the Stade Velodrome until 2012, but is believed to have fallen out with Marseille officials last season.

No details of the transfer have been made public, but the 33-year-old has reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Serie A club.

Finally, Diego Capel has completed a switch from Spanish club Sevilla to Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon for 3.5 million euros.

Capel, 23, passed a medical on Friday and has signed a five-year contract with the Liga Sagres team.

He is the 12th player to join Sporting in the close-season as the squad undergoes a major overhaul.