English Football Fans

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Big Phil: Anelka Can Go If He Is Unhappy

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has declared that any unhappy member of his squad is free to leave the club in January. It is believed that his words are aimed in particular at Nicolas Anelka...

The French striker has benefitted since last January from Didier Drogba's absence from the Chelsea line-up through either international commitment or injury.

Anelka started this season as the club's main striker while the Ivorian recovered from the knee trouble that has plagued him on and off for 12 months.

However, now that Drogba is fighting fit, Anelka has seen his place in the side once again under threat and he was allegedly unhappy with his limited involvement against Stoke City at the weekend.

Luiz Felipe Scolari wants to foster a collective team-spirit at Stamford Bridge, and wants any member of the squad with the wrong attitude to leave as soon as possible.

He told the press: "What I want from all my players is that they're happy they play for Chelsea, rather than only if they're playing in the team. I want Drogba clean and ready. Anelka has gone three months without an injury, so the choice is mine, whether it's a, b or c.

"This is Chelsea, we're a team, a group. If players are unhappy then in January they will be out. Any player. They need to understand they all win as a group. Any player who's here for themselves needs to go somewhere else."

Kuyt Unworried About Barren Prem Run

Dirk Kuyt says as long as Liverpool are winning then his own goal-scoring record is erroneous.

Dutchman Dirk Kuyt has developed a habit of scoring goals in Europe, but struggles to find the net in the Premier League, while kitting out in the famous Liverpool red.

The forward added to his Champions League haul on Wednesday night with one of Liverpool's three goals against PSV Eindhoven.

Kuyt though insists that as long as Liverpool are winning his own ability to score goals is irrelevant, and told the club's official website:

"A lot of people talk about scoring goals in the Champions League or Premier League, but for me it's just about winning the games. We have made a really good start to the season here at Liverpool. We're joint top of the league and have six points in the Champions League. This is the most important thing.

"We can talk every week about goals but the most important thing is winning games. I know I'll score goals in the Premier League but to me, whether or not I get an assist or a goal, it doesn't matter that much. I just want to win games."

"It's always special to play and score against a side from your own country. I think PSV are the best side in Holland and have been for a few years," he added.

"I had a bit of luck after the corner but sometimes you need that to score a goal... I don't think we played our best game but we were in control for 90 minutes. PSV aren't the same side they were a few years ago but they are still a decent team."

"Tonight we passed the ball very well and deserved to win the game and it's quite different from last year. That is what we wanted, that is what we talked about," he continued.

Regarding team-mate Robbie Keane opening his Liverpool account, Kuyt said: "It was great to see Robbie get his first goal and see how happy he was. He deserved it. He has played really well in these last few games for Liverpool and I am sure he will score a lot more for us."

Berba Wants More Goals

After breaking his Manchester United duck with a brace against Aalborg midweek, Dimitar Berbatov has set his sights on more goals for the Red Devils - starting this weekend.

The Bulgarian captain admitted to being eager to get off the mark for United, and expressed his relief at finally scoring after making the switch from Tottenham Hotspur last month.

The £30.75million signing hit a double on Tuesday night to ease the pressure on him, and he is relishing the prospect of finding the net again this weekend against Blackburn Rovers.

He told the club's official website: "It was very important for me [to score]. I’m glad to have done so. I scored the goals with the help of my team-mates and I think we played well tonight. Our next game is on Saturday and I hope to score again then."

Acknowledging that his personal goal-tally will take second place to team honours, Berbatov continued: "My job is to score, or to create goals for other players, but the most important thing is the win for the team. The pressure is always there and hopefully I will deal with it with help from my team-mates."

The 27 year-old scored his first goal for United after dismal defending from Aalborg; he capitalised on a fatal error and lashed home a volley almost apologetically. He had contrived to miss an earlier chance in the game, and was revealed to have made amends.

He said: "I was disappointed to miss my first chance because sometimes you only get one chance in the game, but I kept trying and got the two goals. I was angry with myself for missing the first chance – I just didn’t hit it right. I was embarrassed: I feel that if I’m getting paid all this money I should be converting these chances!"

Rafa To Kill Off Rotation Policy

Rafa Benitez has conceded that his rotation policy may have been detrimental to Liverpool's past title chances and admits that he will now keep a spine of a team together.

In seasons gone by Rafa Benitez has been criticised for his rotation policy as his constant tinkering has long been believed to be responsible for Liverpool's erratic form.

Decisions to drop key personnel such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres proved costly as the Reds dropped points in games they should have won.

Liverpool are enjoying an unbeaten start this season and Benitez has conceded that if he wants that to continue then he will need to ax his policy of rotation in favour of keeping a team spine together.

"We have the experience of last season... I won’t make many changes. If some players are on fire, maybe it is a good moment to keep them playing," he is quoted by KopTV as saying.

"Normally we try to check how the players are physically, mentally and also how the team is tactically – and then we decide whether we will change more or less players," he continued.

"But now we are in a good position so I do not think that I will change too many. When some players are playing well, but are tired, you say ‘okay maybe we will have to keep them in.’ But then you play them, they are tired and you have to change them in a game!"

"You never know. If you win, you can say ‘okay fantastic decision,’ but I don’t think I will change too many players."

"When we were analysing things this week we knew we had four days between the Everton match and this one and four days between this match and the Manchester City game. Three days is not enough, four days is better."

Adebayor - Let's Talk About Cesc

Emmanuel Adebayor has stated that Cesc Fabregas pulled the strings in the Porto win, and also in his own burgeoning relationship with strike partner Robin Van Persie.

An Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie partnership had little opportunity to bear fruit last season due to repetitive injuries keeping the Dutchman at bay.

However, both strikers contributed a brace in their midweek Champions League clash against Porto and even assisted the other. The Togolese targetman, Ade, believes that Fabregas was instrumental in the midfield.

"Cesc played well, he kept the ball as normal. Fabregas always plays well - he is a very good footballer," he is quoted by Football 365 as saying.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a human being like everyone so sometimes everything get difficult. But he is always there to show character, he is 21 and has got a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and he is dealing with that quite well."

Adebayor also feels that Fabregas is the man behind the team gelling as a unit off the pitch, and is largely responsible for helping him develop an understanding with Van Persie.

"Sometimes we go out. We are not the best friends ever but sometimes it does happen that we go to a restaurant."

"Robin is in contact with Fabregas and sometimes he makes everybody sit together. We are quite close, quite good friends."

"We are players so of course we sit and talk. Sometimes you have to manage to find a solution and discuss what you have done good and bad," he added.

"Those are the things we start doing the day after a game when we see how we can start improving together... We are trying to develop a telepathic understanding. We are trying to help the team win something."

'I want to win something with this club, so does he. All that we are doing at the moment is trying to create a relationship. Against Porto we showed quite well that we can do something together. Everyone is pleased - that is the most important thing.

"Robin is just back and we have had five or six games together and hopefully we are getting to know each other better and learning how each other play better," he continued.

"As soon as Robin can be fit, if he is fit for all the season we have a chance to do something this season."

English Debate: Are Gary Neville's Days In A United Shirt Numbered?

Veteran right back Gary Neville was a mainstay in Manchester United's and England's rearguard for a decade, but while he spent 18 months on the sidelines Wes Brown emerged as a solid option. Rafael too has shown in his few outings thus far that he has a promising future ahead of him, so where does this leave the United captain?

Is it going to become common for portuguese-speaking wonderkids to replace the aging English talent that broke through the Manchester United ranks in the early 1990s?

Cristiano Ronaldo was the scion to David Beckham's number seven shirt in 2003, and now the right back berth could be on the verge of being surrendered to fledgling star-in-the-making Rafael da Silva.

With another impressive outing in a Red Devils shirt the young Brazilian wing back increased his stock with surging runs; sweeping crosses; and shots on goal in United's 3-0 away win over Danish side Aalborg.

Academy director of Manchester United Les Kershaw first became aware of Rafael and his twin brother Fabio while the pair represented Fluminense at youth level in Hong Kong but only officially signed for the double winners this year, and already the former has been touted to displace Gary Neville and Wes Brown as the club's first choice right-back.

While Neville and Brown are certainly still regarded as the preferable option in games requiring added experience, should Rafael continue to perform when called upon it is surely only a matter of time until Neville starts contributing as much as he did whilst injured for the whole of last season.

In Gary Neville's twilight years it is virtually impossible to replicate the energy that Rafael has in abundance. While Neville was long considered the chief organiser of Manchester United's backline prior to his niggling injuries, Rafael can deliver an alternate role: running the lines; driving on; and providing his team with extra width going forward. Rafael goes the extra step, and is not averse to shooting should he be given ample space.

Ankle and thigh injuries had kept Neville out of action for club and country for 18 months, grudgingly relinquishing his duties to Wes Brown, who helped the Old Trafford firm claim a Premier League crown topped with Champions League glory the following week.

Rafael, 18, is still susceptible to mistakes though. While his flair going forward poses problems for opposition rearguard's his own defending may need work as team-mates - such as John O'Shea - had to cover for the Brazilian.

The importance of not neglecting his defensive duties can easily be instilled in the boy, but unfortunately the perfect coach to teach him those qualities is now Portugal's full-time manager. However, United have a worthy replacement in current assistant Mike Phelan, who featured as a right back during his own playing days for Manchester United prior to the arrival of Denis Irwin in 1990.

Neville, 34 in five months, will have had mixed emotions watching Rafael making his Champions League debut last night. On the one hand it looks as though Manchester United's looks secure in the long-term with all the fantastic talent on the horizion, but on the other it jeopardises his own short-term future.

When Rafael made his first team outing in a friendly match against Peterborough in August, Neville welcomed the competition, stating: "I saw Rafael in the friendly against Peterborough and I didn't particularly like what I saw," he joked in the Sunday Times.

"On a serious note, he has absolutely fantastic potential. His level of fitness and skill: it's the way the game is going now. Us old, solid right-backs don't seem to be the way forward, it's going in the other direction," he concluded, perhaps alluding to the imminent transfer of Jose Bosingwa at the time to Chelsea - who has gone on to look like one of the buys of the season despite the weighty Harrod's tag.

Sir Alex Ferguson shared Neville's sentiments: "Rafael was a sensation [against Peterborough]. It was a real eye opener... he hadn't played for a year but he played a full 90 minutes. On the evidence of tonight I think we have got a good player here."

After his outing against Juventus, Ferguson told MUTV: "Rafael started quietly but then he exploded into the game."

Rafael's starting debut, against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup was equally impressive: 76,000 roaring fans in the Theatre of Dreams can seem like an intimidating arena, but Rafael took it in his stride, as Ryan Giggs testified: "As a Manchester United player you know you’ve got the ability, it’s whether you’ve got the temperament, and I thought the young lads, especially Rafael, who came in showed that temperament."

His latest performance in a United shirt has born similar ramifications. Rafael's opposite number, Patrice Evra, told the club's official website: "He looks to be a very good player and he is ready to play for Manchester United... He is the future of the club."

In perhaps what is the greatest exhibition of evidence for Rafael's growing stature in the United camp, Sir Alex reflected thus on his European debut: "Some people might have been a bit surprised I picked him over Wes Brown but I feel the boy has something special."

United are currently spoilt for right backs, and Rafael's emergence spells the end for Salford born Danny Simpson. The only question that remains is, how long will Ferguson patiently wait for Neville when there are two other competant full backs waiting in the wings in Brown and da Silva?

People may point to the Neville holding the captaincy, but United are also spoilt for leaders: Rio Ferdinand; Ryan Giggs; and to a lesser extent Edwin van der Sar; Owen Hargreaves; and Nemanja Vidic, are all worthy of deputising.

English Debate: What's The Secret Behind Hull City's Success?

Hull City have surprised many people with their eyebrow-raising early form in England's top tier. What is the secret behind their early form, and how long can they keep it up for?

According to Fifa, Hull City's rise from the bottom division to England's top tier is the third fastest ever recorded. Their five year charge rising through 84 positions in the football league - from fifth bottom in League Two to sixth from top in the Premier League is bettered only by Swansea City (1977-81), and Wimbledon (1982-86).

Many doubted their credentials in the Championship, let alone the Premier League, and prior to the birth of this season the Tigers were tipped for a fate similar to Derby County - who finished last season rock bottom with a pitiful point tally one shy of a dozen, four worse than Sunderland who - two years before Derby's relegation - were the worst team to ever enter England's highest division.

We are only six games into the season and Hull City have already equalled the amount of points it took Derby 38 games to accumulate. A total of forty has long been considered a sufficient haul to guarantee survival; last year for instance Fulham maintained their Premier League status with 36, so if one takes these yardsticks as a measure of the targets Hull need to match then they are already just under a third of their way there, with not even a sixth of the season completed.

How are they achieving this? Especially with a backbone of mainstay players who were competing in the lower leagues for the majority of their careers not so long ago?

Hull City have an abnormally large squad, and Phil Brown has already used 23 players in only 540 minutes of football. Daniel Cousin for instance, who ensured Hull left the Emirates with all three points on Saturday, was only making his second appearance of the season. A policy of rotation is oft bemoaned for a club harbouring ambitions of winning titles, but are freshness and eagerness commodities that are more valuable for a squad trying to steer clear of the drop zone?

Phil Brown is a bold and brave head coach. Not many would change a winning tactic, but Brown's approach to the Arsenal encounter was tactically impeccable. Instead of fielding his 4-4-2 that secured a win over Newcastle United at St James' Park, and a draw against Everton at home in the KC, Brown opted instead to deploy Brazilian Geovanni in the hole behind his two strikers, in a 4-3-3.

Hull's midfield trio snuffed out, suffocated, stifled, and frustrated a lionshare of Arsenal's attacks, and it produced what must surely be one of the greatest results in their history under the guidance of Ian Ashbee - who has captained, and never looked out of his depth, in each of the leagues he and Hull have featured in.

Theo Walcott was largely ineffective as he was not allowed to run the lines like he has in the past, instead being forced to cut inside, where a waiting pack of defenders - led by Michael Turner - would block his path.

Brown admitted that he was told fielding Geovanni could be a suicidal tactic, but it proved to be match-winning one, and not for the first time as he secured the three points - from outside the box - against Fulham, too.

The only blemish on Hull's results so far has been a 5-0 mauling from Wigan Athletic, where a usually solid defence was ripped apart time after time from the imperious Antonio Valenica, who was afforded the freedom of the pitch.

Have Hull learnt from their Wigan mistakes, or will further teams embrass the Tigers and prove that the Arsenal game was a freak result?

This weekend Hull visit a side that are propping up the rest of the table with minimal potency in their attack and look as susceptible to conceding weak goals as they have done all year, is this result an away banker, or can Spurs use the tie to turn their own season around? Hull's other October fixtures include a visit of West Ham, followed by a trip to fellow former Championship contenders West Bromwich Albion, and then completed with a home Chelsea tie at the end of the month.

With a trip to Old Trafford, the Chelsea clash, together with games against Manchester City, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, and Liverpool still to come later in the year, a rotten run of results could easily mute the Tigers roar. In that event, could Hull pick themselves up in a similar fashion to the response after their Latic loss, or will they end up defenestating their chances of league survival after the best start out of all three of the newly-promoted teams.

Fergie Happy With Ronaldo Progress

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed his satisfaction with Cristiano Ronaldo's form since his return from injury, insisting the Manchester United superstar will only improve over the coming weeks...

Ronaldo sat out the first six weeks of the season after undergoing surgery during the summer to cure a long-standing ankle problem.

The Portuguese winger wasn't expected to be available until later this month, but he recovered ahead of schedule and made his comeback against Villarreal on September 17.

Understandably, the 23-year-old is yet to recapture the scintillating form that saw him score 42 goals as United claimed both the Premier League and Champions League crowns last term.

But Ronaldo has looked threatening nonetheless; indeed, it was his perfectly weighted cross that allowed Dimitar Berbatov to fire home his second strike as the Red Devils ran out 3-0 winners against Aalborg on Tuesday night.

And Ferguson told The Sun: “Ronaldo is progressing all the time and I saw improvement in his sharpness against Aalborg. He always looked a threat.

“Even when he came on for the last 20 minutes against Villarreal he was a threat.

“He could have had a couple of goals against Aalborg but he did set up Berbatov.”