Ex-Tottenham boss Martin Jol believes that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have “all of the ingredients” to secure a top four finish this season.
The north London outfit are understood to be desperate to return to the big time after finishing close to Champions League qualification over the course of the past few seasons following an impressive cameo in the tournament during the 2010/11 campaign.
Pochettino was drafted in over the summer with the aim of booking a spot at Europe’s top table for next term.
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Although the Argentine wasn’t handed the level of funds previous White Hart Lane chiefs have had to build his squad, the £100m-worth of talent secured under Andre Villas-Boas is still present.
With former flops such as Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela having shown signs of promise so far this season there is an air of positivity at Spurs, and Jol feels that finishing in the top four is a realistic aim:
“All the top clubs want to be in the four, but when I was at Tottenham there were the big ‘top four’ teams and we were the best of the rest in fifth,” he told talkSPORT.
“It’s much more difficult now with teams like Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool all spending a lot of money, but maybe this is the year for Spurs to do something.
“I really believe with the players they have and the money they spend that they can finish in the top four.
“All the ingredients are there for Spurs to be in the top four. They have the players, all they need to do now is gel together and try to create a team which can deliver.
“They’ve got an unbelievable fan-base, when you go to London there are Spurs fans everywhere and Arsenal are second.
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“They’ve got everything for them to be in the top four and to be a fantastic, successful, club.”
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When requesting an example to explain the slender, almost indefinable differences between the best of their trade and simply the best of the rest, one need only take a gander at Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet.
Indeed, no one can doubt the Reds have got good value out of their £9million signing, but poor performances on big occasions are continually letting him down. He was at fault for both of Manchester City’s goals when Liverpool visited the Etihad last season, and even his attempt to save Phil Jagielka’s wonder-strike in the Merseyside derby has come under criticism from Sky Sports duo Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.
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As Brendan Rodgers continues to try and improve his developing Liverpool side, it’s believed the Anfield boss is already considering replacements for his No.1 ahead of the January window.
We know former Barcelona star Victor Valdes didn’t take his fancy – with the free agent now training at Manchester United – but he’s FIVE Mignolet upgrades that might.
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ASMIR BEGOVIC
Measuring in at a monolithic 6 foot 6 and well proven in the Premier League, Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic has to be considered a major candidate for any top English side looking to strengthen at No.1
Indeed, he’s now amassed 145 appearances in the top flight throughout spells with the Potters and Portsmouth, and during his five full campaigns at the Britannia has claimed six seasonal accolades, including the Young Player of the Year award in 2011, the Player of the Year award in 2013 and consecutive Players’ Player of the Year awards in 2013 and 2014.
The Bosnian international came close to joining Manchester United in summer 2013 whilst David de Gea’s wiry frame cast doubts over his future in the Premier League and he’s been regularly linked with an Anfield move throughout the years too – specifically, just before Liverpool signed Simon Mignolet:
As shown in the graphic below, the 27 year-old recorded the fifth-best save percentage in the Premier League last season, bettering Mignolet by quite some way:
He also made less errors leading to goals than the Liverpool No.1:
Begovic won’t be the cheapest goalkeeper in this article, having already proved himself at Premier League level, but Stoke City will be more prepared to sell than many; in 21 year-old Jack Butland, currently on loan at Derby County, they’re already have the Bosnian’s long-term replacement.
The towering shot-stopper’s nine clean sheets helped the Potters claim their highest league position in over 40 years last season. Here’s a look at some of his best ever saves in the Premier League:
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KIKO CASILLA
Despite insisting he’s yet to be contacted by the Anfield club, the tabloids believe Espanyol ‘keeper Kiko Casilla is currently leading the race to become Liverpool’s next No.1:
The 28 year-old is enjoying some fine form at the start of the season, with his four clean sheets in eight La Liga outings only bettered by Atletico’s Moya and Barcelona’s Claudio Bravo. He’s also second in the saves charts, as shown below:
Last term, Casilla produced this stunning save to keep out Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale:
It’s not been an easy career for the 6 foot 3 Spaniard; he failed to make the grade at Real Madrid, amassing just five appearances for their B string in the space of two years, and was initially farmed out at Espanyol.
But performances over the last few years has seen his stock dramatically soar, and he’s now Spain’s third-choice ‘keeper behind Iker Casillas and David de Gea. Here’s a look at the Espanyol star in action:
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The Independent believe Casilla could be available for around £8million in January:
But Liverpool face strong competition from former club Real Madrid for his signature.
MATTIA PERIN
From one of the best in La Liga to one of the best in Serie A, Mattia Perin is yet to make 100 appearances in the Italian top flight but has already demonstrated enough promise to make it into Italy’s World Cup squad and allegedly catch the eye of Bayern Munich:
Last term, the Genoa No.1 kept an impressive eleven goals in 37 appearances and also proved to be one of the division’s most proficient shot-stoppers:
Here’s a collection of Perin’s best saves from 2013/14:
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And this year, the 21 year-old has found an even higher gear:
Liverpool fans will be concerned with Perin’s limited experience – the 6 foot 2 ‘keeper is yet to feature as a senior internationally or pick up his first appearance in Europe.
But already compared to a young Gianluigi Buffon, Perin looks to be a wise long-term investment.
NETO
Another Serie A shot-stopper said to be on Liverpool’s radar is Fiorentina No.1 Neto:
The 25 year-old has continually impressed since first turning out for Viola in 2011, going on to win a silver medal with Brazil at the London Olympic Games twelve months later.
Building upon an impressive twelve clean sheets in 35 appearances last term, only Juves’ Gianluigi Buffon and Morgan De Sanctis of Roma have claimed more shutouts than the 6 foot 3 goalie this season:
He’s also one of the Italian top flight’s best in terms of distribution, which has been a real problem for Simon Mignolet at Liverpool:
There are certainly more qualified and experienced candidates on this list, but Neto remains the most likely to be on the move in January. His contract is up at the end of the season and negotiations over a new deal have reportedly stalled.
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That could see him arrive at Anfield for a nominal fee. Here’s a look at the South American in action:
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PETR CECH
A distinct possibility or simply a pipe dream?
Chelsea’s Petr Cech is one of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history, having won four Golden Gloves and twice made it into the PFA Team of the Year. But he’s unfortunately found himself overtaken in the pecking order by 22 year-old Thibaut Courtois this season.
The Czech international has vowed to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge and boosting Chelsea’s goalkeeping depth enormously, Jose Mourinho is under no hurry to sell.
But even struggling for game-time in the auxiliary competitions this season, thus far featuring just once in the Champions League, it’s likely the 32 year-old can be prized away in January.
With 327 Premier League appearances under his belt, in addition to over 100 outings in Europe, Cech’s top flight credentials are undoubted and his eternally composed nature could breed a new sense of calmness in Liverpool’s chaotic defence. Here’s a look at some of his best ever saves for the Blues:
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But whether Chelsea would be prepared to surrender one of world football’s top goalkeepers to another Premier League side remains to be seen, especially with a plethora of foreign clubs already linked to his signature:
In a month where English football has finally got its act together by deciding to do something about the underrepresentation of black and ethnic minority (BME) coaches in the game, the recent appointment of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager of League Two side Burton Albion is hopefully a sign that there are indeed better times ahead for a sport that for so long has almost been averse to the idea of modernity and positive change.
A recent study published by the Sports People’s Think Tank revealed that there are only 19 BME coaches in the top 552 positions at professional English clubs. The findings, coupled with the tireless work of the Kick It Out campaign, prompted all 20 Premier League clubs to vote to introduce a new measure designed to increase the number of top-flight coaches from minority backgrounds, including the addition of three BME positions to the Premier League’s Elite Coach Apprenticeship Scheme, as well as three places for female coaches.
While Hasselbaink may not be coaching in the top division of English football just yet, the Brewers’ decision to opt for him is still significant. The 42-year-old has insisted that his appointment has nothing to do with him being black, and there is no reason to debate this claim. The former Chelsea, Leeds United and Middlesbrough forward is highly qualified; he completed his UEFA ‘A’ coaching licence whilst working for Nottingham Forest at the start of the decade, and enjoyed a full season as a first-team manager of Royal Antwerp in the Belgian Second Division last year.
When we consider that there are some Premier League managers whose first jobs came in the top-flight, despite them having obtained little to no coaching qualifications prior to commencing their managerial careers, the League Two side’s appointment of a highly trained individual with extensive experience of playing at the highest level of the game seems like something of a coup.
However, while Burton Albion’s decision was first and foremost based on merit, and Hasselbaink has every right to stress this, his appointment nonetheless reflects a growing acceptance that more needs to be done to raise the profile of black and ethnic minority managers in the game. The Dutchman should be proud of the fact that he beat more than 60 other applicants to the job, yet the sad truth is that he was one of the very few black coaches with the requisite qualifications to apply in the first place. Preaching the importance of merit is all well and good, but this supposed virtue ultimately means nothing if black coaches are continually underrepresented in the coaching profession and consequently overlooked for the top jobs.
This vicious circle is clearly unhealthy for the game, which has led to widespread calls for the Premier League and the Football League to adopt their own version of the Rooney Rule – a rule introduced in American football in 2002 which mandates that teams interview at least one BME candidate when a head coach or general manager position becomes available. Although such a rule may not sit easily with those who believe that merit is the only thing that should come into consideration with regard to employment, the reality is that true meritocracy simply does not exist in football, and it is only by implementing such procedures that we can hope to provide equal and fair opportunity for all.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has since stated that the adoption of a football version of the Rooney Rule is unnecessary due to the recent unanimous vote by the top flight clubs in favour of greater representation of BME coaches. For the sake of the game, let’s hope he is right, and let’s hope that Hasselbaink becomes just one several black coaches who is given the opportunity to succeed in English football.
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Hardly a huge statement but, with each passing fixture, Arsenal’s reliance on the Chilean grows and grows! Even after the former Barcelona ace missed the penatly, you just knew he’d dust himself off and be the man to deliver for Arsene Wenger’s side.
Giroud cannot be relied on
The Frenchman has his critics, however, the striker’s record certainly means he deserves more credit than he gets. But, the fact Giroud could so easily get himself sent-off, an instant three-game ban, shows he isn’t the man to spearhead Arsenal back to the earlier glory days of Wenger’s tenure.
Tomas Rosicky still has a lot to offer
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder has struggled to even make Arsene Wenger’s matchday 18 at times this season. However, the midfielder was handed a rare start today and grabbed his chance with an impressive performance and a well-taken goal.
Despite already blowing a cool £37million on Palermo’s Javier Pastore, a crazy £5 million on the somewhat unreliable David Luiz, and a whopping £55million on Uruguay’s Edison Cavani in recent seasons, Laurent Blanc’s Parisian giants look set to continue their spending spree this summer, but this time with the Premier League in their sights.
‘Qatar Sports Investments’, fronted by the ever public Nasser Ghanim Al-Khelaifi, have shown clear intent when it comes to sourcing Europe’s very best talent, and as their dream of reaching Champions League glory with PSG is far from over, their willingness to get out the cheque-book looks set to continue.
Since the Ligue 1 side are yet to truly test the resolve of English clubs and their desire to keep a hold of their best talent, perhaps this summer will mark the perfect time for PSG to stake their claim. As high profile transfer deals rarely are a straight forward affair however, just which players could be on the move to Paris this summer, and who, if anyone, would suit Laurent Blanc’s star-studded side best?
The first name to raise an apparent interest from PSG comes in the form of Argentina and Manchester United forward, Angel Di Maria. The newly acquired World Cup finalist signed for Louis van Gaal’s expensive side for a mind-blowing £59million in the summer, and despite the inevitable excitement and sensation that came along with his arrival, the former Real Madrid man has simply failed to live up to his lofty price tag. Yes – injuries have played an unwanted role in Di Maria’s spell with United, but as four goals from 20 appearances is hardly the most impressive stat, the Old Trafford faithful will be left somewhat deflated by the Argentinian should he decide to leave in the summer.
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Whether or not PSG actually need the rapid winger is another matter altogether however. Blanc already boasts the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lucas Moura in his wide positions, so unless one of these South American talents will be forcibly moved on in order to free up space for Angel Di Maria, this move looks somewhat unlikely to take place.
A deal that would perhaps make more sense for the Ligue 1 giants would involve Yaya Toure, and Laurent Blanc’s reported interest in the Manchester City star. It has hardly been a vintage season for the Ivorian, but as the former Barcelona man remains a key element within Manuel Pellegrini’s expensive set-up, the Etihad faithful would nevertheless greatly miss Yaya Toure should he decide to move on. As Manchester City could well afford, a perhaps even better, replacement however, maybe this deal would ultimately suit all parties involved in the long run.
Whilst City are in the luxurious position of being able to spend their way out of trouble, the same can’t be said of Newcastle United and the distinct lack of investment that surrounds the Tyneside club. Moussa Sissoko, one of the only consistent shining lights for the Magpies this season, is yet another name to be linked with PSG in recent months, and as the proposed move would mark a clear step-up in the career of the French 25-year-old, perhaps Newcastle would be hard pushed to stop this deal eventually going through.
As Yohan Cabaye, another French talent who impressed during his time with Newcastle, has already displayed how dream moves back to Ligue 1 don’t always pay off however, perhaps Moussa Sissoko should be wary of PSG’s interest and the amount of game time he will likely receive at the club.
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Ultimately PSG’s spending power makes them a threat to any club with rising talent, both in the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe. In today’s modern game, money sadly does most of the talking, and often takes a higher priority over club loyalty and the desires of the fans. As the Ligue 1 favourites have hardly proved to be experts in the transfer market recently however, a degree of caution should be taken in regards to any future deal the Parisian giants looks set to complete.
Aston Villa’s new loan star Scott Sinclair has undeniably had a troubled time over the last few years. Ever since the pacey winger chose to make the £6.2m switch from Swansea City to Manchester City in August 2012, he has dropped off the footballing radar.
After an unsuccessful loan spell at West Bromwich Albion last year, many believed we had seen the last of the former Chelsea ace in the Premier League. The ex-England U-21 international returned to the Etihad Stadium in the summer, but still struggled to break into Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI. That led to the now former Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert taking a punt on him in the January transfer window – with Sinclair joining from City on loan for the remainder of the season.
The Villa No. 9 has arguably done more for the Midlands club over the last six weeks, than he has done anywhere else for the last two-and-a-half years. Has the 25-year-old finally found his home at Villa Park? In his five league and cup appearances for the Villans, he has netted twice and made a huge impact to the Villa side going forward.
It’s no secret that Aston Villa are massively struggling to score goals, and new boss Tim Sherwood will be hopeful that Sinclair is the man who can provide that much-needed impetuous to help the club get out of the horrible mess they are in at present.
Sinclair opened the scoring in Sherwood’s first game in charge, but for Mark Hughes’ Stoke City to spoil the party, with a last-gasp Victor Moses penalty giving Stoke a 2-1 win.
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But there were positives to take from the defeat, and Scott Sinclair’s early impact on his new club is certainly one of them. The ex-Tottenham interim boss told Villa’s official website:
“I was encouraged with some performances – Scott Sinclair, I thought, was very good, the two centre-halves were good, Kieran Richardson was very lively and Alan Hutton was a threat on the right hand side.”
Sinclair showed glimpses of his former self at Villa Park on Saturday, something we haven’t seen for a very long time. He scored a rare goal with his head, made some excellent runs, looked lively throughout and certainly troubled the Stoke defence.
The Manchester City loanee has proved he can do it before – he was instrumental in getting Swansea City promoted in 2011 – famously netting a hat-trick for the Welsh club in a 4-2 Championship play-off final victory over Reading. On his day, Sinclair can trouble any defence. He strikes you as a ‘confidence player’ and Aston Villa will be hoping Sherwood can give him this belief in order to improve their chances of beating the drop.
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Tim Sherwood’s side currently sit in 19th place in the Premier League table – after securing only five league wins in 26 games – scoring a dismal 13 times in the process. The much-travelled journeyman Sinclair seems to be enjoying his life at Villa Park so far. The Villans still have as good a chance as any of keeping their top flight status, and Scott Sinclair could yet be the catalyst that Aston Villa so desperately need.
Tim ‘Tactics’ Sherwood will be at the FA Cup Final in a few weeks’ time, while Steven Gerarrd, Brendan Rodgers and the anyone associated with the red half of Merseyside will be, if they can bring themselves to, watching on their TVs and thinking of what might have been. The limp semi-final loss was the latest in a long line of high profile defeats for the Reds, who, had things been a little different about a year ago, would be champions of England, and may well still have Luis Suarez up front.As ever, the buck stops with the manager, and Rodgers has to answer some serious questions. It’s now three trophy-less seasons at Anfield for the northern Irishman while Champions League football is, barring a miracle, off the menu for 2015/16, so could it be time for a serious change? Perhaps, and here are FIVE reasons why…[interaction ]
Big game bottler
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Over the course of the last year to 18 months, Brendan Rodgers has lost the majority of the games that matter. Last season saw a depleted Chelsea arrive at Anfield to play for a draw with the campaign close to its end. All the Reds needed was a point to keep their Premier League title in their grasp, but, albeit via an unfortunate Steven Gerrard error, they slipped (sorry) to defeat and Manchester City surged on to lift the top prize.
Once is forgivable, but this term has thrown up two cup semi-finals for Liverpool, who have now choked on both occasions. Chelsea beat them in extra-time in the League Cup, and, of course, the Aston Villa episode is still fresh in the memory.
Add to that the losses at home to Manchester United and away to Arsenal, and the crunch games in the chase for top four action have been thrown away, too.
Surely this cannot be coincidence and Rodgers’ actions must be having an influence when the going gets really tough. Just look at Jose Mourinho, he rarely drops the matches that mean everything…
So many transfer mistakes
Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Dejan Lovren, Fabio Borini, Oussama Assaidi, Rickie Lambert, Nuri Sahin, Mario Balotelli… the list goes on.
Rodgers’ record in the transfer market is frankly abysmal. Only Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge have been successes during his reign and although the transfer committee work together on deals, the Northern Irishman has a big say in the process.
It was telling at Wembley when, even though over £100m was spent during the summer, Lambert was Rodgers’ only real option to change the game late on. How long can Liverpool’s money men fund this madness?
Changes formation more times than most change underwear
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3-4-2-1, 3-4-3, 4-5-1, 4-3-3… all of these were on show at times at Wembley on Sunday. In a desperate attempt to wrestle the game back within his team’s grasp, Rodgers shuffled his options to the point that the majority of his players appeared unsure of their actual tasks.
Okay, it’s good to be proactive, but the fact that this many alterations were ‘needed’ illustrates how out of line it was to revert to the 3-4-2-1 system, which had been producing negative results and performances in recent weeks.
Last season was much the same as Rodgers eventually settled on the 4-4-2 diamond set-up, which was rather enforced by Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez’s desire to play centrally. Although exciting, that set-up saw defensive frailties exposed and magnified.
Klopp is available…
It’s not every day that top managers become available and it’s even rarer if they are open to picking your club… but Liverpool are in this very position with Jurgen Klopp.
The German will leave Dortmund at the end of the season after agreeing to cut his contract short and reports suggest that, although he would like to manage Manchester United, Liverpool are a side firmly in his crosshairs.
The outspoken boss would certainly bring a new lease of life to Anfield in a period in which the fans are growing frustrated, while his proven record at BVB – he’s had a budget akin to that of QPR – in which he’s won two Bundesliga titles and reached the Champions League Final shows he’s got pedigree.
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Klopp has also nurtured youngsters such as Marco Reus, so he could potentially sway Raheem Sterling towards staying.
Too weak to drop Steven Gerrard
Sentiment and football tend to go hand-in-hand, but the FA Cup semi-final and Liverpool’s last major chance to do anything this season was surely a time to put it all aside to maximise the chance of getting the result.
However, albeit a Lucas injury has an influence, Gerrard was thrust back into the XI after letting his side down with an idiotic stamp at Manchester United, despite it being well known that at, 34, he’s simply too slow to function in a Rodgers team nowadays.
The narrative of one last shot at glory – the FA Cup Final is on his birthday – in his last game has been talked about, but, as much of a shame as it may be, there will be no fairytale ending to Gerrard’s journey at Anfield.
West Ham are set to shake up the club by looking past Sam Allardyce when his contract runs out this summer. Instead, they are reported to be looking for someone new, and that man might just be the polar opposite of Big Sam.
According to the Daily Mirror, West Ham are considering Marseille’s Marcelo Bielsa to replace Allardyce. The Argentinian tactician is a bona fide philosopher of football, and would certainly represent a change of direction from the last few years the Hammers have spent under Sam Allardyce. Even if this is only paper talk, this appointment would be wonderful news to anyone who wants to see excitement and drama in the Premier League next season.
Here’s what you need to know about Bielsa: he is mad.
At least, that’s the persona. He may not be as mad as we think he is, but there are signs of madness, and the man nicknamed ‘El Loco’ – ‘The Madman’ is nothing if not passionate about the game.
Anyone who knows South American football however, knows that it’s nothing particularly special to be nicknamed ‘El Loco’, there are several ‘El Loco’s. But Bielsa has the stories to back them up.
As coach of Athletic Bilbao, Bielsa’s team charmed English football by the way they so gracefully disposed of Manchester United in the Europa League in 2012. But the Argentinian’s coaching methods were very much under scrutiny in the Basque country. For two reasons: one, because he is a man known for his thorough coaching and tactical methods and two, because he was getting results. Bilbao were playing wonderful football – and getting to the final of the Europa League while selecting players from only the small Basque region attests to this. It was a great feat.
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But speaking of ‘great feet’, one story to come out of this scrutiny of Bielsa’s coaching was when the coach drew on his shoes to show his players which part of the foot they should kick with. He then proceeded to walk around for the next few days with the marks still on his feet!
Bielsa is so driven to study the game – he watches DVDs of players and of games for hours a day – and to get his teams to play exactly as he wants them to. So micromanagement of this sort is hardly surprising.
He clearly knows exactly what he wants from his players, and is so sure that his coaching methods will make them bend to his will that he names his teams for big matches on the Fridays before games.
But all of this is enough to get the press on his back somewhat. His devotion, his pride and his obsession are portrayed as a madness, a pathology. A journalist in Spain once asked him in a press conference why he continuously took 13 steps from his technical area to the bench during the game. Over and over again he’d repeat this ritual, this rosary. Bielsa didn’t even know he was doing it. But worse still, there was someone sitting there actually counting how many steps he was taking. Just sitting there on the lookout for a story, an example of madness.
But then there are times when he hands them something to write about on a plate. He once confronted a group of angry Newell’s Old Boys fans with a hand grenade when they came to his door demanding explanations for a 6-0 defeat. He retreated to a convent for three months while out of work, abstaining from all modern conveniences and simply read books about football from morning until night.
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So Bielsa is certainly a colourful character. But he would be more than just a punchline if he came to England. To West Ham, at least, he’d be more than just a jester of a coach, there to give the newspapers something to write about or to do something funny to entertain us all. He’d be the defender of the faith, so to speak, the man who would bring attacking, beautiful football back to East London.
Although they may have had good reason, for West Ham fans it’s been years of whining about Big Sam’s ‘long ball’ approach. The Upton Park faithful would love to see a manager who is so passionate about playing football in the right way, a man who lives and breathes the game and has a theory on the right way to play. If there is one English club that a man like Bielsa could thrive at, it must be West Ham.
The fans are so starved for success that there’d be no unrealistic expectation, no demands of silverware. Just a few seasons of attractive football is all they would request. And Bielsa could certainly provide that. He’s the very antithesis of Sam Allardyce, so how could the fans fail to fall in love with him?
Manchester United’s Player of the Year awards were a long-winded affair, spanning over hours of interviews and talks before revealing what we were all expecting: David De Gea as top performer and Juan Mata claiming Goal of the Season for his second strike against Liverpool. But if you had sat through the awards bash, and waited for the manager to make his speech, you would not have been disappointed. Louis Van Gaal showed exactly why he is the right man for the job at Old Trafford.
The red wine may have been flowing before Van Gaal took to the stage, but his emotive speech seemed to come from the heart. He spoke so highly of the Manchester United support and hailed the faith they showed him from the beginning. Even in United’s poor run of games at the start of the season, they backed him, and he praised them for that. “How is it possible that the fans are supporting me?” he said, off the back of “10 games 13 points”.
The fans already respect him as a manager – he brought them back into the top four which was his objective all along. But after this, you cannot help but love him even more. He is a million miles away from the manager David Moyes was. Moyes was out of his depth, of course, but he could not get the fans on his side no matter what. He put his foot in his mouth, especially claiming his squad aspired to be like their bitter rivals Manchester City.
Van Gaal is happy with what he has achieved in his first season, which has had its ups and downs. The manager knows this, and addressed this in his speech. He showed he is human and cannot get it right at all times.
Louis Van Gaal understands the importance of being at Manchester United, and the fans are lapping it up. He showed his passion for his new club through both his speech, and a little viral vine that occurred after United’s last home game. When meeting fans outside the ground, he joins in a rendition of his own song – “Louis Van Gaal’s Red Army.” How can you not love that?
The manager has promised big things for next season, and based the delivery of his speech, you can believe it. He said that everyone at Manchester United “have to produce more… Because we have the best fans in the world.” What a speech. What a man.
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West Ham United crashed out of the EFL Cup with a bit of a whimper following a 1-0 quarter-final defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, and Irons fans weren’t impressed with Javier Hernandez’s performance.
Both teams made a number of changes to their starting XI’s from the Premier League at the weekend, with Hernandez one of those that came into the side after seeing Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio start ahead of him up top against Stoke City on Saturday.
However, the summer addition failed to make an impact in north London on Tuesday, although he had little to feed upon as the Hammers only had one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.
West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the 29-year-old’s display via social media, and while one said “he irritates me a lot”, another said he has an “awful attitude for a seasoned international footballer”.