New Manchester City signing Samir Nasri has stated that his side’s 5-1 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday has set the gauntlet down to their Premier League title rivals.
The 24-year-old joined the Eastlands outfit from Arsenal last week in the search for silverware, and is over the moon with his debut for his new team.
“It was a wonderful debut because we won 5-1 at Tottenham which is a tough place to win and we did great,” the France international told ESPN.
“Personally I had a good game but what is most important is that we won 5-1 and we have sent a signal to the other challengers.”
Roberto Mancini’s side have had a perfect start to the 2011-12 campaign, winning all three games and scoring 12 goals in the process; Nasri feels his new employers can challenge for honours this term.
“It is just the start of the season. It is important to keep our confidence but I am convinced we have a great squad with quality players and here and we can win things,” he concluded.
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City host Wigan in their next league match next Saturday, before making their Champions League bow against Napoli four days later.
Once again this summer there was a noticeable trend whereby certain players were content to move clubs to gain astronomical wages, despite the fact that they may have little impact or fail to improve their career in any way. Whether it’s Cesc Fabregas leaving Arsenal for Barcelona, Asamoah Gyan leaving Sunderland or Samuel Eto’o going east to Anzhi Makhachkala, it is becoming more and more obvious that players are driven less by ambition and more by greed.
Sunderland’s Gyan is the latest in a long list of players whose behaviour raises questions over the mindset of the modern day footballer. The Ghanaian’s lucrative move to the UAE is a loan one, but it seems to offer him little in the way of a challenge on the field and perhaps nothing more than an enormous pay packet. Gyan could play in any of the top four leagues in Europe and be a success, yet he is content to draw a huge amount of money by plying his trade in the UAE.
It could be argued that a player’s career is short, they are only in the limelight for a limited time period, and they need to do all they can to maximise their gains from this time in their career. Many would have found it hard to turn down the reported £200,000 a week offered to Gyan, and it is this sort of greed at the expense of ambition that now sadly characterises the game. Gyan has described the move as exciting. Well, in terms of his bank balance it may well be, but he can’t seriously be comparing the standard of football in the UAE to the Premier League?
It seems astonishing that greed has taken over in the absense of any sort of ambition from players. Surely at one point they simply played because they loved the game, and there was little they wanted to do other than play football professionally. Clearly when they are offered obscene amounts of cash, they tend to lose all sense of perspective.
Cesc Fabregas was another to move this summer. His move is slightly different in that he said he wanted to go back to his boyhood club, and was more likely to win trophy’s at Barcelona than Arsenal. Valid enough reasons, but if Andres Iniesta wasn’t injured, would he really be playing more than a bench-warming role at the club? Is that enough for the modern player? To content themselves with a minor role, watching on as their teammates bring them success and trophies?
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Alexis Sanchez left Udinese – a successful club in their own right – to also join Barcelona this summer and play little more than a bit-part role, at least for this season. Of course everyone wants to play for the world’s best club, and improve themselves by plying their trade there, but the willingness of players to go somewhere where they will do little more than warm the bench while drawing a huge wage seems at conflict with the reasons they will have got into football for. The same applies to a lot of Manchester City stars who have been blinded by the huge amounts of money thrown their way. Several notable talents – James Milner, Adam Johnson – have believed money to be the be-all and end-all and subsequently been forced into little more than minor supporting roles as victims of their own greed. They could have advanced their on-field careers substantially had they made better choices and gone somewhere they could actually hope to make a difference.
Samuel Eto’o also moved on this summer. The experienced Cameroonian could play in any of the top leagues in Europe, and have a devastating effect both domestically and continentally – yet he has accepted the chance to become the highest paid footballer ever by moving to Russia in the twilight of his career. This is a place with a terrible record for racism and racist violence – but apparently that doesn’t matter so much when you are earning obscene amounts of money.
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Increasingly nowadays players who turn down the money are rare; players also inevitably hold their clubs to financial ransom to ensure a better wage for themselves. Greed seems to engulf the modern day footballer, and surely football agents must take some of the blame for some of the excessive player demands and the negative influence on young players thoughts. Fame, money and glamour has clouded most players perspectives at the expense of their ambition within the game. The days of the likes of Scholes, Giggs and Carragher are becoming less and less likely, as players put themselves first before the people who have shown loyalty and faith in them. Players now seem to care little about the clubs they represent, as ridiculous salaries and decadent lifestyles have taken over that see them willing to sacrifice any sort of ambitions they originally held within the game as a result of greed.
Do you think the modern day player lacks ambition? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter
Well a week ago I stated this was a make or break week for Charlton, and Seven days later I sit here rather happy.
Charlton have picked up 4 crucial points after following a 1-1 draw with Scunthorpe up with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Yeovil Town as they head in to a crunch top of the table clash with League 1 giants Huddersfield town this weekend.
Huddersfield go in to the game following a 2-0 victory over Chesterfield on Tuesday night and are back in with a shout of automatic promotion again.
It’s been a strange season for Huddersfield so far. They made a flying start along with Charlton, and back in November when the two sides met it was first v second in a tightly fought encounter. Charlton came out 2-0 winners thanks to Hogan Ephraim and Yann Kermorgant and in the process ending Huddersfield’s amazing and record breaking 43 unbeaten record.
But this meeting at the Galpharm sees Huddersfield managed by a different man since that night in November with Simon Grayson now the man at the helm and it’s fair to say it’s been a frustrating start to his time with the Terriers after he has already witnessed his side throw away a few leads including a 3-0 lead over Bury and a 2-0 advantage over Stevenage.
There is no doubting who Charlton will have to watch on Saturday afternoon, his name is Jordan Rhodes and his quite simply unplayable at this moment in time. The prolific youngster bagged his 34th goal of the season on Tuesday night and although he didn’t cause Charlton’s backline too many problems in November, he is quite simply a player who can make something out of nothing. Not only is he doing it on the club scene but also at international this season bagging a hat-trick for the Scotland’s Under 21’s already this season.
What has tended to be Huddersfield downfall this season is their defence. Although they have one of the most highly rated keepers in England right now in Alex Smithies it means little if your defence is leaking goals. As a result they will have to be at their best to stop the rampant Addicks from scoring a few.
Charlton must build on Tuesday’s superb win over in-form Yeovil to push themselves over that line. A week ago there were question marks over whether Charlton could see this title push through and, the response coming from the ecstatic Charlton fans on Tuesday after the final whistle would have made most neutrals think that Tuesday night guaranteed promotion.
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It was great to see a huge number of fans jumping around with chants like “Championship here we come”, as this shows the belief is very much back with the fans, if it had ever gone away. Another 3 points over Huddersfield on Saturday would move Charlton on to 85 points and another huge step towards that inevitable title.
Tottenham are set to make a shock swoop for West Brom hitman Peter Odemwingie, according to the Mirror.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is in the market for a new striker and has now turned his attentions to Odemwingie.
He rates the Nigerian highly although any move will hinge on whether Peter Crouch leaves White Hart Lane.
The England striker is surplus to requirements in North London and Redknapp is trying to sell him to raise funds and get him off the wage bill.
Odemwingie would certainly guarantee goals after scoring 15 in his debut season at the Hawthorns.
His contributions went a long way to securing The Baggies status as a Premier League side and it’s uncertain as to whether they’d let him leave.
It’s been reported that they are trying to tie him down to a new three-year deal and it’s thought he is keen to remain at the club.
However the lure of a top-six club could change the 30-year-old’s mind whilst West Brom would expect to make a sizeable profit on the £1.5 million they paid for him last summer.
Redknapps hunt for a new striker comes after the trio of Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Crouch managed only 17 league goals between the in the last campaign.
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Porto duo Radamel Falcao and Hulk along with Villareal’s Giuseppe Rossi have also been linked but Odemwingie now seems to be Redknapp’s prime target.
Norwich striker Grant Holt feels that players from his club should be considered for international duty, but that an England call-up is not round the corner.
The burly forward scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season against Manchester United at the weekend, equalling Swansea’s Danny Graham as the top-scoring uncapped Englishman, and Holt feels recognition should be forthcoming.
“I don’t think it is round the corner,” he told Mirror Football.
“Myself and Danny got overlooked in this squad. But you have got to keep doing what you are doing, scoring goals, churning performances out.
“If you look, there are a few [Norwich players] who have the right to be disappointed.
“Wes Hoolahan hasn’t had an Ireland cap for the last two years, but has been by far the best Irish player for a long time.
“Anthony Pilkington and John Ruddy were overlooked [by England], and people might say it is because it’s Norwich. We are not at a big club so that is maybe what it is.
“But the lads have all got to keep doing it for Norwich and see where it takes us,” he concluded.
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Liverpool and Luis Suarez have been told by a leading anti-racism executive to drop their appeal against the striker’s ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra.
The FA handed the Uruguay international an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine for a supposed racist slur against the Manchester United defender, but the Merseyside side are ready to contest the decision.
Despite this, Piara Powar, the executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe, believes that The Reds should accept the punishment.
“The Football Association’s published judgment from the Suarez-Evra incident is welcome,” Powar told The Guardian.
“It appears the FA have taken their time to initiate a process that was both fair in its implementation of football rules and in accordance with the principles of British justice. As an international non-governmental organisation we think the investigation and judgment sets the bar for governing bodies globally.
“Racial abuse between players on the field of play has been an unspoken taboo for too long, an area that has been unsatisfactorily dealt with by English football despite many cases over the past 10 years. Luis Suarez and Liverpool FC have the right to appeal, however we would call on the club to think again about their public campaign to dispute the charges and contest the principles involved in the case.
“As a club with a good international standing the vehemence of their campaign is unquestionably causing them reputational harm,” he concluded.
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Gareth Bale has been named as Wales Footballer of the Year for the second year running, as the winger shone throughout 2010-11 for club and country.
The left footed speedster caught the world media’s attention with a stunning hat-trick for Spurs against Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League last campaign, and has been one of the brightest lights in the Premier League over the last year.
Bale received the PFA Player of the Year award last term also, and has delighted Spurs supporters with tricky runs, goals and attacking play.
He has also been a key member of the Wales set-up in a transitional phase for the nation, playing a large role in the side’s 2-1 win over Montenegro last month.
The Young Player of The Year award, which has been won by Aaron Ramsey for the last two seasons, has been awarded to Swansea midfielder Joe Allen.
Both players received their awards at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday night.
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Perhaps as recently as 12 months ago, Arsenal fans had every reason to believe that only one or two major signings were needed to make the club a genuine force in the Premier League once more. The lack of ambition in the transfer market has led many down a path of uncertainty and raised questions as to whether it is the manager who is simply refusing to spend money that is readily available or if the board are withholding any ability to hold a strong hand in the transfer market.
The initial frustration for many Arsenal fans can simply be sourced from the fact that there is not enough information coming out of the club. There continue to be conflicting statements from both the manager and chairman about where the club are looking to go, and yet, there is a resounding feeling among most that a healthy bank balance takes priority over success on the pitch.
Before the disastrous finish in last season’s Carling Cup Final, Arsene Wenger continued to bring to light the fact that Arsenal were the only English club in contention for all four trophies. Yet, despite the notable quality the club had in captain Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri, the loss to Birmingham initiated a free fall for the remaining months of the season, only to be capped off by the departure of the two aforementioned midfielders.
While the lack of significant movement in the transfer window is extremely disheartening to fans, there is also the sense that Wenger does not do enough with the resources he has at his disposal. He fails to learn from the many mistakes and failures of the last few seasons and continues to persevere with methods and tactics that simply do not work for the players at the club. It is widely noted that the switch to the 4-3-3 formation was introduced to accommodate Fabregas in the centre of the pitch. However, even without him or any player remotely close to his playing style and ability, the manager decides to remain with the formation that does nothing but expose players who are not suited to this style.
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The worst feeling for an Arsenal fan is to show disloyalty to a man who has given so much to the football club. Sadly, the failings at Arsenal are highlighted and sensationalised due to the fact that we’ve seen it all before. It is surely extremely difficult to accept back-to-back defeats as Arsenal have recently experienced against teams they should be beating if they are to remain in contention for a top four place. But the losses to Fulham and Swansea only highlighted the tactical shortcomings of the manager, who saw his side throw away winning positions twice.
I believe the frustration at the Emirates would be eased, if only for a short time, if it seemed like the manager was taking action. Arsene Wenger is widely considered one of the best at his profession, yet there is an overriding sense of the acceptance of mediocrity from him and the playing squad. There is no tactical creativity or an idea of tweaking formations to counter opposition threats; and the lack of urgency we see from Wenger surely filters down to the players. Why not change up the backroom staff? Why not employ former Arsenal players to add a bit of life into the training sessions? Harry Redknapp has a number of former players working under him at Tottenham, and I’m sure Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand, among others, are having a positive effect on the players. It’s not only about learning how to be a better footballer, it’s about learning the values of the club.
Again, it’s unclear whether Arsenal fans should show their frustration to a manager who seems to stubbornly stick to his own values, avoid spending lavishly on players and fail make changes where its needed; or if the board at Arsenal have knowingly given Wenger very little to work with. The is a real sense of division among Arsenal fans now, but the real frustration, and I believe the catalyst for much of the divide, is that fans simply do not know what the expectations and targets for this club are. Yes it does appear that the club are regressing, but instead to taking steps to steady the ship, there seems to be a total lack of concern for where this club may be in two or three years from now. And that, I believe, stems solely from the board room.
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Yakubu scored a late penalty to salvage a point for 10-man Blackburn against Wigan as the Premier League’s bottom two served up an absorbing North West derby.
The Nigerian striker kept his composure to score from the spot in the ninth minute of stoppage time after goalkeeper Paul Robinson came forward and won the penalty suffering a boot to the head in the process. It was Yakubu who had kicked off proceedings scoring within the first minute before Jordi Gomez fired home a super effort from 20-yards. Gary Caldwell then scored a rare goal before Junior Hoilett made it 2-2 in controversial circumstances. Albert Crusat put Wigan in front for a second time after David Dunn saw red for Rovers before a thrilling finale saw the visitors nick an unlikely point. Both sides went into the game occupying the top flight’s bottom two places with the Roberto Martinez’s side going looking to end a run of eight defeats in a row. The Spaniard made a big call before kick off leaving misfiring striker Hugo Rodallega out of the side and it paid dividends as his replacement Crusat got his name on the scoresheet. As for Rovers their manager Steve Kean was under increasing pressure to haul the club out of the bottom three with fans continuing to vent their frustrations over his tenure. Performances have gradually improved over the course of the season but the fact of the matter is that they were still losing games.
Preparations for the short trip to Wigan were thrown into turmoil after they arrived at the DW Stadium less than an hour before kick off but it didn’t seem to affect them as with Yakubu scoring within 68 seconds of referee Andre Marriner’s whistle. The former Everton man showed great ingenuity to chip the ball over Ali Al Habsi with his first touch for his 100th top flight goal after Steven N’Zonzi’s flick caught Caldwell napping at the back. The home side responded well and were level within seven minutes after midfielder Gomez justified his inclusion in the side with a well struck shot that beat Robinson from 20-yards. As far as games go this one was as open as you could get with both sides putting defending on the back burners in search of victory. Blackburn were the next to threaten with Morten Gamst Pedersen cracking the post from 30-yards with a free kick before the Latics took the lead. Caldwell took advantage of some poor marking from Scott Dann to steal in score his first of the season. Victor Moses should have put the game to bed soon after spurning two good chances as Martinez’s side ended the first half strongly.
They were given an almighty advantage after the break when Rovers were reduced to 10-men after Dunn was sent off for a foul on Mohamed Diame. However the visitors refused to lie down and drew level through a goal that caused great dispute between the Wigan players and referee Marriner. Pedersen seemed to dribble the ball straight from a corner before firing across goal and into the path of Hoilett who headed home from two-yards. Martinez displayed his fury on the touchline despite the official stating that Yakubu had put the ball into play. The scoring didn’t end their though as substitute Crusat came off the bench to fire home from 20-yards with just two minutes remaining to send the home support wild in the stands. However Rovers were handed a dramatic lifeline after they were awarded a penalty in stoppage time after David Jones inadvertently kicked Robinson in the head after the keeper came forward to attack a corner. Yakubu kept his cool to bring his side level and bring to an end a dramatic encounter.
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Corinthians’ inability to make an immediate payment has stalled Carlos Tevez’s transfer from Manchester City.The clubs appeared to have come to an agreement for the transfer of the Argentine striker, reportedly for a fee in the region of 40 million pounds.
But City’s request that Corinthians make their first payment before the transfer is completed, rather than in early 2012 as proposed by the Brazilian Serie A side, appears to be a deal-breaker.
Corinthians’ director of football, Duilio Monteiro Alves, confirmed the negotiations have stalled, saying: “I’m pessimistic. City want us to start the payments now, and we cannot do that.”
The transfer window in Brazil closes on Wednesday, meaning a resolution will need to be made swiftly if the deal is to go ahead.
However, Tevez’s attorney Adrian Ruocco did not seem confident a deal would be done in time.
“Regrettably, judging from the pace of negotiations right now, it is improbable that we will come to any agreement with Corinthians,” Ruocco told Lancenet.
“The only thing that stands in the way of a deal is this matter about the first instalment. But we will wait until Wednesday, that is the only thing we can do.”
One suggested solution is that Corinthians provide bank guarantees in order for a new payment structure to be worked out.
City boss Roberto Mancini will be hoping to resolve the matter quickly as the club prepares to put in a bid for unsettled Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.