Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas has been assured by club owner Roman Abramovich that he will not be sacked, even if the English side are eliminated from the Champions League.
The Stamford Bridge side have had an inconsistent 2011-12, with their season hanging in the balance currently; they take on Napoli in Italy in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday night.
Despite the media speculation regarding the Portuguese manager’s future, Villas Boas has revealed that he has been backed by the club’s Russian owner.
“There is full belief from the owner in what we’re doing,” Villas Boas told Sky Sports.
“From the message received from the club recently there is a clear indication that there’s a change in the way we approach the projects of the future.
“There is a belief in what we are going to do next year, setting out a team to win the biggest amount of trophies we can.
“That doesn’t undermine the responsibilities that we have this year. So bearing in mind those responsibilities this year, and the results we’ve been having, speculation is normal based on the cultural past of this football club.
“But we’ve got to understand sometimes there is a different perspective and I think that time is now.
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“With full confidence from the owner I will continue to do my job and my job is this year and next year,” he concluded.
Just hours after tasting success in the Europa League, Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas has already set his sights on more European glory.Villas-Boas became the youngest manager in history to lift a European trophy after Porto battled to a 1-0 win over Sporting Braga in Dublin on Wednesday night.
Radamel Falcao’s 44th-minute header – his 17th goal of the tournament – proved the decisive moment for the club, with the win taking them a step closer to an historic treble.
Porto wrapped up the Liga Sagres title with five matches to spare and they now just need to defeat Vitoria Guimaraes in the Taca De Portugal final on Sunday to seal a hat-trick of major trophies.
And the 33-year-old Villas-Boas – who will be in high demand as a manager – is committed to taking Porto to even greater success.
“I think we have to not focus on my ambitions, that’s not what is important. The most important thing is that Porto has the UEFA Cup in its trophy cabinet again,” he said.
“This is something very, very important for us. It reflects the quality of the work we do. After 2003-2004 it’s something very, very special to get it again. This is something that means a lot to us people of Porto and we are very close to another moment of joy, so let’s focus on beating this number of titles which is something we can be proud of.”
While the match did not live up to the hype of a final as the normally free-scoring Porto were somewhat subdued, Villas-Boas was thrilled to lift the trophy.
“I do feel just a little sad, because both teams could have been better,” he said.
“Both teams found it hard, but that is nothing new in a final. Braga are always very aggressive and very compact, which makes our work very hard.”
“But there is a great joy in winning the trophy.”
Striker Falcao is also likely to come in for some attention but Villas-Boas said he hoped high release clauses would stave off any potential suitors.
“Speculation is normal with managers and football players all around the world, it’s nothing new. Porto has had an incredible year, and people will speculate a lot with the exits. I can only tell you that Porto has the highest release clauses in the market so it’s not easy for any of this talent to run away from us and we would like to keep as much talent as possible for the year after,” he said.
For his part, Falcao could not hide his delight at sealing the title.
“I am very, very happy – I lived for a moment like this – but this is especially for the team,” Falcao said.
“I thank God and Porto to be in a position like this. Being the top-scorer is just an extra, what matters is the victory.”
Goalkeeper and Porto skipper Helton had extra reason to celebrate as he kept a clean sheet on his 33rd birthday.
“Besides being very heavy, this trophy is a wonderful birthday gift,” Helton said.
“We knew it would not be easy and that is how it proved.”
Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Sunderland marked the 4th successive time that Manchester United have drawn away from home in the Premier League this season. United’s stuttering form has been a real concern for United fans and their performance against the Black Cats can only be described as lacklustre.
With United seemingly stuck in an away-day rut, have they lost their winning mentality?
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson decided to rest arguably his most in-form player in Dimitar Berbatov. Instead of starting his form players, he chose to start Michael Owen and Federico Macheda against Sunderland; a move which backfired spectacularly. Ferguson realised the errors of his ways and replaced Owen with Berbatov just after half time and Macheda with Javier Hernandez on the 64 minute mark.
Ferguson’s decision to leave Berbatov of the starting line-up is puzzling to say the least. There was little need to rest Berbatov as the Premier League is now on a two-week international break. The Bulgarian has retired from international football meaning that he would have had plenty of time to recover before United’s next match against West Brom.
Berbatov’s omission from the first eleven is hopefully not due to a hubristic underestimation of Sunderland’s ability. In their last 15 meetings, Steve Bruce has failed to win against his United counterpart losing 12 and drawing 3. Saturday’s meeting brought the number of draws to four but Sunderland are an accomplished team and they showed that with a hugely impressive performance on the weekend.
Indeed, Sir Alex Ferguson admitted so much in his post-match comments. He said that they were “a very determined team” who had “the most chances in the game”.
While Ferguson’s post-match comments praised Sunderland, they also shed light on an interesting shift that has occurred in the mindset of the United manager.
Ferguson seems to be satisfied with draws against teams United really should beat. After the match against Sunderland, Ferguson said “the consistency of losing is something we can take [from the game]”. Similarly, against Bolton who are another team that United really should beat, Ferguson hailed the team’s “character” as United managed to rescue a point at the Reebok Stadium.
To shift the attention from United’s impotent attack, Ferguson was quick to praise the defence:
“We had to defend very well and the pleasing thing for me is that the back four were fantastic.”
“I am not pleased but I am satisfied. Sunderland had the most chances in the game and I have to say we were fantastic defensively.”
“That’s the area in which we have been leaking goals and throwing games away this season, so I am pleased with that.”
While United did defend well, it hasn’t been what has characterised an Alex Ferguson team. Under Ferguson, United have always played with a free-flowing attacking vigour and for Ferguson to emphasise the defensive aspect of the game, is to admit there is something seriously wrong with his attacking play.
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No doubt that the media attention placed upon Wayne Rooney has not helped the United in the slightest. The allegations about Rooney’s private life and his indifferent form have proved to be something of a distraction for the club but with the international break upon United, there is a chance for Sir Alex Ferguson to refocus his team and get back on track in the title race.
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It has been a common viewpoint over the past couple of seasons that Tottenham were just a top class striker away from being title contenders. The rest of the ingredients were there, the only thing that was missing was a man able to make the most of the chances that were being created in abundance from, perhaps, the most exciting midfield in the Premier League.
Emmanuel Adebayor has been that man this season, weighing in with 10 goals and assists already. The only issue for Spurs remains can they hold onto the Togolese target man beyond the summer, with his loan deal from rivals Manchester City due to expire at the end of the season.
Adebayor is rumoured to be keen to turn his loan into a permanent transfer at the end of the current campaign, thanks to his relationship with manager Harry Redknapp, who he says has recaptured his desire for the game. The striker told the Evening Standard:
“It’s always special to have a manager like this and I’ve got my confidence back and my life back,
“I came here to help the team get into the top four and I think I’m doing quite well at the moment.
“We all play football to gain money, too, especially as I’m from Africa and I have to give something back to my community. I’ve been doing a lot of charity work, I’m taking my own wages to do it and I will continue to do that until the end of my career.
“I’ll leave it to Harry Redknapp, Daniel Levy and (City chairman) Khaldoon Al Mubarak to find a solution among themselves.
“I have to enjoy myself on the pitch and they have to do the paperwork.”
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The 27-year-old currently picks up wages in the region of £170,000-per-week on his mega-contract at City, with Tottenham paying around half of that amount during his spell in North London. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would be willing to continue with that figure to keep him at the club permanently, but it remains unclear as to whether the striker would be willing to take a 50% pay cut.
Keeping Adebayor is a must for Spurs if they are to signal their intent at a title push next season. He has been a key part of the attacking set-up at White Hart Lane, getting the best out of whoever he partners, and giving the team a physical presence in the final third. The striker has been paired with Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Louis Saha this term, linking with each to great effect, as well as being adept as a lone front man with Rafael van der Vaart in support. Allowing him to leave would be a backward step for the club, who would struggle to find a proven replacement for a similar transfer fee over the summer.
Another issue could be ‘Arry’s long-term commitment to the club, in light of the availability of the England job. If offered the position, it’s likely that Redknapp would find it too tempting an offer to refuse, placing doubt over Adebayor’s willingness to commit to a permanent deal. He has already stated the effect that his new coach has had on his game, and the threat of a another manager and new system could deter Adebayor.
The Togo International will not be short of potential suitors this summer due to the quality of his performances. The Qatari backed duo of Malaga and Paris Saint-Germain are rumoured to be interested in the front-man, and would be able to match his current payload, plus there is supposed interest from some of Italy’s big clubs.
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Spurs face a battle to keep hold of their on-loan striker, but if they are willing to put their money where their mouth is, it would almost certainly be a wise investment, with the Togo man enjoying his football at White Hart Lane.
There is no longer a revolution underway at Anfield, it is well and truly complete as Liverpool now occupy fifth place in the Premier League and although it is probably too late to catch Manchester City for the Champions League berth, this season has been well and truly rescued by Kenny Dalglish and his team. Liverpool spent big and boldly in the January transfer window in order to try and salvage their season and despite Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez (especially) having performed well for the Merseyside outfit since their arrival, it has been ‘King’ Kenny’s faith in the youngsters that has been the real positive from this season.
John Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Jay Spearing, Jonjo Shelvey and Martin Kelly have all made great strides under the Kop Hero and have slotted in comfortably to aid Liverpool through their injury troubles, with all of them turning in performances that belie their years. Dalglish’s belief in the youngsters has been a breathe of fresh air in a league that sees the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City mainly ignoring home grown talent and preferring to spend big abroad, but with a reported major summer overhaul of Liverpool’s squad, will the promising starlets be lost amongst pound signs and foreign imports?
Since the end of January, Liverpool have only let in 8 goals, a remarkable feat by a defensive unit. Martin Kelly, can play all across the back line and prior to his injuries the young England Under-21 international’s performances have even forced Liverpool and England’s first choice right back Glen Johnson to play at left back several times this year. But with both these full backs out, along with Fabio Aurelio, up stepped Jack Robinson. The young Englishman put in a sublime performance in the recent 1-1 draw with Arsenal, where he had Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott in his ‘back pocket’. With such talents emerging in the full back positions, should Liverpool really look to be adding someone like Newcastle left back Jose Enrique to their squad?
Jay Spearing epitomises that iconic FIFA 2010 saying “bulldog-like approach” and has been hugely impressive in the absence of Steven Gerrard. Despite the much improved performances of Lucas and a returning Aquilani, if Liverpool were to partner the young Englishman with Stevie G next season, he would only get better, which is a scary thought considering Spearing’s incredible determination and work rate already at just 22.
The future is bright down Anfield Road and if Kenny Dalglish sits tight, he will reap the rewards from his young stars next season, and with the money saved on transfers perhaps Kenny can afford a different haircut after 30 years.
Perhaps the time has come for a Red Dawn.
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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards
The transfer window shut some time ago now and we’ve had a chance to see most of the Premier League summer signings in action by now. Transfer activity was generally slow, minus Manchester City of course who might even have spent more than the rest of the Premiership teams put together, but as always deadline day itself brought at least a bit of excitement. It’s always hard to predict how new signings will perform: some will hit the ground running, while others will have to make do with warming the bench for the season. But some transfers have caught the eye: either for being great bargains or for involving potential Premier League stars of the future, or both! Here are ten of the best pieces of business by Premier League clubs this summer…
Click on the image below to see the Top TEN Premier League Summer Transfers
The narrow minded attitude of the BBC has sparked plenty of criticism over the past month or so as two Football League Shows over the Christmas period were cancelled, suggesting that the show could be scrapped altogether. Rumours were flying about on social networking sites but it is still unclear whether the 72 football league clubs’ supporters will be able to watch action from their teams.
The BBC claim it is in negotiations over whether to recommission the Football League Show, which is in the final year of a three-year contract, but whether they are successful is still to be seen as the Premier League is once again showing its distance between the rest.
A BBC spokeswoman made a statement on the recent cancellations: “The Boxing Day and 2nd January fixtures are outside our contractual obligations,” she said. “Many factors come into play when planning the busy Christmas schedules and we were unable to schedule a programme for New Year’s Eve. To address the shortfall, we will be doing an additional programme later in the season.”
Football League Show host Manish Bhasin attempted to squash any rumours that his show will be no longer after this season is finished.
“Budget decision I’m afraid … but all the goals will be online on the BBC Football website,” he said on Twitter “The FLS has NOT been scrapped! It’s on till May and who knows maybe even longer … but …”
Whatever the decision come May, the nonchalant decision to not show crucial fixtures for waiting fans is a clear sign that the BBC have more interest in the Premier League than ever. The gap between the top two divisions in England is widely thought not to be a great deal in footballing terms, but financially and in people’s priorities it is now huge.
The funding for the Championship sides is decreasing consistently and clubs falling from the top division are finding it harder and harder to compete at the lower level due to financial restrictions and a shock to the system.
It is staggering to think that the Championship, League One and League Two clubs get so little TV time but yet I am confident that West Ham, Birmingham City, Southampton and possibly Cardiff City would not look out of place in the declining Premier League this season. The parachute payments are a ticking time bomb for clubs such as Blackpool who will take a long time to match the heights of Premier League football last season and without excellent owners will have that debt for a long time.
The Football League Show will return this weekend even though the BBC claim that this weeks’ Carling Cup games were more important than the Football League in recent weeks, but the timing of the show usually passes midnight and not all supporters will be able to watch it which once again shows priorities that are not welcomed in modern day football. I am interested in all levels of English football, not just the top 20 teams so why should I not be able to watch the rest because the BBC feel it is less important.
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Do you think the Football League Show is worth keeping on? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain hit a hat-trick in their 6-3 thrashing of Valencia in La Liga on Saturday.Jose Mourinho’s side was in devastating form as they held a 4-0 half-time lead at the Estadio de Mestalla, although they failed to make up any ground on first-placed rivals Barcelona, who also had a win.
Higuain was the provider of the first in the 23rd minute as his pass led to Valencia goal-keeper Vicente Guaita palming into the path of Karim Benzema, who hammered home into an empty net.
The Argentine got his first goal of three in the 31st minute with a tight finish, before setting up Kaka for the team’s third six minutes from half-time.
The Brazilian returned the favour twice to Higuain, either side of the interval, as Real Madrid led 5-0 after 53 minutes.
Valencia striker Roberto Soldado pulled a goal back on the hour mark before Kaka completed his brace after an assist from Benzema two minutes later.
Substitutes Jonas and Jordi Alba provided some respectability to the scoreline with goals in the last 10 minutes as the third-placed Valencia crashed to a heavy defeat.
Barcelona maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table, however, with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Osasuna.
Goals from David Villa and his second-half replacement Lionel Messi ensured Pep Guardiola’s team kept their buffer at the top.
Villa finished smartly in the 24th minute after benefiting from a slick team move that led to a superb pass from Jeffren in his direction.
Messi wrapped up the points two minutes from time with a neat finish after Dani Alves slid him behind the Osasuna defence.
The loss continues Osasuna’s nervous finish to the season, still sitting two points above the drop zone.
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis is hoping to strengthen his squad following an injury-plagued start to the new season.
Pulis saw Mamady Sidibe join fellow striker Kenwyne Jones on the sidelines during Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham.
Club record signing Jones was already facing a spell in the treatment room with a knee problem picked up on his debut against Wolves before Sidibe ruptured his Achilles tendon on Saturday.
He is likely to be sidelines for around ten months which has left Pulis short of attacking options.
"Mamady will be out for a year and that's a massive disappointment because the effort and commitment he puts in for us every week is just first class," said Pulis.
"We've already lost Kenwyne Jones for the trip to Chelsea and though it's not going to be the six or seven months we first feared, it's still a ligament injury that could be another two or three weeks.
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"We're looking to bring in another three or four players but this has been our toughest start since we came back up."
Meanwhile, Pulis has laughed off reports linking him with a move for Tottenham's England striker Peter Crouch.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
I think it’s fair to say that Arsenal fan patience with Russian International Andrei Arshavin has finally run out. His completely ineffectual cameo against City on Sunday could well prove to be the kiss of death for his Premier League career. All the talent in the world means naught if you don’t have the fitness levels to back it up in combination with the will and mentality to see out a game.
It’s telling that the last two meaningful Arsenal shots on Joe Hart’s goal came from Thomas Vermaelen, a man with a genuine never-say-die attitude. All I can remember from Arshavin is a dirt poor cross, which had the delivery been better would likely have resulted in a goal.
With Gervinho off to the African Cup of Nations and Chu-Young Park not offering a real alternative, I think it’s fair to say that Arsenal ought to bring somebody else in.
Some may suggest promoting the likes of Tomas Rosicky , Yossi Benayoun or Oxlade-Chamberlain, but they are all either too old or too raw. What’s really needed to replace Arshavin is a player as influential as the diminutive Russian was when he first arrived at the club.
The usual names will be tossed out: Lukas Podolski (yes please), Eden Hazard (we can dream) and Goetze (who can play on the wings as well as in the centre of midfield) but I think Wenger should also give heavy considerations to Xherdan Shaqiri.
Shaqiri has come on leaps and bounds during his time at FC Basel and his rise to prominence culminated in him providing the two assists that saw Man United tumble out the Champions League. At just 5”7 he certainly wouldn’t add any height to this Arsenal side, yet neither did Arshavin. What’s needed is his direct running, dynamism and his eye for a pass.
Indeed, he strikes me as the perfect antidote to Arshavin. What impresses about Shaqiri at just 20-years-old is his hunger and work-rate. He’s like a grass-powered dynamo, fizzing across the pitch, eager to make things happen. It’s all a far cry from Arshavin’s tepid, effort-free approach to the game.
Of course, in all likelihood Wenger won’t buy this kind of player during the January transfer window. Maybe he’ll instead seek to address the Gunner’s full-back problem. Of course that wont stop fans dreaming of the possibilities and surely Shaqiri is one of the very best?
Article courtesy of Harry Cloke from This is Futbol
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