Sir Alex Ferguson is considering allowing striker Federico Macheda to go out on loan in January.
Italian sides Lazio and Roma are the teams who are both interested in securing the services of the 19 year-old until the end of the season.
Since making his name by scoring a late wonder goal against Aston Villa in 2009, Macheda has failed to live up to expectations and has struggled to keep himself in first team affairs. He now finds himself behind Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez in the forward pecking order at Old Trafford.
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Macheda joined Manchester United from Lazio as a 16 year-old and made numerous appearances for United’s U-18 side before signing his first professional contract with the Red Devils in 2008. He is yet to earn a full cap for the Italian national side, but has played 19 games for their U-16, U-17, U-19 and U-21 sides, scoring four goals.
Liverpool return to Wembley for the 3rd time this season as Kenny Dalglish’s men looking to complete the domestic cup, should they be able to beat Chelsea this coming weekend. Gary McAllister believes that Steven Gerrard could be the key behind them achieving a result, given his influence over the rest of the team.
“Well, obviously I am a bit biased, but I think the influence that Steven Gerrard has on the game is always big for Liverpool. Generally, when he plays well and is influential then Liverpool win. I think he is very key to Liverpool. He has helped win an FA Cup final for them in the past, against West Ham in 2006.
“So Gerrard is very big for Liverpool, but their maverick forward Luis Suarez is very exciting. He is a player who can frustrate at times, as he can give the ball away too easily, but then at other times he is sublime. When it’s a cup-tie football and it’s tight, you just need someone with that little bit of inspiration and magic, and he can produce that.
“Defensively I don’t think Liverpool have had much of a problem this season. Their goals against is as good as anybody in the league. But they have had a problem scoring goals.
“I’ve been at Anfield a few times this season, and I have watched a lot of draws there against lesser teams. Against the bigger teams motivation hasn’t been a problem, they can always raise their game. But the problem has been against the so-called lesser teams. I think in perhaps three of the five draws I have seen at Anfield this season the opposition goalkeeper has won Man of the Match, so that tells you something right away.”
For more insight from Gary McAllister and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport
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With all the talent on display at Manchester United, it can be very easy to overlook some of the players who have stayed out of the media limelight, yet have made a huge contribution in helping the club achieve the success that it has. One player who undoubtedly falls into this category is Park Ji-Sung.
It has recently been announced that Sir Alex Ferguson has offered a two-year contract extension to the South Korean, who retired from international duty back in January in order to focus on his club career. This is a just reward for a player who has worked tirelessly during his time at Old Trafford, helping the club to 4 League titles and 3 League Cups. And yet he has not always been given the credit that he deserves. He may have played alongside some of the world’s greatest and most renowned midfielders, such as Christiano Ronaldo, Nani and Paul Scholes, but he has quietly gone about his job, not created anywhere near as much controversy as his counterparts and, throughout his career at United, barely put a foot wrong.
When you look back at the highlights of Park’s career at Manchester United and with South Korea, it is difficult to see why there has not been more of a fuss made about him:
14 June 2002 – Scored a memorable goal for South Korea against Portugal in the World Cup to help them through to the knock-out stages of the tournament for the first time in their history.
9 April 2006 – Scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester United in a 2-0 win over Arsenal
29 April 2008 – Voted Man of the Match in United’s Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona
21 September 2008 – Scored for United in a 1-1 draw against title rivals Chelsea
13 December 2008 – Made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0-0 draw against Spurs
5 May 2009 – Scored against Arsenal in a 3-1 win the Champions League semi-final
27 May 2009 – Became the first Asian player in history to play in the Champions League final
31 January 2010 – Scored a crucial goal in a 3-1 win at Arsenal in the Premier League
10 March 2010 – Scored for United in their 4-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League
21 March 2010 – Scored the winner in a 2-1 win over Liverpool
12 June 2010 – Became the first Asian to score in 3 consecutive World Cups, scoring in South Korea’s 2-0 win over Greece
November and December 2010 – Won the club’s Player of the Month award 2 months in a row
13 December 2010 – Scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Arsenal
25 January 2011 – Made his 100th appearance for South Korea in their Asian Cup semi-final match against Japan
12 April 2011 – Scored in United’s 2-1 Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea
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These highlights prove that Park is a player who loves the big time and has played a pivotal role in some of United’s biggest matches of the last five years.
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He is also one of the most versatile players in English football, with his ability to play anywhere across the midfield. He works well in both defensive and attacking positions and his work ethic and movement off the ball are superb. He also has very high fitness levels and his discipline is exceptionally good. He may not be one of the most glamorous or celebrated players in United’s squad, but he is undoubtedly one of the most useful. He is arguably the greatest Asian to have ever played in the Premiership.
As a new season approaches and now that Paul Scholes has retired, competition for places in United’s midfielder will be greater than ever. Ashley Young has been drafted in and youngsters such as Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley are proving themselves to be stars of the future. Park may have a difficult time convincing Sir Alex that he is good enough to play in the first team on a regular basis. But given his track record at United thus far, his versatility and his commitment to the club, it will be impossible to ignore him. A regular first team spot is the least a player like Park Ji-Sung deserves.
Read more of Sam’s articles at http://diamondformation.wordpress.com/. Also follow him on Twitter: @DiamondFormat.
Celtic have drawn their last 3 league games and if I were Neil Lennon I would seriously be thinking about ways to ensure Celtic can get their title bid back on track as of January. Today, I propose 5 ways to ensure Celtic recapturing the league title.
1.I am a huge fan of Neil Lennon but it is fast becoming evident that he is tactically inexperienced as Celtic have failed to turn draws into wins. The worrying thing is these last three drawn games were at home, Celtic park used to be a daunting prospect but in recent times it has become anything but. For me this is due to Lennon’s inexperience, the only solution to the problem is time, something Celtic do not really have.
2. If Celtic have sure up their centre back pairing come January I am confident the team can push for the title during the second half of the season. There is an air of cautiousness surrounding the whole team at the moment and I am confident in saying the reason for this is the teams 2 centre backs. Glenn Loovens and Daniel Majstorovic the main culprits.
3. With Celtics troubles at the back would a change in formation be the answer? I feel with the attacking prowess of both Emilio Izaguirre and Cha Du Ri the teams full backs would the idea of playing with 3 centre backs turn around the teams fortunes. If the two full backs were deployed as wing backs would Celtics leaky defence turn into a more watertight entity?
4. With Celtic drawing their last three games are their questions to be asked about the teams attacking ability? It would seem the team have only scored four goals in their three matches, are Celtic’s strikers up to the task? With players like Giorgios Samaras and Daryl Murphy regularly featuring I would have to say Celtic need to seriously think about their attacking options.
5. In Paddy McCourt Celtic have an absolute gem of a player. If Lennon could get him fit enough to play 90 minutes regularly then I feel half the battle would be won in terms of unlocking opposition defences. McCourt has the skill and ability to not only entertain but to win matches too. Time and time again we have seen the Northern Irishman score great solo goals as he glides past defender after defender. Could he be a serious catalyst to Celtics title bid?
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Didier Drogba has backed Fernando Torres to lead the Chelsea attack next season, after confirming that he will be leaving the west London club.
The Ivory Coast international scored the equaliser in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich last Saturday, before slotting home the winning penalty in the shoot-out to see Roberto Di Matteo’s men as European champions.
However, with his contract expiring Drogba has confirmed he will be leaving Stamford Bridge, but feels Torres will be a worthy successor.
“It’s been difficult for him, but he has showed he is the man,” Drogba told reporters, published by Sky Sports.
“Next season is going to be his season and I will try to speak to him. We have a good relationship. We don’t understand why we didn’t play together more, but that’s the past. Torres is the future.”
The African marksman went on to admit that he is happy to have won everything there is to win with Chelsea and will leave on a high.
“I think winning the game was the key. Not me scoring the penalty. Winning the game was the turning point, that’s why I have decided to say goodbye.
“We made the story together and I want people to remember that. This is the best time to move on.
“Yes, there’s a chance that if the result was different, maybe I would be here.
“We were talking for many weeks, but the turning point was based on the fact I won everything I could and scored in most of the finals we have played, trying to make a difference. I hope everyone will understand. Everything I did was for the fans and I hope they understand,” he concluded.
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Drogba is expected to move to big-spending Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, but as yet this has not been confirmed.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that he hopes highly rated Jose Enrique will remain at the Tyneside club.
The Spanish full-back has been subject to transfer speculation after an impressive 2010/11, with Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly interested in the ex-Villarreal defender. However his boss knows that it will be difficult to convince the 25-year-old to stay at St James Park.
“No-one is more keen for him to stay than myself. He was a terrific player for us last year and he has been terrific for the club,” the former West Ham coach told BBC Radio Newcastle.
“We are trying to persuade him to stay, but with a year running on his contract and his desire to play Champions League football at his age, it’s going to be difficult to keep him. It’s one of those situations where we just have to keep watching and hoping that it falls our way,” he stated.
The 49-year-old is also hoping further success on the pitch in 2011/12 will be the key to keeping his starmen, as the northern club are struggling to compete with the top six financially.
“As it stands financially at the moment, we can’t compete with those top teams in terms of trading players. But of course we can compete on the football pitch, so what we have tried to do is bring in players that we feel have an improvement in them and a desire to play for Newcastle, and that’s why we targeted the players that we have.
“Now the most important thing to keep those players is to put success in front of them. When you are building a new side, it needs to have progression, and that’s something we are going to need this season, we are going to need to see a progression in our form, in our consistency and get as close as we can to those top teams.
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“If we see that, I think we an keep them another year, and then when we go into that second or third year, then you really, really need to be very, very close because then they are going to start looking, as Jose is now, for those trophies, and I think we can do that. The likes of [Cheick] Tiote, Cabaye and people like that, we are going to have to have success on the pitch to keep them, 100%,” he concluded.
Pardew also stated that he has a good working relationship with Joey Barton, and hopes the midfielder remains in his squad for the forthcoming season.
Around a month ago Liverpool were on the brink of administration and were in the middle of a brief dalliance with the relegation zone. Fast forward a month and, although things are not entirely fixed, both on and off the pitch, life at Anfield is looking up. After a sensational win over champions Chelsea, Liverpool dropped points against both Wigan and Stoke before putting in an accomplished performance against West Ham at the weekend. If Liverpool had transformed the loss at Stoke and the draw at Wigan into victories they would be sitting one point shy of the Champions League places. As it is they are still only 6 points off 4th and 9 points off the top, and with the way the title challengers are dropping points on a weekly basis, the title is seemingly anyone’s for the taking. So could Liverpool yet make a push for the top?
Their performance against Chelsea was their best of the season by far and although West Ham were woefully poor on Saturday, you can only beat what’s in front of you. The way the league is panning out, it may be one of the tightest seasons ever, with Sir Alex Ferguson noting there could easily be five teams going for the top, and Arsene Wenger asserting that there may even be seven in the running. What Liverpool need is some consistency, if a side can put together a run of wins, then they will find themselves in with an excellent chance of emerging from that run somewhere near the top of the table, and with things looking up at Anfield, there is seemingly no reason that Liverpool can’t be that side.
However, as has been seen at Anfield all too often this season, consistency isn’t something that has generally characterised Liverpool’s performances. But with stability beginning to come at the very top of the club, perhaps it will filter down, ending in with more dependable performances on the pitch. It may seem a little farfetched to suggest that Liverpool have a shot at the title, considering they have lost 5 league games already this season, but to put that in perspective, Chelsea have already lost 4 and sit on top of the pile, albeit on goal difference, and lost 6 last year before going on to clinch the title.
Liverpool may not win the title this season, or even bag themselves a Champions League spot, but with the unpredictable nature of the Premier League so far this season, they would be ill-advised to settle for another mediocre finish just yet.
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West Ham United’s 3-0 defeat to Burnley will be overshadowed by the unsavoury scenes at the London Stadium.
The Saturday afternoon clash was interrupted a handful of times by separate pitch invaders.
One grabbed the corner flag and held it aloft after making his way onto the field, while another was thrown to the floor by West Ham captain Mark Noble.
The Telegraph reports that a large number of fans flooded the standing area in front of co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan to hurl abuse at the businessmen.
The publication claims that fans accused the pair of “destroying our club”, which mirrors the constant bashing that the West Ham figures receive on Twitter.
Supporters have been angry for some time, particularly after the club left Upton Park to move into the Olympic ground in Stratford in 2016, and it seems that the fury has boiled over.
For rival fans, though, the unsavoury scenes were met with amusement.
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Tottenham supporters, who have been feeling miserable since their club were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night, were among those on social media mocking the East London outfit.
Spurs have really yo-yoed this season, matching the impressive with the, erm… not so impressive. But we here at Football FanCast appreciate the North London side, who are, after all, one of the nation’s top clubs.
The coverage we give them is thorough and diverse, and here are five of the very best article revolving around the Lilywhites for you to get your teeth into…
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FIVE reasons this Tottenham ace HAS to be first choice
Harry Kane really bagged the headlines over the weekend in north London. The Spurs ‘super sub’ netted a stunning late free-kick at Aston Villa to snatch victory with what looked to be the jaws of defeat, further strengthening his claims for a Spurs starting berth.
Cup action has made up the majority of the 21-year-old’s playing time this campaign, but Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that he may now give the youngster more chances in the bigger games. So, with that in mind, here are FIVE reasons we at FFC Towers believe that could be wise decision…
So, is Kane able? Click here to read on
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FIVE reasons Tottenham must take a punt on this Baggies ace
While Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa having been hogging the limelight and Graziano Pelle has been picking up praise for his adaptation, Saido Berahino has been quietly plugging away in the background. The 21-year-old has now notched six Premier League goals and looks set to fulfil the obvious potential he’s had for some time.
Naturally, with West Brom being one of the division’s smaller clubs, the big teams are circling the young striker, with Spurs particularly keen. Talk of a big money January bid has been doing the rounds, and here are FIVE reasons it would make sense for the White Hart Lane side.
Is Berahino the answer? Find out now!
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Should Tottenham bring back THIS former ace to ease their problems?
Many great England strikers have graced English football. Alan Shearer, Andy Cole, Michael Owen, Teddy Sheringham, Jimmy Greaves and Geoff Hurst just to name a few. Scoring a vast number of goals in the best league in the world will have people saying our name for many years. Greaves and Hurst are prime examples of this. One striker in this generation that has always guaranteed goals at any level is Jermain Defoe.
The England international has set the Premier League alight in the past 10 years. After being spotted at Charlton Athletic by West Ham United, Defoe was shortly shipped out on loan to play for AFC Bournemouth. In 29 appearances for the Cherries, Defoe scored a respectable 18 goals. While at Dean Court, he was also breaking records, scoring in 10 consecutive games, the first player to do so since John Aldridge’s post-war record.
Is Defoe the answer? Click here to read on…
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FIVE release clauses Tottenham should consider activating in January
Football – Tottenham Hotspur Press Conference – Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground – 22/10/14Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino during a press conferenceMandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew CouldridgeLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Who first dreamed up the notion of the release clause? Perhaps it was a ploy adopted from the business sector – potentially incarnated by former Tottenham-owner-turned-TV-personality-turned-Lord, Alan Sugar. Perhaps it was invented by Mr. R. Clause himself. Perhaps ex-Liverpool director Damien Comolli, a relentlessly suspicious character, came up with it.
Either way, the release clause adds an interesting dynamic to the transfer market – a simple-yet-effective method of saying ‘If you want him that badly, this is how much you’ll have to pay. Don’t bother negotiating. I can’t be bothered to sit in a boardroom, sipping coffee and downing croissants, whilst debating it.’
Indeed, release clauses can often be extortionate. But here’s FIVE buy-out fees Football Fancast thinks strikes great value-for-money and Spurs should consider activating when the transfer window reopens in January.
Who could Spurs net on the cheap? Read on, here
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FIVE signings to make Spurs a ‘Pochettino team’
Football – Seattle Sounders v Tottenham Hotspur – Pre Season Friendly – CenturyLink Field, Seattle, United States of America – 14/15 – 19/7/14Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pochettino alongside First Team Technical Support Coach Jesus Perez (L) and First Team Coach Miguel D’Agostino (R)Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Troy WayrynenEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Former Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino came in during the summer and although there are signs of his progressive, high-pressing philosophy being successfully implemented at White Hart Lane, his Tottenham side are still very much a work in progress.
The style and attitude of player available to him appears to be the biggest stumbling block; the Saints were a hard-working, earnest bunch, but the Lilywhites have a couple more Prima-donnas in their ranks.
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In terms of squad dynamics, some assembly is still required. In other words, the Argentine needs to make signings that with transform Tottenham into a definitive, bona fide ‘Pochettino team’. Here’s FIVE he should strongly consider.
Who could help ‘Mo Po’ get on the go-go…
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Two games, 38 shots, an average of 60% possession, total domination and chance after chance created.
It was an exciting Christmas of football, but all this led to just 2 goals and 1 point, leaving the Blackpool fans, manager and players feeling like they had all the presents robbed on Christmas eve.
If there was a phrase to sum up the last two matches it would be “numerous chances”. It has been said numerous times by numerous people to describe the numerous chances that have been squandered by a profligate Blackpool frontline. The midfield has taken complete control of games and created enough chances to win every game from now until the end of the season, yet the frontmen can’t seem to put anything away. The fact that we were a last minute equaliser away from taking nothing from Huddersfield is cause for concern, but you can’t fault the effort of the players.
In the last few weeks we have seen a progression under Appleton. The defence has started to look pretty tight, we look like we can defend crosses, and we have taken control of games without leaving ourselves exposed. But you have to wonder whether working on the shape of the team and the defensive side of the game has left the strikers feeling a little rusty.
Against Wolves it was ‘one of those days’ where it just wouldn’t go in. Everything was thrown at the Wolves goal with Gomes twice hitting the post, Thomas missing an open net, Ince choosing to pass when he should shoot and vice versa, and Ikeme having to make save after save to keep them in it. Unfortunately, the Wolves keeper was inspired and did make save after save, including a fantastic set of three saves in 90 seconds. Wolves barely left their own half in the match, yet got an easy opening goal after 2 minutes and then were awarded, what turned out to be, a match-winning joke of a decision. A tug on the shirt that has never been a penalty. The majority of the time such a thing wouldn’t even be punished if it were on the halfway line, but the referee on the night (who judging by his performance must have been a blood relative of one of the Wolves players) saw fit to gift the visitors the game without even realising that the incident happened outside the box. One of those days indeed.
The players dusted themselves down and headed to Huddersfield along with a hefty away following. Boxing day footy. You just can’t beat it. Aside from any exciting or nerve-shredding final games of the season, the Boxing day fixture has always been my favourite, and it looked as though we would have a lot to celebrate when the game started.
Within about 6 seconds Blackpool should have taken the lead after a fine pass by Gomes sent Taylor-Fletcher through, only for him to boot it high over the bar. A minute later and he had another chance after a great cross by Thomas gave him a free header at goal, but he hit the post. Now, it would be churlish to suggest that Taylor-Fletcher spent the Christmas period munching too much turkey, but had he put just one of his ‘numerous chances’ away during that match, we would be sitting pretty.
He wasn’t the only one to blame though, not by a long way. After all, we are only in the second minute here. Ince missed a sitter, Thomas missed a sitter, Taylor-Fletcher missed more sitters, and even Isaiah Osbourne managed to wriggle his way into the box and miss a sitter. And this is just the first 20 minutes.
Ince later took on the entire Terriers defence only to consider it too simple before turning back and doing it all again. By the time he had a shot, it was blocked on the line. How that game was 0-0 at halftime I will never understand. It wasn’t a case of it could have been 5 or 6, it SHOULD have been 5 or 6. Proper, genuine goalscoring chances. Throw into the mix a dozen half-chances too and the game should have been out of sight and players should have been cruising, saving their energy for the trip to Middlesborough.
This wasn’t quite as unlucky as against Wolves though. For all the dominance and opportunities, I can’t recall a save in the first half. Their keeper didn’t put in the performance of his life because, if anything, he was underworked.
After the break it was more of the same with Blackpool creating chances freely yet failing to take them, and when the home side got a corner on 66 minutes, the inevitable happened. Against the run of play seems like a gross understatement, but it was and out of nowhere Gerrard popped up to give Huddersfield the lead and leave Blackpool fans furious at the wastefulness of their team.
Following the goal the same pattern continued, but the chances were starting to dry up. Blackpool’s players were losing patience and running out of ideas. Gomes missed a chance, a horrendous touch by Delfouneso led to another missed opportunity, another poor header from Taylor-Fletcher added to the list and it looked as if, somehow, Blackpool would leave empty handed.
That was the case right up to the 93rd minute when, in a moment of sheer wonder, Tom Ince discovered the had a right foot hanging from the bottom of his right leg. Buoyed by his latest discovery, he swung the previously unknown object towards the ball which fired into the box and was tapped home by Delfouneso via a deflection of a lunging Huddersfield defender.
Not so much a cheer as a roar of frustration released from the Blackpool fans. What would normally be one of the great sporting moments, grabbing a last minute goal, was enjoyed only momentarily as the reality sunk in at the final whistle. This game should have been dead and buried, yet here we are celebrating a last minute equaliser. The joys of football hey!
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Appleton’s interview after game was interesting listening. He sounded exactly how we felt. Stunned and annoyed. Laughing every few sentences as he struggled to come to terms with the game. And again, as is becoming the norm, he said all the right things. To paraphrase, he told us that after what he’d just said to the players in the dressing room, he will need to remind in training them how good the performance actually was. And that is exactly the right way round. The players needed a good rollocking for not winning that game, but we mustn’t forget some of the football which was scintillating at times.
So we head into the last game of the year in 11th place on 33 points. Only 4 points of the playoffs which, if we had finished properly, we would be sitting in right now. It’s easy to forget that we are only half way through the season and we don’t even require a string of results to get back into the mix. Just a little bit of consistency and some composure in front of goal, and we will be right up there.
It is hard to diagnose a problem really, because everything happened. Poor decision making, rushed finishing, taking too much time, snatching at shots, pretty much everything. In there somewhere, normally, would be about 10 goals. But there wasn’t and all we can do is look at the positives. We are back to dominating games and creating chances, whilst at the other end we look a lot more solid. Somebody is in for a right old tonking soon, so watch out Boro.