Samir Nasri has taken a swipe at former club Arsenal once more, stating that he is glad that he is at Manchester City so he can be in the running to win trophies.
The France international left the Emirates Stadium last summer to join Roberto Mancini’s men, and had a parting dig at the north London club by stating that he was leaving to win silverware.
The attacking midfielder has once more slated Arsene Wenger’s men, which will infuriate fans of his ex-employers.
“Celebrate your third-place achievement and I will focus on winning titles,” Nasri is quoted as saying by The Daily Mail.
“I’m glad I left because City are far more competitive and are winning titles, not dreaming about it.
“I have said 300 times I did not leave Arsenal for money, only for sporting aspirations and if people don’t believe me that’s their problem,” he continued.
Nasri looks set to feature for France on Monday evening against England, and the City playmaker has admitted that losing is not an option.
“There is a great deal of confidence in the French camp but much will depend on the opening game against England.
“They remain an extremely tough opponent. I have had banter with Joe Hart and Joleon Lescott at City but losing is not an option.
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“I would like to see both sides qualify but people need to understand that if France qualify at the expense of England then so be it,” he concluded.
The British summer is upon us once more and surprisingly nothing much has changed. The English rain still falls, Murray still hasn’t won Wimbledon and now Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists he still won’t be spending big in the transfer market.
It’s a recurring trend that sports fans across the country have become accustomed to but the Frenchman’s principles have led to another of his star players being linked with a move away from the club. Robin van Persie’s impending departure has raised further concerns at the Emirates Stadium that they cannot compete financially with Premier League’s big spenders. While many fans appreciate the Gunners’ sustainability, Manchester City’s ability to snare their best players every summer has led to some questioning why their top talent cannot be persuaded to stay in North London.
With one year left on his contract, Van Persie’s future is not set in stone but many believe it is only a matter of time before the Dutchman leaves and while Wenger’s philosophy of spending wisely is admirable, the Arsenal project has lost another talented individual at a time when they should have been playing their best football for the club. The one positive will be the hefty chunk of cash received but since Wenger has announced he will not be splashing out, Arsenal fans will certainly not be witnessing the same sort of player influx as Paris Saint Germain this summer.
It may not be a glamorous recruitment policy but its needs must given Wenger’s philosophy so which players can Arsenal realistically sign on the cheap that will improve their squad?
Click on Mathieu Valbuena to unveil the top 10
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The phrase, “must get off to a good start,” is as horribly tedious as it is immortal. Every season it seems to get dusted off as we evaluate a new manager’s chances, as if a mediocre or uninspiring start would be some form of viable alternative. Every time a manager walks into a new club, they’ve got to hit the ground running and start winning games. For Brendan Rodgers though, the phrase might hold a bit more prominence.
Liverpool enter the new season under a real paradox of expectation. The appointment of Brendan Rodgers is one that is supposed to exude longevity. The Ulsterman is a of the new breed of young manager and he brings with him a blueprint for the future alongside his roadmap for technical excellence. Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, seem to be doing everything in their power to emphasize this- it is said that Champions League football is not a direct necessity for next term.
But as much as FSG want to, quite rightly, quell expectation, there is a bubbling undercurrent of impatience. There is only so long that a club like Liverpool can stay in regression for, and since the dying moments of the Rafa Benitez era, the club has slipped further and further away from the summit of English football.
Whilst you could hardly describe the club as undergoing freefall, expectations have been dealt a ruthless reality check in recent years. Since Benitez guided his side to Premier League runners-up during the 2008-09 season, the club have kicked on my moving backwards. Finishes of 7th. 6th then 8th have succeeded since and Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish have all been and gone during the same time frame.
But it’s not been the decline caused by drastic implosion or lack of investment, which is what makes it all the more frustrating. They’ve not invested petromillions, but Benitez was always backed, Hodgson was allowed to bring in his own men (enter, Paul Konchesky) and the new regime gave Dalglish as much help as they possibly could. Of course, the aforementioned change in ownership played it’s part. But after a pretty mediocre three years, the notion of being told to wait a little longer isn’t the most appealing of prospects.
Although Brendan Rodgers hasn’t been brought in for a slap dash season. He’s been brought in for the long haul, and supporters generally seem to have brought into him. He plays the brand of football that is hoped will drag Liverpool kicking and screaming back into the forefront of the modern game and he’s already made the right noises in and around the club. Rodgers speaks with drive and authority and he has a far more accessible feel than Kenny Dalglish. King Kenny will always be King Kenny, but his PR skills certainly didn’t help proceedings last term. Rodgers has brought genuine optimism back to Anfield.
Yet all the pre season posturing and column inches of adulation mean nothing when the season kicks off. Rodgers will be given plenty of time by both the fans and the board but ultimately, he has to start winning football matches.
When people start talking about embarking on a project at a football club, expectations and aims seem to fluctuate as and when the season goes on. Supporters understand that to get to the finished article, they have to endure the building process and results can often be unpredictable and sometimes volatile.
But the improvement needs to be there to see and progress will have to be made. Memories don’t last long in football and time is a commodity that few are afforded. Rodgers needs to get off the ground quickly, specifically by flying out the blocks in the Premier League. The fixture computer, however, hasn’t been particularly kind.
Their opening five fixtures are potentially as savage as they can get, or at least their three home games are anyway. Rodgers takes his Liverpool side to the Hawthorns on the opening day, where the somewhat unknown quantity of Steve Clarke’s West Brom await. And this represents the perfect acid test for supporters’ patience.
The aim will of course be, to beat West Brom. But more importantly, Liverpool simply cannot loose. Because in their next three home games, they play host to Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Throw in a tricky away trip to Sunderland in between and you can understand why the Liverpool management are asking for patience.
But whilst fans will do everything they can to heed to their demands, Rodgers has to combine building his project for the future with winning over a set of fans that intrinsically behold high expectations.
He can have all the time in the world, but if Liverpool lose to City and Arsenal at home, he will be under huge pressure to get a result against Martin O’Neill’s side at the Stadium of Light. Why? Losing three on the bounce would set up an encounter with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to try and stop the rot.
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You can see why the stakes are high- the Anfield crowd would be loathe to see their fiercest rivals create a stink around the place come mid-September. But that’s exactly what it would create. Defeat would hurt and suddenly the rebuilding process will have to be undertaken without the probation period of time and patience.
Supporters should never go into a new season with pessimism and Liverpool fans will be loathe to see observers putting Rodgers under pressure before he’s even started. He could of course come out and stuff the opposition and any remaining doubters by putting the League Champions to the sword on the 26th. But however he does it, Rodgers needs to get his project winning games and soon. We’ll soon see just how patient Liverpool fans are.
How do you feel about Brendan Rodgers’ difficult set of opening fixtures? Do you fancy Liverpool at home or do you sense danger around the corner? Let me know you see it on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat us your views.
Liverpool have insisted that they would rather keep striker Andy Carroll for another season rather than face the prospect of taking a heavy loss on him before the transfer deadline, according to the Daily Express.
Despite the England international not featuring in Brendan Rodger’s first-team plans for the season, the club have said they will not compromise on the player’s price – meaning the 23-year-old looks set to spend another campaign resigned to the bench.
Bids from West Ham, Aston Villa, Fulham have all been turned down, with Carroll eager to move back to his hometown club, Newcastle. Alan Pardew is keen to end the 6ft 3in England forward’s Liverpool nightmare, but the club are not willing to match the £20 million asking price set by Liverpool. Magpies’ manager Alan Pardew feels that Carroll’s price will depreciate as the transfer deadline moves closer, knowing Rodgers’ desperation to sell the player and use the funds received to sign some of his own targets. However, Rodgers has announced he will not let Carroll go if a serious offer arrives too late for him to bring in a serious replacement. It was rumoured that Tottenham were interested in a deal, but with their recent signing of Emmanuel Adebayor, this interest may have cooled.
It is no secret that new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wants Carroll off his books only 18 months after the striker signed for the side, but has failed in his bid to sell the player so far, with Carroll unwilling to go to a club which doesn’t play in Europe regularly. Rodgers is set to have talks with Carroll to explain the situation to the striker, and will inform the England international that he might have to join a lesser club who are ready to match Liverpool’s fee, or spend a lot of time in the coming season warming the bench at the Merseyside outfit.
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Wales have slipped to a 6-1 hammering at the hands of Serbia on Tuesday night.
The hosts looked markedly the better side in the World Cup qualifying fixture from the first whistle and stormed into a 2-0 lead through goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Zoran Tosic.
Gareth Bale gave the Celtic visitors hope with a sublime free-kick to make it 2-1, but Filip Duricic restored the Serbs’ two-goal cushion before the interval.
Three second-half goals from Dusan Tadic, Branislav Ivanovic and Miralem Sulejmani completed the rout.
Chris Coleman was massively disappointed by the result and admitted that the performance from his side was simply not good enough.
“Obviously I did not see it coming,” he told reporters, published in Sky Sports.
“We knew it would be difficult coming here but on the back of Friday’s performance against Belgium we thought we could get something but we can’t accept that level of performance.
“To say it is disappointing is an understatement. We have to do much better than that and we are capable of doing much better.
“At times it was men against boys, the goals we conceded were criminal really and the individual errors were disappointing.
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“To lose 6-1 is an absolute hammering and we can’t ignore that, the manner of the performance was particularly disappointing.
“At this level you cannot gift teams goals, you have to at least be hard to beat and play with a bit of pride and we didn’t do that. We caved in,” he concluded.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says he may have to enter the transfer market and try to land a defender on the last day of the transfer window after Ryan Taylor was injured in last night’s 1-0 win over Greek side Atromitos.
The victory was marred by Taylor’s serious-looking knee injury that occurred early in the game. Pardew admits if Taylor faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, he may be forced into a late move to bring in defensive cover. The Newcastle boss remained realistic over the situtation, telling Sky Sports:
“I fear that the news isn’t going to be good on that injury, if I am honest, which is a shame because he is an important player for us. We will have to wait and see.
“The Ryan Taylor injury will make me think about whether we perhaps need another defender. I shall go to see the chairman and have a discussion with him.”
Last night’s victory means Newcastle have progressed into the Europa League group stage. The draw for the next phase of the competition will be taking place at 12:00 BST, and Newcastle are situated in pot three with potential clashes with Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Leverkusen on the table.
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Arsenal are set to give Jack Wilshere his first game of football in 14 months this Monday in an under-21 game against West Brom, The Daily Mail state.
The England international midfielder suffered a torrid 2011-12 season, missing the entire campaign due to injury, but has made a return to training recently.
Wilshere has been pictured in first-team training with the rest of the Arsenal squad, but Arsene Wenger is determined to nurse the star back to action slowly after he suffered a relapse of the initial injury last term.
Wenger and the rest of the Gunners’ backroom staff have been monitoring Wilshere’s progress in training, and are set to make a decision on whether he should feature in the under-21 game in the near future.
Wilshere’s return to the Arsenal senior side would represent a massive boost for the Emirates Stadium side, and boost the club’s options in the centre of the park after the summer sale of Alex Song.
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Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has stated that he hopes he now gets a run in the Spurs team, and can become the club’s first choice between the sticks.
The France international moved to White Hart Lane in the summer from Lyon, but has had to bide his time as Brad Friedel has continued to impress for the north London side.
Lloris got his first Premier League start against Aston Villa in a 2-0 win on Sunday, and is now keen to be trusted by Andre Villas-Boas.
“I was used to playing every three days in Lyon,” he is quoted as saying in The Telegraph.
“Necessarily, to progress, to be effective, it’s better to play every week with his team. I hope to play more and more to be at my best. When you sign at the last minute, it’s never easy. I still need a few games to find the rhythm.
“Over the past month, I’ve played only three games. It takes a little more concentration, especially working at training. I try to compensate but what matters is the game at the weekend.
“It was an important game for me, an introduction to the Premier League after three to four weeks of waiting and working. Whether with Brad, goalkeeping coaches or even with the manager, everything has gone well,” he concluded.
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Lloris is currently on international duty with Les Bleus.
West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Clarke has expressed his delight at his side’s brilliant opening part of the season, emphasising that it was crucial to get off to a good start.
He also reiterated that it was important for him to prove that he was not just a number 2 and that he was more than capable of managing at the top level.
This is the Scot’s first managerial role after stints at Newcastle United, Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool on the coaching staff.
The Baggies boss has picked up 14 points from his first 8 Premier League games in charge, and is delighted with the way things have gone.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of a clash with one of his former clubs Newcastle this weekend, Clarke said: “The start was important.”
“As a group we put a lot of emphasis on starting the first week very well and we managed to do that. From there it gives you the confidence and the platform to build from.”
He also went onto speak about his own fortunes as a boss, explaining what it’s like to carry the burden of being seen as an assistant manager.
“I’m not daft and I think it was really important that I had a good start because there were a lot of people saying ‘Steve Clarke is the perennial No.2’.
“For me it was vital that we got off to a good start and it was good for the club because it showed that their appointment of me as a head coach wasn’t as crazy as it might have appeared to some people at the time,” the Scotsman added.
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Clarke will be looking to continue his promising start at St James’ Park at 15.00 on Sunday.
Back in 1994 Sir Alex Ferguson was the subject of heavy criticism after deciding to field some reserve players in a Manchester United team for a League Cup encounter with Port Vale.
Such was the controversy that engulfed his selection policy it was raised as an issue at the Houses of Parliament after a petition generated by Vale fans found its way to Westminster.
Included in Ferguson’s starting line-up on that brisk September evening were relative unknowns, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt. United went on to win the game 2-1 with Scholes scoring twice as the quartet played starring roles.
Just a few short years later they were on the path to becoming global superstars after becoming integral figures for club and country. Amidst all the commotion around and disapproval of Ferguson’s novel approach, the players themselves gave it justification.
Over 18 years later and clubs are now urged to use the Capital One Cup to offer younger players the opportunity to hone their crafts and prove their credentials as stars of the future.
Arsene Wenger is a manager who has embraced such a philosophy and, unlike Ferguson, was lauded for utilising the competition as an avenue to blood the club’s next generation. His methods became a benchmark for others to follow.
As has been proven by Beckham and others, the League Cup has become a successful breeding ground for young talent to induct themselves into the brutal environment that is professional football. That isn’t limited to the physical side of the game but also the mental aspects that can so easily prove the biggest obstacle preventing a player from fulfilling their potential.
Acquiring that level of experience and knowledge can only be done in a practical environment and managers are now conscious of the benefits of starting their youngsters out in the safe confines of the competition.
You only have to glance at some of the names that have cut their teeth in a similar manner and gone on to become highly recognised players around the world.
Steven Gerrard, Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas, Giuseppe Rossi, Robbie Fowler, Joe Hart and even Emile Heskey are just a handful who have used the League Cup to launch their glittering careers.
All of them have gone on to represent some of Europe’s top clubs, play regularly for their respective national teams and pick up an incalculable amount of silverware along the way.
Fabregas, for example, arrived at Arsenal in 2003 as a 16-year-old from hometown club Barcelona and was limited primarily to League Cup ties by Wenger during his development year in North London.
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It proved to be an essential learning curve for the Spaniard and by 2008 he had risen to become the Gunners captain and heartbeat of their midfield before returning to the Nou Camp in 2011 as one of the best players on the planet.
But where Ferguson failed to convince the masses that the League Cup served a significant purpose in the growth of young players, Wenger has succeeded in changing perceptions regarding the competition during the modern era.
So prevalent have their methods become that line-ups containing mostly senior players are a rare occurrence with the focus now firmly shifted to giving budding stars the opportunity to flourish.
Nearly two decades on from Ferguson’s controversial selection policy there must be a few Port Vale fans feeling rather bashful right now. His pioneering views are now widespread across the board aided by one of his greatest rivals.