Manchester City assistant manager Brian Kidd has praised the players for grinding out Sunday's 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United at Eastlands.
Carlos Tevez's penalty was cancelled out by Jonas Gutierrez in the first half, but the three points were earned when substitute Adam Johnson made an instant impact and the result, not the performance, was the most important thing, insisted Kidd.
"I think you saw bits of everything today," he said.
"We knew we weren't really at it in the first half. But that was the pleasing thing, because the players responded.
"We've gone second in the league now. Over 38 games you get games like that, that are not for the purists.
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"What is pleasing is that the players have shown that there is substance in the result. You know you've got a chance when you've got that in the squad."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Some, you may be itching to get back to fitness, some, you may have forgotten even existed. Every season, Premier League players find themselves in the treatment room, but some far more often than others. Whilst their team mates are slaving away in a relegation scrap or a pining for a shot at the title, for the following stars, rehabilitation and gym work is the order of the day, every day.
Injury may strike a player once in a blue moon, but for these ten players, you are just cringing at any knock or tackle inflicted upon them once they return to the first team fold. Let us take a look at the ten Premier League footballers who have a distinct notoriety for being ‘made of glass’.
Click on Sean Davis to unveil the top 10 sicknotes
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So there you have it. The ten Premier League players you shouldn’t be expecting to see anytime soon. In all seriousness, we wish them the speediest of recoveries but their injury statistics truly fascinate fans and onlookers alike.
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As we’ve found out throughout the course of this season, the popular social-networking site, Twitter, has become a footballers best friend, and a journalists haven of gossip and potential headlines. This week, it has been the turn of Darron Gibson to be embroiled in a new story with Tweeting connections, albeit his lasted a record-breaking amount of time. But as I chuckled to myself reading the short-sighted opinions people had of the Manchester United man, I started to wonder: what has Michael Carrick done to get himself all wrapped up in this affair?
The midfielder hasn’t even become involved in a positive way. As many were joining the ‘we hate Darron Gibson’ bandwagon, they attempted to attach a ‘lets start on Carrick as well’ side-car. Some of the comments which have caused such a stir around Old Trafford were directly abusive and altogether ignorant of the work both players have done for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side this season.
Even before the FA Cup final mistake, there seems to be a ‘blame Michael Carrick’ cult going around Old Trafford – something I just cannot understand. Just because he plays a similar way to Gibson, Carrick has too become a target of some pretty harsh ‘tweets’. His form recently has been good. Not great, but like many other of United’s players this season, Carrick has been doing enough to keep them top of the pile and on course for a Champions League final. Speaking of the European Cup, I wonder if any of the tweeting bright-sparks saw his performance against Schalke on Tuesday night? Not bad for a player who is apparently rubbish, eh? Ferguson trusts him in the big games. He controls matches with his passing and protects the back four as well as anyone around at the moment. The days of a crunching tackle have gone. Carrick has become the master of the interception which then leads into an attack – something United play on very well.
Gibson on the other hand has always had his critics, me being one of them, sometimes. But firstly, I would never publish such a degrading opinion of someone for the world to see – that’s just cowardly. After-all, the lad has more talent in his left boot than I could ever dream of. But despite what anybody thinks, at a time when United are fighting for several trophies, his inclusion in the squad is not such a bad thing. Are we forgetting Ryan Giggs is 37? Have we not realised that Paul Scholes has been out-of-form and Darren Fletcher has apparently been suffering from the worlds worst case of influenza? I’m not saying lets start the him at the Emirates this weekend, but if Gibson can come in for a game in which the boss trusts his players are good enough to win, why does every other Tom, Dick and Harry seem to want to argue?
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As I mentioned earlier, I had a little laugh to myself and what was being said, in particular towards Carrick, because they were so unjustified and I’m sure neither player will let it bother them. They are both part of a team who are about to achieve something very special, and there is no bigger compliment than being entrusted with the responsibility of pulling United over the line from the manager himself. Instead of jumping on these band wagons, maybe it’s about time we trusted Sir Alex to have in his squad who he believes will get the job done. Carrick could very easily orchestrate a Championship winning performance at Arsenal this weekend, and then the Twitter world will have to find someone else to belittle. Until then, I’m sure he’s losing plenty of sleep over it…
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If you want to make me the next person to angrily delete his Twitter account then follow me at www.twitter.com/@joino
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Listen to the third episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin, who performs a live version of his cult tribute to Mark Viduka, with Razor on backing vocals!
When your nickname is “The Wonder Boy”, you better have something special to back it up. Luckily for Manchester United target Alexis Sanchez, he does.
The Chilean winger has caught the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with some scintillating displays for both club and country. He was a stand-out performer for Chile in this summer’s World Cup as Marcelo Bielsa’s team reached the second round. Chile were a revelation in South Africa, playing wonderfully attacking, incisive football and Sanchez was a key component in Chile’s adventurous style of play.
Sanchez’s style of play has seen him compared to former United forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Sanchez’s game certainly has some similarities to the Portuguese. He is blessed with incredible pace and wonderfully quick feet along with great technical ability and creativity. He has the ability to trouble defenders with his direct style of play which is something that Manchester United would certainly be interested in.
Sanchez started his professional career in 2005 as a 16 year old in his native Chile with Cobreloa where he impressed almost immediately. He showed a poise and maturity beyond his tender years as he quickly became a regular for the Mineros, scoring 12 goals in 51 appearances. His displays for Cobreloa altered Italian side Udinese to Sanchez’s prodigious talents and they bought the youngster for £2 million in 2006.
Udinese sent Sanchez on loan to Cobreloa’s fierce rival Colo-Colo in 2006 where he became an integral part of the team’s victory in both the 2006 Clausura and 2007 Apertura Championships.
The next step in Sanchez’s development was a season-long loan Argentinean giants River Plate. While on loan with Los Millonarios, Sanchez added another winner’s medal to his list of honours with a 2008 Clausura Championship.
After 3 years of loan spells, Sanchez finally arrived in Udinese in the summer of 2008 and slotted straight into the first-team at the Stadio Friuli. He became an instant favourite with the Bianconeri faithful with his tricky displays on the Udinese wing.
With Udinese languishing at the foot of the Serie A table, there is a very good chance that Sanchez would be receptive to a move to Old Trafford. Sanchez himself has expressed a desire to move to United if the opportunity were to present itself. Speaking to Spanish newspaper As, Sanchez said “[United]? Obviously I’d like to play for a club like that”.
Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his interest in the 21-year old as he looks to bolster his attacking options:
“We have looked at Sanchez and he has impressed us, as have other players,”
“He has had very good games and is an interesting project.”
“We have gathered some background, as with other footballers at his level, but nothing more than this – for the moment.”
With United currently without winger Antonio Valencia for the rest of the season, a move for Sanchez in the January transfer window wouldn’t be out of the question.
However, Udinese have tied Sanchez down to a long-term contract at the Stadio Friuli which expires in 2014. No doubt Udinese are reluctant to part with their most coveted asset and it would take a substantial bid from United to secure Sanchez’s services.
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At only 21-years old, Sanchez is already showing incredible promise at such an early stage of his career. He has the ability to be game-changer with his outrageous array of skills while also bringing a winning mentality from his time in South America. The only criticism of Sanchez would be that he doesn’t score enough goals but it is only a minor concern.
If Sir Alex does make a move for the Chilean, it could prove to be a shrewd move in the long-run as Sanchez has the talent to be an Old Trafford legend in the making.
Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam has stated that his side are still in the mix to finish in the top four, and that he is enjoying life at Anfield.
The Merseysiders are currently five points behind Chelsea in fourth place, and the Scottish midfielder has confirmed that qualifying for the Champions League is Kenny Dalglish’s men’s top priority.
“Of course it is, it’s still there, there’s plenty of points to play for, you never know what is going to happen,” he told Sky Sports.
“We have been disappointed with the results as well but that’s expected, we are a new team gelling, it takes time but we’ll do everything we can.
“For us it’s trying to win every game and on the day it’s not always happened for us.
“But we’ll not stop working hard and keep doing the things that we know is right and trying to win as many matches as we can.
“The most important game is the next game, a difficult game away at Bolton, which we are looking forward to as we have to bounce back after last week,” he continued.
Adam signed for The Reds from Blackpool during the summer, and has revealed that he has settled in to his new environment well.
“It’s been great. When you join a new club sometimes it takes time to settle in but it’s been easy for me with the players that we’ve got here, they have made me welcome and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
“Since I’ve walked into the door at this club I’ve enjoyed every minute.
“I’ve always been told to play with a smile on my face as I’m in a very fortunate position where I’m at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“For our national team manager I think he would expect his best players to be playing at the highest level, playing against the best players to improve.
“For me the Premier League is the best league in the world and it’s a top league. Now you see the number of English clubs going to the Scottish market as they know the value for money is there.
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“They don’t have to pay over the odds for players but they’re getting good quality for what they are paying for,” he concluded.
Valencia midfielder Ever Banega has suggested he might be persuaded to depart the Spanish club in the off-season for the right price.The Argentina international is contracted to Valencia until the end of the 2012-13 campaign, but has been linked with a loan move to the English Premier League during his contract.
Banega has come of age under manager Unai Emery, who has handed the 22-year-old an advanced role in central midfield, and said his preference is to stay at the Mestalla.
But with clubs the ilk of Liverpool and Everton believed to be lining up for his services, it is possible Banega could soon be bidding farewell to Spain.
“There are still many games to go, I am happy in Valencia and I will wait until the end of the season,” Banega said.
“I intend to stay here, but if one day an offer comes in that is for the good of the club and me, then we will look at it.”
In the meantime, Banega has far more pressing matters to attend to, such as Saturday’s crucial La Liga clash with Real Madrid.
The league encounter is a chance for Valencia to consolidate third place on the table and move a step closer to wrapping up automatic selection for next season’s Champions League.
However, Real are still in pursuit of league leaders Barcelona and will not go down quietly.
“There are a lot of games to go, and we are on a good run of three home wins,” Banega said.
“Playing at home, in front of our fans, always helps us. We just have to respond on the pitch by winning the games.”
“I hope to finish the season in the best way for Valencia and myself.”
West Ham United have confirmed that boss Avram Grant will not attend Saturday's Premier League clash against Stoke City as the Israeli will be observing Yom Kippur.
The Day of Atonement is a key date in the Jewish calendar and requires Jews to fast and pray over the course of Friday night and Saturday.
"West Ham fully respect and understand the situation," said the Hammers club in a statement. "It's very unusual for the day to clash with the fixture list."
Grant's assistant manager, Zeljko Petrovic, will take charge of the team at the Britannia Stadium and will be helped by senior coach Paul Groves and first-team coach Kevin Keen.
It is also believed that defender Tal Ben Haim will be given permission to miss the Stoke game so that he can observe Yom Kippur.
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West Ham are currently at the foot of the Premier League table after losing their first four matches of the campaign.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Everton will be out to avoid a fourth game without a win when they welcome in-form Swansea to Goodison Park on Wednesday night.
The Toffee’s have experienced a mixed start to the season winning just five of their 15 games this season and sliding to within four points of the relegation zone. I doubt many will have expected David Moyes’ side to be languishing near the bottom three going into Christmas but they have ultimately paid the price for not being able to sufficiently invest in the summer. Moyes was once again forced to operate on a financial tightrope during the last transfer window having to scour the market for bargain basement signings. The acquisition of Royston Drenthe has proved to be extremely shrewd although the Dutchman has failed to end the Merseyside’s goal scoring problems. Everton have scored only 16 goals this season and it’s that profligacy that has cost them dearly in a number of games. Moyes’ preferred front pairing of Louis Saha and Tim Cahill continue to struggle in front of goal with the latter still yet to score in 2011. That won’t stand them in good stead when they come up against a Swansea side who have kept seven clean sheets so far during their debut campaign. The arrival of Landon Donovan can’t come soon enough for the Toffees supporters with the American returning for a second loan spell in January two years after his first
Luckily for Swansea the LA Galaxy forward won’t be sporting Everton blue until the New Year who will go in search of a ninth clean sheet of the season on Merseyside. Manager Brendan Rodgers has certainly confounded the critics in his debut campaign as a top-flight boss guiding the club to within a point of the top half. Whilst many predicted the Swans to be rooted to the bottom as 2011 comes to an end there is a sense that they can continue their ascent as the New Year approaches. The signing of goalkeeper Michael Vorm has been a masterstroke with the Dutchman turning in a series of incredible displays since his move from the Eredivisie. Vorm was on hand to thwart both Fulham and Newcastle in the space of a week ensuring Swansea took four points from games many expected them to get nothing from. Their stubborn performance at St James’ Park on Saturday highlighted their discipline and never say die attitude as they frustrated the Magpies with a solid defensive display. Welsh international Ashley Williams has made the step up from the Championship look easy and he will be confident of keeping Everton’s blunt strike force at bay. However there is still a negative side to their fairy tale season and that’s their away form. The Swans have yet to pick up a win on their travels and will need to start doing so quickly if they are to remain safe from danger.
Everton 14th : 17 points
Team news: Key midfielders Seamus Coleman and Jack Rodwell are both doubts for Swansea game and David Moyes is unlikely to risk either of them over the gruelling festive period if they aren’t 100%.
Key Player: Leon Osman
With Louis Saha and Tim Cahill proving incapable of scoring and creating goals the onus has been put on Osman to provide some inspiration in the final third. The midfielder did just that on Saturday scoring a cheeky equaliser to rescue a point against Norwich and Everton will be expecting more of the same from their playmaker.
Swansea 12th : 18 points
Team news: Nathan Dyer is ruled out until the New Year with an ankle injury although defender Angel Rangel could return after injuring his foot against Aston Villa last month.
Key Player: Michael Vorm
For a second successive week the goalkeeper was Swansea’s savour turning in another man of the match display to keep his eight shut out of the season against Newcastle. Vorm frustrated the Magpies and Demba Ba in particular making a number of superb saves and will be eager to keep his third clean sheet in a row on Merseyside.
PREDICTION
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Everton’s season continues to fluctuate and they’ll be desperate to avoid a fourth winless game against Swansea. The Welshmen have yet to win away from the Liberty Stadium but are looking stronger every game and should snuff out the Toffee’s weak attack with ease.
Argentina and Ecuador continued their preparations for the 2011 Copa America with a 2-2 draw in a friendly in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.With the Copa America less than three months away, the match was another opportunity for both teams to have a look as some fringe players, with neither nation fielding full strength line-ups.
Argentina had drawn their last two friendlies, against the United States and Costa Rica last month, and got off to a horrible start at the Estadio Jose Maria Minella, with Deportivo Quito midfielder Michael Quinonez opening the scoring for Ecuador on 26 minutes.
Claudio Yacob fired Argentina back into the match when he scored just past the half-hour mark, and it took only three minutes for the hosts to take the lead when Racing Club striker Gabriel Hauche found the back of the net.
Both managers made full use of their benches after the break, with each side making six substitutions throughout the second half.
But it was starting midfielder Segundo Castillo who found the equaliser for Ecuador, netting from the penalty spot on 68 minutes to ensure both sides took something from the match.
Brazilian striker Robinho has lashed out at Manchester City just days after completing a move to Italian giants AC Milan.
The 26-year-old headed to the San Siro ahead of the transfer deadline, having ended last season out on loan with Santos after falling out of favour at Eastlands.
He told The People:"Neither Mark Hughes nor Roberto Mancini understood me. Perhaps they only believed in the sporting side of things, but that wasn't enough for me.
"There was a lack of contact between the players and the club. It was much like an office – to training and goodbye, to a match and goodbye.
"I am Brazilian and I can't offer my best performance if I'm not happy in every aspect of life. That was my problem. I am a special footballer and I need to be happy when I'm playing.
"That was the case at Real Madrid, but never at City.
"Going on loan to Santos was the best solution because if I'd stayed at City, I would not have played in the World Cup.
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"The loan was very successful. I recaptured my love of football, won a title and confirmed my place in the Brazil team.
"It was an excellent experience and they tried to extend my loan, but City had made up their minds to sell."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email