Veteran goalkeeper David James is understood to be unhappy with Fabio Capello after the Italian left him out of England's starting eleven for Saturday's 1-1 draw against the USA.
Capello opted to start with Robert Green rather than the Portsmouth shot-stopper but he then made a disastrous error that allowed Clint Dempsey to grab the USA's equaliser after Steven Gerrard had fired England into an early lead.
The England management believe James is still struggling with a minor knee complaint although the player disagrees with that opinion and says he is 100 per cent fit.
James was left out of England's final warm-up match against the Platinum Stars last Monday when Green and Joe Hart played for 45 minutes each.
Capello will have to decide whether to persevere with the hapless Green in Friday's game against Algeria or start with James or Hart.
He said:"We have to wait to decide on Green. We will think about this problem psychologically.
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"The USA played well, but Green's mistake and his save in the second half were their only chances."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Coach Joachim Low believes Germany showed the 'will of champions' in Saturday's 4-0 World Cup quarter-final demolition of Argentina.
Germany followed up their 4-1 last 16 victory over England with a breathtaking display of attacking football against the much-fancied South Americans in Cape Town.
Thomas Muller's early strike was followed by two goals from Miroslav Klose and a late fourth from defender Arne Friedrich.
"We really turned in an incredible showing," said Low, whose side now face Spain in the semi-finals.
"Scoring four goals against Argentina you have to say that that was class.
"We really stepped on the gas in the second half and played a liberated style of attacking football.
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"I have been proud of my team for a long time, not only today. We played some really great football in the second-half and the team has shown the will of champions.
"This result and the amount of goals we scored was almost unimaginable before the game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
When a team gets promoted from the Championship to the Premier League you’re always waiting for them to show their hand ahead of the upcoming season. Usually this comes in the form of some big-name purchases, but for West Bromwich Albion it has come with tying their star player last year to a long-term contract. Graham Dorrans was the key man in the Baggies’ promotion push last campaign and once again the Scotland international will be the first name on the team sheet for Roberto Di Matteo in the 2010/11 season. Could this be the best bit of business the Italian does all summer?
Dorrans won plenty of silverware last season on the back of his high-level of performances throughout. The Scot won the club’s Player of the Year award and the Professional Footballers’ Association fans’ Player of the Year accolade. His fine performances, in which he netted eighteen times for West Brom, also earned him three Scotland caps and the 23-year-old was catching the eye of clubs from around the country. West Ham were sniffing around and the Hammers reportedly made three concrete bids, the last of which was around £5 million. By turning these down surely West Brom have shown that they intend to put an end to the boing boing Baggies of recent years?
The midfielder has no doubt proved to be a bargain for West Brom, having cost them just £150,000 from Livingston in 2008. Comfortable on the ball, an eye for a defence splitting pass as well as goal, much will be expected of Dorrans in the same way that Blackpool will be looking to another Scot, Charlie Adam, to provide the creativity needed. The club should be congratulated for holding onto one of their most talented players, but now is not the time for West Brom to rest on their laurels and they need to use this deal as a springboard to attract other players to the club.
If West Brom are indeed serious about ending their relegation-promotion cycle then some high-quality additions will be needed. As always the key to staying up will be goals, but whether a loan move for Liverpool’s David N’Gog would be a great move I’m not too sure. One thing that will be of concern will be the amount of goals they shipped in the Championship, 48 in total, so no doubt defenders will be on Di Matteo’s radar as he looks to strengthen. Whatever players they bring in, it is essential that West Brom keep hold of their big names, and by securing the future of Graham Dorrans, they have done that and shown an important signal of intent for the upcoming campaign in what could be their best bit of business this summer.
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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Carlo Ancelotti described Chelsea's opening-day 6-0 rout of West Bromwich Albion as "nothing special".
The reigning Premier League champions sounded an ominous warning after they started their 2010/11 campaign with a resounding victory over the newly-promoted Baggies.
Didier Drogba hammered in a hat-trick, Florent Malouda grabbed a brace and England midfielder Frank Lampard got in on the act at Stamford Bridge.
However, speaking at full-time, Ancelotti refused to be carried away despite the devastating display.
He said:"We did our job, nothing special.
"This team can show this kind of play, scoring a lot of goals. We had a difficult pre-season, but now everything has come back to be okay.
"We played a good game with a lot of goals and I am happy.
"We kept a high tempo, but West Brom were in the game until the second goal and then it was more easy because there was more space."
Meanwhile, Ancelotti has dismissed suggestions of dressing room unrest between the players and Roman Abramovich following the owner's recent decision to cut bonuses.
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"I have not spoken to the players about this, but I am not interested in it because it is a deal between the players and the owners," added the Italian.
"They did not speak with me about it and if I have to watch how they play, I would not say they are unhappy about it."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Along with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, Joe Cole’s addition to the Liverpool squad has meant that Roy Hodgson has assembled a dynamic attacking trio that has the makings of being one of the most deadly combinations in the Premier League. The question for Hodgson is how he will accommodate all three in the team when Cole and Gerrard are seemingly vying for one place.
Since joining Liverpool, Cole has expressed a desire to play for the Reds in his preferred position in the hole behind the striker. Cole got his wish when Hodgson chose to select the ex-Chelsea man in his favoured position in Sunday’s pre-season friendly defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach with Steven Gerrard being used in a deeper role along side Cole’s fellow new signing Jonjo Shelvey.
The attacking midfield role is something that is familiar to Cole as he started his career at West Ham playing the very position he wants to fulfil at Liverpool. Cole’s more familiar role as a wide player came as a result of necessity rather than choice as both Chelsea and England utilised Cole in the wide left role which has been a problem position for club and country.
Ever since he was a teenager, Cole has displayed the attributes necessary to succeed in the position. He brings huge technical ability along with the guile, vision and flair to a position where such skills are hugely valued.
While Cole has expressed a wish to play in the attacking midfield spot, the player that occupied that spot for most of last season under previous boss Rafa Benitez was fellow England international and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. However, with that being said, I don’t believe that playing behind the striker is Gerrard’s most effective position.
Gerrard started initially as a more defensive player in his formative years at the club and it is this defensive grounding (though not often seen) that has led me to believe that Gerrard’s best position is in the centre of midfield as a box-to-box midfielder rather than playing behind Torres.
Gerrard’s effectiveness for Liverpool has come from his ability to arrive late in the box to score goals. Playing in behind the striker would severely hamper the opportunities for Gerrard to make those late surges into the opponent’s box for which he has become famous for.
Where Gerrard and Cole will ultimately line up for Liverpool is down to the formation that Hodgson chooses.
Given Torres’ class and the lack of another proven striker in the squad, Hodgson could choose to go for a 4-2-3-1 with Mascherano (if he stays) or Aquilani alongside Gerrard in centre midfield. Cole would occupy the attacking midfield spot; with Ryan Babel, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt vying for two spots out wide.
More likely is that Hodgson will choose to play Cole in his unfavoured left position as part of a 4-4-2 which would allow him to play new signing Milan Jovanovic, Ryan Babel or possibly David N’Gog or Daniel Pacheco alongside Torres while still accommodating Gerrard and Cole in the same team.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is delighted to have finally landed Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, having tracked the player for several years.
The 24-year-old joined the Black Cats for a club record fee from Rennes just before the transfer window slammed shut, with Bruce relieved that a deal was done after seeing Kenwyne Jones leave the club and Fraizer Campbell suffer a serious knee injury.
He told the Sunderland Echo:"I was actually after Gyan a year ago, when we had Darren Bent on the go.
"He was definitely our top target. I first watched him three years ago and I have consistently kept watching him since then.
"The problem we had with him over the summer was the fact I did not think I was going to get him. Fenerbahce were in as well and I just was not sure.
"In the end you have to say fair play to the owner, because with Frazier Campbell getting injured Rennes knew they could stick to their asking price and never budge.
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"With what happened to Fraizer it became a necessity to bring someone in and we wanted Gyan, because I did not just want to go down the route of bringing in somebody for the sake of it.
"I am delighted to get him. He has that fire in his belly, he is a wonderful athlete and he has a great attitude."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Every club needs a leader. At least one man who can stand up and take responsibility, who can drive a team on, who can lead by example. Steve Bruce has decided that his man at Sunderland is Lee Cattermole. So far this season, Cattermole has played three games, and been sent off in two of them, both in the first half for two bookings. Safe to say, Cattermole’s leadership this season has been questionable.
I can appreciate the reasoning behind his initial appointment, and I will also say at this point that I do rate Cattermole as a player. He is the type of man who will never shy from a fifty-fifty challenge, and can be counted on to never give up. I also believe he is underrated as a footballer, and his passing ability and reading of the game goes unnoticed due to the aggressive nature of his game. I do not however, think he is not quite ready to be a Premier League captain. His attitude is what helped make Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira great captains, but Cattermole needs more time to take a step back and get a better hold of his state of mind. His sendings off this season have been reckless stupidity, and that it is the last thing his team needs from him.
It struck me on the same day, for completely different reasons, that Manchester City also might have some issues over their choice of captain. Carlos Tevez will lead from the front, and harry every ball till his mangled face turns as blue as his shirt, which is a great thing to see from a striker, but is he a captain? Despite his time in England, Tevez’s English is still limited at best. He is not a natural leader and his communication (vital to any captain) is ropey, this doesn’t smell like the recipe for success. Gareth Barry and Kolo Toure may not be Bobby Moore, but they have captained Villa and Arsenal respectively, and are surely better candidates for the armband. Cattermole and Tevez baffle me as captains, but are they the worst the Prem has seen?
William Galls strikes me as a man far more concerned with his own image than that of his team; quick to criticise others and on a constant search to blame someone other than himself. Hi petulant sulk at St. Andrews is the most obvious example, but least we forget the fact that he refused to speak to his defensive partner Kolo Toure for the latter’s last 18 months at the Emirates.
John Terry’s value as captain depends on who you ask. Frank Lampard will tell you how good a leader he is, Wayne Bridge’s opinion may be slightly less complimentary. A man that has led his side to three titles must have good credentials and previous to the allegations last season, one would have considered Terry a perfect example of what a captain should be, but that has damaged his reputation long-term. It was enough for Capello to strip him in double quick time.
And what happens when you need a leader to dig you out the mire. Relegation looms, and you look around the dressing room as to who will drag you out of all the problems. Well when Southampton’s Premier League survival hung in the balance, who did Harry Redknapp turn to in order to steer the sinking ship? Step forward, Nigel Quashie. A man who had already experienced two relegations from the Prem (with QPR and Forest), his success rate at leading teams out of such problems amounted to zero. It stayed at zero as the Saints fell into the second tier (and it stayed at zero when he was relegated with West Brom soon after that). I’ll be honest, if I was playing for a team battling relegation and looked to see my captain was Quashie, I’d start preparing for my wage drop in advance.
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So who would you least like to have? Cattermole watching from sidelines, Tevez barking at you in Spanglish, Terry (allegedly) sleeping with your ex, Gallas sulking, or Quashie directing you to the Championship? Or am I missing someone else, has your club been lead in the wrong direction?
Let me know, and if you want, follow me on twitter. Maybe you can also tell me how Bernardo Corradi still manages to carve out a career as a professional footballer (Udinese if you were curious), despite having the first touch of a rhino on valium.
He’s been good, really good, but the best? Nani has probably been Manchester United’s finest player this season, fulfilling potential that we could all see, but never really got hold of. Well something has got hold of the Portuguese winger because he is producing the best form of his career. One of the reasons we love the Premier League however, is that it is awash with talent, and Nani, is not the only wide man shredding full-backs to pieces.
As far as I am concerned, there have been three other contenders so far this season: Florent Malouda, Adam Johnson and Gareth Bale. There are plenty of other candidates but for a variety of reasons they are struggling. Aaron Lennon is a ghost, walking through the shadow of last season’s player, Theo Walcott started magnificently but has been curtailed, and as good as Matthew Etherington has been, he is just that fraction off the standards of the first three.
Adam Johnson has been class when playing for Man City (and England) this season, the problem is that he hasn’t been playing as much as he (or I for that matter) would like. In a squad as competitive as City’s that was always going to be an issue, but I still believe what he has produced warrants a greater number of starts.
Gareth Bale is one of the most exciting players in the league at the moment. He has lost the self-consciousness of playing at full-back and having to adhere to defensive duties with reluctance. Pushed forward he has been like slaloming greyhound, released from his traps. His volley against Stoke is – no arguments please – the goal of the season so far, and anyone that believes otherwise can send in a photograph of them trying to volley a ball, while standing, when it’s five foot off the ground.
And then there is Florent Malouda. While wingers are supposed to be supplying the ammunition, West London’s highest cheekbones have been firing them in of his own accord with ruthless ease. Six goals already this term (joint top scorer with Berbatov and Drogba) has made up for the injury to Frank Lampard.
To say that Nani is becoming the best winger in the league implies that he must have attributes of that and beyond his competitors. And what do we want our wingers to possess? The ability to beat men, at pace, with the ball never more than half a yard from their next touch; there must be a final product, whether sweeping in a cross, of finishing themselves. Can we say that Nani has these qualities more than the likes of Bale and Malouda? They all can boast these skills, and the question will be over what period of time? Right now, I personally, would put Malouda at the top of the pile, but then Nani and Bale have time on their side (23 and 21 respectively compared to 30-year-old Malouda).
Nani has had a couple of years struggling to live up to pressure of playing for Manchester United, and adapting to the Premier League. But the story is a familiar one for Malouda and Bale, who took time to bloom. Johnson is still raw, but all are capable of becoming the ‘league’s best winger’; it will be a matter of having to wait to see what paths their careers take. And after all, maybe we shouldn’t even be entertaining such a conversation, I mean, it feels sacrilegious talking about it while Ryan Giggs still graces the Premier League’s pitches.
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Having continued his fine form from last season, with two performances of the highest calibre against the defending European Champions, it is no surprise that quotes of huge sums of money coming from Europe’s finest clubs for Bale’s services are being thrown about by the media.
Considering the damage to the opposition he is capable of doing and how quickly he has developed into the main attacking outlet of the team. He is always on hand providing an outlet on the left flank either to just alleviate pressure when Spurs are on the back foot or to start attacks at such blistering pace right up until the 90th minute. It is essential for Tottenham’s progress as a club to keep on to this prized asset. In an attempt to deter this interest Levy has decided to act first by preparing a new contract that will put Bale among the highest paid at the club. Believed to be upwards of £50,000 a week, still not a great deal compared to the riches some could offer. So it is important that financial reward is not the only ploy used to keep the player. Fortunately for Spurs the player seems content to be playing, learning and further developing his game at Tottenham for the time being. A player of this calibre will want to be playing at the highest level and for Spurs to keep him in the long term it is this that they will need to address more than the financial aspect. Primarily by striving to make Champions League football a regular occurrence not merely a one season foray.
There are further complications also for trying to tie down the player to the club merely by throwing money at him. Having only improved his contract in the summer the club should not want to set a precedent for the player whereby he is able to almost demand an improved contract after some good performances and rumours have circulated in the transfer mill. Although Gareth Bale hardly seems the character to wish to employ such tactics. I am not convinced everyone else in the dressing room shares his honest approach. And with agent influence players could start demanding improved contracts mere months into their existing ones on the back of a few good performances. Perhaps this already happens, but to so publicly offer improved terms so soon into an existing agreement I feel could be further damaging to the integrity of a contract. And transfer too much power to the player and agent.
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Yet what is possibly more important for Tottenham than keeping the services of Bale at the club or preserving some level of sanity in their long term contracts is the message of intent that this would send out to prospective buyers. To be able to hold on to such a talent in light of what is some serious financial incentives would demonstrate turning a corner from a club that has become a bit too used to selling its best players. The previous departures of Carrick and Berbatov north the brighter lights of Manchester United set the club back tremendously. Not only were these players the focal points of the team, but the manner in which they left demonstrated the vast gap that still lay between them and a club like Manchester United. Whether or not Spurs are able to hold on to Bale will be a test of Levy’s will and an indication of how far they have come.
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It appears that draws were the name of the game in the Premier League this week, with Chelsea benefiting greatly from what was a dismal Manchester derby. Edwin van der Sar felt that City simply parked the bus last night, while Mancini believed it was simply fatigue playing its part. Elsewhere it was pretty predictable, with the only real shock occurring at St James Park where Sam Allardyce had a triumphant return to the North East.
In the papers today it has been relatively quiet with the only news really surrounding Cesc Fabregas’ lunge and Joey Barton’s off the ball punch on Pedersen. There has been plenty of transfer gossip flying around, as the count down towards the January window has begun.
Edwin blasts ‘defensive’ City – Sky Sports
Villa play catch-up as Houllier plans global vision – Daily Telegraph
Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool chase PSV Eindhoven midfielder Balazs Dzsudzsak – IM Scouting
Barton in Ped punch shame – Sun
BBC boycotter Ferguson lays into Match of the Day over United jibes – Daily Mail
Szczesny set to sign new deal – Mirror
Juventus join Inter Milan in race for Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger – IM Scouting
Fabregas so sorry for lunge – Sun
Aston Villa target Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis to replace John Carew – IM Scouting
Arsenal’s Gael Clichy was once the Premier League’s best left-back. What happened? – Daily Telegraph
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Holloway issues quit threat – Sky Sports
Modric calls for greater protection – Daily Telegraph