Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill is hoping to keep on loan left back Danny Rose at the club for the rest of the season after his fine form continues.
Rose is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and the North London side are struggling for a first choice left back with Benoit Assou-Ekotto still out injured and players filling in out of position.
Rose has been solid for the Black Cat’s this season but is ineligible for Spurs’ visit to the North East in today’s lunchtime kick off.
The England under-21 is enjoying his football and has hinted at the possibility of making his stay permanent at the Stadium of Light at the end of the season.
Like any loan between two Premier League sides the parent club can recall the player in January and that is something that Martin O’Neill will be discussing with Spurs today when the two teams meet.
“Spurs are up here this weekend and there might be a chance for some talks or at least a conversation,” O’Neill told the Sunderland Echo.
“But at this moment, we just have to play it by ear and enjoy it having him here at Sunderland while it lasts.
“We have an agreement in place that we would be given some notice if Spurs wanted to recall him.
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“And it’s decent enough notice – something like a couple of weeks – so we would have a chance to find a replacement.
“If Tottenham do recall him, there is really nothing we can do about that – but hopefully that won’t happen.”
Samir Nasri could miss the busy festive fixture list for Manchester City after injuring his groin during Saturdays 3-1 win at Newcastle United, the Guardian reports.
The French midfielder picked up the injury after making a bright start to the game at St James Park and could now miss the majority of the hectic period which sees his side face four games in 11 days.
Nasri has endured an inconsistent career so far at the Etihad after signing from Arsenal in 2011 and the 25-year-old has failed to live up to expectations in many peoples eyes.
Ironically, he looked very good in the early stages against Newcastle and laid on Sergio Aguero’s opener after showing alertness to square the ball to his teammate for a tap in.
City fans would have been hoping that was to be the start of a good run of form for the Frenchman in a very important period of the season for the Sky Blues, but they may now have to make do without him for for a while.
Roberto Mancini’s men face Reading at home this weekend, after which they travel to Sunderland and Norwich City, before finishing the festive fixtures with the visit of Stoke City on New Years Day.
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They will view this run of games as vital as they look to claw back a six point gap on leaders Manchester United, meaning they can ill afford to drop points going into 2013.
Emanuel Pogatetz is relishing the chance to help West Ham during the after half of the season, after joining on loan from Wolfsburg.
The Austrian, who previously played for Middlesbrough, has been drafted in by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce to strengthen his defensive unit.
Injuries to key members of his backline have revealed a lack of depth in the Upton Park-based outfit’s squad, particularly in the left-back position.
A number of names, such as Stephen Warnock and Martin Olsson, have been linked with moves to East London, but Allardyce has finally settled on Pogatetz.
The 30-year-old is equally adept at centre-back or left full-back, and should ease the burden on some of the club’s current defensive members.
Pogatetz, who has the nickname ‘mad dog’, is delighted to have joined West Ham, and is looking forward to the rest of the season:
“I feel very good to be here and I am very excited about playing for West Ham,” he told the club’s official website.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to play for the club and help it get good results. I will be doing my best to play well and hope I can play a part in the club achieving the targets for this season.
“First of all when I heard that West Ham wanted me, I thought it was a club I wanted to play for because they are a very traditional club, with passionate supporters.”
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Having spent five seasons in England with Middlesbrough, Pogatetz is also happy to be returning to the Premier League:
“It was good for to have the opportunity to come back and play in England. This is the football I want to play and I have missed playing here, I want to show what I am still capable of after five years playing in Middlesbrough.”
Ian Holloway’s Crystal Palace host Leeds today in search of a third successive win and their fifth in a row at home.
A win for the hosts could lift them in to the automatic promotion places if other results are kind to them and doing just that will be the perfect birtday present for Holloway, who celebrates his 50th next week.
Warnock’s Leeds can go within three points of a play-off place with a win, but they haven’t won any of their previous eight games on their travels.
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Ricky van Wolfswinkel claims his summer move to Norwich is ‘a dream’ and he is looking to make ‘great things happen’ at the club.
The 24-year-old Dutch hitman will complete his switch to Carrow Road on July 1 after the Canaries agreed an undisclosed fee with Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon and tied him down to a four-year deal at the end of last week.
Van Wolfswinkel has an impressive career goals tally of 82 in 188 appearances for Vitesse Arnhem, FC Utrecht and Sporting, and he is aiming to bring that to England and help Norwich progress up the Premier League in what will be their third season in the top flight next term.
He told the club’s official website: “It’s really an exciting time. I’m happy to be joining Norwich City and I’m looking forward to playing for the club. It has always been a dream of mine to play in England and in the Premier League and I’m even more excited that I can hopefully fulfil that dream at such a great club like Norwich City.
“This is the sort of club I need at this moment in my career. This is a club with great ambitions to become the team that they have been in the past in the top flight. Joining Norwich City is the perfect next step in my career.
“It’s a realistic club with great people both at the club and in the city. Next year will hopefully be a year to improve. We want to do even better than the team has done this year. We need to work extra hard to make that happen, and if we do that, then a team and a club like Norwich can make great things happen.”
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It goes without saying that fans are the heart of any football club. Paul Lambert’s declaration that the support of Aston Villa’s loyal disciples matched the passion of Champions League semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund is high praise indeed. Now if Lambert could get his side playing like Dortmund the threat of relegation would soon cease. With their Premier League status under serious threat the Midlands side have improved markedly to win three of their last six games to give themselves a fighting chance of survival. Results fell kindly for them at the weekend and victory over Sunderland would lift them five points above 18th placed Wigan and potentially above beleaguered Newcastle if they netted five or more. The race is most definitely on.
The Black Cats, meanwhile, are searching for a third consecutive win under new head coach Paolo Di Canio that would ensure they’ll be playing top-flight football next season. The Italian has triggered a stunning revival in his first month on Wearside taking six points from a possible nine, as well as guiding the Black Cats to a stunning Tyne-Wear derby victory a fortnight ago. With that much sought-after 40-point mark in their sights Di Canio and his player can’t afford to let up if they’re to reach it before time runs out.
Team News
Paul Lambert goes into the game with no fresh injury concerns with Gabriel Agbonlahor fully fit after he completed 90 minutes against Manchester United last week following a groin injury.
Sunderland have Craig Gardner back to face his former club after the midfielder completed a two-match ban. Phil Bardsley (ankle) is a doubt, while Connor Wickham misses out with a calf problem.
What the managers said…
“I’m not sure because you don’t know how other results go. But you won’t be far away from it. ‘It’s in our own hands, that’s the good thing. It would be different if we had to rely on other people but we don’t. You look after your own, and if we do that then we’ll see what happens. I don’t think you can (get too caught up in the permutations), then you start to deflect from what you want to do yourself.” Paul Lambert isn’t sure 40-points will be enugh for Aston Villa to survive (Daily Mail)
“It was a strange moment, a strange situation in time those three days [after becoming Sunderland manager. But he rang me and backed me all the way. He said, ‘Proceed because you have complete support from the board’. From there, I felt even more energy, I was even more focused and even more determined to get the best out of the team, and I believed that no matter what the split with fans, I would look to make them happy as quickly as I could.” Paolo Di Canio admits he feared the immediate sack after his political beliefs overshadowed his appointment at Sunderland (BBC Sport)
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Pre-match Statistic: Expect a feisty match at Villa Park! There have been five red cards in the last eight Premier League square ups between Villa and Sunderland.
With Arsenal in a fight for Champions League football, the Gunners know that victory against Wigan and Newcastle would guarantee a place in Europe’s elite competition for a 16th successive season. But with neighbours Tottenham just one point behind, Arsene Wenger knows that one slip-up could cost his side dearly and back in January, it wasn’t looking so positive for Arsene Wenger.
Just a few weeks into the new year, Arsenal were in 6th place and six points behind 4th. And back then there was another issue for Arsenal fans to worry about too – Theo Walcott. With the Englishman’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, there were questions over whether Walcott would decide to stay at the club. Rumours spread that Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City were all monitoring Walcott’s situation with the club, until on the January 18th, when the speedster agreed to a new three-year deal worth a £100,000-a-week.
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In the next two weeks we will know if Walcott has made a good decision to stay with the club, as we will know for certain who will be playing in the Champions League next season. But where could Theo be if he hadn’t of signed a new contract at the Emirates?
If he had accepted a move to Chelsea, the winger could all but be guaranteed Champions League football next season. He would be fighting for his place more than he is now at Arsenal, but Walcott could be able to say that next season he would be playing for the European champions, with Chelsea and Benfica ready to face each other in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Although he would be cup-tied for the final, it would highlight his new club’s ability to win trophies, something he’s never experienced at Arsenal.
Or what if Walcott had joined Manchester City instead? He would be sure of his team playing in the group stage of the Champions League next season, as well as having the intentions of winning the Premier League. But who could guarantee Walcott’s involvement in the side? After watching fellow Brit Scott Sinclair join the club, Theo has seen how players can be completely left out of Mancini’s first team plans. So he may have been at a club battling for the league, but he may not have done much to help.
The third club linked with Walcott was Liverpool, the team he followed as a child, and fell in love with. But it was clear to see that although the Reds have the ambition to climb back into the top four in Brendan Rodgers’ long-term plans, Liverpool currently don’t share the same realistic targets as any of Walcott’s fellow admirers. And although they would hope that Walcott would be tempted to join the team he supported as a small boy, Liverpool knew that realistically that wouldn’t happen.
But in the end, Walcott ignored in the interest shown in him by both Chelsea and Manchester City, and decided to stay with Arsenal. If the Gunners did miss out on the Champions League, Walcott may well be questioning his decision to stay with his beloved Arsenal. Even if the club do finish in the top four, next season will really determine if Theo really has made the right decision. The 24-year-old is still yet to win a trophy in his career. And as we all know, at the end of a footballer’s career, it’s all about showing the grandchildren your winners’ medals.
Arsenal will need to spend big, bringing in some top quality players if they are to have a chance of winning a trophy next season. Despite Arsenal’s slump away from their title wining best, Arsene Wenger suggested that it would just be for a few years, and that this summer he will finally have money to spend in the transfer window.
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But if Wenger doesn’t get his signings right this summer, he could be extending the club’s run to 9 years without a trophy, and could make Walcott, and a few other players, consider their future with the club.
Walcott has shown a lot of passion and faith in Arsenal to stay, but if Wenger and the board don’t repay that faith, then their speedy forward may have made a huge mistake in staying with the club.
Arsenal are on the verge of completing a deal to bring striker Yaya Sanogo to the Emirates Stadium from Auxerre on a free transfer.
Sanogo has impressed in Ligue 2 this season with eight goals in just seven games.
Auxerre had been keen to keep hold of the highly-rated 20-year-old but Sanogo has rejected a contract offer from the French side and is available on a free transfer.
The Gunners will have to pay some compensation for the forward as he is under the age of 23.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has already met with the player and is confident the deal will go through.
“It is in advanced stages but it is not done,” Wenger said, when asked about the deal on Friday.
Sanogo is a French Under-21 international and was linked with Arsenal in 2009 but decided to sign his first professional contract with Auxerre instead of moving to London, but it would seem as if the Gunners have been keeping tabs on his progress.
It remains to be seen as to whether the youngster will be involved in the first-team squad next season or whether Wenger will seek to send the striker out on loan to gain more first-team experience.
Many have fretted over the state of the England national team, with all hopes of the future seemingly resting on the shoulders of Arsenal’s injury-stricken ace Jack Wilshere.
But at the weekend, a new, young, English midfield talent emerged to rival the importance of the Gunners man in the Three Lions’ not too distant future in the form of Everton’s Ross Barkley. With shades of Wayne Rooney, the Toffees prodigy made his long-anticipated announcement of arrival to the Premier League scene with a belting effort from his weaker left foot that soared past helpless Norwich keeper John Ruddy at Carrow Road.
Perhaps it’s too soon to begin panning Barkley’s career before it’s fully taken off, but the sensational 25 yard, left-footed strike on Saturday was the type of goal that suggested a coming of age moment for the 19 year old, whilst his performance to boot was by all accounts exemplary.
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Despite being the youngest player on the pitch, Barkley was the most dominant, with an immense technical, physical and tactical display at the tip of Everton’s midfield. The England U21, who put Scotland to the sword in a six goal thumping last week, finished up with a pass completion ratio of 95%, had more shots on goal than any other player, recorded four successful dribbles through the middle of the park, and also put in three tackles.
It was a ferocious all-round display that deserved to be capped off with a goal worthy of future Premier League highlight reels, showing all the qualities that the Three Lions have been desperately lacking in over the past decade. Along with Wilshere, the Everton starlet possesses a unique ability that appears to evade other English midfielders in his capability to turn his marker and run at opposing back fours. Since the days of Joe Cole, the Three Lions have lacked pace, technique and intensity to venture forward in the middle of the park, with England’s imbalanced robust midfield well-known and documented.
And it’s not as if Barkley was merely thrown into the mix by new Goodison boss Roberto Martinez, as part of some sort of sink-or-swim examination. In 2011, ex-England defender Martin Keown anticipated that Barkley would become ‘one of the best players we’ll ever see in this country’, and former Evertonian Tim Cahill quipped that the Toffees youngster was the most talented player he’d ever worked with. Last term, Barkley impressed in the Championship during short loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds, recording four goals in 17 appearances throughout his time with both Yorkshire outfits.
Upon returning to Goodison in February, David Moyes gave the 19 year old an opportunity to shine against Arsenal, where the Toffees starlet looked smart, tidy and inventive in midfield, before narrowly missing a curling effort from long range.
Things would have come much sooner for Barkley, had it not been for a serious injury in 2010 on England Under 19s duty, breaking his leg in three places. But the slow recovery appears to be a blessing in disguise, with Martinez remarking after last weekend’s Man of the Match performance: “Ithink he is a lot older in terms of football experiences and I think his time with England has really helped him in terms of opening his mind. His loan periods have helped as well and going through a serious injury at a young age too. So I would say he is a lot ‘older’ than his age reflects.”
And the feeling of maturity beyond his years is shared by Everton captain Phil Jagielka, who now believes Barkley is taking his abilities more seriously: “He is thinking more like a professional footballer now instead of a kid just having a good time. He is also a fantastic lad. He is always trying and out there practicing and if he keeps going in the right direction, hopefully we will have quite a player.”
So we have a player who dons unbelievable technical ability with both feet, possesses that natural English power, robustness and aggression, has the confidence to take on his marker and drive through the middle of the park, finishes matches with 95% pass completion ratios for a total of 53 passes, but most importantly and vitally for any young athlete, appears to have already developed the temperament and mentality to succeed.
But what’s next for young Barkley? Well the test for any youth product seeking to transition to senior level is consistency, which cannot be proved or disproved in a single outing. Dominant displays week-in-week-out is too high an expectation physically and mentally for the 19 year old, but a sign that his Norwich performance wasn’t simply a one-off will be expected sooner rather than later. Having shown his potential however, especially in front of goal, Premier League defences will begin to take note of Barkley, and pay special attention to him.
Yet there are few better locations for Barkley to progress his game than at Everton. The Merseyside outfit’s limited finance and subsequent squad depth means that the midfielder will receive plenty of first team action over the coming season, especially if Marouane Fellaini departs for Manchester United before deadline day, whilst the recent appointment of Roberto Martinez at Goodison looks set to have an ameliorative effect on the youngster.
The Spaniard consistently brought through a series of promising youngsters during his time at Wigan, including the likes of James McCarthy and Callum Mcmanaman who are now turning the heads of major Premier League clubs, and Martinez’s planned philosophical revolution at Goodison Park, with a new technical and possession-based approach to compensate for the expected sales of Fellaini and Leighton Baines, could well have Barkley at the centre.
But whether the England junior is used sparingly or excessively this season, I have little doubt that Martinez’s influence and the style of play he insists upon will be of great benefit to Barkley’s progression as a footballer, and make him stand out against other young English talents.
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There’s already been a great furore in the English media surround Barkley after his showing at the weekend, and granted, the midfielder as proved nothing yet apart from his potential. But it’s difficult to not get excited about a young home-grown talent displaying such pedigree, especially amid what seems to be the new dark ages of the England national team.
But either way, it seems a young star is beginning to shine at Everton, and the whole country can look forward to not relying upon one single entity in Jack Wilshere when considering the Three Lions’ near future.
Will Ross Barkley rival Jack Wilshere’s importance to the Three Lions?
Last year’s Capital One Cup was one full of shocks and twists and turns as two sides that very few would have predicted to reach the last game, in Swansea and Bradford, contested the showpiece final at Wembley. In almost any other year the Swans would have been the ultimate fairy-tale story, however their meeting with League Two representatives saw their story take more of a back seat.
But, that should not lessen their sense of achievement, with the South Wales side capping a remarkable decade with a piece of major silverware. Not long ago Swansea were staring at life outside of the Football League, which may have seen their very future cast into serious doubt. Yet, sterling work off of the field and an adoption of a more continental approach on it saw the now Liberty Stadium-based side rise through the divisions to dine at the top table of English football.
In some ways their story is comparable to that of Southampton, who are quietly asserting themselves as genuine candidates to take the trophy to the South Coast this time around. The Saints may a little more of an illustrious history, but they themselves were looking directly into the abyss just a few short years ago. Financial peril saw administration strike and rapidly the white and red shirted side slid down to League One.
Just when they were at their lowest ebb, salvation came in the shape of Markus Liebherr. The Swiss billionaire – who passed away in 2010 – set about rescuing the club from spiralling debts ahead of a plan to move up through the divisions and back to the big time. They may have been forced to stay in League One for a season longer than was hoped for due to a point deduction, but successive promotions saw Premier League football make a return to Hampshire after a seven year absence.
Like Swansea – who made it into the top flight a year before them – the Saints have firmly established themselves as a genuine force and now see their next step as securing silverware and a path into European competition. This season presents a genuine chance to achieving this, with a trip to out-of-form Sunderland all that stands between them and a spot in the final eight. Add into the mix the fact the big names such as Liverpool have already been knocked out and that one of Arsenal and Chelsea will suffer the same fate this time around and Southampton are all of a sudden firmly in the running.
Mauricio Pochettino – who succeeded Nigel Adkins earlier this year – has got his side playing a distinctive brand of football, which is not dissimilar to that of Swansea. St Mary’s Stadium has played witness to an alteration under the Argentine, who has moulded his team into a high tempo and bustling outfit with an abundance of quality in the final third. Big name arrivals such as Victor Wanyama and Pablo Osvaldo have seen a number of top clubs really sit up and take notice of Southampton, who are considerably closer to the top of the Premier League table than the bottom with around a quarter of the games having passed.
As well as fine form, a meteoric rise and a clear philosophy, Southampton have their very own talismanic attacker in the shape of Rickie Lambert. Swansea last season were buoyed by the incredible form of Michu, who spearheaded their run to Wembley and eventual 5-0 demolition of Bradford. Although Lambert is a different proposition to the silky Spaniard, he is still, arguably, just as effective. The new England star – who has carried his goalscoring form onto the international stage – has been the Saints’ talisman since his move to the club while in League One. Almost 100 goals in under 200 outings justify the £800,000 paid for his signature from Bristol Rovers – a large fee in the third tier – and he certainly has the ability and know-how to add a few more to his tally in the Capital One Cup.
The Capital One Cup is known for its unpredictable nature, which may see Southampton overcome the odds this season to cap their astonishing rise to back to the top of the English game. Only time will tell, but all the ingredients are in place for Adam Lallana to make the journey up Wembley’s iconic steps to lift the first trophy of the season this winter.
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