Jordan Henderson has had an on-off relationship with Liverpool supporters since taking the captain’s armband from club legend Steven Gerrard.
The midfielder has not always been consistent on the pitch, plus injuries have caused a problem in recent seasons.
However, on Wednesday night, the England international was part of a slick midfield that helped orchestrate an impressive 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Alongside James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the club captain helped play City off the park in the first half at Anfield, which was engulfed in a cauldron of noise from the home supporters.
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The result gives Liverpool a huge advantage heading into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, particularly as they avoided conceding an away goal.
Every one of Jurgen Klopp’s players stood up to be counted, and they were rewarded thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.
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In the build-up to the match, Liverpool fans had urged the manager not to start Henderson, but after the final whistle, opinion swiftly changed.
Some fans were also left concerned that the midfielder will be suspended for the second leg at the Etihad after he picked up his third yellow card of the tournament for a challenge on Raheem Sterling.
After some suspect defensive displays at Arsenal this season, is Gabriel Paulista really the man to add some solidarity to the Gunners’ back four?
The Brazilian centre-back signed for a fee of £11.2 million and joins fellow centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Per Meteresacker at the club. It remains to be seen whether Paulista has been bought to replace one of the current centre-backs or whether he will only be a squad player. However, considering the rather sizeable fee paid by Arsenal, you’d think the defender should be challenging for a starting spot.
At 24-years-old, Paulista is a good age and certainly has the potential to improve further. In terms of his stats so far this season, he does not particularly stand out compared to both Mertesacker and Koscielny. The Brazilian has won more tackles, made more blocks and has the highest Squawka performance score out of the three defenders this season. Although this may seem impressive, Koscielny has only played 12 games so far this campaign while Paulista has played 19. The Brazilian has also made two errors that have led to goals in 2014/15 while the current centre-backs at Arsenal have not been directly at fault for any goals conceded this season.
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Paulista’s playing style is not a typically English one; he likes to play from the back, often making interceptions and reading the game, more of a Gerard Pique than a Ryan Shawcross. However, at this level, it may take time for him to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League. He certainly has the skill and understanding of the game to become a hit in the Premier League but it will be interesting to see whether he can provide real defensive muscle to his game, something that is vital in England when strikers like Wilfried Bony, Andy Carroll and Diego Costa are about.
Wenger has obviously identified Paulista as a player capable of making it in the English top flight. He has pace, a good leap and is composed on the ball, attributes that current defender Laurent Koscielny also possesses. There is no doubt that the Frenchman has been a good servant to Arsenal but it did take him a while to fully adapt to the English game. Although this may not appeal to Arsenal fans, the same story could take place with Paulista.
Usually, it is easier for attacking foreign players to adapt. However, foreign defenders who hit the ground running are usually few and far between. The likes of Federico Fernandez, Federico Fazio and Marcos Rojo have barely set the league alight since their summer arrivals and these are all players that came to England with good reputations.
There is no doubt that Arsenal are taking a gamble with the Villarreal defender instead of opting for a reliable Premier League performer like Winston Reid. However, he will be given game time and an opportunity to prove himself at Arsenal due to the lack of squad depth they have in the defensive positions.
Arsenal fans will be relieved that the club have finally signed a defender just so Wenger doesn’t have to play either Nacho Monreal or Mathieu Debuchy at centre-back when the club suffers another inevitable injury crisis. Instead, Paulista will be the option in the heart of defence.
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To suggest that he is the answer to Arsenal’s defensive problems would be quite premature. However, it represents a step in the right direction for the club and now it is up to Paulista to prove that he is good enough to play at the top level.
Everton boss David Moyes has confirmed that unsung hero Leon Osman will be offered a new long term contract at Goodison Park.
Osman has once again impressed for the Toffees this season and even earned an overdue England call up from Roy Hodgson.
The 31-year-old celebrated 10 years since his debut yesterday having featured for the Merseyside club on January 12th 2003 against Tottenham Hotspur.
A fans favourite, Osman appeared to go unnoticed for years with his hard work and skill being massively underrated by fans and pundits.
However with the Blues now flying in the Premier League, Osman is part of one of the most effective midfields in the country and is rightly set for a new deal.
Moyes is a huge admirer of the wide man and is delighted that the club are rewarding him with a much deserved contract that could keep him at Everton for the remainder of his career.
“We are giving him a new contract because he is such a valuable player to us,” Moyes told the Daily Mirror.
“If he stays free of injury, he can go on for some years yet.
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“There are different types of players coming into the Premier League now, and it is a far less physical place – and that helps. He could survive in the other style of football and have a career, but now he is thriving.”
As reported by French outlet L’Equipe, Manchester United midfielder is set to start tonight’s France international friendly with Colombia on the bench, continuing his recent selection problems with the Red Devils.
What’s the story?
Pogba hasn’t started Man United’s last three matches amidst concerns about his form in Jose Mourinho’s midfield and it appears that his French national team boss Didier Deschamps also doesn’t fancy giving him a starting role.
L’Equipe say he is set to be benched against Colombia on Friday night, with N’Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi in line to start in his place,
Can the 25-year-old turn around his problems for both club and country and show why he is considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world?
What must Pogba do?
Much has been made of Jose Mourinho’s treatment of the French international, with his decision to bench the midfielder in recent matches controversial amongst supporters.
The truth is though his form has been inconsistent since January, with a man-of-the-match calibre performance against Stoke City the only one that stands out in 2018 so far.
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Some may argue he is not being utilised in his best role in the United midfield but the player himself must take responsibility for his performances and do the duty expected of him from Mourinho. He can’t be considered an automatic pick and to be fair to Mourinho, isn’t.
That appears to be the case for France too and the 25-year-old must show the hard work, passion and conviction to get back into the first team plans of both managers or risks missing out on big moments in the prime of his career.
Since their shaky start to the 2014/15 campaign, Louis van Gaal and Manchester United have now won six impressive games on the bounce, beating the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in the process.
The Red Devils have seemingly overcome the adversities that plagued them at the beginning of the season, with their uncanny ability to capitulate at the drop of the hat looking less and less likely with every passing match. For this, they have none other than their enigmatic Dutch boss to thank.
Whilst Louis van Gaal is starting to seem like a revelation at Old Trafford this season, his summer signings that cost the club £150m have certainly helped the Dutchman. Critics of United claim that any team who spends that much money in one single transfer window should be doing well by now regardless of who is in charge. We have seen through the efforts of Manchester City that the title can in-fact be bought, and many claim that what Van Gaal is doing at United is no different.
Although that definitely makes sense, the Red Devil’s boss has seen the likes of Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind all fall victim to injuries in recent weeks, but United’s form has not suffered as a result. For that, Van Gaal deserves credit.
It remains true that the new boss at Old Trafford has certainly had more financial backing from the board than his predecessor did, but that’s not to say that David Moyes didn’t splash the cash either. The Scot still spent £37 million on Juan Mata and £27.5 million on Marouane Fellaini respectively, which ultimately proved not to be enough to save his career at Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal has therefore made clear progress for United in their attempts to move forward, but he has been definitely blessed through the advent of not playing in Europe this season. The former Bayern boss has seen his side rise up past the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton in 2014/15, all, or at least partly, because he can rest his players midweek and focus of the team’s attention on their domestic duties without distraction. For those sides playing in Europe, such a luxury cannot be afforded.
One clear, yet more subtle, success of Van Gaal this season has been his ability to breed a new found confidence in his players. David De Gea’s recent blossom and subsequent Man of the Match display against Liverpool acts as the best evidence for this notion, while several other players, such as Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick, have noticeably stepped up their game under LVG.
We get the impression that Manchester United have found themselves a ‘proper manager’ in the Dutchman. He has seen it all before during his spells with Barca and Bayern, as well as internationally with the Netherlands. Louis van Gaal’s preference for three at the back and dependence on youth development has shown that he is not scared to make the big decisions and switch things up when necessary. It is this mentality that has got the respect of the Manchester United fans and board alike, which sadly, David Moyes never came close to achieving.
Whilst there is still a long way to go in the 2014/15 campaign, the Red Devils have made great progress under their new Dutch boss and will they will be hoping that the impressive form continues. LVG has therefore gone a long way in restoring the famed glory days back at Old Trafford this season.
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Manchester United are a big club who need a big name at the helm, and in Louis van Gaal, they certainly have that.
UEFA have done it again. They have failed to make an example of those that are polluting our beautiful game with racist, bigoted behaviour. But what did we expect?
In an age when the game’s governing body sees displaying sponsored boxer shorts as a worse crime than abusing another human being for the colour of their skin, is it any wonder that it is now almost on a weekly basis when a fan is arrested for racist behaviour?
UEFA’s decision to fine Serbia £65,900, £15,000 less than Nicklas Bendtner paid for displaying Paddy Power underwear at Euro 2012, and ordered them to play one U21 game behind close doors has been met with outrage throughout the sport. However, the decision to ban England’s Tom Ince and Steven Caulker after the scenes in Serbia in October proves UEFA clearly are out of touch with what is wrong with football and the people it is attracting.
It was clear just by watching the scenes unfold on TV that the England players were acting in defence and that Danny Rose’s behaviour was as a result of being the victim of monkey chants from the Serbian supports, which is something he indicated as he walked off the pitch after being sent off for showing his anger at the abuse he received.
But still two England players have been handed one and two match bans, while Rose’s red card still stands, meaning all three players will miss games at next year’s U21 European Championships. We will probably never know how and why UEFA came to this decision, but what we do know is that there clearly isn’t a punishment structure in place to deal with these problems. Every incident seems to be treated with a completely clean slate and UEFA are doing themselves no favours by dishing out varying and contradictory sanctions for what are exactly the same crimes.
The FA are doing what they can to eradicate racism from the game, despite a few early hiccups, but with the continent’s governing body failing to follow suit, the message that racism in football will not be tolerated still fails to hit home to some people.
The worrying thing about it is that over the years UEFA have regularly failed to suitably punish the perpetrators and the latest incident shows they have no intention of improving and, if anything, they intend to become more lenient.
After everything the FA has had to deal with over the past two years, what with players and fans being convicted for racist behaviour, this was the perfect chance for UEFA to put their foot down and show the FA, Europe and the world that football will not tolerate racism and those responsible will be severely punished. Sadly, that isn’t the case and we still feel as we aren’t any closer to kicking racism out of football.
Serbia’s fans have a reputation of being racist and they’ll see this punishment as something of a let off and will no doubt seek their next opportunity to bait their next opposition’s black players. One game behind closed doors is not going to deter the bigots from continuing their tirade against black players.
A ban from the next qualifying campaign from a major tournament would have gone so far in showing UEFA are no longer a soft touch, while a ban from playing any matches – friendly or competitive, is what might have brought the Serbians crashing back down to earth.
One thing England can be proud of is that they have conducted themselves in the best way they possibly can. The players on the night were a credit to this country, only reacting in any normal human being would after such an experience, while the coaching staff did their best in protecting their players, some being victimised as well in the process.
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At the end of the day, we let our football do the talking that night and we came out on tops. We’re going to the European Championships next year while the Serbs stay at home, probably making a list of the next black player to abuse.
It’s just a shame UEFA don’t see it that way and next time, because there will be a next time, we can be sure that it’ll be yet another lenient outcome that has us all wondering what good can ever come out of football. With UEFA seemingly not interested in stamping their authority on football, we will never get any closer to ridding the game of bigots.
I feel for the players and the countries/clubs who will no doubt experience what have in the future because there us no justice and, on this evidence, there probably never will be.
Do you feel UEFA are failing the sport by not making an example of Serbia following their racist behaviour towards England players back in October. Leave your thoughts below.
According to Telefoot, Paris Saint-Germain are considering a move for Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
What’s the story?
It is generally accepted that De Gea has developed into the finest goalkeeper in world football over the last couple of seasons.
The 27-year-old arrived at United from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011, and has been absolutely outstanding for the Red Devils in recent years.
Real Madrid continue to be linked with a move for the Spain international, but according to Telefoot, PSG are also in the race.
The report claims that the French giants – who have again fallen short in the Champions League this season – want an upgrade on current number one Alphonse Areola.
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There is no question that PSG have the finances to compete for De Gea’s signature, but it would be a huge surprise if United held off interest from Real Madrid just to sell to the French giants.
Should United fans be worried?
De Gea’s contract with United will expire in the summer of 2019, and the club are currently working on a fresh deal for the Spain international.
The goalkeeper, who is valued at £45m by transfermarkt.co.uk, came extremely close to joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2015, only for a faulty fax machine to prevent the deal from taking place.
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De Gea has continually insisted that he is happy at United, and the club’s progression since Jose Mourinho took charge places the Red Devils in a strong position.
The PSG project might well be of interest to De Gea, but the French side disappointed in the Champions League once again, and it is difficult to imagine the goalkeeper leaving United for any team other than Real Madrid.
Things are certainly looking up at United following a difficult few years, which makes any deal at the end of this season extremely hard to believe.
Jamie Redknapp labelled Manchester United’s ad-hoc defence in the second half of the Manchester derby as the worst Red Devils backline of all time, consisting of Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Patrick McNair and Luke Shaw, but Arsenal have fielded some pretty ropey back fours too this season.
In the Capital One Cup for example, we saw Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers, Isaac Hayden and Francis Coquellin – a defence with an average age of 20 and an average career appearances of just 37 – lose 2-1 to Southampton, providing further evidence of Arsene Wenger’s apathy towards a tournament he’s yet to win in eighteen years.
And for the best part of the last two months, full-back Nacho Monreal has deputised at centre-half for the injured Laurent Koscielny. Despite the 28 year-old’s performances ranging from average to oblivious, he’ll probably continue to do so until the Frenchman returns to fitness.
It’s hard to think of a defender in world football less equipped to be a Premier League centre-back than the Spain international; he measures in at just 5 foot 10, isn’t particularly quick or strong and throughout spells with Osasuna, Malaga and now the Gunners, has only ever impressed for his contributions going forward. Defensive awareness, on the other hand, is commonly viewed as Monreal’s predominant weakness, one that’s been exposed on countless occasions in the Premier League before – even in his preferred left-back role.
But Arsene Wenger made Arsenal’s bed in the summer and now they’ll have to lie in it. With Koscielny and right-back Mathieu Debuchy both likely sidelined for the next two months, the Gunners have already hit the bare bones of their defensive depth – in fact, it was reached by the end of August – so until the January window, when the Emirates gaffer will almost certainly remind us that a returning crocked star is the equivalent of a new signing, the north Londoners will simply have to make do.
This was an easily avoidable situation however, had Wenger not committed the unforgivable sin of completely ignoring his backline’s fragility throughout the summer.
Arsenal have dropped nine points from winning positions this season, the most of any Premier League side, not to mention their capitulation against Anderlecht in the Champions League, throwing awat a three-goal lead. Rather tellingly, Monreal featured at centre-back against the Belgians, in addition to the lead-squandering draw against Hull City and the loss to Swansea City on Sunday afternoon.
Resultantly, instead of being within a victory’s-distance of Premier League pace setters Chelsea, Arsenal are already twelve points behind, and the planned title charge – inspired by the momentum gained from winning last season’s FA Cup in combination with the summer addition of world class forward Alexis Sanchez – is already over. Bizarrely, Wenger appears to have no shame in admitting his side are out of the title race as early as November, after just eleven games.
One can only ponder how Wenger thought this season would pan out during the summer, or whether he gave it any genuine thought at all. Despite the resolve of Arsenal’s defensive depth being tested enough times last season, the north Londoners parted with three defenders this summer – Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna – but replaced them with just two, Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy.
This isn’t the first Arsenal campaign plagued by injury issues and it won’t be the last, so the logic of reducing the Gunners’ defensive numbers by one is quite frankly, completely lost on me – especially amid the most lucrative transfer window in the club’s history.
It’s not as if cheap centre-backs were somehow barred from participating in the last transfer window. Southampton for example, signed Atletico Madrid’s Toby Alderweireld, a versatile defender that’s already put in a number of decent Premier League performances, on a season-long loan, as did West Ham with former Gunner Alex Song – a player that would have not only improved Wenger’s options in defence, but also added variety to the midfield.
Then there’s Ron Vlaar, Winston Reid and Fabian Schar, three contract rebels that were available for the £5million-£10million mark, Tottenham’s £8million-release-clause acquisition Federico Fazio and then-Feyenoord’s-now-Lazio’s-via-£7million Stefan de Vrij.
Considering the detrimental impact the absence of a recognised fourth centre-back has already had on Arsenal’s season, even the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Joleon Lescott and Rio Ferdinand could have proved inspired on a one-year deal. Take how effectively Jose Mourinho has utilised 36 year-old striker Didier Drogba this season, for example.
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Wenger’s made plenty of mistakes over the last ten years but I find this one of the most troubling. This isn’t a debate of philosophies or transfer policy, two issues the Arsenal boss appears immovable on; this is simply a case of negligent naivety. In another industry, it would probably be labelled as malpractice.
It’s certainly not the only reason Arsenal are currently in sixth place after winning less than half of their games this season. Clearly there are questions over leadership, mentality and balance throughout the starting XI.
But whereas another proven centre-back could have at least improved the Gunners’ defensive performances in certain fixtures, the absence of one has already affirmed Arsenal’s fate this season – another campaign where Champions League qualification for the umpteenth year in a row is the only reward.
Gareth Bale could return from injury in time for Tottenham’s Premier League clash with Stoke on Saturday.
The Welsh winger has been sidelined since the start of the month, after suffering a hamstring injury in the Londoners’ 3-0 win over Fulham.
It was suspected that Bale would be unable to return until the New Year, but Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas revealed that his star man is close to making a full recovery:
“It’s good news,” AVB responded when asked about the wideman’s progress by SkySports.
“First for the player because he wants to be back in the group and he’s made a tremendous recovery. He’s worked extremely hard.”
Centre-back Michael Dawson suffered a similar injury in the same game, and AVB confirmed that he is also in contention to make his comeback:
“Michael was injured in the same game as Gareth and they’ve both returned to training. It’s great to have them back.”
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The Portuguese coach went on to state that left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Scott Parker are also nearing full fitness:
“Benoit Assou-Ekotto is also recovering his fitness, along with Scott Parker. Scott is a little ahead of Benoit, but he’s getting back into shape and back into contention.”
Thierry Henry has praised Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the midfielder disputed the Frenchman’s earlier criticism.
Henry was heavily critical of Oxlade-Chamberlain when he made the move from North London to Liverpool this summer, but says the Englishman deserves plaudits for his form at Liverpool.
“I still don’t know what he’s good at,” Henry said when the 24-year-old left Arsenal, comments that were recently branded “stupid” by the midfielder.
Oxlade-Chamberlain had a tricky start to his career at Anfield, making appearances from the bench in thrashings at Manchester City and Spurs.
Since then however, the speedy ex-Gunner has found his feet in Jürgen Klopp’s system, and even started adding end product to his performances, something he always lacked at Arsenal.
He has three goals and five assists in the league for Liverpool this season, after only managing nine goals and 14 assists in 132 league games for the Gunners.
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Henry said in his Sky Sports column:
“At Arsenal, there has always been a lot of debate as to what Oxlade-Chamberlain’s best position is.
“One day he was a wing back, one day he was a left winger, one day a right winger and on another a number 10. That was the problem, we just didn’t know.”
“For Liverpool, we are now seeing a midfielder that puts the pressure on the opposition at every opportunity, he wins the ball back, he scores goals and also gives assists. Now we can see clearly what type of player he is.”
As Henry says, Oxlade-Chamberlain was a utility man at Arsenal, moving positions every week and never really finding his best form. Klopp has deployed him mostly as an advanced central midfielder with two more defensive minded players supporting him, and he has flourished.
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The 24-year-old has been in fantastic form recently, providing assists to Mohamed Salah in both of Liverpool’s last two fixtures. He will be hoping to keep his starting place for the trip to Old Trafford next weekend.
If Oxlade-Chamberlain can keep his form until the summer, he should be at the top of Gareth Southgate’s list for central midfielders, especially if the likes of Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson are placed behind him to do the dirty work.
Liverpool fans, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.