Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas could be made to dip into the January transfer market after Emmanuel Adebayor’s Togo about-face, leaving Spurs with one out-and-out striker till mid-February.
Adebayor has decided to fulfil his international duties with Togo and will now attend the African Cup of Nations in South Africa, missing up to six games for the North London club.
The player initially voiced his concerns over team security and unpaid bonuses. His fears for team security during the competition comes after being greatly affected by the team bus attack on 8 January 2010, leaving three dead and nine injured. It was also reported that Adebayor and his teammates had recently seen bonuses, which were owed to them for international duty, unpaid.
Coincidentally, news of Adebayor’s change of heart comes on the anniversary of the gun attack that occurred in the Cabinda Province, Angola.
After speaking with the country’s President – Faure Gnassingbe – the player has changed his mind.
Head of the Togo Football Federation Ameyi Gabriel said that “Of course we’re in the Africa Nations Cup with Adebayor, we will be together in South Africa.”
“It is very important to have him there because he is our player and captain of the team,” continued Gabriel.
Although the player looks set to miss six games, Spurs are counting on his availability for their Premier League game against QPR on Saturday afternoon.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Meanwhile, Spurs have yet again been linked with a move for Brazil international and Internacional forward Leandro Damiao.
Mark Hughes has been sacked as manager of QPR after a winless start to the season has left the club rock bottom of the Premier League.
Hughes, who has been in charge of Rangers for ten months helped the club to Premier League safety last season, but has left the club in an ominous position this season despite spending over £21million on new signings in the summer.
QPR’s last games against fellow strugglers was dubbed ‘El Sackico’ and the 3-1 defeat has proved the fate for the Welshman.
A statement from the club said “Queens Park Rangers as of today have terminated the contract of Mark Hughes with immediate effect.”
“Mark has shown integrity and professionalism during his time at the club, but ultimately the circumstances we find ourselves in have left the board with very little choice but to make a change.”
QPR travel to Hughes’ former club Manchester United tomorrow, with Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki will take control of the side.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Rangers are the only club in all four division to yet win a game this season as they sit five points adrift of safety on just four points from the opening 12 games.
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has been made favourite to take over from the outgoing Hughes.
Andre Villas-Boas will probably already be making an intricate set of preparations for his side’s trip to Reading this Sunday and there can be no doubts that however he chooses to set his team up, they’re in dire need of attaining all three points.
The set-up in which the Portuguese has adopted since his arrival in North London, has of course been the current 4-2-3-1 set-up, which has certainly not been without it’s set of teething problems. Of course, the fact that he was employed with this ethos in mind, yet failed to attain a set of players able to play it properly till the end of the transfer window, hasn’t helped anybody. Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy certainly made life tough on the ex-Chelsea man for his team’s first three league fixtures.
Yet when Emmanuel Adebayor is fit enough to lead Spurs’ line of attack on his own and Moussa Dembele is able to start from the off in a deeper midfield role, Villas-Boas should have the tools to get his new system firing on all cylinders. Of course, the touted transfer of Joao Moutinho would have been catalyzed Spurs’ transition to with far, far greater ease, but the side looks far more suited to playing in this way than what it has for their opening games.
However, Tottenham’s well oiled machine of last season may have undergone wholesale changes, but a few of the old cogs are still massively prominent in its post-Redknapp facelift; and it remains to be seen whether these cogs, predominantly to the names of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, can work effectively under Andre Villas-Boas’ stewardship.
Spurs’ opener against Newcastle at St. James Park last month may have ended in defeat, but the suggestions were that their all important wingmen in chief, were up to the task of playing in a more varied role. Gareth Bale seemingly spent the second half of last season auditioning for a more central role and he seemed more than happy to oblige, picking the ball up from a variety of positions and causing all sorts of problems; even hitting the bar with a header at one point.
Likewise, Aaron Lennon seemed to be popping up all over the shop, dinking balls in from both the left and the right. Indeed, Jermain Defoe’s equalizer at the time came as a result from one of Lennon’s forays from the left hand side. It seemed that although there was work still to be done, both of Spurs’ wingers were up to the task of playing in the Villas-Boas’ three behind the frontman.
The last two games, however, seem to have counterbalanced the real positives that fans took from the seasons opener. As stated, it is both unfair and unrealistic to judge Villas-Boas entirely from three games in which he hasn’t had the right players to play the system he’s been brought in to employ- and part of that blame must lie with the chairman. But the problem is, two of his sides’ most lethal assets have carved their reputations playing in a different role. A role that has in no small part, defined a large part of Spurs’ recent success.
Looking backwards is by no means going to help the club move forwards, although Redknapp’s side was focused upon a very traditional sense of wing play. The emphasis of their play has always revolved around getting the balls out to the flanks and letting both Bale and Lennon cause carnage. Be it the balls the pair put into the box, the space they made from searing runs at defenders or their craft at cutting back inside, they have made both their own names and that of their teams’ on the back of such play.
No one can deny that for all it’s success and swashbuckling style, the 4-4-1-1 itself had it’s fair share of tactical faults. But importantly, it was the pair of Bale and Lennon that made it tick. Andre Villas-Boas new system is one that is very much embraced by the top European sides and is very much in keeping with the modern game. Contrary to what the doubters or those of the old-school may say, there is absolutely no reason why it can’t work at Tottenham Hotspur. But whether it can work with both Bale and Lennon in it, remains to be seen.
Because in both home games against West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, Spurs have looked disjointed- particularly going forward. No one denies that the new regime will take time to implement, but it has been the lack of cohesion and direction that has been particularly worrying. The three behind the striker must be mobile, quicksilver but perhaps just as importantly, they must have a degree of tactical nous. Getting two traditional wingers to play in this way is asking questions of Bale and Lennon- and they’re both giving some uncertain answers.
Gareth Bale has been creating opportunities throughout all three games, but again, they’ve come from his traditional marauding raids down the left-flank. This isn’t to say that Villas-Boas set-up can’t allow for these runs, in the slightest. But both Bale’s and Tottenham’s most prominent opportunities have come from his traditional wing play. Not his stuttering and often ineffective play more centrally. Last season he showed a continuous desire to move in from the left hand side, but bar his virtuoso performance away at Norwich, he often failed to make an impression. He will need time to adapt, but he must show more to suggest he has a real future playing in this role.
Aaron Lennon also has looked uncomfortable at times playing in his newer role. He naturally wants to get chalk on his boots and run at his man. Intelligent movement has never been the fulcrum of his game because it doesn’t need to be- he does one thing, but he does it very well. There is nothing wrong with that. But the problem is if both Bale and Lennon revert back to their natural instincts, then the system will ultimately be doomed to failure. The system needs them to be able to make an impact more centrally as they have to chip in with the goals to make it stick.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
There’s nothing to say that both Bale and Lennon can’t refine their roles in this team. Nothing happens overnight and they’ve both had to play in a system, as the rest of the side has, that hasn’t had the players to cater to it. But unfairly or not, the side is already under a real level of extrinsic pressure and Villas-Boas can’t afford to give them half a season to make it work. He simply doesn’t have the time.
The sticking point is that both Lennon and particularly Bale’s ability are too important for Spurs to leave out- even if he wanted to, there simply aren’t any viable alternatives. Villas-Boas must be brave and he must stick with his philosophy and what he believes in. But these are the tools of which he has to work with and if until January he can’t get them to adapt, he must do whatever it takes to do so. And the realties of that aren’t particularly easy at all.
What do you think about Bale and Lennon’s role in this Spurs team? How long can AVB afford to give them to adapt and can they both co-exist in the new set-up? Let me know what you’d do on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your views.
Gabriel Agbonlahor does not expect to be the next high-profile departure from the Aston Villa squad.
The striker has seen the talents of James Milner, Ashley Young, Gareth Barry and Stewart Downing leave Villa Park since making his first-team debut aged 19 six-and-a-half years ago. Agbonlahor is now one of the longest-serving players in Paul Lambert’s squad, and he is adamant that his affinity for the club he has served through the junior ranks into the senior set-up is as strong as ever. He told Sky Sports:
“You can never say never, but as long as the club want me here – I’ve got two years and an option for another year – then I will stay. If the club wants to keep me and I’m happy, I will stay at the club for the rest of my career. You can say I haven’t had a move, I haven’t had this or that, but I’m happy to be at Aston Villa. If those players (Milner, Young, Barry, Downing) had been home-grown players, you never know what their choice would have been. For me even if a big club had come in for me, they would have known that I wanted to stay here. It’s different for me.”
owner Tony Fernandes has assured that Mark Hughes’ job is safe.
The Loftus Road club are sitting on the bottom of the Premier League table currently, having not won a fixture to date and picking up only two points from their first seven games.
The Welsh trainer’s position is under jeopardy in the press given the amount of money that Rangers parted with in the recent transfer window.
However, Fernandes has stated that he has confidence in Hughes’ abilities as manager and will not be sacking the coach.
“If the team was playing badly, if the dressing room was dispirited then you would have to say something’s not right, but the team is playing well,” Fernandes told Sky Sports.
“We have given away goals and we have critical injuries in critical places.
“Unfortunately or fortunately we are a higher profile club, we are five points away from being in the middle and you don’t see the other clubs getting the kind of pressure we’re getting but that comes with the territory.
“So no panic. Mark’s done it in Fulham, he’s done it in Blackburn and I have got to say even at Man City the core championship side were players Mark brought in.
“So he has my full confidence and I hope I am proven right in a big way that I can answer all these critics and armchair critics,” he concluded.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
QPR lost their last game 3-2 to West Brom, but have the chance to get their first victory of the campaign when they host Everton at Loftus Road on Sunday.
Remedying United’s current defensive pitfalls is proving incredibly problematic for Sir Alex Ferguson as he approaches, what is being billed as, the seasons early title decider. Last week’s victory against the Potters at Old Trafford once again highlighted the Red Devils’ frailties at the back as did the narrow Champions League win in midweek. Annoyingly for Ferguson there isn’t much he can do treat the situation with Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans, both of whom have endured mixed campaigns, his only two fit centre backs. And the last thing he would want is to come up against a free scoring Blues side, who could to start pull away at the top should they win having already built up a four point advantage over United. Ferguson knows it is still early days in the title race but is also aware of the negative effect a defeat against one of their main rivals could have on his players as they struggle to find their form.
This week on FFC should United think about the financial benefits of selling Nani and could Ferguson be about to raid Germany for a second time?
[divider]
Best of FFC
Wag Weekly – Shinji Kagawa’s Mrs.
Wayne Rooney’s performance tells us all we need to know
Should Manchester United really consider cashing in?
How many times can Manchester United do this?
Time for Fergie to remedy this transfer mistake?
How long can Sir Alex Ferguson turn a blind eye to it?
Is this United ace a victim of bloated expectation?
Why the rest of the Premier League could learn from Tottenham and Manchester United
The man to get the best out of him at Old Trafford?
Fergie considers £20m raid on Dortmund to bolster options
Madrid set to offer unsettled United ace a route home
[divider]
Best of WEB
[divider]
Time To Move On At Stamford Bridge – Red Flag Flying High
The Greenhoff Column : Concentrate – 7Cantonas
Five Things We Learned – Manchester United vs. Braga – Red Flag Flying High
Ferguson on the defensive over errors – United Rant
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A Timely Reminder From This United Star – The Busby Way
[divider]
Quote of the Week
[divider]
“With the players we have I don’t expect to start every game. I am just trying to pick up games wherever I can and influence them like I have done in the past. I haven’t found it difficult. I want to play and I want to be in the team. But I am experienced enough to know that come the business end of the season, the experienced lads will be needed and I will be ready.” Ryan Giggs says he is happy to wait for his chance at Manchester United
According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Birmingham City are one of three clubs interested in a £3m move for Hibernian midfielder John McGinn this summer, but Blues boss Garry Monk would certainly be taking a risk by splashing out on the 23-year-old.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sun on Sunday says that the Midlands outfit, along with Championship rivals Derby County and Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, are all keen on the hard-running star, who is a key man for club and country.
The Sun on Sunday report that McGinn has strong connections with the Bhoys and they are still in pole position to buy him, but Monk and new Rams manager Frank Lampard both want to bring him to the second-tier of English football.
[ad_pod ]
How did McGinn do in the 2017/18 campaign?
He certainly made a big impression in the middle of the park for Hibs in terms of impact in the final third, scoring six goals and providing a further eight assists in 43 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
While that is impressive, his disciplinary record certainly isn’t and he picked up a remarkable 18 yellow cards during those outings, although he never received a red.
That was 12 more cautions than he got during the previous campaign, which suggests that he has added more aggression to his game.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]
Would he be a good Birmingham signing?
Because of his impressive record from a central midfield area he certainly would be, but his record of 18 yellow cards in all competitions against opposition that are almost certainly weaker than what he would come up against in the Championship is certainly a worry.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Monk, who will significantly improve his side’s attack by signing £1.35m forward, will need his best players on the pitch consistently if the Blues are going to significantly improve in the upcoming season, and you just wouldn’t be able to guarantee that with McGinn when you look at his poor record.
The 39-year-old boss could choose to take the risk if he can convince him to move to England over Celtic, but there is no doubt that it would be a big one.
Ambitious Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg have made a £25 million bid for Manchester United winger Nani, according to The Daily Mail.
The Portugal international is out of favour with Sir Alex Ferguson, and his future is unclear as negotiations over a new contract have broken down with the Old Trafford club.
With added competition for places in the Red Devils’ squad Nani has been linked with a move elsewhere, with Juventus known admirers of the tricky wideman.
However, Zenit are eager to wrap-up a deal for the player before the close of the transfer window and have tested United’s resolve with a large bid.
The player’s representatives are said to have met with the eastern European powerhouses in Amsterdam on Monday, with a move now dependent on whether Sir Alex Ferguson wants to cash in on the star.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has once again moved to dismiss talk of a Premier League title challenge by insisting that the club’s focus is on Champions League qualification.
The Reds put themselves firmly in the mix with a thumping 5-1 win against Arsenal, who had topped the table going into the sides’ Saturday clash.
With the result and the manner of the performance at Anfield, many pundits have been putting the Merseysiders alongside the Gunners, Manchester City and Chelsea as challengers for the league title.
But Rodgers – whose side are now three points clear of Tottenham in fifth and have a +33 goal difference – claims that the focus is on staying in the top four and bringing the highest level of European football back to the club and the city:
“I really only focus on the team and the football club, and make no mistake – I want to get into the Champions League for the people here at the club and the people of the city,” he told Sky Sports.
“I came here to try and inspire the city as much as the team. I know what Champions League football can bring to a city like Liverpool and everything it can generate.
“I keep the focus on improving the players, improving our performance levels, and you can see from the continuation of the development we’ve made over the last 18 months that we’re going to be a match.
“The momentum has been building and building, but I just think it would be unprecedented to go from being where we were last year in seventh position to first.
“We’ve got so many young players, who are still growing and developing and our squad is small. So I feel that we’ve still got work to do.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“But when we play like that and perform like that (on Saturday), people are obviously going to ask the question (can you win the league?).
“We’re five points behind Arsenal, four behind Manchester City and six behind Chelsea and we still have them to play here at Anfield.
“But the main objective is just to finish as high as we possibly can and let’s see where that takes us.”
Manchester United have finally been told that Arturo Vidal is not available to them this summer, after chasing the Chilean for much of the transfer window.
It’s another disappointment for the club, who have felt the sting of rejection multiple times over the past year. The protracted, fruitless chase of Vidal should be seen as nothing other than further embarrassment to the club, who failed to realise that the midfielder was not going to leave Juventus at this late stage of the window.
But even after the signing of Angel Di Maria earlier in the week, United are still desperately short of quality, both in central midfield and at centre-back.
With Vidal now firmly out of the picture, here’s a look at five alternatives for Man United to consider…
[ffc-gallery]Click on Blind to start the gallery
[/ffc-gallery]
Daley Blind
Daley Blind may have made his name as a full-back, but the Dutch international is just as good in central midfield, where he often played for Ajax last season.
It was widely expected that Blind would be part of the new arrivals at Old Trafford this summer, but a move has yet to take place.
The Dutch international, who is known well by Louis van Gaal, would be a great buy and the perfect complement to Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria in the midfield.
Sami Khedira
Real Madrid should be desperate to sell Sami Khedira in these final days of the transfer window, with the German international looking unlikely to extend his contract in the Spanish capital.
Manchester United have surprisingly not been linked with the midfielder, even though he’s exactly what they need. His all-action style would be an excellent fit in Louis van Gaal’s system, while his defensive work would allow Ander Herrera to thrive.
A former teammate of Angel Di Maria, Khedira would go a long way to helping United improve their fortunes on the pitch.
William Carvalho
Sporting are said to be willing to move on their initial price tag on William Carvalho, who has been attracting plenty of interest from English football.
The midfielder is one of Portugal’s most exciting talents and looks destined for a move to the Premier League in the near future. Considering United’s links with Portuguese football, it’s a surprise they have not made a serious offer for the Sporting midfielder.
There is a big price on Carvalho’s head, even with Sporting will to negotiate. But over time, he will prove to be the perfect addition to the midfield at Old Trafford.
Gokhan Inler
In recent years, the only major interest in Gokhan Inler to come out of England has been from Arsenal, who passed up the opportunity to sign the midfielder while he was at Udinese.
Now at Napoli and thriving, the Swiss international has been one of Europe’s most consistent holding midfielders over the past few seasons.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
He’s the no-nonsense, tough-tackling leader United are lacking in the middle of the pitch, and would represent a very good alternative to Arturo Vidal.
Alex Song
They don’t get much more underwhelming than Alex Song, especially when names like Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba have been mentioned in the past.
It’s telling that so few clubs have registered any interest in the Barcelona midfielder. Evidently his ties to the Catalan club and his history at Arsenal have done nothing to convince potential suitors.
But what it all comes down to is that Song is a player who performs the defensive midfield role; how well he does that is another matter. He’s available and willing to move back to English football.
Try and look at it from this point of view: Song would be better than nothing.