Roberto Mancini is unlikely to punish Mario Balotelli further after his latest tantrum during Manchester City’s friendly against LA Galaxy.Striker Balotelli attempted an outrageous showboat in Sunday’s match at the Home Depot Centre, pirouetting on the ball and trying to backheel it into the net, but missing wide of the post.
Mancini substituted the former Inter Milan bad boy after just 30 minutes, with a heated exchange taking place between the two Italians on the touchline.
Balotelli then sulked on the bench for the rest of the half and failed to emerge to watch the second half.
“I hope this is a lesson for him,” Mancini said.
“In football you always need to be professional, always serious and in this moment he wasn’t professional.”
“If you are serious, you can play 90 minutes. If not, you can come and sit by me on the bench.”
“He needs to understand his behaviour has to be good in every game – not just in a final or a semi-final but every game.”
“He knows he made a mistake. Football should always be serious and if you have a chance to score, you should score.”
Stiff disciplinary action might have been expected from some, but Mancini, who has taken a relaxed line on touchline disputes in the past, believes the embarrassment of being withdrawn after only half an hour is punishment enough.
“Mario is young, I want to help him and that is the end of it,” he said.
“To take him off after 30 minutes is enough punishment. It won’t have been easy for him but it has to be a lesson.”
It was suggested that Balotelli claimed he thought he was offside, explaining why he attempted the trick.
But Mancini declined to reveal what was said during the furious exchange between player and coach.
“It was in Italian,” he said.
“In English I would find it difficult to give you the translation. But Mario is streetwise, he knows he was not offside.”
Following a 1-1 draw against the MLS side, Manchester City went on to win the match 7-6 on penalties, with goalkeeper Joe Hart striking the decisive spot kick.
With so much pressure on managers and players to perform to the, often unrealistic, standards set for them by fans we should ask ourselves: are there other characters in the football pantomime who are often failed to be held to account? The people I’m talking about are of course the back room staff; the coaches, the assistant managers, the sporting directors and so on. How much influence do they really exert and should we be calling for a change in club staff as much as we do for managers?
Assistant Managers
The fact that Ray Wilkins’ departure last season coincided with a huge dip in form for Chelsea could be coincidental, but clearly it is too important a coincidence to overlook. Whilst nearly all eyes were focused on Carlo Ancelotti it was the absence of his number two that seemingly sparked the demise of Chelsea. They eventually recovered towards the end of the season but in the two months following the sacking of Ray Wilkins Chelsea took just seven league points from a possible twenty-seven including just one win in their nine Premier League games over that period.
Clearly this instance on its own is not enough to state the extent of the role that assistant coaches play in a club’s success, however when you look at the attitude of the most successful manager in British history then their importance is visible. Like any company, to enjoy consistent success football clubs need to reinvent themselves on a regular basis in order to keep up with the changing times of the industry. Whilst Alex Ferguson has been at United for over two decades he has had the foresight to change his assistant managers on a reasonably regular basis. During his time at the club he has worked alongside Archie Knox, Brian Kidd, Steve McClaren, Jimmy Ryan, Carlos Quieroz, Walter Smith and Mike Phelan.
I’m not saying that the continued success of Manchester United is down to the high turnover of staff, clearly Ferguson is the key factor; however, the assistants have invariably helped to add a freshness of ideas that is clearly lacking at other top clubs. Take Arsenal for example. Arsene Wenger, undoubtedly an exceptional manager, seems to have lost his way in recent years. Often it seems that the club are stuck in a rut and, whilst clearly this can’t be blamed purely on Wenger’s assistant Pat Rice, it is undeniable that the Northern Irish, former Arsenal defender has had a role to play. Rice has been assistant manager to Wenger ever since the Frenchman took over and whilst he enjoyed success early on he is indicative of the stagnation at the club, particularly if you consider Arsenal’s defensive frailties over the last few years (Rice is the defensive coach). It doesn’t mean that Rice is a bad coach or assistant, perhaps just that without fresh faces behind the scenes clubs like Arsenal, after a while, lack originality.
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You could also look at England under Fabio Capello. Capello’s number two was Franco Baldini who, it was said, conducted most of the team talks and ‘hands on’ elements to the national squad. If this is true then perhaps he too should be taking some of the blame for performances such as England’s during the World Cup in South Africa.
Bureaucracy
It’s not just the assistants that impact either. The bureaucratisation of football clubs has also had an impact on the teams’ performances. For example the ever-increasing numbers of ‘Directors of Football’ are hugely influential in a clubs success. Take Liverpool’s underwhelming league form this year. Arguably that is down to money poorly spent on expensive, average signings. Who was responsible for the signings of Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson? Damien Comolli – Liverpool’s Director of Football. Or you could look at Chelsea where the hierarchy have signed players such as Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku who, whilst excellent players, were not chosen by the manager and therefore hinder his performance in the role. Lukaku’s recent statement that he was unhappy about his lack of playing time is testament to the influence these individuals have behind the scenes and the negative effects they can have.
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I know a lot of this may seem obvious but the point I’m trying to make is that in a culture in which we are so quick to criticise players, to call for a change in the management of the club and express dissent at the earliest opportunity perhaps we should be looking at the other factors involved. Yes, Arsene Wenger seems to have lost his way a bit but is he actually a worse manager than he was in 2004 or does he just need to refresh his coaching staff? Yes, Villas-Boas has been poor this year but isn’t it understandable when the club keep buying players that he doesn’t want as he attempts to rebuild Chelsea’s squad; and yes, Daglish is hardly the same manager he was but can you blame him when £35m of his transfer money is spent on the likes of Andy Carroll? Ultimately the managers are accountable for the success or failure of a club but next time you find yourself calling for a manager’s head, or declaring your disgust at your manager’s choice of signings, take a minute to consider who else had a role to play.
Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that veteran defender Rio Ferdinand still has a place in the Manchester United first-team, and that his experience will be vital in the club’s quest for honours this season.
The England international has had a frustrating start to the season,as niggling injuries have forced him to watch his side power to the top of the league from the sidelines.
Despite the performances of the team and other defenders in his absence, Ferguson still values Ferdinand as an important part of the United side.
“Rio’s [injury] record is fact. We wish it was better but we use him to our advantage when we have him available because you cannot dismiss the experience he brings,” he stated in a press conference.
“He missed a couple [of matches] after Bolton and one after West Brom but I don’t mind that because with the squad we have got we utilise him the way we want to.”
With the rise to prominence of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, and the ever-steady Jonny Evans also available, Ferdinand’s future has been put in doubt. However the Scottish coach believes that Ferdinand is still integral to the Red Devils squad.
“He walked through the game at Bolton. We are absolutely delighted with Smalling, Evans and Jones. The three of them have been absolutely magnificent. They are the long-term future.
“But there are occasions when you bring in the experience Rio offers because it does make a difference. The young players know that.
“They also know there will be a time when they are left out for the right reasons and knowing they will get better the next time they come in,” he concluded.
United take on Stoke at the Britannia in the 5.30pm kick-off on Saturday, and will look to continue their flawless record in the Premier League.
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Sebastien Bassong’s White Hart Lane hell could be over this month after French giants Lille and Lyon are set to go head to head for his signature, according to this morning’s Daily Mirror.
French-born Bassong has attracted interest from his native country after finding himself well down the pecking order at Tottenham and is desperate to get his career back on track. Harry Redknapp has confirmed that he may need to sell in order to buy in January and Bassong is certainly the sort of player that the Spurs boss may look to move on.
The Cameroon international arrived in North London for £8million in 2009 from Newcastle United but has only made 44 league appearances at the Lane with the likes of Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Younes Kaboul and William Gallas all ahead of him in Redknapp’s thoughts.
Spurs have no chance of receiving the same sort of money that they paid out for Bassong three years ago but with Redknapp keen to bring Chris Samba to the club this month and the return of Swansea loanee Steven Caulker in the summer, Bassong will only fall further back in the Spurs squad.
The 25-year-old defender is set to start a tug of war between the French rivals after his proposed move to QPR fell through after Neil Warnock was sacked.
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The Premier League season kicked-off in usual fashion with controversial decisions, sending offs and dives aplenty, which is undoubtedly going to bring the referees in the spotlight in the press in next few hours.
I guess English football fans wouldn’t have it any other way and the longer the authorities continue to turn a blind eye to the use of technology to assist officials, then we will continue to have these grey areas that fuels supporters ranting and moans on football phone-ins, forums and websites like ours.
However there were some great goals to talk about this afternoon and thanks to the good people of ESPN and their NEW Goals App – we are all able to enjoy them without having to wait for the match highlights on MOTD later this evening. There are eleven strikes to enjoy from this afternoon’s games, including a wonder goal from Sunderland’s Seb Larsson.
Click here to see today’s Premier League action and download ESPN’s New GOALS APP – simply a must have for every football supporter.
Liverpool are set to up their efforts to sign a new attacker in January, with The Reds linked with moves for Crystal Palace’s prospect Wilfried Zaha and out-of-favour Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.
The Anfield club are having issues hitting the back of the net currently, highlighted by their 0-0 draw with Stoke at the weekend, and with Luis Suarez suspended the Merseysiders look slightly toothless in attack.
Mirror Football indicate that both Kenny Dalglish’s men and Manchester United are keen to sign highly-rated youngster Zaha, but Palace manager Dougie Freedman has issued a hands-off warning.
“I’ve had chit-chats with Kenny Dalglish and Alex Ferguson, but he is not going anywhere,” the Scottish coach stated.
Meanwhile, England international Defoe has been forced to watch Tottenham from the sidelines for the majority of this campaign, with Harry Redknapp preferring to partner Rafael van der Vaart with Emmanuel Adebayor up front.
Defoe’s agent has been pestering Redknapp to play his client on a more regular basis, but Liverpool may well be able to offer him regular football; Mirror Football again state that they are ready to bid £10 million for the diminutive marksman.
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With Euro 2012 just around the corner Defoe needs to be playing more frequently to force his way into Fabio Capello’s squad, and could be interested in a move to Anfield.
Chelsea are reportedly exploring options for moving to a new stadium, after it has been revealed that no further renovation work can be done on Stamford Bridge to increase capacity.
The 41,800 seats at the London club is significantly less than The Blues’ top Premier League rivals, and chairman Bruce Buck has confirmed that this number cannot be increased.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve given up but after five or six years of looking at it we are doubtful that we can do something at reasonable cost that will give us a reasonable return financially and for the fans,” he told The Telegraph.
The newspaper indicate that Andre Villas Boas’ men have three possible locations for a new arena; Earls Court, White City and Nine Elms, which are all being explored.
Despite this, Buck maintains that there are no concrete plans, and that the club are dedicated to Stamford Bridge for the time being.
“We are here at Stamford Bridge, have no plans to move but like any good business looking at the future we are looking at everything that comes along and might make sense,” he stated.
“At the moment we have no discussions going on with any developer and we still have not made a decision that ‘yes, Chelsea want to move’.”
“More significantly, we are wondering whether long-term our stadium might be the right size. We may decide that 42,000 is fine and if we continue to have that view we would just stay,” he concluded.
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Rafael Van Der Vaart is hungry. He wants the ball all the time. This is undoubtedly an excellent quality in a player. Because of Van der Vaart’s appetite and his status within the Tottenham Hotspur side, he has quickly and firmly established himself as the first choice set-piece taker but after a series of dreadful decisions against Manchester United on Monday night, this duty should definitely be put under review.
When playing against a side of United’s quality, every set-piece should be treated with great importance, there are few opportunities against the Champions and all should be taken seriously. Corners and free kicks must be viewed as a chance to test the defence and in particular, on Monday, to test the new goalkeeper. Van Der Vaart failed to do this completely. One of his corners didn’t even make it onto the pitch and he struck a horribly wasteful shot from 40 yards when both centre backs had gone forward. Harry Redknapp was furious and rightly so.
In the big games Van Der Vaart does get particularly carried away, the occasion seems to inflate his already considerable sense of self-importance and, whilst this benefited Spurs last season, particularly in the Champions League and against Arsenal at White Hart Lane, it was evident on Monday that his enthusiasm doesn’t always benefit the team. Aside from screaming at Lennon and then throwing a strop, he was hot-headed and rushing on Monday when what was needed was a cool head. By all means put van der Vaart on the free kicks from the edge of the box, he cannot really do much worse than Gareth Bale’s return of 1, but when Spurs are trying to slow down play and take the pressure of their back four, the last thing they need is a selfishly taken, rushed set-piece.
Perhaps taking Van der Vaart off set pieces entirely is too strong a reaction to this one particularly poor display as he is undoubtedly a talented enough player to whip in a great cross, but getting him to calm down and reminding him of the priority to put the ball into a dangerous area might be a start. There are several other players capable of delivering in the Tottenham side, particularly Tom Huddlestone and Gareth Bale. It wouldn’t hurt to let them have a go and at least make Van der Vaart appreciate his responsibilities a bit more on the process.
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Manchester United missed the chance to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League over the Christmas period after a shock home defeat to lowly Blackburn Rovers. Just a few days later and the Champions now need a victory away at Newcastle United tonight to move level on points with leaders and rivals Manchester City.
After the disturbing result at Old Trafford against Rovers; in which Sir Alex Ferguson dropped Wayne Rooney and was without a whole host of injured players; midfielder Michael Carrick came in for some criticism from United fans and pundits alike for his role at centre half. One of the most consistent Premier League players over the years, Carrick was playing out of position and under pressure and did not look out of place up against the in-form striker Yakubu.
A product of the successful West Ham youth system, Carrick quickly became one of the Premier League’s best young midfielders at Upton Park before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2004. An impressive spell at White Hart Lane convinced Sir Alex to fork out £18million two years later for Carrick who was bought to replace the departing legend Roy Keane.
It has taken time for the red half of Manchester to take to the North-East born midfielder, but this season he has shown his class in an injury stricken United side. After Paul Scholes retired at the end of last season, Fergie decided not to bring in a replacement as he was confident his current midfielders could step-up. But injuries to Anderson, Tom Cleverly and Darren Gibson along with defenders Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans have given Carrick the chance to play week-in-week-out and earn the praise that he deserves.
The England international is set to make his 250th appearances for United as he returns to his native city tonight in a huge game at the top of the Premier League. It is thought that Carrick could well return to his favoured central midfield position in the live game on SkySports and will no doubt put in a consistent, workman like performance that will not be praised by the likes of Ray Wilkins and Jamie Redknapp.
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The word underrated is often used nowadays with regards to players in the English top flight, and I believe Carrick defines the word. His creativeness is obvious to see and his passing and vision is on the same level as the much missed Scholes. His height and aerial ability meant that Sir Alex was comfortable to play him at the back and as you could see with his brilliant individual goal at Queens Park Rangers this season, his work rate and determination is unquestionable along with a deceiving eye for goal.
Former United defender Gary Pallister has urged United fans to allow Carrick to prove his worth and agrees that the 30-year-old midfielder has been in excellent form this season.
“He is one of the players that if things go wrong the fans berate and put all the blame on but he has been terrific this season,” Pallister told Goal.com, “Michael has really come to the fore, especially during this injury crisis in central midfield and at centre-half. He has had a fantastic season up to this date.”
“His reading of the game is what makes him such an effective player. He understands the game inside-out and he puts himself in very good positions, especially when he is protecting that back four. Plus in terms of range of passing, he is possibly the best player at the club for that, certainly now that Scholesy has left. His long-range passing is great and his ability to keep things ticking along in midfield with short, simple passing is superb. He has loads more experience now as well and he is playing really well.”
A perfect explanation and description from Pallister that is worth taking in and with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Jack Wilshere struggling for fitness or form, it is a matter of time until Carrick gets another chance for England and becomes a vital player for both club and country.
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Do you think Carrick is deserving of more praise and a spot in the England midfield? Let me know below or on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
Welcome ladies and gents to the live blog for tonight’s Carling Cup Fourth Round tie that sees Premier League champions Manchester United make the long and daunting trip down to Hampshire to face League Two minnows Aldershot Town.
Just 48 hours after their derby day humiliation Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will still be licking their wounds after being thrashed 6-1 by noisy neighbours City at Old Trafford. An insipid display from the Red Devils prompted Fergie to deal out some of the famous ‘hairdryer’ treatment to his players in the aftermath of their biggest home defeat since 1955.
It’s been reported that a number of senior players will be dropped by Ferguson tonight after their poor displays on Sunday with the likes of Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick set to feature. There is the worry that the deflated squad may still be shaken and another embarrassing defeat at the hands of Dean Holdsworth’s Aldershot may be too much to handle. United should be confident though in what will be their 100th League Cup tie. They haven’t lost in the fourth round since 2006 when Freddy Eastwood’s delicious free kick gave Southend a memorable 1-0 victory at Roots Hall.
The Shots are the lowest ranked team left in the competition but have lost their last three home games at the Recreation Ground. In fact they’ve lost all three Carling Cup games since being promoted from the Conference in 2008 and haven’t progressed past the third round since 1984. Former Wimbledon striker Holdsworth has done a decent job since taking over in January and will be banking on 10-goal Danny Hylton to inspire his side to a giant-killing of epic proportions. Interestingly this is only the second time the two sides have met and the first since Aldershot Town were formed in 1992. Their last meeting came over 40 years ago when United strolled to a 3-1 win over the Shots in the League Cup. I’m sure they’d be happy with a similar result tonight!