Tag Futebol

West Ham United won the battle of claret and blue at Turf Moor to book their place in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Burnley.

After a lacklustre and uninspiring first-half from the Premier League side, Hammers manager Sam Allardyce’s men eventually came through a tough test against the Championship leaders courtesy of two late penalties from Matty Taylor and Jack Collison.

Burnley will have sensed an upset with the form they were taking into this game having not lost at home all season and won 12 of their 15 matches in all competitions so far.

And they looked odds on to have their name in the hat for the next round during the opening 45 minutes as they dominated proceedings while West Ham struggled to see much of the ball.

Prolific Clarets strikers Sam Vokes and Danny Ings, who have 21 goals between them this season, both came close in the early stages but found their efforts equaled by Spanish keeper Adrian. Former West Ham Acadamy graduate Junior Stanislas was also denied by West Ham’s No.2 as they continued to pile the pressure on Sam Allardyce’s side.

Allardyce had made nine changes to the side that faced Swansea in the Premier League just 48 hours prior to this game, with just Mohamed Diame and James Tomkins keeping their place in the starting XI, and the lack of team cohesion appeared to be damaging their chances of victory.

But Allardyce’s words to his players at half-time – which he admits involved telling them that the 2,000 travelling supporters had paid ten times more than they had done and that they needed to go out there give them value for money – appeared to kick them into gear. Jack Collison replaced the unusually quiet Mohamed Diame at the break and suddenly West Ham’s ‘hoof ball’ tactics were transformed into slick, on the floor passing.

Burnley were suddenly on the back foot and had it not been for Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga’s disappearing act up front, West Ham could have been out of sight by the hour mark.

But Kieran Trippier rattled Adrian’s crossbar after Tomkins had failed Ings 25 yards from goal, which suddenly turned the game in to a real end-to-end cup tie. Both sides began playing good football and were pushing for a winner, seemingly as extra-time and penalties were out of the equation for both parties.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

However, the introduction Kevin Nolan with 20 minutes to go proved to be the game changer and, just five minutes after coming on, the midfielder won a contentious penalty after referee Robert Madley adjudged Jason Shackell to have tripped him, and Matty Taylor stepped up to slam the ball home in front of the West Ham supporters.

The penalty looked to have taken the wind out of Burnley’s sails and the game was dead and buried four minutes into stoppage time when Keith Treacy hacked Jack Collison as the Welsh midfielder was through on goal. Treacy was shown the red card and Collison slotted past Tom Heaton to secure West Ham’s passage into the quarter-finals.

[ad_pod id=’capone’ align=’center’]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that Sergio Aguero’s claims that foreign players are treated harshly by Premier League referees is untrue.

The Manchester City forward claimed that some players from abroad are dealt with due to their reputation, with Luis Suarez recently not getting the rub of the green with match officials.

However, the legendary Scottish coach does not feel that players’ origin have an impact on the decision-making process.

“As a subject it is not worth going down because we have known for quite a few years there are plenty of players diving and, you have to say, particularly foreign players,” Ferguson stated in a press conference, published on Sky Sports.

Nani is another player that has been accused of simulation in the past, with the Portugal international denied a penalty in United’s 3-2 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday.

Ferguson has defended the tricky winger and stated that decisions are open to interpretation.

“Nani is not the type to dive. He has never been that type of player.

“It was a penalty kick on Saturday. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“From the referee’s position it was difficult because there were plenty of bodies in front of him. The linesman could have helped him but he didn’t,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

Liverpool fans are pleading with the Anfield club to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after his latest performance for the Italian side on Sunday.

The Serbian international was in action against Inter Milan on Sunday and although he produced a strong performance, his side failed get the draw they needed to secure UEFA Champions League qualification next season.

Reds supporters believe he is the perfect midfielder to help them progress in the English Premier League next season and are hoping that lack of elite European competition could open the door to a move this summer.

The player has scored an impressive 14 goals and created 6 assists this season from central attacking midfield, becoming one of the hottest properties in European football.

He is rated at £63m by Transfermarkt.

Is he the kind of player that Liverpool should be looking in the upcoming transfer window?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Sunday…

[ad_pod ]

Even if Craig Gordon’s Celtic career ended tomorrow, his contribution to the Hoops over the years would be seen as massive.

The former Hearts and Sunderland goalkeeper looked to be heading for early retirement before finding his fitness and form at the Hoops and since his arrival at Celtic Park has often bailed out his team with incredible saves.

This season though he’s struggled to capture the form of seasons past and now at 34 years of age, perhaps it’s time for Celtic to think about making a change and replace him as their number one.

Replacing goalkeepers is always a difficult task but the Hoops have managed it well in recent years. Artur Boruc was replaced by the impressive Fraser Forster who in turn was replaced by Gordon. Who will be the next shot-stopper at Celtic Park?

Here are THREE that should be on Brendan Rodgers’ radar…

Ibrahim Sehic

Qarabag’s Ibrahim Sehic is a player in outstanding form, having just had an incredible UEFA Champions League group stage.

Although his side were dumped out of the competition in a difficult group that included Roma, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, the Bosnian international performed admirably, often winning man of the match awards and making vital saves.

In fact, he made more stops than any other goalkeeper in the competition with 34, according to WhoScored, performing so well that he made the stat tracking website’s group stage best eleven.

Across his 153 match Qarabag career, he’s kept an impressive 78 clean sheets, more than half his matches, conceding just 113 goals. It’s a fantastic record.

At 29, he’s coming into his prime and given his European form it wouldn’t be a surprise to see richer clubs than Celtic make their move for him. The Hoops should think seriously about trying to bring him to Glasgow.

Michel Vorm

Instead of scouring European football for a viable option, Celtic could always take a look at the squads of the English Premier League and look for high quality goalkeepers who aren’t getting a game for their current sides.

One player who fits that bill is Dutch international Michel Vorm, a player who is kept out the Tottenham Hotspur side by the impressive Hugo Lloris.

Usually Spurs’ go-to cup goalkeeper, Vorm is never realistically going to replace Lloris at the North London club and Celtic can offer him plenty in the latter stages of his career, not least regular European football and the chance to win silverware.

With Mauricio Pochettino signing the younger Paulo Gazzaniga, who performed excellently on his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace, the chance of regular football is even slimmer now for Vorm.

Celtic could do with his talents.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Frederik Ronnow

Frederik Ronnow is a goalkepper rapidly gaining a reputation as one of Denmark’s finest, already gaining international caps as an understudy to Kasper Schmeichel.

He’s having a fantastic season at Brondby, keeping 10 clean sheets in 22 appearances and form like that means that it won’t be long before clubs from abroad will be knocking on his door looking for his services.

Still just 25 years of age, he’s a long-term option for a club like Celtic who have done excellently developing and enhancing goalkeeping talent with coach Stevie Woods.

Fearless, agile and a fantastic shot-stopper, he could be part of the next generation at Celtic Park.

England have been down this road before. So many times.

The ‘Golden Generation’ failed to live up the standards and expectations set for them. As boosts to the nation’s hopes on the international stage, names like Phil Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Rodwell, Wilfried Zaha, Raheem Sterling, and countless others were hurried along in an attempt to surprise the opposition – you’d think – but largely to extract maximum now while sacrificing the harvest of further development and education at youth level.

Andros Townsend may be doing good things for Tottenham, though that line is based predominantly on hearsay. I’ve yet to see why Townsend is being touted as England’s ace card at the World Cup next year. I don’t really understand what he’s done to merit a new contract, other than Tottenham perhaps covering their backs, as they’ve done in the past. His goals, assists, conversion rate and everything else that you use to measure the impact and quality of a forward player have been horrendous. But he’s English, he’s fast and he’s new, relatively, so we’ll let all the important things slide for now.

It’s a little bit embarrassing, wouldn’t you say, that a player who’s been around for a few games in the top flight of English football is being touted as something of a saviour for England’s hopes at the World Cup. Some are asking whether Roy Hodgson’s men can win the tournament in Brazil – yes, the country, not Rio; it’s not the Olympics – and yet fail to recognise, for one reason or another, that other countries like the host nation and Germany and Spain have countless established senior players who can legitimately make a difference and who are head and shoulders better than Townsend. Oh, and Belgium, Colombia and Argentina are also a bit good.

[ad_pod id=’tui’ align=’center’]

Now look, that’s not to take away from Townsend’s ‘fantastic’ week; I’m sure it’s been great for him. You know, England don’t need a lot to get themselves going. But his two good performances for the national team came against teams who are not only well below England in terms of overall quality, but who are also not even going to Rio. Excuse me, Brazil. What happens when Townsend and his solitary Premier League goal faces the Netherlands, or Spain, or Italy?

Hodgson can take him with by all means; that’s not the point I’m arguing. The issue and the everlasting problem is that England don’t know how to calmly accept and manage a new or rising talent.

In comparison, Isco, for example, is being properly brought up at U21 level for Spain. Of course, it helps that the senior squad is so strong, but the mentality towards youth development of that country indicates that Isco, regardless of how good he is or his big-money move to Real Madrid, will always go through the proper means of development. How much good does it do to the player or the country to throw him in at the deep end?

Townsend is 22, and for the majority of his career he’s been playing in the Championship or for Championship-quality teams. Isco is 21.

But it’s not just Townsend. Ravel Morrison is another name who’s being spoken of as a surprise candidate for Brazil. Ravel Morrison, the kid who three months ago was nowhere near the public interest. In fact, why is he in the public eye now? He hasn’t torn through a Champions League team, or guided his club to the top of the Premier League table. Is he even that good? And I’m talking about now, is he even good enough to make an impact in the England senior squad at the World Cup? Forget what he might be in three or four years.

England’s failure is built on the need for instant success. There is an assumption that one or two players, no matter how old they are – or instead how young they are – will make a difference. If this mentality continues – and you have to assume it will – the nation and its development of youth will go nowhere.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Are England mismanaging the situation with these two youngsters?

Join the debate below

[cat_link cat=”premiership” type=”grid”]

Well Saturday was another day to forget for Coventry City fans despite it being Mark Robins first game in charge. It was another lacklustre performance from the team which saw us waist chances and gift goals to the opposition.

Maybe we as fans were expecting change too soon with Robins only having two days with the players however you do expect some sort of reaction from the players which we didn’t really see. The players should have been playing to impress but for me there was only one player who did that and that was David McGoldrick. He was part of everything that was good about the City performance. He showed touches of quality, some real finishing ability and worked hard for the team as the lone front man.

A real concern for me is that it is a player on loan who seems to care the most and it shouldn’t be that way. One player in particular who I have been disappointed with ever since his return to the club is Gary McSheffery. He has had Premier League experience and he is a Coventry lad but you would not believe this is if you were seeing him play for the first time. The passion for the game seems to have gone out of him and it genuinely seems like he doesn’t really care that much anymore.

For me there is nothing more frustrating for a fan than seeing a player especially a local lad not giving there all for the team. I don’t know whether he has just lost his ability, lost his confidence or just doesn’t care anymore but something needs to change as he should be a star in that team but it’s just not happening right now.

I don’t want to just single McSheffery out though as there are a lot of players in that side that are massively underperforming. Robins pointed to this fact in his post match interview where he highlighted a lack of confidence as the biggest issue within the squad.

There are many differing views when it comes to the role that confidence plays in football but I am firm believer that confidence can often mean more than ability itself. It is all well and good having ability but if you don’t have the confidence to use it then the ability goes to waste.

This is something that affects even the best players in the world with the obvious example being Fernando Torres. Now no one can deny the fact that he is one of the world’s best but even he needs to believe in himself for him to do well. During his bad spell of form he was receiving heavy criticism with many questioning whether he had just lost his ability but all he needed was for others to believe in him again so he could in turn believe in himself. This change in attitude as people began to back him made all the difference and once again we now see him week in week out performing for Chelsea as their number one striker.

There is also the issue of mentality surrounding the squad. There is a losing mentality within the squad at the moment and has been for a very long time. This has to change going forward as even the new players within the squad seem to have accepted this and are not happy to lose but don’t try hard enough to win.

Applying this to the whole of the Coventry squad and it is understandable that we are where we are. Criticism and a lack of belief is abundant within the fans and this is clearly going to impact the team. Fans have been calling for so called ‘tough love’ to be handed out to the players and that maybe what is needed for some of them but definitely not all of them. Some will respond much better to having an arm put round them and trying to get them to believe in themselves again. It’s all about finding that right balance and I think Thorn was probably too soft on the players and allowed to relax and get stuck in the rut that we still find ourselves in. Robins on the other hand seems like he will not accept bad performances so readily and from what he has said in the press as well as what I have heard about him, I have trust in him that he will be able to find that balance.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

I have said before but the fans really need to play a role in this change in confidence and mentality. We need to start believing that these players are good players and we need to try to get behind them. I appreciate that it is difficult when we are seeing what we have been on the pitch. I do fully believe though that the combination of us fans, Robins and his coaching staff and we can get these players believing in themselves again. If we do then success could be just round the corner. These players are not as bad as their league position suggests and hopefully Robins will be the man to kick start our season by instilling some much needed belief back into the squad.

PUSB!!

 [ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is reportedly set to miss his side’s Premier League clash against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Thursday night as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, and Irons fans have been quick to react to the rumour.

The Red Devils centre-forward picked up the issue in the win against Arsenal last month, which meant that he sat out the 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium last week.

The Manchester United editor for the Manchester Evening News, Samuel Luckhurst, tweeted on Monday that the Belgium international is still in Antwerp recovering and is unlikely to be involved, which should please the London Stadium faithful seeing as the 24-year-old has netted 11 goals in 13 appearances in total against them, including two in the 4-0 win on the opening day of this season.

[ad_pod ]

West Ham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the Lukaku injury update, and while one said “praise the lord”, another joked “…and he’ll still score against us”.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Our Everton fans here in the Transfer Tavern are loving the club’s revival under new boss Sam Allardyce.

After a summer of big spending at Goodison Park, many of our punters were waiting for Everton to break comfortably into the top six and upset the apple cart. What happened was very unexpected, Ronald Koeman couldn’t get the team to click and a drastic fall down the Premier League saw them flirt with the relegation zone a little too closely for many of our Evertonian’s fancy in the Tavern.

Temporary manager David Unsworth also couldn’t get the right balance and they continued to struggle until relegation saviour Sam Allardyce came along. He’s started a mini-revival that has seen the Toffees climb back up the league in recent weeks and scoring averagely two goals per game.

In order to keep this run going Allardyce will be surely wanting to bring in some attacking reinforcements to the club in January to add firepower to keep this upward trajectory going.

Our landlord takes a look at two strikers, the Everton board should be looking at…

Daniel Sturridge

Their local rivals Liverpool have a striker that is reported to be seeking a move away from the club in order to get some vital first-team minutes under his belt after finding himself low down on the pecking order and he’ll want to re-find his sharpness in front of goal ahead of the World Cup in 2018, in a bid to impress England boss Gareth Southgate.

A fit Daniel Sturridge is of course, a rarity recently but if Allardyce can work his magic, much like he has done with Wayne Rooney, he could have the old striker from back in Liverpool’s most successful season in recent years, when the forward was banging in goals with Luis Suarez to torment defences all season long.

Olivier Giroud

The Arsenal man is having to at the moment, settle for substitution appearances and having recently broken the record for, coming off the bench goals, it’s hard not to use him as an impact player.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Although Allardyce likes a target man up front and you’d feel a move to Everton at this moment in time would be a perfect fit for Giroud, especially with the World Cup next summer. He’ll surely be wanting to get in the spotlight to ensure he’s on the plane to Russia.

You can see how the former England boss would utilise Giroud’s strengths and he would surely be a great player for the way Allardyce works.

Tottenham concluded their usual pre-season fare with a traditional home friendly to precede the Premier League’s return. Notable for the home debuts of Chadli, Paulinho and Soldado, it gave fans a taste of things to come next season. The well-contested tie with Espanyol also saw a return to zonal marking, something that Villas-Boas has flirted with at times before at Spurs.

But as Spurs continued to look vulnerable from set pieces, is zonal marking the answer?

There is a common misconception that zonal marking is naturally a bad thing. This attitude often sparks from lazy commentators whose goal analysis checklist always seems to put the prevalence of zonal marking high in importance. ‘No responsibility’ or ‘he is too static’ are the usual ignorant comments that are made when analysing the system. The reality is yes zonal marking can be catastrophic when implemented badly, but when it is done well it can create an impenetrable back line from dead ball situations. If zonal systems were universally bad why would someone with the tactical nouse of an Andre Villas-Boas ever use it?

The usual criticisms are the fact defenders are stationary and that when it doesn’t work it is hard to see who is responsible. Both of these criticisms are totally unfounded, but can appear legitimate when the system isn’t used properly. If anything defenders are much more dynamic under a zonal system, with the freedom to move as they wish within their zone rather than be tied to a particular player. The difference is that defenders focus on the ball rather than the man; there is no reason why defenders should be static if they are attacking the ball within their zone. Similarly culpability when analysing mistakes is not a question of looking at who didn’t pick up their man, more of a which zone did the attacker win the ball in. In England there is a certain aversion to defending zonally which is totally at odds with most of Europe, this is simply stubborn unfounded resistance to a system people largely fail to understand.

[cat_link cat=”tottenham” type=”list”]

Dealing with set pieces has traditionally been a weak-point for Spurs and have always been greeted with trepidation and fear. Last season was arguably less disastrous than previous years, but this defensive issue still represented something of a weak point for the side. The change in tact for the Espanyol game clearly highlighted that this is an issue of concern for the manager as well.

Lopez’s equaliser brutally exploited the unfamiliar system and was just one of many moments where the backline looked clueless to the high ball. So should Spurs be so quick to ditch the zonal system? Zonal marking is all about the right personnel and familiarity, it isn’t a quick fix. Barcelona and Manchester City’s successful use of the marking system built up over a number of years. Ultimately it is a risk worth taking in the long-term especially when man to man marking is proving largely ineffective as well.

The benefit to a club like Spurs is that it allows for a decongestion of the box with players defending zones rather than focusing on an individual man. Man marking can often lead to unnecessary pressure on the goalkeeper with attackers and defenders crowding the six-yard box. Under a zonal system attackers are still free to take up these positions, but defenders will not follow them, which affords the keeper more space. Hugo Lloris is a famously nimble sweeper keeper, moving to a zonal system will allow him to collect or punch balls much more freely and alleviate pressure from defenders.

So what is required of the backline to make this work for Spurs? In the main the system necessitates unwavering concentration and focus from beginning to end of a match. If AVB wants to implement these zones he will have to work on it tirelessly to ensure that players know their roles inside out. In the meantime there will naturally be instances where attackers are afforded free headers and the backline appears shambolic, a necessary evil I am afraid if Spurs are looking towards a long-term answer.

In my opinion zonal marking is probably the long-term fix to Spurs’ defensive frailties. Whether Spurs have the patience and perseverance to make it work is a totally different matter. Many in the game tout Andre Villas-Boas as a tactical genius and if he has sought to change tact then clearly man marking just doesn’t suit the players he has at his disposal. In the meantime the way In which fans, players and press deal with a painful teething period could largely decide whether zonal marking can be the answer for Spurs.

The unfortunate aversion to change in English football is what largely hinders these sorts of moves by managers, Benitez and Mancini were both famously castigated for their use of zones. Criticisms that were largely unfair in respect of the overall results that they produced

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Is zonal marking the answer for Spurs?

Click below to ensure you don’t miss the start of the Premier League season!

Robin Van Persie is the latest player on the treatment table at Manchester United and is a doubt for Saturday’s match against Wigan. The Daily Star reports.

Van Persie picked up a thigh injury in Holland’s 4-1 win over Turkey, causing Sir Alex Ferguson to fly home early from his holiday in America and immediately contact the medical team about the situation.

It is worrying news for Ferguson, especially as the Dutchman’s four goals in three games have proved to be crucial in securing victories over Fulham and Southampton.

Fellow striker Wayne Rooney is also facing a lengthy lay-off, so hope could rest with the likes of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck to come to the fore against the Latics.

United could also be without Shinji Kagawa, after he complained of pains in his lower back in Japan’s 1-0 win over United Arab Emirates, but should recover in time for Saturday.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

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, the Red Devils’ problems in defence have been well-documented, as Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are both out with long-term injuries, while Evans suffered soreness in his ankle after a comeback for Northern Ireland in Russia.