Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez has called for a change in the international calender to reduce the number of games in a season.
The Spaniard is preparing his Blues squad for their 59th game of the season on Sunday against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.
That figure is larger for those players who are full internationals, with England alone having played nine games already this season.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has already called for international friendlies to be abolished, labelling them a “hindrance”.
Meanwhile, England coach Roy Hodgson has spoken of his frustration at trying to assemble a squad during international breaks, with many club bosses seeing it as a chance to rest players rather than allowing them to join up with their countries.
Now Benitez has called for internationals to be reduced, with one solution being the introduction of a two-tier system in qualifying.
That would stop fixtures such as last month’s San Marino v England game, which saw the Three Lions romp home to a comfortable 8-0 victory against a side who have only ever won one game in their history.
“We play too many games in a season,” said the Spaniard. “I wouldn’t say just international games but they [the players] are playing too many games.
“We maybe have to check at the competitions and maybe reduce some of them.
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.
“To see a game where you can win 8-0 at international level is not an amazing experience for anyone, so you have to have a Group A for top sides in Europe.
“You then have a Group B and if they do well they can go to Group A, so you have less games.”
Dwight Tiendalli is set to hold talks with Swansea this week over a possible new deal to stay at the Liberty Stadium.
Tiendalli was a free agent when he was drafted in at the start of the season after a horror injury ruled Neil Taylor out for the entire campaign and he hopes to have done enough to earn a new deal.
The form of Ben Davies means Tiendalli did not play as much as he would have liked and with Taylor now back to full fitness it remains to be seen if there will be room in Michael Laudrup’s squad for him.
That will become a lot clearer when talks take place this week and Tiendalli has admitted he would like to stay with the Swans.
“Me and the club are going to talk about the future and we will see where it ends,” he revealed. “We’re going to talk this week. It’s not just about the last couple of weeks, it’s about all the games.
“I have a feeling I did my job well and we will see what happens. Of course I want to stay. I like Swansea.”
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.
Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk is being linked with a move to Spurs after his agent admitted a switch to England could be on, according to the Metro.
The frontman has been linked with a move to Spurs in the past because of his connection with Andre Villas-Boas, who was his manager at Porto, and the speculation has resurfaced once more.
Big-spending Monaco have recently been linked with a mega money bid for the Brazilian but the players agent, Teodoro Fonseca, has denied this and admitted a move to England was currently more likely for the 26-year-old Zenit St Petersburg striker.
“There are two great teams of the Premier League to have made their interest known,” Fonseca told OJogo.
“It is normal that such news would arise because it was with Andre Villas-Boas and Porto where Hulk had his best time.
“The future of Hulk is with Zenit, but I have never made such statements [about Monaco], I have not spoken to anyone from France.”
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.
Darren Bent has spilled the beans on the best gamers from his old team mates, and called out his new Fulham team mates on FIFA in his exclusive column with AskMen.com, published just moments ago. Bent says:
“At Sunderland, the boys used to give David Meyler a lot of banter that he used to play Xbox so much that he thought he was actually playing in the game in training. To be fair, he was pretty good at FIFA… It’ll be very interesting to see which of my new team-mates at Fulham can offer me a challenge…”
In an interview that’s bound to get gaming fans everywhere feeling nostalgic, new Fulham signing Darren Bent has also named Streets of Rage his favourite ever video game. Bent says:
“I’ve been into video games since I was really small. I had a Sega Master System, but it was when the Mega Drive launched that I became really hooked. That was just unbelievable. Streets of Rage was my favourite game and remains my all-time favourite. Even when all my mates transferred over to the Nintendo 64, I was still true to the Mega Drive and Streets of Rage. Those massive telephone boxes, beating up the baddies with the lamp posts and baseball bats; it was just the best by a mile. I honestly played that for about ten hours straight one day. My Mum had to take my Mega Drive away from me as I couldn’t stop playing it!”
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.
Read the full interview at: http://uk.askmen.com/entertainment/guy_gear/footballers-and-video-games.html
Crystal Palace became the eighth league team to have a manager depart this season, after it was announced on Wednesday that Ian Holloway had vacated his position by mutual consent.
The Bristolian exited Selhurst Park having been in charge for just under a year, with the club 19th in the Premier League table, five points adrift of safety.
In spite of the Eagles’ poor start to the season, culminating in Monday’s humiliating 4-1 home defeat to fellow-strugglers Fulham, Palace chairman Steve Parish had maintained his conviction that Holloway was the right man to take the side forward. This opinion, though, had begun to erode the patience of a number of supporters.
But only two days later club and manager parted company, with speculation now rife over who could be the man to save the Londoners’ ailing season.
The hot favourite appears to be former Stoke boss Tony Pulis, who Skybet price as 1/3 to get the nod, an offer no doubt contributed to by Steve Parish’s apparent openness to hold talks with the Welshman. Speaking to talkSPORT the Palace chief said “I’m sure we’ll try and contact him [Pulis] and if he’s interested we’ll have a chat with him and see where we go.”
One of the main attractions in landing Pulis would be his track record, which boasts consistent overachievement at Stoke and a history of never having been relegated.
To appoint him, however, could represent a U-turn of epic proportions on behalf of the club’s owners, away from the passing attacking style that Holloway tried to implement.
There can be no doubt that Palace’s improbable promotion under their now former boss resulted in the development of a long term plan of investment, a measure taken to ensure the club’s long-term safety and stability after being on the brink of liquidation just three years ago.
This included improvements to infrastructure and stadium as well as a clearly defined direction for the footballing side of things, expected to be implemented under the stewardship of the now departed Holloway.
Indeed, should the club have been relegated come the end of the season, it seems the plan was to stick with the manager as he attempted to win promotion straight back to the Premier League next year.
The problem now faced by Parish and his co-owners, is to what extent they will look to pursue those footballing principles under a new manager.
It is clear that the club has budgeted for the strong chance of relegation, having failed in four previous attempts to remain in the top tier for more than a season. As such, players who could put an unnecessary strain on a prospective and probable Championship wage budget, have been confined to short-term contracts, whilst younger players like Jose Campana and Dwight Gayle, were tied in to longer term deals.
And any new manager will now be forced to get the best out of the group of players assembled by Holloway, which both he and chairman Parish have accepted include some naïve signings.
It seemed Palace had been caught napping for long periods of the summer, embodied by the decision to sign six players in the final two days of the transfer window, a move which in hindsight would appear to have eroded the play-off winners’ morale.
These are the issues that Palace must acknowledge in their search for a new man, and ones that may indeed put off prospective applicants.
It has to be said that the current position of the club, with seven losses in eight league games, makes for grim reading. However, in Parish and co. Palace fans have owners of whom they can be proud, with common sense and proven track record of good business acumen. Though a little out of their depth at present, the club has a solid grounding upon which to build for the future, be that in the Premiership, or more likely, Championship, at least for the time being.
Current personnel though, may impede the ability of a Pulis-type character to play the way they would like, with the present squad having been geared around pace and wing-play as opposed to long-ball physicality.
Other names linked with the post have included former boss Neil Warnock and Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy, though Palace fans would almost certainly prefer to secure someone with a more successful Premier League pedigree.
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.
One potential suitor in that mould could be Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, a legend at the Selhurst outfit and someone who might be keen to work alongside the men at the top of the club. Indeed, with rumours over his future following the appointment of Joe Kinnear as the Magpies director of football, the former midfielder could welcome the chance of a fresh start with his former side.
Regardless of who takes the job, though, Palace fans know only too well that no managerial appointment is forever and would probably accept staying up by any means necessary.
But should relegation occur all will not necessarily be lost for the Eagles, with the opportunity to rebuild and regroup, perhaps facilitating the construction of a stronger side for years to come.
Had it not been for an injury on mid-week Three Lions duty, at the epicentre today’s FA Cup clash between Arsenal and Everton would have been a midfield battle between two lads in hot competition for a place in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad – Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley.
Regardless, in Wilshere’s absence, the Toffees prodigy gave a strong account of himself, despite the 4-1 scoreline, so we’ve come up with a list of three reasons why Barkley should be on the plane to Brazil, illustrated throughout this afternoon’s ninety minutes.
1. Ability on the ball.
Amid all this talk about English football being in the dark ages and debates over our cultural inability to pass the ball properly, the 20 year-old’s technique is incredibly refreshing. The ITV studio pundits questioned Barkley’s end product before the match, but he soon silenced them with this vital contribution to the Toffees’ only goal of the afternoon, in the form of a whipping, devious cross;
https://vine.co/v/MqOtxdw3b7O/embed/simple
2. Power and penetration.
Another area the Three Lions currently lack is mobility and penetration, especially on the break. But once again, Barkley gave evidence this afternoon that he’s capable of filling that void. Prior to the exceptional delivery discussed in point one, the Goodison starlet picked up the ball just outside of Everton’s box, before driving up almost the entirety of the pitch before linking up with Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku to aid the Toffee’s first of the afternoon. The powerful, surging run delighted Twitter:
3. The competition.
Competition for a place at the heart of England’s midfield is incredibly fierce, but unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the overall quality. In today’s action alone, Barkley convinced a strong Twitter contingent that he’s far more deserving of a spot in the World Cup squad than many of his young, central midfield rivals. Namely Jack Wilshere – who has struggled for fitness and form all season – and Tom Cleverley, who, well… just isn’t very good at football.
As we prepare for the Semi-Final of this year’s Capital One Cup, we take a look at a combined XI of all the players involved as Manchester United, Sunderland, Manchester City and West Ham all vie for a place in the Final at Wembley.
Goalkeeper – David De Gea
Manchester United’s Spanish shotstopper hasn’t conceded in the Capital One Cup so far this season and will be the man to beat in the Semi-Finals.
Having pulled off some wonder saves in the earlier rounds of the competition, United fans will be hoping he is in similar form to book their place in the Final at Wembley.
Right back – Rafael De Silva
The full-back from Old Trafford has put in some influential attacking displays so far for David Moyes, giving his side a lot of opportunities on the overlap. The Brazilian makes the side for this reason.
Centre back – John O’Shea
Sunderland enjoyed an impressive victory against Chelsea and John O’Shea has been at the heart of the defence for Gus Poyet’s side, showing why he used to play at the top of the Premier League for fellow Semi-Finalists Manchester United just a few years ago.
Centre back – Joleon Lescott
Having lost his place in City’s Premier League starting XI to Martin Demichelis, the England international has been brilliant in the Capital One Cup so far, leading the blue side of Manchester into the Semi-Finals with some stoic performances.
Left-back – Patrice Evra
The Manchester United captain scored a fantastic goal in Round 5 of the Capital One Cup, helping ease the pressure on manager David Moyes as they reached the Semi-Finals.
Yet again, Patrice Evra has been solid at the back this year and has also given a lot of attacking threat when going forward.
Centre midfield – Jack Collison
West Ham’s performances have been driven by their midfield this year in the Capital One Cup and Jack Collison has had an enormous contribution to his side’s success.
The 25-year-old scored a penalty against Burnley and has done a lot of the dirty work in winning back possession for the Hammers this season.
Centre midfield – Ravel Morrison
The ex-Manchester United midfielder has been Sam Allardyce’s best player this season. With his creativity and flair, the young England prodigy will be the key to West Ham’s success and potentially his country’s performance at this year’s World Cup too.
Left midfield – Adam Johnson
The former ManchesterCity winger is not easy to play against and is often at the heart of every Sunderland attack. With the ability to beat his man and deliver a wicked cross, he’s a dangerous weapon for the Black Cats. Also able to bag himself a goal or two, Johnson has rebuilt his career at the Stadium of Light and will be a big threat to Manchester United in the Semi-Finals.
Right midfield – Jesus Navas
City’s new Spanish midfielder has taken to life in Manchester rather well, having made his move from Sevilla in the summer. Navas has been the focal point for ManCity’s attacks this season and the Spaniard has not only scored important goals but created plenty too. He will be integral to the Citizens’ season as they look to clinch their first piece of silverware this year in the Capital One Cup.
Striker – Edin Dzeko
Manuel Pellegrini’s attacking options are far from limited, but the Bosnian striker has certainly taken his chance in the Capital One Cup to attract the attention of his Chilean manager.
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.
Scoring twice to help secure his side’s place in the Semi-Finals this year, Dzeko is second in the top goalscorers so far having bagged himself four goals in three games in this year’s Capital One Cup.
Striker – Javier Hernandez
Manchester United’s Mexican striker has a proven goal-scoring streak at this level and David Moyes will be very happy with his contribution to the success they’ve had so far in the Capital One Cup.
Hernandez has scored three times in three games so far in the competition and will be looking to bag a couple more to help his side reach the Final.
Sponsored by Capital One. The Credit Card that Supports the Supporters.
For exclusive content, competitions and more visit: Facebook.com/CapitalOneUK
For Capital One Credit Cards visit: www.capitalone.co.uk
Tottenham’s Brazilian midfielder, Paulinho, has emerged as a potential target for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea this summer, according to reports in the Telegraph. His £17million move from Corinthians in the summer was considered one of the more exciting transfers in the Premier League, as Spurs made moves to compensate for the expected departure of Gareth Bale.
A promising start to both Paulinho and Tottenham’s season soon became forgotten as Spurs’ season petered out into yet another trudge into the Thursday night doldrums they have been trying to avoid for the past three seasons.
Paulinho has recently fallen victim to Tim Sherwood’s erratic management at Spurs, and has had to make do with substitute appearances in recent weeks. With Chelsea and Mourinho on the scene, you start to wonder how long his Spurs adventure will continue for.
The Brazilian has hardly set the league alight since he arrived in the summer, so some may view the rumours as slightly obscure. He’s only really performed for Tottenham in fits and starts, so for many it may be difficult to understand what Chelsea see in Paulinho.
Well, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has already named nine players of his 23-man squad to play in the World Cup, and Paulinho is one of them. Scolari has been willing to overlook Paulinho’s indifferent form at Tottenham this season because, quite frankly, he’s a damn good footballer. And with the breadth of selection Scolari has to choose from, to be named as one of his first nine picks, is a measure of how highly he is rated in his home country.
Statistically speaking, Paulinho’s performances for Tottenham this season have actually been acceptable. He boasts an 85 per cent pass completion, and averages 2.2 tackles per game. Both in and out of possession he is an asset. With five goals, primarily from a holding role in midfield, his scoring form hasn’t been a disappointment by any stretch of the imagination.
Paulinho would add more flair and energy into Chelsea’s midfield. With Chelsea’s central midfield soon to suffer from an ageing Frank Lampard, an out of favour – and quite frankly limited – John Obi Mikel, and a potential departure in the shape of their fuzzy-haired, overgrown child, David Luiz, gaping holes soon appear. And Paulinho may just fill one of those holes nicely.
Furthermore, the heavy Brazilian influence at Chelsea – Oscar, Ramires, Willian, David Luiz – may just prove to be alluring for Paulinho. It makes the switch feel like a match made in heaven.
Whether Paulinho provides an ‘answer’ to the problems at Chelsea is questionable however. Central midfield isn’t an area they urgently lack quality. Chelsea’s problem this season hasn’t been input. It’s been output. Woefully misfiring strikers are Jose Mourinho’s primary concern. Paulinho isn’t a player brought in to add goals to the side, so in answer to whether he is the ‘answer’, quite simply, no.
He’s had a year to acclimatise to the demands of the Premier League, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Paulinho recreate some of his international form more regularly. And for Chelsea, his added athleticism in midfield may not go amiss.
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.
So far the Premier League hasn’t seen the Paulinho that turned up at the Confederations Cup for Brazil in the summer of 2013. The player who has meandered – at times uninterestedly – around the field for Spurs, is not the high-energy, flair player Scolari is taking to the World Cup. On home soil, with a Brazilian following, the midfielder will come alive this summer.
With the right players around him, and the right management, we could very well see the player who Tottenham thought they were signing from Corinthians for a club record fee. If those players happen to be Chelsea’s players, and that management is Mourinho’s, don’t be surprised to see Paulinho become a Premier League force.
With Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly keen on Bernard, fans of both clubs will be eager to catch a glimpse of the 21 year old tonight. Although he is not yet considered an integral member of the Brazilian setup just yet, the Shakhtar Donetsk forward is regarded as one of his country’s finest young talents.
Having missed out on the winger last summer when he made the move to Ukraine, speculation is mounting that these Premier League heavyweights could be readying offers once again. The player himself refuses to speak “about the possibility of a transfer” due to his focus on the World Cup. Reports in Brazil claim however that the Bernard’s representatives are attempting to cancel his contract due to the current political unrest in the Ukraine.
Standing at just 5 foot 5 inches, the 21 year old has frequently had to overcome doubts over his diminutive stature. With a clear weakness in physical strength, there are those that question whether Bernard is really suited to the style of the Premier League.
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 as he has proven for club and country, the forward has an electric turn of pace which perfectly complements his technique and low centre of gravity. Bernard frequently beats his man with a one-two or a quick flick, as well as his raw pace. The 21 year old likes to drift out wide and has demonstrated a keen eye for goal.
Whilst Bernard will most likely be utilised as an impact substitute at this year’s World Cup, he is expected to have a big future for Brazil. Concerns will always linger over his stature, but Arsenal or Liverpool could be rewarded handsomely if they make a move for the winger this summer.
Reckon Bernard can lead Brazil to a win over Croatia? Claim your 100% deposit bonus of up to £200 NOW!
Southampton have added Toby Alderweireld and Sadio Mane to their ranks after the pair completed their deadline day switch from Atletico Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg respectively.
Alderweireld, 25, who plays as a full-back and was part of the squad that won the Spanish La Liga, made his switch to the St. Mary’s Stadium on a season-long loan.
“I’m very happy to be here,” Alderweireld told the club’s official website.
“I had a good talk with the coach. First of all, it was very important for me to play this season and the coach gave me a good solution for that.
“The trainer likes how I play and really wanted me to come here, which is what convinced me to come. I really wanted a trainer that believes in me, because that’s important.
“I think this is an upcoming club. Southampton put a lot of effort in to get me, so now I want to give something back to the club by doing my best to help the team. I want to give everything for Southampton.”
WANT MORE? >> Southampton Transfer News | Latest Transfer News
Another deadline day signing was Senegalese winger Mane, 22, who has a very impressive scoring record, notching 45 goals in 87 appearances.
He joins the Saints for £10million on a four year deal with manager Ronald Koeman praising his new acquisition.
“Right from the first meeting I had with Les Reed, when it was clear that we would have to change a lot, Sadio was on our list of potential players.
“I know the player because last season Ajax Amsterdam played against Red Bull Salzburg in Europe, and I saw him playing and I was impressed with his qualities and with the physicality that he showed.
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 can play in different positions in the attack – he can play on the left or right side and also as a number nine. It is incredible how many goals he has scored from his position, and I hope that he will do the same for us.
“With the way that we play and the fact that I know him very well, this is a good step forward for him.”