Raheem Sterling has been the victim of an aggressive media campaign, designed to make him England’s scapegoat before the World Cup has even begun and picking up the vitriol that began during Euro 2016, when he performed poorly, like others, including Harry Kane, but bore the brunt of the criticism.
It is blatant and cynical, and the coverage over his tattoo, which everyone who took a modicum of time to look into the reasons for knew was not glamourising knife crime, but was to remember his dad who was shot dead when he was two, was shocking.
Sterling -valued at £81m by Transfermarkt – has probably come to expect it, but it meant that Gareth Southgate mentioning that he turned up 12 hours late for England duty after confusion about his connecting flights back from Jamaica was heavily reported.
It was conflated alongside reporting of his gun ink, becoming an ‘in the same week’ story despite the fact that Sterling returned 10 days ago and the tabloid press kicked up a stink about the tattoo this week when it is not a new thing.
Thankfully, football fans showed some sanity and bravery to stick up for the reputation of a man who is getting a kicking in the press for no particular reason…
According to The Ugly Inside, Southampton are reportedly lining up a late January move for Tottenham Hotspur winger Erik Lamela with their hopes of signing Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes fading, and Saints fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.
The Ugly Inside says that the imminent arrival of Lucas Moura at Spurs could pave the way for Lamela to leave the north London outfit, with his first-team starts limited following his return from a long-term hip injury in November.
Sky Sports reported on Wednesday that the south coast outfit’s move for Promes had stalled because Spartak have so far been unable to find a replacement for their 26-year-old star, and it remains to be seen whether Saints will make a move for an alternative or not.
Saints supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the Lamela link, and while one said “this better not be true”, another said “please tell me you’re kidding?”
Arsenal were sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League not long ago but we now enter March with them four points adrift and only in second place because teams below them have games in hand.
Arsene Wenger will no doubt blame Stoke’s physicality and the referee for his teams defeat today, but the Gunners failed to threaten the Stoke goal enough to cause real problems.
But why have Arsenal slipped? Has the pressure grown on them? Are the fans demanding too much? Let’s take a look.
Lack of January transfer business
Wenger is renowned for keeping his hands in his pockets during the transfer window but surely this January was the time to spend.
Top of the table, still in the Champions League and FA Cup – why not go out and buy some quality?
A striker was a must and their reliance on Olivier Giroud is evident, but another centre back and a winger would have been nice too – Only one man to blame here surely?
Losing their bottle
Today proved that Arsenal have not got the same steel as Chelsea and Manchester City when it comes to battling for a scrappy result. Arsenal don’t seem to do scrappy. Unfortunately for them you cannot win every Premier League game playing free flowing football and their lack of adaptability in pressure games has been their undoing.
Supporter’s expectation
A group of Gunners fans were calling for Arsene Wenger’s head after an opening day defeat to Aston Villa, but after the signing of Mesut Ozil that quickly died down. Again the fans made their feelings clear when Arsenal were booed off after drawing at home to champions Manchester United last month – so surely they need to lower their expectations? The Gunners fans celebrated finishing fourth like they had won the Champions League last season so what has changed?
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Kieron Dyer has praised manager Mark Hughes for believing in him after finally making a successful Premier League appearance for Queens Park Rangers.
The England international had made only three appearances for the London club with none of them lasting longer than 30 minutes.
Yet on Sunday the 33-year-old completed 87 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur and reminded everyone of the qualities he possesses which have helped him to 33 England caps, during an injury plagued career. Speaking to The Independent Dyer said: “I played 60 minutes in midweek and 90 today, so I’m getting minutes under my belt.
“I haven’t missed a training session this season and been available for every game so things are going great for me. I haven’t played regularly for four years, so hopefully, I’m still classed as a 28-year-old and not a 33-year-old.”
The former Newcastle United man saw his season finished in just seven minutes last term, getting injured in that time period during QPR’s opening day defeat to Bolton Wanderers.
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“At the start of last season it was just a freak injury when my studs got caught in the ground and my foot gave way. Since the new staff came in, the manager and the medical team have been brilliant with me,” he added.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho’s scouting mission to Austria vs Russia was not to run the rule over Marko Arnautovic but central midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, according to the Sun.
What’s the story, then?
The Sun report that Golovin is valued at £15m and it was he, not Arnautovic, that the United boss was scouring in Innsbruck with a view to bolstering his options in the engine room this summer.
It also goes on to say that Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and central midfielder Marouane Fellaini will all depart Old Trafford this summer and Golovin is an option that is low-risk.
They also claim that Golovin is the golden boy of Russian football, so getting a deal in place before he carries his country’s hopes at a home World Cup would be wise.
Golovin would be a cheap Fellaini upgrade
With Marouane Fellaini set to depart for nothing this summer, it is imperative that United manage to replace him without breaking the bank and Golovin is someone who could go into the first team with his talents.
He could complete the 4-3-3 with Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba and coming off the back of being the talisman for a World Cup host nation, he should be able to live with the weight of expectation at a superpower like United.
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The 22-year-old has also been seen at close quarters by Mourinho before, in this season’s Champions League group stage so is no stranger to United’s fans.
Southampton fans have been frustrated with the performances and results on the pitch.
On top of that, the club sold defender Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool at the start of January, despite fighting so hard to keep the Dutchman in the summer.
As it stands, the coastal club reside 17th in the Premier League table, with just a marginally better goal difference keeping them out of the relegation zone.
The team have picked up just four top-flight wins this season, the latest coming all the way back in November in the form of a 4-1 triumph over Everton.
The Saints have lost five and drawn four since that victory, which has caused fans to turn on the manager.
With the transfer window in full swing, Southampton’s following will be desperate for some new faces in there squad, particularly up front.
The likes of Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini have been misfiring, and in total the team have scored just 21 goals in 22 league games.
While speaking to the media in his press conference previewing Saturday’s trip to Watford, Pellegrino admitted that he wants to bring in a forward player before the end of the month.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes that Steven Gerrard will retire from international duty after the World Cup in Brazil next summer, as reported by talkSPORT.
Gerrard is set to captain his country in the finals at the end of the season but at the age of 34, it may not just be his last major tournament but also his last game.
Gerrard is one of a number of high profile players that could end their international career after the tournament with Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole also contemplating his future.
The Liverpool legend is set to reach 115 England caps by the time he calls it a day and Rodgers believes it is perfect timing for both his player and England.
“Steven probably looks at it as though this is his last international year and after the World Cup that will be all finished and he will have lots of time to rest then,” Rodgers said.
“He and Roy have a good relationship and I’m sure if he needs that breather in these two games he will get that.”
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It’s easy to come away from Arsenal’s win at Liverpool with a lot of optimism for the near future. It’s also easy to paint over any good work done by the club this summer with a black brush due to the high-profile departures. But so far, it’s hard not to find some form of understanding with Arsene Wenger’s thinking going into the season.
The obvious area to address was how the club would replace Robin van Persie’s 30 league goals from last season. Considering that Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski have come in from other countries and may need some time to adapt, it might be a fair assessment to say the club have moved sideways rather than forward. If, however, van Persie had remained at the club this season, Arsenal would look a much stronger side with ambitions that could match those further up the league table.
It’s not that Giroud or Podolski are bad players, but where’s the depth? Where’s the cushion to fall back on when your new recruits don’t hit the ground running? It was also brought up recently that Arsenal are in fact in the same position as they were last season with regards to their strikers; if Giroud is injured or out of action for any length of time, do the club really want to rely on Marouane Chamakh?
But I think it’s interesting to see that Arsene Wenger is making the most of the resources he has to him, both in terms of cash and playing personnel.
Santi Cazorla’s signing this summer was a masterstroke. It hardly needed the match away at Liverpool to tell that this is one of the most technically gifted and creative midfielders in all of Europe. But instead of raising the question as to why other big clubs didn’t go after him, rather look to the excellent eye for a bargain by the Arsenal manager. While clubs in the Premier league are looking for reinforcements in England, Wenger has found a real magician in a foreign league for a bargain price. I don’t think anyone could argue that Cazorla isn’t good enough for any club in the world. His versatility, calmness in the midfield and status in European football is such an incredible boost to Arsenal.
The loss of Alex Song certainly prompted many to expect an arrival of a similar player on transfer deadline day, and it would be foolish to suggest there wasn’t some degree of disappointment in Arsenal’s failure to strengthen or replace in that area. But what has been really pleasing to see is Arsenal’s lack of reliance on a genuine holding or defensive midfielder. Sure, I recently flagged up that area as a position of weakness even with Song in the team, but the combination of Mikel Arteta and Cazorla really add something different.
While trying very hard not to get carried away, Arsenal’s midfield—whether you want to include Diaby as the consistent third in the midfield trio—look to use their strength of awareness, ball retention and calmness under pressure to combat the loss of an Alex Song figure in the side.
I made the point recently that Arsenal looked like they were attacking with 11 players but defending with only 10. It was clear that Alex Song’s desire to get further up the pitch left a huge gap in the midfield for the opposition to exploit. Now, it seems like there is a real hunger from these current midfield players to help one another out and take up their defensive responsibilities. It would, however, be foolish to assume this Arsenal team could sail through the season without a real defensive midfielder. But it does appear that Wenger has a lot of faith in Francis Coquelin to fill in that role where needed, while Diaby—provided he can stay fit—will feature in the bigger and much more open games.
As I said, it’s important not to get carried away with this Arsenal side following their impressive win at Anfield, but it is clear that the squad is short of a few bodies. Attacking and at both full-back positions could prove to be a problem going forward: Arsenal are never far from a long term injury to a key player.
But Steve Bould has arguably been one of the signings of the season, as the new assistant manager has surely played an enormous role in helping the club to three league clean sheets in a row—two of which featured the third choice keeper.
It’s more of a frustration that the club didn’t do what they could to ensure this team could challenge for the title this season. But away from that, the versatility of a few members in the squad—namely Cazorla, Podolski, Gervinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain—leave this Arsenal team deceptively strong.
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Key members have departed the club this summer, but at least Wenger has completed some very exciting and clever moves during the window.
Alexis Sanchez made it clear in January that he moved to Manchester United from Arsenal to win trophies.
That comment seems to have come back to haunt the Chile international as he was on the losing side in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
United were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea, with Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty being the difference, but Jose Mourinho’s team were unable to inspire a comeback.
Sanchez struggled to make an impact on the game, and it reflected the beginning of the attacker’s career at United.
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In reality, the Chilean has only had a handful of matches where he has hugely impressed, showing glimpses of the quality that he regularly displayed at Arsenal.
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Following his January switch, Sanchez went on to score three goals and create three assists for the Red Devils in 18 appearances in all competitions.
Last season, the attacker ended the campaign as an FA Cup winner with Arsenal, but he could not repeat that success with United on Saturday evening.
Aston Villa youngster Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has faded into the background this season due to injury.
The 19-year-old attacker, who made his league debt for the Midlands outfit in 2015, was on the sidelines for four months with a groin problem.
On Monday night, the teenager showed that he is ready for action once again by scoring inside the first two minutes of the Under-23s’ 4-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion.
The youngster’s performance has attracted the attention of the fans, who feel that he should be brought into the first-team squad.
Villa are well positioned in the Championship in fifth place, but just one point separates them from seventh.
The team have failed to win their last three games – drawing two and losing one – and they have been missing a threat up front.
The likes of Jonathan Kodjia and Gabriel Agbonlahor remain sidelined with injuries, while Scott Hogan is easing his way back in following stomach surgery.
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After the U23s’ game, Hepburn-Murphy took to Twitter, and in response, fans made it clear that they want Bruce to call up the attacker.