Arsenal midfielder Denilson has come out fighting following a disappointing weekend result after claiming the Gunners can still win the Premier League title.
Arsene Wenger's side conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 with Sunderland on Saturday evening.
They are already four points adrift of Chelsea following the champions' 100 per cent start to the new season.
However, Denilson insists the title is very much still within reach for the north London club, who are unbeaten following five rounds of Premier League games.
"I still think we can win the Premier league this season," he told the club's official website.
"We are in a very good position. We have to keep the unbeaten run going as long as we can.
"It has been a long time since we have won the league and I believe this season we will win some trophies.
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"I am confident because we have shown all the time in games how well we can play and the spirit is there as well.
"In training we work together and we have definitely got a chance of winning something."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Just last month, the face of Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton was emblazoned on a banner held aloft from the Kop entitled, ‘Plague, Famine, War and Death- Four liars of the apocalypse’.
Ironically, the former British Airways chairman ultimately played a major part in saving Liverpool from this ‘apocalypse’ after fulfilling his mandate to find a buyer for the ailing club last week. In striking a £300m buyout deal with Red Sox owner John W.Henry, and his investment firm New England Sports Ventures, Broughton has given the club every chance to re-build its standing and reputation at the top of the English game.
By forcing Tom Hicks and George Gillett out of the club, Broughton has endeared himself to the Liverpool fans who have been desperate for a change of ownership. Jubilant fans sang, ‘We love you Martin, we do’ on the steps of London’s High Court on Wednesday, as the Americans frantic, final attempts to hang onto the club were nearly extinguished. The aforementioned banner has also now been retired too. You may argue that Broughton was simply doing his job; however you cannot deny that he has done it extremely well.
Initially accused by Reds supporters as being a stooge, or a puppet, for reviled owners Gillett and Hicks, Broughton found it difficult to win trust amongst the Anfield faithful. As a season ticket holder at Chelsea, fans were also worried that his Blue allegiance would compromise his position as the club’s chairman. Yet they needn’t have worried.
The 63-year-old was appointed in April after being recommended by Wall Street banker Michael Klein, a close acquaintance of the Americans. The appointment of Broughton as an independent Chairman was fundamental to the sale process, giving the search for a new owner credibility, with Hicks and Gillett’s reputation in tatters. If the duo thought they would still be able to influence the new man in the boardroom then they couldn’t have been more mistaken.
It was Broughton’s insistence to put a clause in his contract, allowing him to have the casting vote on any takeover which has been key. While another clause was also inserted to prevent Hicks and Gillett from blocking a sale. Both these passages in Broughton’s contract stood up in the High Court on Wednesday and were key components in Mr Justice Floyd’s emphatic ruling against the owners.
Since agreeing the club’s sale, Broughton has refused to back down despite intense and relentless pressure from Hicks and Gillett. He also responded to criticism over his lack of interaction with the club’s fans throughout the sale process in a candidly open and revealing interview with the BBC last week. He rightly believed that a running commentary on the sale would have only been detrimental to the club’s chances of securing a buyer. Broughton came across as intelligent and honest in that interview, something he has backed up in his actions over the last week.
Of course, it remains too early to judge if Broughton has made the right decision and secured the best deal in choosing NESV’s offer for the club. Yet there is no denying he pulled off a masterstroke in finally disposing of Hicks and Gillett with some shrewd business acumen. While on the surface, the choice of Henry appears to be ideal given his track record in upturning the fortunes of the Boston Red Sox.
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I personally feel that the club would do well to retain the services of Broughton with a new era in the club’s history around the corner. However other Kopites will want all connections with the Hicks and Gillett era to be completely removed from the club.
Which ever way you feel, Broughton has done his job well and delivered the new owners he promised. And for that we should thank him.
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Everton assistant manager Steve Round has every confidence that the Toffees will recover from a slow start to the season and end in a position towards the top end of the Premier League table.
Round's side have won just once in their opening seven league games, with a Merseyside derby at home to fellow strugglers Liverpool next on the agenda.
He told the Daily Post:"We are not happy with where we are and we began addressing that against Birmingham.
"The team are determined to continue that and the players still believe they can finish in the upper echelons of this division.
"The improved result and level of performance from Birmingham has to continue against Liverpool and if we can do that, then I have every confidence we can go on a great run and end up very high in the table.
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"I have so much belief in these players and when you have a manager like David Moyes, who drives the players every day and won't settle for less than the very best they can give, then you know success is on the way."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sir Alex Ferguson claims his Manchester United successor must have experience in order to cope with major issues like the Wayne Rooney saga.
Ferguson is widely credited with playing a decisive role in persuading Rooney to change his mind and sign a new five-year contract last week.
The England striker appeared to be on his way out of Old Trafford after citing the club's lack of ambition.
The veteran Scot put the issue into the public domain during an impassioned press conference and Rooney subsequently signed a new deal following an apparent change of heart.
The 69-year-old went on to criticise "difficult" agents and has now followed that up by stressing the need for a club like United to have an experienced hand on the tiller.
"I don't think it's harder for managers to deal with – I've just got the benefit of having been at the club for such a long time," he explained.
"I have experienced a lot of things that do happen and there have been times in the past when I have gone down the same road.
"When you are the manager of our club, you have to have someone strong who can deal with all the issues and we have had to be strong over the years.
"That's why I don't think Manchester United could ever go down the road of having a young manager, to be honest with you.
"It's a job that needs a lot of experience and a lot of experience at the top end of the game.
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"That's something for the future, but at the moment we have the benefit of my 24 years at the club, so fortunately that's the way we can deal with it.
"At Manchester United, you can never be surprised. There is always something happening in the club and there are always issues to deal with.
"I don't think you can deny that we got a lot of publicity that we didn't enjoy last week, but you have to deal with these situations and I think we dealt with it very well."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Aleksandr Kerzhakov has conceded that despite Liverpool’s reported interest, he is unsure whether he wants to leave Zenit.
The Zenit St Petersburg has been in fantastic form this season, scoring 13 goals in 25 games, and has been linked with a plethora of clubs around Europe in the past 12 months.
Liverpool is one of those reportedly keen on the 27-year-old striker, as Roy Hodgson looks to bolster his attacking options, but Kerzhakov has conceded that he remains happy with life in Russia and there are only a few clubs in the world that could tempt him to quit Zenit.
“The talk about Liverpool is not baseless…The British club came to my agent with a proposal. I answered… I didn’t answer at all.
“I have other things to think about and in all respects I am happy in Russia. My team is in first place in the national championship and I have always said that I wanted to play for Zenit.
“In the case of Liverpool I will not take the initiative, but I can count the fingers on one hand for the amount of clubs I could theoretically go to.
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“This is because Zenit is playing beautiful, modern football and the club is growing rapidly. And I am here, at home.”Rossiyskaya Gazeta
Yes, Christmas is finally here. Well, not really, but we have already entered the festive period and whilst many are counting down to the 25th of December and the New Year, most football fans are counting down to the opening of the winter transfer window! I don’t normally get excited about January transfer windows since they are usually low-key for us, our last major January signings being Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic for a total fee of £12.5m but for those who have experienced the Football Manager revolution, it can be fun to speculate on squad changes! Here are some thoughts in bullet points:
1. Replacing the old guard: You might have noticed that we have a fair few oldies in our squad who will be most probably retire in a year or two. I think we are well covered for Gary Neville (who hasn’t really been indispensable recently) with Rafael finally showing some kind of consistency. I still hope De Laet has a future at United, given his versatility and promise. Yesterday I read Giggs hinting about this season being his last and we could see problems in ‘replacing’ Giggs and Scholes. We do have Anderson at the moment, but unless Gibson gets more chances, I don’t think we would have enough options in midfield once the Ginger Prince leaves. I am more worried about our left wing. Park is an able winger, but he is more dangerous when he ventures infield and as for Obertan, he also looks better just behind the striker. We are crying out for a natural left-winger. If only Adam Johnson was really unhappy at Eastlands…
2. VDS defying Father Time: Van Der Sar has been a mainstay of the United side for some time now and as he recently turned 40 and with Fergie effectively saying that this season could be his last, we need some changes in the goalkeeping department. With Lindegaard joining us in January, speculation about incoming goalkeepers refuses to go away. We could potentially have an unhappy Kuszczak on our hands too who despite his less than stellar performance against West Ham during the week, I still value and I would be gutted if he didn’t get a crack at the No.1 spot.
If he does leave, I would rather have someone with more experience than Lindegaard. If we are planning to throw cash at this, instead of a young De Gea who admittedly is a tremendous talent, I would rather go for Lloris or even Buffon! Akinfeev looks good too and very experienced for his young age but I don’t know if how long he might take to settle down in North West England.
3. Creative attacking midfielder™: United have been in need of a creative attacking midfielder for years. I don’t remember us ever having a creative attacking midfielder in the last 10 years, not in the mould of the ones we have been linked to. Scholes has been very creative for us, but he likes to lie deep and occasionally venture in the area for a goal or two. Fans and the press have been talking about Sneijder, Ozil and Van Der Vaart who I think would definitely improve our side, but we are not a team who just buy players who would theoretically make us have a stronger starting XI, so we need to think about what exactly we need and what we could realistically acquire.
I, for one, don’t think we are screaming for a creative attacking midfielder we just need more options in the centre of midfield and I think Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is stalling over a new contract, would be an utterly brilliant acquisition… Even Ballack thinks so!
Continue to PAGE TWO for the final two points…
4. Defence review: Since some of our youngsters were ‘exposed’ in the Carling Cup, we are in a state of crisis and Jonny Evans is now officially the worst player in England or indeed the universe! I still think he has a future at United, although, on current form it really makes you think! Rio and Vidic have some more years left, so it is not critical to think about their replacements. Smalling looks like a good signing, one who is only going to improve and defeats like Tuesday’s are part of the learning process for our youngsters. Wes Brown is also around for to relieve Vida and Rio when need be. In the full-back positions, the Da Silva twins are finally getting more games and the only way is up for them. Evra will be dominating that left-back position for another 3-4 years I reckon and John O’Shea is an option on either side so no big upheavals expected or required in defence.
5. Youth: Now, we might not need to replace or revamp any of the above players or areas if we can find someone in our youth and reserves sides to help us out! At the moment, apart from Rafael, Welbeck seems to be our brightest young talent. He is having a great season at Sunderland, playing Premier League football week in week out. My only worry is that we do not actually need strikers at the moment, and the only way he could come back to United would be if we sell 1-2 of our current attackers. Even then, he will be on the bench. The fact that he is increasing his price tag might sadly mean that we could be tempted to sell him off for a nice profit. Cleverley is another one to look out for finally getting some games at Wigan. He might provide further options in midfield for us, for free! We also have loads of burgeoning talent in the form of Eikrem, Morrison etc, but it may be a while before any break into the first team.
Finally a word about Macheda who doesn’t seem to be lighting up Old Trafford according to some. I would preach patience, he can still succeed at United and hopefully he gets to play with a partner rather than on his own when he is reduced to holding the ball up and passing it back to a midfielder!
What are your thoughts regarding potential squad changes in January and beyond?
Written by Yashi
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What on earth is going on at Chelsea at the moment? After last night’s 1-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux, the Blues sit 5th in the Premier League table, outside of the Champions League qualification places. Chelsea have won just once in their last 9 Premiership fixtures, and that was a less than convincing victory over Bolton at Stamford Bridge. There seems to be no escape from the current dreadful run of form that Carlo Ancelotti’s men find themselves in, but ultimately who is responsible for the mess that Chelsea are in?
There are a few people that you can direct the blame towards here. The firing of Ray Wilkins still seems like a strange decision and Chelsea chairman Roman Abramovich has to take the wrap on that one. Unsurprisingly Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is under extreme pressure right now, and less than positive post-match press conferences from the Italian in which he seems to have already given up on the Premier League title will not please the fans. Then there’s the players, with the likes of Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda simply not reaching the levels of performance they did last season. So who do you think is to blame for Chelsea’s current predicament and is there a way forward out of this mess?
Throughout a season where it seems every other club has been immersed in one crisis or another, both Stoke and Bolton have made serene progress.
Tony Pulis has defended his striker Tuncay, after the Turkish forward posted a video on Facebook displaying some of his best goals. Pulis has been one manager not to ban social networking sites amongst his squad, conceding that any ban would be unworkable.
Bolton have not cashed in on the poor run of form befalling several of the clubs around them. The Trotters have lost two of their last three league games and needed two late goals to see of non-league York in the FA Cup.
With both sides almost certain to avoid relegation, and barring a stunning run of form highly unlikely to grab a European slot, both managers may find themselves focusing on the FA Cup in the coming months. A draw here would keep both well out of the battle engulfing the bottom half of the division.
Tottenham managed to snatch a point at the death against Newcastle at St James’ Park today thanks to an injury time equaliser from Aaron Lennon. Harry Redknapp will feel that Spurs deserved something from the match due to the amount of play they had and will be relieved to have got just that.
In a tight first half, in which Gareth Bale went off early with a back injury, Jermain Defoe had Tottenham’s best chance. Spurs fell behind 15 minutes into the second half to a Fabricio Coloccini shot that goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, who started in place of the injured Heurelho Gomes, could have done better with. The Italian later redeemed himself with a couple of fine saves as Spurs pressed and left themselves exposed at the back, with Luka Modric hitting the bar before Lennon netted the late equaliser.
So what were the FIVE things we learnt about Tottenham today?
A Lionel Messi hat-trick guided Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, moving them 10 points clear on top of La Liga.
In the process, Barca notched up their 16th consecutive league win, breaking Real Madrid’s record of 15 – a mark that had stood for 50 years.
After being rested from Barca’s 3-0 Copa del Rey win over Almeria in midweek, Messi was simply unstoppable at the Nou Camp and the 23-year-old opened the scoring on 17 minutes with a low shot from the edge of the box before firing home a second from close range 11 minutes later.
He completed his hat-trick 10 minutes from full-time as Barca continued their march towards a third successive title.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Villarreal failed to make up any ground on second-placed Real Madrid when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to relegation battlers Levante, with midfielder Valdo scoring the only goal of the game three minutes after half-time.
Villarreal remain third despite the defeat, three points behind Real Madrid who take on Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Almeria caused another surprise when they enjoyed a 3-2 home win over Espanyol, who fell to sixth.
The hosts raced to a 3-0 lead after just 18 minutes thanks to goals from Silva Marcelo Henrique, Kala Uche and Hernan Bernardello, but a 34th-minute goal from Verdu and another from Alvaro Vasquez four minutes after half-time put some spice back in the contest.
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Athletic Bilbao climbed to fifth with a 3-0 home win over Sporting Gijon thanks to goals from David Lopez, Gaizka Toquero and Fernando Llorente, while Getafe moved to eighth after an Adrian Colunga brace helped them to a 4-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
Osasuna and Mallorca played out a 1-1 draw, as did Real Zaragoza and Racing Santander.