To say David Moyes has had an instrumental impact on West Ham’s season would be a bit of an understatement. From his twelve Premier League fixtures in charge, the Irons have taken seven more points, scored seven more goals and conceded five goals less than they managed in their eleven games under Slaven Bilic at the start of the season. But more than mere statistics, the biggest positive is how the quality of football has vastly improved at both ends of the pitch – largely because Moyes is getting the absolute best out of West Ham’s most talented players.
And with no duo does that ring truer than Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini, West Ham’s biggest offensive and biggest creative threats respectively. Under Bilic, the pair found just one assist and not a single Premier League goal between them from a combined 13 outings. From their 22 with Moyes at the helm, on the other hand, they’ve netted eight times and laid on the same number of assists.
With Andy Carroll absent through injury, Arnautovic and Lanzini found themselves directly combining to great effect as a front two against Huddersfield on Saturday, in a performance that goes down as West Ham’s deadliest and most convincing yet during Moyes’ tutelage. Albeit capitalising on some criminal defending from David Wagner’s side, the Austrian and the Argentine bagged three goals and two assists, while taking five shots at goal, creating six chances and completing a whopping eight dribbles.
It was a fine counter-attacking performance from Arnautovic and Lanzini, but also one that highlighted the drastic improvements West Ham’s playing personnel have made since Moyes took charge. Back in October, Arnautovic was being lamented as the biggest flop of the season and Lanzini was struggling to produce consistently; now they’re arguably the most frightening double-act in the bottom half.
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I haven’t read Alex Ferguson’s new book. Obviously. I don’t know what has been written about Wayne Rooney and the whole transfer saga of a few years ago, though I can probably guess.
Instead, I’ll take my time. The football world’s anticipation for this book has been equal to that of the Harry Potter releases. Imagine if Twitter had been around to ruin those books for everyone in the manner than Twitter has thrown out some of the juiciest parts of this book. What was the point in Paul Hayward helping Ferguson to pen 500 pages if Twitter and the newspapers were just going to reveal the most interesting stories?
Anyway, that’s not the point. The question is whether Ferguson’s revelations will throw a spanner – yes, another one – into the current Manchester United machine, which is already puffing and weezing a quarter of the way through the season. I highly doubt it.
As I mentioned, I don’t know what’s in the book because I haven’t read it yet. Instead, kings, dragons and backstabbing family members are higher up on my agenda. But as I also mentioned, I can probably take an educated guess as to the content of the Rooney chapter. Moreover, both David Moyes and Rooney, obviously, will be well aware of the situation. It’s not really news to them in the way it is to the public.
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Moyes has his problems at United – those are well known. We’ve discussed them countless times, from the disinterest in Shinji Kagawa, the failure to do anything right in the transfer market, and the point of Marouane Fellaini’s signing. United are currently in eighth position in the league, a quarter of the way through the season. You could say the league table has taken reasonable shape, so from that point of view, United’s position is a little worrying.
But I don’t think the contents of a book is going to make things that much more difficult for Moyes. In fact, at some stages of the season so far, Rooney has looked United’s best attacker, though that isn’t really saying much. We all sort of know that Rooney isn’t 100 per cent happy at United, just like we know Luis Suarez will probably upend a table and make for the exit door if Florentino Perez slides over a napkin with his number on it. We don’t need a book to change the landscape of the current season.
The interest and anticipation for Ferguson’s book is justified because it’s revealing and entertaining. Entertaining – that’s the most important part. We’re not looking to it because it may play a part in the relegation of United; just like other football books, we’ll read it because it lifts the curtain on a world we as the audience rarely, if ever see.
Whatever position United find themselves in at the end of the season it will be due to the performance of David Moyes as manager. Nothing else.
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Will Ferguson’s book have an impact on United this season?
Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the performance of 18-year-old Nick Powell, after the midfielder scored on his Premier League debut in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Wigan, The Oldham Evening Chronicle reports.
Powell came on as a second-half substitute for Ryan Giggs and scored the Reds Devils’ final goal with a long-range strike from outside the area.
Ferguson was keen to highlight the maturity of Powell and how his attributes will help the team progress in years to come.
“Nick Powell is going to be a really good player. He has a great temperament. He has two feet and is quick. He is a great striker of the ball. For an 18–year–old boy it has been a terrific day,” said Ferguson
Alexander Buttner also scored on his debut for the club after Javier Hernandez’s second and Paul Scholes’ opener.
Scholes netted on his 700th Manchester United appearance, causing Sir Alex to wax lyrical about the midfielder’s qualities.
“That is what we always remember about Paul, the way he ghosts into the penalty box.
“Now he has scored on his 100th, 300th, 400th, 500th and 700th appearances. It is fantastic,” Ferguson added.
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The match at Old Trafford was full of milestones as it was the Scotsman’s 500th home League game in charge, while Rio Ferdinand made his 400th appearance and Ryan Giggs played in his 600th Premier League game.
Tottenham have struggled to find capable backups for Harry Kane since the Englishman’s emergence on the scene and the story of Fernando Llorente is just the latest example.The 24-cap Spanish international has enjoyed an impressive career and had something of a mini-revivial under the dimmer lights of the Liberty Stadium but there was little to suggest that he was the man to deputise for Kane.Despite that, Mauricio Pochettino splashed out for the Spaniard on deadline day in the summer, snatching him from under the noses of Chelsea.Kane will always be top dog at Spurs for as long as he’s there, so finding someone to play second fiddle but also perform when called upon is a tough ask for Pochettino.We’ve taken a closer look at the passionate responses to the prospect that the Spaniard may well leave North London after just one season under Pochettino’s watch…
Safe to say, general opinions of Jordan Henderson on Merseyside have taken a downturn over the last few seasons, but particularly since Jurgen Klopp began to transform him into Liverpool’s anchor man.
The England international was never amongst the most riveting of footballers anyway, but the defensive midfield role has simplified his game to a glaringly monotonous level – one that has lead many Liverpool fans to ask what he actually contributes to the team, at least while on the pitch.
The overriding justification for Henderson’s continued presence, though, is the fact Liverpool’s only true out-and-out holding midfielder left for Lazio in the summer – ever-underrated Brazilian Lucas Leiva – rendering the Liverpool skipper the best-fitting square peg for a round hole. However, that’s not completely true – something shown by the 5-0 win over Swansea City on Boxing Day.
With Henderson injured, Emre Can took up defensive duties at the base of midfield and although Swansea offered incredibly little in terms of attacking verve, it was the German international who snuffed out the few advances they made on the break while keeping things tidy in possession.
Indeed, Can finished up with the most tackles of any player on the pitch, six, while winning two aerial duels, recording two interceptions and making the most touches of any Reds player excepting centre-backs Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan.
It was a calm, calculated and committed performance from the 23-year-old, who Transfermarkt value at £19.8million.
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So, Liverpool fans, who is the best option for the deep-lying role in Liverpool’s midfield? Let us know by voting below…
The modern Premier League is dominated by big money imports and a desire for instant gratification that seems to drive every shortsighted decision. It is for this reason that the story of Danny Welbeck’s career at Manchester United it so heartening. Welbeck was granted first team opportunity after years of toil and hard work at the boyhood club that he has so much affection for. After a series of loan spells and transitional periods for the frontman, 2013/14 marks an important season for the young man who is eager to showcase his abilities.
Danny Welbeck has been a part of the senior team since 2008. A local boy who was picked up at a young age by the extensive United scouting network, he was identified as a prodigious talent from early on. As part of his footballing education he was sent on loan spells to Preston North End and Sunderland. Returning for the 2011/12 season, he appeared invigorated by his experiences elsewhere and was able to notch 12 goals in partnership with Wayne Rooney.
Just as many started to expect great things from the Englishman, 2012/13 marked something of a backward step for the young talent. The capture of Robin Van Persie vastly reduced Welbeck’s opportunities up front with Sir Alex preferring both Rooney and Hernandez as back ups to the Dutchman. Afforded more opportunity out wide to support the under-performing wingers, Welbeck actually proved his worth as a wide man.
However, Welbeck has come under intense criticism for his meagre goal scoring record. The striker himself admitted he must improve fast in this area; a haul of 2 goals last year in all competitions for a title winning side is a concern. The striker mentioned this in an interview for the Mirror, commenting:
“Overall, there have been improvements to my game and I have been more consistent,”
“But I’ve been playing on the wing, which has inhibited my ability to get into goal-scoring positions.
Herein lies the problem for Welbeck. At 22 he is beginning to enter a stage of his career where he needs to be playing week in week out in his best position. Currently it is difficult to discern exactly where this position is simply because he has previously been played in a range of roles. If Manchester United do not see him as a long term front man, then they should consistently employ him in other areas. He may be apprehensive about playing out wide, but he showed last term that he has a real flair when given the opportunity to run at defenders. A player of Welbeck’s class has to at some point stop being the rotated utility man and move towards nailing down a position of his own.
Danny Welbeck not only represents one of the biggest talents in English football, but in the world game more generally. It has been widely publicised how incompetent we are as a nation in nurturing our talented youngsters. From a purely English point of view, it is important that Welbeck starts to show his true worth soon at United for the sake of our international team. On the continent rising stars are given the opportunity to nail down first team roles, whereas in England we seem averse to offering anything more than a bit part role. Manchester United should have their interests at heart first and foremost; considerations for the national team should be in my view secondary. In the case of Welbeck I think accelerating his development would be to the advantage of both club and country.
Next year is a big one for Danny Welbeck. A new manager could offer him the opportunity to nail down a first team role. Many may argue at 22 this is too much too soon, and that his current role will serve both player and club for the time being. However, across Europe it is commonplace for precocious talent to feature readily at this age and in many cases it has led to them developing a lot earlier. By his early 20’s Messi was playing regularly for Barcelona, and if we are to consider Welbeck a world-class talent then this sort of comparison should be made.
The problem for Welbeck is that his affiliation with United is both a footballing and emotional one. In purely footballing terms he should be playing in his best position week in week out. If United cannot offer this then he should look to move somewhere where he will be given that opportunity.
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Next season marks something of a crossroads for the England international. Will he be able to kick on and develop into a world-class footballer in the coming years? If he can be deployed regularly in his best role, be that wide or up front, then I am convinced United will have one of the best young footballers in Europe at their disposal. Failure to do this and I can only see another potential English talent forced to ply his trade at a club of lesser stature.
“There’s a mirror by Ronaldo’s seat in the Old Trafford dressing room.
In the time I’ve been playing with Ronnie, the one thing I’ve noticed about him is that he can’t walk past his reflection without admiring it, even if we’re about to play a game of football.”
Judging by the words of Wayne Rooney it’s a miracle that some professional footballers manage to squeeze their head through the training room doors.
Elite sportsmen have an uncanny ability to force their confidence off the scales into the realms of arrogance and ignorance. There are a select few who thrive on their surreal levels of self-worth, as evident with Ronaldo but most sadly don’t possess the talent to justify their incessant boasting.
Therefore I have decided to collate the top ten players who could benefit from letting their boots do the talking from time to time.
Click on Mario Balotelli to unveil the top 10
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Leeds fans have been seeing the funny side of things after their side lost 2-1 to a Myanmar all stars team on Wednesday afternoon.
It’s been a pretty long season for Leeds fans, and there have been an awful lot more low points than high ones.
Fans were looking forward to a possible playoff push around Christmas, but a string of bad results cost Thomas Christiansen his job, and it’s fair to say the arrival of Paul Heckingbottom didn’t exactly help matters.
Fans were bemused when the post-season trip to Myanmar was announced, on which the squad would play two friendlies against a Myanmar “all stars” team and then the national side.
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The first of those friendlies took place in the sizzling heat on Wednesday afternoon, and Leeds fell to a 2-1 defeat to the Myanmar all stars.
Of course, most of the top players are in the national side that Heckingbottom’s side will face on Friday, so the “all stars” team is basically the players from the Myanmar National League who couldn’t make the senior national side.
Samuel Saiz levelled for Leeds from the penalty spot after the hosts had taken an early lead, but a second half penalty won it for the all stars.
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Leeds only arrived in Myanmar 24 hours before kick off, and the heat and humidity may have played its part, but nonetheless fans are hilariously bashing their players and manager.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
West Ham play Astra Giurgiu night looking to exorcise the ghosts of a trip to Malta.
The Hammers narrowly avoided embarrassment on penalties last week as they went through at the expense of Birkirkara. This time Slaven Bilic will be hoping that his side manage to do a more professional job against the Romanian outfit this time around.
Last week’s jaunt to Malta was indeed a fiasco for the Hammers and their new boss, and the thought of not taking the chance to give their stately old Boleyn Ground a proper European send off this season is a horrible one. But the travails of last week might just be the tonic that forces West Ham into action.
For Premier League clubs in Europe, the qualifying rounds are very dangerous places. There isn’t much to gain – you already expect to be playing in Europe come September – but there’s an awful lot to lose. It’s not just going out of the competition early, it’s starting your season off in terrible fashion (just ask Hull how it worked for them), and it’s the pride lost, the fact that some minnows from a nation you didn’t even know played football slaughtered your side in full view of the whole world. Not even pulling a sickie will get you out of the workplace conversations about that one.
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Premier League clubs in the the qualifying rounds are like prize stallions, everyone wants to draw them and to see them in action, but everyone really expects them to wipe the floor with the opposition. So being dumped out in the qualifying round is a terrible thing to suffer.
But there are other things to take into account. For one thing, starting your competitive fixtures in mid-July is madness – there’s no time for a proper pre-season, the competitive European fixtures become more like friendly run-outs, and instead of travelling around Eastern Europe, your manager should be finishing up deals for new signings and getting things sorted for the rest of the season. All of these things are factors in the fiasco endured by West Ham last week, but it might actually be a blessing in disguise.
Maybe West Ham will take the next few European tasks less lightly than perhaps they took the Maltese test. Maybe the Premier League stallion from East London will perk up a bit more at the thought of trips around the continent on Thursday nights. Maybe what West Ham went through in Malta was a footballing act of gingering, a cruel way of making a horse lift its tail high and perform better. It’s certainly not pleasant, but for West Ham it might just do the job.
With Bilic on the sidelines, looming large over the players and metaphorically wielding a big stick – or ginger root – they shouldn’t slip up. After coming so close to utter embarrassment at the hands of a team that are only charitably described as minnows, maybe West Ham will liven up and embrace the Europa League now.
Once bitten, twice shy, West Ham will not want to go through that again.
But relief now turns to action. It’s all well and good to talk about how the Irons can use that relief to spur them on, but now they need to actually do it. Like a man who has had a near-death experience, West Ham have pledged to turn their lives around and make every moment count, taking nothing for granted.
Two more ties to get through and West Ham will be in the Europa League group stages and it will be job done for now. They need to use Malta and the fear of failing to spur them on to victory night.
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Stoke manager Mark Hughes is close to finalising a £6m move for former Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
The Senegal international flopped at Old Trafford, but has since carved out a reputation as one of European football’s top emerging talents with Hannover.
An impressive 18 goals in 38 games for the Bundesliga side last term has seen interest in his signature hot up, and Hughes views him as the ideal man to bolster his attacking options.
The Potter’s have developed a reputation for their one-dimensional style of player, and ‘Sparky’ is keen to alter this perception.
He has already set about drafting in more technically gifted players, with the likes of Barcelona youth star Marc Muniesa and Dutch international Erik PIeters having already arrived at The Britannia Stadium.
Although physically imposing, Diouf is a good technician and somebody who can contribute goals as well as assists.
The 6ft. 1” centre-forward has won 15 international caps, despite the presence of both Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba in the Senegalese squad.
He was signed by United in 2009 from Molde, with a reputation as one of the best young players in Europe.
But, he struggled with the Red Devils before moving to Hannover on a permanent deal in 2012.
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