Barcelona
goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has his eyes on a new deal with the
Spanish giants, after successfully filling the No 1 spot vacated by
Claudio Bravo.
Ter
Stegen has stepped into the spotlight since Bravo's £17million
departure to Manchester City in the summer and has established himself
as the new first-choice goalkeeper.
Now the player's agent has hinted his client is aiming to extend his stay in Catalonia beyond his current deal.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is now first choice at the Nou Camp and wants a new Barcelona deal
The German goalkeeper finally has first-team football at Barca and wants it to continue
His agent Gerd vom Bruch told Diari Ara: 'He wanted to play more and there was interest in him from some big clubs,' reports goal.com.
'Barca said that there was no way they would let him go, though, and we accepted that.
'Now
Marc's in the position which he himself had set as his target, starting
in the league and in Europe. He can see himself renewing his contract
with Barca.'
Ter Stegen joined the Catalan club from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, for a fee in the region of £10m.
Ter Stegen joined Barca in a £10m deal from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014
The German stopper found his chances limited however, with a constant battle with Claudio Bravo for the jersey on his hands.
Bravo departed Spain during the summer transfer window, to link up with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
The
Chilean, who is renowned for his ball-playing ability with his feet,
made the switch to the Etihad to displace long term number one Joe Hart.
Since
Bravo's departure Ter Stegen has made the position between the
Barcelona goalposts his own, and has made six appearances so far for the
club this season.
Claudio Bravo joined Manchester City in the summer paving the way for Ter Stegen to play
Barca brought in goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Ajax but Ter Stegen remains number one
The
five-times champions league winners did recruit in the goalkeeping
department following Bravo's exit to England, signing Holland
international Jasper Cillessen from Ajax.
Cillessen
attracted the headlines during the 2014 World Cup, in which former
Holland manager Louis van Gaal substituted the goalkeeper off
immediately prior to the quarter-final penalty shootout against Costa
Rica.
But,
despite Cillessen's arrival, Ter Stegen has been able to cement the
number one position as his own and is set to start in Barcelona's
upcoming Champions League tie against his former employers Borussia
Monchengladbach on Wednesday (September 28)
Barcelona's first away match of the European season is a
trip to Germany for the second match in the UEFA Champions League group
stage, on Wednesday at Borussia-Park against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The Blaugrana had an amazing start to the
European Cup thanks to a fantastic 7-0 victory over Scottish champions
Celtic, with the Catalan giants putting on a 90-minute masterpiece,
dominating the opposition and scoring lots and lots of goals. It was a
true spectacle from the best team in the world, but it won't be as easy
against Gladbach.
First of all, Borussia is a better side with more
high-quality players, and that alone brings more danger to a Barça
defense which was barely troubled by the Hoops' attackers two weeks ago.
Gladbach are one of the most exciting teams in the Bundesliga, and they
have young, talented footballers all over the pitch.
More importantly, Gladbach have a better manager. All due
respect to Brendan Rodgers, but Andre Schubert is a bright tactician
with very good ideas and an ability to convince his players that his
style of play can work against any side. They didn't have a very good
night against Manchester City in their group stage opener, but Gladbach
are a monster when playing at home, and their intensity is nearly
impossible to match at the Borussia-Park.
But if Barça want to win again to reach six points and
stay at the top of Group C before two consecutive meetings with Pep
Guardiola, they have to be as intense as Gladbach, and play great
tactical/technical football to earn a key victory at a tough
environment. Borussia is a great side, but there are things to exploit
in the tactical side, and we're going to take a look at them.
Offense
Gladbach play with a base 3-4-3 formation, with wingbacks
that offer width and plenty of movement in the middle of the park.
Defensive balance is a big thing for German coaches, and Schubert does
that with four players sitting back while the rest of the team takes
over on offense.
This is against Manchester City on the road, but they
don't change it too much regardless of the opponent or if they play at
home. The three center-backs stay home and Cristoph Kramer sits in front
of them, and those four players rarely join the attack. The wingbacks
(Fabian Johnson and Oscard Wendt) slot themselves very high and wide on
the pitch, which gives Gladbach the width option. One of the two
strikers up front (normally Andre Hahn or Thorgan Hazard) positions
himself between the opposing center-backs, and then Raffael, Mahmoud
Dahoud and Lars Stindl take care of chance creation in the middle.
That trio is the most important piece of the Gladbach
attack, and their movement without the ball aims to take opposing
defenders out of position and create gaps. Raffael (or Hazard/Hahn)
always moves out wide and tries to take his center-back with him, which
opens space inside the box for Dahoud, Stindl and one of the wingbacks
to penetrate. Barça play a zone defense, meaning that defenders don't
mark a specific player or chase him around the pitch, which is an easy
solution for Gladbach's constant movement.
Borussia's wingbacks rarely cross into the box since
there's no aerial threat on the side, which means Barça's defense has to
pay attention to low, pull-back crosses for the arriving players in the
box, especially the midfielders (Stindl/Dahoud). Gladbach is a quick
team that doesn't take players on, and they prefer to pass their way to
goal instead of dribbling it. Piqué and Mascherano need to be ready to
anticipate plays rather than wait for players to take them on, and their
awareness will be key for Barça to keep a clean sheet.
Defense
Now onto the defense, and that's where Gladbach are
really interesting-slash-crazy. Schubert plays a mixed zone, meaning
players have to keep a base position but will individually mark players
if need be. Despite playing with a 3-4-3 formation, they don't defend
with five at the back (which is the most natural variation), but with a
four-man "cover" backline. For instance: if the ball is on the right
side, the left center-back becomes a left-back, the central defender
goes left, the right CB goes to the center, and the right wing-back
covers the fourth slot. There's another four-man line in front of them,
and the team then defends in a basic 4-4-2.
If the ball moves to the left side, the "cover" process
is reversed, and the center-backs move to the right side until the
wingback becomes a left-back, always keeping a 4-man backline:
But as you can see in both images from the Manchester
City game, Gladbach struggle to stay compact, and there are gaps in
between the lines, especially on the wings. That's where Barça's
full-backs could be huge, with constant overlapping runs that will
eventually catch one of the Gladbach wing defenders off guard. Sergi
Roberto and Jordi Alba are very good runners as we know, and they could
be the key players to break Borussia's deadlock.
Transition
But if there's one area of Gladbach's scheme that Barça
can definitely take advantage is transition. Borussia had a very tough
time whenever City escaped on the break, and even though they had four
players to keep defensive balance, they always ended up in numerical
disadvantage on the counter.
Barça have mastered the counter attack under Luis Enrique, and with the quickness of Arda Turan, Neymar and Luis Suárez, the Blaugrana
might have some very good fast break opportunities throughout the game.
The two plays highlighted above happened with City breaking from
corners, since Gladbach struggled to quickly come back from the box. If
Barça find a similar transition problem from the hosts, then they might
kill the game on the counter without trying too much in possession.
Likely Lineups/Formations
Barça will probably play in a 4-4-2, with Neymar and
Suárez having the freedom to move around the final third and always be
close to the box. Arda Turan will probably stay on the left side, with
Rakitic having double-duty on offense, helping Busquets and Iniesta on
the buildup while providing width and support for Sergi Roberto on the
wing.
Schubert will use his usual 3-4-3, and count on Dahoud,
Stindl and Raffael to create problems with the ball. Dahoud is a joy to
watch, a young box-to-box beast that is very good on offense and
defense. Gladbach are good, young and hungry, but not talented enough to
truly hurt Barça if the Blaugrana are having a good night. Barça should win this, but not comfortably. One thing is for sure: it'll be fun.
Barcelona's Neymar, top, celebrates with teammate Luis Suarez after scoring during the Spanish La..
MADRID
(AP) — Neymar and Luis Suarez will lead the attack again when Barcelona
visits Borussia Moenchengladbach in its first Champions League game
since losing Lionel Messi to an injury.
The two forwards led Barcelona to a 5-0 win at Sporting Gijon in the
Spanish league on Saturday, when Messi was already sidelined because of a
groin ailment, and on Wednesday they will try to help the Catalan club
end Moenchengladbach's 11-game winning streak at home in all
competitions.
Neymar has scored four goals in the last four matches, while Suarez has eight goals in his nine games this season.
Barcelona has won only once in its last six matches against Bundesliga teams in Germany.
Another German club with an important match against Spanish
opposition is Bayern Munich, which plays at Atletico Madrid in a rematch
of last season's semifinals. Here's a look at Wednesday's matches in the Champions League: ___ GROUP A Three months after playing against each other at the European Championship, the Xhaka brothers meet again.
Granit Xhaka should line up for Arsenal against his older brother
Taulant, a defender for Swiss team Basel. At Euro 2016, Granit played
for Switzerland while Taulant featured for Albania after switching his
international allegiance in 2013.
Both teams started with 1-1 draws, although Arsenal got the result at
Paris Saint-Germain in possibly the English team's toughest match in
the group.
Basel, which beat Chelsea and drew at both Manchester United and
Liverpool in the past five seasons in European competition, is leading
the Swiss league by 13 points thanks to its 100 percent domestic record. PSG, still without injured winger Hatem Ben Arfa, is away to Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad. ___ GROUP B Napoli was the only group winner in the opening round and has a chance to solidify its lead when it hosts Benfica.
The Italian side will be relying on 22-year-old Poland forward
Arkadiusz Milik, who has filled in admirably after Gonzalo Higuain's
Italian-record transfer to Juventus for 90 million euros ($99 million).
He scored both goals in the comeback win at Dynamo Kiev and added two
more two-goal matches in Serie A.
In Napoli's previous Champions League appearance in 2013-14, the club
won all three of its home matches against Borussia Dortmund, Marseille
and Arsenal, yet still failed to advance despite collecting 12 points —
more than any other side that has missed the qualification cut.
Benfica, which conceded a late equalizer to Besiktas at home in its
opener, is likely to remain without forward Jonas because of an injury.
Dynamo Kiev will try to rebound at Besiktas. ___ GROUP C Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be making an emotional return to his hometown of Moenchengladbach.
"I absolutely cannot wait for it," he said. "I had a great time there
and spent my entire career there apart from the last two years.
Borussia is my first love and that will always be the case." Ter Stegen made 108 Bundesliga appearances for Borussia from 2011-14.
Celtic lost 7-0 to Ter Stegen's Barcelona in the opener, and things don't get much easier for the Scottish champions.
Next up for Celtic is Manchester City, which is on a 10-match winning
run under new coach Pep Guardiola. One of its best performances so far
was a 4-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
City will be without one of its leading players, Kevin De Bruyne, because of a hamstring injury. ___ GROUP D Bayern's last three trips to Spain all ended in defeats and
elimination in the semifinals of the Champions League. It happened
against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, its opponent again
on Wednesday.
Captain Philipp Lahm downplayed any talk of revenge for the match at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. "We can't make up for the loss last season," he said. "Our job is to
get points and then we could speak about a good start to this year's
campaign. But we know what to expect and it won't be easy."
Bayern and Atletico won their opening matches and will be fighting for first place in the group.
Bayern has won all eight matches under Carlo Ancelotti, the best
start for a new Bayern coach. Ancelotti was in charge of Real Madrid
when it beat Atletico in the 2014 final.
Atletico will be without midfielder Augusto Fernandez, who tore a right knee ligament in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Rostov hosts PSV Eindhoven in Russia in the other group match. ___ AP Sports Writers Steve Douglas in Manchester, Nesha Starcevic in
Frankfurt, Samuel Petrequin in Paris and Andrew Dampf in Rome
contributed to this report.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba both joined Manchester United in the summer
Zlatan Ibrahimovic jokingly
told his agent he would "break his legs" if he was unable to secure a
Manchester United move for fellow client Paul Pogba.
Mino Raiola, who represents both players, as well as Henrikh
Mkhitaryan, concluded the deals which took all three to Old Trafford in
the summer.
Pogba's protracted world record transfer took time to
get over the line amid reported interest from Real Madrid but once
Ibrahimovic completed his own switch to United, the Swede gave Raiola a
nudge to ensure Pogba followed him.
"Zlatan told me, 'Do not transfer Pogba elsewhere or I will break your legs'," Raiola told Dutch newspaper Volkskrant.nl.
Prior
to that game, Raiola made known his feelings that Jose Mourinho had
not been playing Pogba in his favourite position - on the left-hand side
of an attacking trio.
"Pogba still has to find his place in the team," added Raiola. "My preferred position for him is left attacking midfielder. "With his power, stamina and technique... Pogba would be unplayable in that role. But Mourinho takes the decisions." The
win against Leicester came on the back of an EFL Cup victory
at Northampton, but before that United had suffered three successive
defeats.
Mino Raiola has revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic jokingly threatened
to "break his legs" if he had allowed Paul Pogba to join any other club
besides Manchester United.
Raiola who represented both players,
along with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, brokered separate deals that took all
three stars to United in the summer -- with Pogba's €105 million world
record deal the most significant of them all.
"Zlatan told me, 'Do not transfer Pogba elsewhere or I will break your legs'," Raiola told Volkskrant.nl.
The
duo have given Jose Mourinho plenty of options on the field, but while
Ibrahimovic settled quickly and has already scored four goals for the
Red Devils, Pogba has struggled to come to terms with life back at Old
Trafford.
Prior
to that game, Raiola, made known his feelings that Mourinho is not
playing Pogba in his favourite position, which is on the left of an
attacking trio.
"Pogba still has to find his place in the team," Raiola added. "My preferred position for him is left attacking midfielder.
"With his power, stamina and technique... Pogba would be unplayable in that role. But Mourinho takes the decisions."
With
Wayne Rooney dropping to a bench role in the Leicester game and Pogba
reveling in his attacking role, it remains to be seen if Saturday's
emphatic performance could sway Mourinho into keeping the same formation
for the rest of the season.
The war of words between the US and Russia escalated dramatically today, when in response to an accusation by Samantha Power, the US envoy to the UN, on Sunday that "What Russia is sponsoring and doing [in Syria] is not counter-terrorism, it is barbarism",
the Russian foreign ministry - through an FB post by its spokesperson
Maria Zakharova - responded that there is "nothing more barbaric in
modern history" than what the US has done in Iraq and Libya.
As noted earlier,
Samantha Power delivered an emotional speech before the UN, accusing
Russia and Syria of attacks on aid workers, civilian infrastructure and
residential areas; she omitted that armed groups, including Al-Qaeda
offshoot Al-Nusra Front which is now directly supported by the US
coalition following its public "reverse merger" with the terrorist
organization, are in control of large parts of Aleppo and are using its
population as human shields.
In any event, it was Russia's turn to respond to the accusations
which it did today, when Power's use of the term 'barbarism' drew
sarcastic remarks from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria
Zakharova. “Historically speaking... a barbarian is someone not belonging to an
empire, and we have only one of those today,” she noted on her Facebook
page. “As for the imagery... the world has seen nothing more barbaric in modern history than Iraq and Libya done the Washington way.”
As with Lavrov, Zakharova said
that she believes Power's remarks were meant to draw attention from the
American attack on Syrian troops near Deir ez-Zor, which happened amid
the ceasefire and almost resulted in the Syrian Army's positions being
overrun by ISIS troops which the US is supposedly seeking to eradicate.
While the US blames Russia for the collapse of the ceasefire after
Russia allegedly attacked a UN convoy last weekend, Moscow blames the US
for the failed truce, saying it was incapable of reining in rebel
groups who would not commit to it, and would not agree to designating
them as legitimate targets for counter-attacks.
As RT notes,
Power, who received her current appointment in 2013, was among the most
vocal supporters of the concept of “humanitarian interventionalism” –
the use of military force on humanitarian grounds. The invasion of
Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya are
both examples of such actions. In both cases, interventions meant to
prevent human suffering actually caused huge tragedies in the long run.
Sam Allardyce’s position could be under threat (Picture: Getty)
Sam Allardyce could be set to learn his fate as England manager as
the Football Association prepare to hold emergency talks this morning
over his future.
Allardyce was also caught making some unflattering comments about
former Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson and his assistant Gary Neville.
According to the Daily Mirror, talks today could determine whether or not the former West Ham and Sunderland boss is sacked by England.
FA chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn will be
looking into the story leaked by the Daily Telegraph, which claims
Allardyce agreed a £400,000 deal to give tips on how to work around the
FA’s transfer restrictions.
In June 1945, the United Nations Charter was negotiated by representatives from 50 countries at a conference in San Francisco.
GJON MILI / THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION, VIA GETTY IMAGES
By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Almost everybody has heard of the United Nations. But how many people know what it actually does? Or how it works? Or why, as world leaders gather to kick off its 71st session, the institution has struggled to live up to the promise of its founders: making the world a better, more peaceful place.
Birth of the United Nations: When, Where and Why
The United Nations Charter was signed at a conference in San Francisco in June 1945, led by four countries: Britain, China, the Soviet Union and the United States.
When the Charter went into effect on Oct. 24 of that year, a global war had just ended. Much of Africa and Asia was still ruled by colonial powers.
After fierce negotiations, 50 nations agreed to a Charter that begins, “We the peoples of the United Nations.”
Why is that opening line notable? Because today, the United Nations can, to some, seem to serve the narrow national interests of its 193 member countries — especially the most powerful ones — and not ordinary citizens.
These parochial priorities can stand in the way of fulfilling the first two pledges of the Charter: to end “the scourge of war” and to regain “faith in fundamental human rights.”
President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu Meet at the White ...
By PETER BAKER
JERUSALEM — President Obama will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuof Israel in New York this week as the White House considers laying out its proposed framework for Middle East peace over the objections of the Israeli leader.
The two leaders, who have been at odds for years over the Iran nuclear agreementand other issues, will sit down on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session on Wednesday for what could be their final get-together before Mr. Obama’s term ends in January.
The meeting will come a week after the two nations sealed a $38 billion, 10-year American security aid package to Israel, the largest ever granted to an ally. The two sides hailed the agreement as proof that the tense relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu did not detract from the enduring ties between their two nations.
But Mr. Obama made clear on Sunday that now that he has demonstrated a commitment to Israel’s security, he plans to press Mr. Netanyahu to move toward reconciliation with the Palestinians.
“The meeting also will be an opportunity to discuss the need for genuine advancement of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the face of deeply troubling trends on the ground,” Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
Left unclear was whether Mr. Obama would go beyond simply urging Mr. Netanyahu. The president is considering whether to publicly lay out his parameters for a settlement of the long-running conflict, a prospect Mr. Netanyahu has strongly opposed.
Many eyes will be on Mr. Obama during his speech to the General Assembly, but if he does decide to lay out his peace plan, he might wait until after the November election to avoid having it become caught up in campaign politics. If he proceeds, he could give a speech outlining his ideas or even encapsulate them in a resolution before the United Nations Security Council.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hold a press conference following their meeting in Geneva (Reuters) The United States and Russia have hailed a breakthrough deal to put Syria's peace process back on track, but some rebel factions say they doubt it will hold as clashes continue in Aleppo. The agreement reached by the powers backing opposing sides in the conflict promised a Syria-wide truce effective from sundown on Monday, improved humanitarian aid access and joint military targeting of banned militant groups. But only hours after it was announced, Syria's army attacked rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo, both sides said, as the military pushed to maximise gains before the ceasefire deadline. Insurgents said they were planning a counter-offensive. "The fighting is flaring on all the fronts of southern Aleppo but the clashes in Amiryah are the heaviest," said Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, spokesman of the rebel Nour al-Din al Zinki Brigades. Syria's five-year conflict has killed thousands in Aleppo, the main focus of clashes between insurgents, including foreign-backed rebels, and pro-government forces backed by Russia and Iran. US Secretary of State John Kerry called on all sides to respect the deal, which was reached after marathon talks in Switzerland and several failed attempts to hammer out the details in recent weeks. "This requires halting all attacks, including aerial bombardments, and any attempts to gain additional territory at the expense of the parties to the cessation. It requires unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all of the besieged and hard-to-reach areas including Aleppo," he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite continuing mistrust, the two sides had developed five documents that would enable co-ordination of the fight against terrorism and a revival of Syria's failed truce in an enhanced form. Both sides agreed not to release the documents publicly. "This all creates the necessary conditions for resumption of the political process, which has been stalling for a long time," Lavrov told a news conference. Kerry said the "bedrock" of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the al-Nusra Front. Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf countries, would halt fighting for a while as a confidence-building measure. If the truce holds from Monday, Russia and the United States will begin seven days of preparatory work to set up a "joint implementation centre", where they will share information to delineate territory controlled by the al-Nusra Front and opposition groups. Both warring sides would pull back from the strategic Castello Road in Aleppo to create a demilitarised zone, while opposition rebels and government groups would both have to provide safe and unhindered access via Ramouseh in the south of the city. The opposition Free Syrian Army rebels said on Saturday they were sceptical the deal would be enforced as Damascus and Moscow had continued bombing their areas under earlier truces. Reuters
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been named the
Ladbrokes Premiership Manager of the Month for August following a run of
three straight victories to open his Hoops account.
The Northern Irishman has enjoyed a stellar first month in charge at
Parkhead with his side top of the table and through to the Group Stages
of the Champions League.
Celtic opened up their league campaign with a 2-1 victory at Hearts
and followed that up with wins against St. Johnstone and Aberdeen to
head into the international break with a 100 per cent record.
And that winning run has been rightly rewarded by the league sponsors.
Here’s how we broke the news of Rodgers’ accolade on Twitter…
There could hardly be more excitement surrounding the
first league meeting between Celtic and Rangers since 2012. But this
weekend’s almighty Ladbrokes Premiership meeting has the new subplot of
old acquaintances Brendan Rodgers and Mark Warburton facing off. So, we thought it’s time to view how these two bosses made it to
their respective Glasgow giants. First, we’re off to the home dugout.
Brendan Rodgers
The Northern Irishman endured a sudden and sad end to his
professional playing career, when knee problems ended his time at
Reading at the age of just 20. But like his Rangers’ counterpart, he
headed into the English Non-League, with the likes of Newport F.C. and
Witney Town – while continuing to coach with the Royals.
Rodgers’ gradual rise saw him appointed manager of Chelsea Youth in
2004. And it was there that he fostered a faith in young players which
has continued to the present day.
Indeed, in his crucial first game as Liverpool boss in 2012, the
youth-focused gaffer fielded five players aged 22 or under, including a
then-unknown 17-year-old by the name of Raheem Sterling.
But it was between those two jobs – and cities – where the
43-year-old crossed paths with Warburton, who was involved in the
Watford academy when the Hoops boss was in charge of the Hornets.
However, despite doing a solid job at Watford, it was at Swansea City
where Rodgers showed his big-game ability, leading the Swans up to the
Premier League via the play-offs in 2012.
The most interesting clue, though, lies in how he has approached previous Derby games, especially at Liverpool.
Those matches with Everton were either bore draws (three 0-0 draws)
or goal fests (a 4-0 win and a 3-3 draw), meaning it could be a savvy
option to bet on both a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park this weekend at 12/1, or the game producing over 3.5 goals at 13/8.
Mark Warburton
Like Rodgers, Warburton’s grounding came as a player in English
Non-League football, with spells at Enfield and Boreham Wood, following a
stint as a youth player at Leicester City under the dictatorial Jock
Wallace. Interestingly, Warburton was critical of the Leicester gaffer’s
methods, claiming managers should “never [start] treating a player that
way.” And that rejection of a hard-lined approach has always informed
the softly-spoken gaffer’s attitudes.
A man who – like his Parkhead counterpart – has played the game for
love, not money, the Gers gaffer actually left a comfortable job in the
City to coach at Watford, and was given the Hornets’ academy job by a
certain Mr. Rodgers, and set about producing the next line of young
talents with a softer approach.
Indeed, Warburton’s excellent work in producing the stars of the
future saw 13 players aged 21 and under feature for the first-team in
2007-08, and interestingly, he continued to invest in young players
after taking over the Brentford job, snapping up young talents like
Andre Gray and Lewis Macleod.
However, at Rangers, Warburton has diverted somewhat from the youth
model by snapping up experienced campaigners like Clint Hill and Joey
Barton. So despite his pedigree in that area, it’s likely that Rodgers’
will go for raw talent and pace, and the Light Blues’ manager for
experience and robustness.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t attack. Indeed, during Warburton’s
time at Brentford, the Bees won 4-1 at Fulham during his only full
season, before a 2-1 win at Griffin Park, but with this one likely to be
a close-run thing, backing a score draw at 4/1 looks like it might be the best call of all.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
The Magpies appeared to have wrapped up a deal for the Irishman, only
for the move to fall through soon after due to how long it will still
take him to recover from a broken leg
Brentford's Alan Judge
Newcastle pulled out of a deal to sign Brentford midfielder Alan Judge this summer because he was not as far ahead in his recovery as originally thought.
The
Magpies appeared to have wrapped up a deal for the Irishman, only for
the move to fall through soon after due to how long it will still take
him to recover from a broken leg, although they may rekindle their
interest in Judge in January.
And Smith,
who did not specify any club interested in Judge, believes this was
because of his fitness levels and, if a bid comes in in January, he
wouldn't begrudge the midfielder a move to a Premier League or massive
Championship side.
“The clubs that were interested in him thought he was further ahead in his fitness that he was,” he said.
“I
don't think anyone would begrudge Judgey a move to a Premier League or a
massive Championship club. I'm sure he'll come back better than
before.”
Judge is still on the rehabilitation trail and Smith refused to give any timescales on when the popular midfielder will return.
The
head coach added: “He probably wasn't as far ahead as he thought he
might be but he's still progressing. I'm not sure of any timescales – I
think it's too early to say.”
Xhaka's disciplinary record is cause for concern at Arsenal after he
received his marching orders in Tuesday night's 2018 World Cup qualifier
Granit Xhaka received a second yellow card for a foul on Portugal's Joao Mario EPA
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka’s rollercoaster week took yet another turn on Tuesday night as the Switzerland international was sent-off during the 2-0 2018 World Cup qualifier victory over Euro 2016 champions Portugal, earning his seventh red card since April 2014.
£35m Xhaka is seen at the Emirates as the man to give Arsenal their
bite back, with many fans of the firm opinion that the club’s failure to
replace Patrick Vieira in 2005 is the main reason behind their 12-year
Premier League title drought. The 23-year-old is yet to mark his arrival
at Arsenal with any significant contribution, but there are high hopes
that he can go on to justify his hefty price tag in the heart of Arsene
Wenger’s midfield.
Yet Arsenal fans who witnessed the 4-3 defeat by Liverpool on the
opening weekend of the Premier League season will have seen a sign of
things to come. After coming on in the 67th minute, Xhaka made seven
attempted tackles, succeeded with none and conceded four fouls, picking
up a booking 19 minutes into his Arsenal debut in the process.
That only got worse on Tuesday when he was sent-off in Switzerland’s
opening 2018 World Cup qualifier after receiving a second yellow card in
injury-time for a stupid foul on Joao Mario. Having initially been
booked for catching Portugal midfielder Adrien Silva on the thigh with a
high challenge, Xhaka received his marching orders as he slid through
the back of Mario with no chance of reaching the ball.
Xhaka protested his innocence, but the damage was already done. More
concerning though – especially for Arsenal – is the fact that the
dismissal represented Xhaka’s sixth red card in his last 78 matches and
his seventh since April 2014 for both club and country.
Xhaka leaves the field after being sent-off for Switzerland (Getty)
The Swiss international was sent-off three times last season – more
than any other player in the Bundesliga during his stint with Borussia
Monchengladbach – to add to two red cards in 2014/15 and one the season
before, and he finished the campaign by conceding the third-most fouls
in the German league by giving away 73 free-kicks or penalties.
While Arsenal supporters may decide that he offers the bite needed in
midfield, his disciplinary record is certainly a concern given Francis
Coquelin, his Arsenal teammate, is rather susceptible to a booking
himself.
The French midfielder has already picked up two bookings this season
and was sent-off for a similarly needless second booking in last
season’s north London derby with Tottenham. If Wenger decides the deploy
the two gung-ho midfielders together, Arsenal may finally have the
aggressive backbone they’ve lacked for the last decade – or
alternatively end up with a lack of central midfielders on the pitch at
all.
The 28-year-old striker was a free agent having been released by Wolfsburg earlier this year.
Bendtner, who scored 45 goals in 171 appearances at Arsenal over the
course of a nine-year spell with the club, has signed a two-year
contract at The City Ground.
The Denmark international, who nurtured a cult following as ‘Lord
Bendtner’ during his previous time in England, has also represented
Birmingham City, Sunderland and Juventus on loan. Fawaz Al Hasawi, Forest’s chairman, announced the deal on social
media, tweeting: "Please welcome Nicklas Bendtner who has joined #NFFC
on a two-year deal."
Bendtner could make his debut in Sunday’s trip to Aston
Villa and may soon face his former club, with Arsenal set to visit
Forest in a League Cup third round tie on 20 September.
The Dane is the club’s 12th signing since the appointment
of Philippe Montanier as head coach at the City Ground in June and joins
former Arsenal team-mate Armand Traoré at the club.
Aston Villa's Jack Grealish. Photo: PAAston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has signed a new four-year contract with the Championship club.
Grealish, who will turn 21 on Saturday, has committed to Villa until
the summer of 2020, a two-year extension to his previous deal.
"Everyone knows this is a club I love dearly - and it's the place I want to play my football," he said.
The England U-21 international was part of the team relegated to the second tier last season.
Grealish added: "We are looking to return to the Premier League. I
want to be a big part of that process and will be doing everything
possible to make that a reality."
Sam Allardyce’s position could be under threat (Picture: Getty)
Ladbrokes
