Tottenham Hotspur suffered a narrow defeat to Juventus in their tie in the first knockout round of the Champions League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated for large periods of both legs of the match but were ultimately edged out by the experience of the Italian giants.
One man who was missing at the back for Spurs was Toby Alderweireld. His nous and speed of thought might just have snuffed out the double-whammy that did for his team-mates and we’ve taken a look at when Pochettino might expect him back, as per PremierInjuries.
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When was he injured?: He hasn’t played a Premier League match since October. He was sidelined with a hamstring injury but has made a comeback in the FA Cup ties with Newport County and Rochdale. His stuttering return to first team action may worry some Spurs fans. He also has a contract wrangle hanging over him and the delay in returning from injury must be a further concern that everybody concerned could do without.
Potential return date: 11/03/18
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Has he been missed?: Davinson Sanchez has enjoyed a hugely impressive breakthrough season and has deputised well. However, as mentioned above, his experience wouldn’t have gone amiss against Juve. Spurs conceded four goals against a side who are notoriously stingy at the back. You can’t really afford to do that. Also, a swift return would allow Pochettino more flexibility to play a three man defence more often, which would be a welcome boost.
There’s no getting away from it, Liverpool are one of the very biggest teams in English football. Draped in a glorious history, fronted by one of the greatest midfielders England have ever produced and housed by one of the nation’s most iconic stadiums, there’s plenty to love about the Reds.
We, here at Football FanCast, like to give Kopites plenty of articles to get their teeth into (That’s not a Suarez joke!), and as a special November treat we’ve rolled them all into one bite size block of Merseyside goodness…
Enjoy!
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Football – Liverpool Training – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – 3/11/14Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli (R) and Steven Gerrard during trainingMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
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FIVE reasons Brendan Rodgers must keep faith in Mario Balotelli
Football – Liverpool Training – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – 3/11/14Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli during trainingMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
It’s been an incredibly frustrating season for Mario Balotelli. The Liverpool striker is still yet to find his first goal in the Premier League since joining the Anfield ranks this summer, and his goal-shy run was epitomised with a harrowing point-blank miss against QPR.
An eternally enigmatic figure, critics of the Italy international are not hard to find. Alan Shearer and John Hartson both gave Balotelli a stern tongue-lashing on Match of the Day 2, and after such a disappointing performance, Brendan Rodgers might soon drop the 24-year-old.
But we at Football FanCast believe that would be a huge mistake and just to prove it, here’s FIVE reasons the Reds gaffer must maintain his faith in the £16million signing.
Find out why Mario is worth saving by clicking here…
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FIVE release clauses Liverpool could activate in January
Who first dreamed up the notion of the release clause? Perhaps it was a ploy adopted from the business sector – potentially incarnated by former Tottenham-owner-turned-TV-personality-turned-Lord, Alan Sugar. Perhaps it was invented by Mr. R. Clause himself. Perhaps ex-Liverpool director Damien Comolli, a relentlessly suspicious character, came up with it.
Either way, the release clause adds an interesting dynamic to the transfer market – a simple-yet-effective method of saying ‘If you want him that badly, this is how much you’ll have to pay. Don’t bother negotiating. I can’t be bothered to sit in a boardroom, sipping coffee and downing croissants, whilst debating it.’
Despite often being extortionate, the Premier League has never shied away from release clauses. So in honour of that fantastic invention, here’s a list of FIVE Liverpool should consider activating in January.
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Critics of this Liverpool star should remember the plight of Michael Owen
It’s the age-old excuse your girlfriend gives when you’ve waited all week for 5-7 minutes of awkwardly sweaty passion. It’s what you say to your eight-year-old son when he’s demanding a one-on-one kickabout in the back garden, first to 100 wins. It’s the line you give your mates when they request your presence at the local public house, but you’ve already decided upon a delicate evening of aromatic candles, ice cream and Love Actually – some alone time to recharge your manly batteries.
“I’m tired.”
An irrefutable claim. As a politician (or a criminal) would say, ‘plausible deniability’. Have scientists even invented a machine that can tell how genuinely tired you are?
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The battering of Balotelli is getting tiring – it’s time to lay off Mario
One botched miss with the goal at his mercy at Loftus Road seemed to sum up the disastrous start to Mario Balotelli’s Liverpool career. The Italian has failed to score in six Premier League appearances, and his latest goalless showing against QPR has led to near-unanimous condemnation of his work rate and attitude. Social media inevitably led the anti-Mario brigade, with legions of keyboard warriors taking to Twitter to call Balotelli every profanity under the sun, while the Daily Mirror has felt the need to put up an article explaining why the Liverpool striker is ‘literally’ the worst striker in the league, a judgement they have decided is an appropriate one to make after just eight games.
Has Mario been treated unfairly? Read on here…
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Can this Liverpool star shoulder the creative burden?
It didn’t take too long into Liverpool’s preseason tie with Borussia Dortmund to be reminded just how devastating last season’s Premier League’s runners-up can be on the attack.
In a 4-0 win against the Bundesliga outfit, Philippe Coutinho was the standout performer for Brendan Rodgers’ side, adding the clear-cut creative inspiration that had been lacking for spells last season.
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Coutinho to fill Suarez’s boots? Click here to read on…
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The January transfer window always throws up at least one ridiculous transfer as Premier League clubs struggle to sign their top targets without forking out huge sums of money. Usually, a third or fourth choice is drafted in at a knock-down price to save a club’s fortunes, and this season will most likely be little different.
Whether this transfer window will see another Andy Carroll style signing or not is unknown, but there will certainly be a high amount of wheeler-dealing as teams look to strengthen their weaknesses and get in some much needed experience for the business end of the season.
This top 15 is a list of potential January bargains filled with out-of-favour underperformers, ageing bench-warmers, unregistered reserves and clubs looking to cash-in on their stars before they leave for free in the summer.
So read on to check out this January’s top 15 bargains available to any club willing to take a punt or splash the cash for a reduced price winter signing.
Click on Shay Given below to unveil the 15
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Newcastle United revealed on Tuesday that Jonjo Shelvey picked up a knee injury during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old played the full 90 minutes of the Premier League clash, but is now facing a period on the sidelines with a knee problem.
Shelvey’s form was up and down in the opening months of the season, but the midfielder has been very impressive in recent weeks. Indeed, he was outstanding in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Manchester United earlier this month.
A number of Newcastle fans were unhappy with Shelvey’s part in Bournemouth’s equaliser at the weekend, however, with the midfielder failing to track back.
The Newcastle supporters have been reacting to the injury news, and there were those that took the chance to have a go at Shelvey, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, following the Bournemouth match.
That said, the majority offered their best wishes to a player who has been in good form since the turn of the year.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:
Raheem Sterling will push on and help to fill the void left by the exit of Luis Suarez, according to Liverpool hero Ray Houghton.
The Reds let their talismanic striker head to Barcelona in a £75m deal over the summer, leaving a gaping hole in their front-line.
Brendan Rodgers’ side did manage to open their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 home win against Southampton, but the performance left plenty of room for improvement as the Merseysiders laboured at times against the Saints.
WANT MORE? >> Liverpool transfer news | Latest transfer news
One major positive for the club was the role Sterling played in the victory, with the teenager netting the opener and laying on the assist for Daniel Sturridge’s late winner.
The 19-year-old was one of the stars of Liverpool’s shock title push over the back end of last season, and is being widely hailed as one of the very best young players in European football.
Despite his tender age, Houghton believes that the Jamaican-born winger will play a massive role for the club this season and that his contributions will lessen the impact of Suarez’s exit:
“They’re going to have to do that [improve] because they’ve lost their main player in Suarez,” he told talkSPORT.
“They’re going to have to compensate for that in other ways. Others are going to have to step up and take more responsibility in that final third to score more goals.
“Certainly we saw that with Sterling yesterday. He showed signs he‘s going to be a real threat. I think he’s going have a fantastic season. He’s got real ability, he’s really settled down now and he’s understanding his position in the side.
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“I think he’s going to be there week in, week out, he’s not going to be just a bit part player for them, he’s going to be a main player for them. I think that’s going to be very important for Liverpool.”
The decision for Euro 2020 to be held across a host of different cities across Europe has had the whole continent talking about the controversial decision.
UEFA President, Michel Platini has confirmed that the event, which will mark the 60th anniversary, will see a one off tournament spread out across the whole of Europe.
The decision has been made due to Platini’s argument that during a time of economic uncertainty, UEFA does not want to trouble one whole nation with the burden.
Despite the majority of fans arguing about the decision, I for one am looking forward to seeing a European tournament spread out across the whole of Europe.
The biggest surprise for me is why a country like England or Germany didn’t make a last minute bid for the tournament. In times of financial struggle these two nations have a perfect infrastructure of football grounds and travel systems in place, money would not need to be spent to get the country ready for a major tournament.
The fact that the tournament will be spread out across a multitude of countries, which will not be decided until 2014, means that a whole lot more people will be able to see live major tournament football.
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The general opinion is that it’s going to be expensive and hard to travel around Europe to different destinations to see your side play, well is it any harder to travel from one major city in Spain to get to another major city in France, than the 940 miles that England had to travel during Euro 2012 with trips around Poland and Ukraine?
Kevin Miles, the Football Supporters Federation director of international affairs can confirm to England fans that group stage matches will be held close and will have a shorter travelling distance to what they did during Poland, which rubbishes fan views that the tournament will be more of a struggle and more expensive, I feel that it is just the general public not able to agree with something that goes against the grain chosen by the ever unpopular Platini.
The fact that it will be a one off to celebrate the anniversary of European tournaments is fantastic and the best way to create an ultimate fans festival. It will give the chance for more people to experience the European Championships, not just the group of die-hard Premier League fans who spend a large chunk of their annual salary on a two week holiday.
UEFA is an organisation which hasn’t always been appreciated by England and its fans with some absurd decisions by Platini, who at times seems to be against the whole nation, well this one decision he has spot on. UEFA wants the fans to get more excited about the 24-team format and doing it this way will develop the tournament into what could be the biggest tournament of all time. The biggest stage possible is being used, to get as many fans as possible to watch live high class international football.
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One of the major positives that this system will bring in is that it will give smaller countries like Norway, Wales and Scotland the chance to host major international games which they wouldn’t normally be able to do. Each chosen country around Europe will have a proud moment to stamp their own culture on to a diverse tournament.
In 2020, it will be EURO 2020 as opposed to England 2020 or Spain 2020, the whole of Europe will be taking place. I can’t see the problem in this, especially as the main fears have been answered. Die-hard fans will still travel; they will take in and experience a plethora of experiences, something that will be a one off. It is a nice way to bring the tournament to everyone.
Newcastle United fans have gathered around the Transfer Tavern to hear some more news on their potential summer signings.
The Magpies need a couple of crucial additions to help push the club towards the European spots. Ideally, Rafael Benitez needs to strengthen his numbers going forward if he’s to improve on Newcastle’s tenth place finished. One player the Spaniard should be looking at is Wolves target, Juan Quintero.
The Breakdown
The midfielder has been a revelation in the World Cup and has been one of the key parts in Columbia’s impressive displays. As a result of his strong performances, the Mirror is reporting that Wolves are targeting the former Porto man. Wolves boss is apparently keen to use his Porto connection to lure Quintero to Molineux. The Columbian would be an incredible steal for Wolves but if Newcastle can, they should try to hijack the move.
In Benitez’s 4-2-3-1, Quintero would be a superb attacking 10. If Benitez can surround him with Joshua King and possibly a striker ahead of him, Quintero could blossom into one of the best-attacking talents in Europe.
Quintero has always had the potential but has never really delivered on it. It’ll be hard to prevent Wolves from using their Portuguese links and their ties to super agent Jorge Mendes but if Newcastle can sign the talented midfielder, it could well take them to the next level.
It’s an ambitious move, Newcastle fans but if Mike Ashley can pull this one off, the Magpies could have a serious talent on their hands.
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According to ESPN FC, Everton are one of the clubs tracking PSV Eindhoven attacker Steven Bergwijn, rated at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, with a view to making a potential summer move for him.
What’s the word, then?
Well, according to ESPN FC, a number of Europe’s top clubs have been alerted to the 20-year-old’s potential following some impressive performances for the Eredivisie outfit this season, with sources close to the player saying that the Toffees and Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are among the teams keen.
ESPN FC says that PSV are braced for offers for the Dutchman in the summer, with the Premier League looking to be his likely destination if he does go.
The report adds that the young forward fits the profile of Everton’s recent transfer policy as he is a promising talent with the potential to develop and improve at Goodison Park.
How well has Bergwijn done this season?
He has been brilliant.
The 20-year-old has scored five goals and provided a further six assists in 22 Dutch top flight appearances, and he netted both in the 2-1 win against Sparta Rotterdam last weekend.
The versatile attacker can play on both wings, and according to WhoScored.com he has made 40 key passes in those 22 Eredivisie outings, while he has successfully completed 58 of the 85 dribbles he has attempted.
Would he be a good signing for Everton?
He certainly would be, but it doesn’t appear to be a position they really need extra bodies in.
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Bergwijn’s displays this season show the potential he has, but it would also be a confusing move in a way considering they already have the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Theo Walcott, Nikola Vlasic, Ademola Lookman and Henry Onyekuru that can play out wide, while record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson has also often played from the flank rather than in the centre.
While the Merseyside outfit will always be looking to sign the best young talent in Europe, it would be a strange move to bring Bergwijn to Goodison in the summer considering the options they already have on the flanks.
On 11th September 1945, when a once great nation was at the lowest ebb of its history, among the ruins of Munich a footballing legend was born. As captain of both the national side and his hometown club, he would lead both to unprecedented success and to the pinnacle of the world game. His name was Franz Beckenbauer.
The son of a postal worker, Beckenbauer grew up in Giesing, a working class superb in south-east Munich. Despite his father’s apathy for the game the young Franz was a promising centre-forward and idolised World Cup winner Fritz Walter. He was also a big fan of 1860 Munich, who in those days were the more popular team in the city.
Beckenbauer later admitted of 1860; “It was always my dream to play for them” and he was all set to join them until he played in a fiery encounter against 1860 in the final of an under-14 youth tournament for his then club SC Munich 06. A series of physical confrontations with the centre-half who was marking him had such a strong effect on the young Beckenbauer that he decided to join neighbours Bayern instead.
Before he’d even kicked a ball for the Bayern first team however, Beckenbauer was engulfed by controversy. In 1963, at the age of 18, it was revealed that his then girlfriend was pregnant and that he had no intention of marrying her. This sort of behaviour was so seriously frowned upon at the time that he was promptly banned from the West German national youth team by the DFB, only to be readmitted after the intervention of the side’s coach Dettmar Cramer.
Beckenbauer debuted for Bayern’s senior side on June 6th 1964 playing on the left wing against Stuttgarter Kickers in the second tier of German football. In his first full season the team won promotion to the newly formedBundesliga.
Bayern soon became a force in the new German league, winning the German Cup in 1966–67 and achieving European success in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967. Beckenbauer became team captain and led his club to their first league title in 68/69. It was around this time that Beckenbauer began experimenting with the sweeper/libero role, refining the position and becoming the greatest exponent of the attacking sweeper game.
Beckenbauer stayed with Bayern through the 1976-77 season, accruing a total of 461 appearances and 53 goals in all competitions. During that time, Bayern won four Bundesliga titles, four DFB Cups, three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and one Intercontinental Cup.
Der Kaiser also enjoyed success with the West German national team, for whom he made 103 appearances, winning the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup. He also won numerous individual honours, including the 1972 and 1976 Ballon d’Or awards.
In fact, everywhere Beckenbauer went success followed.
Beckenbauer finally parted ways with Bayern when he accepted a lucrative contract to join the New York Cosmos in 1977. He spent four seasons in New York and the Cosmos won the Soccer Bowl three times.
A return to Germany with Hamburg followed (1980-82) and despite playing a limited role he still helped guide HSV to a Bundesliga title.
He retired from playing in 1983 and quickly turned his hand to management, starting with the West German national side – and yet again success went with him. When West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, Beckenbauer became only the second person to win the Jules Rimet Trophy as both a player and manager (Brazil’s Mário Zagallo was the first).
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In 1994, he took on the role of club president at Bayern, and much of the Bavarian giants’ success in the following years has been credited to his astute management. Following the club’s decision to change to a limited company, he has been chairman of the advisory board since the beginning of 2002.
So today we’d all like to say; Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Der Kaiser!
@KGHofKarl Hofer writes for BobbyFC, the football website with a retro twist. www.BobbyFC.com
Arsenal are weighing up a January loan swoop to bring former club icon Thierry Henry back to the Premier League.
The Frenchman now plays for MLS giants New York Red Bulls, but with the American season set to end soon he could be available to sign with the club for the third time.
He turned out for the Gunners in a similar capacity last winter netting two important goals in seven appearances before returning to the States.
With Arsene Wenger is set to lose Ivorian forward Gervinho during the New Year due to African Cup of Nations duty, he is said to be considering the possibility of bringing the 35-year-old in on a temporary deal for the hectic winter period.
An official deal is yet to be announced, but it is believed that representatives will discuss the possibility with Henry next month.
Wenger is keen to bring back the talismanic striker:
“You know what Thierry gives you: he gives you hope, especially when he comes on (as a substitute). That is the most important thing.” He is quoted by the Daily Mail.
“He is a communicator, an extrovert and very intelligent. I had always resisted (bringing him back). Last year I did it because we lost Gervinho.
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“This year we lose Gervinho again as they are playing the Africa Cup of Nations two years in a row. So we will be confronted with a shortage – particularly if (Marouane) Chamakh should go. Then we will be short.”
Henry is not the only MLS star to have utilised the opportunity to play during the off-season, with the likes of David Beckham, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan all having performed in Europe to maintain match fitness.