When the news of Robin van Persie’s injury broke, it was to no great surprise to hear Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner proclaiming himself ready and confident to step in against Barcelona (however, the Dutchman has made the squad). I think by now we’ve all become used to the Dane’s self-indulgent ways, but if there was ever a time to walk the walk, it’s now. Arsene Wenger’s men travel to the Catalan giants battered and bruised, but could it be Bendtner’s time to shine?
I’ve criticised the 23-year-old in the past. But like many, if I was really to analyse why I find the striker so irritating, it’s not because he is wasteful on the pitch or a cheat or anything like that, it’s because he continues to believe he really is the best striker in the world. If it was Cristiano Ronaldo who continued to fill our newspapers eulogising about how good he is, then fair enough. But I’m afraid only a handful of Premier League starts and a hat-trick against Leyton Orient doesn’t really justify such a tag. What would convince us all of his ability is to upstage the real crème of the crop: Lionel Messi, David Villa and co on the biggest stage of them all.
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Bendtner does have all the attributes of a quality striker. He’s a real handful, is good in the air and links up with the rest of Arsenal’s attacking flair well-enough. He is going to have to be patient on Tuesday night, but against a make-shift defensive partnership, there is no reason why Bendtner can’t finally come of age in the Nou Camp, if he plays. Van Persie has travelled, but I doubt whether he has 90 minutes in his locker straight after an injury which was supposed to rule him out for the best part of a month. Bendtner has overtaken Marouane Chamakh in the pecking order so you’d imagine he will at some stage get his wish to be playing on the stage he sees fit for his talents.
If Bendtner can prove himself against Barcelona, he may go some way to finally making us all see what he is all about, or what he pretends to be at least. It will be interesting to see if Wenger has as much faith in the Dane as he has in himself, or whether the Frenchman will opt for a half-fit Van Persie to lead the line. Whatever the case, at some point or other, Bendtner will have his turn. The game represents a chance for him to give Arsenal another option for the rest of the season. As good as Van Persie is, at times he looks as though he’s made of glass, so there has to be a plan B.
He may not be too happy with being the back-up plan, but it’s certainly better than getting the odd run-out against League One opposition. According to the striker himself, Bendtner is good enough. Starting with Barcelona away, he now has between now and May to prove it.
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Veteran defender David Weir will play on with Rangers for another season after agreeing a new 12-month contract with the Scottish Premier League champions.
Weir, 40, who was named the top-flight's player of the year last season, has agreed a new one-year contract which will see him complete four campaigns at Ibrox.
"I'm delighted to announce that Davie Weir will be with us again next season," chief executive Martin Bain told the club's official website.
"We were always hopeful that he would agree to play in the 2010/11 campaign and we have now concluded a deal to that effect.
"It's great news for everyone because there is no doubting his importance to the team and his influence on those around him.
"Davie's professionalism and leadership qualities make him a superb role model and there is little doubt that he has become a great Rangers captain.
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Most football fans, especially those affiliated with Manchester City, may have felt that Carlos Tevez could not do anything to surprise them anymore or cause their opinions of him to sink any lower. Sadly they would be very wrong. Poor Carlos, who let’s not forget is recovering from an eating disorder caused by the stress of playing for Manchester City and living in England on hundreds of thousands of pounds per week, has now hinted that he is considering suing manager Roberto Mancini for defamation of character after the Italian stated Tevez had refused to play during that fateful night at the Allianz Arena.
Manchester City have this week cleared Tevez of such accusations, instead finding the Argentinian guilty of ‘failing to warm up’ and fined the player four weeks wages, suspending him for two. It is this lack of backbone showed by City that has led to this ridiculous situation for the club and more to the point Roberto Mancini, who has shown far more integrity and strength than either the club or Tevez throughout the whole saga.
Understandably, City were unable to find a player who would admit that Tevez refused to warm up, those being on the bench that night unfortunately for Mancini are close friends with the disgraceful Tevez, yet the comments post game were clear – Tevez may point to them being lost in translation, yet it was blindingly obvious the striker had thrown a hissy fit to surpass that of even mad Mario when he learnt he was not the first substitution. City should have taken a harder stance on his actions, and backed their manager to the fullest extent.
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What should be a brilliant week for City and the continuation of their most promising season ever, is now being overshadowed by the Tevez saga yet again, and now having effectively backed down over the whole affair, have set a dangerous precedent for players’ behaviour in the future and what they are clearly able to escape sanction for. With Tevez now looking to not only overturn this ruling but also to sue manager Mancini, now the whole of the Premier League, if not world football, needs to take note.
Imagine the consequences and reprisals if Tevez was to win this case, and Mancini was found guilty of what are effectively slanderous comments towards the player. How many players will then retrospectively attempt to sue managers for the same thing? How often will this happen in the future? Player power would reach new and unacceptable levels, not to mention the fact that post match interviews will be basically neutered, with managers too afraid to express any kind of opinion due to possible lawsuits following, what would be the floodgates opening, should Tevez win his lawsuit.
Clearly the above consequences are for football as a whole, but for City themselves, one can only imagine how this would affect their season and divide the squad, with Mancini having staunch support from certain players in the dressing room yet Tevez being close to a number of others. Should the saga roll on into next year, the effect on City could be disastrous, not to mention the fact that Mancini may feel as though he has been left exposed by City, and not supported to the level he feels that he should have been.
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It is not just the consequences for City that would be dire should Tevez proceed and god forbid win this lawsuit, but for the implications on all of sport in general, with a dangerous precedent threatening to be established. From Carlos Tevez’ point of view, when considering who has really damaged his reputation and character, it seems best for him to stand in a full length mirror and take a long hard look into it – only then will he see the real culprit in this whole sorry affair.
Real Madrid eased to a 2-0 La Liga victory over Levante to mark another milestone for incomparable manager Jose Mourinho.The win meant the Portuguese manager has not lost a league match at home for nine years as a manager in four different leagues, with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.The last time Mourinho was in charge of a losing team on home territory was Porto’s 3-2 loss to Beira Mar 3-2 on February 23, 2002.Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the seventh minute against Levante, before former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho scored just his third goal of the season four minutes before half-time to help record Mourinho’s 122nd home win in his past 147.The victory also maintained Real’s push to catch leaders Barcelona, cutting the gap to two points with the Catalans to play on Sunday.Sporting Gijon continued their rich vein of form when they held third-placed Valencia to a scoreless draw at the Estadio de Mestalla.The result meant Gijon have secured 11 points out of their past six league matches – including a draw against leaders Barcelona – to leave them two clear of the drop zone.Atletico Madrid beat Real Zaragoza 1-0 at the Estadio de la Romareda courtesy of Sergio Aguero’s 66th-minute goal, helping Atletico into seventh spot on the table.
The term ‘Sicknote’ may have been used to describe Spurs’ perennially-crocked former winger Darren Anderton, but it seems as though there are a host of current footballers who are all equally as deserving of this title. Whilst the intense and frenetic nature of the modern game means that the sport is more exciting to watch than ever before, the downside is that the game’s best footballers are increasingly susceptible to injury. The following eleven players seem to be better acquainted with the treatment room than the majority of their peers.
GK – Chris Kirkland – Wigan Athletic
The damning statistics:
213 career appearances since debut in 1999
Missed 15 Premier League games for Wigan Athletic over last two seasons
It has been said by many that Kirkland would’ve been England’s number one had he managed to remain free from injury for a prolonged period of time, but unfortunately the former Liverpool custodian has been dogged by injury for most of his career. Such problems meant that Kirkland was restricted to less than 50 outings in four years at Anfield, with his career marred by knee, finger, wrist and back ailments.
DF – Fabio Aurelio – Free Agent
The damning statistics:
50 Premier League starts for Liverpool in last four seasons (averaging 12.5 starts per season)
Defensively sound and in possession of an excellent left-foot, it is with great sadness that I learned of Fabio Aurelio’s recent exit from Anfield. The fact that manager Rafael Benitez offered him a (subsequently rejected) pay-as-you-play deal is indicative of the injury woes Aurelio has suffered on Merseyside, with Reds fans unaccustomed to seeing the Brazilian in the team for prolonged stretches. Aurelio’s early Anfield career was affected by a torn Achilles tendon, with his latter-day Liverpool absences caused by a torn adductor muscle and a knee injury sustained whilst playing beach football with his children last summer.
DF – Rio Ferdinand – Manchester United
The damning statistics:
36 Premier League starts for Manchester United in last two seasons (averaging 18 starts per season)
Rio Ferdinand’s well-documented back problems of the last two years have been of great concern to both Manchester United and England fans. The chronic nature of the injury suggests that the ailment may be degenerative, thus leading to genuine fears over the England skipper’s long-term future. Thankfully for the Old Trafford faithful, the likes of Jonny Evans, Nemanja Vidic and Gary Neville have managed to keep United’s rearguard impressively tight in his absence.
DF – Jonathan Woodgate – Tottenham Hotspur
The damning statistics:
Three Premier League starts last season
104 Premier League/La Liga appearances in last five seasons (averaging 20.8 starts per season)
12 appearances for Real Madrid in two seasons in Spain (no appearances in first season at Real Madrid)
The completion of just three Premier League games for Tottenham last season served to re-emphasise the injury-prone nature of Jonathan Woodgate. Regarded as one of England’s finest centre-backs when fit, Woodgate has constantly struggled to retain fitness for long periods of time. Back problems heartbreakingly prevented Woodgate from appearing at the 2006 World Cup, whilst his recent absence from the Spurs first-team has been attributed to a troublesome groin injury. Woodgate’s infamous injury problems whilst playing for Real Madrid even lead to him being voted the ‘worst signing of the 21st century’ by readers of Spain’s leading sports daily Diario Marca.
DF – Ledley King – Tottenham Hotspur
The damning statistics:
94 Premier League starts for Tottenham Hotspur in last five seasons (averaging 18.8 starts per season)
Considered by many to be the finest English defender of his generation, the curious condition suffered by Ledley King has served to hamper what could have been a glorious club and international career. Bereft of knee cartilage, King’s rare problem prevents the player from being able to play more than once a week. This problem has meant that only once in the last five seasons has King been able to feature in more than 25 Premier League games in a season.
Click here to see which midfielders feature in this most unique of XIs…
MF – Michael Essien – Chelsea
The damning statistics:
25 Premier League starts for Chelsea in last two seasons (averaging 12.5 starts per season)
An integral component of Chelsea’s midfield, Essien’s dynamic, all-action displays appear to have taken their toll upon his body. A regular during his first three seasons at Stamford Bridge, the man known as ‘The Bison’ has suffered a string of serious injuries over the last two seasons which have restricted his first-team involvement. Having sustained anterior ligament damage on international duty, Essien missed 6 months of the 2008/09 season. His 2009/10 season was also affected by injury; a hamstring injury sustained in December against Apoel Nicosia was followed by another knee injury sustained whilst competing in the African Cup of Nations, with this injury unfortunately set to rule him out of the forthcoming World Cup.
MF – Jimmy Bullard – Hull City
The damning statistics:
50 Premier League starts for Hull City and Fulham over last four seasons (averaging 12.5 starts per season)
Fulham’s decision to refuse Bullard a long-term contract is looking more and more like a wise decision now, given the inability of the former Wigan Athletic midfielder to remain fit. One of the most popular players in the modern game, the decorator-turned-professional-footballer has been very unfortunate with the nature of injuries that he has managed to sustain over the last few years. A knee injury sustained in 2006 kept Bullard out of first-team action for nearly 18 months, whilst a recurrence of this injury on his Hull City debut sidelined the tousle-haired midfielder for nearly 10 months. A month and a half after returning to Hull colours, Bullard suffered a knee injury against Aston Villa that kept him out of the game for nearly three months.
MF – Kieron Dyer – West Ham United
The damning statistics:
22 appearances for West Ham United in last three seasons (averaging 7.3 appearances per season)
52 Premier League starts in last five seasons (averaging 10.4 starts per season)
No list of crocked players would be complete without Kieron Dyer. If one were to label him as ‘injury-prone’ prior to his move to Upton Park, one would have to create an entirely new word to describe his level of fitness whilst at West Ham. Dyer’s injury problems at West Ham have been so bad that club-owner David Sullivan suggested that the former Ipswich man should do the decent thing and retire. In fairness to Dyer, he suffered a double fracture of his leg just ten days after making his West Ham debut. Since returning from that injury, Dyer has suffered from a string of hamstring-related niggles.
Click here to see which forwards complete this ‘sicknote’ side…
ST – Robin van Persie – Arsenal
The damning statistics:
81 Premier League appearances for Arsenal over last four seasons (averaging 20.25 appearances per season)
In 6 seasons at Arsenal, never managed more than 28 Premier League appearances in a season
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The stop-start nature of van Persie’s Arsenal career inspired me to create this XI in the first place. Blessed with exceptional talent, the Dutchman’s inability to remain injury-free has been cited as one the main reasons behind Arsenal’s failure to win the league in recent seasons. The former Feyenoord man is a rare breed of forward, one equally as adept at creating chances as he is finishing them. Alas, several of van Persie’s seasons at Arsenal have been ended prematurely, having suffered from ankle ligament, hamstring and metatarsal problems.
ST – Louis Saha – Everton
The damning statistics:
120 appearances for Manchester United in four and a half seasons (averaging 26.6 starts per season)
Missed 19 Premier League games for Everton over last two seasons
Undoubtedly a fantastic finisher, Saha’s opportunity to establish himself as a truly world-class player at Manchester United was regrettably destroyed by a string of niggling injuries. Groin, hamstring and knee problems meant that Saha had a disruptive tenure at Old Trafford, with his goalscoring record of 1 in 3 hinting at what could’ve been had he managed to stay fit. Currently contracted to Everton on a pay-as-you-play deal, Saha appears to have put the worst of his injury woes behind, having managed to make 57 Premier League appearances for the Toffees over the last seasons.
ST – Fernando Torres – Liverpool
The damning statistics:
40 Premier League starts for Liverpool in last two seasons (averaging 20 starts per season)
Liverpool’s attacking impotency in the absence of Fernando Torres is testament to the ability of the Spaniard; indeed, in his 40 Premier League starts over the last two seasons, Torres managed to score a phenomenal 32 times. Regarded as one of the world’s finest centre-forwards, Torres has suffered from hamstring problems several times during his stay at Anfield, with staff and fans alike irritated by the injuries sustained by Liverpool’s number nine whilst on international duty. The latter half of last season saw Torres troubled by knee problems, problems which threatened to prevent his involvement in this summer’s upcoming World Cup.
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Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has apologised to manager Roberto Mancini, after he reacted angrily to being substituted against Bayern Munich in midweek.
The Bosnia international was removed by the Italian coach as the Premier League team were 2-0 down, and exchanged words with his boss before marching off.
The reaction was overlooked due to Carlos Tevez’s refusal to come on against the Bundesliga giants, but Dzeko has apologised.
“I know my reaction was bad,” he told Sky Sports.
“I have spoken to the guys and to the coach as well. I have apologised for the reaction and Roberto has accepted it and said that everything is okay and that we have to be positive for the next game.”
“I was unhappy because we were 2-0 down and I wanted to win the game.
“It was something special for me to go back to Germany where I played for a long time. I wanted to do well and wanted the team to do well. Things didn’t go well for us. That is why I was extra frustrated,” he continued.
City travel to take on Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday, and are looking to put their slow European start behind them.
“Everyone has had a sleep and a rest after the Bayern game. We know we could have done better but it is football and you cannot win every game.
“Bayern Munich is behind us, we are feeling positive and looking forward to the next game. That is our new target now,” he concluded.
Written By Gareth McKnight
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Premier League veteran Frenchman Louis Saha scored four goals for Everton in their incredible 5-3 win over Blackpool, who were up 3-2 until the last 15 minutes of the match.
32-year-old Saha, who could have had five but for the referee’s failure to give Everton the advantage following a foul, had never even scored a hat-trick in England’s top flight before.
Saha has so far scored 8 goals for Everton in all competitions, all of his goals scored in his last six matches, performing as one of the most in-form strikers in England lately.
Saha ended last season with 13 goals for Everton, and was rewarded with a two-year extension to his contract, keeping in him at the Toffees until 2012.
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The former Fulham and Manchester United striker usually starts for Everton as a lone striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo is ready to sell a number of his fringe players before the start of the season, The Sun report.
The Stamford Bridge side have been on a spending spree this summer, with Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Marko Marin already joining and a number of other new faces expected.
However, the Italian manager has stated that Florent Malouda could well be heading out the door, as he looks to trim down his contingent.
“Florent is back with us now and I will have a talk with him this week,” Di Matteo confessed.
“We cannot name more than 25 players in the squad so we will have to make some decisions. Pre-season gives me a great opportunity to look at the new players and see how they develop.
“The final decision on who will go and who will stay will be made at the beginning of August,” he concluded.
Meanwhile it is believed that Yossi Benayoun and Gael Kakuta will also been shown the door from the west London club.
Young Belgian duo Romelu Lukaku and De Bruyne are also facing loan deals as first-team opportunities are expected to be limited.
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Italian press are reporting that Blackburn Rovers are in talks to bring Italian striker Vincenzo Laquinta to Ewood Park.
After having failed to convince Spanish legend Raul to join the club, rover’s manager Steve Keane has now turned his attention to the 31 year old world cup winning Italian. The striker currently plies his trade with Juventus and made 22 appearances last season scoring 6 goals, but he is now surplus to requirements at the Azzurri, former Blackburn favourite Santa Cruz was at loan with Blackburn last season, but he has now returned to Man City after an unsuccessful spell.
Rovers will have to act quickly, as they are facing competition from Spanish side Real Betis, the Blackburn Manager is already under pressure by the Rovers board with 2 games and 2 losses so far.
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Czech midfielder Rudi Skacel scored the only goal as Hearts beat St Johnstone at Tynecastle on Saturday.
The win enabled the Edinburgh side to close the gap on second-placed Rangers to two points and five behind leaders Celtic.
The home side were in front as early as the third minute after Skacel slid home at the end of a swift breakaway.
Suso Santana, Skacel and Stephen Elliott had chances to give Hearts a more commanding lead.
Steven May had a couple of efforts for St Johnstone, his second forcing a save from Marian Kello late on.
Hearts next face an away match with Rangers on Wednesday, with the Ibrox side having two games in hand over Jim Jefferies’ side.
The Tynecastle side were looking to bounce back from the midweek 4-0 defeat by Celtic and scored with their first attack after goalkeeper Kello collected a St Johnstone corner and released the ball upfield.
Gary Glen flicked the ball on to the overlapping Craig Thomson, who burst down the right flank and crossed low for Skacel to slide in and slam the ball into the net.
Hamilton and Kilmarnock shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
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Irish international Connor Sammon, the league’s leading goalscorer, gave the Killies the lead after 15 minutes with his 15th goal of the season.
But Kilmarnock’s win was soured by the sending-off of midfielder Jamie Hamill after 28 minutes for a foul on Flavio Paixao for a second bookable offence,
Mickael Antoine-Curier equalised for the home side in the 79th minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area.