Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes that Sergio Aguero is currently the “best” player in the Premier League.
The debate surrounding the division’s most influential star has arisen over the course of the past week, with many hailing Liverpool ace Luis Suarez as the most talented man currently plying his trade in England on the back of a stunning four-goal haul against Norwich.
However Sky Blues chief Pellegrini disagrees with that view, and believes that his talismanic forward is actually the most “complete” player in the league:
“I never said he’s the best striker in the Premier League, I said he’s the best player in the Premier League.” He is quoted by The Mirror.
“Of course I still think that – there may be better strikers, but not better players.
“He’s the most complete player. He’s different [to Suarez]. Suarez is a very important striker, but I think Sergio has more parts to his game.”
Aguero endured a difficult 2012/13 season as City last their Premier League crown to bitter rivals Manchester United.
But the Argentine has shown the sort of form that saw him net the title-deciding goal against QPR, weighing in with 17 efforts in just 18 games.
Despite his excellent displays, Pellegrini feels that there is still more to come from his star forward:
“Sergio is only 25, so of course he can improve. This year he has improved a lot, he’s always a top player and he always scores goals. But what he has added is working for the team without the ball and that’s very important.
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“Maybe he’s getting better because he is older. For me, a player has his best performances between 24 and 30.
“He [Aguero] started very young, and every year he is improving. This year the best thing he is doing is scoring goals, but he’s added the work without the ball.”
It would be inaccurate, and extremely unfair, to label clubs with the backing of a “small” stadium to be irrelevant. The current European champions play in front of just over 40,000 home supporters, while the Premier League champions are looking at similar numbers for home games. But despite both teams being backed by incredible wealth, it’s not enough when there is room for greater stadium development.
What constitutes a big stadium? Does it have to be over 60,000 capacity? Because Manchester City’s ground is certainly keeping up with the times in terms of modern appearance. However, it still knocks me back to think that college football stadiums boast capacities of close to and over what the Nou Camp holds. These are stadiums which house players who are unpaid and who are essentially part-time athletes. But college football is the second biggest sports industry in America behind only the NFL, so why shouldn’t the biggest clubs in England and Europe move forward when they too can look to themselves as a huge sports industry?
Of course, it’s not as black and white as simply building a new stadium, but how much are clubs being held back by just competing in front of, say, 38,000 people every other week? Clubs like Tottenham want to move up the ladder and stand firm among the Champions League regulars, but is White Hart Lane and its location a Champions League level venue—especially with the target of where Tottenham want to be?
What about Arsenal and Highbury? The club have gone through a dry spell since the move to the Emirates Stadium, but surely no one can suggest the move wasn’t absolutely necessary. Arsenal currently look to get around £3million for each home game; Manchester United even more than that. The Emirates can stage concerts, private functions, European cup finals, and the club look to make even further use of it through the Emirates Cup and the revenue it brings from fans who don’t have the opportunity to attend home games.
It’s also a difficult line to draw with clubs and stadiums that have long been their homes. But Liverpool evidently need a move, either away from Anfield or through the development of the current stadium. Would people really protest the notion of moving into a bigger and modern stadium? Yes, there’s the disappointment of losing some of the identity of the club on match days, but that is something that can be built up again in new surroundings. Liverpool need the backing of a big stadium, especially considering the ownership problems and the need to boost revenue. The kit sponsorship deal was impressive, but it certainly needs to go hand-in-hand with something equally impressive in terms of venue.
I wrote recently about the importance fans have in the eyes of the suits in football, summing up that the supporters really play little part in the greater decisions of the game. Some might say that the fans of the game is what keeps it all together, but is football really in danger of losing its fans altogether? Clubs may see a decline in attendances for whatever reason, but will we ever look to a time when the supporters of all clubs in England unite and walk out on the game? So with that, maybe every major club in England and Europe should look to take advantage of a product that is growing and seeing greater demand.
I also touched on football markets in the country and the pull that the game has in certain areas. Make no mistake, this is a football country first and foremost and well ahead of any other sport, but clubs like Wigan don’t compete in a football town. Are football stadiums seen as traditional and an important piece of the club’s history? Look at Fulham and the story of the way their stadium was built; a small building, or cottage, attached to the corner of the ground where the players are gathered. In many cases, it’s a pleasant story and something that separates every club, football or other. But the need to move away and head into something modern and forward thinking is important and necessary.
You’ve only got to look at the benefits a bigger stadium brings. Arsenal are not pushed forward by outside investors, yet the club have successfully built a stadium while adjusting their policy in the transfer market. Not every club can have that good balancing act of moving forward and still competing at the highest level each year, which should force a nod to the workings of Arsene Wenger at the club. Where would Everton go if they brought in revenue that tripled their current figure? However, whether sharing a stadium with Liverpool is the answer is certainly up for debate.
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Clubs need to start actively pursuing the idea of moving forward and taking greater advantage of their markets. By that I mean doing a little more than dancing around with new stadium plans and then abandoning them for two years. Football has the money to do so, and the biggest in the Premier League are certainly in a position to move forward.
How would it affect FFP? Well, Uefa say that expenditure towards things like youth and stadiums don’t count against clubs. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but there are plenty who would do well to research their fan bases and the return they’d get on a bigger stadium. Look to Shakhtar Donetsk who recently moved into the Donbass Arena. A European regular? Absolutely. A giant in Ukraine? Another check. And a great plus for the country following their co-hosting of the European Championship
Liverpool fans will head into Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid as underdogs due to their opponent’s recent success in the competition.
The Reds last played in the showpiece more than 10 years ago, while Los Blancos are hunting for their third consecutive crown in the tournament.
Jurgen Klopp’s side should not be underestimated, though, as they have reached the final in Kiev on merit due to impressive displays throughout the competition.
The Merseyside outfit obliterated Porto, Premier League champions Manchester City and Roma in order to secure a spot in the showdown against Madrid.
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Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are a force to be reckoned with, and even though Real boast the prolific attacker that is Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane’s side play a system that will give Liverpool opportunities.
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However, former Spain national team manager Vicente del Bosque thinks that it will be a walk in the park for Madrid, and has predicted a 4-1 triumph in Ukraine.
Southampton were at the centre of a huge transfer saga in the summer, and it involved Virgil van Dijk.
The defender made it clear that he wanted to move on to pastures new, but his club stood firm and rejected his transfer request.
Liverpool publicly withdrew their interest in the Dutchman, but it appears that the Reds never really went away.
Seven days ago, the Merseyside outfit announced that a deal had been struck to sign Van Dijk on January 1.
The 26-year-old has now finalised his switch to Anfield, and widespread reports, including one from The Guardian, have claimed that Southampton pocketed £75m.
The coastal club have sold a handful of players, including Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren, to Liverpool in the past.
This latest sum of money should be spent wisely by manager Mauricio Pellegrino, according to the club’s former star Matt Le Tissier.
The 49-year-old believes that a striker should be bought due to the misfiring of Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini.
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Le Tissier told Sky Sports:
“Well Southampton clearly need a centre-forward and I would say we probably need one or two players for that spot in behind the striker to inject some creativity.
“I think the money from selling Virgil van Dijk will be invested in the attack because we’ve got Wesley Hoedt, who was brought in knowing Van Dijk was going, and then Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida are also options at centre-back. The fans will certainly appreciate a couple of decent forwards coming in to make them more creative and positive.”
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are set to battle it out to sign unhappy Juventus striker Fernando Llorente on loan in January, according to the Daily Mirror.
Llorente has endured a horrendous 12 months or so after refusing to sign a new contract at Athletic Bilbao this time last year and was subsequently made to sit on the bench for the majority of the season despite arguably being the club’s best player.
The Spaniard agreed a free transfer to Juventus in January but could only sign on in the summer and the 28 year old now finds himself back on the bench in Turin.
Arsenal are favourites to sign Llorente as they hope to offer Olivier Giroud some much needed competition although Chelsea and Tottenham could well hijack the bid if other targets are not attainable.
The Gunners have a high calibre wanted list for the new year as Arsene Wenger wants to make the North London side title contenders once again.
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The latest move by Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has been to look at implementing a collaborative technical committee at the club, but does this simply leave current manager Brendan Rodgers accountable for others failings? And is it the latest example of FSG’s well-intentioned plans lacking any coherent long-term thought behind them?
John W. Henry stated in his open letter to the club’s fans last week: “We are still in the process of reversing the errors of previous regimes. It will not happen overnight. It has been compounded by our own mistakes in a difficult first two years of ownership. It has been a harsh education, but make no mistake, the club is healthier today than when we took over. After almost two years at Anfield, we are close to having the system we need in place. It will not be easy, it will not be perfect, but there is a clear vision at work.”
In terms of the tweaking of the club’s playing style out on the pitch, under Rodgers so far, there is of course a clear vision at work, with a possession-based ethos at work, but off the pitch, the club still look all over the place nearly two years after FSG took over the club when it was on the brink of financial meltdown.
The Spirit of Shankly group are often widely mocked for the high regard that they hold themselves in, possessing an over-inflated sense of their own importance. However, their demand last week that a recognised executive is brought in to run the club from day-to-day was a sound one.
The departure of Pep Segura will certainly hit home even more now, after being promised a promotion under the previous tenure of Kenny Dalglish that never came and he resigned for ‘family reasons’ last month. While long-term target for a role in the new system, Louis van Gaal has already accepted the position of the national coach of Holland.
Ian Ayre told reporters at Rodgers press conference unveiling: “The structure is a more continental Director of Football structure where you have got a collaborative group of people working around the football area. We don’t envisage, at this moment in time, having a Director of Football per se, but having a group of people that will work collaboratively with Brendan to deliver the football side of things. It’s not signing by committee, it’s analysis by committee. Certainly not a structure where we would force any player on the manager.”
The set-up is likely to consist of a chief scout and a footballing administrator, much like West Brom and Manchester City have with both Dan Ashworth and Brian Marwood, although Roberto Mancini’s very public frustrations with the latter should show that this more continental system does not come without its own faults.
It appears as if Rodgers has been keenly aware of this technical committee being set up for some time, stating on his first day as Liverpool boss: “That was one of the items I brought up when I was speaking with the club, that I wouldn’t work directly with a Director of football. I work best around a group of people. You come to a big club or any club, you can’t do it on your own. There’s not one of us who’s better than all of us.
“Of course there has to be leadership, but if it was a Sporting Director that was something that I made quite clear that I couldn’t work with. What you need at a football club is an outstanding recruitment team, an outstanding medical team, an outstanding sports science team and player liaison team and these are all people who will come into the group and we will form a little technical board. There will be four or five people around that group who will decide the way forward.”
There still appears to be a lack of clarity to the roles at the moment, though, and should the club continue to under-perform, then where will the blame lie? Is it the collaborative panel that will help Rodgers liable? Addressing a shortfall in the club’s current system is all well and good, but why has it taken FSG so long to get going on the issue?
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FSG have shown a distinct lack of leadership time and time again over the stadium issue and now whether Rodgers requires a technical committee in place. A deadline day botch-up, the likes of which the club could have avoided with a new, fully-operational system in place like the one mooted above and it smacks of not only needless caution but a lack of certainty about what they want to do with the club – there’s only so long that you can blame the previous regime before people start to take a closer inspection of your own time in charge and FSG need to step up to the plate now and be decisive here.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for relegated West Brom defender Craig Dawson, but fans are completely against signing the 28 year-old.Newcastle fans would be pretty happy if you told them six months ago they’d be sitting well clear of the relegation scrap at this point, discussing which players they want to take, but it seems they’re not too happy about the latest links.According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are interested in a £15m summer swoop for West Brom’s Craig Dawson, although they do face competition from Celtic.Dawson’s teammate Jonny Evans is likely to spark a transfer scrap over his bargain £3m relegation clause, but the report suggests he won’t be the only one on the move as the race for Dawson heats up[ad_pod ]Newcastle fans are of course happy with their current centre back pairing of Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune, both of whom have gone from strength to strength as the season hit crunch time.However, Dawson can play either right back or centre back, which makes the 28 year-old an interesting proposition for clubs looking to buff up their defensive ranks.The Toon Army certainly aren’t interested though, calling for their club to show some more ambition this summer.Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Although it’s a common-held view that the gap between the Premier League and the Championship has grown into a vast chasm, for every QPR there has been a Crystal Palace, and the likes of Stoke City and Swansea City have cemented themselves at accepted elite sides over the course of the past five to ten years.
2014/15 saw both the aforementioned Super Hoops and Burnley make an immediate return to the second tier – and had it not been for a miraculous late run, Leicester City would have joined them, too – but that should not serve as a source of great negativity for the current crop gearing up for life in the big time.
Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich enter the ‘big time’ with varying levels of reputation, with the Cherries set for their bow, the Canaries back in at the first time of asking and the Hornets sat somewhere in-between.
Although fans of the threesome will be preoccupied with thoughts of whether or not their teams can actually cut it in the money-spinning world of the ‘Prem’, the rest of us are looking over for a few Fantasy Football bargains.
Promoted sides offer risk/reward opportunities, with low valuations in place due to the players’, often, lack of top tier experience and the prospect of relegation battles, but every now and then a real diamond in the rough can be found – Charlie Austin last season for example.
With the most expensive of the ‘newbies’ coming in at £6m (Matt Ritchie and Steven Berghuis), there is value in the market, but it’s not wise to fill your side with bargain basement names, as, chances are, very few will yield the return you’ll be needing to battle in individual leagues, the cup and, if you’re really lucky, the overall rankings.
Bournemouth
Promoted as champions, the Dorset side are likely to be the first port of call for eager managers. Even though it’s the Cherries’ maiden voyage into the Premier League, their attractive brand of football in the Championship last term has boosted expectations, with the example of Swansea back in 2011/12 proof that a change in playing style isn’t always needed.
Matt Ricthie is certainly the poster boy for Eddie Howe’s side, and his 15 goals and 17 assists from a wide midfield role last term bodes well. Although the quality of opposition will be sterner, the Scotland international looked a Premier League player stuck in the Championship last term, and the runs of Callum Wilson ahead will allow for slick counter attacks.
At £5.5m, the aforementioned forward offers a budget option for one of a front three. Twenty goals last term is encouraging to say the least, and he looks nailed-on to be Howe’s main striker with additions up front having been minimal on the South Coast so far this summer.
In defence, full-backs Simon Francis and Tyrone Mings come in at £4.5m apiece, and are set to be used In an attacking manner. Francis notched six assists last term under Howe, and Mings, brought in from Ipswich for a club record fee, appears to have the physicality to do the same job on the left flank.
Hidden gems:
Simon Francis – £4.5m
Tommy Elphick – £4.5m
Watford
While things have stayed settled at Bournemouth and Norwich, Watford are now on their fifth manager in 12 months. Quique Sanchez Flores arrives with a wealth of experience in the Spanish game – and a brief spell in the Middle East – but the difference in style associated with the Premier League is a hurdle, and with new signings to bed in it’s hard to predict what will happen at Vicarage Road.
Troy Deeney is the obvious standout name, with the striker a potential bargain at £5.5m. 21 goals – the joint second highest tally in the Championship last term – make the 27-year-old the most dangerous striker stepping up, and penalty-kick duties provide another possible points outlet.
Heurelho Gomes impressed in goal, too, but his previous time in the top tier was littered with errors, while Gabriele Angella is always a threat from set-pieces – although additions at the back may disrupt things. Steven Berghuis on the wing has the potential to be a worth, albeit relatively costly, buy at £6m. His 11 goals in Eredivisie last term make him an intriguing option.
Hidden gems:
Heurelho Gomes – £4.5m
Juan Manuel Jurado – £5.5m
Norwich
With only three permanent additions, and Andre Wisdom on loan from Liverpool, Norwich have been the least active of the promoted sides this summer, and look instead likely to rely on the tactical tinkering of manager Alex Neil – who was a revelation following his January move to Carrow Road – and largely the same squad relegated in 2013/14.
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Unusually for a promoted side the goalkeeper looks to be a wise addition. John Ruddy is a full England international and comes in at a modest £4.5m – not a bad fee considering he’ll play week in, week out and the Canaries conceded only 48 goals last term (bettered only by Middlesbrough).
Bradley Johnson’s 15 goals from midfield mean he could be a good ‘fifth’ man at £5.5m, although Nathan Redmond, at the same price, offers more attacking intent on the wing and topped the team’s assist charts with 13 last season.
Cameron Jerome up front could be a gamble, with his 20 goals – 2.6-shots-per-goal – a solid return, but his previous woes in the Premier League brings about the feeling that the second tier is his level – albeit at 28 he’s now in his peak and possesses experience.
Hidden gems:
Martin Olsson – £4.5m
Jonny Howson – £5.0m
Written by Football FanCast and commissioned by Fantasy Football Scout, the tips, news and views site for those who don’t just play Fantasy Football.
Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is set to make Real Madrid striker Jose Callejon his first big signing at Napoli from under the noses of the Reds, according to talkSPORT.
The Madrid youngster has been on the cusp of the Spanish side for a number of years and has finally grown frustrated with life as a substitute.
Liverpool were hoping Callejon would be one of a number of people to arrive at Anfield this summer to improve their attacking options as it looks like main man Luis Suarez is certain to leave the club.
The 26 year old is set to cost Benitez and Napoli just £8million as they themselves look set to lose their key striker with Edinson Cavani looking likely to come to the Premier League with Manchester City and Chelsea set to battle it out for his signature.
Brendan Rodgers is still hoping that Liverpool will keep Suarez this summer and will have crunch talks with the Uruguayan in the next few weeks, however their main targets to replace him are slowly trickling away.
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Tottenham have accepted a bid in excess of £9 million for defender Michael Dawson, according to Sky Sports.
The England international has captained the club in the past and grown in stature at White Hart Lane since signing from Nottingham Forest, but is thought to be surplus to requirements.
Andre Villas-Boas left Dawson out of his match-day squad for the opening day defeat to Newcastle, with Younes Kaboul and William Gallas preferred by the Portuguese coach.
With new signing Jan Vertonghen and promising youngster Steven Caulker also available at centre-half, AVB is ready to offload Dawson before the transfer window ends.
It is believed that QPR, who lost 5-0 to Swansea at home on the opening day of this campaign, are the frontrunners for Dawson’s signature, with Spurs accepting a bid.
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It is now up to the player to agree personal terms with the Loftus Road outfit to facilitate a move.