Manuel Pellegrini is proud of his Manchester City side after they thrashed West Ham United 9-0 on aggregate in their Capital One Cup Semi-Final.
City won the first leg 6-0 at the Etihad two weeks ago to all but book their place in March’s final at Wembley, and then completed the rout with a 3-0 victory at Upton Park last night.
And the Chilean boss believes his players did well to finish the job in such style and is now turning his attentions to the other three competitions City have a chance of winning this season.
“I’m very proud of my team. We arrived in the Final winning five games with 19 goals scored, with just one goal conceded,” Pellegrini said.
“It is not easy when you’ve won the first Semi-Final 6-0. It was important for them to play not with the other score in mind, to play the game we did today.
“Now we’ve finished the Capital One Cup until March. It’s very important to continue in the FA Cup, so we must win against Watford on Saturday.”
But Pellegrini has played down claims that City have a real chance of winning the quadruple this season, and insists nothing is guaranteed for them.
“We have a lot of work to do,” he added.
“In the FA Cup we are just in the fourth round. In the Champions League we have a tough game against Barcelona. The Premier League is very close and it will still be close until the end between four or five teams.
“At the moment we are happy the way we are doing things. We must continue in the future the same way.”
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23 years after 96 football fans lost their life, the city of Liverpool hopes the truth will finally come out this week reports The Guardian.
A panel of experts, chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, have spent the last 20 months examining 450,000 internal documents relating to that tragic day on April 15 1989.
On Wednesday, the panel will aim to deliver a definitive narrative of the events that took place at the Sheffield stadium during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives.
Sources say it will be ‘in favour’ of the families and finally illustrate in detail the ‘cover up’ orchestrated by South Yorkshire police as they attempted to blame the fans for their own failings.
The city is praying this week will finally expose the lies that saw Liverpool fans blamed for the incident, and portrayed as drunk, unruly and ticketless by the police and then newspaper The Sun who ran an article claiming Liverpool fan’s stole from and urinated on the dead under the headline ‘The Truth’.
For the first time, details of what happened after 3.15pm on the day of the tragedy will be revealed. It is understood these details will expose the chaotic response from the emergency services, and a clearer picture of how many more lives could of been saved will emerge.
Margaret Aspinall, who lost her son James in the tragedy says the campaign by those culpable to hide the truth has deepened the grief and made it impossible for those affected to move on.
She said: “It’s not just the survivors, we have to clear their names [the dead] … I get angry when I think they have allowed the families to suffer for 23 years, to allow the survivors to go through torture knowing it was a cover-up.”
There has still been no apology from the government or the police, despite Lord Justice Taylor’s official enquiry in 1989, which revealed police failings caused the tragedy.
“Liverpool has always been a militant town, but the attitude to Hillsborough destroyed any trust in the government. It can never be repaired,” says Kenny Derbyshire, a survivor of the tragedy.
Derbyshire explained how the sense of injustice has left so many unable to draw any sort of closure. The Hillsborough Justice Campaign knows of at least six survivors who have taken their own lives, unable to come to terms with the incident and the official response it drew. Only two weeks ago one survivor threw himself under a train.
“There a lot of walking wounded out there, broken marriages, people turning to drink,” says Derbyshire, 46. “Thousands remain traumatised. To many it feels like it happened yesterday.”
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If – as expected – the verdict reveals errors made by the police and other public bodies there will be an overwhelming demand for a fresh inquest, with the coroners verdict of accidental death being void.
The government could lodge an application to the high court for a fresh round of inquests, with attorney general Dominic Grieve promising to consider this weeks evidence and make a decision “as quickly as I can.”
Michael Mansfield, QC, will be offering free legal advice to the families this Wednesday following the release of the documents. The lawyer who specialises in miscarraiges of justice has said: “It was a false story, it’s time to put it to bed.”
Tottenham have joined West Ham and Everton in the race for West Bromwich Albion defender, according to ESPN.
However, with Toby Alderweireld heavily linked with a move away from North London, Mauricio Pochettino must target a higher standard of player if he is serious about winning either the Premier League or Champions League.
What’s the story, then?
The report claims that Hegazi, who has 43 caps for Egypt and will feature for them in this summer’s World Cup, has emerged on Spurs’ list of players to replace Alderweireld in the likely event that he does depart Tottenham in the transfer window.
It goes on to say that Spurs are not the only team looking at the defender and also that rumours of a £2.5m release clause for him are wide of the mark.
Spurs need to aim higher
As Hegazi no longer looks like a cut-price option – and Mauricio Pochettino has had success with cheaper purchases in the past – it is difficult to see the appeal.
He enjoyed a reasonably impressive debut season in England with West Brom, but there wasn’t a lot about his performances to suggest that he is a Champions League defender and if Tottenham are serious about making a charge for major honours next season, they need to set their sights a little higher.
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Selling Alderweireld would reportedly bring in a fair wedge of cash and despite Pochettino’s penchant for frugality, that should be invested in signing someone of better pedigree than Hegazi.
As reported by The Telegraph, Manchester United are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund talent Christian Pulisic this summer.
What’s the story?
While most of the transfer headlines this January are being generated by deals set to be concluded this month, the biggest clubs in the world always plan ahead and Manchester United are no different.
The Telegraph say that the Red Devils are ready to compete with Liverpool for USA international Christian Pulisic this summer.
The paper reckon that the teenager’s talent and commercial value make him an attractive proposition to United and they don’t want him in the hands of their arch Premier League rivals.
Is he the right kind of player Jose Mourinho should be moving for at the end of the season?
Potential superstar
Rated at £40.5m by Transfermarkt and with his contract at the Bundesliga side not running out until 2020, any move for Pulisic would not be cheap, but the rewards could be great given his age, nationality and potential.
With growing interest in football in the USA, he could become one of the first true superstars to emerge from the country, making him a hugely attractive proposition for commercial savvy clubs.
On the pitch he’s showing plenty of progress too, becoming a regular for Borussia Dortmund over the last couple of the seasons, scoring 11 and assisting 14 in 78 appearances.
While not the most impressive return in comparison to the elite around Europe, he still just 19, learning the game and can find consistency in time.
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Investing in his future early is a valid strategy and it’ll be interesting to see whether Manchester United follow up their reported interest this summer.
PSV Eindhoven striker Ola Toivonen has put Newcastle, Fulham and Norwich on red alert by claiming that he is unsure of his future.
The Swedish international has been heavily linked with the Premier League trio for some time, but opted to stay in the Eredivisie this term.
However, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season rumours of a cut-price January switch to England have begun to circulate.
PSV are thought to be keen to recoup a respectable fee rather than let the 27-year-old leave for free in just over six months’ time.
When asked about a potential move away from Holland this winter, Toivonen said:
“I haven’t heard anything, it is my agent who takes care of that,” he is quoted by the Daily Star.
“Nothing new has happened.”
Toivonen has only found the back of the net on one occasion this season, but is still thought of as one of Dutch football’s top talents.
Although a centre-forward, the Scandinavian is equally adept in a more reserved attacking midfield role.
It is believed that PSV are willing to sell for just £2.5m, which has alerted Newcastle, Norwich and Fulham.
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Javier Hernandez has stated that he is willing to fight for a place in the Manchester United first team, despite the summer arrivals of Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie.
The Mexico international now finds himself down Sir Alex Ferguson’s pecking list, but the Central American is ready to compete.
“The great thing about this club is you know you will get opportunities because we play so many games in different tournaments,” The Telegraph report Hernandez as saying.
“There is competition for places, but you always have that. I had that in youth teams when I was growing up and we have it here now because you need a big squad of players.
“There are only 11 places each week and you need to do your best to get one of those places, but it’s great to have that competition because it means every player will have to raise the level of their game.
“The gaffer has the decisions to make, but for me, I just focus on doing my best every day in training and in every game so I can help my team-mates get closer to achieving our targets of winning the league and all the competitions we play in.
“I think in life you never stop learning, no matter what age you are. I try to learn from all my team-mates, but obviously it’s great to watch the other strikers in particular.
“They have all helped me a lot and I know I will learn a lot off Robin because he is a world-class striker who has a lot to give to the team and a lot to teach us all,” he concluded.
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Having fallen well short of Manchester City in the Premier League title race and Liverpool in the Champions League, Manchester United and Chelsea’s season boils down to their FA Cup final meeting at Wembley on Saturday. It’s a chance to recognise the Red Devils’ obvious improvement under Jose Mourinho this term with silverware, and gloss over yet another disappointing title defence from the Blues.
This will be the third time these two clubs have met in the FA Cup final, so can previous meetings tell us anything about how Saturday’s clash will pan out? Here’s the complete Premier League history of Chelsea vs Manchester United in the Premier League…
Head-to-Head
There have been 14 FA Cup encounters to date between the Blues and the Red Devils, with the latter claiming twice as many wins as the former during that time and scoring eleven more goals. In fact, Chelsea won just one of their first ten cup clashes against United, conceding a whopping 21 goals.
Since 2007 though, there’s been a real power shift in this fixture. United haven’t won any of the last four meetings, Chelsea winning three and drawing 2-2 for a replay in 2013.
But only Arsenal have featured in the same number of FA Cup finals as the Old Trafford outfit, and only Arsenal have won more FA Cups than them. That will give United huge confidence going into the weekend. Their FA Cup final win rate is an impressive 60%, 6% higher than Chelsea’s.
The Shared Hero – Ray Wilkins
The incredible career of the late, great Ray Wilkins will be the backdrop for Saturday’s final. The former midfielder’s family have been invited to attend as special guests and his widow Jackie will hand the trophy to this weekend’s victors. The hoardings will display Wilkins’ name as the teams walk out and there will be a short video to honour him before kickoff.
That’s of course, because Wilkins is a legendary figure for both clubs. He started his career at Chelsea, helping fire them back to the First Division in 1997, but eventually left Stamford Bridge in search of greater success. He found it to an extent at Old Trafford; fittingly for this weekend, Wilkins’ only major honour with the Red Devils was the FA Cup in 1983.
Wilkins would later return to his boyhood club as assistant manager on two separate occasions, twice stepping in as caretaker.
The Classic Clash – Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea
It might be something of a sore spot for Chelsea fans, but the 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in the 1994 FA Cup final actually represents the very start of their rise to prominence. Glenn Hoddle took the reigns at Stamford Bridge a year earlier and marked his first season with an outing at Wembley, the first time Chelsea had got there since 1972.
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It was actually a relatively close game until the hour mark, Chelsea even hitting the bar, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side suddenly sprung into life. Eric Cantona scored two penalties in the space of six minutes, Mark Hughes followed up a further three minutes later and then substitute Brian McClair provided the finishing touch to the 4-0 romping in stoppage time.
But Hoddle’s tenure signalled that times were changing in west London after several years in the wilderness. Chelsea finished 14th in the Premier League that season; three years later they’d be sixth and eight years later they’d be English champions.
The agent of Tottenham Hotspur target Nicolas Gaitan has told Foot Mercato that the midfielder will leave Atletico Madrid in January, reports talkSPORT.
What’s the word?
The North London outfit, as well as Manchester United, were registered with an interest in the Argentine earlier this year.
Gaitan has found it difficult trying to cement a place in the first team having started just six La Liga games this season.
The midfielder’s agent Jose Iribarren has told Foot Mercato that a number of English clubs are interested in his client, who intends to move on next month.
“I can tell you English clubs are interested. Yes, he’ll undoubtedly leave Atletico in January. He has a lot of concrete offers. Nicolas was an important player when he played in Argentina, at Benfica and with the national team.
“He can’t continue in these conditions. If he can’t play a string of matches, nor win the coach’s trust. A player wants to play. We’re going to see with Atletico which solution we can find.”
The 29-year-old has been at the Spanish outfit since 2016 when he made the switch from Benfica, where he made more than 250 appearances.
Do Tottenham need him?
The Premier League club may not necessarily be crying out for Gaitan, but he is certainly capable of providing the team with some attacking flair.
So far, Mauricio Pochettino has been reliant on Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli to lead the way from midfield.
However, both players have experienced dips in form in recent weeks, which could be down to the amount of games they are feating in.
Gaitan would be a decent player to call upon for an injection of quality, plus the midfielder has Champions League experience.
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The fact that the player’s agent has confirmed his client has a desire to move in January, puts Tottenham in a good position in terms of negotiations.
Much is made of Jack Wilshere being the prodigal son, but for me Ross Barkley is the real deal.
Everton fans may still be mourning the loss of Marouane Fellaini and rightly so because they have lost someone of undoubted quality. The Premier League club need not dwell on this for long though, because I believe they have a man of potential world-class ability waiting in the wings to fill the void.
Ross Barkley has taken the Premier League by storm this season, and has rightly won himself many admirers. Displays which have shown a degree of confidence and experience beyond his mere 19 years of age, the youngster has shown himself to be the creative spark to fire both Everton and England forward.
Standing toe-to-toe with the established stars of Chelsea, Barkley stood firm where others would have buckled. A constant source of inspiration and direction for the ‘Toffees’, the future appears to be bright for the talented youngster.
[cat_link cat=”everton” type=”list”]
At 19 he is far from the finished article, and as much as Saturday’s performance was a success for Barkley it wasn’t without its faults. From time to time he was caught in possession and gifted Chelsea the initiative when perhaps they didn’t warrant it. Whatever the critique and advice Barkley is afforded going forward, I am convinced he will take it in his stride.
His peers regard him as someone that realises that he was a lot to learn, and that he is readily keen to make the best of his abilities. In Roberto Martinez he has the perfect manager in my view to harness this precocious wealth. A midfield pool that contains the likes of Osman, Barry and McCarthy is definitely conducive to harnessing this talent, and the style of football that the Spaniard is trying to breed is perfect to develop Barkley’s abilities.
The manager has unerring faith, playing the Englishman as much as possible so far this season and clearly he understands the balancing act required here. Barkley has occupied an advanced playmaker role this season, and this suits him perfectly at this stage. Any mistake he makes has been easily covered by a supporting cast behind him containing the stoic Gareth Barry amongst others. The Premier League is a baptism of fire to even the hardiest of footballing souls, but I think the way Barkley has been employed so far is both shrewd and effective.
Perhaps most important for Everton fans, and this is something that cannot be taught, is Barkley’s innate Scouse steel. A terrible leg break may have set the youngster back somewhat, but now he shows the self-confidence and aggression crucial to Premier League success.
Watching Barkley he wants to be out there, he wants the ball as much as possible. Not shy of a tackle, he offers the balance that perhaps Everton and England both crave.
Such self-assurance would have been tested away on England duty, but from observers he looked every bit the assured talent that his admirers have touted him as. Could we have a future a star in our midst?
I believe so.
The future is bright for Barkley, but it always important to temper the excitement. Whilst the comparisons to Wilshere will be made, it is important to learn lessons from the Arsenal midfielders career so far. Played readily at such a young age, much by necessity, Wilshere has been constantly dogged by reoccurring stress fractures and related injuries. Maybe Wilshere will continue his rise to prominence, but personally his development has been slowed by an excessive workload at such a young age.
Martinez knows he has an abundance of riches in the middle of the park, with Gibson on the return as well. The need to push Barkley into the action week in week out isn’t there, and I can see the Spaniard rotating the squad heavily as we enter the bulk of the season. Difficult I know to do considering the excitement surrounding the player, but for the long term this is an understandable necessity.
A loan spell to the Championship may still not be a bad bet, even if it draws a degree of disappointment from fans.
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Everton may well have lost their talismanic star to United, but if they play their cards right they may have a gem for years to come.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney suffered a gash to his upper leg and looks set to miss four weeks of football that will include two World Cup qualifiers for England.
Rooney suffered the nasty injury shortly after coming on as a substitute as United picked up their first three points of the season in a narrow win at home to Fulham.
After being left out of the staring XI, with Robin van Persie taking his place, Rooney came on only to be heading down the tunnel shortly afterwards following a collision with Fulham’s Hugo Rodallega that left the England striker needing hospital treatment.
“It is a very bad cut,” Ferguson told the Daily Mirror. “He went straight to hospital. It looks like he will be out for four weeks. It’s a bad one.”
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Rooney will now miss key games for United, but also two vital World Cup qualifiers for England against Moldova and Ukraine where Hodgson will have to select from his limited attacking options.