Category Uncategorized

Oh, Mario Balotelli. When will you learn?

The not so prolific striker took to Twitter on Sunday, in support of Manchester City in their clash with local rivals Manchester United. City were first to score within eight minutes, with Aguero’s goal. As City celebrated their lead over the Red Devils, Mario Balotelli tweeted the scoreline, followed by “Stand up and shut up.”

But, the key thing to note here, is that Mario Balotelli is not a Manchester City player. Nor has he been for years. Balotelli failed to tweet the final scoreline, with Manchester United pulling the game back to win 4-2 on a deserved performance.

When is Mario Balotelli going to learn how to use social media effectively? This is not the first time he has looked foolish online. He came under fire for a picture he posted on Instagram of Super Mario of the Mario Brothers (as it is related to his nickname, supposedly), yet did not read the text that came with it. It states “Don’t be racist! Be like Mario”, stating the different nationalities that come into play with the games character. Yet at the bottom of the picture, states derogatory remarks about other cultures and races. With Mario Balotelli’s unfortunate run-ins with racism during his career, this was his dumbest move yet. The post has since been deleted, and Mario Balotelli has apologised for the post.

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Mario also posted a photo of himself on Instagram, praising his team, with a thermometer in his hand. This is clearly to prove he was in fact ill, which is why he had been withdrawn from the squad. But Balotelli could not foresee the memes that would make fun of him – surprisingly. There were photos that stated he was pregnant, amongst others.

It is becoming clear that Mario Balotelli is not learning his lessons when it comes to using social media. It will be no surprise that Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will not be happy with the Manchester City-supporting tweet. A loss for Manchester City realistically is what Liverpool would have wanted, in order to close the current gap between the sides.

Balotelli needs some guidance with what can and cannot be posted online. Do not post in favour of a rival club. Especially when that club score early on, because that is asking for trouble.

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Manchester is Red, Mario!

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Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes will join David Moyes’ new Old Trafford backroom team when the Scot is confirmed as the next United boss.

The veteran United duo, 39 and 38 respectively, are set to stay on in coaching capacities when Moyes takes over from Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the season.

The news of Moyes’ appointment is yet to be officially confirmed by the club, but United ambassador Peter Schmeichel added his voice to the widely-held belief that the Everton manager is the board’s choice to come in.

Several other newspaper and media outlets are in agreement that Moyes is the man to replace 13-time Premier League and double European Champions League winner Ferguson, 71.

Moyes, 50, left Everton’s Finch Farm training ground shortly after midday today and was said to be in transit to London ahead of a spying mission at tonight’s Tottenham v Chelsea game.

Everton, however, are publicly stating their lack of knowledge of any such appointment.

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Southampton face a must-win Premier League clash against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Thursday night as they look to avoid suffering relegation to the Championship.

The 18th-placed Saints looked to be on course to close the gap to the sides above them when they led Chelsea 2-0 at St Mary’s on Saturday with just 20 minutes of the match remaining, but three goals for the visitors in a crazy nine-minute spell saw them fall to a fourth successive top flight defeat that has left them on the brink of going down.

Mark Hughes’ men come into the match against the Foxes five points from safety with just five games remaining, and with the champions Manchester City visiting the south coast on the final day they will know that they need to pick up victories sooner rather than later if they overtake the likes of Swansea City and Huddersfield Town above them.

Despite their own poor form, the Welsh manager will be buoyed by the fact that Claude Puel’s side have lost successive fixtures against Newcastle United and Burnley.

Hughes, who was questioned by his own fans following his selection on Sunday, brought in Jan Bednarek for the suspended Jack Stephens against Chelsea as he stuck with a 3-4-2-1 system, but he could be considering making more changes for the visit to the east Midlands considering his team suffered such a big collapse last time out and with the fact that Mario Lemina, Sofiane Boufal, Manolo Gabbiadini and Charlie Austin all started on the substitutes’ bench.

Here is how Southampton must line up against Leicester…

Alex McCarthy has been between the sticks for Southampton since Boxing Day but after conceding 12 goals in his last four Premier League appearances, Mark Hughes should look to give Fraser Forster a chance to stake his claim in the team at the King Power Stadium.

Elsewhere, Jan Bednarek, Maya Yoshida and Wesley Hoedt collapsed in the final 20 minutes against Chelsea and were slammed by the fans on Twitter after the match, and the Welsh manager should look to bring Ryan Bertrand in as a left-sided centre-back in a three-man defence, alongside Wesley Hoedt and Maya Yoshida with Bednarek dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

Hughes once again stuck with a midfield duo of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oriol Romeu against Chelsea with Bertrand and Cedric Soares as wing-backs, but he should look to change things up against Leicester.

If Bertrand is utilised as a centre-back, the Welsh boss should bring in Sam McQueen at left wing-back following his impressive performance in the 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 30, and he should play James Ward-Prowse alongside Hojbjerg and Romeu in the middle of the park, with Sunday’s goalscorer Dusan Tadic the man to drop out.

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Hughes has gone with one up top in the last two matches with Shane Long starting playing a lone role against both Arsenal and Chelsea, but he should bring top goalscorer Charlie Austin in to feature alongside the Republic of Ireland international at the King Power Stadium.

Austin showed with his substitute appearance against Arsenal the goalscoring threat he brings to the team, and while they are so suspect at the back they need players who can find the net on the pitch.

Long will certainly trouble Leicester’s defenders with his pace and never-say-die style of play, and they could prove to be a fruitful partnership against the Foxes.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Aside from displaying a few brief glimpses of quality in his debut season at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj has not done much to set the English game alight. There was a great deal of initial hype and sensation when the young Belgian first set foot on pitches in the Premier League, yet as is usually the case with these up and coming unproven talents in the modern game, such a reaction was seemingly made far too prematurely.

Obviously at just 20-years-old, to write the attacking midfielder off now would be very silly. He still has a long way to go in discovering his very best form after all – even if his future ultimately lies beyond the ever testing realms of Old Trafford next season.

With that in mind, Roberto Martinez and Everton certainly go down as strong admirers of the no. 11’s talents, but as some reports are linking the Toffees with an incredible £20 million move for the youngster, certain questions just have to be raised.

So then, is this just another case of a young emerging star being dangerously over-valued before he has even had the chance to truly make a name for himself, or will Adnan Januzaj one day be worth the lofty sum Manchester United are reportedly asking for?

At this stage in proceedings, the answer arrives as a pretty simple one…

No, Januzaj is simply worth nowhere near the amount certain papers have being touting of late. He may have done well to establish his name in the Premier League at such a young age, his involvement in the Belgian national set-up certainly seems impressive, and his overall technique and style out on the pitch definitely suggests that he has something to offer – but ultimately £20 million is just a ridiculous asking price, if true.

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In the grand scheme of things, this is a player who Louis van Gaal has seemingly forgotten all about this season. He has failed to truly assert himself under Manchester United’s new Dutch boss so far throughout 2014/15, making fewer than ten league starts across the entire campaign and subsequently falling short in the goal-scoring department as a result.

However, such a negative turn of events for the player in question doesn’t mean that Januzaj couldn’t find his feet at a club such as Everton next term. The midfielder certainly goes about his business with an elegant nature on the ball, he has shown in seasons past that he has it in him to score some nice goals every now and then – and although 2014/15 has so far been a campaign to forget for the youngster – at 20-years-old a bright future still potentially lies ahead of the current Manchester United man.

All of which would indicate that Adnan Januzaj would fit in perfectly at Goodison Park next season, among a group of players that also remain technically gifted on the whole, if not entirely proven at the highest level in the Premier League.

Having said that though, if Roberto Martinez’ side are forced to pay out anything over £10 million for their reported transfer target, the Red Devils would certainly be walking away from the deal in a very pleasing position. The Belgian international simply hasn’t done anything meaningful enough to be worthy of such hype, and as this is a player who has picked up more bookings for diving than he has goals this season, it remains hard to view the potentially exciting Januzaj in anything other than a negative light.

Yet these days all it seems to take is a string of half decent games for any up and coming young player to be credited as the next big name of the future. Gone are the days when ‘one season wonders’ would have to consistently prove themselves after their much talked about honeymoon periods. Pundits and fans alike are all too quick to draw comparisons with truly world class players before they have really seen enough to gauge the extent of talent on offer from the likes of Adnan Januzaj.

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As PSG were also reportedly in for the young Manchester United talent in January however, perhaps Everton will be left with no other choice than to stump up the cash for the no. 11 if Roberto Martinez and co. eventually decide that Januzaj is their man.

With high profile deals like this one often proving too much to handle for the young stars of the Premier League in the end though, maybe a degree of caution must be taken before such drastic steps are ultimately taken.

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Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia is concerned that Manchester City could still come back and win the title from under the Red Devil’s noses, the Independent report.

City won the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Monday night and moved 12 points behind their rivals to put themselves in a similar position to the one they were in last season.

The Champions came from eight points adrift  to secure their first Premier League title in stunning fashion on the last day of the season and it will take similar heroics to even make United sweat this time around.

United can pull further clear this weekend as they travel to Stoke City on Sunday and City have their FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at the same time.

Valencia has admitted that United are worried about repeating what happened last season and they want to wrap up the title as soon as possible.

“We’re a little worried,” Valencia told Ecuadorian radio station Sonorama.

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“Last year, we were eight points with six games to go and we lost the league. Now it is 12 points and seven games, and we don’t want it to happen again.”

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Leeds fans are losing their cool over Paul Heckingbottom’s latest comments, after the manager said he is surprised by speculation over his future.

At this point, Leeds fans are just waiting for this miserable season to end, and most are in agreement that the end of the season should also be the end of Paul Heckingbottom’s short stint in charge.

Brought in to get the club’s playoff push back in full swing, the 40 year-old ex-Barnsley man has done quite the opposite, and the performances somehow seem to be getting worse not better.

That said, Heckingbottom seems pretty confident about his position, stating in his pre-Villa press conference that nothing has changed.

When asked about reports owner Andrea Radrizzani had lost faith in him, the manager said: “I think that surprised everyone in all honesty. Nothing has changed.

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“I came in here in February with slim hopes of the play-offs and we were chasing that down. That was the first goal – let’s not let this season die out quickly – but it did die out quickly so we were straight onto the second phase of what we wanted to do, which was to start looking at players and getting our plans laid down for next season.”

With fans growing tired of Heckingbottom’s boring demeanour and the lack of performances on the pitch, the news that the boss is already planning for next season is certainly worrying to many.

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Plenty of fans have pointed out that the manager deserves at least one transfer window to right his wrongs, but most can’t look past their side’s awful form.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has been having a torrid time at Real Madrid recently.

Dips in form and booing from disgruntled fans has resulted in a player who doesn’t look settled or happy at his club anymore.

The problem seems to stem from the ridiculously high expectations the Bernabeu faithful have of their squad of superstars. Spoilt by an enviable level of success, Real Madrid are a club where just one season without a major trophy is akin to just surviving a relegation battle. Questions get asked and millions must be spent.

Ronaldo has, as ever, been a prolific striker scoring 31 times from 25 league appearances . Even in a season not considered to be his best the Portuguese powerhouse still makes all but one other player look pedestrian.

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That other player of course is long time rival Lionel Messi. The quiet Argentine was 12 La Liga goals behind his nemesis back in December but following the winter break now leads Ronaldo on 32.

Both Bale and Cristiano have struggled to find the net recently with the Welshman going nine games without scoring. There have even been rumours that a breakdown in relationship between the two has occurred, given credibility by Ronaldo’s negative reaction to Bale finally ending his goal drought against Levante last weekend.

According to the Daily Mirror, all of this unwanted stress has made Ronaldo consider a sensational move back to Manchester United and of course there are ridiculous sums of money being mentioned. Ronaldo originally signed for United in 2003 and enjoyed six successful years there before a big money move to Madrid.

United fans are guaranteed to show Ronaldo the love and adulation that he is missing in Spain so a return could be perfect for both the player and the struggling North Western club.

At 30, Ronaldo is still hot property and personally I think a move away from Real Madrid wouldn’t be a bad idea. After last year’s Champions League success he has won everything worth winning with the Spanish giants.

A move back to the club where he made his name and one who could desperately use his impeccable eye for goal would be the perfect way to cement his legendary status at United and a comfortable way to end his career.

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Failing that, I think he should check out America’s MLS. While the football there is nowhere near European level Ronaldo can start setting up his next chapter as a Hollywood superstar.

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There’s a bit of right and wrong in all this and how you believe football clubs should be run.

For those who aren’t familiar with the inner workings of Arsenal, and on-pitch performances aside, the club looks imperious. Wealthier than most, a state-of-the-art stadium and plenty more to mask the very real fact that the ship is without a captain.

Why would anyone want a man like Alisher Usmanov on the Arsenal board? After all, don’t most Arsenal fans take a sense of pride that the club isn’t just another Chelsea, Manchester City or PSG? With a man like Usmanov running the show, who’s to say the values and traditions of the club won’t be washed away in an instant?

I’m not for this idea that clubs need huge outside investment to be competitive. On the whole, you just need to have direction and an extremely clever and meticulous approach to gaining success. Some might view the new money clubs as speeding down the road to success and accelerating the need to build over, say, twenty years and condensing it down to two or three. That may be so, and it’s some of the worries that are sure to arise with someone like Usmanov in the foreground.

The problem is he’s the only alternative Arsenal have. He’s done well to align himself with people like Thierry Henry and seemingly gain their support. He’s also been clever in using the club’s shortcomings on the pitch to his advantage to gain greater levels of support, and there’s nothing really wrong with that.

Usmanov promises glory and everything that goes with it. In all honesty, it’s worth thinking long and hard on this one and whether a different regime will offer more than what is currently on offer – and I’m not just talking about trophies.

I don’t believe Arsenal fans are desperate for the club to win at all costs. As mentioned, success can be achieved by being smarter than others, even those with a bottomless pit of cash. But the issue at the moment is that Arsenal do not look to be moving forward. The best players are leaving, the board have put a worryingly large amount of hope into Financial Fair Play –which they don’t control themselves – and seem unable to conjure up an alternative.

If Arsenal finished second this season after the third-placed finish last year then that would be seen as moving forward. It would be even better if the best players were retained or only let go on the word of the club, and even greater progress was made next year and so on.

But that’s not what Arsenal currently have. The majority shareholder has infuriated many with his lack of decisiveness and general lack of interest in talking, and a cruising ship can often be viewed as one in a storm and headed for the rocks.

With all the negatives that could come with Usmanov’s arrival onto the board – and some of them are perhaps blown out of proportion – he would bring a better and needed sense of direction. He may not be a ‘football man’ and what fans would want, but we don’t really know too much about him other than quotes lifted now and again. Stan Kroenke, however, is definitely not a football man. He’s in it for the brighter financial tomorrow that Arsenal might see, and it comes at the expense of what fans see on the pitch.

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But again, it’s one or the other. The best scenario is that there were a third party who would come in and offer plenty of direction while retaining the values of the club, yet who were also not afraid to spend when it was necessary. The promises Usmanov is making is one that could see millions of pounds flying around aimlessly, potentially damaging the club – and no one wants that. But it’s that middle ground between both the current board and what could be on offer that is likely to be most desired.

Spending heavily isn’t the sure way to success, but direction and an obvious sense of direction is what Arsenal are lacking. If Usmanov provides that then so be it.

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Chelsea and Tottenham will meet each other for the 52nd time in the Premier League this weekend and their close proximity in the table once again this term highlights how significant the London rivalry has become in English football during the last few years. From the Battle of Stamford Bridge to FA Cup semi-finals, the Blues and Spurs suddenly find themselves repeatedly duking it out at the top end of the English game.

This time around, Champions League qualification is on the line. Antonio Conte will know his side need all three points to keep their hopes of being in Europe’s top competition next season alive, just as Mauricio Pochettino will know a victory will almost cement the north Londoners a place in the top four.

But can history tell us anything about the likely outcome in Sunday’s 4pm kickoff? Football FanCast take a look…

Head-to-Head

Make no mistake about it, Chelsea have completely dominated this fixture throughout the Premier League era, boasting more than five times the number of wins as Tottenham, keeping almost three times as many clean sheets and scoring nearly double the amount of goals. Spurs have even picked up more red cards than the Blues, albeit by a difference of just one.

Tottenham didn’t actually beat Chelsea in the Premier League until 2006, but there has been a better balance to this clash in recent years. Spurs’ famous 5-3 win at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day 2015 signified a key shift and with that result included, both teams have won two, lost two and drawn two of their last six Premier League encounters.

Incredibly though, Tottenham are still chasing their first ever Premier League win at Stamford Bridge.

Top Scorer

Down the years, the top scorer in this fixture has been Chelsea icon Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, who took just eight appearances against Spurs to bag a staggering ten goals. That includes a perfect hat-trick in 2002 as Chelsea claimed a 4-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, the powerful Dutchman netting curlers with his right and left and a point-blank header in between.

Tottenham’s best representative is Teddy Sheringham with six who, rather incredibly, beat Chelsea just twice from 27 encounters throughout his entire career. Worryingly for Spurs fans though, the only member of the top five who’ll be involved on Sunday is the Blues’ talismanic attacker Eden Hazard – he’s grabbed four goals and two assists in 10 top flight outings against the Lilywhites.

The Unforgettable Match

A match Tottenham fans will dread seeing brought up, but it’s undoubtedly the fixture that has made the rivalry what it is today. Whilst Spurs’ 5-3 romping of Chelsea on New Year’s Day 2015 deserves an honourable mention as the result that announced Tottenham as a true title-contending force, it doesn’t quite compare to the notorious battle of Stamford Bridge, which produced a Premier League record of nine yellow cards.

Tempers boiled over as Chelsea came back in a game Spurs needed to win to have any chance of catching Leicester City in the 2015/16 title hunt, producing unsavoury challenges, fisticuffs on the touchline and one iconic goal from Eden Hazard.

No encounter between the two clubs has had more on the line, and no encounter has produced such incredible violence and drama in a true all-or-nothing affair.

The Shared Hero – Gus Poyet

Gus Poyet’s relentless supply of goals from midfield captured the hearts and minds of both sets of supporters. An affluent spell at Chelsea saw him net 36 goals in 105 Premier League outings, including a stunning strike against Sunderland, and score for the Blues against Real Madrid in the 1998 Cup Winners’ Cup final.

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The Uruguayan’s stint at White Hart Lane was somewhat less successful, blighted by injuries, but he still notched up 18 in 82 for Spurs in the Premier League and became a firm fan favourite, later serving as assistant manager to Juande Ramos.

However, Poyet isn’t remembered too fondly by all Chelsea fans for one notorious incident – at the end of a 5-1 League Cup win for Spurs in 2002, he turned to the away Blues support and audaciously kissed the Tottenham badge.

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Selfies are becoming all he rage in football nowadays. From Francesco Totti’s unorthodox celebration for Roma after he netted against Lazio to various clubs banning ‘selfie sticks’ in the stands, pictures that feed into our social media absorption are everywhere. And one Premier League club above all others are committed to the Twitter and Instagram trends… Arsenal. The majority of the Gunners’ first-team players seem addicted to giving us all a glimpse into life off the pitch, with images of themselves in the gym, on the training field or, most frequently, celebrating a win commonplace.[ad_pod id=’football-friends’ align=’center’]Although harmless, one pundit hates their antics, and that is Jamie Carragher. The Liverpool idol is now part of Sky Sports’ top-class Monday Night Football coverage, and he used his moments on screen to lay into the north London club:“It was one giant going to another giant. Of course celebrate, but it’s nonsense all of these team pics in dressing rooms – normally you have them with a cup! It’s nonsense and they need to stop doing it.â€â€˜Carra’ then, once the cameras were off, trolled the major culprit, Aaron Ramsey, with a cheeky Twitter post. Classic!

Great team effort, everyone worked their socks off #AFCUna foto publicada por Aaron Ramsey (@aaronramsey) el Ene 18, 2015 at 10:12 PST

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