Liverpool are arguably still the most famous team in England, despite what them down the road say (the last time I checked, Liverpool still had a few more European Cups anyway). However, this season, whilst United have already added a League Cup to their cabinet, Liverpool have been languishing in the Premier League, and got knocked out of the Champions League. However, do not fret Liverpool fans, as you do not walk alone. It appears that whilst you may not be top of the Premier League, you are well represented with REAL fans in celebrity circles. Here are Liverpool’s top ten celebrity fans…
Click on Billy Bob Thornton to see Liverpool’s TOP 10 Celebrity Fans
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Well there you have it. Liverpool have some rather blooming huge Hollywood stars supporting the Reds, as well as locals like Tarbuck, Charles and Peel. However, if you think you know of more celebrity supporters, feel obliged to add to the list at your own discretion.
Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola has backed midfielder Sergio Busquets, who has denied racially abusing Real Madrid full-back Marcelo.Busquets could miss the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 28 after UEFA started disciplinary proceedings against him.
A decision is expected on Sunday with the Spain international potentially facing a five-match ban if found guilty.
But Guardiola has thrown his support behind the 22-year-old after he denied the claims.
“I totally agree with Sergio Ramos in that only Busquets and Marcelo know what happened. I totally agree with him. Only they know,” he said.
“I wait on UEFA who have been presented with the allegations and on Sunday they will make their decision.”
“All I will say is that I have known Sergio for a long time and if he tells me something I believe him because I know him.”
The alleged incident occurred during Barcelona’s fiery 2-0 win over Real in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg on April 27.
Barcelona will be presented with the La Liga trophy on Sunday when they welcome Deportivo La Coruna.
Guardiola said his team was aiming for victory, even if the title was wrapped up.
“They should know that Barcelona will go out to win the game whoever is playing on the pitch. I have no doubt about that,” he said.
“We don’t want to be responsible for circumstances that arise in this competition for other teams. Don’t think that we won’t go out to win the game tomorrow. We will go and fight until the end.”
His team comes up against a side still in a relegation fight, only three points clear of the bottom three with two games remaining.
Guardiola urged Barcelona fans to come and celebrate with the players, who he said deserved the recognition they would get on Sunday.
“It’s true that when you spend so long working towards something, you forget about it when you achieve it. We will continue training, and we will continue to celebrate after tomorrow’s game,” he said.
“We are going to play a good game and hope that the fans come. You can’t celebrate alone, you need other people too.”
In defence, we have probably seen the biggest success for Manchester City this season. 31 goals conceded in 34 league games – a record only bettered by Chelsea (28), tells its own story, though many will probably claim it’s only due to Mancini’s boring brand of football. That stat alone suggests that this is one area of the pitch City will not be making wholesale changes to over the summer. But inevitably there will be comings and goings over the summer, as City look to strengthen further with the hope of Champions League football next season. But first, let’s look at who is already here.
Joe Hart – closing in on the all-time clean sheet record for a single season for a City keeper. England’s Number 1, and you’d expect him to be between the sticks for City (and England) for many years to come. Hardly the finished product yet, a cynic could pick a few holes with his distribution and occasional decision-making (like all keepers really!), but he is mature beyond his years, professional, well-spoken, and the future is whatever he wants to make of it. City’s best bargain buy in decades (well under a million pounds).
Shay Given – out for months with a shoulder injury, he is close to full fitness again, but was always going to be Number 2 to Joe Hart, and a summer departure seems inevitable, which you would not begrudge – a keeper of his standard should not be 2nd choice anywhere. I feel sympathy for Shay – he came in to win trophies, to compete at the highest level, and did nothing wrong, starting, if memory serves me right, with a stunning home debut against Middlesbrough. But Joe Hart was on loan at Birmingham, and City had to make a choice – ideally they would have stuck with Given for an extra season (my unfounded theory), but Joe Hart was fed up of being loaned out, and City had to make him City Number 1 or risk losing him for good. Bad luck Shay.
He has moaned little though, and done his job well in the short time he had the chance to. I hope he goes on to win a lot of trophies (just not at City’s expense), but time is running out for him.
Stuart Taylor – 3rd choice, will no doubt stay and remain 3rd choice, and that’s all I’ve got (and even less on Gunnar Nielsen!).
Vincent Kompany – one of the players of the season, and was tempted to say most improved, but he was hardly bad beforehand. This season he has come of age, showing his best form since his bargain £6m move from Hamburg. A consummate professional, and a great ambassador for the team on and off the pitch, he has shaken off some previous niggling injuries to become one of the first names on the team sheet. Only this week expressed his desire to stay at the club for life – future captain (hopefully).
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Aleksander Kolarov – a huge disappointment so far. Injured 30 minutes into his debut, he didn’t return for months. But since then, he has flattered to deceive. It has often been commented that Mancini’s ideal system is to have two overlapping full backs bombing forward, which makes the signing even more baffling, as one thing we can be sure of is that Kolarov does not possess a great deal of pace. However, fans moan about pace too much – it is not essential, but Kolarov’s distribution and his decision-making has been pretty poor so far. He has delivered 131 crosses this season without an assist. Got a foot like a traction engine, but is rarely seen.
Won’t be going anywhere, so next season will be crucial for him – all players need time to settle and adjust to new countries and new leagues – but will he be 1st choice left-back next season?
More to the point, will Manchester City ever have a left-back that the fans are happy with?!
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Micah Richards – a huge improvement from the player for much of this season, until injury put paid to any further involvement. Once the academy’s great big hope (once Shaun Wright Phillips had left), with a rumoured £25m move to Manchester United, who went backwards for a year or two, he is once more beginning to show the ability that every City fan knows he has. If he concentrates on football and not bulking up, I would expect him to be first choice right-back next season, but rumours have surfaced of him leaving in summer and agent offering him to Spurs. Rumours of course should be ignored.
Dedryck Boyata – 20 year old Belgian and academy product who has flirted with the first team, with mixed results – being sent off against Arsenal this season after only 5 minutes has not helped his cause. Hard to know what the future holds. Seems competent player when I have seen him, but not sure he will make top grade. Has time on his side, but the next two years will be crucial, to state the obvious.
Pablo Zabaletta – Let’s get straight to the point. A LEGEND. The type of player that every fan loves. Never whinges, committed, hard-working, passionate and has put in some great performances this season. Never going to be the world’s greatest right-back, but is consistent, and a brilliant player to have in a squad. Hopefully rumours of a summer move to Spain are utter hogwash (as they usually are).
Joleon Lescott. Another masterstroke by Mark Hughes. Ignore the fee – he has done quite well this season. Since Kolo Toure lost his battle of the bulge, Lescott has stepped in and done fine. But you just can’t ignore that fee. Vastly overpriced, and I always feel a mistake is round the corner (see how he handled the ball before West Ham scored at the weekend). Not sure of his future, but his wages, like others, will probably see him staying at City for the foreseeable future. Whether he remains a regular first-teamer is more doubtful.
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Jerome Boateng – another disappointing foreign import for this season, and another one beset by injury problems. Getting injured as only a Manchester City player could (by a food trolley on a plane), him not gaining fitness until the season was months old has appeared to stunt his progress. Signed for £10m from Hamburg, he seemed a classy player playing out of position at left-back as Germany stormed to the latter-stages of the World Cup finals. However, that form has not been transferred to City, with just 16 underwhelming league appearances this season. Out again with a knee injury for the season, the hope is he can start next season fresh and raring to go. Many City fans are not sure what his best/preferred position is – he could play right-back, but has probably been bought as a centre-half. Rumours of a move to Bayern Munich have been quashed by Mancini, who says he is part of his long-term plans. Let’s hope for a better 2nd season.
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Kolo Toure – the invisible man. Many weeks after the news emerged that Kolo’s Slim-Fast diet had gone horribly wrong, and not a peep has been heard from anyone about a possible drugs ban. The City hierarchy will probably know already how long he will probably be out, and whether they will need to invest in a replacement. As he is probably already serving his ban as we speak, then he should be back for next season – and that is good news as he was beginning to regain some of the form that he showed at Arsenal, pre-malaria. Most probable partner for Vincent Kompany once more next season.
Nedum Onuoha – currently on loan at Sunderland, I could cut and paste the Boyata description (except the being Belgian bit) and then fast forward a couple of years. Sometimes I think he’ll make it, sometimes I don’t. Was an athlete as a youngster who almost didn’t take up football, and is a very level-headed, educated and well-spoken young man. Now seems likely he will stay at Sunderland, and be a first-teamer there, which is probably about right.
Wayne Bridge – another forgotten man at Manchester City. Such a disappointing time at City, a player I was overjoyed to see join, convinced that he was the missing link. Lime most left-backs before him though, he has flattered to deceive, with many an underwhelming performance. On loan at West Ham, where he has settled down after a disastrous debut, but unlikely he will remain there past the summer if they go down or not, as his wages mean selling him yet again becomes a problem, as with a number of other players. Therefore his future is uncertain, but I imagine City will sell him if they can.
As for the academy products, the likes of Shaleum Logan, Scott Kay, Greg Cunningham, Ryan McGivern and Reece Wabara are unlikely to be prominent in first teams next season, except perhaps in the Cup and sometimes filling up the odd bench spot, with loan moves aplenty the more common path. Three other youngsters are on loan at the moment – it’s too early to say if any will break through to the first team, and watching the odd reserve game has not answered many questions in that respect.
So what will City do in the summer with the defence? As I said at the beginning, probably very little. Settled in the keeper position and right-back and in one of the central defence berths, the only major purchase may be if Mancini decides to partner Kompany with someone new, or if he gives up on Kolarov already. Other than that, they may continue purchasing youngsters to develop for the future, and a back-up keeper should Given leave. The signings that Mancini has made have almost always been young, and he will hope past signings will develop further rather than making wholesale changes. The real summer action should come further up the pitch.
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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards
Manchester United finally crossed the line and landed a record 19th title. Sir Alex has finally knocked their great rivals off their perch and delivered his pledge he made some 25 years ago.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes the Da Silva twins the victim of poor journalism; United fans divided over new signings, while Fergie looks to have found the heir to Giggs’ throne.
We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.
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Manchester United’s 19 titles in ‘Pictures’
A United or divided front on for Fergie’s new signings?
Would United fans have put up with Fergie in this situation?
Is the global search for talent really paying dividends at Old Trafford?
United’s Da Silva twins – the victims of lazy journalism
Would he really be such a bad signing for Sir Alex Ferguson?
Has Fergie finally found the heir to Giggs’ throne?
Nani v Valencia
United’s young duo gives Sir Alex plenty to chew over this summer
Sir Alex Ferguson’s striking dilemma this summer
The 4 transfer ‘near misses’ that impacted Fergie’s fortunes greatly
*Best of Web*
Ferguson looks to United evolution – United Rant
No longer a novelty, this Da Silva twins have grown into their roles – The Busby Way
United Fans Prepare For An Exciting Summer – Red Flag Flying High
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Sir Alex Style: Stability Breeds Sustained Success – The United Religion
A Tale of 2 Clubs, 2 Trophies and 1 Banner – Stretford End
Argentina have their lost their second successive friendly after Poland defeated them 2-1 in Warsaw on Sunday.Just four days after a 4-1 loss at the hands of Nigeria, the South Americans were second-best again as Poland won their fourth friendly in seven matches as they continue to prepare for Euro 2012, which they will host along with Ukraine.
Adrian Mierzejewski scored a 26th minute opener for the hosts but Marco Ruben equalised just two minutes into the second half.
Spurred on by their home crowd, Poland fought hard for a winner – a goal that came with 23 minutes remaining when Trabzonspor forward Pawel Brozek hit the back of the net.
Australia’s next generation of player showcased its credentials with an uninspiring but assured 3-0 win over New Zealand in Adelaide.
Stars Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell were all absent Mark Schwarzer were all missing for the Socceroos, but the hosts were still able to notch up a victory thanks to a double from Josh Kennedy and a late penalty from James Troisi.
Kennedy grabbed the opener in the 10th minute, seizing on an error from New Zealand goalkeeper Glenn Moss to score from close range, and doubled his tally just shy of the hour mark when he rose highest to head home a Dario Vidosic corner.
Ben Sigmund brought down Robbie Kruse deep in injury time and Troisi was gifted the chance to open his international account, making no mistake with the spot kick.
Elsewhere, goals from Lucas Barrios and Edgar Benitez gave Paraguay a 2-0 win over Bolivia in Santa Cruz.
Uzbekistan’s horror run since the Asian Cup continued as they went down 1-0 against China.
A goal from Gao Lin in the 65th minute condemned Uzbekistan to their fifth straight loss since being bundled out of Asia’s premier competition in January.
Diego Maradona’s solo goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico was named by fans as the ‘Goal of the Century’ on FIFA.com. But will the diminutive Argentine top the list in Football FanCast’s top ten solo goals of all time? Find out the answer below …
10. Cesc Fabregas v Tottenham Hotspur, 2009
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas scored the second of two goals in 11 seconds for the Gunners against old enemies Tottenham Hotspur at The Emirates last October.
Dutch ace Robin van Persie broke up a sloppy pass from the Spurs midfield seconds after the restart and diverted the ball into the path of Fabregas. The Spanish international then accelerated at speed through the centre of the pitch before smashing the ball past the hapless Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and into the corner.
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9. Matias Fernandez v Club Deportivo O’Higgins, 2006
Chilean international Matias Fernandez scored 57 goals in 112 games for his first club Colo-Colo and this was by far one of his most spectacular.
Just weeks after his full debut as a professional, Fernandez received the ball in his own-half and began ducking and diving his way through challenges before delivering a finish of great finesse to round off a truly wonderful goal. Simply sensational.
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8. George Weah v Verona, 1996
AC Milan legend George Weah, formerly of Chelsea and Manchester City, led a one man counter-attack from inside his own penalty area after a Genoa attack was broken up by the Rossoneri.
The Liberian and former World Player of the Year outpaced all his colleagues to run the length of the pitch and attack The Old Fools with raw pace, power and skill. See it for yourself below.
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7. Steve McManaman v Celtic, 1997
Liverpool’s flying winger Steve McManaman levelled the scores in the UEFA Cup First Round at Parkhead with a wonderful injury-time, individual goal against the Bhoys in 1997.
After receiving the ball 20 yards inside his own half, the mop-haired midfielder glided past half the Celtic side before delivering a stunning finish to one of the great solo goals of all-time.
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6. Michael Owen v Argentina, 1998
Michael Owen’s goal against Argentina in 1998 makes it onto this list given the importance of the game and the timing of his impact.
Owen announced himself on the world’s greatest stage, showing the coolness and clinical finishing of an experienced pro to fire past stopper Carlos Roa and send the England fans packed into the Saint-Étienne stadium wild.
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5. Thierry Henry v Tottenham Hotspur, 2002
French maverick Thierry Henry scored many wonderful goals during his eight year spell at Arsenal and this is up there with the best of them.
Henry stormed from one end of the Highbury pitch to the other before weaving and bobbing his way across the penalty area until he got a sight of goal. Henry must have known how good the strike was after abandoning his usual calm exterior to slide onto the turf in ecstasy, before being mobbed by his team-mates.
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4. Zlatan Ibrahimović v NAC Breda, 2004
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović built a reputation as one of the hottest young talents in Europe during his three year spell at Ajax from 2001.
It is easy to see why Ibrahimović became a global superstar given his early displays at the Amsterdam Arena, where in his last season at the club he scored this breathtaking solo goal. Enjoy.
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3. Lionel Messi v Getafe, 2007
Diego Maradona himself would have been proud of this goal from the protégé aiming to replace him as Argentina’s greatest player of all time.
Lionel Messi, nicknamed ‘The Flea’, beat practically the whole Getafe side with a mesmerising display of skill and speed, leaving the opposition standing like statues.
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2. Ryan Giggs v Arsenal, 1999
With Manchester United chasing an unprecedented Treble, winger Ryan Giggs produced a moment of brilliance against Arsenal to win the tense tie. With Roy Keane sent off it looked as though United’s hopes would be dashed as The Gunners piled on the pressure with the scores level.
Welsh wing wizard Giggs had other ideas though after picking up a loose pass from French midfielder Patrick Vieira inside his own half before waltzing through the entire Arsenal defence and rifling an unstoppable shot past David Seaman.
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1. Diego Maradona v England, 1986
For me, Diego Maradona’s ‘Goal of the Century’ remains the greatest solo goal that has ever been scored. Was it ever really in doubt? While some of the goals above were scored in the UEFA Cup or against lower league sides, Maradona scored his magnificent goal in a crucial World Cup game against England.
This individual effort remains a symbol of the Argentine’s flair, creativity and genius and sums up Maradona’s two decades in football. Just incase you have been living on the moon for the last 25 years and have yet to see the video, I have posted it below:
If Redknapp can maintain another respectable season at Tottenham it is widely reported that the Spurs coach will depart at the end of the 2011-12 season to take on the role of England manager. This leaves Daniel Levy with a tough decision regarding this seasons transfer policy.
With one eye on the England job the signing of veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel perhaps highlights Redknapp’s short-term policy to protect his remaining tenure at the club. Levy will also be mindful of Harry’s recent transfer record at the club. Many of Spurs most consistent players in recent seasons have been those made before Redknapp’s arrival such as Dawson, Bale, Assou Ekotto, Modric and Huddlestone. While credit must go to the Spurs coach for bringing out the best in these players, there have been others such as Bentley, Gio Dos Santos and Jamie O’Hara to name but a few that could all argue they have not been given a fair crack of the whip by Redknapp. Perhaps more alarmingly, many of the players now seemingly surplus to requirements at Spurs (Palacios, Kranjcar, Defoe and Crouch) are amongst the few players Redknapp is actually responsible for signing.
Spurs chairman Levy insists that the books must be balanced with fringe players being shipped out before new signings can be brought in but the clubs apparent indecisiveness in the transfer market perhaps reflects Levy’s current dilemma.
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Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the reason Manchester United did not sign Carlos Tevez permanently was because the Argentine had planned to retire in 2013.The former West Ham United forward spent two years on loan with the Red Devils, putting in strong performances as he made 99 appearances and scored 34 goals.
But following his loan spell at Old Trafford, the 27-year-old went on to join arch-rivals Manchester City and eventually win the FA Cup with them last season.
Now Ferguson insists that it was because of the former Boca Juniors man’s future plans that United decided against signing him.
“Tevez told us he was only going to play for four more years,” he said. “If we had signed him on a five-year contract knowing that he was going to quit in four, there would have been no re-sale value for us.”
The Argentina international has since made it clear he wants to leave City to be closer to his family in his homeland, but a potential deal with Brazilian club Corinthians did not reach come to fruition.
Serie A giants Inter have also been linked with a move for the industrious hitman.
“I’m not sure Inter would pay 45 million pounds, especially after he’s said he wants to go back to Argentina to see his kids. I can see him staying at City.”
Ferguson also commented on United’s 3-1 friendly victory over MLS outfit Chicago Fire, in which new signing David De Gea put in a good performance.
“He [De Gea] is technically very good. He saved us on many different occasions,” he said.
“Chicago Fire played well, very good on the counter attacks, a lot of pace up front and they gave us some problems.”
“They could’ve scored two or three more so it was a good workout for us.”
The home side drew first blood when Cory Gibbs outsmarted the opposition defence, but United grew into the game and eventually put three past Frank Klopas’ men.
“Well we don’t like being behind,” said the Scot. “We found ourselves in that situation numerous times. We don’t panic, we just keep creating chances and chances until we get our result.”
The equaliser came when Wayne Rooney came off the bench to make his mark on the game, and the United boss believes that the leveller changed to course of the clash.
“It was an excellent ball from [Rio] Ferdinand, perfectly awaited from Rooney and it takes serious skill to score like that,” Ferguson said.
“We had to work hard for the victory and I think once we equalised, we were always going to win it.”
Despite the win, the Old Trafford boss also believes that his squad are still some way from being match fit.
“Well we played three games so far and I think player-wise, our players need to play 90 minutes,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone has done that yet, except Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic I think. It was the problem we struggled with last year at the start of the season and we need to improve on that.”
It has become quite clear that over the last three years, the Spanish football philosophy is way above those of the rest of the world right now and the current European Championship and World Cup holders show no signs of slowing down as a nation as proven when Spain’s Under-21 team won the European U21 Championship this year, a victory that illustrates just how bright the future of Spanish football is.
The Under-21 tournament threw up a number of Spanish players that will undoubtedly become the mainstay of the full Spanish team over the next few years and several of them are already catching the eye of Europe’s biggest clubs. The Spanish players who particularly shined during the tournament in Denmark are listed below and whilst they may not be familiar names with readers just now, there’s a good chance they will be in the future…
Juan Manuel Mata – Midfield: Although one of the older players in the squad, this Valencia midfielder possesses obvious class. He scored twice in the tournament and alongside Martinez and Alcantara, they formed a midfield that resembled their senior counterparts – Xavi and Iniesta. It is little wonder that Mata has been the subject of transfer rumours with Spain and England’s biggest teams.
Javi Martinez – Midfield: Just 22 years old and a mainstay in the Athletic Bilbao side, Martinez is regarded as the ‘midfield engine’ of the Under-21 side whose powerhouse performances were largely responsible for why the team enjoyed so much possession. He has already won four full caps for his country and he has been linked to Liverpool this summer. He was the captain of the Under-21 team and sure to be in the reckoning for the full squad for Spain’s defence of their European crown at Euro 2012.
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Thiago Alcantara – Midfield: One of the future stars of Barcelona, this highly rated midfielder has a buy-out clause of 90 million Euro in his contract, such is the belief that the club have in him. He played every game in the Under-21 Championship and was awarded Man of the Match in the final against Switzerland, scoring a 40 yard free kick in the process, another likely contender for the full Spain squad and will be knocking on the door of Barca’s starting XI this coming season
Adrian Lopez – Striker: A natural goalscorer who won the “Golden boot” award at the Under-21 tournament with five goals. Like Mata, he was one of the permitted older players in the tournament but at 23 he is still young and has a huge future ahead of him. Lopez plays for Deportivo who were relegated from La Liga last season which is there is currently a lot of interest in the striker from clubs all over Europe.
Didac Vila – Left Back: A quality left back who is currently on loan at Espanyol from his main club, AC Milan. Vila put in some top quality performances in Denmark, proving himself equally competent defending as he is when running forward to support the attack. He had been somewhat injury prone when he first came to prominence but now back to full fitness a call up to the full Spanish team is on the cards and domestically, Milan is unlikely to be letting him leave any time soon!
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David de Gea – Goalkeeper: Signed this summer by Manchester United from Atletico Madrid for just under £19m, this young keeper is hugely talented and heads to Old Trafford with a huge reputation and looks the ideal long-term replacement for the now retired Edwin Van Der Saar. At just 20 years old he has a very long and exciting future ahead of him in the game and is likely to replace Iker Casillas as the Spanish number one.
With the current Spanish squad boasting such names as Villa, Torres, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets and Pique, the chances are that some of these names may not feature too prominently in the Euro’s next year in Poland and Ukraine, however, by the 2014 World Cup comes around in Brazil, it is likely that many will form the backbone of Spain’s next generation of talent, not a thrilling thought for fans of other International teams around the globe, particularly England whose youngsters, like their seniors, crashed out of a major tournament with a whimper!
The new Premier League season was just three days away the last time England were due to play in an international friendly versus Holland. Thankfully (in my eyes), it was called off due to the London riots, but the season is just three rounds old and already we have to put everything on hold, as another international break occurs. At least this time it’s for an actual competitive match as England take on Bulgaria in a Euro 2012 qualifier, but I still find the whole thing ridiculous. It got me thinking; am I the only one who would rather see my team (and by that I mean club team) play, over following England’s normally dour expoits? Yes, it’s another club v country debate.
I fully admit to being pretty un-patriotic, especially when it comes to football. But I can’t help but think that even if I did support the national team, I would still prefer to watch and support my club over England any day. Is this the case for any of you who are patriotic? I love my club through thick and thin, for better or for worse. I love football and everything surrounding it. But in particular I enjoy watching beauty and creativity, flair and excitement; you know, all the things that don’t seem to happen whenever England normally play. Then there’s the god-awful hype that surrounds the England circus in proclaiming them world beaters every time an International tournament comes along.
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There’s something slightly hypercritical about being an England fan, especially if you support a team from the Premier League. I mean, week in week out, we boo, hiss, abuse and despise many players who play against our beloved club. Then, as soon as they pull on an England shirt we’re supposed to cheer them on and admire them? No thanks, not for me. The other problem with the England team, especially of today is that I just can’t relate to them. You only have to read the press headlines from the front pages to see what kind of people some of them appear to be. Arrogant, self-obsessed and not of this world. I would want any of my ‘club’ players to do well whilst playing for England, but that is also out-weighed by the fear of injury they may pick up whilst on international duty – which they often do. Which increases my anger!
Many people were angry when hearing the comments of Gary Neville recently when he stated playing for England was a waste of time for him, and that if he had to choose between winning with Manchester United or England, his club team would come out top all the time. It was a sentiment echoed by Jamie Carragher many years ago when he proclaimed he would always put club before country. It was a refreshing change to know that some professional players feel the same way with putting their clubs first. I suspect many more professionals concur but remain silent for fear of negativity.
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It wasn’t always like this. Maybe today’s modern English international, coupled with the ridiculous cheer-leading modern-day media in this country has shaped and unbalanced my view somewhat. But I can remember when I last truly wanted England to do well. It was way back in 1990, during Italia ’90. An abundance of genuinely skilful and attacking talent with the likes of Gazza, Barnes, Waddle, Beardsley and Lineker, a genial but thoughtful manager (although hammered by the press at the time – some things never change) in Bobby Robson, and a team full of likable, approachable characters. The contrast in personalities alone between then and now is just immeasurable.
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That group of players are a far cry from today’s underperforming, over-paid, spoilt bunch of fairly average players, but either way, give me my club over country any day.
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