Arsenal may have just ended their nine-year trophy wait, but the manner of the victory over Hull has raised a fair few questions. The Gunners were slow starters at Wembley as they fell behind to two efforts from James Chester and Curtis Davies and struggled to truly get going even though they took the win with an extra-time Aaron Ramsey effort. Hull are by no means a poor side, but as a team only just out of the second tier, the Londoners should really be dispatching them with a little more ease than they eventually did. Arsene Wenger could be about to pen a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, but here are three reasons we think the club should take their paperwork off of the table.
Poor signings
It’s easy to forget that Yaya Sanogo looked likely to be one of Arsenal’s major signings last summer. The cumbersome forward was thrust into the FA Cup Final even though he is yet to open his Gunners account and looked more than a little out of place on the Wembley turf. Mesut Ozil also failed to shine despite costing over £40m, while the less said about Kim Kallstrom – who didn’t even make the bench today – the better.
Tactics out-dated
Even though they came back, Arsenal were more than a little lethargic against Hull. Much of their attacking play was predictable, and it looked as if Hull boss Steve Bruce knew exactly what he would be up against.
Arsenal need a fresh start
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While Arsenal were huffing and puffing to a first trophy in nine years Diego Atletico Madrid lifting the La Liga title with a fresh and imaginative coach in the shape of Diego Simeone at the helm. Gunners fans could be forgiven for wishing they had the Argentine in the dugout.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that young striker John Guidetti could leave the club on loan this month, as reported by the club’s official Twitter page.
Guidetti was expected to play a part in City’s first team over the past 18 months but was ruled out with a serious injury for over a year, leaving match practice non-existent.
Now fit, Pellegrini is hoping that a six month loan could boost the Swedish international back to his best and some Premier League experience would first choice.
After scoring 20 goals in 23 games on loan at Feyenoord in 2012, the 21 year olds attributes are clear and so West Ham and Stoke are preparing loan moves for him as both clubs are hugely struggling for goals this season.
Spanish side Malaga are also interested but Pellegrini’s main thought is just to get his player first team football.
“It’s true; I think that John [Guidetti] must go on loan. He’s coming back from a long injury for about 18 months,” Pellegrini said.
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At the start of the 2014-15 campaign, it seemed like Louis van Gaal had all the pieces necessary to complete the big picture: winning the Premier League.There was the pricey new Real Madrid sensation, the two-time UEFA Europa League champion on loan from Monaco and of course the reliable club captain, England born and bred.As the season progressed, however, it became clear that these pieces were not fitting together as planned. The expensive sensation failed to prove his worth, the loaner flopped miserably and the captain couldn’t quite pick up the slack all on his own.
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Now, van Gaal is shopping for a new attacker before next season. United goalkeeper David De Gea is headed over to Real Madrid, and van Gaal has expressed interest in Los Blancos striker Karim Benzema. While a direct trade isn’t likely, Real Madrid have made it clear they’re looking to offload the Frenchman, and van Gaal stands a chance of landing him.Could Benzema be the missing piece to Manchester United’s puzzle?
The centre forward certainly knows how to do the one thing the Red Devils couldn’t do this entire season: score. Benzema notched 22 goals and 15 assists for the Spanish side, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo. He averaged 165 minutes per goal, outperforming teammate Gareth Bale (237 minutes per goal).
Benzema is the perfect candidate to replace Radamel Falcao in United’s front line. The Frenchman has far better possession skills than Falcao, who often loses control of the ball. Benzema is also a deadly counter attack threat, as is Wayne Rooney. Paired together, the two would undoubtedly elevate United’s transition football.
Throughout the season, van Gaal rarely diverged from his trusted 4-3-3 formation, with mixed results. Many fans clamored for him to adapt a 4-2-3-1, so that Rooney, Juan Mata and Falcao could all play the more central roles they were used to. Benzema regularly played in a 4-2-3-1 under Carlo Ancelotti in Madrid, and could help Manchester United utilise the formation effectively as well.
A transfer would also reunite Benzema with former teammate Angel Di Maria, and possibly jolt the Argentinian back into the form he lacked all season. Overall, Benzema would play quite well with anyone in Manchester United’s attacking force.
It’s just a matter of finding the perfect fit.
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According to reports in The Telegraph, Manchester United face competition from Premier League rivals West Ham United in the race to sign Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario, who The Sun reported in December they want to bring in to replace Henrikh Mkhitaryan if the 28-year-old leaves this month.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Telegraph reports that the Irons are keen to sign the Portugal international on a loan deal until the end of the season, and having come to an agreement with the Serie A giants they must now convince the player to come to the London Stadium.
That could be easier said than done though considering The Sun reported last month that United were keen to bring him to Old Trafford in a £40m deal if Henrikh Mkhitaryan went the other way, although the Armenian now looks set for Arsenal instead.
However, The Telegraph adds that Inter don’t want to sell him on a permanent basis this month, and it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils would be willing to accept a loan deal.
How has Joao Mario done this season?
Despite costing €45m (£39.8m) when he joined Inter from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2016, the 24-year-old has struggled to hold down a place in the first team.
This term, he has found himself behind Marcelo Brozovic in the pecking order and has made just 15 appearances in all competitions, with more than half of his 14 Serie A outings coming from the substitutes’ bench.
According to WhoScored.com, the Portugal international’s main strengths are his dribbling and his ability to make key passes, and he has successfully completed 10 of the 14 take-ons he has attempted in the league during the current campaign, while he has made 17 key passes and has an overall passing accuracy of 89.4%.
Would he be a good signing for United?
He certainly could be.
The 24-year-old has largely played in a central attacking midfield role for Inter this season, but he can play in a deep-lying position too.
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Jose Mourinho will know his Portuguese compatriot well, and he could be tempted by a loan move for him considering the money the club looks set to spend on a deal for Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.
United certainly won’t worry about West Ham’s interest if they do want the player, knowing that they could offer him Champions League football.
It’s proven to be a testing season for Mark Hughes and QPR so far, following some hefty pre season spending. Hughes has seen his side take just two points from their opening seven games, and the Welshman has already become odds on to win this seasons sack race.
Many have voiced their surprise at QPR’s current predicament, considering the money they have spent during the last two transfer windows and the appointment of the highly rated Hughes last season.
Personally, I am not so surprised, being of the opinion Hughes is highly overrated. I have never really understood the hype surrounding Hughes and his coaching ability.
Press and pundits almost simultaneously gathered to mourn his sacking at Manchester City, as if a managerial great had been cruelly snatched away from the Premier League. The brutal nature of his dismissal surely played a part in the outpouring of sympathy, but the harsh truth of the matter is that Hughes didn’t do nearly well enough at the Ethihad.
I have struggled to see any particular playing style Hughes brings to the teams he coaches. None have ever been hailed as particularly exciting, interesting considering his own skillful and flamboyant playing style. His sides are infact often considered overly physical and aggressive. When in charge of Blackburn, Hughes saw his side finish bottom of the fair play league in all four of his seasons in charge. Let us also not forget the seemingly never ending list of red cards QPR received in the second half of last season.
Off the pitch I have also struggled to warm to him. Hughes’ post match interviews are never the most interesting or exciting, and more often than not consist of blaming match officials for a lack of result rather than providing answers for his teams shortcomings. His resignation from Fulham in 2011 showed a distinct lack of class, claiming: “As a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences”. His struggles at QPR since prove he may have been better staying at the club who rescued him from football wilderness after his ill-fated spell at Manchester City, for slightly longer than 11 months.
Looking back at his managerial career, there has been limited success. A top six finish with Blackburn in 2005-2006 is arguably the highlight, alongside narrowly missing out on qualification for Euro 2004 with Wales.
But since his spell in charge of Manchester City, Hughes has struggled. The problem I think lies in Hughes dealings in the transfer market. His most successful spells in management came at Wales and Blackburn, where on both occasions he had to simply work with what he had.
He did very well on a limited budget at Ewood Park, bringing in the likes of Benni McCarthy, Roque Santa Cruz, David Bentley and Christopher Samba for a combined total of roughly £9 million. It is my opinion that Hughes is better working at smaller clubs where there is less pressure, as his strengths appear to lie in galvanising a team that is struggling and scrapping for points as underdogs.
It is when Hughes has had money to spend at a bigger club that he has been questioned. Hughes was responsible for spending over £100 million during his time at the Etihad. Of all the players he bought in from 2008 to the present, only Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany, Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott Pablo Zabeletta and Carlos Tevez (just about) remain.
The likes of £32.5 million man Robinho have long gone, alongside other expensive acquisitions such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge, Nigel De Jong, Shay Given, Craig Bellamy, Tal Ben Haim and Jo. Of all the names in that list, how many were successful at the Ethihad?
It seems Hughes has bought that unpredictability in the transfer market with him to QPR. Last season saw him tasked with keeping Rangers in the Premier League, and was given money to spend in the January transfer window. It went to the last day, but following some superb home performances QPR avoided the drop, and served as another example of Hughes galvanising a struggling side.
But this season, having been tasked with taking QPR to the next level as an established Premier League side, Hughes has once more looked out of his depth. He has virtually started from scratch at Loftus Road, purchasing almost an entire new squad, in what looks like something of a scattergun approach.
The likes of Park Ji-Sung, Julio Cesar, Fabio, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Johnson, Jose Bosingwa, Esteban Granero, Stéphane Mbia, Samba Diakité and Junior Hoilett have all arrived at Loftus Road, with the vast majority being free transfers over aged 30 or above. January signings Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora are also reaching the latter stages of their careers.
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It is hard to see any sort of vision Hughes is outlining for the future, and looks more of an attempt for a quick fix. After a disastrous start to the season, it is time for Hughes to step up and get his team fighting for points as he has done before deploying the underdog tactic, a tactic that has served him well before.
It is only when Hughes is able to show more than this, that he will ever be considered anything more than a mediocre manager in my opinion. QPR should have enough to stay up this season, but the clubs owner Tony Fernandes, as well as Hughes himself would have been hoping for far more this time around.
Do you think Mark Hughes is overrated? Follow me on Twitter @LukeGreenwood89 and let me know your thoughts.
It appears after the latest spate of Premier League sackings that changing the manager is seen as the magic solution to solve all problems within a Premier League club. So would extending the transfer window rules to only allow managerial changes in the summer or January help?
It certaintly not implausible when you assess the latest changes at Chelsea and QPR. Will Benitez do a better job than Di Matteo? Is Harry Redknapp able to save QPR from relegation? I am not convinced on either of those fronts.
If Di Matteo had been given till January, who knows he may have been able to shake off the November curse those managers have suffered at Stamford Bridge. There is always talk of a honeymoon period when a new boss comes into the club and the players being revitalised, but with what is at stake in terms of pride and finance in the Premier League, it surely is a concern that this is not enough for them. The players have to take responsibility for their actions, and if they know that even if results are bad they had to wait till January for a manager change, maybe it would make some of them wake up and smell the coffee.
There definitely is a trend to have a knee jerk reaction around the Christmas period with owners panicking that their side around 10 games into a season won’t be able to turn things around. Despite this it appears that owners should have a little more faith that their boss can deliver the goods. It does not always work out well when the manager is sacked too. Last season Wolves went down with a whimper after sacking Mick McCarthy in the heat of the moment after a 5-1 defeat to West Brom.
There is a clamour for stability at football clubs, matched by the desperation to change when they see the grass is greener, but it can’t always be rosier, and if the ask appears too much to be expect from another manager it often is. Harry ‘Houdini’ let’s not forget was the same boss who sent Southampton down with Peter Crouch in the side, expecting him to keep a QPR side up already 4 points adrift of 19th place is a huge burden to carry. I am aware that fan pressure has a huge say too and nobody likes watching their side lose, but isn’t it time we gave our manager’s some protection.
If Mr Abramovich had to wait till January till he sacked Di Matteo maybe he would have seen all was not so bad, especially if they qualify for the knockout stages in Champions League. The sacking of a manager as well can sometimes contribute to manager’s simply getting a job purely because the owner wants one. It is like a kid in a sweet shop mentality that the owner has to get the latest one in fashion, or just pay for a new one anyway through boredom. They have their few weeks in the headlines, with everyone desperate to know who they will pick. Then the long awaited appointment arrives and it is not always met with euphoria. Newcastle fans never wanted Joe Kinnear, nor did Charlton ever see Iain Dowie as the knight in shining armour to solve their problems, and the appointment of Paul Hart at any club filled the fans with any glee.
A transfer window would provide protection for both clubs and managers in that the owner has to have the foresight to make a long term plan. Seeing as the fit and proper person test for an Owner has regularly been seen as laughable, surely this would be a way of testing the owner’s capability to run a football club, rather than giving him full reign to make whatever petty decision he so chooses. After all football clubs may be a business, but they are more than that to the fans who wait every weekend to watch their teams play. When planning to go to games it is not uncommon for supporters to plan their travel months in advance to be able to afford to go, and they have to sometimes pick and choose their games wisely. So surely it isn’t too much to ask for the owner to be forced to plan in advance too.
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The change of a manager surely has to be a natural progression and a correct fit. The reason why West Brom and Swansea have both continued to flourish despite losing Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson in the summer respectively is because they were able to plot their moves wisely. In particular at West Bromwich Albion they employed a Sporting director in Dan Ashworth who had the foresight to see the greater picture, the brand of football and the type of player West Brom were looking to sign. He encouraged the owner’s that Steve Clarke was the right man for the job and it has paid dividends. Similarly, Huw Jenkins had time to see that Laudrup also plays football with a fluidity and style that Martinez and Rodgers had already implemented as a philosophy at the club.
It is a cliché that is often heard in football that club’s come out saying they believe in the vision of their new manager and they are delighted with the appointment, well maybe it’s time we implement a managerial transfer window and then the people making these monumental decisions are forced to think them through.
Norwich City, West Brom and Fulham are all keen on signing Birmingham City wonderkid Nathan Redmond this summer, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Redmond will have just 18 months left on his Blues contract when next season gets under way and the cash strapped Midlands club may have no option but to sell another one of their prized assets.
City’s owner Carson Yeung is standing trial for money laundering and so Birmingham are struggling to cope financially, despite selling England goalkeeper Jack Butland to Stoke City in January for £3.5million.
Redmond has regularly featured for England under-19’s and has impressed this season with his tricky wing play and pace that is a constant threat in the Championship.
Norwich, West Brom and Fulham are set to test the water with small bids in the next few weeks but no doubt other Premier League clubs will become interested over the course of the summer and Birmingham will hope to start a bidding war.
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With only a handful of games left of the current campaign Arsenal look certain to make top four once again and may even have shown an improvement on last season by finishing as high as second. The Gunners may have been dumped out of the Champions League quicker than they would have hoped but it has still been a very successful year.
And if they retain the FA Cup then that will be the cherry on top of their season. Of course they still must overcome Reading this weekend, however, considering that the Royals are in the Championship whilst Arsenal have been in superb form winning all of their last eight league fixtures you can see how the odds are stacked greatly in their favour.
Reading beat Bradford City 3-0 in the previous round – although they needed a replay – to reach this far in the competition but their league form has been shocking. They sit eight points above the relegation zone and notched up their last win over a month ago.
In the other semi-final areAston Villa and top four contenders Liverpool. In their two league meetings this season the Villans won at Anfield but lost 2-0 when the Reds came to their neck of the woods. Villa have greatly improved under manager Tim Sherwood but you’d still expect Liverpool to clinch it on the day. That would set up an exciting final between Arsenal and Liverpool which is surely the match most neutrals would like to see.
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A lot has been said about how as it is Steven Gerrard’s final season with Liverpool after 17-years of loyal service that to win the cup would be the perfect send-off but sentiment aside I still think Arsenal should take the prize.
When the two English giants met in late December they couldn’t be separated but only two weeks ago Arsenal thrashed the Reds 4-1 so the Gunners should be full of confidence if they do indeed both make the final.
Also where Liverpool have had an inconsistent seven or so months Arsenal have steadily won games and thoroughly deserve to be sitting high up the Premier League table. They have suffered six defeats with only Chelsea and Manchester United recording less and Arsene Wenger’s men have a prolific striker putting fear into opposition defence.
The Gunners have incorporated new signing Alexis Sanchez well into their squad proving that not all foreign players need a season to settle into our league. The Chilean has scored 20 times in all competitions, though only one of those were in the FA Cup.
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Even Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil who have both come under some heavy criticism have turned things around and are truly vital team members. If they all play at their best then sadly Reading have no chance of progressing and then only Liverpool will stand in their way.
Arsenal supporters will never be completely happy until they win the domestic title again but claiming their second trophy in as many years will surely buy Arsene Wenger some time. And with this high quality squad that the Frenchman has finally assembled it will only be a matter of time before the Gunners take home the main prize.
Chelsea produced their best performance of the season to trounce Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge to move back up to third in the Premier League table.
The Blues had suffered a stuttering start under interim boss Rafa Benitez but have finally clicked into gear at a crucial point in the season, winning five of their last six games in all competitions, and provided more evidence of their improvement under the Spaniard.
For the visitors it was an afternoon to forget and manager Paul Lambert will be hoping morale in the dressing room hasn’t depleted to a critical level as they fight to remain clear of the relegation zone heading into the New Year.
Only three minutes had passed before the home side had drawn first blood when Fernando Torres met Branislav Ivanovic’s teasing centre to power home a header from 15-yards for his seventh goal in eight games.
It got worse for Villa as Chelsea effectively ended the game as a contest with two goals in five minutes towards the end of the half. David Luiz, reborn as a holding midfielder under Benitez, curled home a sumptuous free kick in the 29th minute to make it 2-0.
Ivanovic then showed the predatory instinct of a world class forward to head Gary Cahill’s mis-hit past Brad Guzan. The away side enjoyed 15 minutes of brief respite after the break before Frank Lampard capped his 500th league start with a goal straight from his copybook, rifling the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
And in a torturous final 15 minutes the west London club struck a further four goals, Ramires slotting home from substitute Lucas Piazon’s pass before Oscar scored from the penalty spot after being fouled by Chris Herd.
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Eden Hazard added the seventh after showing sublime feet to work himself into space and driving the ball into the top corner from inside the penalty area.
There was still time for Piazon to miss a penalty on his league debut before Ramires blasted in his second to complete the scoring and cap a remarkable victory for Chelsea.
Having defeated Crystal Palace six times in their last six attempts, tonight’s Premier League fixture was expected to be a Manchester City whitewash, springboarding them back into the division’s title race.
Premier League football has a knack of throwing up an absolute classic when you least expect it however and tonight was certainly one of those occasions – the Eagles trumping the reigning champions to claim an impressive 2-1 win.
And just in case you missed the action, we at Football Fancast have been kind enough to outline the three biggest talking points for you. Enjoy!
Who needs the ball when you’re this good without it?
We’ve seen some back-to-the-wall jobs before in the Premier League – Fulham’s win against Manchester United at Old Trafford last season particularly coming to mind – but tonight’s affair has to be right up there.
Palace finished the match with just 26% possession, taking only five chances at goal compared to Manchester City’s 22. The visitors had over 800 touches of the ball – including 53 in Palace’s penalty area.
But this side is clearly set up for double-banked defending, counter-attacks and set pieces and that’s exactly what they did against Manchester City. As you can see from the heatmaps below, the visitors claimed far superior territory throughout the ninety minutes:
But Palace took the chances that came their way; firstly, a Glenn Murray rebound; and secondly, a Jason Puncheon free-kick with a little bit of help from the top of the City wall.
The ever-under-appreciated Glenn Murray
Let’s move on to the indisputable hero of the hour – Crystal Palace’s industrious poacher Glenn Murray.
He was largely forgotten about under prior regimes at Selhurst Park, sidelined with a serious long-term injury under Ian Holloway, a seemingly poor fit for Tony Pulis’ direct style and sent out on loan to Reading by Neil Warnock.
He’s found a new lease of life under Alan Pardew, however, tonight netting his fifth goal in five Premier League appearances just hours after the Daily Mail revealed him to be the deadliest striker in the division in terms of goals-per-minute.
It wasn’t just Murray’s goal, however. His hold-up play and work-rate was absolutely superb, demonstrated best by him winning 10 aerial duels and seven fouls – the highest returns of any player on either side. Twitter were particularly impressed with his performance:
Manuel Pellegrini might not last the season at this rate
Having plummeted out of the Champions League to Barcelona after daring to play 4-4-2 against the greatest possession side in world football, few anticipate Manuel Pellegrini to be at Manchester City next season. The owners don’t like failure, and he’s set to end the campaign without a trophy.
At this rate however, the hapless Chilean might not even last until the summer. 4-4-2 once again proved a naive strategy away from home as Palace continually plagued City on the counter-attack and the exclusions of Samir Nasri and James Milner from the starting line-up were particularly bizarre.
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Needless to say, City fans on Twitter weren’t particularly impressed:
Having now lost three away fixtures in a row, if City get embarrassed in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford next weekend, Pellegrini might find himself handed a P45 sooner than expected.