City look to get the monkey off their backs at Liberty

Manchester city may have been overwhelming at home territory, but away from home Manuel Pellegrini"s men have been disastrous , losing four on the road. While their opponents Swansea have just won twice at home this season giving the citizen's some hope.


The two sides would be desperate for a victory , Swans have not won a single match in their last 5 but City have enjoyed a far better success by winning last 6 matches in all competitions .  


Both the teams met exactly a month ago at the Etihad , where City undoubtedly silenced the Swans by winning 3-0 ,following goals from Samir Nasri and Alvaro Negredo .

Man City are unbeaten in their last three against the Swans, although the Welsh side did enjoy a 1-0 win in this fixture two seasons ago thanks to a late Luke Moore strike .
Jonjo Shelvey's role in the midfield will be vital for the Welsh side,he being the only one who can pass the ball with dexterity ,will help Swansea to achieve their mission at the Liberty.

Expected  Lineups

Swansea City :Tremmel , Tiendalli, Williams,Chico, Davies, De Guzman, Canas , Hernandez, Shelvey, Lamah, Bony

Manchester City : Hart, Zabaleta ,Kompany ,Lescott, Clichy, Toure, Fernandinho, Navas, Nasri, Milner , Negredo

 Stats

• Manchester City have won four Barclays Premier League games in a row, they have not won five or more in a row within a single season since a spell of six wins won them the title in 2011/12.
• Swansea took only 39 points from 37 Premier League games in 2013. They won 55 from 39 games in 2012.
• Manchester City need two goals in this game to match the best goal total recorded by a Premier League team after 20 games (56 by Man City in 2011-12).

               My predictions: Swansea 1: Manchester City:2

Considering the form the Citizens are hitting right now,they look to be a far better side than Swansea,who lack the firepower in the middle of the park which is required to beat a side like Manchester City.

Saints take on the Blues : Preview

Chelsea start the new year on third place - 2 points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, so are well positioned to take advantage of any slip-up from their rivals. Blues have been in scintillating form but they have been able to grind out wins and Sunday's 2-1 win over Liverpool meant that Blues have just lost once in their last 9 outings. Southampton on the other hand with just 1 win in 8 games have seen the drop down with third down to ninth in the table. Chelsea won the reverse fixture 3-1 at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season but the Saints will take heart from the fact they won this clash at St Mary’s last season and are a far more solid unit this time around.

Team News

Southampton : Southampton are sweating on the fitness of striker Dani Osvaldo after the clubs record signing missed Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Everton through illness and will be handed a late fitness test on Wednesday.Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is available again having served a one-game ban and Nathan Clyne is expected to be recalled after recovering from a hamstring strain. Gaston Ramirez may also start after scoring against the Toffees but Artur Boruc, Victor Wanyama and Guly do Prado all remain sidelined.

Chelsea : Chelsea will be without Frank Lampard for the game after the midfielder was forced off against Liverpool with a muscle injury. However, Ramires is set for a recall having served his one-match ban and should replace Lampard in midfield. Defender Branislav Ivanovic is also out after picking up a knee injury last time out so Cesar Azpilicueta will revert to right-back with Ashley Cole coming in on the left. David Luiz is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season so Gary Cahill will continue alongside Terry at the back. Mourinho may opt to bring in Andre Schurrle for Willian while Torres may start ahead of Samuel Eto’o up front.

Expected Line-ups

Southampton : K.Davis , Clyne , Fonte , Lovren , Shaw , S.Davis , Schneiderlin , Rodriguez , Ramirez , Lallana , Lambert.

Chelsea : Cech , Azpilicueta , Cahill , Terry , Cole , Ramires , Mikel , Hazard , Osacr , Schurrle 

Torres.

My Prediction

Southampton 1:2 Chelsea - The Saints haven't been the same side they were during start of the season, so we can see Chelsea edging this one.But,Southampton have out of the blue,become a force to be reckoned with and Adam Lallana holds the key for the Saints.His link up with the likes of Osvaldo ,Ramirez and Lambert has been commendable but Danny Osvaldo's presence or absence will play a big role in the game.Schneiderlin and Davis will have a tricky test in this game as if they somehow get hold of Mikel and Ramires in the midfield,the game can well go Southampton's way.

Manchester United v Tottenham-Preview

Tim Sherwood visits the Theatre of Dreams for the first time

Manchester United look to head into the Fa cup with a victory

This game's result will determine the real contender for the Top 4 spot,as Manchester United tackle Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. They've already played once in the Premier League,which was exactly one month ago and that pulsating game ended in a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane,but all the scenarios will change once the players step foot onto the grass tomorrow.Tim Sherwood's Spurs have begun to regain their lost confidence,following Andre Villas Boas' sacking some weeks ago .Sherwood has inevitably placed some faith in Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor and the plan has seemingly worked for them.United are back from a crappy and lucky 1-0 victory at Carrow Road,while Spurs have a massive 3-0 victory at Stoke at the back of their head.Both sides have played out some enthralling games through the years and Spurs,being title contenders,are more or less being considered as Manchester United rivals.United were unable to defeat the then Avb's side last season,when United were beaten 3-2 at home and were held 1-1 at the Lane.Christian Eriksen has recently admitted that he is happy with Tim Sherwood's attacking policies and he can take the club a long way.David Moyes will look to avoid a defeat at Old Trafford and will hope to discontinue their poor home record.

Team News

United have been handed in a huge boost before the Tottenham game and it's that both Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney are both almost fit to play.But the Red Devils will be missing utility midfielder Phil Jones and winger Nani,who's sidelined due to a hamstring problem.Tim Sherwood will miss star defender Jan Vertonghen ,who is out due to a hip problem and to add to their woes,Younes Kaboul is also set to miss out the exciting clash following an ankle injury.

Expected Line-ups

Man United: De Gea; Smalling, Evans, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Januzaj; Welbeck, Rooney

Spurs: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Chiriches, Rose; Lennon, Paulinho, Dembele, Eriksen; Adebayor, Soldado

Predictions

We can expect this game to be a tough one for both the sides,who are at the 6th and 7th places respectively and this is sure to be a tight game,where midfield battles will be the key.Much like the last time,goals will come but it will be tough to separate these formidable sides but Christian Eriksen will hold the key to the success of the visitors.He can pass it with dexterity and possesses so much flair that he can be dubbed as  the next  Xavi or Iniesta.For United ,Rooney will play a central role in determining the outcome of the game as his ball distribution towards the flanks can unlock the no so much sturdy defense of the Londoners.

I'll predict another 2-2 draw and 1 well deserved point for the participants

Does Wenger even need a striker?

After the Boxing Day show down of Arsenal with West Ham it was proved that Oliver Giroud and Nicklas Bendter are not the only  talented strikers of Wenger's side. Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott came up with goals and proved their skill as they helped their side to bounce back.

Both the goal scorers have mentioned that they would like to play centrally for the team, and both seem capable of scoring goals.

The German youngster, Podolski, has been extremely good for his international team as well as in the Bundesliga. Whereas Walcott proved that he has a very good eye for scoring goals.

Oliver Giroud has very well led the attack this season with the help of the new-comer Ozil. This season he had a burden of attack on his shoulders as every Arsenal fan had great expectations from him, which he has lived up till now. However, with Podolski and Walcott having both returned from injury, probably the attacking part for Arsenal should not a problem. So far during their career they have been playing in the winger's position but now they have got a golden chance to play alongside Giroud in Central attacking zone.

In a similar spell last season, Wenger rotated the forwards- Walcott and Podolski were said to be central attackers to relieve off the pressure from Giroud.

All the three player- Oliver Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott offer different talent and skills which could turn out to be crucial for Arsenal to win the titile.

The Frenchman has proved his ability of bringing others into the game. Podolski offers                              powerful-clean-emphatic finishing and Walcott is a exceptionally good runner and is able to stretch the defense. All the three are a vital part of the team and form a deadly trio.

   

Wenger-
It is extremely difficult to bring top-quality strikers specially with those at Europe's elite clubs cup-tied for the UEFA Champions League. The team has been great till now in this season and most probably we would not be needing another striker. 



Arsene Wenger would be looking forward to give a tough competition to the champions of Europe in the round of 16 of Champions League.

Sir Alex Ferguson's Birthday

                               The 31st of December 
  

                                                    Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson

It feels like it was just yesterday when Sir Alex Ferguson came out of the stands applauding and appreciating the fans.

Ferguson is the longest serving manager of Manchester United, overtaking Sir Matt Busby's record on 19 December 2010, eventually completing more than 26-and-a-half years as the club's manager. He has won many awards and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion. He was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game and also holds the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.
Tomorrow, its 31st of December and this great man is turning 72.
It will be his first birthday after 27 years when he wont be managing Manchester United and I am sure he would be surely missing it a lot, but still he is always attached with Manchester United as now he is the Director of the club. 

Erik Lamela needs time at Tottenham

The Argentine is turning out to be a big flop

The dynamic Argentine has failed thus far

The much proclaimed -"Next Gareth Bale's" performances have begun to cast doubts over his real abilities,following a series of disappointing showings in the recent games. And Tottenham faithfuls have now started to criticize his tactical command and technique and the rumors lurking around suggest that he might be considering his future at the London club.

Although ,his undoubted abilities were showcased during his stay at As Roma as he was known for his exceptional dribbling ability and pace.But the days at Spurs have turned out to be heavy and troubled and the presence of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Christian Eriksen has threatened his spot in the starting line-up.The River Plate youth product has never come close to proving his abilities and the strength required to play in the Premier League has simply ousted him.

He scored 19 goals in a bit more than 60 appearances for the Italian giants and was a central figure in their domestic league in the 2012-13 edition of the Serie A .He managed to score 15 times in a total of 33 games for the Romans and was considered to be a key man for them.He remained sidelined due to an injury problem but he made his mark by delivering performances which left their manager chuffed to bits.

Rumors linking him to the likes of Juventus and Fiorentina can be termed as a fluke but the way he looks unsettled at Tottenham does convey something to you.Some reports also suggest that he is looking to submit a transfer request to Tim Sherwood,but the possibility of a transfer looks far-fetched.The main reason for him being a flop show remains to be the fact that -The Premier League requires perfection of the aspect of  strength and stamina in a player but it evidently seems like he lacks that particular ability,since he recently moved from a League where the technical aspect is involved more.

Top 5 Best Transfers Of 2013

Top 5  Best Transfers Of 2013

The year 2013 ends with high profile clubs like Manchester United , Arsenal, Real Madrid, Juventus,  PSG, Manchester City making a big move on the Transfer Window. So, Let's see the top 5 best Transfers of this year.

5. Neymar (Santos to Barcelona) : Barcelona fought off interest with Real Madrid and Manchester City to land the Brazlian forward for 48.6 million pounds (57 million euros) at Camp Nou. The end result was second biggest deal in club's history after Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The player on his prospect was excited about training with club's star player Lionel Messi.

4. Mesut Ozil ( Real Madrid to Arsenal) : Arsenal having not made a single signing this summer, were desperate to make one. The problem was that no one was availabel. But with Bale's arrival at Madrid meant Arsenal having a chance of signing German Playmaker Ozil. Ozil's arrival at Emirates this season has boosted Arsenal's confidence of winning the Premier League this season.

3. Radamel  Falcao (Ateletico Madrid to AS Monaco) : Why would a striker miss a golden oppurtunity  of playing in the Champions League to join a newly promoted Club ? But for Radamel Falcao cash mattered the most. The Colombian has already impressed the principality club with what he does best - scoring goals !!!

2. Edinson Cavani ( Napoli to PSG) : He was poised to surpass Diego Maradona's all-time record of 115 goals for Napoli and thereby cement his place as a legend in Naples. Edinson Cavani instead opted to move to Paris. The fact that he scored a staggering 36 goals for Napoli in all competitions last season ensured PSG didn't baulk at offering him an 8.5 million pounds-a-season salary.

1. Gareth Bale  (Tottenham Hotspurs to Real Madrid) : The most protracted, and most expensive, transfer deal of the summer; Real's desperation to land Bale made them offer Tottenham Hotspur a record amount. The North London club was expectedly hesitant, delaying the deal in a bid to ensure adequate reinforcements.However, eventually, they had to give the 25-year-old the go-ahead.Bale became the first Welshman ever to sign at the Santiago Bernebeu,  at Real since Jonathan Woodgate in 2004.

The Premier League Week 19- preview

 The tie of the round takes place at Stamford Bridge

The Christmas and the New Year period in the Premier League gives us extra games and extra goals every year.And this time,the Holiday period is turning out to be a crucial one for nearly all the sides,after all the title race has seemingly etched closer than ever. Only 3 points separate first placed Arsenal and fourth placed Liverpool,who were edged out 2-1 by Manchester City two days ago.Experts also believe that even eight placed Tottenham Hotspur stand some kind of chance to somehow win the title this season.And this weekend of the Premier League guarantees all the excitement and drama which perfects your day as some very crucial games are scheduled to be played.Let's take a look at the game by game guide-

Cardiff City v Sunderland

Goals have been meagre and far and few for both these sides.Both of them have scored 4 goals in their previous six matches and with Cardiff having sacked Malky Mackay yesterday,it will be tough for the interim manager to get the combinations right.But lack of goals looks set to provide an extra spark to this intriguing game as both teams look to avoid relegation.Cardiff suffered a 3-0 loss to the Saints in midweek following a 3-1 loss to Liverpool ,while Sunderland picked up 3 crucial points on Wednesday by upsetting 5th placed Everton,only to see other relegation battlers pick up their victories.The game would be a tough one to predict and chances will be quite evidently pretty less,considering their goalscoring records in the past few weeks

Prediction -Cardiff 0-1 Sunderland

Newcastle United v Arsenal 

This game has produced 11 goals in the last 2 meetings and who can possibly forget Arsenal's 7-3 win over the Magpies last season.Alan Pardew's side desperately need to win this tie as if they succumb to a loss,then the likes Manchester United and Tottenham will overtake them ,if they win their games.The same is the case with the Gunners,who also need to win to ensure the fact that other title rivals are kept at bay.Newcastle have managed to beat Chelsea,Spurs and Manchester United this season and they would definitely look to earn another big scalp by beating Arsenal ,come tomorrow.Yohan Cabaye has been a key figure for the Magpies,who had hammered Stoke City 5-1 in the midweek even after going 1-0 down.Arsenal recovered  from a goal down against West Ham to beat them 3-1 day before yesterday,thanks to a brace from Theo Walcott.The game would be open and chances will come both ways,but conversion rate will be a key factor for the sides,who will fight out a close game at the St.James' Arena.

Prediction -Newcastle United 1-2 Arsenal 

Norwich v Manchester United

We have already seen these two face off this season in the Capital one Cup when United emerged victorious after trouncing the Canaries 4-0.That was at Old Trafford,but this time both of these sides will meet at Carrow Road in Norwich and at a time when both have differing fortunes and fates.Manchester United came back from 2-0 down to beat Hull City 3-2 day before yesterday,following an own goal from youth product James Chester.Norwich City have seen Fulham beat them 2-1 in their previous game at Carrow Road and will look to bounce back and jeopardise David Moyes' position as a Manchester United manager.United will have to replace their full right side as Valencia is suspended following a red card and Rafael is out injured.Nathan Redmond can be a threat for the centre backs as he possesses the ability to cut inside towards the final third and make runs like those of Gareth Bale.

Prediction -Norwich 1-3 Manchester United

Chelsea v Liverpool 

When the Blues host the Reds on Sunday afternoon, both sides will want to finish the year with a big statement.A defeat on the hands of Chelsea will mean something bad for Liverpool and the title race and Chelsea will certainly look forward to pick up much needed 3 points.Chelsea come into the match on the back of a hard fought 0-0 at the Emirates and 1-0 victory against Swansea. Liverpool, meanwhile, have lost their first spot in the table after the 2-1 defeat in an exciting encounter at the Etihad Stadium. But,Liverpool have looked a much better side than Chelsea this season and Chelsea have their strikers like Samuel Eto'o and Fernando Torres to blame for this.Brendan Rodgers is likely to feature the same starting XI which impressed at the Etihad Stadium and will hope his on-form striker, Luis Suarez, can score his 20^th goal of this campaign. Liverpool has won three out of their last five games at Stamford Bridge and only lost one.

Prediction - Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool or Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

Other matches and their predictions-

Everton 2-1 Southampton

Manchester City 4-0 Crystal Palace 

Tottenham 2 -0 Stoke City 

West Ham United 2-1 West Brom

Hull City 1-1 Fulham  

Aston Villa 1-2 Swansea 

Blues Boss Defends Misfiring Strikers

Jose Mourinho had to once again defend his strikers on Thursday when Samuel Eto'o  squandered a number of chances against Swansea. Belgian Playmaker Eden Hazard's first half strike earned Chelsea a hard fought 1-0 win against Swansea.

Chelsea were again guilty of failing to finish the game off, with Samuel Eto'o twice denied by Swansea keeper Gerhard Tremmel when presented with a clear opportunity to score. Mourinho's three forwards - Eto'o Fernando Torres and Demba Ba - have scored just five goals in 18 Premier League games, but the Blues manager insists their wider contribution has helped the team progress.

 Mourinho also refused to criticise Cameroon forward Eto'o, who failed to convert after being sent clear on Tremmel's goal immediately before the break and then again when his volley was saved at point-blank range by the keeper. Mourinho said "Today I can say the biggest person responsible for the lack of goals was their goalkeeper because he made three or four big saves," 

"Today I'm saying their goalkeeper played very well. We didn't miss. The goalkeeper made fantastic saves: Eto'o in the first half, the first minute save in the second half.

Mourinho singled out Hazard  after the Belgian turned in a man of the match performance, capped by his ninth goal of the season, confirming him as the club's leading scorer this season.

"He gave everything, so I'm happy," Mourinho said. "His last action in the game was defending our box.

"The kid was tired. He plays a high intensity game. He was exhausted."

Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Ramires picked up a yellow card that will keep him out of the meeting with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and Mourinho had no complaints as the foul disrupted a threatening Swansea attack.

"He had to stop the game. If he doesn't stop, there's a risk of a dangerous counter-attack," Mourinho added.

"It's the kind of card I don't complain. It wasn't a silly action.

"I don't want to cry. I just want to think about the solutions we have. That's life. You lose players by injuries and cards.

"If I'd not played him today, I wouldn't have forgiven myself if we lost points.

"He doesn't play against Liverpool, but that means he'll be fresh against Southampton."

The Red Devils in pursuit of Spanish youngster

Manchester United's long search for a quality player would possibly now come to an end as Moyes is set to buy Atletico Madrid's midfielder - Koke. After former ManU and England player, Paul Scholes left the team, Red Devils have finally found a talented player to fit into his position. Mirror says that Moyes personally checked the 21-year-Spanish International along with the other members of the team.

Moyes will possibly bid for the Spaniard in the first week of the Transfer Window for about 30 million.

It is a fact that Moyes was interested in Koke in the last season for Everton.
But now the United boss will be bidding for the Spaniard before the other big clubs like Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool get a chance.

Rumors also suggest that Real Madrid might bid for Wayne Rooney as United are struggling to tie him down to his new contract.
The Italian giants - Juventus are seriously interested in Luis Nani and are reportedly chasing him.

These two reasons mainly force the United boss to bid for the Atletico Madrid mid-fielder.


 Central midfield and mid-fielders have been a serious problem this season, even after the addition of Marouane Fellaini from Everton.

Koke recently has gained popularity in Europe because of his passing and versatality and he played a central role in Spain's U-21 championship win at Israel. He is dubbed as the " New Xavi Of Spain"He has managed to become an integral part of Diego Simeone's side and has scored 3 times this season.

6 of the worst:Misses of 2013

 Take a look at the worst misses of 2013

 

 

The year of 2013 has given us moments to savour and remember forever and Luck is something which nearly everybody requires when practicing his/her discipline but it doesn't always favors one.And things start to look funny when footballers run out of luck during crucial situations.So,we take a look at the 6 worst misses of 2013

6.Gervinho

Gervinho misses a open goal against Catania  in the match which As Roma won 4-0.However,he later made amends for the miss by netting the final goal.

5.Wellington Nem

Brazilian club Fluminense may have beaten Chilean team CD Huachipato in the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday night, but the result is no thanks to the usually reliable Wellingtom Nem. Nem shows a decent turn of pace as he races into the box to meet his team-mate's cross following a clever long ball which beat the offside trap. After doing everything right though, Nem smacks the ball against the post from two yards out.

4.Elias

Elias missed an goal for flamengo vs nautico from one yard.

3.Willian Ribero

Brazilian striker Willian Ribeiro misses an open-goal chance as his team, Campinense, play Atletico-PB in the regional Paraibano league. Ribeiro is completely clear through on a gaping open goal, after racing past Atletico's defence and rounding the stranded goalkeeper, but he still manages to pull his shot wide of the post. Campinense went on to win the match 1-0, despite Ribeiro's finishing.

2.Ali Sami Yachir

Yachir misses for MC Alger vs CR in the Algerian ligue.

1.Adam Barrett

As far as the worst miss is concerned, we have , a player for Gillingham Adam Barrett, of the English Football League One, who manages to miss an open goal from two yards.