Mikel Arteta has admitted that countryman Cesc Fabregas helped him settle at new club Arsenal, and has stated that he is at the Emirates to win trophies.
Arteta was signed by Arsene Wenger on transfer deadline day in a £10 million deal from Everton, and has been earmarked as filling the gap left by Fabregas, who left London to join Barcelona.
Despite this, the new man has been helped by his predecessor.
“I talked to him the day after I signed the contract. He advised me on two or three things and he was really nice to me,” Arteta revealed.
“He told me about the areas to live, about the team, about the club, how good they are, about the people at the club. It was really good.”
Arteta has slotted into The Gunners midfield in the absence of injured duo Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, and is looking for a successful season.
“When you play for a club like Arsenal, you’re going to have some pressure. You need to handle it, try your best. Every club that I’ve been at, there has been pressure but I think pressure is something positive. That means that people are expecting something from you. I don’t mind. I am happy with the players here, that they can make us good and to play some good football.
“The challenge here is to win trophies. At Everton, I didn’t have the chance to do that. Hopefully we are going to have it here and we can make it,” he concluded.
Arsenal were unlucky not to claim a victory over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in the Champions League but still escaped Signal Iduna Park with a 1-1 draw, and will now take on Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday.
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Arsenal go into the North London derby on the back of two wins as the Gunners look to get their season back on track. It is the first time in a long while that they go into the game as underdogs that could actually work in the favour.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include the Wengerball; looking to rectify Walcott mistakes, while RVP is lost in translation.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week
Will Wenger rectify his Walcott mistakes?
The Top TEN North London derbies of recent memory
Will Arsenal star ever win over his critics?
Why change could set Arsenal back even further
Lost in translation at Arsenal?
The Wengerball
Something of a dying art in English football?
Wenger and Fergie still keen despite Brazilian’s new deal
Arsene Wenger closing in on £7m Spaniard
Barca set to join Arsenal in £10m pursuit?
Best of WEB
Sir Alex Speaks, Bring Back 3pm on a Saturday…. – Highbury House
So finally, we have an end game from Wenger, well sort of… – Le Grove
Life begins at 22? – Online Gooner
Platitudes From Stan As Arsène Prepares His Troops For Sunday – A Cultured Left Foot
Why we need to hold on to RVP – a modern great – Gunnersphere
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Click on Roger Johnson’s misses below to unveil our current Premier League Wag XI
The key to great comedy is timing – something Mark Hughes sweems to have mastered this week. The same goes for his agent, the lovable, cuddly Kia Joorabchian.
As misguided interviews go, this was up there with the best. On the day before the Manchester derby (and on the day itself), a couple of journalists released their exclusive interview with Mark Hughes, which discussed his time at Manchester City and Fulham. In it, he came across as an embittered, jealous loser, like the jilted lover that sits at home swigging vodka and listening to Alanis Morissette (though Sam Wallace over at the Independent was keen to state at the end of his article that Hughes was not bitter. No siree).
On pre-derby day, it was all about City.
“We went through a lot of pain,” Hughes said. “Other people have had the gain.”
Few City fans thought Hughes was fit to lead the team to the top. Many thought he should probably have been given until the end of the season, and City were criticised for the manner of his dismissal, searching for a replacement whilst he was still employed. Now without any bias whatsoever, I can honestly say that City did the right thing. You cannot dismiss a football manager without having a replacement lined up mid-season – it makes no sense whatsoever. It might seem cruel to the manager at the helm, but that’s the life of a manager – he got a £3m pay-off to console himself with. What’s more, it was two years ago – perhaps time to get over it? I’m not sure what pain he went through for other people’s game, apart from not winning many games prior to his dismissal. Whatever, owners who have pumped a billion into a football club are probably entitled to install their own man. And he seems to be doing ok.
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But the foolishness of his interview is less about whether he deserved the sack, but how he sees fit to comment on a manager far more successful than he will ever be, and all whilst out of employment, a blatant PR exercise to remind owners of his availability.
“I don’t know the guy personally,” said Hughes of Mancini, “but looking at him from the outside, he comes across as autocratic. It’s either his way or the highway. I’m not sure he indulges players, tries to get to know or understand them. I’m not sure he’s that type of manager.”
A good rule generally when deciding whether to comment on someone you don’t know, is to stay quiet.
“Managing like that in the modern age with modern footballers is more difficult. To be an absolute autocrat and not be flexible in terms of how it’s going to be done and not understand your decisions can impact on players is difficult, because they do. If you manage like that, there are going to be clashes and the likelihood of having clashes with players is, on the law of averages, going to be more prevalent than managers who try to get the best out of players doing it the other way.”
How bizarre to pass comment on how Mancini manages – Hughes must have the brain cells to realise how bitter it makes him look. If only Mancini could have managed more like Hughes and eclipsed his illustrious managerial record. Or perhaps become a bit more laid-back like that rather successful guy down the road – oh, hang on…
Continue reading on PAGE TWO…
So what if there are clashes and fall-outs? Hughes seems to think players should be pampered – well I’m sorry, but that’s drivel .They are paid obscene amounts of money (those at the top) and should do as the manager says. And tough luck if they don’t like it. And there will always be fall-outs with managers and players – no style of management can avoid this.
“Carlos (Tevez) is strong-willed, certainly,” he said. “Yes, he wants to play and for a guy who has come through life the hard way he still has a genuine desire to want to play every week. I never saw him as volatile. I can’t think of one incident where there were flashpoints, but I played a long time and I can handle things like that. You learn how to take the sting out of it. It would never have happened under my watch.”
Yep, suddenly Hughes is the master man-manager. Funny how he doesn’t mention failing to handle Robinho, the biggest name at the club for much of the time, or his total failure to work with Elano, once making him wait outside his office for an hour like a naughty schoolboy. The reason he had little problem with Tevez was that it was the player’s first season at City – and he tends to behave in his debut season.
Just how would he have avoided flashpoints? Well as mentioned earlier, by indulging the player. Well City tried that, and Tevez took advantage even more. It’s a dangerous game to bow down to the whims of any player, and it tends not to go down too well with other players. Fancy that.
The best though was left to last.
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“Whether or not the group as a whole work as diligently and with the same mantra Manchester United have, I’d maybe suggest not. Every Manchester United player understands what United is about. The players understand it is a privilege to play for them. They show the club that deference. I’m not sure the group at City understand that yet.”
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City fans are used to this oft-repeated rubbish that United players all play for the shirt, would play for free if necessary, and that City are just a bunch of over-paid mercenaries after the money at a club ridden with ill-discipline, and poor team morale. Well apart from the fact that if they were just playing for money it would be fine (it is their job after all), the evidence seems to suggest otherwise does it not? And if you are going to come out with such steaming piles of dog-poo, best not to do it the day before City beat United 6-1 at Old Trafford – it just makes you look even more stupid, and even more bitter.
By Sunday he had enraged Mohammed Al Fayed, and when the man that erects a statue of Michael Jackson outside his ground calls you strange, then you know you’re in trouble.
“What a strange man Mark Hughes is,” he said. “Sacked by Manchester City, he was becoming a forgotten man when I rescued him to become manager of Fulham Football Club.”
“Even when results were bad, I did not put pressure on him. I gave him every support – financial, moral and personal. He fully negotiated a two-year extension to his contract. On the day he was due to sign, he walked out without the courtesy of a proper explanation. And now he insults the club, saying it lacks ambition, and the players who delivered an eighth position finish last season and a place in the Europa League.”
In my opinion, he is an average manager who would be out of his depth at a top job. He surrounded himself at City with his friends (The Welsh maffia, or as many called them – The Taffia”), bought Jo and Santa Cruz for £35m, and lacked the imagination to take the club to a higher level. Rather than taking agent-led snide digs at a man he doesn’t know, a man with a managerial record far to superior to his, perhaps he should concentrate on working out why he is out of work, and try to work on his own deficiencies. And when even journalists on Twitter are saying you sound bitter and twisted, then perhaps the problems lie closer to home.
In this weekend’s game between Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers there was another soft penalty awarded. But Norwich City won’t mind because it enabled them to grab a draw out of a game, they didn’t play particularly well in.
However, it does seem this season that referees are awarding an alarmingly high number of soft penalties. Norwich City themselves were victim of this early on in the season when they found themselves conceding a penalty in all of their opening five games. As a rule the bigger clubs tend to get the big decisions and when you’re struggling in this division you tend to have no luck at all.
But that all being said, sometimes players do not help themselves. At the start of the season Norwich City was unlucky, but they were also naive in the way they defended. The same can be said on Blackburn Rovers surrounding the events which resulted in the penalty kick on Saturday.
According to Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean his player Stephen N’Zonzi was appealing for a foul which is why he had his arms out in the air. His defence seems to be that he wasn’t looking at the ball when it hit his arm and the handball was therefore unintentional.
Paul Merson claims it is the worst decision he has ever seen. If that is the case I would suggest Mr Merson needs to get out and watch more football. As Norwich City fans we have seen League One, Championship and Premier League referees in recent seasons. And we have certainly seen far worse decisions than the one we saw on Saturday.
A player diving in the box with no contact or someone accused of handball when they head the ball out are surely far worse decisions. As much as we are all frustrated by referees, please understand that we are seeing the elite in the Premier League. There is clearly a big, big difference between a League One referee and a Premier League referee. However, they are still human, and they still make mistakes.
Watching the game from the stands as a Norwich fan, we were all claiming for that decision. And had it happened down the other end then the Blackburn fans would all be claiming for a penalty to. To be fair to the referee in real time, it looks a penalty.
The real issue here, though, is what the hell is Stephen N’Zonzi doing? Play is ongoing and he is supposed to be defending for his team. Leave the decisions to the referee and his assistants. I’m sure though he feels the irony of the fact that by appealing for a free kick, he has inadvertently given away a penalty.
The bottom line is players need to wise up and play the game sensibly. Don’t lean into a striker when he is through on goal and be surprised when he dives for a penalty, and don’t throw your arms in the air and be surprised when a penalty is awarded. Referees have a hard job out there so players need to ensure that they don’t look guilty, even when they’re not.
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Bolton are ready to appeal Gary Cahill’s red card from their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, as the struggling side look to minimise the suspension the defender will have to face.
The England international was shown a straight red card by referee Stuart Attwell in the game at White Hart Lane, as he was adjudged to have fouled Scott Parker whilst being the last man.
Although Spurs were 1-0 up at the time, the dismissal effectively ended the game as a contest, and both managers agreed that Cahill’s punishment was harsh after the game.
With Bolton in relegation trouble and in dire need of points, Owen Coyle has admitted that they intend to challenge Attwell’s decision.
“I will be appealing the decision as soon as I can. It was baffling, bemusing,” the Scottish coach confirmed to Sky Sports.
Cahill is out of contract at the end of the season, and the side from the Reebok Arena are expecting January bids for the centre half, with Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea all interested.
Bolton meanwhile face Aston Villa this weekend, and find themselves in 19th place equal on points with bottom club Wigan.
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Arsenal are set to start talks with Theo Walcott, as the winger’s current contract expires in the summer of 2013.
The Gunners faced a difficult situation last summer, as Samir Nasri entered into the last year of deal at the Emirates Stadium and refused to put pen to paper on an extension.
This forced the North London club to sell the France international to Manchester City, instead of potentially losing him for free 12 months later.
Robin van Persie and Walcott are both out-of-contract the summer after next, and The Telegraph have stated that Arsene Wenger has scheduled initial talks with the attacker to try to extend his deal with the club.
The newspaper indicates that Walcott looks at the potential extension in a positive fashion, and was full of praise for the side’s current form and team spirit.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is fantastic — the best it’s probably been for a long time,” Walcott stated.
“We are a bit more of a team, we work harder when we haven’t got the ball.”
Van Persie has also seemed reluctant to sign a new deal at the Emirates, with the team’s fate this season potentially having a key factor in whether the club’s star players stay or go.
By Gareth McKnight
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As a Southampton fan, it’s been quite a pleasing season as far as the Championship goes, but even the Premier League has managed to suitably satisfy my footballing palate: Nathan Dyer has been terrifying opposition defences with his speed and agile dribbling style at Swansea, Andrew Surman is finally getting a decent run of games in the Norwich line-up popping up with the odd goal and assist, Leon Best is proving a good foil for a more than capable Demba Ba and then there are the players involved in a battle for the Champions League spots, and all have come through the ranks at Southampton: Gareth Bale , Theo Walcott and our latest export, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain .
However, one thing I’ve had to grow to live with, is the constant, and seemingly in unison, sigh of “oh dear” that follows Theo Walcott’s performances around like his shadow: and it comes from opposition and Arsenal fans alike. The winger, who had been described as “having been hyped” more than the kid-prodigy that was Freddy Adu, burst on to the scene at Southampton aged 16, putting in performances worthy of the initial £12m fee that was needed to prize him away from The Saints.
Yet, since his premature World Cup 2006 inclusion and his following 200 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 35 along the way and a hat-trick for England, it seems that Arsenal fans still aren’t collectively convinced by Theo Walcott’s credentials as a top class player and with his contract coming to an end and apparent stalling over wage demands for a new contract, some seem happy for Walcott to either, take what Arsenal offer, or be on his way.
His performance Monday evening against Fulham at Craven Cottage, has seemingly failed to do him any favours too: the football expert that is Piers Morgan, (yes Piers Morgan, who would have thought that?) tweeted, “Oh Walcott, learn to bloody cross a ball. For Christ’s sake,” before following that most critical of analysis’s up with, ”Oh THEO. Get a grip.” It became apparent that thw talent scout, normally sat behind a desk with an “X”, wasn’t alone as Arsenal fans and pundits across the globe simultaneously pressed their red buzzer: “Arguably Theo Walcott’s most ineffectual game. And he has a long list of ineffectual games,” from thisisfutbol editor Harry Cloke; “”Walcott’s lack of composure is alarming. Both crossing and shooting. Surely he’s better than this.” Not sure that he is,” from the Daily Mail’s Neil Ashton and “Theo Walcott pays tribute to rap greats De La Soul with that shot: Three feet high and rising” comically, from The Mirror.
Whilst contract negotiations remain ongoing, with one fan sarcastically summing up what he thinks of Walcott’s demands, “Walcott makes his biggest contribution of the day by being subbed off. Definitely a performance worth £85k today, Theo,” the continual disappointment displayed by fans at performances, may well fail to aid the situation considering that, according to crunchsports.com/, Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona have been alerted to Walcott’s expiring contract and the difficulties surrounding agreement on a new contract at The Emirates.
Monday’s performance has clearly not helped Theo Walcott’s case in justifying his wage demands, according to most of the viewing public, and I have been left in the minority still defending Theo Walcott. In the first half at The Cottage, Walcott put three delightful balls into the Fulham penalty box and it was only Gervinho ’s poor shot, Ramsey ’s saved shot and a trailing Fulham body part, that prevented the England winger from having a few assists to his name.
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Had one of Walcott’s first half crosses been converted, his anonymity in the second half may have been forgiven: as it was, Arsenal had a man dismissed and Fulham made them pay for failing to capitalise on the first half domination Arsenal enjoyed in terms of shots. Alan Hansen described Wenger’s decision to take Walcott off as one that allowed “Arsenal [to] get pegged back further and further,” by Fulham, with an absence of his, “pace in abundance,” that added ”another dimension,” to Arsenal’s performance.
Arsenal have a two week break from the Premier League now and it may well be much needed, if not just for the rest that Robin Van Persie will get after what has been a relentless 2011. With his support, Walcott included, not in goal-scoring form, the two weeks will provide a time in which Arsenal forwards can find their feet once more, this time under the tutelage of an Arsenal great, Thierry Henry. During January, Arsenal lose Gervinho to international duty for the African Cup of Nations and relying on Thierry Henry to replicate the form of his last seasons in the Premier League, is not what you want to place your top four hopes on: Arsenal fans need to get behind their boo-boy Theo Walcott this January.
Walcott can be relied on and a confidence in him from the fans will transpire into a confidence in his performance and that is when Walcott is at his best . Over the past 18 months, Theo has a record that can rival fellow Southampton Academy product Gareth Bale : in 46 starts, Walcott has score 15 goals and has laid on 16 assists, whilst the Welsh wing wizard has hit 18 goals and provided 10 assists in 8 more starts.
Head to head, Walcott has a goals to game ratio of one in every 3 starts, which is matched by Bale and when it comes to assists, Walcott’s return of one every 2.88 starts betters Bale’s average of one every 5.4 starts. Tottenham fans will argue that Bale’s overall game is better and his contribution far exceeds Walcott’s game of pace and directness, however, when on form, Walcott’s attacking contribution is exceptional and just as valued by Arsenal as Bale’s contribution in defence is, by a heavily and free-flowing attacking Tottenham team.
This January, with it becoming clear that Arsenal find it hard to churn out results if Van Persie isn’t scoring, a rarity nonetheless, it is more important than ever to get behind Theo Walcott, especially in the absence of Gervinho and the presence, and thus pressure, of playing alongside Thierry Henry. Arsenal fans have something that most other clubs would snap up in an instant: a 22-year old with 132 PL games under his belt already, an international regular for England and a player that Messi labelled as “one of the most dangerous players” he has faced; now it is time for them to put some confidence back into a player lacking in it, if they want to see his better days once more.
Written by Jordan Florit for This is Futbol
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Something that comes up every other year is the debate that surrounds the African Cup of Nations and the departure of key players from across Europe to the tournament which can leave their clubs without the player from the 21st of January at the latest until the 12 February, not to mention training camps and the potential injury to the players.
It has been a problem for clubs like Chelsea for a number of years now, the Blues having to contend with the loss of Kalou, Drogba, Essien and Mikel, yet actually moving the tournament is something that is talked about but never actually done. The tournament has been moved to odd years from 2013 so not to clash with the World Cup years, so clubs now have to face players going not just this year but next year to boot, and with more and more players being lost to the tournament, perhaps now is the time where something will actually be done and the tournament moved.
There are 14 top Premier League players alone who will be jetting off to the ACON in the coming days, and at such a pivotal time in the season where the strength and depth of a squad matters more and more, not to mention injuries, fatigue and suspensions after the busy festive period of fixtures, teams simply cannot afford to manage without their players for an extended period of time. It shocks and amazes me that the ACON has never actually been moved, and despite managers highlighting the issue time and time again, it always seems to die down after the tournament until it comes around again. Platini has stated that he wants the cup to be held in the summer from 2016, yet it is debatable if this will actually happen, yet he said this in 2008, and so far, shockingly, nothing has actually been done to accommodate this. Not to mention the fact that in the summer months, many of the African Nations are in their wet season and could not host the tournament – yet with most of the players now living and playing in Europe, would this be such a problem?
Year after year the same problem arises, and nothing seems to be done about it – almost like being stuck in a rut – yet it is simply not fair to deprive the clubs of players who can make the difference to their season, and it is those clubs who pay the wages of the players, not their country. It is understandable that players are proud to represent their nation and by no means is this a criticism of the tournament as a whole, merely the time it is held. It seems that the issue will come to a head over the next couple of years with back to back tournaments, and should a compromise or solution be reached, most managers across Europe will breathe a sigh of relief!
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This weekend may not be a particularly high scoring weekend in Fantasy Football with the current top six facing some tricky opponents. Newcastle face Spurs at White Hart Lane whilst Liverpool, sitting in 7th, play Manchester United at Old Trafford. Hopefully it won’t be overshadowed by politics. At the very least then, let’s put football first here and look at who are the most worthy candidates for taking your side’s armband.
The Captaincy Debate
Perhaps the most in-form player in the Premier League outside of the top six is Stéphane Sessegnon. Playing in a role just behind the striker has meant he’s been getting into plenty of dangerous positions as the statistics show. Only once in his last eight league games has the Benin international failed to pick up a goal or an assist. Arsenal make the long trip to the North East on Saturday. The Gunners have the third worst defence away from home and Martin O’Neill will be hoping Sessegnon can take full advantage of this.
Maybe Fulham’s Clint Dempsey takes your fancy though. The top scoring American in the history of the Premier League has been the Whites most prolific force of late. With the departure of Bobby Zamora, Dempsey now has added responsibility when it comes to scoring the goals. He comes up against Stoke on Saturday, a side he has a history of netting against. In the corresponding fixtures last year, he bagged a double and Fulham could do with a repeat performance on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney’s form this season has been sporadic but when he’s found it, the England forward has been brilliant. Last weekend’s two goals from the spot against Chelsea were impressively dispatched considering Rooney has missed two spot kicks this season. What’s more, they were his first strikes since December. Perhaps it will mark the beginning of a run of form for Rooney, who looks a good shout to net against Liverpool in the game of the weekend.
However, if Spurs are playing at home, it’s hard to ignore Gareth Bale’s presence. In his last eight at White Hart Lane, the Welshman has five goals and six assists. Newcastle will not be easy pickings for Spurs by any means though. In fact, every team who has overcome the Toon this campaign has had to score at least three goals. Spurs certainly have the firepower to do this and Bale will be crucial to any possible victory in Saturday’s late kick off.
Captain: Gareth Bale – If in doubt, give it to the most dangerous winger in the Premier League at the moment. Expect Bale to make an impact of some sort at White Hart Lane.
Vice Captain: Wayne Rooney – Just under a year ago, Rooney rose to the occasion with a mercurial bicycle kick against Manchester City. The England forward is certainly capable of providing another special moment against another one of United’s fierce rivals – Liverpool.
Long Term Look
This column may appear to have a Sunderland bias of late but ultimately they are the in-form team in the Premier League which can’t be ignored. Having said to include Sessegnon a few weeks back, it’s time to recommend some more Black Cats to put in your side. So why not compliment Benin’s finest with Phil Bardsley and James McClean. Both are priced under £5 million and have been racking up the points of late.
Bardsley has been part of a defence which has kept clean sheets in four of its last six games. What’s more the Scottish international is more than capable of an assist as is Irish winger James McClean. The 22-year-old who only made his Sunderland debut in December has two goals and two assists to his name in six starts for the Mackems.
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Your team perhaps doesn’t need both Sessegnon and McClean in midfield, one will suffice but as his price suggests, Stéphane Sessegnon is more likely to guarantee you points on a regular basis. Either way, having Sunderland players looks to be very beneficial at this moment in time!
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The reaction of the media and some supporters to Tottenham’s recent defeats has been slightly over the top to say the least. Three losses in the space of two weeks’ has left their great rivals within touching distance of them in third and Fleet Street deeming it the great collapse. Nobody seems to mention the fact that Spurs have been incredibly unlucky (certainly two of the games) where they thoroughly deserved maximum points. They just didn’t get the rub of the green in front of goal and subsequently a media-fuelled crisis has hit the North Londoners.
The news-men love a crisis and it is now the turn of Tottenham to face their wrath. While there is no getting away that their big lead has been chipped away, I would be more concerned if Spurs weren’t playing well and were subsequently well beaten as a result. The fact of the matter is they haven’t and confidence and belief clearly remains high within the squad, but the failure in the final third to convert chances is costing them at present.
Obviously the media don’t see that and would prefer to paint the picture that it is the uncertainty over Harry Redknapp’s future that is the reason behind Spurs’ latest dip, something that doesn’t quite add up. With the exception of the Stevenage ties (typical performance when Tottenham play lesser teams) they have only played one bad 45 minutes since Capello’s departure from the England job, therefore pouring cold water over this so-called coincidence. Fergie admitted they were lucky, while David Moyes said that Tottenham were the best team they had witnessed at Goodison Park all season. I suppose that is not the side of the story they want to note, especially when it fails to highlight any signs of a crisis.
The actual reality is that there isn’t one, given the way the team are playing and if they carry on performing in such a manner they will pick up close to maximum points here on in until the end of the season. This is simply a media-induced crisis and the sooner everyone wakes up to it the better.
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