Tottenham continued their fine form under Tim Sherwood win an emphatic 3-1 Premier League win away at Swansea.Emmanuel Adebayor stole the show, notching a brace for the visitors to ensure their fifth away win on the trot – the club’s best run since 1960.Adebayor opened the scoring in the 34th minute, getting on the end of Christian Erikson’s delectable cross, before Chico Flores turned into his own net.The Togo international had all the time in the world to tuck home Spurs’ third, with Wilfried Bony’s late strike proving little consolation.Here’s what Twitter said about the the game’s key moments…
24 mins- Bony hits the bar!
34 mins- Adebayor scores against the run of play for Spurs
53 mins- Chico Flores weighs in with an oggy
71 mins- Adebayor has eternity to slot in his second
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WOW! Emmanuel Adebayor now has 88 Premier League goals, overturning Dennis Bergkamp’s 87. #THFC (@richardajkeys)— Addicted to Spurs (@AddictedtoSpurs)
It’s not a path that many footballers choose to travel but leaving the champions of England and returning home to the North East is something that suited Adam Johnson down to a tee. His bit part role at Manchester City certainly illustrated his immense talent but it also stunted his progression due to a lack of regular football.
Thankfully any fears over the winger becoming the latest home grown talent to fall fowl of a big money move have been put to bed thanks to Martin O’Neill’s inspired summer recruitment efforts and his £10m signing has become an instant fans favourite at the Stadium of Light despite hardly featuring for his new side this season.
As a local lad with red and white connections, his signature had been coveted by the Black Cats ever since his rise to prominence with rivals Middlesbrough and his protracted arrival via the Etihad Stadium has certainly excited supporters. Football FanCast’s Alex Churcher caught up with Adam, promoting the new Medal of Honor Warfighter, about settling in at Sunderland, playing for the national team and the upcoming North East derbies against Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
Hi Adam, so tell us a bit about the event you’re currently attending. Are you any good at Medal of Honor?!
I am here promoting the new Medal of Honor game, I’ve been having a few goes but it’s hard to get me off it! I’ve been having a good day and having some banter with a couple of lads. This is the new one but I used to play the one before that, it gets quite addictive and my girlfriend kills me for being on the computer the whole time! I really enjoy the shooting games because I’m not that good at the football ones strangely enough!
From one battlefield to another, how are you settling in at Sunderland?
Yeah I’ve settled in pretty quick, obviously it’s like being back home for me. All the family are here so it’s been pretty easy for me. It wasn’t like changing clubs because it’s sort of like coming home.
Since you’re a local lad, you must be looking forward to your first Tyne-Wear derby in a few weeks?
It’s all that gets talked about up in the North East and obviously if I’m lucky enough to play in the one in a couple of weeks, it’s going to be a massive occasion. I’m really excited about it, I’ve heard the atmosphere is going to be unbelievable and for me these are the sort of games you want to play in as player.
Funnily enough because you grew up in the region fans have heard differing rumours about your boyhood allegiances. Is the Johnson family split or do you all support Sunderland?!
Well now that I’m a Sunderland player, they’re the only results that matter to me but I was sort of split as kid growing up. I came through the ranks at Middlesbrough and I played for Newcastle between the age of 9 and 11 years old during the Ginola and Asprilla era. Still my family are all Sunderland fans and the first game I went to was a Sunderland game so there’s enough support between everyone!
There’s a tough match against Manchester City first, are you looking forward to returning to the Etihad Stadium this weekend?
Yeah, I’m looking forward to going back, it’s going to be a tough game but I think its nice going back to an old club and seeing old faces and friends so I’m really looking forward to it. I keep in touch with most of the lads, a lot of my closest friends are still there and we went through a lot growing up, winning the league and playing for England together.
Any incentive to prove Roberto Mancini wrong for selling you?!
Well I don’t know about proving him wrong or anything but I want to do well and play well for Sunderland. I don’t think I need to prove anything, Mancini would honestly say I did well for him, we had a chat and he understood I wanted to play regularly which was great so there were no hard feelings.
Good to know you’re looking forward to the game, how’s the thigh injury coming along?
Yeah it’s almost there now, I was bit frustrated over recent weeks not being able to play and it wasn’t really improving but it seems to be getting better now. I played on Saturday and I felt good, a bit unfit and lacking match sharpness, but it’s good to be back after a frustrating start.
Congrats on making it into the England squad. Are you looking forward to the qualifiers or are you cautious about suffering a recurrence of your injury given what happened last time?
Obviously I love playing for England. I had to drop out of the squad for the last International through my injury so I was gutted about that but it’s nice to be back in and get back involved straight away. I’m excited to meet up with the England lads and hopefully get another couple of caps.
Back to domestic action now and it’s been hard to assess Sunderland’s season so far. Some fans have been concerned by the lack of goals while others are happy the side is still unbeaten and looking solid defensively, how do you rate the team’s start?
Well it’s always good to be unbeaten no matter what level you’re playing at because it brings confidence to the team, I don’t mind if we’re not scoring goals as long as we’re winning. Winning 1-0 and being solid at the back is good but I think a few more goals will come as the team comes together and gels a bit more. If you look at our fixtures we’ve had a couple of tough games against Liverpool and Arsenal so I think it’s a good start for us.
Given the competition in the Premier League, what do you think are realistic ambitions for Sunderland this season?
I’m not too sure to be honest! I think it’s difficult to say and it’ll be few months down the line before you find out who’s going to be whereabouts. Then you can have a look and see where you can push to but I think a top 10 finish is something Sunderland should definitely be looking at. Hopefully then we can see where we can go from there.
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Perhaps a Cup run then?! Are you looking forward to facing another of your old teams Middlesbrough soon?
Yes it’s another great game I’ve got to look forward to, I’ve got some really good games coming up for me and it’s nice to play against the side where it all started as not many players get the sort of chance they gave me.
I suppose you and Lee Cattermole must be excited about it then?
Yes we are to be honest, we were having a bit of banter about it the other day and we’re looking forward to playing our old team as we still have old friends there and people who we grew up with so it’s going to be a good day for us.
Finally, since you’re promoting Medal of Honor, does the team play much and who would win out of you and the lads?!
Well I’m going to be getting a few copies for them so we’ll probably be playing online against each other. I’m not sure who’s actually any good but Fletcher thinks he’s good on the computer so he might be a dark horse!
Adam Johnson was having a first look at Medal of Honor Warfighter, in which gamers can go head-to-head with the world’s best special forces. Medal of Honor Warfighter is on sale from 26th October on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. For more information and to pre-order, visit uk.medalofhonor.com.
Andreas Christensen’s successful transition from Chelsea’s loan army to the first team has been one of the biggest stories of the season at Stamford Bridge. The 21-year-old centre-back is clearly an exciting prospect, bringing real calmness and composure to the heart of the Blues defence.
However, Christensen has struggled at times against elite opposition during his first season as a Chelsea regular – that ill-fated pass against Barcelona in the Champions League particularly coming to mind. That’s perhaps why Antonio Conte has turned back to Gary Cahill in recent weeks for the business end of the season.
And that business end comes to a conclusion this weekend when Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup final. So after both featured last time out in the 3-0 defeat to Newcastle, we asked Blues supporters who should start at the centre of defence in Saturday’s huge clash.
Our poll has revealed Chelsea fans are somewhat divided on the issue, but the majority – 55% – would start the experienced England international, demoting Christensen to the bench.
How would you line up Conte’s side this weekend, Chelsea fans? Let us know by commenting below…
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Few players light up the Premier League like Christian Eriksen when he’s on form. But there’s always a frustration around the corner for Tottenham fans when a player with so much talent often slows games down or fails to put his stamp on the game.
But the Dane isn’t just a wisp of a player who drifts in and out of games. He is a truly world class talent who can run them when he’s on form. And in a Premier League which is enduring the increasingly wide gap between the haves of the top six and the have-nots of the rest, that can be a potent weapon.
Against West Ham on Thursday night, Eriksen, like the rest of his Spurs teammates, may not have had the best night of their footballing lives, but he was still effective. And when looking at the stats, it’s clear that he was involved in the best things that his side did.
Eriksen, playing in an advanced role, had more shots than anyone else on the pitch and more touches than anyone other than Ben Davies. What’s impressive is that the players having the shots aren’t usually the ones getting all the touches. The Danish playmaker was given space to play in front of the Hammers defence, which is why he was able to drop deeper and get so much time on the ball, but his attacking instinct when he got it was important, too.
With 74 passes made throughout the game, Eriksen’s evening was mostly about recycling possession and making his team tick. With three key passes – more than anyone except Dele Alli – he certainly did that.
But in a game where the opposition sits deep and attempts to stifle your creativity and hit you on the break – just as the Hammers did to Manchester City and Chelsea before Christmas – every attack can be dangerous to your own team if you give the ball away. The fact that Christian Eriksen made more interceptions than any Spurs player tells you just how instrumental he was to his side’s defence, too. For each of the chances he created with a key pass at one end, he stopped one at the other. And as contributions in a tight game against a bitter rival, where a point is sealed through a wonder goal from your winger go, that could well have been vital.
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The progress is evident at Liverpool. If Brendan Rodgers guides the club into the top four in the Premier League, it would count as a considerable step forward, but yet still quite a distance from the final goal.
Liverpool’s form this season will likely extend Luis Suarez’s stay at the club beyond January, but you still get the sense that the Uruguayan isn’t in it for the long haul and that he’ll depart in the summer.
That doesn’t take away from Liverpool’s objective, however. You could tell by their activity in the summer that they weren’t going to be distracted by Suarez’s public desire to leave Anfield. Where Wayne Rooney’s uncertain future played a part in the poor transfer business at Manchester United, Liverpool regardless went ahead and upgraded the goalkeeping department, the defence and added a small handful of attackers to supplement what they already had. The fact the Suarez decided – or was convinced – to stay has only counted as a bonus.
Champions League football will set Liverpool up nicely for next season – yet even with UEFA’s premier club competition, I still believe Suarez will be persuaded to go elsewhere, possibly Real Madrid. European football simply isn’t enough to retain the world’s best players when major silverware looks to be out of reach, as evidenced by the departures at Arsenal in recent years.
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What Liverpool will get is a boost of funding, both in the income from the Champions League but also in the sale of Suarez. But even if they finish outside of the top four, there’s little reason why they shouldn’t demand a sizable fee for the striker in the summer, especially if dealing with Real Madrid.
The project, as these things are so often called, isn’t over at Liverpool. How many disruptions will there be if the club fail to land Champions League football for next season? Only Suarez is to be considered a real commodity that other clubs will look to pursue. Names like Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge are obviously vital to this Liverpool side, but they don’t hold the same value as the Uruguayan, therefore limiting the chance of major squad disruptions.
It also helps that Liverpool are looking towards younger players. Coutinho and Sturridge are well off their peak years and therefore know they have time on their side to win trophies. Luis Alberto, Mamadou Sakho and Simon Mignolet are the same. Importantly, there appears to be a very settled atmosphere at Anfield, where even Suarez has kept quiet since his return from a 10-match ban. That is largely owed to the work put in by Rodgers.
There is an inevitability about Suarez’s departure. He’s from Latin America where clubs like Real Madrid hold far more weight than Manchester United or Liverpool do. But Liverpool look to be prepared for what may come in the summer. In fact, had a foreign club come in this past summer with an “acceptable” offer, it would have been likely he’d be playing somewhere else by now.
But Suarez is a Liverpool player at this time and he’s doing a lot to place them in the top four come May. Being knocked out of the League Cup and not competing in Europe at all this season may have been viewed as a step backwards, but it counts towards the club taking a far greater step forward into the Champions League next season. And like Napoli for example have done with the sale of Edinson Cavani, Liverpool will also be given the opportunity to significantly upgrade the squad as a whole.
Even with Suarez’s sale, it’s unlikely Liverpool will be knocked too far off course.
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Despite a 6-1 thrashing of Southampton on Saturday, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels the future will be even more exciting for Arsenal fans as he praises his adaptable squad.
Wenger lost Robin van Persie and Alex Song in the summer but their replacements were the catalyst in the Gunners impressive display at the Emirates Stadium that ensured Arsenal remain unbeaten so far this season.
Wenger told talkSPORT that the fans are in for a pleasing time in the future if things plan out the way they should.
“It’s exciting because we have a good combination of youth and experience, of pace and technique. It’s very interesting. The crowd feels it and you see that the crowd gets behind the team,” he said.
“You feel there is something positive coming out of the team, a positive energy and that is the most pleasing thing for a manager.
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“They want to [win] they have a good bond, a good attitude and you feel as though there is potential there.”
According to The Independent, Liverpool want to sign Newcastle United’s Jamaal Lascelles or Burnley’s James Tarkowski in this summer’s transfer window.
Indeed, it is being reported that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants to sign at least one new centre-back this summer, and Lascelles and Tarkowski are believed to be under consideration by the Champions League finalists.
Lascelles, 24, was excellent for Newcastle during the 2017-18 campaign, and Chelsea are also said to be admirers of the towering centre-back.
It seems that Newcastle will find it difficult to keep the Englishman on a long-term basis, and the Magpies could well be tested by Liverpool during this summer’s window.
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The Liverpool fans have been reacting to suggestions of interest in Lascelles, and there are a number that would welcome the central defender ahead of the new season.
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That said, there are also those who have doubted whether Lascelles, who is valued at £6.3m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is good enough to represent a top-four team.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Tuttosport reports, via the Daily Express, that Liverpool have made an offer for Lazio’s Dutch defender, Stefan de Vrij.
Liverpool are allegedly keen on providing Klopp with defensive recruitment in the forthcoming January transfer window.
What’s the story?
It is reported that Jurgen Klopp is hopeful of signing more defenders in the upcoming window, and his defence has been an area of considerable concern this season. Accordingly, the Reds have allegedly approached Lazio’s Stefan de Vrij. The 25-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season and Liverpool are therefore able to sign the Dutchman on a pre-contract agreement next month.
Nevertheless, it seems that the Merseyside club require immediate defensive reinforcement and thus they’ve made a bid to sign the Dutchman on a permanent basis. In addition to Liverpool, Atletico Madrid have also made an offer, while de Vrij is allegedly attracting the interest of Juventus and Barcelona.
Soccer Football – Serie A – Roma vs Lazio – Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy – November 18, 2017 Roma’s Edin Dzeko in action with Lazio’s Stefan de Vrij REUTERS/Max Rossi
Would he be a good signing?
Liverpool’s need for defensive recruitment is strikingly apparent as they’ve conceded 23 goals in 20 league games this season, an average of more than a goal every game in England’s top flight. For a team that are itching to be considered as one of the best in the division, this is utterly unacceptable.
The addition of de Vrij – who is valued at £24.3m by transfermarkt.com – would unquestionably increase the quality of Liverpool’s defence, and it would serve to help negate some of the issues that have thwarted the Reds’ defence this season.
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The 25-year-old is lauded for his unwavering concentration and his propensity to score goals. In 18 Serie A games for Lazio this season, the centre-half has scored three goals. Thanks to his experience and defensive guile, his arrival would augment the standard of Klopp’s defence.
It is almost unbelievable that only a month or so on from the apparent chaos at Arsenal that we are now talking about a desperate bid from the club to keep hold of Arsene Wenger, football is a mad sport isn’t it?
Since the aftermath of defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, the club have been riding the crest of a wave. Playing the brand of football we all associate the club with, Arsenal have taken the Premier League by storm. Toppling North London rivals Spurs amongst a series of eye-catching displays, they now sit pretty at the very top of the table going into October.
Such an unbelievable turnaround in fortunes has seen the board move quickly to secure their French manager on a longer-term deal. The Daily Mail reported the following in relation to a prospective contract:
“Arsenal are preparing formal discussions with Arsene Wenger over a new three-year contract worth £8million-per-season.”
“The new contract – that would see the Frenchman net a £500,000-per-year increase – would take Wenger beyond 20 years at the north London club.”
Just as fans begin to ditch their “Wenger Out” banners is it not a bit soon to totally change their opinions of the man?
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It isn’t as if Wenger has somehow changed overnight. He bought one big money player, it doesn’t mean he has changed the habit of a lifetime. Those that were concerned about his spending back in August have every reason to continue with their pessimism even now. Nothing has changed.
Now of course Ozil has been a revelation so it is difficult to criticise Arsenal’s transfer policy that aggressively. However, the point is that Arsenal are still very much a team in transition and if fans are concerned about Wenger’s aversion to spending then they have no reason to change their opinion.
However that said my belief is that tying Wenger down to a new deal would be a major coup for the club. Arsenal’s main divisional rivals have all undergone mass change in one way or another this summer and are currently paying the price in the short term for it. Take a club like City who have a new manager, new signings and an altogether new way of playing and you can really gauge the advantage Arsenal have here.
Arsenal know what they are getting with Wenger, and a settled squad regardless of its arguable inferiority in comparison to others, is consistently able to punch above its weight and deliver the results that fans desire.
The other point is that if Arsenal were to let Wenger leave who could they really get? There really is a small pool of experienced, European pedigree managers to choose from. Arsene Wenger is an experienced and masterful tactician who continues to get the very best out of the players at his disposal. £24m to keep arguably one of the best managers in World football at your club is small change in my opinion.
Continuity is important in football and for me change at Arsenal should not be in the managerial department. Instead the club should be looking towards the way in which they divide the workload between staff. Arsene Wenger has always been keen to maintain his control over all aspects of the club and for me this is the bigger issue that needs addressing. Rather than bringing in a manager with a different view on the game, they would be better off seeking out a Director of Football to ease the transfer burden off of Wenger’s shoulders.
For one reason or another football is dominated by knee jerk short-termism and a yearn for constant change. The reality for Arsenal and Wenger is that his availability would mean a huge queue of clubs lining up for his services. Just because you know what you are getting and that he isn’t quite the breath of refreshing air that many desire isn’t to say he isn’t the right man for the job.
This isn’t a deal which will be concluded overnight, Wenger is usually keen to work things out towards the very back end of his contract. A fact which probably suit both parties with the club having a better idea of how the season is likely to pan out by then.
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Few would have predicted that it would be Wenger holding all the cards come contract renewal time, but as it stands the club need and want Wenger now more than he probably does. Familiarity may well lead to unrest from fans, but at Arsenal I think they have the manager that most other clubs can only dream about.
As other clubs face tumultuous upheaval, Arsenal fans should feel comfortable in the knowledge that they are able to depend on the work of their tireless French tactician.
Liverpool will travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on Saturday, with both sides desperately seeking their first win of the season.
Sunderland have held Arsenal and Swansea in their previous away matches, impressing on both occasions, whilst Liverpool have suffered their worst start to a season in 50 years, collecting just one point from a possible nine.
Brendan Rodgers side lost 2-0 at home to Arsenal last time out, where there lack of threat in front of goal was particularly evident.
Liverpool fans are still wondering how their season will shape up, following the clubs disastrous deadline day business, where they failed to secure a replacement for Andy Carroll, leaving the club with just two senior strikers.
One of which is Fabio Borini, a 21-year-old signed from Roma in the summer, with no previous Premier League experience.
Sunderland has not been a particularly happy ground for Liverpool in recent years, losing twice 1-0 in the past three meetings, one of which was to the famous ‘beach ball’ goal.
Rodgers will be desperate to record his first league victory as Liverpool manager, especially with his side occupying a relegation spot, and the visit of Manchester United on the horizon.
Joe Cole (hamstring) and Lucas (thigh) remain the only names on the injury list.
Sunderland meanwhile are set to welcome back Lee Cattermole, Phil Bardsley, Wes Brown and David Vaughn, as they too search for their first win of the season.
However Adam Johnson is likely to miss out having withdrawn himself from the England squad in midweek with a thigh injury.
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Prediction: Sunderland 0-0 Liverpool
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