Sevilla goalkeeper Javi Varas is refusing to give up hope of his club stealing a Champions League spot from La Liga rivals Villarreal.Villarreal occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot on the Spanish table with 54 points, eight more than Sevilla in fifth place.
With just seven games to go it would seem Sevilla’s chances are all but shot, even more so given their mixed form of late.
Sevilla have won two of their past five league games and still face a visit from Real Madrid and potentially tricky trips to Espanyol and Osasuna.
But Varas believes the club can still engineer a miracle – beginning with their trip to relegation-threatened Getafe on Saturday.
“I think that the team are able to win the remaining seven games,” Varas said.
“If we win them all, then Villarreal will have slipped up. We need them to slip up a further two times.”
“There is still a long way to go. We have to win at Getafe and then we face a situation that isn’t in our hands. We don’t know what Villarreal will do – only ourselves.”
Sevilla scraped into the Champions League by one point last season only to fall to Portuguese runners-up Braga in the playoff round.
The club made it through the group stages of the Europa League but were bundled out by another Portuguese club, Porto, in the round of 32.
With the new Football League season having kicked off at the weekend and the Premier League hot on its heels, football fans and betting aficionados will have two main options when it comes to following Saturday’s developments on television. Sky’s Soccer Saturday and the BBC’s Final Score are both shows which preview the day’s action before making use of videprinters and punditry to keep you updated with all the goals and developments across the leagues. But who reigns supreme in the peculiar concept of producing second hand football?
The image of Soccer Saturday as the wealthier relation has been enhanced by the decision to broadcast the show in HD. It is an impressive set worthy of such digital clarity, boasting florescent lights and logos. The smart, clean appearance of the set extends to the host Jeff Stelling and his regular panel of pundits, of varying ability, who will all be suited. This should not give the lasting impression of a stilted atmosphere as the Countdown host will break the ice with a well-timed pun or a self deprecating swipe at his beloved Hartlepool. Jeff Stelling is the clear selling point of this six hour marathon show. He is a consummate professional and his knowledge of the game including the most obscure statistics is unrivalled. As is his ability to plough through all the goals with a speed, accuracy and consistency which borders on the autistic. His delivery and pitch adds to the drama, captivating the audience. Expect more humour from the in-house pundits usually consisting of Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas. They enjoy some friendly banter whilst making their predictions and opine about who is ‘different class’ this year. Just don’t anticipate perfect pronunciations of Laurent Koscielny or Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
However do not expect much better from the dozens of pitch side reporters either. Dean Windass who used to struggle with his feet now does so with his words as an eventful match will overwhelm him. That sensation is well-known to Chris ‘unbelievable Jeff’ Kamara who habitually fails to distinguish between red cards and substitutions. Such comedic interludes can come as welcome relief once your betting selections have gone awry. The show is never at risk of descending into farce as Stelling jovially keeps order whilst correlating results from umpteen divisions even down to goal difference.
It is a rather more low-budget, cosy affair as you switch your attentions to the Beeb’s Final Score. Greeted by Gabby Logan or Mark ‘Chappers’ Chapman with a few pundits stationed on a curved sofa, the dress code is firmly smart casual. A headache inducing screen-saver background constantly displays the names of sides throughout the Football League. As the presenter zips through all the developments on the videprinter the pundits are concentrating on the Premier League action. This is Final Score’s distinct difference from its rival where their studio pundits focus on a game each. Garth Crooks and journeyman Steve Claridge keep you abreast of every Premier League game in tandem. As they cast their scrutinising eyes across the top division there is greater opportunity for debate and disagreements. Whilst it is usually cordial, the opinionated Crooks and Claridge will occasionally ruffle the less forthright Lee Dixon and Mark Bright. Disagreements were in abundance when Carlton Palmer used to appear alongside Crooks and events such as Adebayor’s provocative goal celebration polarised opinion brilliantly.
Final Score purports to provide comprehensive coverage of all teams across the division, sending out twenty reporters to football grounds on a Saturday. Double that and you may start to get close to Soccer Saturday’s output. Live cameras and a reporter were even in attendance for Stevenage’s encounter with Macclesfield at the weekend. Despite Sky’s greater financial investment in their football results show it is Stelling’s continued presence which secures their advantage. The ease, skill and speed at which he updates the viewer is astonishing. It just may be worth checking to see if Garth Crooks is having one of his days on Final Score though.
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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As the January transfer window approaches, the media rumour mill is starting to warm up again with reports of possible upcoming big-money moves. As usual, Liverpool are likely to be linked to a whole host of names, and have already been rumoured to be targeting Aly Cissokho, Philippe Coutinho and Seydou Keita.
Another player Kenny Dalglish is said to be interested in is Sao Paulo ’s Brazilian midfielder Lucas , full name Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva. According to reports, the Reds are prepared to offer £20 million for the 19-year-old, who is also a target for Manchester United , Real Madrid and AC Milan .
But is he worth the money? Club owners Fenway Sports Group have already shown they are willing to splash out big funds on youngsters with potential, bringing in the likes of Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson for considerable amounts. And the case for signing Lucas is strengthened by the fact that he has arguably shown much more potential than either of those two.
Having made his professional debut for Sao Paulo just last year, Lucas has since gone on to become a key player for the side. He made 25 appearances in the Brazilian Championship, the Campeonato Brasileiro, last season, and has again been a regular during this campaign, scoring eight goals in the process.
He was also a part of the Brazil Under-20 side which won the South American Youth Championship in Peru earlier this year, where he scored four goals in nine appearances. These impressive displays saw him earn a call up to the senior side, and he made his debut against Scotland in March.
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Article courtesy of Sean Mullan from Live4Liverpool
“Jack who?” I hear you ask? Well for the more educated of football fans, the name of Jack Reynolds is one they like to role off the tongue to prove their education of the beautiful game but for many it’s a name and a legacy that is often over looked, especially in a week where we are celebrating legends. I had only discovered his story when researching the roots of ‘Total Football’ which I assumed like many to be a Dutch revolution in the 1960s, but the English man in question had a huge part to play.
Manchester born Jack did not have a highly regarded playing career starting at the turn of the 20th century playing a few seasons at Burton United and Grimsby Town before becoming a coach at F.C. St.Gallen in Switerland in 1912. There are sources linking him to the coach of the German national side but the outbreak of World War 1 saw Reynolds move to Holland where his legacy began.
He became coach of Ajax Amsterdam, then a new and small club in the football world but Jack transformed them into a professional outfit even though the players were still unpaid. He made improvements to the club’s facilities and introduced training methods that progressed to players working on skill with the ball rather than the physical side of the game.
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Over his 27 years with Ajax, Reynolds won the Eredivisie as many as 8 times and Ajax expert and author, Menno Pot speaks very highly of the legacy that Reynolds left at the club saying : “He was the man who came up with the idea that every player at Ajax should play the same system and the same formation.”
It sounds like a very similar system to what managers like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Pepe Guardiola at Barcelona use today.
The roots of Ajax and Holland’s “Total Football” are credited to Rinus Michels who was a former product of Reynold’s youth system in Amsterdam. Mr Pot believes that without Jack Reynolds, Ajax would never have become a force in European football and he is seen as one of the club’s founding fathers.
His reign at Ajax was also interrupted due to World War II where he was taken as a Prisoner of War by the Germans from 1940 to 1945. He made a return to football after the war was over and lifted his final trophy with Ajax in 1947 but decided to retire from the game.
Today, Ajax still recognise the contribution he made to their club and having previously had a stand named after him at their former ground, they now have the ‘Jack Reynolds Lobby’ at the Amsterdam Arena.
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Reynolds spent his retirement in Amsterdam and his story is one of most remarkable and impressionable I have ever seen in the history of the game. His modern philosophies and actions on the game created a huge influence, not only on one club and a nation but also the football world, a true LEGEND.
For more lessons of Football History, follow me on Twitter @verbal_football
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has no interest in bringing France international Yoann Gourcuff to the Emirates Stadium.
The Bordeaux star, who has also been linked with Lyon, is admired by Wenger although the Gunners boss is happy with his current midfield options.
Wenger told Telefoot: "We are not interested (in Gourcuff) and we were never contacted. He's a player I like a lot, but we are sufficiently covered in midfield."
Gourcuff was part of the Les Bleus squad that performed so pitifully in the World Cup finals in South Africa last month.
He started the game against Uruguay and the tournament hosts, although he was sent off against South Africa, as Raymond Domenech's side failed to progress from the group stages.
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The ex-Rennes and AC Milan player has featured in 81 games for Bordeaux in the last two seasons, finding the net 21 times.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham have moved into pole position to sign Jack Grealish this summer, but fans are completely split on a move for the feisty youngster.
According to the Telegraph, Mauricio Pochettino has made Aston Villa’s Grealish his “prime target” as he looks to strengthen his midfield this summer.
Grealish showed potential as a winger when he first broke into the Villa senior side, but was fantastic as a central midfielder for Steve Bruce last season.
The 22 year-old excels at driving forward from midfield with the ball at his feet, and could replace some of the ball carrying ability lost if Mousa Dembele leaves the club.
Grealish missed most of the first half of last season, but still managed three Championship goals and six assists, and went from strength to strength towards the end of the season.
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Aston Villa will likely be forced to sell their most valuable assets this summer to fight off their financial troubles, and insist they will not sell for under £40million.
Daniel Levy will of course hope to use the Villans’ precarious financial situation to his advantage and bring that price down a bit, but fans aren’t all that convinced.
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Some fans are ready to get behind the young Englishman, who has a reputation for losing his cool, while others want to see more ambition from the club.
Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
When Joe Hart signed for West Ham on loan in the summer, it was the fact he had done so alongside his former Manchester City teammate Pablo Zabaleta that seemed to make it so exciting.
Hart has won the Premier League golden glove a record four times from his Manchester City days, and is still England’s number one – though he may not be by the time the next round of international fixtures comes along.
And while Hart might be longing for his days of glory at the Etihad, it was his current side’s trip to his parent club that sealed his current spot on the West Ham bench.
Unable to play, Adrian took up the role between the sticks and gave a great account of himself as his side were unlucky to lose to a rampant Manchester City, who were on course to set a record run of Premier League wins.
Since then, the Spanish goalkeeper has kept his place in the side and done fairly well.
We all knew he was a good goalkeeper, but consistency and concentration were often his let-downs in the past. Since coming in for Hart, the competition seems to have spurred him on. Against Tottenham, he showed it.
To go to Spurs and come away with a result is a difficult thing to achieve these days, especially when you find yourselves in the midst of a relegation dogfight. But that’s exactly what the Hammers did thanks in no small part to their goalkeeper.
You often need luck and help from your keeper to get a point away to Tottenham, and with Adrian, they certainly got the help. He a massive seven saves to help his side to a point, whilst the defence in front of him also deserves praise for the fact that they stuck to their jobs diligently. That Spurs had 31 shots is testament to their quality and the defensive nature of the West Ham performance, but the fact that 14 of those shots were blocked says a lot about the Hammers defence, too.
Adrian, however, was on hand to help when needed.
Though that characterisation of a man involved only on the periphery of the game is an unfair one. The Spanish stopper attempted more passes than any other West Ham player on the night, which is surely a reflection of Tottenham dominance rather than anything else, but for a goalkeeper who is prone to a lapse in concentration, it’s encouraging.
In the same vein, however, his 30% pass accuracy – explained by his long kicked clearances and the fact that only Javier Hernandez and Cheikhou Kouyate were jumping to try to win them – still saw him complete more passes than Winston Reid and Hernandez himself.
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Indeed, Adrian had more touches than five West Ham players on the night as the Hammers’ rearguard action was all-encompassing.
But in the end, if defences are solid, they’re helped by whatever trust they have in their goalkeeper behind them, and in Adrian West Ham have a goalkeeper they can trust ore than Hart at the moment.
Arsenal’s rise and stay at the top of the Premier League table has been in spite of a squad ravaged by injury, leaving key players out for lengthy spells and allowing for fuel to be added to the fire of expected failure.
Among those has been Theo Walcott, who not only looked to finally mature into a player that the club and supporters were waiting for last season, but also finished as the team’s top scorer across all competitions. That was achieved even with the spikiness of early last season, where the protracted contract saga saw Walcott on the fringes of the starting XI.
This new Arsenal – and we’ll call it that because it does feel new or at least different from seasons past – has been built on multiple layers. The first being the sturdiness and togetherness of the backline, with the excellent defensive displays of last season proving to be more than a flash in the pan. With the addition of Mathieu Flamini and the return to form of Wojciech Szczesny, Arsenal have a more than solid defensive base with which to build their clearly identifiable attack upon.
Mesut Ozil is the catalyst. As one of the leading midfielders in world football, he’s raised the level of play at Arsenal while also giving others the confidence to express themselves to the standard which Arsene Wenger wants to see.
But the transformation from top-four team into a side who look the complete footballing outfit is a little shy of completion.
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Depth is one aspect that doesn’t really need to be touched on in too great a detail, but rather the variety of play and the final cutting edge to an attack that has made teams like Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund such formidable and attractive sides.
Does Theo Walcott deserve a place immediately upon his return? Well yes. He’s the key to making Arsenal’s play that little bit more unpredictable and that more dangerous on the counter. When possession teams move the ball about just in front of the opposition penalty area, as Arsenal are doing often this season, they need someone with the pace to break in behind the backline and help to turn that possession into goals.
Barcelona did it expertly under Pep Guardiola. Lionel Messi is of course quick, but the width and penetration offered by Pedro and vitally Dani Alves allowed Barcelona multiple avenues to goal. Possession football works well when you have the right personnel – as Barcelona and Arsenal do – but adding that extra dimension of pace is hugely important in stretching the play.
Walcott may yet to fully convince those up and down the country, but inside the Emirates his importance is fully appreciated.
Even prior to last season’s goal scoring exploits, Walcott proved vital in helping Robin van Persie to reach the scoring figures he did in his final seasons with the club. And then there’s evidence throughout Walcott’s career as to how much of a weapon his pace is, even against the best teams in Europe.
He changed the game against Barcelona at the Emirates with Arsenal down 2-0, eventually helping to secure a 2-2 draw. Against Milan and Liverpool a couple of seasons prior, he spearheaded Arsenal’s counterattack on the way to two goals, while in the league against Chelsea, Arsenal recorded a memorable 3-1 win at the Emirates with Walcott as one of the keys to the victory.
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Mesut Ozil, importantly, saw a lot of joy with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Karim Benzema ahead of him at Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho’s successes in Spain were built on the not-so-popular counterattacking system with Ozil and Xabi Alonso as the architects. At present, Arsenal do not have that level of pace in the team to capitalise on Ozil’s ability to unlock a defence or spring a lightning-quick counter. Walcott’s inclusion will not only see Ozil benefit, and vice-versa, but Olivier Giroud too.
Arsene Wenger will find comfort in the return of Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott over the coming weeks. But while the German’s inclusion in the starting XI will force a lengthy debate, there’s no question as to how important Walcott is to the way Arsenal play.
West Ham United have confirmed that they still hope to become the main tenants of the Olympic Stadium, despite news emerging of a delay in the decision.
Legal challenges from Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient put an end to West Ham’s hopes of buying the stadium in a partnership bid with Newham Council in 2011.
But they are still hopeful that the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) will choose them as their preferred bidders for tenancy.
West Ham reiterated their interest in the stadium in a statement released by the club.
“It is now 20 months since West Ham United
were initially named as the preferred bidder to occupy the Olympic Stadium post-Games. We are obviously disappointed, that three bids later, a decision has yet to be reached.
“We do however remain fully committed to becoming the catalyst to galvanise the Olympic Park
by bringing people, jobs and a robust and sustainable commercial offer that guarantees a return to the taxpayer of the money already invested.”
The LLDC cheif executive Dennis Hone said yesterday: “In the scheme of things if it slips another month or two I would rather get the right solution.
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“I would hate to bung someone in there and see it fall apart in five years. If it takes a couple of extra months to get there, then so be it. We have had discussions with all of the bidders.
“The difficulty is that we are balancing the adaptations we have to make to the stadium against the proposals that have come in and the benefits – financial and otherwise – that those proposals bring. If it was a knockout [verdict] it would be an easy decision, but it’s not.”
Following the final fixtures of the domestic season last weekend, we’re now on the home stretch for the 2018 World Cup. But before Gareth Southgate’s side square up with the likes of Panama and Belgium in the Group Stages, England must ready themselves for two warm-up friendlies that could have a decisive impact on how they perform in Russia. Use them effectively to learn more about this young team and the Three Lions could defy their pre-World Cup critics; waste the opportunity and England will enter the tournament under-prepared.
Nigeria are first up, facing England at Wembley on Saturday, so here’s three crucial questions Southgate needs the Three Lions’ clash with the Super Eagles to answer…
Can England’s formation work against lesser opposition?
Soccer Football – International Friendly – England vs Italy – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – March 27, 2018 England manager Gareth Southgate with Raheem Sterling at the end of the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
Southgate seems intent on making his three-at-the-back formation, a cross between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2, England’s primary World Cup formation. But having only really used it thus far against traditionally strong teams – namely Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil – there’s not a mountain of evidence to suggest it works against lesser opposition. In fact, the only time Southgate’s fielded his side with a three-man defence against such opponents was in the scrappy and unconvincing 1-0 win over Lithuania in qualifying, which required a penalty from Harry Kane.
The significance of that shouldn’t be downplayed; the earliest England will play a high-quality team is in their last Group Stage game against Belgium on the 28th of June, but if they fail to take at least two points from their opening two clashes with Tunisia and Panama because the formation doesn’t work, the Three Lions’ World Cup bid will be over by the time they meet the Red Devils. Nigeria, ranked 43rd in the world by FIFA, represent a significant and suitable test.
Is Ruben Loftus-Cheek ready to start?
Ruben Loftus-Cheek clearly has a fan in Southgate and with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out of the World Cup through injury, there is an opening in England’s midfield. The problem, though, is that there’s already some strong competition to fill it – while Jesse Lingard excelled in an advanced midfield role during the last batch of friendlies, it seems inevitable that Dele Alli will be brought back into the side after sitting out the win over the Netherlands and the draw with Italy.
But there’s no doubting Loftus-Cheek’s natural ability and he seems perfectly suited for not only that role but also the energetic, athletic philosophy of this England team; he’s got the dynamism to stretch teams on the counter-attack, as he did for Crystal Palace all of last season, and the quality to create goals. The question though, is whether he’s ready to start for England over two players who have far greater experience and more proven track records at both club and international level. Perhaps a runout against Nigeria will give Southgate a clearer idea of whether a 22-year-old who missed a big chunk of last term through injury has what it takes to make the step up.
Can Vardy and Kane play up front together?
On paper, Kane and Jamie Vardy make something close to the perfect partnership. While the Tottenham man can drop deep, hold up the ball and create chances, the Leicester icon’s strengths lay in clinical finishing and stretching the opposition defence by making relentless, surging runs behind it. That should make them a feared strikeforce for pretty much any opposition in the world, but there haven’t been too many games in which England have used both in the same starting XI.
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And while Southgate seems pretty set on having Raheem Sterling as a support striker to Kane, Vardy represents the kind of Plan B that could make all the difference at the World Cup, especially in the latter stages of games. So perhaps Saturday’s friendly can be a testing ground for the best way to get both into the side; whether that’s making a shock switch to a 4-4-2, using Vardy from out wide or modifying the dimensions of Southgate’s three-at-the-back setup.