Archive for December 25, 2012
Cardiff captain will try to put out of his mind the memory of worst day of his career against Holloway’s Palace.
Defender has admitted his frustration at being played out of position.
• ‘It’s just a question of time,’ says Benítez after 8-0 win• Chelsea may explore January move for Barça’s David VillaRafael Benítez will confront the cluttered festive programme confident he can convince Chelsea’s unforgiving support that his appointment as interim first-team manager will benefit the club’s challenge this season.The Spaniard has endured a fractious relationship with the Londoners’ fans, a legacy of his days in charge of Liverpool when the ferocious rivalry with José Mourinho’s Chelsea was at its peak. Supporters continue to mark the 16th minute of every fixture with a round of applause for the departed Roberto Di Matteo and, although Benítez was not heckled during Sunday’s rousing 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa, he had been booed by the travelling contingent at the Club World Cup in Japan this month.Yet the recent upturn in form, instigated with an avalanche of goals – there have been 22 in four domestic matches ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Norwich – has served to focus attention on the apparent resurgence of the team. Although true acceptance will always prove elusive, Benítez is hopeful the disgruntled support will come to appreciate the positive effect he is having at the club.”I said at the beginning and I will say it at the end: my job is to bring the best from the players, try to get results and try to play the best football,” he said.
• ‘It’s just a question of time,’ says Benítez after 8-0 win• Chelsea may explore January move for Barça’s David VillaRafael Benítez will confront the cluttered festive programme confident he can convince Chelsea’s unforgiving support that his appointment as interim first-team manager will benefit the club’s challenge this season.The Spaniard has endured a fractious relationship with the Londoners’ fans, a legacy of his days in charge of Liverpool when the ferocious rivalry with José Mourinho’s Chelsea was at its peak. Supporters continue to mark the 16th minute of every fixture with a round of applause for the departed Roberto Di Matteo and, although Benítez was not heckled during Sunday’s rousing 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa, he had been booed by the travelling contingent at the Club World Cup in Japan this month.Yet the recent upturn in form, instigated with an avalanche of goals – there have been 22 in four domestic matches ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Norwich – has served to focus attention on the apparent resurgence of the team. Although true acceptance will always prove elusive, Benítez is hopeful the disgruntled support will come to appreciate the positive effect he is having at the club.”I said at the beginning and I will say it at the end: my job is to bring the best from the players, try to get results and try to play the best football,” he said.
Jamaica-born forward banishes doubts about his international commitments after signing new deal at Anfield.
Rafael Benítez has told Chelsea supporters to expect plenty more goals as his side seek to prolong their prolific scoring streak and close the gap at the top of the Premier League on the two Manchester clubs.
• Manchester United manager gives views on Newcastle’s dip• Ferguson delighted to have Nemanja Vidic back from injurySir Alex Ferguson believes Newcastle United’s indifferent form this season is because the “surprise” factor has been removed as teams begin to work them out.Last term Alan Pardew’s side finished fifth to qualify for the Europa League, with the 51-year-old winning the LMA and Premier League manager of the year awards.But this season Newcastle stand 14th after Saturday’s much needed win over Queens Park Rangers as United host them at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, having lost five of their past seven league games.Of Newcastle’s impressive performance last term Ferguson said: “The new players they brought in caught us all by surprise. We didn’t really know a lot about them. I knew about [Demba] Ba, of course, but I didn’t know anything about [Yohan] Cabaye or [Papiss] Cissé, to be honest with you
• Manchester United manager gives views on Newcastle’s dip• Ferguson delighted to have Nemanja Vidic back from injurySir Alex Ferguson believes Newcastle United’s indifferent form this season is because the “surprise” factor has been removed as teams begin to work them out.Last term Alan Pardew’s side finished fifth to qualify for the Europa League, with the 51-year-old winning the LMA and Premier League manager of the year awards.But this season Newcastle stand 14th after Saturday’s much needed win over Queens Park Rangers as United host them at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, having lost five of their past seven league games.Of Newcastle’s impressive performance last term Ferguson said: “The new players they brought in caught us all by surprise. We didn’t really know a lot about them.
• Liverpool winger is also eligible to play for Jamaica• ‘I’m not cocky, I’d say I’ve got swagger,’ says SterlingRaheem Sterling has ended Roy Hodgson’s concerns over the Liverpool winger’s future by pledging his international career to England.The precocious young talent holds dual nationality with Jamaica, where he was born to Jamaican parents and spent the first six years of his life before emigrating to London. Sterling remains eligible to represent Jamaica despite making his senior debut for England against Sweden, as last month’s meeting was only a friendly.Hodgson admitted there was still an outside chance of losing Sterling when he called up the 18-year-old for the Stockholm fixture but the winger, having committed his long-term future to Liverpool with a new five-year contract last week, has now brought clarity to his international career too.Sterling said: “Obviously I’ve got Jamaican roots. I was born there and my mum and family are from there but no one tried to put any pressure on me, which was the good thing.
• FA due to rule on Gibson’s appeal on Thursday• Phil Neville set to play 500th Premier League gameEverton will have Darron Gibson available for their Boxing Day game against Wigan Athletic having lodged an appeal with the Football Association over his dismissal at West Ham United.The Republic of Ireland international received a straight red card from the referee, Andrew Taylor, on Saturday for a high challenge on Mark Noble. West Ham’s Carlton Cole had earlier seen red for a similar challenge on Leighton Baines.Everton are already without Marouane Fellaini through suspension for their festive home matches against Wigan and Chelsea and can ill-afford to lose Gibson to a three-match ban. The midfielder will face Roberto Martínez’s side as Everton submitted an appeal to the FA on Monday and the case will not be reviewed by its disciplinary panel until Thursday.David Moyes, the Everton manager, said: “We think there are real reasons to ask the FA to look at it again
Paul Lambert urges Aston Villa to bounce back against Spurs and Stoke fans are asked to come with a ‘belly full of turkey’Aston Villa v Tottenham HotspurPaul Lambert has challenged his Aston Villa players to bounce back quickly from their 8-0 mauling at Chelsea. “It’s about how we react,” the manager said. “You can’t dwell on it and start feeling sorry sorry for yourselves
• Aston Villa striker Benteke faces Tottenham on Boxing Day• ‘I think he is surprising everybody,’ says Villas-BoasAndré Villas-Boas has identified Christian Benteke as a summer transfer target but his immediate focus will be on how to stop the Belgium striker when he takes his Tottenham Hotspur team to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.Tottenham have sent scouts in recent weeks to watch Benteke, who moved from Genk to Villa Park in August for £7m and has found his feet in English football to score eight goals in all competitions.Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said last month that he had tracked Benteke and he was “surprised” that the player had signed for Villa, and the Midlands club will face interest for his signature in the summer. The 22-year-old will not leave in January as Fifa rules forbid him from playing for three teams in a season; he appeared for Genk at the beginning of the season before he joined Villa on transfer deadline day.Benteke has heard praise from White Hart Lane, ahead of the meeting between the clubs, with Villas-Boas agreeing that he had been outstanding. “Eight goals so far … I think he is surprising everybody,” Tottenham’s manager said.
• Liverpool winger is also eligible to play for Jamaica• ‘I’m not cocky, I’d say I’ve got swagger,’ says SterlingRaheem Sterling has ended Roy Hodgson’s concerns over the Liverpool winger’s future by pledging his international career to England.The precocious young talent holds dual nationality with Jamaica, where he was born to Jamaican parents and spent the first six years of his life before emigrating to London. Sterling remains eligible to represent Jamaica despite making his senior debut for England against Sweden, as last month’s meeting was only a friendly.Hodgson admitted there was still an outside chance of losing Sterling when he called up the 18-year-old for the Stockholm fixture but the winger, having committed his long-term future to Liverpool with a new five-year contract last week, has now brought clarity to his international career too.Sterling said: “Obviously I’ve got Jamaican roots. I was born there and my mum and family are from there but no one tried to put any pressure on me, which was the good thing.
The night before Manchester City’s last game at Sunderland, their opponents tomorrow, was New Year’s Eve and in the team hotel Roberto Mancini gathered his players and drank a toast to 2012 and the championship.
Liverpool will make tomorrow’s trip to Stoke City in a mood slightly more buoyant than the press they’ve received in recent months would indicate. As the curtain begins to come down slowly on a torrid 2012 for the Merseyside club, they will take solace from four wins in their last five matches pointing towards a brighter 2013.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s players were put to the sword by Newcastle United at the turn of this year in a fashion which suggested, in a very real way, that there would be no permanence about their grip on British football. It was not so much the 3-0 New Year scoreline on Tyneside as the desperate manner of defeat, five days after humiliation by Blackburn Rovers on Ferguson’s 70th birthday.
Rafael Benitez hopes to win over Chelsea’s fans with a barrage of goals. The interim manager has not been warmly received at Stamford Bridge since his appointment last month. On Sunday, however, his team managed to silence some of the vitriol by putting eight goals past Aston Villa.
Everton are halfway to paradise, otherwise known as Europe; Wigan halfway to hell. The need for three points at either end of the Premier League table adds a literal dimension to this Boxing Day clash at Goodison.
Paul Lambert will have had a difficult Christmas. The Aston Villa manager has had to re-focus his young team after the humiliation they received at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.
• City have lost to late goals on past two visits to Sunderland• Yaya Touré says teams are making it tougher for CityRoberto Mancini has urged Manchester City to “forget” the past two visits to Sunderland, which ended in last-minute defeats, as they look to maintain the pressure on Manchester United.City lost 1-0 on both occasions and Mancini said: “I’ve forgotten everything about Sunderland. We lost the last two games there in the last minute. Always in the last minute