The transfer window is a time when the media spotlight focuses primarily on potential new arrivals, but managers will be equally eager to unload those undesirable names from their rosters. As wage bills and financial incentives come under increased scrutiny, it won’t just be Arsenal football club looking to save money at every available avenue.
Very few Premier League bosses will have received a blank checkbook from their chairman this Christmas and will instead have to operate under the popular nightclub policy of ‘one in, one out’. Therefore I have decided to compile a list of those players who are out of favour or perhaps surplus to requirements and will be offered up on a platter to those that show even a fleeting interest.
Click on Liverpool and England’s forgotten man Joe Cole to see the full countdown
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We have seen many open games involving Manchester United over the years, with their philosophy to play attacking football, however we may have seen it more so this season than any other.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have pretty much gone with the attitude of ‘you score and we will score more’ so far this campaign, scoring a hat full of goals but also conceding far more than we are used to seeing. In a strange way, has the vulnerability at the back benefitted United this season?
Now I say this in the fact that teams may have been more willing to take the game to them and attack, knowing that the defence is susceptible to conceding chances. With the forward players United have at their disposal, they have been able to compensate for poor defending with this and the signing of Robin van Persie has certainly added an extra clinical edge to the front line.
At the end of last season, United had scored 86 while letting in 33 goals, and after just 23 games this season they have scored 57 and already conceded 30. That’s a staggering amount of goals for them to have let in, but it has worked so far especially with rivals Manchester City struggling to reproduce their form from last season.
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The Citizens have found it a lot harder to finish teams off this term which could be a case of Roberto Mancini’s men now just experiencing the territory of being Premier League Champions with other teams naturally more cautious when playing them. This is something United have faced many times down the years, with teams ‘parking the bus’ as the phrase goes. They have however found a way to come through it and continue their success, something which City need to be able to handle. I personally feel their lack of width makes it very difficult at times as it’s often not possible to pass through teams and you need a plan B, as good as the likes of David Silva are.
Of course we could also reverse the initial argument by looking at it in the sense that teams feel that sitting back against United is pointless as they will score anyway, whereas they may feel City can be contained easier.
United’s team is set up to attack with two attacking full backs as well as two wingers so are likely to create more chances. The Red Devils also lack a real tough tackling holding player with Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick now seeming to be the first choice pairing in the centre of midfield. While Carrick does a job in terms of interceptions and has improved defensively in general this season with areas such as his positioning, he still doesn’t provide the cover that a proper defensive midfielder would. Attack is certainly United’s best form of defence.
Although this style of play may have served them well in the league, they will certainly need to adapt slightly if they are to progress further in the knockout stages of the Champions League. While Madrid are not the best themselves defensively, they have the familiar face of Cristiano Ronaldo to punish any holes in United’s backline. I do feel Ferguson’s side have begun to show improvements at the back in recent weeks though, and it is no surprise that this has coincided with the return of captain Nemanja Vidic.
This will also bode well for them in the league as we start reaching the business end of the season, and the games become even more difficult with each team fighting for their respective goals for the end of the season.
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So far though, United’s excellent attack along with their patchy defence has worked well for them one way or another. The theory that sides now feel more confident to take the game to them is just an observation and could simply be a coincidence with the fact that more managers seem to want to play attacking football now, with the Premier League also a more open league in general than we have seen in the past.
There are few clubs in England that have a greater tradition of putting faith in youth players than West Ham, so much so that it is known as the academy of football in some quarters. With Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe just some of the many examples in recent years and the current Hammers boss, Sam Allardyce, believes it is vitally important that clubs look to develop their youth set-ups for the sake of the future:
“I think that every football club’s strategy should be to develop young players and I think there should be more emphasis on it than there has been in recent years. The problem is that results are everything in the Barclays Premier League and everybody focuses far too much just on that. People forget that development and long term strategies are extremely important.
“West Ham’s history is one of the best, the development of players at West Ham has been an outstanding bonus to the football club over many years. Tony Carr has done an absolutely terrific job but unfortunately it is getting more and more difficult due to the circumstances that we have to work under. There is more development money coming into the game but yet again it is still a question of time. There really isn’t enough time.
“We don’t have enough qualified coaches in this country and until we get that sorted out and act in the same way as we did towards the Olympics, we will not develop the next generation of top players for the England team.
“From a club perspective at West Ham we work very hard to get as many academy graduates in the West Ham side as we possibly can. At the moment we have got Mark Noble, Jack Collison, James Tomkins and Danny Potts who is only 18. We are on the right track but we should be developing more.”
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For more insight from Sam Allardyce and other leading managers plus exclusive Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport
Borussia Dortmund are tracking Tottenham target Leandro Damiao for a summer transfer, according to TalkSport.
After scouting the striker for over two years, Spurs tried to sign the Brazilian star on deadline day in the January transfer window. However, the London club failed to meet Internacional’s demands, and the 23-year-old stayed in his home country.
Andre Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy came under criticism in the January transfer window for not signing a striker, leaving the club with Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor as the only recognised senior strikers.
So Villas-Boas will be desperate to bolster his side’s attacking options, and will be ready to rekindle his interest in the Brazilian striker in the summer.
Despite rumours that Napoli could also be interested in the signing Damiao, Dortmund look to be the more likely team to threaten Tottenham for his signature.
The German champions look set to lose striker Robert Lewandowski in the summer, with Manchester United looking like the most likely club to sign the Polish striker. This will mean Dortmund will also be looking to boost their attacking possibilities, as well as Tottenham.
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Damiao has scored twice for Brazil in his 14 appearances, and was the top scorer in the 2012 Olympic Football, where Brazil won the silver medal, losing to Mexico in the final.
It has been an incredibly troubling campaign for Alan Pardew. Every Newcastle defeat appears to chalk a year off of his life, with quickly emerging wrinkles, blemishes to his skin and ever-whitening hair implying that he only rests at night after one of the club’s rather sporadic victories – the only redeeming sign of youth and enthusiasm upon his physical appearance being his apparently trendy facial hair.
No doubt, he was caught off-guard by the Magpies’ complete contrast in form in comparison to last season. Having finished up in 5th place in the Premier League the campaign previous, Pardew was announced as the recipient of the manager of the year award, and thus tied down to an eight year contract by Mike Ashley.
But instead of a season of consolidation, or even a slight dip into mid-table mediocrity, Newcastle find themselves just five points clear of the relegation zone, following a humbling 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at the weekend, in a year in which the club have continually flirted with the idea of getting caught up in the scrap at the bottom of the table.
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It begs the question of what has been going on in the backrooms of St. James’s Park, to turn a side that surpassed expectations as the Premier League’s biggest over-achievers into the top flight’s biggest underachievers in simply a matter of months. Furthermore, considering the money spent by Mike Ashley and the fantastic work by Graham Carr to bring in an influx of exceptional Ligue 1 talent that underpinned the Magpies’ initial success, what effect, if any, does Pardew actually have upon the club or the players?
As I’ve just alluded to, the former West Ham and Charlton boss has had no effect on the club’s incomings and outgoings, despite the transfer market being Newcastle’s most effective vehicle for change since Pardew’s controversial appointment in 2011 at the expense of Chris Haughton, after apparently bumping into Mike Ashley on a rather boozy night out at a casino in London.
All of the hard work, the finding and securing the signings of players such as Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa, Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba, whom were amongst the biggest contributors to Newcastle’s form last year, was conducted by Chief Scout Graham Carr. Similarly, the continuation of the French revolution this season, bringing in more Ligue 1 stars to prize the club away from the relegation struggle, such as Mattieu Debuchy, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran and Massadio Haidara, was furthermore none of Pardew’s own doing, despite it probably being the biggest factor which will ensure Newcastle’s Premiership survival come the end of May.
Whether Pardew is even brought into the decision process, given a yes or no option, or even asked for his opinion remains unclear, but the fact that he’s spent most of the season discussing a potential return for Andy Carroll and wishing he could re-sign Kevin Nolan, along with his lack of protest against the club signing just one player in the summer, Vernon Anita, suggests he is on the whole left in the dark when it comes to the club’s transfers, and is certainly not drafting shortlists of targets based upon his superior knowledge of European football for Mike Ashley to consider.
It is hard to determine where the Magpies gaffer would be placed on a managerial spectrum. He is certainly not an avid tactician, with the modern day 4-5-1 of two wide men and a central attacking midfielder or the traditional 4-4-2 being the only deployed systems at St. James’s Park. Similarly, he is not a disciplinarian or win-at-any-cost type of boss, in the style of Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis, despite Newcastle’s distinctly long-ball style. A Newcastle fan commented on a blog earlier in the season, that by November, the Magpies had scored just once from 234 attempted corners, despite the cultured boot of Yohan Cabaye and the considerable aerial prowess of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba, Shola Ameobi and Steven Taylor to name a few, whilst at the other end, Newcastle have been caught out on numerous occasions from set pieces and consequently conceding. It’s safe to say that Pardew is not an astute organiser.
So if Pardew is not a transfer market wheeler-dealer, a training ground organisationalist, a tactical wizard or even philosophical thinker, what does he actually bring to the Newcastle helm?
Well, he’s certainly an enthusiastic and optimistic man, which tends to spill over into his usual excuse-finding spin of events during press conferences. Pardew knows how to work the media, with the world of critical journalism buying into his reasoning of the Europa League’s demanding schedule being the major contributor to the Magpies’ poor domestic form.
But it just one of a number of excuses that have come from the Newcastle boss this season, whom has enlisted a whole range of justifications for the club losing 17 times so far this year, some of which include a “lack of experience” of certain players, a “negative reaction” from the Newcastle faithful on occasion, how refereeing “decisions seem to go against us”, and of course, “we were just tired”.
Pardew being handed the Newcastle job, and furthermore being handed an eight year contract, has as much to do with his inadequacies as a manager as it does his qualities. The 51 year old’s rather passive role at the club, which seems to end at keeping the roster as happy as possible, is an ideal situation for Mike Ashley, and many Magpies fans have alluded to Pardew’s role as a stooge for the board.
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Ashley needs someone who won’t get in the way of big business deals, make demands for more money or new players, and most importantly will not rival his power and authority at the club, in the manner a Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger or David Moyes might do. Even if Pardew were to serve his full eight year term, you get the feeling he’d never challenge the Newcastle owner or openly defy him.
But there seems to be one problem in Ashley’s puppeteering, and that appears to be Pardew himself. I must enquire as to what the Newcastle fans, and indeed the owner, were expecting upon signing the former West Ham gaffer, simply because throughout his career there has been a rather repetitive pattern. Perhaps it is more a sign of the times of the world of football management, but it is no coincidence that the same thing has happened at all of the Magpies boss’s clubs.
There is an initial honeymoon period of unprecedented success; for the Hammers, it was a top half finish and an FA Cup final, at Charlton it was the near avoidance of relegation, and at Newcastle it was ending the season in fifth place. But there soon comes a backlash; West Ham nearly relegated the following year, Charlton hitting a downward spiral and ending up in League One, and now Newcastle just five points clear of the drop, despite their incredibly talented roster.
So what does Pardew actually bring to the club? Well, quite simply, he is a figurehead and a spokesman -to fill a void out of the requirement to have a head coach or manager, or else appear to be at the total disposal of the owner. He creates a buffer zone between the fans and Mike Ashley, to act as a front man for the media and a representative of the Newcastle squad, but his actual power at the club, in terms of making crucial decisions, regarding the first team or otherwise, is sufficiently limited. He may have brought the luck and charm that a new often manager brings when arriving at a new club, but his influence on results last season and this season can be summed up in a simple word – ineffectual. The only bright side is that the club will be at no loss, excluding his rather large compensation package, upon Pardew’s eventual departure.
With the summer transfer window looming in, every Premier League club will be looking to tailor their roster in time for next season. Although fans much prefer the often hyperbolic and unfounded stories regarding their team’s future purchases, in order to make room for new recruits to bring improvements to the squad, room has to first be made by getting rid of some of the deadwood.
Liverpool, just as any club, have a number of stars who have become surplus to requirements, and are furthermore no longer cost effective. Whilst at Anfield their generation of promising youngsters is finally coming through, there are plenty of senior players who’ve overstayed their welcome, and are no longer living up to expectations.
We’ve complied a list of five Reds players whose tenure on Merseyside is set to be cut short in the summer, unless they fancy making the rare walk across Stanley Park and switch allegiances to Everton.
Click Here or on Stewart Downing to reveal the Five Liverpool stars set for the transfer list.
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It is testimony to not only Borussia Dortmund as a club but Jurgen Klopp as a coach that while many were writing the team off as `one hit wonders`, for replacing Bayern Munich as Bundesliga champions, they got on with the job of taking another giant leap forward. That would entail transferring their domestic dominance on to the stage of Europe`s premier club competition, a tough ask considering their poor showing 12 months earlier when they bowed out, with a whimper, after the group stage.
The task became even more daunting when the draw for the Champions` League qualifying group was made putting the champions of Germany, Spain, Holland and England into Group D. Very few pundits outside Dortmund`s home in the industrial heartland of the Ruhr expected Germany`s team of the moment to emerge from the group, let alone unbeaten but that`s exactly what happened. And top of the group for good measure.
Jurgen Klopp`s team made the best possible start to what many considered the toughest of groups with a 1-0 home victory over Ajax. They could have made the winning margin more emphatic but for a missed penalty from Mats Hummels. But they stuck at the task with typical patience and were rewarded three minutes from time with the only goal of the game when the player who was to prove their talisman on the way to the final at Wembley, Robert Lewandowski, scored.
Matchday 2 took Dortmund to the Etihad where their reduced level of expectation was the polar opposite of Manchester City`s cash-fuelled Champions` League dream. Borussia went ahead through German Footballer of the Year Marco Reus, a surprise capture from Borussia Monchengladbach, and would have secured back to back wins but for a late penalty equaliser from the enigmatic Mario Balotelli.
Such was the high quality of Dortmund`s performance on the night that coach Jurgen Klopp said afterwards.
“We were almost terrified out there at how perfectly our plan came together.”
The next fixture would, in many peoples` eyes, be the most testing as far as how well Borussia would fare in this season`s Champions` League.
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Quietly and confidently Dortmund went into that, their third group fixture, at home to Real Madrid, and it was the eventual 2-1 victory that made the rest of Europe stand up and take note as the German champions served notice they would be no respecters of Real`s history and standing. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring late in the first half before Cristiano Ronaldo restored parity. Marcel Schmelzer`s goal shortly after the restart not only gave Dortmund the platform for eventual victory over Madrid but sent them top of the table, a position they were not to relinquish.
The reigning Bundesliga champions cemented their leadership of Group D with a 2-2 draw away to Real Madrid. They would have claimed an historic double over the Spanish side but for a late equaliser, in the 89th minute, from a Mezut Ozil free kick. Marco Reus opened the scoring for the visitors before an equaliser from the unlikely Pepe got Real back into the game. Alvaro Arbelo then put through his own goal to put Dortmund in the driving seat before Ozil saved Jose Mourinho a few blushes with a point saver.
In week five Dortmund went to former European Cup giants Ajax and swept them aside with a 4-1 win. Goals from Reus, Goetze and two from Lewandowski rendered a late Ajax goal mere consolation and set up a final group game with winless Manchester City. The Premier League champions needed victory for more reasons than just three points as no team had ever gone through a Champions` League qualifying group without securing at least one win. But that was the albatross Mancini`s men were burdened with as Julian Schieber scored the only goal of the game in the second half to secure top spot on Group D and send the German champions through to a last 16 showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk.
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Rather prophetically, in the aftermath of Champions` League exit, Roberto Mancini likened City`s situation to that which Dortmund suffered the year previously when they too went out after the group stage. The Italian said that.
“This year I think Dortmund can win the Champions` League.”
Free kicks hold a special place in a football fan’s heart, but why is that? Could it be because they create heroes, such as David Beckham’s shot against Greece back in 2001, or is it that one kick might just save the day for our favourite team, such as Gareth Bale’s goal against Lyon this year? Or could it be that goals scored from set pieces walk hand-in-hand with the term ‘beauty’? Well we at Football FanCast decided we would concentrate on the ‘beauty’ part. So ladies and gents, here is FCC’s list of the top 10 best free kick goals ever scored in Premier League history.
10. THIERRY HENRY (ARSENAL) VS NEWCASTLE
Thierry Henry is no stranger to beautiful goals and his free kick against Newcastle seven years ago which was the equaliser after a goal from Kieron Dyer is no different. It was the 70th minute when a free kick from the left hit Shay Given’s cross bar, crossed the line and hit the net. There was no way the Magpies’ keeper could save that.
9. MATT LE TISSIER (SOUTHAMPTON) VS WIMBLEDON
A true Premier League and Saints’ legend, Matt Le Tissier was one of a kind and some could say that he made football look easy thanks to his skills. Nineteen years ago Southampton played Wimbledon and Le Tissier scored a 20-yard free kick that left everyone wondering how outrageously skillful that goal was. Jim Magilton laid the ball back to the Guernsey-born attacking midfielder who lifted the ball and then casually shot it to the left of the keeper’s net. There was no chance that shot would be saved but Le Tissier made it look like a practice kick. That was one of the reasons they remember him at St. Mary’s stadium as ‘Le God’.
8. JOHN ARNE RIISE (LIVERPOOL) VS MANCHESTER UNITED
These kind of goals always help on a heated derby between sworn rivals. It was back in 2001, the year Liverpool won the UEFA Cup, where the Norwegian scored an incredible free kick for the Reds against Manchester United. Liverpool were already in the lead when during the last six minutes of the first half they got a free kick on the right. Dietmarr Hamann laid the ball slightly to the left where Riise kicked it all the way to Fabien Barthez’s top right corner and doubled the Reds’ goals. That goal was very important as it helped Liverpool win 3-1.
7. CRISTIANO RONALDO (MANCHESTER UNITED) VS PORTSMOUTH
Of course the Portuguese superstar could not be absent from that list. He is a natural on free kicks as he was always the taker back in his Manchester United days, and still is in Real Madrid. Five years ago, when United won the Champions League, the Red Devils were playing Portsmouth, that year’s FA Cup winners, at Old Trafford. At that night, CR7 opened the score at the ninth minute and took a free kick just three minutes later. The execution was superb as the ball landed right on the left corner of a still David James. It is not easy to send the ball exactly where you want to after a free kick, except perhaps when you are Cristiano Ronaldo.
6. PATRIK BERGER (LIVERPOOL) VS MANCHESTER UNITED
Riise was not the only Liverpool player to score an absolute beauty against Manchester United. The only difference is that Patrik Berger’s goal was scored at Old Trafford. Back in 2000 people were talking about the Apocalypse; however the only apocalyptic thing Man United goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw witnessed was the Czech’s unstoppable shot on the 27th minute. The former midfielder kicked a thunderous shot with his left foot from the right corner of the box, almost 30 yards out, and sent the ball crushing into United’s bottom left corner of the net. Would you like some fries with that Berger?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2NwBugozA4
5. MAYNOR FIGUEROA (WIGAN) VS STOKE
Don’t you just hate it when you watch an uninteresting match? But don’t you just love it when something amazing happens out of nowhere? Four years ago Wigan drew Stoke 2-2 in an away match, however the game was remembered thanks to the Goal of the season (2009-2010) scored by Maynor Figueroa. The former Wigan defender scored an absolute stunner from a half-way free kick that put the Latics ahead again. Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen saved a late penalty at that match but was not exactly careful or ready for the Honduran’s free kick.
4. CHRISTIAN ZIEGE (TOTTENHAM) VS ARSENAL
What a way to start the North London derby. Back in 2002 the former Germany international scored an absolute stunner on the 15th minute at White Hart Lane from 30 yards. The left-footed former Bayern Munich player gave the ball an unbelievable curve and sent it to Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman’s top left corner. By the end of the first half, Arsenal’s sorrow swayed away after a successful penalty kick by Robert Pires. Ziege was always a man of big games as he has also scored at a Liverpool, North East, Munich and Milan derby and he also scored a semi-final penalty kick against England at the 1996 Euro.
3. MICHAEL TARNAT (MANCHESTER CITY) VS BLACKBURN
Another former Germany international and the outside of his left foot make the list. It was August 2003 when the Citizens were playing Blackburn away where the former Bayern player scored the first of many goals to come with style. At around 40 yards, Tarnat was obviously going for a shot as he gave himself a lot of steps beforehand and launched an unstoppable rocket all the way to the bottom right corner of the Rovers’ net. That free kick was also very critical as Man City got away with a close win of 3-2.
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2. CRISTIANO RONALDO (MANCHESTER UNITED) VS BLACKBURN
Him again. Usually when a team gets a free kick at the left flank the kicker thinks about crossing the ball. However, CR7 begs the differ. Just a year after their Champions League triumph in Moscow, the Red Devils were playing Blackburn at Old Trafford where (seemingly soon to be ex United player) Wayne Rooney opened the score at the 23rd minute. Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz evened it up nine minutes later. During second half though, United got a free kick from the left just outside the box. Ronaldo hit it with his right foot, as usual, and sent the ball to Paul Robinson’s top left corner and gave his team the victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjon8IKl_nI
1. DAVID BECKHAM (MANCHESTER UNITED) VS EVERTON
Did you really think we left him out? Football Fan Cast’s best free kick ever scored in the Premier league is the one by the former England captain against Everton at Goodison Park. Everton were already ahead thanks to a goal by Kevin Campbell early on however United got a free kick close to the right flank just before the half-time whistle. Toffees’ goalkeeper, Richard Wright, stood on the right of his post and placed the wall on the left but Becks was able to outsmart the former England international. Just a moment before the shot, Beckham lured Wright to his left but instead shot it to his right corner. This kick was not just an absolute beauty; it was also genius which showed exactly why Beckham will go down in history of one of the best footballers ever. That was the last match of the 2002-2003 season and was also the last match ever for David Beckham in a Man United shirt.
So there you have it, Football FanCast’s Top 10 free kicks ever scored at the Premier League. Tell us, what do you think of our list? Who would you include and who would you scrap? Would you change the order?
When Manchester City splashed out £25m for Samir Nasri in the summer of 2011 they were looking at the creative linchpin of the Arsenal midfield. The Frenchman at the time was touted as one of the best across Europe and a guaranteed starter for all but every one of Europe’s top clubs.
It would be wrong of me to label Nasri a flop, yet he has seemingly dazzled and disappointed in equal measure during his City career. Rather than being the focal point of a midfield, he has become just a cog in City’s Premier League machine and at times he has suffered because of it.
Altercations with management and an apparent ambivalence towards his footballing life seemed to leave the Frenchman treading water at an age when he should have been kicking on to new heights. In some part put down to the management style of Roberto Mancini and for others simply the ferocity of the competition at City, most would agree that Nasri struggled to assert himself fully in his opening couple of seasons.
Under new man Manuel Pellegrini this all looks set to change.
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Nasri has already equalled his Premier League goal haul from last season, and his 24 created chances leaves him impressively just behind David Silva in first for the whole league. Indeed statistics aside this appears a far more convincing spell of performances from the 26 year old and it is no surprise therefore that City find themselves in such excellent goal scoring form.
The Frenchman was quick to thank his manager for aiding his return to form, citing getting over the troubles of last season as central to his revival:
“Last year was a bit difficult for me personally because of the problem I had in the Euros and other stuff,” Nasri said.
“So this summer, I cleared my head and came back with determination to have a great season. But right now everything is fine. I’m in a better place and that’s what I want.”
Nasri enjoyed his best form under Arsene Wenger, and it was his style of management that was most conducive to his development, he drew similarities between new man Pellegrini and his former boss Wenger whilst speaking to Sky Sports:
“He does remind me of Arsene in respect of the way he works, he has the same approach in the way he talks to players and tells them when things are good and when they are bad.
“But it’s always constructive and you always know what he wants form you, and what you to bring to the team. I feel that he trusts me and that he gives me responsibilities on the pitch. When you have a manager like that, you want to repay that sort of faith – and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
City’s midfield is as robust as it is dynamic, the likes of Toure and Fernandinho offering the spine to Silva and Nasri’s flamboyance. In terms of creative expression City have two of the best in the league, and it was only a question of time before Nasri rose to the level expected of him.
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At 26 Nasri is heading into the peak of career, no longer should he be considered one for the future, it is time for him to push on and impress and from my point of view he is heeding this call. The tumultuous days of fallouts with club and country appear thankfully to be over, and hopefully now the diminutive Frenchman can get on with what he does best.
The Pellegrini era at City hasn’t been without its problems so far, but his ability to get the best out of Nasri is surely one of his best pieces of work so far. Even within the star studded squad the Frenchman stands out as one of the best and if City can continue to harness his abilities then they are surely onto a winner.
Are we finally beginning to see the best of Samir Nasri?
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes that the growing level of competition within the England team is a good thing for all involved.
The Arsenal attacker is one of a host of top young players to have made the squad for Wednesday’s friendly with Denmark as Roy Hodgson steps up his plans for the World Cup.
The Three Lions coach is believed to be willing to test inexperienced players between now and the summer as he looks to settle on his final 23, which has been reflected by call-ups for the likes of Luke Shaw, Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is likely to be involved in tough a battle for a spot in the squad, but he is happy with the amount of quality and depth in the current set-up:
“It is definitely the biggest England squad that I’ve been in. It is nice to see a lot of faces of your peers and people you play in the Premier League every week,” he is quoted by The Express.
“To get everyone together is exciting and the competition for places ups the level and tunes everyone in. That can only be a good thing.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain went on to lavish special praise on England newbie Shaw – whom he saw come through the Southampton youth ranks while at the club:
“He has been absolutely outstanding this season. He has matured and been consistently playing at an unbelievable level.
“Growing up at Southampton, where he was a few years younger than me, I have always known he is a fantastic player.
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“He has shot up, grown physically and taken that maturity into first team. It has been a rapid rise but he has taken it really well.”