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Kelechi Iheanacho rewarded with first Nigeria call-up

Mosope

Kelechi Iheanacho rewarded with first Nigeria call-up

The 19-year-old forward’s form has not gone unnoticed – as he’s been called up to the Nigerian senior side for the first time in his young footballing career.

Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho has been rewarded for his excellent form of late, with his first call-up for the Nigerian senior side.

The 19-year-old, who scored one and assisted two during the Citizens‘ 5-1 rout over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, is certainly a player to look out for in the forseeable future. His talent and quality has not gone unnoticed by Nigeria’s current boss Sunday Oliseh – who admitted he has been “following” Kelechi’s progress in Manchester, and the forward has been consequently rewarded.

Kelechi receives maiden senior call-up

Kelechi is one of four Premier League players included in Oliseh’s 23-man squad to face Swaziland in their 2018 World Cup qualifying fixture in mid-November, with Watford forward Odion Ighalo, Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and Arsenal‘s Alex Iwobi also being selected.

His club manager, Manuel Pellegrini, had this to say after Kelechi’s impressive display in their Capital One Cup win: “I think that he has an important future at this club, he is a player that is growing everyday, playing and improving. Working hard in training with important players – I am happy for him, because he deserves it.”

Iheanacho hoping for more opportunities to shine

Having praised his African teammates Wilfried Bony and Yaya Touré for helping him settle into the first-team properly, saying they are like “big brothers” to him, Kelechi admits it is difficult to break into the City side as an attack-minded player with the likes of Sergio Agüero and Bony to contend with for starting places.

However, he maintains the belief that he just has to “work hard in training everyday”, as he believes that he can “go all the way” and that hopefully, he’ll be able to do “great things” at City in the coming years – because he has the quality to prove himself when given opportunities to do so.

Archives

Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City: Sides share the spoils in nervy Derby

Mosope

Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City: Sides share the spoils in nervy Derby

After all of the pre-match hype, the 170th installment of the Manchester Derby ended in a nervy goalless draw at Old Trafford – with both sides staying firm defensively.

It seemed typical that after all of the pre-match build-up, excitement, and analysis ahead of kick-off at Old Trafford, it’d finish with a goalless draw between the noisy neighbours of Manchester. Even so, although this was true, neither side played particularly badly – it was more credit given towards both defences in particular, who stayed firm in the presence of frequent attacking pressure to keep a hard-fought clean sheet.

Argentinian duo Marcos Rojo and Nicolas Otámendi were two of the standout performers for their respective clubs, the latter of which was making his Derby debut, covered himself in plenty of glory with a no-nonsense, excellent defensive display to help Joe Hart keep his 100th Premier League clean sheet.

Strong, competitive team line-ups

Even with both Sergio Agüero and David Silva out of contention to feature, Manchester City fielded a strong side regardless. Manuel Pellegrini made three changes to the squad who came from behind to steal all three points against Sevilla on Wednesday in the Champions League – club captain Vincent Kompany was back in the starting XI for the first time in over a month, whilst Fernando and Aleksandar Kolarov were both included too.

Jesús Navas dropped to the substitutes’ bench – much to the quiet relief of the visiting supporters – whilst Yaya Touré was deployed in a more attacking role with Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterlingon either flank.

As for Manchester United, Louis van Gaal had the luxury of being able to choose from a virtually fully-strengthened side. Luke Shaw (leg) and Paddy McNair (liver) were the only two players sidelined with their respective injuries – and the latter probably wouldn’t have featured in fairness.

Energetic atmosphere helped spirited Reds

As the intriguing clash got underway, it soon became apparent that the hosts were on top in the early stages, and certainly fed off the energy from the home supporters – willing their team on to try and secure bragging rights for another day.

They struggled to make the most of their possession though, and despite a few advances towards goal, it was actually the sky Blueswho had the first half-chance on-goal. After some intelligent interplay between Fernandinho and Sterling, the latter weaved his way past two challenges in the box before trying his luck – but his effort took a deflection and swerved away from goal with David de Gea relatively untroubled.

Martial a tricky threat to deal with

Anthony Martial was a problem for City to deal with, and the 19-year-old weaved his magic on the flank upon occasion too. It was great work from the young Frenchman to speed down the flank, dribble past his marker and unselfishly square the ball into the path of teammate Juan Mata – who dithered in possession just enough to allow the visitors’ a chance to get back into their defensive shape – having been hit on the counter – and his attempted ball was cut out effectively.

You could almost hear the collective groans from the Old Trafford faithful as the half went on, they were understandably frustrated their side had failed to make the most of their half-chances to create an opportunity to score.

Ideas were there – execution, not so much

This feeling was echoed even further in the 37th minute whenWayne Rooney swatted Bacary Sagna out of his path like a fly before driving towards the box with Martial calling for the ball on his left. He took an extra touch before releasing the ball, and that was enough to put Martial off continuing his run, evidently assuming the 30-year-old would go for goal himself.

The idea was certainly there, but the execution, not so much. It could have easily been one-nil to City at the interval too – but Yaya Touré watched on in agony as his looping header flashed narrowly wide of de Gea’s near post from a de Bruyne corner-kick.

As the second-half began, neither side made any alterations, with both bosses eager to keep their relative teams the same, trying to see if they could improve in the second 45. United probably should have broken the deadlock just five minutes afterwards, at the end of a quick passing move, but another deflection thwarted Ander Herrera‘s strike from the edge of the area.

Just a minute later, penalty appeals were waved away by refereeMark Clattenburg – as Herrera went down under the suspected challenge from Sterling, although replays showed it would have been a soft spot-kick, in fairness. Chris Smalling saw his headed effort trickle narrowly wide of Hart’s far post, with plenty of home supporters getting ready to celebrate the opener, but it wasn’t to be.

Otámendi made an important interception to deny Rooney with a one-on-one opportunity in the box on the hour mark, just a minute before Hart was called into action to stop Mata with a perfectly-timed challenge as the ball broke free from an innocuous sliding interception in midfield.

Alterations highlighted the varying tactics as the clock ticked down

The inclusion of Jesse Lingard and Marouane Fellaini sparked new life in United going forward, as they nervously edged closer towards a winner. The same couldn’t really be said for Pellegrini’s side – as Navas was particularly ineffective whilst Martin Demichelis was deployed in a midfield role to nullify United’s prominence in that area of the field. Kelechi Iheanacho was introduced into the fray, but it was too late for the talented young Nigerian to really create anything of note, apart from a few neat touches here-and-there.

City looked dangerous on the counter, and United were constantly weary that their local rivals could, and probably would, steal a late strike at some point. Lingard though, came closest to breaking the deadlock with a few minutes remaining. After being released with a teasing lofted ball by Martial, the 22-year-old chipped a helpless Hart, but his goal-bound effort rattled off the crossbar and the Citizens were handed a lifeline.

If not for the presence of Wayne Rooney at the far post, they would have taken it, too. A searching delivery was fizzed into the box by Kolarov from the left-hand side, and Otámendi was an inch or two away from latching onto the ball – which would have almost certainly resulted in the opening goal. Instead, the experienced Englishman was alert to the danger and got his body in-behind the Argentine, making sure he got tight to him, stopping him in his tracks rather dramatically.

There was time for one final push, and Joe Hart made a fantastic diving stop to his left to deny Smalling from becoming a Derby day hero – after his low strike was seemingly destined for the bottom corner, but England’s number one had other ideas, making sure his clean sheet was intact.

Manchester Derby, a goalless draw. It fails to tell the whole story, though.

Specials

Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City: As it happened

Mosope

Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City: As it happened

Make sure you stay tuned to the latest on my blog, where coverage on football never stops. Until next time, have a good evening!

Manchester City move back to the top of the League, on goal-difference, whilst United stay in amongst the top four of the division – level on points now with third placed West Ham.

Thank you for joining me this afternoon, unfortunately there were no goals to bring to you all, but even so, it was still an excellent match to commentate on.

Nicolas Otámendi played with no fear, just as you’d want from a centre-back in a crunch match against your noisy neighbours. Vincent Kompany was indifferent at times, partly rusty with his challenges, but also his presence was certainly felt at times too. Aleksandar Kolarov’s deliveries were teasing and well-driven, a shame none of his teammates managed to latch onto them… whilst Bacary Sagna was tasked with trying to lessen the impact of Anthony Martial – easier said than done.

Defensively, the two teams were solid. Antonio Valencia was possibly the anomaly at times – he drove forward too frequently and made too many mistakes, often disregarding his defensive duties. Marcos Rojo was excellent for the hosts, as was Chris Smalling, commanding as ever.

90+3: FULL-TIME! Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City – The points are shared in a tense, nervy, intriguing finale to an end-to-end affair at Old Trafford. Although neither side snatched all three points, it could have been much worse, especially for City with two of their most influential players unavailable.

90+1: A tactical foul by Morgan Schneiderlin – booking by the referee, slowing down the tempo as City promised to gallop forward at will there.. de Bruyne unhappy that he was clattered then.

90: The fourth official has signalled for three minutes of stoppage time! 3 MINUTES to go!

89: GREAT SAVE, JOE HART! Smalling comes close with a shot in the area, but Hart is equal to it – making a good diving stop to his left, parrying the ball away for a corner-kick. The clock is ticking..

87: OTÁMENDI! EXCELLENT CROSS BY KOLAROV – SO CLOSE! The game is suddenly bursting into life once more, as Nicolas Otámendi is an inch or two away from latching onto the inviting delivery from the left, but for some intelligent defending by Wayne Rooney, who shields the Argentine’s movement in the box ever-so slightly..

85: OFF THE CROSSBAR! SO CLOSE BY LINGARD! Martial floats a lofted ball into the path of teammate Lingard, who is narrowly onside, and flicks a chipped effort over the head of Joe Hart. England’s number one is beaten, and his audacious effort is goal-bound, but for the woodwork – the ball crashes off the crossbar and United are so unlucky!

84: That ineffectiveness isn’t Bony’s fault, service into him has been very limited to say the least.

83: Final change for the visitors now, as the ineffective Wilfried Bony is being replaced by a more youthful option – Kelechi Iheanacho.

82: City leaving it late in their pursuit of a winner? Navas tries his luck from range, comfortably smothered though by de Gea.

81: Matteo Darmian, on to replace him for the final ten minutes of the ninety now. Never easy, especially coming on as a defender.

80: Ten minutes left, and Antonio Valencia has an injury of some sort… doesn’t look like he can continue, whatsoever.

77: Yaya Touré doesn’t particularly look like a happy customer, as he walks off the pitch with Pellegrini making another substitution. Martin Demichelis replaces the powerful Ivorian for the final fifteen minutes or so (including stoppage time, of course).

75: Fellaini already getting himself amongst the thick of the action, with aerial challenges and tussles for possession certainly his forté.

73: Another change for the hosts, met by warm applause around the ground. Bastian Schweinsteiger jogs off the pitch, with Fellaini coming on to replace him.

70: Twenty minutes left – can either side find themselves a goal?

68: Rojo arguably lucky not to be penalized after a collision with Navas on the flank – he caught the Spaniard’s face with his boot as he was jumping over him too..

65: First substitution for United – Juan Mata OFF, Jesse Lingard ON. Twenty five minutes plus any additional stoppages for Lingard to make his mark, after featuring against CSKA Moscow during midweek. Memphis and Marouane Fellaini amongst those still on the substitutes’ bench.

Bournemouth 1-5 Tottenham: The nail in the coffin, definitely. Harry Kane seals his hat-trick!

GOAL ALERT

62: EXCELLENT STOP! Hart rushes out of his area, after adopting a good starting position – to deny Martial’s effort from close range, thwarting the youngster as he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Still goalless.

60: An hour gone, and Otámendi makes an important last-ditch challenge to dispossess Rooney of the ball, just moments before he was lining up for a shot from close-range as the ball was headed down towards his path.

57: Raheem looks frustrated as he trudges off the pitch, Navas will hopefully bring another dimension towards City’s play down the flank – interchanging with de Bruyne on the opposite side.

56: City’s first alteration of the match – as Raheem Sterling is brought off in place of Jesús Navas..

Bournemouth 1-4 Tottenham: Harry Kane grabs his second of the game! Surely the visitors are home and dry now?

GOAL ALERT

55: Sagna looks bemused after giving away a free-kick in his own half, United will happily take charge.

52: Rojo looks understandably frustrated as his inviting delivery is not latched onto by any of his teammates – and the Argentinian has to sprint back in order to trace his runner on the far side with United losing possession in an instant.

50: First five minutes of the second 45, and it’s been all Manchester United thus far. They need to get Ander Herrera and Juan Mata into the match more, and they are gradually – slowing but surely – doing so.

KICK-OFF! No alterations for either side, as the second-half gets underway.

HT: Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City. Goalless at the interval, United have dominated their fair share of possession but City have had a few half-chances themselves..

45+1: Touré flicks the ball away after a succession of headers see the danger quelled..

45: Rooney whips his cross into the box, a dangerous one… Kolarov heads partially clear, corner-kick to come.

44: Martial wins another free-kick, and Kompany is booked for a needless challenge near the touchline – chopping the 19-year-old down to the turf.

40: CLOSE! Yaya Touré looks on as his header flashes narrowly wide of the mark, from de Bruyne’s corner delivery. de Gea was rooted to the spot, the ball trickling wide of his near post.

38: A good tactical foul made by Mata – he slides in late to dispossess Fernandinho, after some encouraging work by the Brazilian, but the referee brandishes a yellow card in the process.

36: Groans reverberate around the ground as Rooney delays his attempted forward pass into Martial, just a tad, and the move breaks down – even though it was looking promising.

34: Luckily for Jones’ sake, the resulting corner-kick comes of nothing.

33: Mix-up in defensive communication between Jones and de Gea, the former heads the ball out for a corner-kick..

They were one-nil down after a minute, but after thirty, they’re three-one up! This time, it’s Erik Lamela with a scuffed finish – Spurs will not care one bit though!

GOAL ALERT

30: Half-an-hour played, no goals yet – but there’s still plenty of time and opportunities for this to change..

29: Martial hopes to skip past Sagna on the right, but the Frenchman has other ideas, making a clean but firm sliding tackle to dispossess his young compatriot.

28: Important interception by Rojo, to press de Bruyne into making a mistake – he loses the ball and United break with men forward.

23: Good footwork from Martial initially to skip past one, two challenges with seeming ease before teeing up Mata to his right. He attempts to cut inside, curls a cross towards Rooney… no luck though!

23: Rooney’s back on the pitch now, warm round of applause from the hosts.. a staple gun was needed, he had a pretty nasty cut on his head then.

21: Ouch! An accidental clash between Rooney and Kompany in the final third – the former looks worse for wear, he’s trudging off the pitch to receive some treatment from the physios on the touchline now.

20: Just highlights how quickly a counter-attack can change a game, within an instant.

19: Kompany clears the ball, and City power forward on the counter-attack within a flash! An excellent touch by de Bruyne to cushion the ball down in one touch for Sterling, who finds the run of Touré in-front of him… but good, solid defending by Rojo puts the powerful Ivorian off his stride, and he loses momentum with the ball trickling out for a goal-kick.

18: Kolarov penalized! A soft foul to give away by the experienced Serbian, who pushes the marauding run of Valencia – he goes to ground, free-kick in a dangerous position now..

2-1, Spurs are ahead! Moussa Dembele the scorer, his first since February after Danny Rose’ long-range effort is deflected into his path, and he has the simple task of slotting home from close-range.

GOAL ALERT

17: The first-half possession stats thus far – United have had 55%, whilst City have had 45% in comparison.

15: Ooooh! An inviting ball is fizzed towards the box and plenty of United heads look to connect with it, but the danger is cleared..

14: Yellow card brandished, the first of the match as ironic jeers all around from the Old Trafford faithful – Fernandinho penalized for a late tackle on Martial, who weaved his way past the Brazilian before being cynically tripped.

12: Nothing comes of the resulting set-piece though, as the danger is averted.

11: Sterling sees an effort blocked, corner-kick to come – de Bruyne to take.

Tottenham are level, from the penalty spot! Harry Kane levels the scoring, and Eddie Howe’s men are suddenly back to square one again.

GOAL ALERT

9: Hart is called into action to deal with a heavy pass-back by Kompany with Rooney applying pressure on the Belgian – but the Englishman controls the ball well and manages to clear the danger shortly afterwards.

8: Kompany is sharp to the danger and clears his lines too, as Martial lurks close to him, trying to win the ball and sprint down the flank.

6: A fast-paced start to the match, United have certainly started brightly, and are enjoying their fair share of possession too.

4: Mark Clattenburg just gives Yaya Touré a talking to, after a cynical challenge to stop Wayne Rooney advancing forward from midfield with the ball at his feet. Probably should have been booked there too, but the referee shows some mercy given the complexion of the fixture itself.

3: Valencia drives forward from the flank, attempting to beat Kolarov for pace in a foot race – his eventual cross is poor though, not troubling Hart or any of the City backline as it veers out of play. Goal-kick to come.

Scottish winger Matt Richie has broken the deadlock at Dean Court! Spurs already a goal down against Bournemouth, after just a minute or so on the Coast.

GOAL ALERT

1: It’ll be interesting to see how Antonio Valencia deals with the various threats posed by the Kolarov-Sterling partnership down the left-hand side, especially considering he’ll have his back to goal and the duo have solidified a good understanding in recent months following Raheem’s summer switch to Eastlands.

KICK-OFF! Manchester United vs Manchester City, and it’s live!

As the two teams are given the once-over by the stadium announcer, you can already sense a feel for the game itself – it promises to be an intriguing match, a fierce Derby encounter for both sides, who will be eager for bragging rights today.

A patient wait inside the Old Trafford tunnel now, as the two sets of players eagerly wait for the referee’s signal.. just five minutes until kick-off!

TEAMS IN THE TUNNEL

Sunderland 3-0 Newcastle: McClaren’s woes were complete after Fletcher notched himself a goal, with a well-taken finish to seal all three points on another excellent victory for the hosts – their first of the new campaign, as well as their first clean sheet under Sam Allardyce. Quite some scenes.

Pre-match nerves are already starting to kick in now from both sides, as they get their warm-up sessions underway. Attendance at Old Trafford continuing to rise as kick-off is fast approaching..

Sunderland 2-0 Newcastle: After completely dominating the first-half’s action at the Stadium of Light, Steve McClaren’s men found themselves with a mountain to climb – as captain Fabricio Coloccini was penalized for a needless shove on Steven Fletcher in the box, and was consequently SENT OFF. Adam Johnson converted from the spot-kick, and it’s now two-nil! Billy Jones‘ first goal at Sunderland, turned in from close-range after a driven effort into his path by Jeremain Lens in the area!

GOAL ALERT

As for the visitors today, there’s a boost as club captain Kompany returns! He partners Nicolas Otámendi, who’ll be making his first Manchester Derby appearance – along with Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne, who are both being deployed in wide positions this afternoon.

For United, Memphis and Jesse Lingard are amongst the substitutes’ bench.

Strong team line-up’s from both, what’s even more interesting is the fact that City are without Agüero and Silva, yet look increasingly dangerous in an attacking sense..

MANCHESTER CITY: Hart; Sagna, Otámendi, Kompany, Kolarov; Fernando, Fernandinho; Touré, Sterling, de Bruyne, Bony. Subs – Caballero, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Roberts, Navas and Iheanacho.

MANCHESTER UNITED: de Gea; Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Rojo; Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Herrera; Mata, Rooney and Martial. Subs – Romero, Blind, Darmian, Carrick, Lingard, Fellaini and Depay.

CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS, as follows..

And lastly, Liverpool vs Southampton – with a 4:15PM start at Anfield.. Jürgen Klopp’s first league fixture at home, with a tough test against Ronald Koeman’s side. LIVE, expertly written by Charlie Malam, is here..

Bournemouth entertain Tottenham – the visitors hoping to bounce back from a frustrating Europa League defeat on Thursday night…read the match preview, courtesy of Jamie Joslyn here..

Three other Premier League fixtures going on… the Tyne-Wear derby, kicks off at midday. Sunderland v Newcastle, live and exclusive here with Jack Gallagher:

Vincent Kompany could feature for the first time in over a month for his side, as the club captain has been in the headlines – risking the frustrations of his club boss by playing for his national side in their EURO 2016 qualifiers, having recently recovered from a troublesome calf injury.

Team news – Man City: As for the visitors, they will be hoping for a positive result with a weakened team to field. Sergio Agüero, the club’s talisman, has been ruled out of action with a hamstring tear, and could still be out of action for three/four weeks yet. As well as the Argentine, midfield maestro David Silva is also sidelined – with an injury he’d picked up during the most recent international break.

The midfield is up for debate, as Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick can start as the two holding players in-front of the backline; whilst questions will be asked as to whether Memphis Depay starts on the flank, or Wayne Rooney is deployed in that position with Anthony Martial up-top.

Team news – Man United: The hosts prepare for the Derby with only two first-team players out of contention; defenders Luke Shaw (leg) and Paddy McNair (liver problem). Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have been developing a strong centre-back partnership together – so should start in the heart of defence once again. Marcos Rojo can also play at CB, but will most probably shift into a left-back position with Matteo Darmian opting on the right as usual.

Provided they win, it’ll be City’s 50th Derby victory of all-time, as well as their seventh win in the last ten meetings. Although United have dominated the fixture over history, the sky Blues are gradually trying to restore a foothold as the city’s best side.

Another stat for you next..

TWO match previews, one from Harry Robinson (United-based) here.. and Liam Hocking from a City perspective, here..

Confirmed team news to be announced in the fateful hour before kick-off, but time for some pre-match reading?

STAT: City have won just 49 of the Derbies contested between the two sides – United lead the way with seventy, whilst there have been 50 draws too.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Their last meeting, was in April earlier this year. Manchester United came from a goal behind, to win 4-2 in-front of the Old Trafford faithful; courtesy of goals from Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata and Chris Smalling. Sergio Agüero broke the deadlock in the opening ten minutes after David Silva carved open the United backline at will – before the momentum shifted dramatically and the hosts took control.

Arsenal are at the top of the summit, following their narrow 2-1 win over Everton yesterday evening. City are just a point behind them in second, whilst high-flying West Ham, who’ve already dethroned the Gunners, Liverpool, Manuel Pellegrini’s men and now Chelsea, sit pretty in third place. Louis van Gaal’s Red army make up the top four.

Premier League top four, as it stands after yesterday’s results looks like the following..

Today’s exciting clash is the 170th meeting between the two sides, and with City holding the slight advantage in terms of league standings, United have the upper hand in terms of player availability.

My name is Mosope Ominiyi, and I’ll be taking you through the day’s action as Old Trafford gears up for an intriguing battle between the Red Devils and the sky Blues. Manchester United vs Manchester City live and exclusive on my blog – with KO scheduled for a 2:05PM start. 

Good morning everyone, and welcome to the eagerly-anticipated live commentary of today’s Manchester Derby!

Specials

Arsenal 2-1 Everton: As it happened

Mosope

Arsenal 2-1 Everton: As it happened

Thank you all, for joining me for this evening’s action in the Premier League! I hope you enjoyed following along as I much as I did commentating – make sure to stay tuned to the latest on my blog, where the football never stops! From me, I’ll be back soon, have a goodnight!

FT: Everton provided the hosts with a few scares here-and-there, but did not enjoy a consistent spell of pressure or attempts on-goal to really stretch the Gunners’ backline, when they needed to most.

FT: The eagerly-anticipated Manchester Derby commences tomorrow afternoon, and City will be hoping to win the battle for supremacy – even without the influential figures of Sergio Agüero and David Silva within the squad featuring.

FT: Arsenal leapfrog title challengers Manchester City, to go top of the Premier League – at least for the rest of this evening.

90+4: FULL-TIME! Arsenal 2-1 Everton. A joy to savour, end-to-end football at its finest, and there should have been a lot more than just three goals too!

90+3: FANTASTIC TACKLE! Gabriel celebrates his sliding tackle as if the final whistle’s just gone, quite some scenes.

90+2: SENDING OFF! Gareth Barry is given his marching orders after his second bookable offence, and the Toffees are down to ten with a minute or so to play now..

90: The fourth official signals for FOUR minutes of stoppage time.. Arsenal supporters will be pleading for the final whistle now!

89: CLOSE! Özil does excellently in-and-around the box to create a chance out of seemingly nothing, and patiently waits for space to open up – before rifling a swerving low effort goalwards.. Howard is beaten, but his strike crashes back off the post as Everton are handed another lifeline!

88: Arsenal SUB – Alexis Sánchez OFF, Kieran Gibbs ON.

87: Just before that, Arsenal could have been three-one up! A teasing delivery by Alexis finds its way into the path of Flamini, with only Howard to beat from close-range, but his headed effort is straight into the goalkeeper’s midriff as he’s able to smother the ball in-between his gloves.

86: EXCELLENT SAVE BY CECH! Deulofeu fires goalwards from close-range, and the Arsenal supporters collectively hold their breath as Cech makes a fine diving stop to his left, parrying away the effort as the Gunners scamper the ball clear once more.

85: Özil finds Flamini in a yard of space to his left… oooh! narrowly wide by the experienced Frenchman, who apologetically looks at his teammates.

84: The Gunners break with speed and intent as Alexis leads the charge, before Cazorla switches the play into the path of Özil and the momentum, dare I say it, has shifted slightly in the hosts’ favour once more.

83: Monreal with a smart clearance, out for an Everton throw-in as the visitors pile on the pressure..

81: A smart decision made by Wenger, taking off The Ox after a productive eighty minutes under his belt – important that he keeps all of his players fresh, especially with Ramsey being ruled out for a month after a hamstring injury, which was arguably the result of being overworked by too many matches. He got himself more involved in the evening’s action as the match continued, and could have had an assist or two, if only Giroud had a yard or two more to get by..

80: Arsenal now making their first alteration – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain OFF, Mathieu Flamini ON.

78: OFF THE CROSSBAR! Lukaku heads goalwards, and his effort flashes off the top of the crossbar after an aerial battle with Koscielny in the box… still 2-1!

77: Free-kick to Everton, in a dangerous position as Monreal accidentally clips Deulofeu’s heels – who goes down in a tumble to the turf.

75: Fifteen minutes left to play, and there’s only one goal in it! Can Arsenal hold on? Will Everton recover to seal a point, or even three?

73: A perfect cross deep in the area for a Blue shirt by James McCarthy, whose delivery eliminates Cech from the equation – but between Lukaku and Galloway they hesitate, and the latter’s headed effort flashes wide of the near post, hitting the advertising boards behind the goal.

72: Lukaku is pictured limping in some discomfort afterwards, replays show that this knock has stemmed from a sliding challenge by Koscielny near the byline prior to his cross a minute ago.

71: A no-nonsense clearance from Oxlade-Chamberlain behind his own goal after Lukaku’s cross into the box spells danger – but for an important but risky intervention by the young Englishman there.

70: Everton making their second substitution of the game now – Aaron Lennon OFF, Kevin Mirallas ON.

69: Giroud is booked for a laboured challenge, before rattling the crossbar with a curled effort goalwards, with Howard getting nowhere near!

65: Ironic jeers from the home supporters as Gareth Barry is booked, for a cynical tug on Mesut as he evaded his initial challenge in midfield. Barry’s third yellow card this term, second booking of the match.

62: You get the feeling this could be a nervy finish.. Arsenal are doing everything right apart from score, whilst Everton are posing a real threat on the counter-attack and can strike at any time.

59: Two chances in quick succession for Olivier Giroud, both from Oxlade-Chamberlain, none of which meet the back of the net! First, he spots the movement from Olivier in-behind the Everton backline and fires a low through ball towards his path – but the zip of the ball evades Giroud and he gives up midway through his sprint to retrieve the ball, before Alex applies pace on a low delivery into the area, but Giroud slides an inch or two away as he fails to connect with it!

57: Theo Walcott and Arouna Kone are amongst the respective substitutes warming up, hoping to get some sort of game time this evening..

56: Chants of “Come on Arsenal” reverberate around the Emirates as the Gunners’ supporters spur their team on – they know one goal will change the complexion of this whole fixture.

55: SAVE! Howard is equal to Giroud’s acrobatic effort from close-range, after some unselfish play from Oxlade-Chamberlain sees the ball floated into the Frenchman’s path, but his effort swerves towards the near post and Howard makes a good diving save to react.

52: Everton SUB – Jagielka OFF, Funes Mori ON.

51: On the touchline, Ramiro Funes Mori is reportedly getting ready to come on in an alteration for Jagielka, who will not be able to continue any further.

50: Coleman opts for a long-distance effort, which stings the gloves of Cech, but nothing more.

48: Ouch! Jagielka lands awkwardly with trying to perform a sliding challenge to block Oxlade-Chamberlain’s advances towards goal – the ball trickles out for a corner-kick, but the English centre-back is feeling worse for wear..

No substitutions from either side, as the second-half begins!

HT: Barkley’s deflected effort on the stroke of the half-time interval now, means this game is nicely poised at two-one..

HT: Despite this though, you cannot take anything away from the hosts. Having started brightly, they are fully deserving of their lead – although it could be a wider margin than current viewing.

HT: Questions will be asked of Howard, as he could and probably should have done better with both of Arsenal’s two goals..

45+2: HALF-TIME! Arsenal 2-1 Everton, plenty still left to play for in the second-half.

45+1: Replays showed there was NO contact, and if anything, Deulofeu should have been booked for simulation.

45: The fourth official signals for just two minutes of stoppage time to play – as Deulofeu is visibly frustrated with the referee’s decision not to award a free-kick in his favour, after an adjudged challenge on him by Monreal..

And just like that, the tide has turned. Two-nil down, with half-time fast approaching, plenty of Everton players and supporters were looking understandably glum. But now, courtesy of a freak deflection off Gabriel, Barkley fires home and the Toffees have halved the deficit!

43: GOAL! EVERTON, IN A FLASH, BACK IN IT! ROSS BARKLEY!

41: Martinez and his side look glum, but it’s certainly not over by any stretch of the imagination. Arsenal defensively, are not the most convincing – test them, as they’ve done rather infrequently, and you can create a chance or two to score.

40: Thankfully though, it’s not too serious, and he’s back in the thick of the action once more.

39: Galloway receiving treatment by the physios, after a nasty-looking thump in the face as he galloped forward on the counter-attack, probing the Arsenal backline there..

37: GOAL! QUICK-FIRE DOUBLE! LAURENT KOSCIELNY, THIS TIME! Santi Cazorla fires a free-kick into a dangerous position, and Laurent Koscielny is first to it – heading goalwards past Howard, who again, should do better, but the Gunners are two goals ahead now!

36: In fairness though, the replays show the inevitable – Howard should have done better there, as opposed to standing tall and commanding his box, he is deceived by the flight of the ball, missing it completely with a flapping dive. Arsenal will take it, though!

35: GOAL! ARSENAL AHEAD! OLIVIER GIROUD BREAKS THE DEADLOCK! A similiar delivery to Özil’s free-kick, he curls the ball into the area and Giroud has the simple task of heading home from close-range!

33: CLOSE! Excellent delivery by Özil, but it proves frustrating as no-one’s on the end of it!

32: Arsenal have a set-piece in a dangerous area, as Lennon is penalized for a cynical bodycheck on Sánchez to halt the Chilean’s run towards the edge of the area.

27: CHANCE! SQUANDERED! Lennon weaves his magic on the edge of the area, before curling an effort goalwards. Cech is equal to it, but the ball bobbles on the turf and he’s only able to parry it – straight into a danger area with the goal gaping – but Stones is first to the ball, and fires narrowly wide with a first-time finish.

25: Not particularly sure that I’ve mentioned Romelu Lukaku or Ross Barkley as much as I should have, yet. Just shows how the visitors are yet to really utilise two of their most influential players..

24: The first yellow card of the match, met by a chorus of boos, is for Francis Coquelin. An honest sliding challenge on Galloway, it was undeniably a foul, but the follow-through took out the English full-back, and the referee gives the defensive midfielder his third booking of the season.

20: CLOSE! An excellently disguised pass by Mesut Özil after roaming through midfield, finding the movement from Sánchez to his right, but he’s unable to take a shot on-goal at the last second..

19: The rain is really starting to pour down now… it’ll be interesting to see how the turf manages to hold up, whether it’ll change the way in which either side approach the game, at least attacking-wise.

18: A free-flowing, intriguing match this has been so far. More of the same, please.

15: CHANCE! Özil’s one-on-one opportunity is thwarted by the quick reflexes of Howard, his outstretched leg enough to divert the effort wide of the near post – but it would not have counted regardless! Giroud penalized for an overzealous aerial challenge on Stones in the build-up, much to the Frenchman’s displeasure.

14: Sánchez showing another side to his all-impressive bow of qualities, his defensive contribution as well as his work-rate. Chasing back to help with his side out of possession, the Chilean forward does well to shrug off the advances of Coleman on the far side, and win the ball for his team.

13: The resulting set-piece fails to materialise for the hosts, but they’ve continued to pile on the pressure towards Howard’s goal nonetheless.

12: Oooh..! Bellerín swings a great delivery into the box, and luckily Stones manages to partially clear the danger, out for another corner!

11: Arsenal have started rather brightly today, Everton struggling to create much in the final third, having to do a lot of defending at the moment too.

10: WIDE! Gabriel Paulista looks on with regret as he angled his header wide of the mark, not troubling Howard in-between the posts despite getting himself in a good position to head goalwards..

9: An excellent sliding challenge by Francis Coquelin, greeted by a warm round of applause from the Emirates faithful as Bellerín advances towards the edge of the box – his cross is promising but a block by Galloway sees Everton have another set-piece to contend with.

7: CLOSE! Giroud fires narrowly wide from the resulting corner-kick, as the towering Frenchman was unmarked in the area and Roberto Martinez will not be happy with his side’s distinct lack of marking there..

6: Arsenal awarded a corner-kick as Oxlade-Chamberlain flexes his muscles on the flank and beats one defender for pace, before Brendan Galloway does well to make a last-ditch tackle as the ball trickles out for a set-piece.

5: A good one-two between Romelu Lukaku and Seamus Coleman on the far side; the latter of which fires a deep cross towards the area, but Aaron Lennon is unable to latch onto it, as Hector Bellerín sees the ball out of play. Goal-kick to come for the hosts.

4: Oooh! Arsenal pressing a high line, almost results in an early opener – as Tim Howard is forced into clearing the ball in his six-yard box, which is blocked by the path of Olivier Giroud. The ball fizzes into the path of Sánchez who does well initially to control it down in one touch, but John Stones does well to dispossess the Chilean and clear the danger away from goal in the process.

1: Gerard Deulofeu already causing a few problems for the Arsenal backline with his bursts of speed and agility down the right-hand side, he’ll be certainly one to look out for this evening.. Today marks the Spaniard’s third start since his return to English football with the Toffees, after a successful loan spell two seasons ago.

KICK-OFF! Arsenal vs Everton, and it’s live!

Just five minutes left until kick-off now! Amongst some of the results from earlier across the division, defending champions Chelsea succumbed to their fifth league defeat of the campaign – after just ten fixtures – with a 2-1 away defeat against West Ham, courtesy of goals from Mauro Zaraté and Andy Carroll.. another shock in London on the cards perhaps?

EVERTON: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Stones, Galloway; Barry, McCarthy; Lennon, Deulofeu, Barkley and Lukaku. Subs – Joel; Funes Mori, Osman, Cleverley; Mirallas, Naismith and Kone.

ARSENAL: Cech; Bellerín, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Özil, Sánchez and Giroud. Subs – Macey; Debuchy, Gibbs, Chambers; Flamini, Campbell and Walcott.

CONFIRMED TEAM LINE-UPS!

Everton – WDWWDL

Arsenal – WWLWWW

FORM GUIDE, as follows:

EVERTON: Mohamed Besic, Steven Pienaar (both hamstring),Leighton Baines (ankle) and Tony Hibbert (knee) are all sidelined for the visitors. Tom Cleverley is expected to feature – but not for the full 90 – on his return to first-team football after a nasty challenge during their goalless draw with Tottenham over a month ago.

ARSENAL: Danny Welbeck, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshereand Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) are all out of contention to feature this evening, as well as former Blue Mikel Arteta, who suffered an ankle issue during training on Thursday afternoon. The striker debate will be called into question once more – Theo Walcott or Olivier Giroud up-top?

Ahead of kick-off today, here’s the team news from both sides..

I pass on my sincere condolences to Kendall’s family, as well as the Everton hierarchy – who’ll no doubt be trying to deal with a tough time at the moment.

As for the visitors, they’ll be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last weekend against Manchester United – just hours after they’d heard of the tragic passing of club legend, Howard Kendall, aged 69.

After a morale-boosting victory over Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in midweek, the Gunners will be hoping for more of the same as they entertain Roberto Martinez‘s side today.

My name is Mosope Ominiyi, and I’ll be delivering all of the build-up as well as the live commentary on the intriguing affair in north London.

Hello and welcome to my live minute-by-minute commentary of tonight’s Premier League fixture – between Arsenal and Everton at The Emirates.

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Gunners aim for consistency with tricky fixture – Arsenal v Everton preview

Mosope

After a morale-boosting victory at the Emirates against German giants Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening, it’s back to the rigours of Premier League football for Arsenal.

Despite a frustrating start to the 2015/16 campaign, it finally seems as though the Gunners are hitting the right notes – both defensively as well as on the attack.

Press Conference

In Arsène Wenger’s press conference, he confirmed the length of Ramsey’s hamstring injury, saying he’d be out for around three to four weeks.

As well as that, he also confirmed that Gabriel was back in full training after an illness that ruled him out of contention for the Watford game last weekend, whilst he’s unsure whether or not to rotate the starting XI itself. Former Blue Mikel Arteta suffered an ankle injury in training on Thursday, and as a result is out of contention.

Answering a question on Mesut Özil, he said he had no doubts about his ability – but was just hoping he would be able to add goals into his game as well as his impressive assist tally, which he’s gradually beginning to do. A world-class player, Wenger also said he’d be ‘more respected’ if he scored more goals too.

Despite not always getting the results we want, Wenger said the squad have an aura of ‘togetherness’ within, and there’s always a feel-good factor, emphasised by a pleasing victory over Bayern in midweek.

There was also praise for creative midfielder Ross Barkley – as Wenger said he has ‘massive potential’ and is ‘certainly one of the most promising’ players in the League.

Team news

Arsenal will be without Aaron Ramsey – following his hamstring injury during their 2-0 home win over Bayern during midweek. Apart from that David Ospina (shoulder), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck (knee) are the other first-team players sidelined at the moment as well as the aforementioned Mikel Arteta.

The starting eleven will most probably stay the same as it was in the previous match with the only certain change, a replacement for Ramsey which could come in the form of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who definitely needs a good run of games under his belt to assert himself as a regular starter.

Possible XI: Čech; Bellerín, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; The Ox, Özil, Alexis; Walcott.

The Opposition

Everton travel to north London in the hope that they’ll be able to bounce back from a morale-draining defeat at the hands of Manchester United last time out. Admittedly, they’ve got plenty of talent at their disposal but defensively, they’ve been rather suspect at times this season.

With the centre-back pairing of Phil Jagielka and John Stones, they boast a refreshing mix of youth and experience between them, but that’s been overshadowed by individual mistakes, which they’ve struggled to iron out after a forgettable run in the previous campaign.

Tom Cleverley is in contention to feature for the Toffees, although it may seem unlikely that he’ll play the full ninety minutes as he builds up his fitness from the ankle injury he picked up earlier on in the season.

Leighton Baines (ankle), Tony Hibbert (knee), Steven Pienaar and Mohamed Besic (both hamstring) are all progressing well from their injuries. None of them will be in contention to feature though.

Possible XI: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Stones, Galloway; Barry, McCarthy; Naismith, Cleverley, Barkley; Lukaku.

A point to prove

There is certainly a point to prove – for both sides.

Everton have Champions League aspirations, but lack the consistency to mount a proper challenge for Europe’s elite competition.

Occupying ninth place in the table at the moment, only four points separate them from fourth placed West Ham, which could all change if results go their way at the weekend.

Roberto Martinez will be intrigued to see how his side respond to their frustrating defeat, against an Arsenal side hoping for more success of their own.

With the Manchester derby kicking off just under twenty-four hours afterwards, the Gunners could see themselves at the top of the Premier League summit – provided they win first, and the local derby ends in a draw or narrow United win.

They may be setting themselves up for disappointment in the Champions League, but they must be winning matches against the likes of Everton if they’re to cement their credentials as a title-challenging squad.

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Opposition report: Bournemouth

Mosope

Opposition report: Bournemouth

City host the Premier League’s newcomers on Saturday afternoon, hoping for a victory in their first competitive fixture back after the much-dreaded international break.

Manchester City host one of the Premier League‘s newboys, Bournemouth, on Saturday afternoon. The much-dreaded international break has taken its toll on City’s players in the worst possible way – with two of their most important stars being ruled out of action after respective injuries.Sergio Agüero and David Silva are the club’s dynamic duo in attack, and for all of the Citizens‘ impressive acquisitions in the summer, they will be missed. That being said, it’ll allow a few players the opportunity to prove their first-team credentials; not least Jesús Navas and Wilfried Bony.

A chance centre-stage: Navas and Bony

The latter has struggled for form in a sky Blue shirt since his January switch from Swansea – where he was their best player, target man, and most-feared opponent. Since his move though, he’s been unable to replicate his impressive performances on a regular basis. Partly because, he’s being overlooked with Agüero’s presence ruling the roost, but also because he’s suffered from a few troublesome injuries since, and needs a good run of form under his belt.

As for Navas, he represents a frustrating symbol for Manuel Pellegrini to constantly ponder every week. Fans are constantly bewildered as to how, and why, the pacey Spaniard manages to make the matchday squad on a regular basis. Not because he’s not good, but he’s simply not consistent enough. A ditherer in possession, he frequently finds himself in excellent positions to create chances, square the ball in the box, or even take a shot.

de Bruyne’s settled in well and in style

Instead, he’ll squander the chance. Over, and over again. The signing of Kevin de Bruyne is undoubtedly a big one, not only because the former Chelsea man has flourished since his move from Stamford Bridge back in January last year, but his quality is undeniable too. Dangerous on the counter, the creative Belgian adds another dimension to City’s play going forward – he fits the David Silva mould, of a player who loves to create chances galore and is silky on the ball.

Bournemouth: A side with nothing to lose

Anyways, enough about the hosts. After all, they entertain Eddie Howe‘s side, and they’ve only picked up two wins out of a possible eight this term. Apart from perhaps Liverpool, the Cherries had every right to pick up much more points than they have done. Draws against Leicester City and Watford (both home), are not particularly bad – but their losses (Norwich excluding) have been slender, meaning they’ve left wanting more from results.

Their losses this term:

  • Opening day: 1-0 (h) against Aston Villa
  • 17 August: 1-0 (a) against Liverpool
  • 12 September: 3-1 (a) vs Norwich
  • 26 September: 2-1 (a) vs Stoke City

See what I mean? Their enthralling 4-3 victory away at Upton Park, against West Ham – that was a prime example of their never-say-die attitude. There’s no reason as to why they cannot replicate the same kind of performance against the Citizens, especially with nothing to lose at the Ethiad.

Notable absentees

With five players on the injury list, Bournemouth will certainly be the underdogs in their trip to the blue half of Manchester. Amongst them, is Callum Wilson – who scored the League’s first hat-trick and netted six goals in just five appearances. With the underwhelming form of Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane at the moment, the 23-year-old forward was on the verge of his first England call-up, but disaster unfortunately stroke. During their game against Stoke City before the international break, he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, and has been ruled out for at least six months as a result.

Bournemouth’s creative spark, has also been cruelly stripped away from them. Max Gradel, who started life in England’s top flight commendably well, suffered a similiar injury to Wilson – and will be out until March, at the earliest. Then, just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse.. Tyrone Mings, their highly-rated young defender, has a knee problem of his own. Having had surgery to repair the damage, he could be out of action for nine to TWELVE months, having torn both his anterior cruciate ligament, as well as his medial ligament too.

Harry Arter (hip) and Thomas Elphick (achilles) are the other two absentees and shall not feature in the matchday squad.

*Data correct to the 11th of October, 2015.

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Aston Villa: What do they need from their next five fixtures?

Mosope

Aston Villa: What do they need from their next five fixtures?

After a disappointing start to the 2015/16 campaign, Tim Sherwood’s men find themselves in a tricky predicament. With Chelsea, Swansea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Everton in their next five fixtures, how will they cope?

To say that Aston Villa are underachieving, is an understatement. Flirting with the depths of the relegation zone, is somewhere the club simply should not be.Tim Sherwood, heralded as a miracle-worker for his impressive managerial exploits upon his late arrival towards the back-end of the 2014/15 campaign, knows that past results count for nothing now. In the Premier League, previous success means nothing – especially when you’ve got plenty of pressure on your back to produce results, and the team isn’t doing as well as they should be.

On paper, they should be doing far better than they currently are

That’s not to say that the team overall, isn’t good enough. The likes of Scott Sinclair, Adama Traore, Carles Gil, Jack Grealish, Rudy Gestede and Gabriel Agbonlahor are all viable attacking options in their own right, and the Villans have also strengthened defensively.

Jordan Amavi‘s already taken a shine to the rigours of top flight football in England since his summer switch from Nice for £9million, whilst Micah Richards and Jores Okore have struck up a solid partnership within the backline.

So, what’s going wrong?

Eight games into the new campaign, Villa find themselves in eighteen place. Four points away from safety, with Chelsea and West Brom occupying the two places above them in 16th and 17th respectively.

They started off well, with a narrow 1-0 victory at the expense of the League’s newboys, Bournemouth. But since then, they’ve yet to record another victory in the seven games afterwards – and should have at least grabbed one or two more than they have.

A 1-0 home defeat against Louis van Gaal‘s Manchester United side was expected, but the way in which they lost, gave Sherwood plenty of positives to take from the result itself. An away loss against Crystal Palace, as well as a disappointing draw against lowly Sunderland followed next – and they could have easily taken more than a point out of a possible six in that respect.

Forgettable results galore

Then, two more forgettable results. First, the ultimate art of capitulation away at the King Power, where Leicester City came back from two goals down to win 3-2 with a spirited second-half display. Admittedly, it was the tale of two halves in the afternoon kick-off, but Sherwood’s men still should have managed to hold onto the lead they had, especially away from home – against a side with nothing to lose.

Jack Grealish‘s first senior goal, as well as a stunning effort from Carles Gil, were overshadowed by the team’s breakdown in the second-half, as they were often pinned back in their own half and struggled to fashion any chances of note – whilst Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were the creative duo helping to push the Foxes back into the match as a contest.

The west Midlands’ derby, was next. Saido Berahino (who else?) scored the one, and only goal of the match in an otherwise frustrating defeat, once again. Defensively, they were all over the place, and could have easily lost by two or three more, if West Brom were more clinical with their opportunities on-goal.

A slender, unfortunate defeat against a fragile Liverpool side in their final game of September was sure to sour Sherwood’s mood, especially after they’d shown flashes of the potential the assembled team should be displaying on a regular basis. Rudy Gestede scored a well-taken brace, but it meant nothing in comparison to Daniel Sturridge‘s two-goal haul, especially after James Milner opened the scoring within two minutes of the referee’s whistle.

1-0 at home against Stoke, the less said about that, the better. From this, we’ve concluded that the team defensively, aren’t as good as they should be. How will they cope, with a tough run of fixtures to come?

As previously stated, Sherwood’s managerial status is under an increasing amount of scrutiny. Thirteen goals conceded, eight goals scored, and things are looking bleak upon Villa Park. They’ll naturally be hoping for a positive international break in terms of (a lack of..) injuries, but their next five PL matches, are as follows:

Chelsea (a)

José Mourinho‘s side have, just like Villa, underperformed thus far this season. For their extremely high standards, the league champions have seemed like none other than a mid-table club at times, and plenty of questions are being asked to say the least.

No-one could have foreseen the Blues’ slow start to the 2015/16 campaign, just a few months after lifting the Premier League title back in May at Stamford Bridge – even with their lack of acquisitions in the summer.

No match is easy for Villa, especially in their current form. Neither side will want another defeat, and this is probably the perfect time to face the defending champions. Tenative, unconvincing and under scrutiny, it could fire them to prevail even more though..

Swansea City (h)

The Swans will make the trip from south Wales, and you’d be naïve to suggest Garry Monk wouldn’t set his side out to go for anything less than a win. They’ve proved their worth in the past, they’re not scared of anyone – whether it’s Manchester United or Aston Villa in this case, they’ll always give the opposition a good challenge.

Villa will take pride from the fact that Swansea are yet to win on the road this term, but with that being said, produced some excellent football at times despite being held to a 2-2 draw against Tottenham in their previous fixture.

Two fabulous pieces of skill by Eriksen, with two sweetly-struck free-kicks, saved Spurs’ blushes, coming away with a point in the end. To stop Swansea from travelling back home with anything, what do Villa need to do though?

Firstly, they need to nullify the effect of Swansea’s star players. That’s easier said than done, admittedly, considering they’ve got quite a few of them too. Bafetimbi Gomis does a lot more than just score, I’ll have you believe. When he’s not getting enough service, he’ll drop deep into the pockets of space in midfield to try and win the ball, or add another option going forward for the team – like a AM would do.

He usually links up with André Ayew on the flank, and because their build-up play is almost inch-perfect every time, it’s often hard to stop. So, apply a lot of effective pressure, in order to force them back. The same should be applied with Jefferson Montero – another player who loves to gallop forward, but one that doesn’t shy away from his defensive duties either.

Also, they need to avoid conceding silly free-kicks. Cynical fouls in-and-around the centre circle, could be good for them in terms of slowing down the tempo of the game – especially as Swansea love to counter quickly, and have the quality to do so. Otherwise, Monk’s men will run away with the game itself.

Tottenham (a)

Spurs, ah Spurs. One of the more unpredictable sides in the league – which can be a worry for both their opponents, as well as themselves too. Mauricio Pochettino’s team on paper, is impressive. The likes of Erik Lamela, Heung-Min Son, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane are a fearsome foursome, but there are also some under-rated names within their first-team too.

The midfield workhorses; Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb, rarely get recognition for the amount of work they put in, on a regular basis throughout the ninety minutes on a matchday. Collectively, they make the forwards’ jobs easier, with their plethora of interceptions, important tackles and tactical awareness key to breaking up play in the centre of the park and snuffing out counter-attacks in their tracks.

They’ve got one of the world’s best goalkeepers in Hugo Lloris, whilst their backline is not too shabby either. The centre-back pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld is a notable one; not only because they’re compatriots and know each other’s respective strengths, but together help to fill a cohesive back-four – especially when they need to defend with a slender lead to protect as an example.

Yet, they lack consistency. This has been the main issue for them over the past few seasons especially, which is why they’ve struggled to sustain a proper challenge for a UEFA Champions League qualifying spot, in the top four of the division. Sometimes, they’re wasteful and limp in-front of goal, and defensively, their shape splits into two and allows teams to attack them with speed and purpose.

So, this is exactly what Villa need to do. White Hart Lane is a tricky place to go, but if the tactics are spot-on, and the players know the gameplan from the beginning, i.e. frustrating the Spurs defenders, or trying to shut out the attackers going forward, they’ll get a good result in north London.

Manchester City (h)

Manuel Pellegrini‘s men sit at the top of the pile, at least they will have done going into this international break. With the absence of Sergio Agüero hurting the quality in attack, Villa would be hoping to at least get a half-decent result. But, stranger things have happened. The blistering pace of Raheem Sterling and the probing passes from Kevin de Bruyne as well as David Silva alone, are enough to give defences plenty to worry about.

The Citizens’ main weakness is predominantly in defence, and despite the signing of Nicolas Otámendi in August, it’ll still take a few months’ of settling in before the sky Blues have a solid backline – not least with the inconsistent alterations made within on a regular basis.

Start fast, ensure man-marking is not half-hearted, and City will have a game on their hands.

Everton (a)

Last but certainly not least, a trip to Goodison Park awaits. One of the most-dreaded stadiums to travel to, not because of the area or quality of pitch, either. Everton, regardless of their position in table, or form, are one of the best teams in the league.

The centre-back pairing of Phil Jagielka and John Stones, the midfield duo of James McCarthy and Gareth Barry, the marauding runs forward from Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas, the sheer power of Romelu Lukaku… goals. Aplenty.

In the last ten meetings between the two clubs (in all comps), Villa have only won two. A traditionally high-scoring fixture, it’s no surprise. The Toffees love a quick transition from defence into attack within seconds – this was reiterated during their 3-1 victory over Chelsea back in September.

They soak up pressure well, force their opponents back (regardless of whether they have possession or not), and hit them on the counter when they’d least expect it. So dangerous, yet so effective, it’s a tactic that hurts sides because they simply cannot defend against it.

For Villa’s sake, you’d hope they can try and thwart it. But if not, try and outscore them? After all, the towering figures of Okore and Richards should be able to give Lukaku – for all of his might and agility – a good battle in the final third. Shutting off the service from either flank, as well as through midfield, will be a tricky task in itself.

But, it’s not an impossible task. Just, very difficult. Like every other game in the league would be, right?

To conclude, Villa’s next five fixtures are all going to be tough. Probably the toughest point of their campaign, for the time-being. Get the tactics right, play well and show over a consistent time-span that their opening eight games was a blip, Sherwood will keep his job, players’ morale will increase – as will the supporters. If not, he’ll be nervously biting his fingers wondering if he still has a future with the west Midlands’ side.

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Why this is Walcott’s perfect opportunity to shine – for club and country

Mosope

With another goal for England during their 2-0 home victory against minnows Estonia on Friday night, Theo Walcott has now scored seven goals in his last nine appearances for both club and country.

Wayne Rooney’s absence (ankle) from the final Euro 2016 qualifiers is a notable one, especially given the fact that the Manchester United man has been a mainstay within the Three Lions’ set-up since he burst onto the scene over a decade ago.

However, his injury is a blessing in disguise from an Arsenal perspective. After a slow start to proceedings this term, Walcott has used his goal-scoring form as a benchmark, as he hopes to assert his credentials in order to become Arsène Wenger’s preferred forward choice on a regular basis.

Olivier Giroud – who has received a lot of criticism lately – is the other option for the Frenchman to ponder, and with matches coming thick and fast, he’d hope to have both players fit to choose from.

For all of his strengths, Giroud’s most frustrating tendency includes the fact that if he doesn’t receive service, he’s largely ineffective during a game. Walcott’s completely different in that respect as he creates opportunities out of seemingly nothing. His pace is an asset but there’s still plenty more to his craft than that.

Walcott has flirted with the idea of becoming a recognised centre-forward over the past three years, but until recently, hasn’t had a sustained period in which to try out the role itself. Injuries have hurt his development within the first-team, but his displays in-front of goal for England have been eyecatching to say the least.

Against Estonia, Theo was a constant threat going forward. On the counter attack, he’s a fearsome threat, and his sharp bursts of acceleration were key to pulling Estonia’s backline out of position to create gaps in-and-around the area itself.

His attacking movement has continued to improve as he’s matured, meaning he’s less likely to find himself offside and knows when to time his run before the ball is played, giving him enough of an advantage to strike at goal.

His effort on the stroke of half-time was the epitome of this – waiting patiently as his teammates eased their way towards goal. Some quick passes saw Ross Barkley on the ball, and his inch-perfect spot found Theo’s run with style as the defenders were caught chasing shadows in his wake.

Although he only scored once, he could have had a hat-trick on another day. Naturally, it’s exciting to see Theo in his preferred role, where he’s enjoying his football and is proving his worth.

With the unconvincing form of Harry Kane and Rooney in-front of goal this term, this could be Walcott’s biggest chance to force himself into another dimension – as England’s frontman, as well as Arsenal’s.

Specials

Nathaniel Clyne’s progression: From an aspiring teen to Liverpool regular

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Nathaniel Clyne's progression: From an aspiring teen to Liverpool regular

The 24-year-old has already become a mainstay in the Liverpool first-team during his first few months at Anfield, just highlighting the significant progression from the youth ranks of Tottenham and Crystal Palace as an aspiring teen growing up in south London.

All things considered, Nathaniel Clyne‘s career thus far has gone swimmingly. His progression from an aspiring child growing up in the rigours of south London, into becoming a mainstay in theLiverpool first-team recently, just reiterates how important development is, at the highest level of football today.

At the age of 24, he’s still relatively young and has plenty of years left to play his trade – ultimately, he’ll strive to keep improving. In this way, his performances will gain more recognition, which was a weekly occurence as he moved from club-to-club as a teenager.

Clyne’s performances stood out, and rightly so

Through no fault of his own, it must be stressed. Strict academy guidelines state that youth players, moreso those under the age of 16 (at the time, he was), cannot travel over an hour-and-a-half to the club’s training ground. If this is the case, they have to seek a club closer to their residency.

The side in question, is Tottenham Hotspur. Over the past few seasons, they’ve established themselves as one of the only clubs in the top flight, that actively give opportunities to their more promising players, and Clyne would have easily entered that bracket – if he’d been allowed to stay in north London.

Started his playing career as a striker before being shifted back

Initially starting off as a striker, Nathaniel caught the eye. His versatility and energy allowed him to track back, helping his teammates defensively. Something he still does today, the collective suggestion was made to shift him into a more defensive-minded position of the pitch. An area where his energy could be utilised effectively on either flank, but his defensive qualities could also be tested.

At full-back, naturally. A right-footer, the Stockwell-born youngster opted to switch into a right-back slot, and hasn’t looked back since. Spurs couldn’t sign him on scholarship terms given the regulations, but Crystal Palace certainly could. Snapping him up efficiently and under-the-radar, Nathaniel continued his development there, before again, he caught the eye.

Time for a change of scenery

The rest, as they say, is history. Southampton came calling, and it’d have been arguably naive of him to reject a move of such calibre. Leaving his comfort zone – as well as his mother Ann – behind in London, it was a big sacrifice to make. Was he fazed though? Not at all. Instead, Clyne had a consistently calm, collected aura about himself.

Not only in his displays on the pitch, but the way he conducted himself off it, too. Naturally to this day, I’m yet to hear of him getting drunk at nightclubs, being charged with violent assault, or doing things that footballers – as role models – shouldn’t be doing.

Having already made his bow on the international stage for England, it undoubtedly meant a lot to both Nathaniel himself, as well as his family. From an aspiring child in the streets of Stockwell, to representing his country in-front of millions? It doesn’t get much better than that.

He’ll hope for many more opportunities to come in that respect, but his instant impact upon the Liverpool team just emphasises how good he is. A £12m signing from Ronald Koeman‘s men mid-way through the summer transfer window, Manchester United were also interested in his services.

“Even when I was playing up front, I always had a lot of energy and a hunger to run after people – win the ball back. I was really good at it, so eventually they decided I was better off as a defender.”

As opposed to opting for a switch to Old Trafford, he was eager for first-team assurances – given the chance to justify that. With the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Angelo Henríquez and Nick Powell just a few of the young talents that have seemingly come and gone from the heights at the Theatre of Dreams, you can emphathise with his reluctancy to have gone there in the end.

At Anfield, he’s already settled in quickly. Himself and Joe Gomez, look like seasoned veterans, and their pricetags are looking lesser by the week. Consistency, quality, and confidence in your ability – check.

Clyne’s a realist, as well as an optimist. He knows the challenges which lie ahead for the Reds, not least under new management following Brendan Rodgers’ sacking recently.

“I have got where I always wanted to be, but now I have to work hard to keep improving and stay here [at the club]. It is going to be difficult because there are a lot of people who can play right-back but I have to try to make the position my own.”

Make the right-back spot his own? Already completed. Time to conquer the international stage, and continue to improve – just like we all know he can, and will.

Quotes’ source: The Guardian

Archives

Player focus: Alexis at his mercurial best against sloppy Manchester United

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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal celebrates scoring their third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on October 4, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Questions were asked of Alexis Sánchez, after a relatively slow start to the 2015/16 campaign.

Taking everything into account, it was a harsh assessment of a player who missed their pre-season preparations after his exploits with Chile at the Copa América.

Against Tottenham in the Capital One Cup, once introduced, Alexis looked lively, full of energy, and unpredictable in attack – a joy to watch. Away at Leicester, he scored his first hat-trick of his Arsenal career. All three of his goals were well-taken, and plenty of critics began suggesting, perhaps the electrifying Chilean is back after all?

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Luis Antonio Valencia of Manchester United is tackled by Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on October 4, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Manchester United started slowly today. They were comprehensively punished as a result, and Sánchez was unsurprisingly at the forefront of this. Scoring the opener, he was cheeky but also subtle. His movement was excellent to pinpoint his run in the box – and latching onto Mesut’s low ball, he still had a lot to do with his back to goal.

But, it’s Alexis. Nothing fazes him. With his back to David de Gea, his backflick nestled into the bottom corner and sent the home supporters into raptures.

He wasn’t finished there, either. Just a minute later, his audacious skill chop fell into the path of Ozil – whose one-two with Walcott was clinically finished off seconds afterwards.

Working hard for the side throughout until he was withdrawn with ten minutes to play, he’d shown his desire to get forward at speed – which was reiterated in the build-up to completing his brace.

With shades of his piledriver against Liverpool last term, he went on a marauding run towards the box, and despite getting his feet caught up initially, he maintained enough composure to fire home on the edge of the area with de Gea’s sprawling dive in vain.

3-0 and cruising, Sánchez was eager not to rest on his laurels. Defensively, he was always chasing after the ball, applying pressure to United as they tried to create chances of note for all the possession they had.

As he came off, he was given a standing ovation from the home supporters. Deservedly the Man of the Match, he’s quite simply the driving force behind the Gunners attack. Sublime to watch, as usual.

With the impending international break on the horizon, it’s come at the wrong time from an Arsenal perspective. Alexis back firing on all cylinders, a morale-boosting victory after their disappointing defeat during midweek, what more could you ask for? No players to get injured, I suppose.

Archives

Manchester City 6-1 Newcastle United: Agüero shines as Citizens thump Geordies on home soil

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Manchester City 6-1 Newcastle United: Agüero shines as Citizens thump Geordies on home soil

Sergio Agüero cemented his place in the history books with a fantastic five-goal haul, as Manchester City thrashed Newcastle rather comprehensively – an eyewatering 6-1 thrashing at the Ethiad this afternoon.

Having scored a late dramatic winner to seal all three points against Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League, Agüero was undoubtedly hoping that goal would help him get back into his razor-sharp form – having endured a tough start to the 2015/16 campaign in all competitions.

Newcastle start well, but Agüero steals the headlines

He did just that too, as the sky Blues leapfrogged local rivals United ahead of their tricky away task against Arsenal tomorrow afternoon. However it was not all plain sailing for the hosts, despite Kevin de Bruyne forcing goalkeeper Tim Krul into an early save after just seven minutes from his curling free-kick effort. Fernando had two opportunites to slot home from close-range, but mis-timed his attempts and the Dutchman was able to clear the danger away from goal.

Aleksandar Mitrovic netted his first goal in the English top flight, after a flick-on into his path by Georginio Wijnaldum. The whole move was orchestrated by Kevin Mbabu, who accelerated down the flank past Pablo Zabaleta, before his teasing cross was partially cleared by Eliaquim Mangala – straight into the oppositions’ path.

City’s defensive frailties were emphasised once more in the 24th minute. Some patient build-up in the final third was finished off at the far post by Mitrovic, but his finish was ruled out for an offside call – as he was marginally offside as the ball was played on the right-hand side. Replays showed it was the correct decision, and although the linesman’s choice was justified, it was a wake-up call for the hosts.

Agüero saw a sweetly-struck effort flash narrowly wide of the far post, after a marauding run forward by Fernandinho in midfield. Then on the stroke of the interval, City levelled the scoring in some style, too. David Silva weaved his magic on the edge of the box, before lofting a ball into the area – which Fernandinho headed goalwards. Agüero was lurking to his right, and was quickest to the ball to head home from close-range.

City lucky not to be behind at the break, and take advantage

Manuel Pellegrini‘s men went into the break with the scores level, and they could have easily been two or three goals down. So in that respect, the Chilean would have been grateful they didn’t have a deficit to overturn.

They flexed their counter-attacking muscles shortly after the second-half began though, as Agüero scored his second of the game in the 49th minute. A limp pass by Chancel Mbemba was sniffed out by de Bruyne, whose lay-off to Silva allowed the talented Argentine through towards the edge of the box.

His strike deflected off Yoan Gouffran – and the flight of the ball deceived the dive of Krul, nestling into the bottom corner of the net within seconds afterwards. A minute afterwards, City made it a quick-fire double, with Agüero completing his hat-trick within a flash.

de Bruyne’s inch-perfect through ball fed the run of Sergio, and his deft flick over Krul floated into the net – sending City supporters into sheer delight. Then, the talented Belgian netted one for himself, from a teasing delivery by substitute Jesús Navas on the flank, whose looping half-volley kissed the top of the net below the crossbar. 4-1 and cruising, the Citizens continued to power themselves in-front. Agüero scored his fourth and fifth of the goal, first with a curling effort, then a simple sliding strike at the near post.

Newcastle supporters, unsurprisingly, were seen walking out of the stadium in their droves as the scoreline continued to pile on the misery – just a week after a positive result saw them draw 2-2 at home against defending champions Chelsea.

It was a day to forget for the Geordies, and rightly so too. Having started so well, they were completely obliterated by City’s attacking prowess and the counter-attacking speed at which they manoeuvered was a joy to see – unless you were a Newcastle fan ofcourse.

The impending international break comes at another frustrating time for Pellegrini’s men, again. The last one, disrupted their plans going into a crunch round of fixtures in September, and the same applies this time around. But, a 6-1 victory will silence their title doubters. For now, at least.

Archives

Eliaquim Mangala: A year on

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Eliaquim Mangala: A year on

A year after he made his City debut, following a big money switch to the rigours of the Premier League – how has the Frenchman fared so far?

Eliaquim Mangala. It seems like just yesterday, Manchester City secured the services of the French centre-back. A reported fee of £32million pounds was talked about across social media, and eyebrows were unsurprisingly raised. Plenty of critics emerged, especially given the sum of money. But, City were happy to pay it, and although he’s shown flashes of brilliance from time to time, he’s also endured some moments thus far which he’d wince when reflecting back upon.One of his best performances for the sky Blues last season, was undoubtedly during their 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Ethiad. Having joined Manuel Pellegrini‘s side off the back of a World Cup summer, he hadn’t signed by the time the club went on their pre-season tour, and was already behind in terms of the season’s preparations by a few weeks.

Mangala was already behind in his pre-season preparations

However, the rigours of the Premier League initially, didn’t faze him. His sheer pace, power, agility and strength – not to mention his aerial presence, meant he fit the mould of a defender City had been crying out for years. He was touted as the perfect man to partner Vincent Kompany, and lead the Citizens to glory. So, what went wrong?

Well, City’s defensive frailties were a major concern to their title charge. Kompany was often out-of-form, injured, or often indifferent from December onwards – which was frustrating to see for a captain to uncharacteristically drop below his extremely high standards.

Mistakes and goals began to creep in

Mangala was caught out on a number of occasions, either when he was required to play the ball out from defence, or just silly mistakes he made; which cost the team goals. As you’d know, goals decide games and although City had more-than-adequate firepower in attack with Sergio Agüero up-top, they struggled in the defensive department of the team.

The inconsistency displayed by the big Belgian meant someone had to step up, and realistically speaking, it couldn’t be Mangala. Not because he’s not good enough, but simply a man of little experience, in an unforgiving league. No towering figure alongside him to give helpful advice, thrown in at the deep end, the worst was expected and soon enough, many prematurely branded him as a “flop”.

Unfairly branded a flop – proven otherwise

Martin Demichelis got his chance centre-stage, and to the Argentine’s credit, he did himself justice. What he lacks in speed and agility, he makes up with his near-perfect positioning, interceptions galore and the concentration he possesses to rarely make mistakes deep into the second-half of a match, where City are holding onto a narrow lead.

His experience was vital in helping Mangala himself settle in, because in the absence of their captain, someone needed to step up. As the season continued, despite the fact that they could no longer challenge for the Premier League title itself, Mangala and the rest of the City players grew in confidence as the season drew to an eventual close. Demichelis, who at 34-years-old, was expected to be nothing more than a squad player, exceeded expectations significantly.

Having only conceding six goals in their concluding six fixtures of the league season, with four clean sheets to boot, City were able to finish the league campaign strongly and managed a second placed finish – albeit eight points behind Jose Mourinho’s men in the final standings.

A promising start, turbulent middle, and impressive end to the 2014/15 term, it’s debatable whether or not Mangala has actually justified his hefty price-tag, just yet. That being said though, he’s still developing and eager to improve. Plenty of opportunities to prove his doubters otherwise.