Liverpool are hopeful the groin injury Fernando Torres picked up during the World Cup final is not as serious as was first feared.
Torres was an extra-time substitute during Spain's 1-0 victory over Netherlands in Johannesburg on Sunday, but ended the match in pain after pulling up sharply holding his groin.
The 26-year-old striker has struggled with a succession of injuries since arriving at Anfield three years ago from Atletico Madrid.
He still managed to score 22 goals last season despite two bouts of knee surgery restricting him to just 32 appearances.
Torres is now back in Spain with the victorious national team and the Reds are preparing to send a medical team to Madrid to assess his latest injury scare.
However, Liverpool's new head of medicine and sports science, Dr Peter Brukner, is hopeful that the latest concern is not too serious.
"We've been in touch with the Spanish medical team and they don't think it's too serious. It's an adductor muscle injury but they've not had a chance to assess it today," he told Liverpool's official website.
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"Fernando will have a proper assessment and probably a scan tomorrow and some of the Liverpool medical staff will go to Madrid later in the week to fully assess the injury and organise his rehab. At this stage we don't think it's too serious.
"We can't say too much more at the moment until it is properly assessed."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy has admitted to being puzzled by the relative lack of movement in the transfer market so far this summer.
McCarthy has drafted in Jelle Van Damme, Steven Fletcher, Steven Mouyokolo and Stephen Hunt since the end of last season and has been more active than a number of his Premier League counterparts.
He told the Birmingham Mail: “I’ve no idea why it’s slow. People have budgets and can they get the players? Do they want to get better players who are costing too much?
“Teams have done that in the past. Do they want to make sure and wait? Are they all playing a bit cagey?
“I guess all those reasons come into play and players wait and try to be clever and cute and don’t accept the first thing.
“We’ve got five weeks to name our squad of 25, so I don’t think that’s causing any grief. It’s the start of the season that’s more important, surely.
“I can’t see any of the clubs who haven’t signed players suddenly going out and signing five or six. That would be hard to integrate them.
“We are all kinda fishing in different pools. There is a section where we can go and buy, there is a section others can go and buy – then there’s Manchester City.
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“Even Manchester United and Liverpool don’t appear to be doing much, but there are little pockets of players we all know we can do business with.
“The players know that as well. They might have two or three clubs in their ears, so they can be selective.”
As Cesc Fabregas commits his immediate future to Arsenal a huge sigh of relief has passed over the Emirates this week. With Wenger promising new arrivals in the coming weeks, Arsenal look to be in good shape for next week’s opener.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include…Has Wenger made the right call with Wilshere; why this could be Arsenal’s year and Arsene pulls a transfer rabbit out of the hat.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Arsenal stories on the Web this week.
Barcelona and Fabregas underestimated Arsenal’s resolve
Ambitious talk to bring a smile to Arsenal fans faces
Premier League trio should strike early to avoid a Bosman lottery
Has Wenger made the right call with Wilshere?
Why this could FINALLY be Arsenal’s year
Is the top clubs endless quest for success harming development?
“I don’t need to convince anybody” – Arsenal fans may beg to differ
Arsenal fans will hope it was a minor slip of the tongue
Has Wenger pulled another transfer rabbit out of the hat?
At The Emirates Commentators Take English Bias Too Far
Out with the old and in with the new for Capello?
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Best of Web
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Arsenal, show us a bit of respect! – Le Grove
Time for some cautious optimism – Online Gooner
Final Cesc Thoughts & Which Goalkeeper Will Reina Supreme? – A Cultured Left Foot
Too Proud For Manchester City’s Cast Offs? – Wrighty7
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Some bread thrown to the great unwashed – Online Gooner
When Is A Player Good Enough? – A Cultured Left Foot
Shocking discovery at the Emirates, PuyolIniesta to go on my new home shirt and why Arsenal will win the league and Carling Cup. – Le Grove
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
3 May 2010, Blackburn Rovers versus Arsenal at Ewood Park. Robin van Persie gives Arsenal an early lead, only for Blackburn to score from two set pieces to win the game 2-1, with some very suspect keeping from Lukasz Fabianski gifting David Dunn and Chris Samba two easy goals. Fastforward to 28 August 2010, and the scoreline is reversed, with Arsenal winning a tough game 2-1 with goals from Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin. If Arsenal want to seriously challenge for the title, these are the games that they need to be winning. In previous seasons, the Gunners have often struggled at places like Blackburn, where a physical approach and a bombardment of long balls and crosses have resulted negative outcomes. But with the win against Blackburn, have Arsenal finally turned a corner in these kind of games that will allow them to mount a title challenge?
Similarly to last seasons corresponding fixture, Arsenal got an early lead on the weekend when Van Persie set up the in-form Walcott who finished with great aplomb. Sighs of ‘here we go again’ would have been made by thousands of Arsenal fans seven minutes later however, when El-Hadji Diouf outmuscled Laurent Koscielny and set up Mame Biram Diouf for a tap in. Arsenal fans are all too used to seeing this kind of game slip away from their team, and for a while it looked like it might happen again before Andrey Arshavin scored the winner in the 51st minute. Arsenal closed out the game and Gunners fans were delighted with what was a good victory in which their team showed a great deal more steel than they have done in previous encounters with Blackburn. In an interview with the BBC, Arsene Wenger stated,
“If you have ambition in this league you have got to win at Blackburn. If you fail to win at Blackburn – if you go to clubs like that and don’t win – your ambition will not be respected by the other teams. In that regard, it was an important test for us.”
After the win, not only the supporters but the players will be far more confident about going to places like Ewood Park and getting a positive result. In the past, the players seem to have been phased by a physical approach which often led to draws or defeats. Promisingly for Arsenal, the team appeared to have that little bit more experience that enabled them to win the game.
The formation Arsenal have used this season has shown potential, they have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and so far it has yielded good results. It is a formation that is growing in popularity as it provides defensive strength but also gives attacking players free license in the opponents half. Holland used it to great success in the World Cup, and Arsenal will hope to mirror that this season, albeit without the final heartache.
Wenger, the players and the fans will be very satisfied with the win over Blackburn on the weekend. The team showed resilience, commitment and an ability to deal with a physical game which has been lacking in past seasons. Arsenal will have to maintain this resilience throughout the season though, and they will have to show this in the next Premier League game when they welcome Bolton to the Emirates. If Arsenal can replicate the quality and character that was required to beat Blackburn, the Gunners could end up having a very good season.
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A welcome addition the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery
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Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle remained calm after getting a heated reception at Burnley for his side's Carling Cup third round trip to Turf Moor.
The Clarets edged the tie 1-0 thanks to a Wade Elliott goal and Coyle was not too concerned by the stick being dished out by some of the home fans.
He commented:"My focus was on the game. I was aware of the noise but that was all it was.
"I had to fight tooth and nail for everything I have earned in football. Burnley benefited from that. I took over a team that was in the bottom half of the Championship and got them into the Premier League.
"It is such a unique club. It would take something special to rival the passion these supporters have for their club. I tapped into that, so when it comes back to bite you on the bottom you just have to get on with it.
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"It won't take away the special times I had with the club. I will never have a negative word to say about this football club. For two years I was a hero, now I am a villain."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manager David Moyes was full of praise for his Everton side after they secured a deserved 2-0 derby win over Liverpool at Goodison Park.
Goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta gave the Toffees the points and lifted them towards the top half of the table, while leaving the Reds still in the bottom three.
A delighted Moyes commented:"I think with everything that's been going on this week, it's great credit to the players that they kept focused and have gone about their job in the right way.
"Their attitude was spot on and they got their reward.
"I thought we have played better in the majority of games than we did today, but it was a derby and a different kind of game.
"Some of our performances earlier in the season were good but we did not get the result, but today we did enough.
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"We are getting away from the wrong end of the table. We are a good enough team to be at the top end."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp felt that his side had been unlucky not to secure a win at home to Sunderland, after having had to settle for a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.
A Rafael van der Vaart goal gave Spurs the lead just after the hour mark, but Asamoah Gyan equalised three minutes later to earn a point for the visitors.
Redknapp told his club's official website:"It's frustrating, of course. We dominated the game, created chances and once we got in front I really thought we'd go on and win the game.
"They didn't really have any shots before that but that's the way it goes. There's a mix-up and it all changes.
"I thought we played ever so well again and I couldn't fault the effort. All we can do is keep playing well. If we continue to play like that we'll be alright.
"We'll building a good team here and I like the way we play, I love to watch us play football. Some of the stuff we played in spells in the first half was fantastic.
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"I was delighted with how we played, but you don't always get the result you deserve. That's football."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The NESV are seeking to put their money where their mouth is in terms of rebuilding Liverpool and making it into a competitive force once more. It’s rumoured that NESV’s cash injection should see a projected £30 million transfer kitty for Roy Hodgson (or whoever is in charge at the time) to spend in the January transfer window and during the summer. Many Liverpool fans are uncomfortable with the prospect of Roy Hodgson being in charge of such a large amount of cash with such an important bearing on Liverpool’s future. So I open it up to you, Liverpool fans – if you were in charge, which players would you go after in the oncoming transfer windows to help make Liverpool competitive once more?
My first move would be to shore up Liverpool’s defence. For all the loyal services Jamie Carragher has given to the club, this season has seen him somewhat exposed. You can’t help but feel that Liverpool misses the likes of Sami Hyypia and that a little extra competition in the defensive positions would do the whole team good. It’s here that Roy Hodgson could come in handy as he could utilise his contacts with old club Fulham to snatch up Brege Hangeland. It’s true that Hangeland signed a new deal with Fulham last year that would see him stay at the club until 2013, but given his previous relationship with Hodgson, it shouldn’t be too difficult for Roy to tempt him to a move to Liverpool. He’s a lad with great aerial ability and good physical strength that doesn’t come at the expense of pace or passing ability. He’s calm under pressure and could be a good signing for Liverpool.
A more attacking option could be Charles N’Zogbia, who would set Liverpool back around £8-9 million. N’Zogbia’s form seems to come and go, but at the right club you can’t help but feel that he could make a name for himself. Indeed, after an impressive year at the DW Stadium, N’Zogbia has forced himself into the French international side. Another, more expensive option would be to go after Villa’s Ashley Young. It’s known that Young is seeking to have an escape-clause written into his new contract so that if Tottenham come in for him in the future, he can leave the club. Could Young be persuaded to join Liverpool instead? If not, Liverpool could make a sweep for Tottenham’s own David Bentley. Sure, he’s had problems in the past with his attitude, but he’s also displayed a great deal of talent.
I’d also seek a player in the Sissoko/Mascherano mould. This is a tricky position to fill – there simply aren’t that many players out there who are both talented enough and willing to do this kind of job. Real Madrid may be unwilling to give him up, but I’d be tempted to take a punt on Lassana Diarra. Despite it being reported in the summer that Real Madrid had transfer listed Diarra, Mourinho opted to include Diarra in his starting line-up for the season. Still, if Real Madrid could be persuaded, he would be a wonderful purchase. He has great physical strength, bundles of energy and excellent ball control. He’s also highly versatile and could be used to plug any gaps in the Liverpool team that arise as a result of injury.
If you had Roy’s £30 million transfer kitty who would you sign? Do you agree or disagree with my takes?
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Arsenal 2-3 Spurs – Hollywood has nothing on football, which is generally why all attempts to make epic ‘sawker’ films have failed so miserably. It’s not that they’re unrealistic or clichéd – football itself is unrealistic and clichéd – It’s that we see the unimaginable happen so often for real that it fails to resonate properly when we see someone pretending. “What? Sean Bean comes off the bench to score a late brace against a Man. United team made up of fat extras from The Bill? Happens every week!” Football is infinitely more ludicrous than Hollywood, even with Sylvester Stallone in goal. The best thing Hollywood could do is take their plots from real football matches. But then there’s a fair chance people wouldn’t believe them.
If they did, the script for the 165th North London derby would be hot property right now. So choc-a-bloc was it of tantalizing sub-plots, bad blood, mixed loyalties and historical back story that it could fill up a mini-series worth of running time, and that’s without even considering the possibility of a Sex and the City style spin off featuring Danielle Lloyd and Alicia Duval (with Dean Gaffney in a supporting role as comic relief.)
It had everything; Goals, drama, comebacks (in both events and personnel) flying water bottles, the obligatory Gareth Bale fawning, even a Terry/Bridge handshake moment. Except in this case rather than spousal infidelity the reason was apparently ‘sitting in the wrong seat on a bus’. You see? You couldn’t make that sh*t up! If you could, you’d be a millionaire.
Man. Utd 2-0 Wigan – Speaking of films. You know that one where the young unknown Mexican prodigy arrives in the Premier League and starts scoring last minute winners before copping off with Anna Friel? Well as if to almost cosmically prove my point, the real life version seems to be playing itself out quite happily in Manchester without anyone batting an eyelid. Except unfortunately without Anna Friel (which is a shame, she was the best thing in it.) In fact if Javier Hernandez’s story was told in celluloid it would probably be lambasted for being too cheesy and overly heroic, eventually ending up in a DVD bargain bucket bin next to Soccer Dog – World Pup and Flashdance III – All’s well that ends weld. He’s netted three late or last minute winners so far, a goal on his debut against Chelsea, seven in all for United and international strikes against Spain, Argentina and France since he signed. He hasn’t even had to go through the obligatory ‘tough period’ where he makes bad decisions/gets unlucky and has to prove himself through a succession of training montages and humbling good deeds. On Saturday he played the hero yet again as he came off the bench to overshadow returning hero/villain (depending on where you were sitting) Wayne Rooney and grab another late clinching goal. Now if only I could get hold of Anna Friel I could start filming my remake. Though my version will be a lot racier. And we don’t really need Javier in it.
Bolton 5-1 Newcastle – Owen Coyle is doing little to dampen the growing motion that he’s not a naughty boy, buy may actually be the messiah, or a the least some kind of genius man-God as he guided Boltolona into the Champions League places, (if only for a day) continued to convince Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander that they’re in some way the spiritual re-embodiment of Garrincha and George Best, all whilst bringing himself on and scoring for the reserves, beating Chris Kamara at table tennis and shattering Big Sam Allardyce’s legacy of what should be expected at Bolton. If that’s not worth worshipping I don’t know what is.
Both Davies and Newcastle’s Carroll scored and looked impressive and on current form are England two best strikers by far. Which is an incredibly depressing thing when you think about it. Hoooof!
Continued on Page TWO
Fulham 1-4 Man City – Replacing Bolton who’d in turn replaced Spurs in 4th, City recovered from their recent boo inducing goalless draws to torture former manager Marky Sparky Hughes with a performance of incredibly potent attacking vim. Carlos Tevez was again the driving force, with his sort of surrogate father and mentor Diego Maradona (who in reality would be the worst person to have as either, unless you were a self destructive drug addict) watching on in clear frozen discomfort, accompanied by a very bored looking blonde who’s sole purpose it probably was provide him with something to ‘do’ on the way home. After I’d figured out that nothing had actually happened to Gareth Barry’s face and that Aleksander Kolarov was in fact a different player all together, there was nothing left to do but admire City’s performance. If Bolton are playing like Brazil then City were playing like United, all while United were playing like City ‘were’ playing and Arsenal were bottling it like Spurs. What on earth has happened to football?
Birmingham 1-0 Chelsea – Is John Motson required by law to commentate on all of Chelsea’s games for Match of the Day? I was initially under the impression that he was limiting himself to London games so he’d never need to be too far away from his shed (or his carers) but an away at Birmingham shatters that theory. I wouldn’t mind were it not for his uniquely annoying pronunciation of Drogba, which inserts considerably more A’s than are needed (doubly so if he’s involved in something exciting) suffixed with a needless R. Drogbaaar was involved in a lot of excitement as it goes as Ben Foster consistently denied him and Chelsea heroically, helping his old club draw level on points at the top. Oh Butch where art thou?
Other Things I Noticed – David’s Gold & Sullivan’s Pimp and Cossack routine looks set to be outdone as Blackburn over take West Ham as the club with the dodgiest looking owners. Brad Friedel not actually being any good for ages now but nobody noticing it. Wayne Rooney’s street striker being the most pointless and over padded show on TV but worth it for Rooney asking a competitive BMXer “How d’you do that? D’you know?” (I think he does Wayne yes) and Colin Murray stealing my Prince William dressed as Tony Pulis gag on MOTD2. Damn you Murray. I’ll never top that!
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You can follow Oscar on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary, where he sometimes says stuff and that.
When Robbie Keane returned to Tottenham from Liverpool in 2009 it was supposed to be a hero’s return. His mission was to help keep Tottenham in the Premier League, which they did, but Keane was never the same player and he didn’t really win over the White Hart Lane faithful.
Many Spurs fans never quite forgave the Irishman when he left for Liverpool in the summer of 2008. Despite saying that he would stay at Spurs for as long as he was happy and as long as the club wanted him he sealed his move away on the 28th July. It was his departure, followed by that of Dimitar Berbatov, which signalled Tottenham’s sudden decline at the start of the 2008/09 season.
Originally many Spurs fans hailed his return as a great piece of business by new manager Harry Redknapp, but many were also unimpressed that Tottenham were prepared to offer the struggling striker an olive branch just months after he’d been so desperate to leave. Keane’s first game back for Spurs was at home against Arsenal – the perfect opportunity to regain his hero status. Even though he played fairly well and Tottenham got a creditable draw Keane missed a glorious chance to get the winner, and the remainder of his Tottenham career panned out in much the same way.
If you take away Keane’s four goal showing against Burnley he only managed to score two league goals in the 09/10 season before he was allowed to go to Celtic on loan. By this point Keane had fallen sharply down the strikers’ pecking order and his performances had become lazy and aimless, a shadow of the player he once was. His temporary move to Celtic, one of his boyhood clubs, was a resounding success but raised the question among Spurs fans as to why it took a move north of the border for Keane to refind his form.
Keane has only featured sporadically in the Tottenham first XI this season and his appearance against FC Twente seemed to be Harry Redknapp allowing him a last hurrah as much as anything else. Redknapp said earlier in the week that Keane could be sold to the highest bidder with Wolves reportedly in the frame for the player.
It is worth remembering that Keane is still only 30 years old so potentially has another five or six years of top flight football left in him, however his poor second spell at Tottenham has left people thinking that he is already over the hill.
When Keane does depart I don’t think that Spurs fans will lose much sleep. However I also feel that while a move is the right deal for all concerned, his departure will trigger feelings of ‘if only’ for a man whose return has tarnished his previously untouchable reputation at White Hart Lane.
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