Jesse Lingard’s endured his fair share of critics since breaking into the Manchester United first team. Despite Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Gareth Southgate rarely fearful of placing the attacking midfielder in their respective starting XIs, there has been a constant debate over whether the 25-year-old truly has the quality to perform consistently at that level.
Even amid these accusations though, Lingard has always proved capable of rising to the occasion.
Including the Community Shield, he’s scored in three cup finals for the Red Devils, and his entire United career to date has produced nine game-winning goals – more than a third of all his 24 strikes for the Old Trafford outfit.
And that has shone through during the recent international break too, with Lingard producing telling moments against both the Netherlands and Italy.
It was his strike that proved to be decisive as England beat Oranje 1-0 at the Amsterdam Arena, while he slotted through a cute pass into the path of Jamie Vardy who rifled home in the 1-1 draw with Italy on Tuesday night.
Add to that the 10-cap international’s undoubted industry and positional versatility, and it quickly becomes easier to understand why so many managers have favoured Lingard – including Southgate who will be more than aware of how the 25-year-old’s ability to produce match-winning moments could be the difference between a positive and negative World Cup campaign for the Three Lions.
Indeed, those two performances appear to have pencilled Lingard into the starting XI for the World Cup, possibly coming at the expense of Dele Alli who sat out the 1-1 draw with Italy, suggesting he’s not such a prominent figure in Southgate’s plans.
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So, England fans, do you now see Lingard as a better option than Alli, who Transfermarkt value at £72million? Let us know by voting below…
Throughout his turbulent tenure as Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers has always shown a desire to experiment.
Last season, the Reds toyed with back fours, back threes and midfield diamonds as they marched to a surprise runners-up finish in the Premier League, and following a summer transfer window in which the Anfield gaffer called for ‘multipurpose signings’, they’ve gone on to test five different formations already this year. Unfortunately for Rodgers, none have resulted in a consistent winning formula.
Not that systems are where Rodgers’ philosophical tinkering ends; since he took the Anfield helm in 2012, we’ve seen Stewart Downing at full-back, Glen Johnson at centre-half, Steven Gerrard tossed between defensive midfield and No.10, Jordan Henderson utilised on the wing and Raheem Sterling called upon to fill in at virtually every position from wing-back to centre-forward.
Perhaps his most ambitious experiment yet came against Manchester United yesterday afternoon as the Reds lined up in a 3-4-3 for the first time this season, with goal-shy summer signings Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert dropped in favour of Sterling for the lone striker slot.
An unfamiliar position in an even less familiar system, is Raheem’s role up front simply an experiment too far from Brendan Rodgers?
On the face of it, the England international boasts many of the natural prerequisites for that role; pace, trickery, incisive movement and invention on the ball, and Sterling has demonstrated a unique adeptness to understanding new positions incredibly quickly throughout his Reds career. Last season for example, he proved equally effective in his few appearances at right wing-back, particularly during an intoxicating one-on-one battle with Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the FA Cup, as he did during his prolonged period at the tip of Liverpool’s midfield diamond.
Although there are certainly more eye-catching aspects to the 20-year-old’s game, his versatility and it’s accompanying intelligence is a huge asset for any manager – one could argue Brendan Rodgers is almost obliged to utilise it as much as possible. The Liverpool gaffer tested Sterling up front during the latter stages of a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid and although he struggled to affect the scoreline, he certainly looked lively and relatively comfortable.
Yet, if there’s one integral attribute Sterling lacks as a striker, it’s ability and composure in front of goal. “He dribbled through the Spurs defence like Ricky Villa, but his finish was more like Ricky Gervais,” Brendan Rodgers quipped back in August after the young attacker dazzled his way past the Lilywhites only to tamely trickle the ball into Hugo Lloris’ hands, and that epitomises where Sterling’s game is at right now.
No doubt, the Liverpool star knows how to get on the score sheet, averaging one goal per five appearances throughout his short Premier League career, but not with the dependable efficiency of an out-and-out striker.
Rodgers’ temptation was understandable against the Red Devils. With Daniel Sturridge a permanent absentee through injury, Rickie Lambert struggling to transition his industriousness to potency from his Southampton days and Mario Balotelli yet to find his first Premier League goal since moving to Anfield in the summer, Sterling is Liverpool’s joint top scorer in the league this season with three goals.
Combining that with averages of 2.5 chances created and 3.1 successful dribbles per match, in addition to four assists in 16 outings, he’s been the Reds’ most potent attacking threat by quite some distance this year. So why not get him as close to the goal as possible? Especially against United’s ever-injured, ever-shaky back three.
But Sterling’s limited lethality really told at Old Trafford. Rodgers claimed the difference in the 3-0 affair was the form of goalkeeper David De Gea – one can easily flip that assessment on its head and argue the absence of a quality finisher severely reduced Liverpool’s capacity to score. Sterling had five shots at goal, equal to United’s Robin van Persie, but never came close to beating the Spaniard’s wiry frame.
And what did playing up front teach the youngster yesterday afternoon? Although capable in that role, it won’t be the ultimate position of his footballing peak – most likely No.10 – and put even further pressure to perform on worryingly young shoulders. Sterling’s already being asked to put in talismanic displays on a weekly basis for the struggling Merseysiders.
Perhaps last season it would have proved a successful ploy against the United – the kind that would lead to pundits and the press heralding Rodgers as a football genius. Yet, Alan Hansen once emphatically argued that periods of prosperity are the appropriate time to experiment and change things up. Bouts of poor results and eroding confidence, on the other hand, are not, regardless of how counter-intuitive that may seem.
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Combating their own issues of recent weeks against the Premier League’s most in-form side was enough of a struggle for Liverpool’s players on Sunday, and Rodgers’ tinkering with roles and formations was an unnecessarily added burden.
Not that Sterling should now be ruled out as an option for Liverpool up front. Against the right calibre and style of opponent, it’s a selection that could prove inspired. Yesterday afternoon however, it was a simple case of the right idea with the wrong execution.
Until Liverpool’s floundering form improves, Rodgers should be keeping things as familiar and simple as possible.
QPR manager Harry Redknapp celebrated the performance of his side after their 1-0 Premier League win over Chelsea.
Shaun Wright-Phillips came off of the bench to net the only goal of the game against his former club.
The three points move the Super Hoops level with Reading, and to within five points of safety.
Redknapp was happy with his team after the game, saluting their attitude on the pitch:
“They worked their socks off tonight and you get your reward if you work like that – and that’s what we did,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“It was a fantastic performance. We restricted Chelsea to very few chances and we deserved it.
“We had good opportunities as well and if the final pass had been better…. we hit some final sloppy passes but then we got that fine goal.
“I’m just really pleased with out first away win for over a year.
“They’ve set the standard tonight and if we’re going to get out of this mess then they have to work as hard as that – not just once but every week.”
Adel Taarabt was deployed in a central forward role for the second-half, a move which Redknapp was delighted with:
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“I pulled him over yesterday and told him I’d play him up front,
“I told him to hold the ball up and wait for us to join him.
“We worked on it for a couple of hours in training. It was a gamble really but the shape was good. I’m not even sure if he’s played up front before.”
Manchester United hosted Liverpool in the Premier League’s latest instalment of the Northwest derby on Saturday and pulled off a vital 2-1 win, with the two bitter rivals separated by just one place and two points in the table before kickoff.
Marcus Rashford – who Transfermarkt value at £45million – was the key influence in the early stages, twice taking advantage of Liverpool’s failure to deal with direct balls to Romelu Lukaku by drifting inside and rifling beyond Loris Karius.
But Ashley Young played a pivotal role for the Red Devils as well; his ability to keep a leash on Liverpool’s biggest threat, Mohamed Salah, was instrumental in limiting the Reds’ notorious vibrancy going forward.
So, Red Devils supporters, do Rashford or Young deserve the Man of the Match award? Which United stars impressed you, and which disappointed? Let us know by taking part in the poll below and giving each player a performance rating out of ten…
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This Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad stadium will be the 166th competitive meeting between City and United, and so far The Reds have secured 69 victories while The Blues have 46 and there have been 50 draws.
City are in desperate need of a win to keep on the shoulders of Chelsea, while a win for United would put them to within one point of City, making Louis Van Gaal’s boast they can still challenge for the Premier League not sound so fanciful.
It would certainly enhance United’s chances of securing a top four place at the end of the season thus achieving LVG’s major objective; regaining Champions League status.
To get you in the mood we now present to you a trawl back through the years at seven magnificent encounters between the Manchester rivals.
[ffc-gallery]Click on Louis Van Gaal to reveal
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@robshepherd5Pay a visit to www.BobbyFC.com – The football site with a retro twist
Manchester United 4 Manchester City 1, August 1957
Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, Liam Whelan, Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor would all feature for United – five months later all of them perished in the Munich air disaster. Goals from Edwards, Taylor, Johnny Berry and Dennis Viollet maintained United’s perfect start to the season in what was the last Manchester derby before the tragedy in Germany.
Manchester City 3-3 Manchester United, November 1971
Sheikh Mansour’s deep pockets have led to a return to the days of the early 70′s when the blues and the reds met as equals. United were top and City third when the latter came back from 2-0 and 3-2 down in front of over 63,000 and even won bragging rights at the end of the season, finishing four points ahead of the Old Trafford side (highlights below).
//www.youtube.com/embed/J_KgV5f55Qg
Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City, April 1974
If the 5-1 derby victory 15 years later was City’s zenith – until 2011, anyway – then this was United’s nadir. This result, after an ill-tempered affair, led to them to being ingloriously relegated at Old Trafford and their doom was confirmed when Denis Law – the former darling of the Stretford End – famously back-heeled them into the second tier (see below). Law, utterly heartbroken at what he had done, was substituted immediately after and never kicked a ball in league football again.
//www.youtube.com/embed/aXpF2v0Kgvk
Manchester City 5-1 Manchester United, September 1989
Football – Stock Season 99/00Mandatory Credit:Action ImagesIan Bishop – Manchester City
This was the first time in three years the great foes had met, and newly promoted City’s fans were at boiling point. After an enforced break due to crowd trouble the hosts ran riot, with David Oldfield scoring a brace and further goals from Trevor Morley and Ian Bishop, and City fan Andy Hinchcliffe capping a day still spoken of in hushed tones with a lovely fifth (goals are in below link). Sir Alex Ferguson used the pain of this defeat to best their nearest rivals for the next decade and more. The Maine Road Massacre, as it came to be known, would be the last time in 13 years City managed to win against United (their next was in 2002 when Nicolas Anelka and a Shaun Goater double won the game 3-1). Later that season Fergie won his first trophy…
//www.youtube.com/embed/W5ExLgxbKFA
Manchester United 5-0 Manchester City, November 1994
Football – Stock Season 93/94Eric Cantona – Manchester UnitedMandatory Credit:Action Images
In the 1990s City failed to chalk up a single win against United, and this thrashing perfectly illustrated the gulf in class between the pair. Andrei Kanchelskis and the magnificent Eric Cantona starred on this occasion, with the Frenchman opening the scoring and the Ukrainian winger delivering the coup de grâce by scoring a hat-trick, which he completed in the final minute. Mark Hughes, who would go on to manage City eight years later, also found the target.
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Manchester United 1-1 Manchester City, April 2001
This game is remembered not for the goals but for the culmination of a long-standing feud between Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland. It started in 1998 when the United captain suffered a cruciate ligament injury when chasing a through ball against Leeds, who the Norwegian Haaland was with at the time. Three years later Keane made an x-rated knee-high tackle on Haaland that would have made Graeme Souness blush.
He was sent-off and later admitted in his autobiography that it was a premeditated attempt to injure. He eventually received a £150,000 fine and a five-match ban as punishment.
Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United, 2004
It was almost 1989 relived again as United were convincingly humbled once more. A struggling City side somehow lifted themselves to rout the old enemy. United were not at their best but City had Jon Macken, veterans Trevor Sinclair and Robbie Fowler and the erratic Shaun Wright-Phillips – all of whom found the net – meaning this is still one of the most unlikely derby results on record.
As a player, there can be nothing more devastating than the realisation that your stint at the summit of the beautiful game is over. The passion and hunger may still burn bright but as athletes fall the wrong side of 30, their body enters a state of decline and their ‘touch’ and ‘shooting boots’ become more elusive with each passing weekend.
Some players bow out from the sport gracefully while others frantically gather up thier wage packet like an anxious squirrel preparing for winter. The start of the new season has provided evidence that certain players are nearing the light at the end of the tunnel and should perhaps look to step down a division to prolong their already lengthy career.
Click on Rory Delap to reveal the players who are a shadow of their former selves
Mohamed Salah was arguably Europe’s best player last season, and he was far and away the most efficient player in the Premier League. He scored a stunning 32 league goals, alongside 10 assists, and he played a crucial role as the Reds finished in the top four and competed in the Champions League final. Now, he’s been rewarded with a new long-term contract, which not only serves as a means of appreciating the hard work he put in last season, but it also goes a long way to ensuring he remains at Anfield long-term. It’s truly a fantastic start to the summer for the club, but now, the Reds must change their focus.
Indeed, now it’s time for Jurgen Klopp’s men to secure the future of Sadio Mane as they look to keep their stunning attack together.
Last season was a huge one for Sadio Mane. The Senegalese, combined with the players around him, continued his development and emerged as one of the Premier League’s best attackers.
Standing out alongside Salah was never going to be easy, but he managed it comfortably.
He dominated the left-hand side of the attack all season long, displaying brilliant quality going forward, whilst also maintaining a solid work ethic defensively. Known for his electric pace, Mane was always a threat down the flanks, and when combined with the talent around him, that had a devastating impact.
He finished the campaign with 10 goals and 7 assists, which whilst not as good as the players around him, is still a very strong record. With a contract until 2021, the Senegalese still has some way to go on his deal, but you can’t run even the smallest risk of losing a player of his quality.
With Salah’s signing, Liverpool now have the long-term futures of both Roberto Firmino and Salah secured. That’s two-thirds of a deadly attack, and now the Reds must tie down Mane to complete the trio.
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It would be fair to say that eyebrows were raised when John Terry decided to join Aston Villa ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.
Instead of leaving Chelsea for a move to China or the MLS, Terry decided to drop down into the Championship, with Villa winning the race to sign the former England captain.
The 37-year-old has made 25 appearances in all competitions for Villa this season, and his form in recent weeks has been key in pushing Steve Bruce’s side up the table.
Indeed, the former Premier League club are currently third in the second tier behind Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City as they battle to secure a return to the elite.
Earlier this week, Villa’s official Twitter account posted an image of Terry, who is valued at £900k by transfermarkt.co.uk, looking full of passion.
As expected, a host of the Villa supporters responded to the tweet by praising the form of the former Chelsea centre-back, who will see his current deal expire this summer.
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A selection of the reaction on social media can be seen below:
Manchester United are in a good position to push for the Premier League title after snapping up Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind, according to former strike star Dwight Yorke.
The Red Devils cemented their place as English football’s top spenders yesterday as they paid big to loan the Colombian forward and snap up the Dutchman from Ajax to add to their ranks.
Just a week before Angel di Maria’s £59.7m arrival smashed the British transfer record, while Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo have also been snapped up for big money.
WANT MORE? >> Manchester United transfer news | Latest transfer news
Despite the success off of the pitch, United have endured a woeful start on the field, with just two points having been secured from winnable games against Swansea, Sunderland and Burnley.
But Yorke feels that the positivity at the Theatre of Dreams and the long-term vision of Louis van Gaal will bring success:
“With the team the manager is building, I believe it is good enough to go and win the Premier League.” He is quoted by The Express.
“They are playing catch-up at this moment and they need to start getting results now, but if they can do that the confidence will generate and when that builds up you’ve seen what they’ve done in the past.
“There is no doubt in my mind Manchester United could go on to win the league from here.
“I know a lot of people will be questioning that, saying the new players need time to bed in, but these players are world-class players, not just players trying to fit into the football club. These players are that good that it’s easy to fit into the system of Van Gaal.
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“The players Man United now have at their disposal will send alarm bells ringing in the Premier League.”
West Ham United have received some bad press over the past six days, but they have now been praised for their rapid response in tackling the incident at Tottenham last Sunday.
A small group of supporters were heard chanting anti-semetic chants near the end of their defeat at White Hart Lane and the club has already banned an individual, while others were arrested.
The club issued a recent statement claiming they will continue to hunt down the individuals involved and punish them. Meanwhile their actions have been praised by Kick It Out.
Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair of Kick it Out said: “Kick It Out is encouraged by the swift action taken by West Ham United in the wake of Sunday’s fixture.
“Clubs have the power to show leadership and set an example for the vast majority of its supporters to follow in instances like this. Here, they’ve done exactly that.
“Kick It Out has seen first-hand the appetite the club has in embracing anti-discrimination initiatives, with David Gold and James Tomkins both acting as campaign ambassadors in 2012. By doing this they’re helping to send a message as to what is and what isn’t acceptable.
“It is clear they feel abuse of this kind won’t be tolerated and, in a period where the issue is high on the agenda, this approach is something we applaud.”
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