Most teams looking to bounce back from a disappointing away defeat at the hands of Fulham will welcome a home tie against one of this season’s promoted sides. But as Liverpool prepare for their weekend game against QPR, they will be mindful of their disappointing results against the other two sides who have come up from the Championship and taken points away from Anfield. Kenny Dalglish’s side currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League – a surprise considering their good form against other top four rivals. But last week’s Carling Cup win in West London against Chelsea was not enough to inspire and see off a resilient Fulham. Despite losing Jay Spearing to a debatable red card, The Reds still looked to stream forward and were unlucky on a number of occasions.

Neil Warnock, on the other hand, has been talking up the prospect of playing one of the biggest sides in England. The QPR boss stated, “trips to Anfield are the reason we’re delighted to be in the Premier League”. QPR have already taken points off one of the big boys this season following their home win over London rivals Chelsea, and Liverpool will need to be cautious of a side who are determined to avoid the drop back into the Championship.

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Liverpool have certainly benefited from not playing in Europe this season. Kenny Dalglish has, for the most part, taken advantage of mid-week breaks while other teams compiling the current top five have had to concentrate on European opposition. This stands his side in good stead going into the weekend’s game as there has been very little hangover from failings to pick up all three points this season.

The main concern, however, will be the two home draws against Norwich and Swansea. QPR might fancy their chances heading into the game and with plenty of experienced Premier League players in their line-up, they have enough quality to provide a sterner test than both Swansea and Norwich.

Over the course of the season it could be games like this that will prove to be Liverpool’s greatest obstacles. There seems to be little issue in rallying the side for games against Manchester United and Chelsa, and had it not been for the 4-0 hammering at the hands of Tottenham, there would be very little concern for Liverpool’s ability to compete against the top sides in the league. But failing to take maximum points off the ‘smaller’ sides, especially at home, is something that has been a problem for a number of title and top four hopefuls in recent seasons.

Five points away from the top four and in seventh place, Liverpool will need to show the same determination that has gained them valuable points in big games this season and see off a potentially tricky opponent in Neil Warnock’s QPR.

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Pep Guardiola has proved himself to be an exceptional coach. His success in all available competitions has players and managers everywhere apart from Madrid cooing in delight as they watch his ever-evolving team. Whilst initially his success was put down to the outstanding players he has at his disposal after seeing such consistent success in the face of the equally impressive Real Madrid squad it would be bigoted and ignorant to deny that he is indeed an extremely tactically astute manager. With that in mind to what extent will his emphatic opinions and tactics be copied around the world? The most interesting comments that he has declared in recent months are those about the future of football, about teams without strikers, about teams made up almost entirely of midfielders. Guardiola has, since 2008, reshaped the Barcelona team in to one more dominated by midfielders than ever. He told FIFA.com in an interview:

“The midfield is a crucial part of any team. Midfielders are intelligent players who have to think about the team as a whole. They’re selfless players who understand the game better than anyone and the more midfielders you have, the easier it is to slot them into other positions. That’s how they become versatile and helps us to have smaller squads that are still able to offer more options.”

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Before Cesc Fabregas moved to Barcelona many wondered how he would even get in to the team yet Guardiola has not only found a place for him alongside Iniesta and Xavi, he has made Fabregas into Barcelona’s second highest goal scorer for the season. The versatility he inspires in his players is nothing new. He began by using Yaya Toure in defence as well as midfield and now he does the same with Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets. On top of that David Villa has been converted in to more of a midfielder than a striker and Dani Alves’ role in the team is far more like a winger than any defender in world football. At times this season Barcelona have been playing with two defenders, a goalkeeper and eight midfielders. It works pretty well too.

What he is trying to instigate here in football not only appears to make sense from a footballing point of view, but also a financial one as less players are needed to have a more complete squad. Barcelona’s success over the last few years has been achieved with a very small squad yet the success they have achieved is remarkable considering how many competitions they have been in. It makes a mockery of English teams’ that claim they don’t have the squad size to pursue multiple competitions. Guardiola is talking about squad rotation, but squad rotation in a positional as well as personal sense.

People might say that this is only the future for Barcelona, that only they have the players capable of performing well in positions other than their natural ones, but that isn’t necessarily true. It is always the best teams and managers in football history that inspire tactical evolution. Not all teams will evolve in this way but players could. In fact it is already happening, particularly with defenders. These days it isn’t enough at the top level to simply be an excellent defender, there has to be more to a defender’s game, they have to be technically better. Defenders like Thomas Vermaelen, Thiago Silva, Gerard Pique and others are demonstrations of the value of having a player who is more versatile. Similarly whereas in the past having full backs capable of going forward as well as being able to defend was a luxury, now it is almost a necessity. Strikers too have to have a more accomplished game. The value of a striker that can help out in midfield as well as attack is a priceless option; you only need look at Wayne Rooney for evidence of this.

Perhaps what Guardiola is talking about is less a ‘team of midfielders’ and more a team of players whose roles are interchangeable, with players who are capable of performing multiple positions. As I said before it not only makes sense on the pitch but also off it financially. With that being the case it seems only a matter of time before more managers and more players try to replicate this idea.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Cardiff have made it through to the Carling Cup final, beating Crystal Palace on penalties in dramatic fashion.

The Welsh side went into the semi final second leg one goal down, but an Anthony Gardner own goal levelled things up. Neither side could find the winning goal in normal or extra time, so the game was decided on penalties.

Bluebirds goalkeeper Tom Heaton was the hero, saving both Jermaine Easter and Sean Scannell’s spot kicks, before Jonathan Parr blazed wide to send the hosts through.

Cardiff boss Malky MacKay was ecstatic after the victory, and spoke of his pride at reaching the final.

“I’m delighted for everyone at the football club. It’s a fantastic achievement for everyone and I thought the players were terrific tonight,” he told Sky Sports.

“I think the first goal settled the whole stadium down and it certainly settled the players down.

“I thought we started at a fantastic tempo and with real belief. Getting the goal meant we could sit and probe.

“We knew the way Crystal Palace were going to play, they wanted to hit us on the counter-attack with pace. We had to make sure that we manipulated the ball.

“I think the fact that there were so many chances in and around their goal meant that the team kept believing,” he concluded.

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Cardiff will play either Manchester City or Liverpool in the final, with the second semi final being decided on Wednesday night.

By Gareth McKnight

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Fulham have been linked with moves for strikers Hugo Rodallega and Pavel Pobrebnyak, as the Craven Cottage outfit look to bolster their attack before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

With Andy Johnson’s contract expiring and a dependence on attacking midfielder Clint Dempsey to contribute with goals, Martin Jol is thought to be eager to add a new forward to his squad for the remainder of the season.

The Daily Mail report that The Cottagers have offered £2million plus Andy Johnson in a player-plus-cash deal to Wigan to try and bring Rodallega to London, which is being considered by The Latics.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports have stated that Stuttgart marksman Pogrebnyak is undergoing a medical with the Premier League side.

The Russia international has fallen out of favour with the Bundesliga team and is eager to find first-team football ahead of Euro 2012.

West Brom had been linked with the eastern European also, but Fulham are now reportedly close to signing the 28-year-old, who will become a free agent in the summer.

Lastly, reported Fulham target Marc Janko has left Dutch side Twente to join Porto, ending speculation that he could be moving to the Premier League.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Robbie Keane’s return to the Premier League was short and sweet. His short-term loan spell with Aston Villa can be considered a success, as the Ireland record goal scorer netted for Villa against Newcastle and twice at Wolves and generally had a positive influence on Alex McLeish’s side. I think all parties involved want Keane to return to the west Midlands sooner rather than later, while the rest of the Premier League supporters will be hoping his WAG Claudine doesn’t stay away too long.

Claudine Keane managed to do some work herself while her hubby was back in the UK, as she launched a special Valentine’s Day lingerie range for Ultimo earlier this month. The former Miss Ireland may be less inclined to return to the UK, as the 28-year-old is looking to forge a career in the USA as a TV presenter after having made it big as a model. So if Claudine gets her way then the pair may stay in LA and Keane will continue to play for the Galaxy, but Robbie, Aston Villa supporters and Premier League fans in general will be hoping Mr and Mrs Keane return to these shores.

Click on Claudine below to launch her WAG Gallery

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QPR manager Mark Hughes has stated that he is confident that his side will avoid being relegated despite their difficult remainder of the season.

The Loftus Road club are currently in 18th place in the Premier League standings, and are embroiled in a five-team scrap to stay in the English top flight.

With a tricky game against Liverpool on Wednesday, Hughes admits his side are up against it.

“It’s not easy — we make no bones about that. It’s a difficult run-in,” he told The Sun.

“Maybe, going into those games, the pressure is off somewhat, bizarrely.

“We’re the underdogs and we’re not expected to win. We can use that as a positive and hopefully gain from that. There are going to be twists and turns.

“We know each game is going to be crucial, irrespective of the opposition we’re going up against.

“It’s really key we perform at our maximum. If we do that then, certainly in our home games, we can take on anybody.

“It’s been frustrating. We haven’t helped ourselves on some occasions and, on other occasions, circumstances have gone against us.

“But we’re still very, very confident that we have enough ability to make sure that we’re still in the Premier League next year.

“It’s going to take hard work — we realise that — and we’re not going to stick our heads in the sand and think otherwise.

“But we’ve got enough quality to score enough goals and defend our goal as well. That gives me confidence that, in the next games that we have, we’ll get points on the board.

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“We just need a fair crack of the whip.

“If we perform as we know we can, at our maximum, and we get that element of luck that you have to have to be successful then we’ll be fine. But it needs to start quickly and it needs to start on Wednesday,” he stated.

By Gareth McKnight

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As I am sure many fellow Unitedites will agree, following the despair and misery of last season, this current campaign has been refreshing both on the eyes and in our minds.So far, the Blades are on course for promotion and are also the third highest goal scoring team in Europe, behind only Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.The most obvious standout performer would have to be Ched Evans, bagging an astonishing 35 goals so far this season, the first United player to hit 30 since Deane and Agana got 30 apiece back in the 1988-89 season.However, it seems that the players who play arguably the most important roles are often those who receive the least acknowledgement and credit. This is why I have chosen this particular topic and would like to express my own thanks to them, our unsung heroes.First I’d like to say that I believe Michael Doyle has had an excellent campaign so far. He does a lot of hard work for the team which can often go unnoticed. He may not possess dazzling skills or blistering pace, but he most certainly has a fine work ethic and is a great team player. Clocking up 48 appearances to date, there is also no question mark placed over his general fitness. He also seems a model professional, he presents himself brilliantly on the pitch and has taken to being our captain since his appointment extremely well. Also, it seems that he can come up with the goal scoring goods too from time to time! One that will stick in my mind as one of the best hits this season is his stunning strike away at Rochdale, to make it 5-1 and seal the three points, but also scored a vital one against Leyton Orient last weekend.Item number two for today; Richard Cresswell. At the grand old age of 34, to still be starting regularly and competing with some of the best at this level is a whopping achievement on its own, but to get through the workload that he does as well is, in my eyes, just something else. Scoring only 9 goals in 47 games may not seem very impressive, but I believe that this statistic is a false representation of how big a role ‘Cressy’ has played in our promotion push. The amount of work off the ball, and sometimes on, that goes unseen is bewildering. He also comes across as very passionate and determined to succeed. I deem these types of players to be the ones which are needed in every dressing room, no matter how big the club. Barcelona have Puyol, Chelsea have Terry, LA Galaxy have Beckham, and so on… In addition to this, I see fit to mention fellow striker Chris Porter in the same vain. I consider him too to be unvoiced by many, but doing similar to Cresswell and getting through heavy assignments for the club’s benefit regularly.Finally, I want to bring to light our goalkeeper, Steve Simonsen’s contributions this season. Yes, he has made mistakes at times and has cost the club a couple of points through doing so, but he has also kept a clean sheet on no less than 14 occasions so far. I also think that he conducted himself in a high quality manner during his rough spell, receiving very harsh criticism from his own fans on the terraces cannot be easy, and a less professional player could easily have just ‘lost his rag’ and gone ‘off the rails’. But since then, there aren’t really any bad performances from him which spring to mind. Besides, I think it is definitely worth noticing that this ‘bad spell’ only persisted for a handful of games.With this being my first article for the site, I would like to encourage any feedback and also wish to mention that you can feel free to follow me on Twitter: @Callum0312[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’right’]

We say our Premier League is great, but why? Perhaps it is the drama and shock in unlikely results. Perhaps it is the uncertainty in both the race for the title and the race for survival in the division. Or maybe it is perhaps because of the few surprises the League has had up its sleeve over the course of an enthralling eight months we have sampled thus far. In March, we are no closer to knowing just which Manchester club will be engaging in an open top bus jaunt around the city or which set of fans is to hold their heads in their hands at the gruelling fate of relegation. It is all still to play for and the overriding notion of uncertainty is what shapes successful contemporary team sport as a whole.

But nothing has been as uncertain as the next set of factors. Whether a player has defied the odds to score at the highest level, whether a team has shocked their own supporters at their good form or simply because an old hero has returned to the club, the Premier League has had as many as twenty identifiable ‘surprises’ in the current campaign and we thought we would remind you just why they captivated the watching nation as open mouthed expressions and scenes of unchartered joy set the tone for the following incidences. Let us begin with yes; some stability and calm up on Tyneside.

Click on Leon Britton to unveil the 20 great surprises from the Premier League season

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Manchester United are set to raise their offer for Borussia Dortmund winger Shinji Kagawa to £13 million, according to The Daily Mail.

The Japan international has been a star in Germany over the last number of seasons, but with the Asian attacking midfielder’s contract expiring in 12 months time a move abroad seems likely.

With Arsenal also lurking, Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to step up his attempt to land Kagawa, as he looks to add a bit of energy into the team’s midfield.

Meanwhile, United are reportedly confident of landing Lille star Eden Hazard despite the interest of Manchester City and Chelsea.

The Belgium international will choose on of England’s top club this summer, but reports indicate that the Old Trafford outfit are confident of winning the race for his signature.

Hazard has once more indicated that a move to the Premier League is likely, but his destination has yet to be decided.

“I do not know when I’ll make a decision about my future club,” he confessed.

“It will anyway be Manchester City, Manchester United or Chelsea.

“The decision will depend on the amount of play I would see and the position where I would play.

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“Not everyone can say that he can make a choice between the three top clubs,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Roy Hodgson believes that England have nothing to fear, as he prepares his team to face Italy in the Euros 2012 quarter final.

The England boss also believes that they certainly don’t go into Sunday’s game as underdogs and the players have no reason to feel inferior to the Italians.

“Italy has been stable without actually tearing the tournament up. So we’re not underdogs in any way. We have good-quality players who are recognised worldwide and, certainly, would get into a lot of the top European teams. I don’t know Cesare Prandelli but he is entitled to look at our team and say: ‘This won’t be an easy game.’ Certainly, we go into the game knowing we have good players. We’re aware it’s a tough task but I’d be surprised if any of our players feel inferior.”

It certainly promises to be a battle and most neutrals are expecting this contest to go down to a penalty shootout.

Elsewhere in the news Ashley Cole hails England’s bulldog spirit; Manchester City are set to table an offer for Robin van Persie, while Laurent Blanc plots a ‘boring win’ against Spain.

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Headlines

Scott Parker has revealed that the England team are focused on the job in hand against Italy and are not ready to go home from the tournament – [Guardian]

Laurent Blanc is planning to frustrate Spain tonight and is happy to play defensively as long as they prevail as winners at the end of the tie – [Guardian]

Chelsea have unveiled plans for their new stadium, should they get their hands on the Battersea Power Station site – [Guardian]

Manchester City is set to make a formal offer to Arsenal for their talisman Robin van Persie – [Daily Telegraph]

Ashley Cole said that he is proud to play in this England team that is full of bulldog spirit – [Daily Telegraph]

Daniele De Rossi sparks transfer speculation after saying Premier League is ‘more interesting’ than Serie A – [Independent]

The FA is set to fast track Owen Hargreaves through his coaching badges as they look to the future – [Daily Mail]

Arsenal is set to offer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a bumper new deal after an incredible first season for the Gunners – [Daily Mail]

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Carlo Cudicini feels that Tottenham should go for Andre Villas-Boas to replace Harry Redknapp as manager – [Daily Mail]

Liverpool and Everton are fighting over Inter Milan’s teenage striker Luc Castaignos – [Mirror]

Gianluigi Buffon believes that Joe Hart has the ability to best the goalkeeper in the world – [Mirror]

PLEASE NOTE – Click on the source to view the original article

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