EPL, Premiership, English Premier League

Manager Juande Ramos has been under considerable pressure recently with Tottenham suffering the worst start to a season for the club since 1912. They currently stand at the very bottom of the Premier League with 2 points; 7 games have been played so far this season and Tottenham has still not won a game. Their record now stands at 5 games lost and two ties. The news comes hard to fans and players who were hoping that Spurs could make it to the Top Four this season. However, they should have realized that this was unlikely when Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov were transferred away. Now Spurs are left without a competent attacking force.

“Any decision on my future is not up to me but I am determined to put it right. It is my job, my work. The main problem for us is scoring goals. You have to score to win games and we are finding that difficult. But if we continue to play similar to how we did against Hull we can change the situation. The effort was there and the players did their job very well. Their attitude was positive and when I speak to them they say they want to finish this situation quickly.” Reportedly, if Ramos was sacked he would be due between €15-20 million in compensation which may be why he is being given a better chance than most. It was also difficult for Tottenham to obtain Ramos who recently led Sevilla to 2 UEFA Cup wins.

However, Ramos met with club chairman Daniel Levy Thursday and said the meeting had been productive. “It was very nice, very happy. He’s very happy. We know the problem and we are speaking about looking for the solution but the meeting was nice. The problem has to stop on Sunday, not January. To win matches you need to play football. Fighting is difficult because they are a very strong team. I think we need to play. We have to show that we are worthy to stay up, but if we are not winning games it doesn’t count for anything. We need to win matches. We are very good in defense, in midfield very good but we need to improve and score goals. To win or to lose, all the team have the responsibility. Football is like the markets. It’s possible that then the markets change and go up, and so do we.”

Bent commented on the teams dismal form:
“One win won’t get us out of it, we need to start winning games so that there isn’t a gap where you need to win two or three games just to have a chance. We’ve got a difficult game against Stoke but if we prepare like we know we can do, and play like we did against Hull in periods, we know we can beat anyone. Everyone is still upbeat. There are things going around that there is unrest in the dressing room but everyone is behind the manager, and we are all behind each other. I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m sure we’ll be okay and we’ll put it right sooner or later. It’s disappointing, obviously, but we have to take positives and in some games we’ve been playing well enough to get something from games. When you lose to Hull with goals like Geovanni’s, there’s nothing much you can do about that. It just seems to happen to us but I’m sure we’ll put it right eventually. We know what we have to do.”

Its apparent that Spurs spirits are at an all time low with David Bentley suggesting people Tottenham has become a laughing stock.

“I know people are having a laugh at the fact we are bottom of the league at the moment but it’s up to everyone at the club to stop the jokes. We’re not happy with what has been happening. You cannot hide from the situation but what we need are a team of leaders who take responsibility. We have to grow as people. We have more than enough good players at Tottenham to get us out of this situation and I give my word that we will. I’m fully behind him [Ramos], 100%. I still love being at Spurs and I don’t regret joining the club for one second. I know I haven’t been at my best but I haven’t become a bad player in a fortnight. The manager believes in me.” Bentley joined WHite Hart Lane from Blackburn for €15million this past summer.

Many are questioning whether Spurs sports director Damien Comolli is doing his job correctly in managing transfers. Last seasons starting forwards Robbie Keane and Berbatov both transferred to different teams and many question whether he found suitable replacements.

Spurs will be playing Stoke at the Britannia Stadium Sunday, October 19th.

Wenger announced that Arsenal had suffered several injuries during the past week of International World Cup qualifyers. Gallas injured his hamstring, Bendtner sprained his ankle and Sagna undured a knee injury. The 3 are expected to be out for at least a week. Fabregas obtained a broken nose, Johan Djourou a concussion and van Persie pulled a muscle.

Wenger commented on the string of injuries that plagued Arsenal:

“Unfortunately we have lost some players over the 10 days - William Gallas, Bacary Sagna and Nicklas Bendtner. These are heavy losses and we have to compensate them. Fortunately the three of them don’t look to be out for a long, long time but they will be out for the weekend game and I think the game on Tuesday. As well as them, Djourou got concussion during his game with Switzerland and will be assessed tomorrow to see if he is available. He does not look too bad and he could have a good chance to play. I am still waiting for Robin to come back so I don’t know about him. However, he should be okay. He went with a muscle problem but he came on after 56 minutes last night and, from the reports I got, he should be all right. Both of them will be assessed. Also I am told Cesc has a broken nose. It should not stop him playing. He is here now and is being assessed.”

He succeeded in not sounding as annoying as Benitez who recently complained about Torres’ injury during World Cup Qualifying games. Benitez Vents

Arsenal will be playing Everton this weekend, Fenerbace on Tuesday in the Champions League, and West Ham next weekend. Fortunately, Abou Diaby has just recovered from a thigh injury and will be starting. “At least Abou Diaby is back in the squad again.” said Wenger. “Even though he has not played games he will be used, at the least in the squad, because we have lost those three players.”

Fernando Torres was injured during Spain’s 2-1 World Cup Qualifying win against Belgium in Brussels. Torres limped off witha  hamstring injury only 16 minutes in compunding his earlier hamstring problems in September. Ryan Babel was also playing in World Cup Qualifyers and received an ankle injury during the Netherlands 1-0 win in Norway.

Benitez expressed his discontent with how many World Cup Qualifying games professional club players are required to play. He suggested that their should be 2 tiers to the qualifying games with stronger teams playing stronger teams and weaker teams only playing stronger teams once they have moved up. This would effectively minimize the number of games that teams would play. While I’m not sure if this is feasible, I do know that Liverpool will have some real challenges if Torres and Babel are not fit soon. In the next 10 days Liverpool will be playing Wigan, Chelsea, and a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.

Xabi Alonso described the injuries as a real blow: “It is undoubtedly bad news. We have to wait and see what the tests say, but we do not stop now until around Christmas, and we have a big calendar coming up - we cannot let up. It is not the first time this has happened [to Torres] with the national side, and it is a blow to have an injury when he is in such a good streak of form.”

Torres is expected to be out for about 10 days while Babel’s injury recovery time has not been assessed yet.

Chelsea

Age: 30

Birthday: May 1th, 1978

Birthplace: Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Position: Forward

2007/08 Goals: EPL- 8 goals, 6 assists. Total - 16 goals, 9 assists.

Biography:

Drogba spent his younger years between France and the Ivory Coast. His parents sent him to live with his uncle in France when he was 5 years old. His uncle, Michel Goba, played professional football in the French Ligue 2 and played Internationally for the Ivory Coast. In 1991, Drogba’s parents settled in Paris and 15 year old Drogba moved in with them. He soon signed up with youth club Levallois while studying accounting. During the 2006/2007 season Drogba was the EPL top scorer with 20 goals and also won the 2006 African Player of the Year.

In 1998, at the age of 19 Drogba joined Ligue 2 club Le Mans though he did not sign a contract until he became 21. A year later he signed with Ligue 1 club Guingamp. The next season Guingamp finished in a club record 7th place with Drogba having scored 17 goals. Drogba was signed by Olympique de Marseille in the 2003/2004 season. Out of 35 appearances he scored 19 goals including 5 goals in the Champions League. He also won French Player of the year; at the end of the season he was signed in record transfer for Chelsea. The €24 million was well worth it for Chelsea as Drogba continued to play well: he scored 16 goals out of 40 appearances. Chelsea went on to win the League Cup with Drogba scoring in extra time in the 3-2 win against Liverpool.

The next season saw Drogba lead the league with 11 assists and 16 goals; Chelsea managed to win the League Title again becoming only the 2nd club to win consecutive titles.
The 2006/2007 season saw Drogba score a total of 33 goals with 20 in the EPL. He was named African Footballer of ther Year.

The 2007/08 season was upsetting for Drogba as Mourinho left Chelsea. Drogba stated his desire to leave the club: “Mourinho’s departure destroys a certain familiarity we had at the club. Many of us used to play first and foremost for the manager. Now we need to forget those feelings and find another source of motivation. I want to leave Chelsea. Something is broken with Chelsea, The damage is big in the dressing room.” He later said he regretted the comments and stated he was committed to the club. In March of 2008 Drogba suffered a knee injury which was operated upon. That same season he was attacked by Benitez who said he dived during a UEFA Champions League game.

“Benítez was a coach I used to respect a lot. I used to believe he had class but he has seriously disappointed me. His words have shown his weakness. A great coach will never attack a player so meanly. If he doesn’t want me to fall down he should focus on his team’s game and tell his defenders to stop fouling me. In the first leg, Carragher and Skrtel didn’t stop. At the end of the match I was covered in bruises. Last year, I picked up a broken rib during the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.”

In April of 2008 Drogba could gain satisfaction from having scored 2 goals against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final which Chelsea won 3-2. However, Drogba slapped Vidic in the Final and was sent off. Chelsea lost in penalties 6-4.

Drogba despite having a very rustic style managed to score goals. With time at Chelsea and with Mourinho’s coaching and trust Drogba quickly managed to become more elegant in his game-play. Around and in the box Drogba can score with his back to the box. He has very quick feet and an extremely accurate shot.

Liverpool

Age: 28

Birthday: May 30th, 1980

Birthplace: Whiston, Merseyside (England)

Position: Attacking Midfield

2007/08 Goals: EPL- 11 goals, 11 assists. Total - 20 goals, 19 assists.

Biography:

Steven George Gerrard started playing with the Whiston Juniors at a young age. He joined Liverpool’s youth academy at the age of 9. Gerrard played few games for Liverpool between the age of 14 and 16 because of late growth spurts. During this period he underwent trials with Manchester United and other club teams in order to pressure Liverpool into signing him. Gerrard was finally signed with Liverpool in 1997. In 1998, Gerrard started with Liverpools first string team against Blackburn. His first start was in the UEFA Cup against Celta Vigo.

During the 1999/2000 season Gerrard scored his first goal for Liverpool ahainst Sheffield. His late growth spurts caused him delayed back and groin pain during the season. By the 2000/2001 season his injuried were behind him. Gerrard scored 10 goals and Liverpool won the League Cup and FA Cup. He quickly began to create his classic presence in midfield and scored one of his first long-range goals. That season he was name PFA Young Player of the Year. The next year Liverpool succeeded in reaching their highest points level in the EPL and finished 2nd in the League. Durign the 2003/2004 season Gerrard earned the Captain’s band and showed his leadership qualities. He also obtained a €60,000 a week contract with Liverpool. As teh season ended he said that he was not “happy with the progress the club has made and for the first time in my career I’ve thought about the possibility of moving on.” Though Liverpool did not do well that season and despite Chelsea’s €20 million offer, Gerrard decided to stay.

In 2005, Liverpool played AC Milan for the Champions League Final. Gerrard scored the 1st goal and was awarded a penalty when he was brought down in the box. They went on to win the Final in penalty shoot-outs and Gerrard was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. After the Final, Gerrard was linked with a move to Chelsea. Liverpool’s chief executive Rick Parry said “Now we have to move on. We have done our best, but he has made it clear he wants to go and I think it looks pretty final.” But the next day, despite a €32 million, €100,000 a week offer Gerrard refused the offer. “Stevie’s decided to stay. It’s a little bit like last year, only even more dramatic…”
The 2005/2006 season saw Gerrard scored 23 goals in 53 games and received the PFA Player of the Year and led Liverpool to victory in the FA Cup. The next season saw Liverpool fail in most competitions except the Champions League where they reached the Final against AC Milan; this time however, they lost 2-1. The 2007/2008 season also saw Gerrard wear the Captain’s band in International play for England.
Recently, during the 2008/2009 season Gerrard scored his 100th goal against PSV Eindhoven.

Gerrard is well known for his dominance in midfield and his amazing long-range shots. He has become one of the most loved Liverpool figures showing great determination and vision during games.

Slovakian Martin Skrtel underwent a scan this morning and it was revealed that he has posterior cruciate ligament damage.”Martin underwent a scan this morning which showed damage to the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He will see a specialist tomorrow to assess the extent of the injury and will then have an accurate idea of the timescales involved before he is back playing again.”

The injury most likely occured while battling for a ball against Manchester City’s Chad Evans. While Liverpool won (2-3) the injury to 23 year old Skrtel will probably last several months. After the game Benitez commented about Liverpool’s bid for the EPL Title saying “We have a clear idea of what we have to do. We have to go one game at a time. This was another great win and three points. The main thing from my point of view is the belief of the players.”

With Skrtel out Daniel Agger will most likely start; Agger suffered a metatarsal injury at the beginning of last season.
Agger Injured for season, Skrtel starts

Chelsea

Age: 27

Birthday: December 7th, 1980

Birthplace: Barking, London

Position: Defending Center back

2007/08 Goals: EPL-1 goal, 1 assist. Total- 2 goals, 3 assists.

Biography:

John George Terry began playing with the Youth Club team Senrab. He soon moved to the Chelsea developmental team at the age of 14. He made his debut in October or 1998 as a substitute against Aston Villa. He spent some time playing with Nottingham Forest in 2000 before really beginning to play for Chelsea. During the 2000/01 season he started 23 times and was voted the clubs best player of the year. That same year he became embroiled in as assault and affray allegation oh which he was later cleared. Around the same time he was fined 2 weeks of wages for having beleaguered several Americans who were grieving after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

During the 2001/02 season Terry was handed the captains band for the first time. He continued to solidify his presence at Chelsea through 2003/04 as he continued to intermittently hold the captains’ armband. In 2004/05 Jose Mourinho took charge and gave Terry the Captain’s armband. That season Chelsea won the Premier League with a record breaking defense. That year he was voted Player of the Year by his peers and scored 8 goals including one against Barcelona in the Champions League.

In the 2006/07 season Terry suffered back problems and had to undergo lumbar disc surgery. Despite his injury Terry came back and continued to serve as the backbone of Chelsea’s spirit and defense.
In a Carling Cup final against Arsenal he attempted a diving header while trying to score on a corner and was kicked unconscious by Abou Diaby. He was unconscious for 10 minutes and later said he could only remember walking out onto the field during the 2nd half. In December of 2007 Terry broke 3 bones in his foot while playing Arsenal when Emmanuel Eboue stomped on his foot. May 11th 2008 he suffered a minor injury and dislocated his elbow. May 21st 2008 Terry missed a crucial penalty against Manchester United in the Champions League Final. He slipped a moment before kicking the ball which then hit the post. Chelsea lost 6-5 in penalties. In August 28th 2008 he also received Defender of the Year from UEFA.

Manchester United

Age: 22

Birthday: February 5th, 1985

Birthplace: Croxteth, Liverpool (England)

Position: Striker

2007/08 Goals: EPL- 12; total-18.
[Total Assists- 14]

Biography:

Wayne Rooney, considered to be one of the youngest players to understand the game. He plays for the England National Team and Manchester United. At a young age he showed the ability and vision of experienced players with great dribbling, speed, and finishing ability. Rooney was born and raised in Croxteth, Liverpool (England). He grew up supporting Everton and his football hero was Duncan Ferguson (Scottish International). Rooney was signed when he was 11 years old after playing with the Liverpool Schoolboys and Dynamo Brownings. He played in the Everton youth team and then progressed to the starting lineup for 2 years. While he was there he lived his dream of playing for Everton; after scoring a beautiful goal he took off his shirt displaying an undershirt on which was written “Once a blue, always a blue”. Reportedly, Newcastle tried to obtain Rooney for €18.5 million. Unfortunately, for Everton and Newcastle, Rooney agreed to a deal with United for €31 million hours before the transfer deadline. He may have been the highest paid teenager ever.

Rooney became famous after a goal against Arsenal in October of 2002. Arsenal had been on an unbeaten 30 match run when Wayne Rooney got the ball 28 yards out and ripped the ball into the top left corner past David Seamen giving Everton the win (2-1). At the time Rooney was 16 years old making him the youngest scoring Premiership player. He later proved himself in the Euro 2004 by scoring 3 goals in 4 games.

Rooney has a very aggressive style. If he ever loses the ball he attempts to chase down whoever stole it. He often runs all the way to his goal to defend; he goes out of the way to win his team back possession. “I don’t think I will ever lose my determination. It is something I have always had. If we are not winning I get frustrated. I don’t like losing. If you are telling me that is wrong I won’t believe you. I am a team player. Everyone is saying I should score more goals. But we won the league and Champions League last season - if that happens again I would be delighted. I certainly don’t have any banter with Cristiano about who scores the most goals. Maybe he had a chat with the manager about it but I didn’t. Last season was unbelievable for Cristiano. More than likely he will be named world player of the year and everyone at the club will be delighted for him. Hopefully he can score the same number of goals again. Carlos [Tevez] likes to drop behind a main striker, which is probably his best position, so maybe I would have to stay up a bit more. I would have no problem with that. But hopefully we can bring another forward in to strengthen the team. It would allow us to spread the matches out and make changes for certain games. But if that forward does not come in, I am sure we can deal with it.”

Chelsea have been hindered by a recent string of injuries including Deco who who obtained a torn muscle in his upper thigh while warming up before the game against Manchester United (Chelsea tied Manchester Utd 1-1). Carvalho also suffered an injury with a torn ligament in his knee which will likely leave him out for at least a month.

Fortunately, Deco’s disappearance could be made easier by the potential appearance of Brazilian midfielder Mineiro. “Mineiro is a player I need because I lost Essien for six months and only John Mikel Obi is there for us” said Scolari. “He won’t play this week but maybe after 10 days he will play. He needs to play in the reserve team and needs some time but that is good for me because he gives me some options.” Both Birmingham and Arsenal were reportedly interested in Mineiro but opted not to sign him.

Muricy Ramalho, his coach at Sao Paolo described him in superhuman terms. “The guy is incredible. He runs so much at times it makes you wonder whether he has got three lungs, not two, like the rest of us.” Mineiro is a defensive midfielder who played for BSC Hertha Berlin before joining Chelsea. The 33 year was nicknamed ‘Mineiro’ because he resembles a former Corinthian player, his real name is actually Carlos Luciano da Silva.

Line-up:

Villarreal: Diego Lopez, Angel, Rodriguez, Godin, Capdevila, Cani, Eguren, Edmilson, Pires, Fernandez, Franco.
Subs: Viera, Santi Cazorla, Ibagaza, Llorente, Javi Venta, Senna, Fuentes.
Booked: Franco, Ibagaza, Diego Lopez.
Referee: Wolfgang Stark

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Nani, Hargreaves, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Tevez.
Subs: Foster, Brown, Ronaldo, Anderson, Giggs, Vidic, O’Shea.
Booked: Tevez.

Villarreal have had few opportunities so far with United producing almost all of the offense.

In the 60th minute Villarreal winger had the ball on United’s right flank with United defenders lagging about 15 yards behind. He crossed the ball low and hard into the middle of the box and Franco did a backwards flick which bounced off the back post. Villarreal seemed to be gaining some offense for the first time in the game. Only minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted in for JS Park and made his first appearance of the season; Anderson came on for But United were determined to score with Tevez and Rooney putting in plenty of effort creating multiple chances. Tevez created multiple opportunities for the United offense as he dashed forward into the Villareal box it was obvious that Villa’s defense were unable to stop him.

In the 72nd minute Ronaldo gave Rooney a great through ball which he ran on (few players can compete with Rooney’s speed). He beat the defender of course but passed the ball through a defenders legs directly to the right of him to Tevez; however, the ball was slightly out of Tevez’s pass and when he kicked it at goal a Villa defender cleared it from the line.

Tevez has described Ronaldo’s reappearance akin to having ”an extra player” on the field. “Cristiano is a massive player for us and it is great to have him on our side. It is like having an extra player when he is there because he is such a danger to our opponents. It will be a big boost to have him back.”

Tevez was recently offered a €30 million deal to keep Tevez at United. “From the first moment I came here I would have loved to sign a long-term contract. Last year was a very happy season and it would be wonderful if the chairman put a long-term contract in front of me. If he did that I would sign it without a doubt.”

Ferguson recently stated that United’s performance against Liverpool demonstrated defense that was not worthy to be seen in the EPL. Tevez described what enabled Manchester United to win the League Title last season. “Whenever we lost a game last season we came back and showed ourselves to be stronger. That was the reason we won two titles last year. I am sure we will see a reaction from the players tonight.”