Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Robert Green could be set to regain the number one shirt after Julio Cesar endured an afternoon to forget at Villa Park.
The former England stopper was initially first choice down at Loftus Road, but an opening day mauling at home to Swansea left then manager Mark Hughes dipping into the transfer market for a replacement. However the Brazilian’s poor display during their defeat to Aston Villa could well have reopened the door to Green.
“We should have dealt with it,” Redknapp told The Daily Mail when questioned on the opener.
The QPR manager’s thoughts on Andreas Weimanns’ goal were hardly positive and there was certainly no vote of confidence for Cesar and his defence when it came down to Benteke’s late winner.
When asked whether or not Green would have been in goal, had he been fit Redknapp replied: “Oh, I couldn’t say that, could I?
“I’d be putting myself right under the cosh. I don’t need that as the moment. Why would I cause myself a problem by saying that?”
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In the end it was a tale of two keepers at Villa Park as Brad Guzan took all the plaudits. The American was on fine form and produced a stunning save to deny Christopher Samba what looked like a sure fire opener in the first half.
Liverpool have already made a big transfer splash at the start of this busiest of months by completing the signing of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea for a fee in the region of £12m but after making such a terrible go of things in the summer, there is plenty of work left to do, so what should be right at the top of the agenda for manager Brendan Rodgers?
With the club currently seven points adrift of Chelsea in fourth place and 11 points ahead of Wigan in the relegation zone, with a Europa League campaign still to contend with, there is plenty left to play for at Anfield this term, not to mention local pride with Everton above them in the league at present.
January represents a potentially dangerous time to do business, but with regards to the various comings and goings on Merseyside, it could prove to be a season-defining month for Liverpool.
Click on Brendan Rodgers to see his full to-do list for the month
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Brendan Rodgers has deflected criticism aimed at his ‘keeper Pepe Reina after the Spaniard’s error almost cost Liverpool a place in the Europa League group stages.
The Reds drew 1-1 with Hearts on the night, going through 2-1 on aggregate, but it could have been a very different story had Luis Suarez not scored the decisive equaliser two minutes from time.
Hearts’ David Templeton gave the visitors the lead after launching a seemingly routine shot at goal from just outside the area, but Reina somehow spooned the shot into the net.
Despite the error, Rodgers remains confident in his shot-stopper’s ability: “Pepe has been brilliant since I’ve been here. He’s been a pivotal part of how we work. He’s been excellent off the field, a real good guy who understands the ideology of what we’re trying to do.
“Unfortunately for goalkeepers it’s part and parcel of the game. There’s no blame attached – unfortunately for goalkeepers they make a mistake and sometimes it leads to a goal.”
It sums up an unconvincing two-legged victory for Liverpool, who needed an own goal from Andy Webster in the first leg to take a lead back to Anfield.
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Rodgers’ side will now play Udinese, Young Boys and Anzhi in the group stages following lunchtime’s draw.
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will bring back his big guns when Manchester United arrive at Anfield on Sunday.
Rodgers left the likes of Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Joe Allen, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger behind for Thursday’s trip to Switzerland to take on Young Boys in the Europa League.
He was left impressed by the way his young team performed coming away with a 5-3 victory, and Jonjo Shelvey is in contention to start after the 20-year-old emerged from the bench to score the two decisive goals on Thursday.
Manchester United arrive at Anfield on the back of four straight victories in all competitions, and are set to recall Robin Van Persie and Patrice Evra to the starting line up.
Whilst Liverpool are still searching for their first Premier League win of the season, United have not won at Anfield since 2007, losing four or their last five.
The animosity between the two sides that has been a feature in the last year since the Suarez, Evra row will be put aside, with it being Liverpool’s first home game since the Hillsborough enquiry came to light.
Key Battle: Steven Gerrard v Michael Carrick
Steven Gerrard has yet to really find his form so far this season, playing at the tip of a midfield three just behind Luis Suarez. It will be up to Michael Carrick – set to make his 350th Premier League appearence – to halt the threat of the Liverpool captain. You feel Gerrard is due a big game, and there is no bigger occasion than this. It is so often the case that if Gerrard plays well, Liverpool do. You can see him being the key to Brendan Rodgers hopes of recording a first Premier League win as Liverpool manager.
Prediction : Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United – I feel that Liverpool are due a touch of fortune, and with an emotional crowd behind them, may just be spurned on to victory. It is often the case that the Reds perform best when they have been under fire.
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United have looked somewhat shaky at the back this season, and no doubt Luis Suarez will be in the mood to shine. It will be tight, but I fancy home advantage to tilt it in Liverpool’s favour as it has done so often in this fixture during the past five years.
QPR have been dealt a huge blow as Bobby Zamora has been ruled out for three months with a hip injury.
The striker who joined from West London rivals Fulham in January and helped the club to Premier League safety will have to undergo surgery.
It looks like that QPR, who are currently bottom of the league, are going to be in a relegation battle again this season and will have to fight most of it without Zamora who picked up the injury in training.
A statement from the club on the official website said: “R’s front-man Bobby Zamora is set for a period on the side-lines owing to injury.
“The 31-year-old striker will undergo an exploratory operation following a recent hip injury sustained in training.
“The injury is likely to see Zamora side-lined for approximately three months.”
Zamora is the club’s top scorer with three goals in 10 appearances and his injury means Djibril Cisse is the only fit striker currently at the club.
QPR remain the only club to yet win a league game after 12 attempts and it is believed that manager Mark Hughes’ job is on the line.
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The former England striker missed the club’s latest defeat against fellow strugglers Southampton 3-1 and is still waiting to hear about a set date for the surgery which is believed to keep him out until February.
Arsene Wenger has always prided himself on placing a lot of faith in youth. Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and Jack Wilshere are just a small example of the huge success that Wenger has had in finding and blooding young raw talent into his Arsenal squad over the years
As with all successes, there are always failures, and players who promised so much but failed to deliver. While Arsenal have had plenty of young talent come through the ranks, the Gunners have also had their fair share of youngsters who failed to make the grade at The Emirates Stadium or Highbury and never got to wear the Arsenal shirt for an extended period. Here are some of Arsenal wonderkids tipped to make the grade who fell by the wayside…
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Click on Bentley below to see the Top 10
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Watching Sunderland slump to defeat at home against a side they were expected to beat was nothing new to Sunderland fans, in fact the game resembled that of many Black Cats’ performances over the past few years.
The main thing which struck me as the North East side stuttered to a 0-1 defeat against Aston Villa was the bizarre sense of deja vu the contest gave me. Watching a Sunderland team toil and try and work the ball forwards into the Aston Villa area with wild panic but looking increasingly vulnerable on the break, lacking the fast players to cover ground quickly and cancel out two-man counter attacks. This match was nothing new, I saw the same game when Sunderland drew 0-0 with Fulham last year – it had many of the same characteristics as did the 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Wigan Athletic in the same season.
It also resembled the forgettable home performances following last year’s FA Cup exit, where the Wearsiders fortuitously drew with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers. Without going off on too big a tangent, my point is, a year on under Martin O’Neill there isn’t a great deal of difference to what Sunderland do tactically at home and how they perform, compared to how they played under Steve Bruce.
I believe too much emphasis from fans is based on what a manager does and doesn’t do, when really nine times out of ten the teams with the best players win football matches. Using my club first as an example, a year into his stay on Wearside Martin O’Neill’s changes to the side are minimal, Sunderland offer slightly greater resilience away, some players such as Lee Cattermole have improved due to a slightly more defined role in the team, there’s a slightly more clear style of playing but that’s about it for my money.
Watching Sunderland in their most important matches, (at home, against teams outside of the top six), it’s almost impossible to separate the approach this year from that of the way the team played before under Bruce. Begging the question apart from club transfers which now in England is completed more and more by people other than a manager, what is the great importance of those in charge?
The Black Cats did enjoy a great up-turn in form instantly under O’Neill, due to a vast number of reasons. The introduction of James McClean into the team added more width and creativity to the side, fans patience was restored with the new manager, results such as the 1-0 over Manchester City may not have been possible under Bruce where fans were more restless and wouldn’t have been so reserved seeing their side concede so much possession. Luck also played a part – an offside goal gifted Sunderland three points against the league champions and against Blackburn in the Ulsterman’s first game a wrongly disallowed goal and failure from the referee to award a stonewall penalty to the visitors are often overlooked when discussing the turning point in the Black Cats’ season.
Tottenham Hotspur are a curious club sat fifth in the table after an indifferent start, the London club appear well-placed to achieve their goals for the season, yet there’s a great sense of unrest at the club. Much of this seems to be surrounding their manager Andre Villas-Boas, who has been hammered by some fans and some sections of the press in the wake of their 1-0 to defeat at home to Wigan.
Using the context of his sacking at Chelsea, many have labelled the Portuguese as clueless. Yet when comparing him to his popular predecessor Harry Redknapp a great point has to be made about the disparity in the teams the two managed. One of the best play-makers in Europe was present for Spurs last season in Luka Modric. While many of the London club’s disappointments this season have come when the superb Moussa Dembele has been missing – suggesting that players play a greater role than the man who puts them on the pitch.
A storm was also caused when Jermain Defoe was substituted for Emmanuel Adebayor, but under Redknapp the diminutive frontman was often second choice to the former Manchester City striker suggesting there could be plenty of logic behind the switch. Watching Tottenham when they were at their best against Chelsea, it was also hard to see a great deal of difference in approach, they moved the ball at a high tempo and were dependent on width to stretch teams, much like under Redknapp.
Other teams with good off the pitch structures can overachieve and succeed on it. Swansea City have established a style of play and that remains the same regardless of manager and also have assembled a squad that suit that approach. In my view transfers are the most important part of management with everything else being overstated.
City are a good example of this, the most important thing Michael Laudrup has done in Wales is bring in technical players who work their system. He did that well signing Ki from Celtic and Jonathan De Guzman, the acquisition of Michu is also among the most important things he’s achieved. While the team’s style is more direct and the Danish legend likes inverted wingers, the main reason Swansea are still over-achieving is because he’s signed good players.
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West Brom also continue to maintain Premier League status despite having had three different managers during their current run in England’s top division. While undoubtedly their gaffers deserve some praise, the Baggies also have an underrated team; James Morrison, Shane Long, Jonas Olsson and Youssuf Mulumbu are among the most underrated players in English football.
Do we overstate managers importance, let me know your thoughts on Twitter: @jimmylowson
Stoke struck twice in the last 10 minutes at the Britannia Stadium to condemn Newcastle to a fourth straight Premier League defeat.
After having their egos bruised against Southampton on Sunday the Magpies were handed the daunting assignment of ending their miserable run by securing their first away win of the season in the Potteries.
Tony Pulis’ men had gone 13 games unbeaten in front of their own supporters – a run stretching back to February – but left it late to snatch a victory that moves them up to ninth in the table.
The hosts were almost gifted an early when Mike Williamson contrived to hit his own post as he tried to clear a cross from the right.
Peter Crouch was then forced off after being caught by Fabricio Coloccini’s stray arm in an aerial challenge as the half ended on a decidedly low note for Pulis.
It got worse after the break when Newcastle broke the deadlock just two minutes after the restart, Papiss Cisse following up after Asmir Begovic spilled Demba Ba’s long range effort for his second league goal of the campaign.
The Senegalese forward was denied a second by Begovic soon after as the visitors sought to take the initiative and pick up their first domestic win since the end of October.
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But basic defensive errors have underlined their poor start to the season and they were eventually pegged back with nine minutes to go as Jon Walters rose unmarked to head substitute Cameron Jerome’s cross past a motionless Tim Krul.
And four minutes later the turnaround was complete as Kenwyne Jones’ flick into space was slotted into the net by Jerome after he gave Fabricio Coloccini the slip to earn a Stoke a thrd win in their last four games.
Arsene Wenger endured another tough match in the dugout after watching Arsenal succumb to defeat against Olympiakos last night.
The Frenchman was left frustrated with officials after the Greek side were controversially awarded a corner, from which Giannis Maniatis scored the equaliser. Kostas Mitroglou went on to secure the victory in a match the Gunners had led with Tomas Rosicky’s first-half strike.
The result extends Arsenal’s run of winless games to four, and the under-fire Wenger cursed his team’s misfortune, as he told ITV1, “For their first goal, it was a goal-kick, simple as that.”
“What is the fifth referee doing behind the line? Nobody knows. I don’t think it was the right decision, but we have to cope with it. After that they scored a good goal.”
The Gunners had already booked their place in the tournament’s knockout stages, but the defeat meant they finished the group as runners-up behind Schalke and will be pitted against a group-winner in the next round.
Nevertheless, Wenger was happy with the performance of his team in his 150th Champions League game in charge. “Some of the younger players did very well for an hour and that is very positive. Also Tomas Rosicky has not played for six months and he had a good 45 minutes and that is the positive of the night.”
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Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday, when they host West Brom at the Emirates, hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Swansea.
As a fascinating Saturday of Premier League football drew to a close, the Manchester United manager addressed the media with fury in his eyes.
It is fair to say Sir Alex Ferguson was not overly pleased with the officials time keeping during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Ferguson told the BBC – now no longer the subject of his anger –the amount of stoppage time added on by the officials was an “insult.”
Ferguson said: “They gave us four minutes [injury time], that’s an insult to the game. It denies you a proper chance to win a football match.”
“There were six substitutions, the trainer came on, so that’s four minutes right away and the goalkeeper must have wasted about two or three minutes and they took their time at every goal kick.
“That’s obvious to everyone today and it’s a flaw in the game that the referee is responsible for time keeping. It’s ridiculous that it’s 2012 and the referee still has control of that.”
In theory the Manchester United manager is correct. Roughly 30 seconds were lost for each United goal, and around a minute for Dempsey’s second half strike.
Add to that 30 seconds for each substitution, any injuries and Tottenham’s time wasting, there should have been more than four minutes added on.
But Ferguson’s attack on the officials could not be more ‘pot kettle black’, from the man who has made the phrase ‘Fergie time’ one of the most commonly known in British football.
How often do you see the correct amount of stoppage time added at the end of a game?
Hardly ever is one answer, never another. The amount of stoppage time at the end of every match is always questioned one way or another. Saturday was no different.
Saturday’s post match interview was just another example of Ferguson the sore loser, the man we seem to meet after every Manchester United defeat.
Not only did his comments draw attention away from the fact Tottenham had put in a fantastic performance, his comments were also simply dillusional, especially when you look back at the countless stoppage time debacles involving him and his side down the years.
What will it be next week? Ferguson “insulted” his side did not get given a penalty?
Did you hear him complaining about the amount of time added on at Anfield two weeks ago?
Daniel Agger and Martin Kelly both picked up injuries that needed at least two to three minutes of treatment each. There were five second half substitutions, three goals, as well as a penalty and other stoppages.
The officials added on just five minutes, but Ferguson left happy as his team fortuitously picked up three points.
Whilst he has a fair point that the officials need to look at how much stoppage time is added on, this is not an isolated incident and has been going on for years.
Just because his side have been the victim on this occasion, Ferguson feels he has the divine right to pipe up and question the whole system.
But now football’s godfather has spoken out, and alluded to the fact referee’s should not be responsible for the amount of time added on, expect to see a change in the system sooner rather than later.
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Rightly so in many respects, because the lack of time added on does so often short change teams and supporters.
But why is it only now Ferguson has spoken that press and pundits are nodding their head in agreement?
This has been going on for years and years, and Ferguson has been one of the biggest obstacles for officials to overcome in their quest to simply add up the lost minutes of each half, with his manic watch pointing and words in the ears of various fourth officials.
If Ferguson is successful in his quest to take the task of adding up the amount of stoppages out of the referee’s hands, it is solid proof he holds more power and authority than any manager in world football.
Expect a change in the way stoppage time is handled very soon.
Follow me on Twitter @LukeGreenwood89 and let me know you’re thoughts on Fergie’s latest rant.