Arsenal went top of the Premier League by beating a dogged Crystal Palace side at Emirates Stadium.
Showing posts with label English Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English Premier League. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Monday, 13 January 2014
Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League
Man City 2-0 Newcastle
Dzeko 8′
Negredo 90′
Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League after beating NewCastle
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Football League's biggest challenges
Match-fixing, names changes, standing - Shaun Harvey's inbox
Match-fixing, name changes, a return of standing, emergency loans and transfer embargoes are just some of the issues facing one of football's busiest men.
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Liverpool face Man City title test on on Boxing Day
Liverpool face Man City title test on on Boxing Day
Liverpool may be top of the table at Christmas but they face a test of their title credentials when they travel to Manchester City on Boxing Day.
Third-placed City are a point behind the Reds and have a 100% league record at Etihad Stadium so far this season.Only two points separate the top five.
Second-placed Arsenal are at West Ham, while Chelsea, who are fourth, host Swansea. Everton, in fifth, entertain Sunderland, while Manchester United travel to Hull.
Reigning champions United are eighth, six points off the top four and eight points adrift of Liverpool.
Striker Robin van Persie and
midfielder Michael Carrick have respective thigh and Achilles injuries
but the Old Trafford club's boss David Moyes hinted the pair could be
back soon.
"This is the time when miracles happen," said the Scot. "Let us hope there is one for Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick."
All 20 Premier League teams will be playing on Boxing Day. The game at Hull gets proceedings under way at 12:45 GMT, while the match between City and Liverpool at 17:30 GMT concludes the action.
City have won all eight league games at home and scored 35 goals in the process, including six against both Tottenham and Arsenal and four in the Manchester derby.
But the Reds have the Premier League's top scorer, Luis Suarez, in their ranks. The Uruguayan, who missed the start of the season because of suspension, has 19 goals from 12 games so far.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers played down his side's title chances after a win over Cardiff and thinks Manchester City are the favourites.
Arsenal, who make a trip across London to Upton Park, drew 0-0 with Chelsea on Monday have now gone three league games without a win as they go for a first title since 2004.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, says this season's title race is "unbelievable" as he prepares to pit his wits against Swansea counterpart Michael Laudrup.
Liverpool rises to the top of the Premier League
Liverpool rises to the top of the Premier League
LONDON: Through financial turmoil, court battles and humbling setbacks in recent years, Liverpool has risen to the top this season and reached a noteworthy milestone in England.
Ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, the Reds lead the Premier League heading into the traditional Boxing Day games on Thursday.
"It is a nostalgic time and people always want to know where the team is at around Christmas Day," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Tuesday. "It is brilliant for supporters. I am not going to deny them a dream."
The last four Christmas Day leaders went on to lift the trophy in May. The last not to was Liverpool in the 2008-09 season under Rafa Benitez.
So much has changed since then.
"It has been a hard period in this club for four or five years and (being top) was probably a distant thought," Rodgers said. "They have to enjoy it."
Staring into the financial abyss in 2010, bankruptcy was looming until the owners were ousted in court and new American investors, headed by John Henry, rescued the club.
But the Reds still seemed to be a team in decline. A return to the lucrative Champions League by finishing in the top four seemed unlikely, let alone a 19th English title _ and the first since 1990.
Even after former great Kenny Dalglish was replaced as manager by Brendan Rodgers in 2012, Henry's heavy investment in the squad didn't seem to be paying off.
Rodgers' first season ended in May with Liverpool 28 points behind champion Manchester United and 12 points adrift of fourth place.
Since then, Luis Suarez was denied a move to Arsenal, and has scored 19 goals in 12 matches since missing the opening five games while completing a biting ban.
The Uruguay striker has been devastating up front in December _ with no new disciplinary problems. Four goals against Norwich were followed by doubles against West Ham, Tottenham and Cardiff as the team scored 17 while rattling off four wins.
Only 2012 champion Manchester City can match such lethalness, with a league-leading 51 goals.
On Thursday, Liverpool visits Man City, which is in third place and has won three of its last four league games by scoring 14 goals.
The game at the Etihad Stadium should show how ready Liverpool is to retain its place among the elite.
Players once dismissed as Anfield misfits have come to the fore, and now expensive flops including Andy Carroll have been offloaded.
Captain Steven Gerrard being sidelined could previously have derailed the team. Now Jordan Henderson, who seemed to be burdened by a huge price tag after arriving from Sunderland in 2011, is providing the dynamism and assured touches in midfield.
Raheem Sterling is another young English player establishing himself as a regular starter, with the winger scoring three times in the last four games.
"He has shown he is back to that level where he is really aggressive and direct," Rodgers said.
The ownership puts the team's re-emergence down to Rodgers, who became an easy target for derision during the club's potentially misguided foray into reality television last year but whose man-management skills are being lauded once again.
"He has great communication skills," Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said. "He's very articulate in his strategy and the players have responded to him."
There are, however, 19 games to go and the most open title race the Premier League has seen since its inception in 1992.
Even though the Arsenal-Chelsea derby proved to be a 0-0 outcome on Monday, there is little to separate them in the standings from Liverpool.
Liverpool and Arsenal are the only teams in the top five with the same managers as last season, with Manuel Pellegrini now at City, Jose Mourinho back at Chelsea and Roberto Martinez in charge at neighbor Everton.
"It is a transition period for a lot of teams so maybe we have the extra year on a few and the way things are going at the moment ... we can be dangerous," Liverpool defender Glen Johnson said.
And, as for the reigning champions?
Manchester United is in eighth place nearly a half season into the post-Alex Ferguson era. But the Red Devils are only eight points behind Liverpool, and the standings could look very different at the start of 2014 with nine points up for grabs over the next week or so.
Ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, the Reds lead the Premier League heading into the traditional Boxing Day games on Thursday.
"It is a nostalgic time and people always want to know where the team is at around Christmas Day," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Tuesday. "It is brilliant for supporters. I am not going to deny them a dream."
The last four Christmas Day leaders went on to lift the trophy in May. The last not to was Liverpool in the 2008-09 season under Rafa Benitez.
So much has changed since then.
"It has been a hard period in this club for four or five years and (being top) was probably a distant thought," Rodgers said. "They have to enjoy it."
Staring into the financial abyss in 2010, bankruptcy was looming until the owners were ousted in court and new American investors, headed by John Henry, rescued the club.
But the Reds still seemed to be a team in decline. A return to the lucrative Champions League by finishing in the top four seemed unlikely, let alone a 19th English title _ and the first since 1990.
Even after former great Kenny Dalglish was replaced as manager by Brendan Rodgers in 2012, Henry's heavy investment in the squad didn't seem to be paying off.
Rodgers' first season ended in May with Liverpool 28 points behind champion Manchester United and 12 points adrift of fourth place.
Since then, Luis Suarez was denied a move to Arsenal, and has scored 19 goals in 12 matches since missing the opening five games while completing a biting ban.
The Uruguay striker has been devastating up front in December _ with no new disciplinary problems. Four goals against Norwich were followed by doubles against West Ham, Tottenham and Cardiff as the team scored 17 while rattling off four wins.
Only 2012 champion Manchester City can match such lethalness, with a league-leading 51 goals.
On Thursday, Liverpool visits Man City, which is in third place and has won three of its last four league games by scoring 14 goals.
The game at the Etihad Stadium should show how ready Liverpool is to retain its place among the elite.
Players once dismissed as Anfield misfits have come to the fore, and now expensive flops including Andy Carroll have been offloaded.
Captain Steven Gerrard being sidelined could previously have derailed the team. Now Jordan Henderson, who seemed to be burdened by a huge price tag after arriving from Sunderland in 2011, is providing the dynamism and assured touches in midfield.
Raheem Sterling is another young English player establishing himself as a regular starter, with the winger scoring three times in the last four games.
"He has shown he is back to that level where he is really aggressive and direct," Rodgers said.
The ownership puts the team's re-emergence down to Rodgers, who became an easy target for derision during the club's potentially misguided foray into reality television last year but whose man-management skills are being lauded once again.
"He has great communication skills," Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said. "He's very articulate in his strategy and the players have responded to him."
There are, however, 19 games to go and the most open title race the Premier League has seen since its inception in 1992.
Even though the Arsenal-Chelsea derby proved to be a 0-0 outcome on Monday, there is little to separate them in the standings from Liverpool.
Liverpool and Arsenal are the only teams in the top five with the same managers as last season, with Manuel Pellegrini now at City, Jose Mourinho back at Chelsea and Roberto Martinez in charge at neighbor Everton.
"It is a transition period for a lot of teams so maybe we have the extra year on a few and the way things are going at the moment ... we can be dangerous," Liverpool defender Glen Johnson said.
And, as for the reigning champions?
Manchester United is in eighth place nearly a half season into the post-Alex Ferguson era. But the Red Devils are only eight points behind Liverpool, and the standings could look very different at the start of 2014 with nine points up for grabs over the next week or so.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Arsenal missed their chance to return to the top of the Premier League
Arsenal missed their chance to return to the top of the Premier League
LONDON: Arsenal missed their chance to return to the top of the Premier League after being held to a bruising 0-0 draw by title rivals Chelsea in a spiteful London derby on Monday.
Team
|
Played
|
Won
|
Draw
|
Lost
|
GD
|
Points
| |
|
1
|
Liverpool
|
17
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
23
|
36
|
|
2
|
Arsenal
|
17
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
16
|
36
|
|
3
|
Man City
|
17
|
11
|
2
|
4
|
31
|
35
|
|
4
|
Chelsea
|
17
|
10
|
4
|
3
|
14
|
34
|
|
5
|
Everton
|
17
|
9
|
7
|
1
|
13
|
34
|
|
6
|
Newcastle
|
17
|
9
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
30
|
|
7
|
Tottenham
|
17
|
9
|
3
|
5
|
-5
|
30
|
|
8
|
Man United
|
17
|
8
|
4
|
5
|
8
|
28
|
|
9
|
Southampton
|
17
|
6
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
24
|
|
10
|
Stoke City
|
17
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
-4
|
21
|
|
11
|
Swansea City
|
17
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
0
|
20
|
|
12
|
Hull City
|
17
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
-6
|
20
|
|
13
|
Aston Villa
|
17
|
5
|
4
|
8
|
-6
|
19
|
|
14
|
Norwich City
|
17
|
5
|
4
|
8
|
-14
|
19
|
|
15
|
Cardiff City
|
17
|
4
|
5
|
8
|
-12
|
17
|
|
16
|
West Brom
|
17
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
-5
|
16
|
|
17
|
West Ham
|
17
|
3
|
5
|
9
|
-8
|
14
|
|
18
|
Crystal Palace
|
17
|
4
|
1
|
12
|
-16
|
13
|
|
19
|
Fulham
|
17
|
4
|
1
|
12
|
-17
|
13
|
|
20
|
Sunderland
|
17
|
2
|
4
|
11
|
-18
|
10
|
|
1-3: Champions League; 4: Champions League preliminary rounds; 5: Europa League; 6 - 7: Europa league depending on domestic cup; 18-20: Relegation
| |||||||
English Premier League point Table
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Jose Mourinho demands Chelsea focus on EPL
Jose Mourinho demands Chelsea focus on EPL
London:
Jose Mourinho has warned his Chelsea stars they cannot afford any more careless lapses in concentration when they face title rivals Arsenal on Monday.
Mourinho is growing increasingly vexed by the misfiring form of Chelsea's strikers and his defenders' alarming habit of switching off at key moments.
The Blues boss has so far been unable to find solutions to problems that threaten to wreck Chelsea's challenge for the Premier League crown.
Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba have scored just five league goals between them this term, while Mourinho has chopped and changed in an unsuccessful bid to find his best back-four.
Chelsea dropped to fourth place in the table on Saturday, three points adrift of new leaders Liverpool and one behind third placed Arsenal.
And, with so much at stake when Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium for the final top-flight match before Christmas, Mourinho has made it clear he won't tolerate more sloppiness from his players.
"If we cannot improve our efficiency in front of the goal, we have to improve in the other end," Mourinho said.
"We have to improve when we lose possession of the ball. That's obvious.
"We cannot just let the players hide behind the fact that we are not scoring enough goals and wait for that to happen.
"We cannot play for that. People need to change their brains a little bit more.
"To be a team to play very good football is an important step. To be a team that plays very good football and wins lots of matches is a more difficult step.
"Some players that are used to playing with the ball at their feet and are very comfortable in the offensive phase.
"When the team loses the ball, they have to be also very comfortable working a lot for the team."
While Mourinho battles to cure Chelsea's various ailments, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may never get a better chance to finally beat his old rival.
Wenger has failed to defeat Mourinho in nine previous attempts, including a 2-0 loss in the League Cup earlier this season.
In the past, Mourinho has infuriated Wenger with some of his jibes, including calling him a "voyeur"
But, whatever the result, Wenger insists there is no longer any hostility between the two managers.
"It is not a personal battle," Wenger said. "Honestly, we had some big games in the past, but what is important for me is that I am completely focused on Arsenal Football Club and on my team and doing well in the team.
"Once you are out of competition, everybody is different.
"We spent time together in Geneva at the UEFA managers' meeting.
"Here is competition time, so everybody fights for his team and his club.
"Whether we play Monday against Chelsea or anybody else, for me it is exactly the same, because what is at stake for us is to get back to winning habits, whether it is Chelsea or anyone else."
Wenger will be without England midfielder Jack Wilshere, who is serving a two-match ban for an abusive gesture at Manchester City fans last weekend, while French defender Laurent Koscielny is also set to be sidelined with a knee injury.
Wilshere's petulant reaction to Arsenal's 6-3 thrashing at Eastlands summed up the team's disbelief at a loss which raised questions about their ability to maintain their surprise title challenge.
A victory would ensure Arsenal head into the busy Christmas programme back on top of the table, but Wenger has slipped up too many times against Chelsea in the past to take anything for granted.
"Chelsea are a good side with many good promising players, many good young players," Wenger said.
"They have a good offensive potential as well and for us it will be important to have a good defensive focus to find our defensive stability again and to stop them going forward."
London:
Jose Mourinho has warned his Chelsea stars they cannot afford any more careless lapses in concentration when they face title rivals Arsenal on Monday.Mourinho is growing increasingly vexed by the misfiring form of Chelsea's strikers and his defenders' alarming habit of switching off at key moments.
The Blues boss has so far been unable to find solutions to problems that threaten to wreck Chelsea's challenge for the Premier League crown.
Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba have scored just five league goals between them this term, while Mourinho has chopped and changed in an unsuccessful bid to find his best back-four.
Chelsea dropped to fourth place in the table on Saturday, three points adrift of new leaders Liverpool and one behind third placed Arsenal.
And, with so much at stake when Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium for the final top-flight match before Christmas, Mourinho has made it clear he won't tolerate more sloppiness from his players.
"If we cannot improve our efficiency in front of the goal, we have to improve in the other end," Mourinho said.
"We have to improve when we lose possession of the ball. That's obvious.
"We cannot just let the players hide behind the fact that we are not scoring enough goals and wait for that to happen.
"We cannot play for that. People need to change their brains a little bit more.
"To be a team to play very good football is an important step. To be a team that plays very good football and wins lots of matches is a more difficult step.
"Some players that are used to playing with the ball at their feet and are very comfortable in the offensive phase.
"When the team loses the ball, they have to be also very comfortable working a lot for the team."
While Mourinho battles to cure Chelsea's various ailments, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may never get a better chance to finally beat his old rival.
Wenger has failed to defeat Mourinho in nine previous attempts, including a 2-0 loss in the League Cup earlier this season.
In the past, Mourinho has infuriated Wenger with some of his jibes, including calling him a "voyeur"
But, whatever the result, Wenger insists there is no longer any hostility between the two managers.
"It is not a personal battle," Wenger said. "Honestly, we had some big games in the past, but what is important for me is that I am completely focused on Arsenal Football Club and on my team and doing well in the team.
"Once you are out of competition, everybody is different.
"We spent time together in Geneva at the UEFA managers' meeting.
"Here is competition time, so everybody fights for his team and his club.
"Whether we play Monday against Chelsea or anybody else, for me it is exactly the same, because what is at stake for us is to get back to winning habits, whether it is Chelsea or anyone else."
Wenger will be without England midfielder Jack Wilshere, who is serving a two-match ban for an abusive gesture at Manchester City fans last weekend, while French defender Laurent Koscielny is also set to be sidelined with a knee injury.
Wilshere's petulant reaction to Arsenal's 6-3 thrashing at Eastlands summed up the team's disbelief at a loss which raised questions about their ability to maintain their surprise title challenge.
A victory would ensure Arsenal head into the busy Christmas programme back on top of the table, but Wenger has slipped up too many times against Chelsea in the past to take anything for granted.
"Chelsea are a good side with many good promising players, many good young players," Wenger said.
"They have a good offensive potential as well and for us it will be important to have a good defensive focus to find our defensive stability again and to stop them going forward."
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Wayne Rooney English Premier League
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney applauds after their English Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester.
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