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.

Tottenham appoint Tim Sherwood as head coach

Tottenham appoint Tim Sherwood as head coach

 LONDON: Tim Sherwood was on Monday appointed head coach of Tottenham with a contract to the end of the 2014-2015 season, the Premier League club announced. 

Sherwood had been named as interim coach after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked earlier in December following a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The 44-year-old Sherwood had overseen a 3-2 over Southampton on Sunday. Chris Ramsey, Les Ferdinand and Steffen Freund will work alongside the former England international midfielder.

"We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season, but felt we had to do so in the club's best interests," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

"We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.

"We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood.

"We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward."

Sherwood played 93 matches for Spurs between 1999 and 2003 and also turned out for Blackburn, Norwich, Portsmouth, Watford and Coventry before hanging up his boots in 2005.

He made his mark on Sunday when recalled striker Emmanuel Adebayor, left out in the cold by Villas-Boas, scored twice.

The win left Tottenham in seventh place, four points off the Champions League places. Sherwood had said after Sunday's game that he wanted his future sorted out as soon as possible.

"What would be ideal for me would be to have a chat with the chairman and see what's best for the football club moving forward," he said.

"I need to know what they're thinking. I don't want this job for five minutes. That's no interest to me. Are we going to move it forward or not?

"It's a massive club with history and tradition. But whatever happens needs to be right for me, too.

"Andre has left the club in a good state. There's nothing wrong with the job he's done. Top of the league in the European competition (Europa League)." 

David Moyes - Wayne Rooney has turned into a selfless player

 David Moyes - Wayne Rooney has turned into a selfless player

MANCHESTER: England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has turned into a selfless player who is now playing for the team, United manager David Moyes said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old -- who was given his Premier League debut by Moyes when he was at Everton -- has scored 10 goals this term but it has been his all-round play that has pleased the manager.

"What Wayne is doing is making the others play well because he is playing well. He has turned himself into a real team player," Moyes said.

"With the assists for the team and the goals, his all-round contribution has been fantastic."

Rooney, who has scored 207 goals in 423 games for United, had been thought to be on the verge of leaving in the close season after a rocky end to last term when his relationship with Moyes's predecessor Alex Ferguson deteriorated.

However, Moyes believes that now his future has been settled the sometimes fiery Rooney can play a role in setting an example for the younger players at United.

"He (Rooney) needs to show the young players," Moyes said. "He has a big responsibility to show the next generation the standards that Manchester United set.

"You go through the years and look at people like Ryan Giggs and the advice he gave to Wayne Rooney. Wayne has now to give it to Adnan Januzaj and the new players coming up."

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.

Steven Gerrard says Suarez is best player in world

Steven Gerrard says Suarez is best player in world 

England captain Steven Gerrard has acclaimed Liverpool team mate Luis Suarez as the best player in the world on current form.

In 12 appearances this season the red-hot Uruguay striker has scored 19 goals to fire Liverpool to the top of the Premier League. That is six more than his nearest rival, Argentina and Manchester City forward Sergio Augero.

Suarez's prolific streak has earned him a new long-term contract at Anfield where he has overcome widespread misgivings after several controversial incidents including one last season when he bit the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

"On current form he's the best player in the world," Gerrard said of Suarez.

"Lionel Messi's out injured and Cristiano Ronaldo's had a bit of an injury of late," the Liverpool skipper told Sky Sports television, referring to the number one players at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

"He (Suarez) is certainly the best striker out there. He's proving that with his minutes-to-goals ratio."

The Ivanovic incident resulted in a 10-match domestic suspension that meant the Liverpool striker missed the start of this season.

The 27-year-old Suarez has this season become the first Liverpool player to score at least twice in five consecutive home matches.

He is on course to surpass the Premier League record of 34 goals shared by former England strikers Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.

Cole achieved his haul with Newcastle United in 1993-94. Shearer's was with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95.

"He will certainly push it close," said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers after Suarez bagged two goals in a 3-1 win over Cardiff City on Saturday. "He looks like he can score a hat-trick in every game."

Liverpool visit Manchester City, who are one point behind the leaders in third place, on Thursday.

IPL 7 auction to be held 12th February

IPL 7 auction to be held 12th February

  NEW DELHI: IPL franchises will be allowed to retain five cricketers during the 2014 Indian Premier League auction to be held on February 12 with the option of buying back a limited number of players through the newly introduced 'right to match' provision.

After a series of discussions, the IPL Governing Council today came up with a number of regulations related to Players' Contracts, Squad Compositions and the Retention of Players in advance for the 2014 Auction.

"The Pepsi IPL 2014 Player Auction will be held on 12 February, and if necessary, 13 February 2014. The venue of the auction will be announced soon," BCCI said in a release.

"A franchise may sign up to a maximum of 5 players (either capped or uncapped, no more than four of whom may be capped Indians) who were in its squad in 2013, including those who were unavailable during the season and those who were taken as temporary replacements."

Regarding the Salary cap, the Governing Council said the franchises will be charged Rs 12.5 crore, Rs 9.5 crore, Rs 7.5 crore, Rs 5.5 crore and Rs 4 crore for respectively the first, second, third, fourth and fifth capped players retained and it would be "irrespective of the IPL league fee that is agreed between the two parties and which is set out in the player contract."

Apart from the cricketers who are retained in advance, all other players will have to enter the 2014 player auction process if they want to play in the IPL in 2014, the release said.

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