Germany can move a step closer to Euro 2012 if they continue their 100 percent start to qualifying against Austria on Friday.Joachim Loew’s young Germany team announced themselves as a force to be reckoned at the 2010 World Cup finals, beating England and Argentina before a narrow 1-0 defeat to eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals.
They continued their impressive form into qualifying for the 2012 European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine, winning all five matches so far to top Group A by five points ahead of Belgium.
Turkey are six points back in third, while Friday’s opponents Austria are eight points off the pace in fourth place.
Austria have won just two matches from five and must defeat Germany at the Ernst Happel Stadium if they are to have a realistic chance of claiming second place and earning a berth at the tournament.
It will be no small task for the hosts in Vienna, but they at least come into the match in the knowledge that Germany are battling a considerable injury list.
Miroslav Klose will be unavailable after the first-choice striker suffered bruised ribs in Germany’s 2-1 friendly win over Uruguay last Friday.
With uncapped Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Marco Reus also sidelined, Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez is now Loew’s only fit out-and-out striker. Forwards Lukas Podolski and Thomas Mueller lead the options to offer Gomez support.
Bayern’s Bastian Schweinsteiger and Borussia Dortmund’s Sven Bender are out, while Stuttgart’s Christian Traesch became the latest midfielder to be ruled out after twisting an ankle in training on Tuesday.
Bayern attacking midfielder Toni Kroos could be converted to a holding role, while Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has been passed fit after overcoming a thigh problem.
“Toni has played successfully in that position in the past,” assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick said.
“With Sami Khedira everything is going according to plan. He trained with the football yesterday and will do it again today. As far as the injury is concerned it has healed.”
“If he is fit he will play but if we see a risk then it is also our obligation to the player, to be careful. We will know for sure if he can play after Thursday’s training.”
As for Austria, Twente striker Marc Janko is aiming to cause an upset to keep his team in with a slim chance of qualification.
“We are the clear outsiders but that also means we have nothing to lose,” Janko said.
“We want to anger our big brother and maybe it will be enough for a draw or even a sensation.”
“We are in a position where only victories will do for us right now.”
Six years on since his move, the name Henri Camara still carries a sour taste around the walls of Molineux. Since demanding a move as Wolves suffered relegation after just one season in the top flight, many fans were outraged of Camara’s treatment of the club which gave him his chance in England.
Camara only really impressed during the latter part of the season, with the majority of his time at Wolves spent firing shots all over the place…maybe it was those orange boots? Anyhow, his form attracted the interest of sides such as Bolton and Middlesborough, with the previous bidding for him early on in the transfer window.
Camara insisted on leaving the club and even refused to return for pre-season training after the summer break. He was quoted as saying he wanted to become African Footballer of the Year and go on to become one of the greats like Roger Miller, EL-Hadji Diouf, Kanu and George Weah…something he didn’t feel he could accomplish in the lower regions of English football.
With Kenny Miller, Vio Ganea, Carl Cort and Dean Sturridge, manager Dave Jones already had four established strikers and eventually gave up in his attempt to keep the Senegal striker. Despite offers from the Premier League, Camara chose to go on loan to Scottish giants Celtic.
18 games later, Camara found himself back in the Premier League with Southampton…where he suffered the same fate as the previous season, ending up getting relegated to the Football League. A brief return to training in Compton was the closest Camara got to playing in a Wolves shirt again, and was eventually sold for around £3 million to Wigan.
Wigan was a happier time for Camara, where he scored 20 goals in over 50 appearances. However, he again fell out of favour and had loan spells at West Ham and Stoke (failing to score for either) before his contract at the JJB stadium ran out.
At the start of the 2009/10 season, Camara eventually gave in and joined Championship side Sheffield United…at the same time that Wolves had just begun their Premier League campaign (funny how things work out isn’t it). Again, Camara struggled to make an impact, despite dropping down the leagues, and was released at the end of the season after managing just four goals.
But what about now? Where has the “superstar” striker ended up? Well, after a bit of digging, we have unearthed him plying his trade in the Greek Superleague side Atromitos, who currently lie 12th in the league. With one goal to his name this season, Camara has hardly troubled the goalscoring charts in Greece.
32-years-old and reaching the end of a “glittering” career, it seems Camara has had to settle for a life in the sun, instead of holding out for a new chance in England. Isn’t it nice how things turn out sometime eh?
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Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has stated that he was surprised that Fabio Capello walked away from his position as national selector, and admits that he is looking for a new job in the Premier League.
The Italian coach resigned after having little say in John Terry losing the captain’s armband, less than six months before Euro 2012; Eriksson doesn’t understand Capello’s choice.
“Capello’s qualified in style for Euro 2012 and not to want to take part in the last piece of the work, I can’t understand that,” he told The Telegraph.
“You won’t lose in the Euros because of that [Terry losing armband]. England, if they don’t take John Terry as captain, can take Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard as captain and they will do the job as well as Terry.
“I can’t see the big, big issue. If the FA said you can’t use Terry as a player, that’s different.
“My surprise with England’s last game was not Scott Parker being captain but that you had Gerrard on the pitch,” he admitted.
Eriksson went on to admit that he turned down the Chelsea job back in 2003, and that he is actively looking for a new role.
“I’m always looking for a job! It’s always sad when you see a manager [Andre Villas-Boas] being sacked.
“But I can understand the owner if he can see things not getting better. Chelsea not being in the Champions League next season would be very bad not only the money but for the prestige.
“Why is Chelsea an impossible job? Huge club, big money. Next season why can’t Chelsea win the Champions League? If Abramovich needs to buy, he will buy.
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“I would be very pleased [if Chelsea approached him] but it won’t happen. You only say ‘no’ once to him. He is a very nice man, very quiet. I met him 10, 15 times, having a cup of tea. He’s great. He is passionate for football,” the Scandinavian concluded.
Sporting Braga boss Domingos Paciencia believes his team can defy the odds and beat Porto in the Europa League final on Wednesday.Porto, who claimed the Liga Sagres title by winning 27 of 30 games and drawing the other three, are favourites going into the first all-Portuguese final in Dublin.
Paciencia said his team faced a tough task against a side he felt were good enough to play in the Champions League, but he was confident they could win the cup.
“Porto have always had a very strong team and right now they are a side that could do well in the Champions League. They are a Champions League club,” he said.
“In a final, and given how the season has gone, it’s natural that Porto are big favourites.”
“But it’s a final, it’s just one match. With the right inspiration and motivation, many situations can occur in a match that can get you a goal. That is what makes us believe it’s possible to win.”
Andre Villa-Boas’ Porto side have won the Portuguese Cup to go with their league title and could complete a treble in Dublin.
But Braga have defeated some of Europe’s best sides en route to the final, and Paciencia said his team deserved to be there.
“When you face a Liverpool, a Dynamo Kiev, even the champions of Poland, Lech, those are big names and automatically the players gain motivation,” he said.
“I also think the players’ capacity for hard work and their daily efforts are reflected in where they are now.”
Braga, who finished 38 points from Porto in the league, are winless in their last seven outings.
As a youngster at West Ham, recently recalled England international Joe Cole was renowned for his natural attacking ability, creative flair and artistic vision.
Yet by the time Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho inherited the attacking midfielder at Chelsea in 2004, The Special One was keen to mould the midfielder into a different type of player and attempt to control his famed offensive nature. Mourinho argued that Cole would become a better player by adding defensive steel to his forward-thinking mentality.
Mourinho is clearly a coach who prefers caution over creativity and one who believed there was no space in his Chelsea title-winning side for a traditional No.10 in the shape of Cole, a player who would roam the field with a lack of boundaries and restrictions. Shortly after his arrival, the Special One commented:
“He has a lot to learn,” said Mourinho. “I think he has two faces – one beautiful and one I don’t like. He must keep one and change the other one.”
“When he scored the game finished for him. After that I needed 11 players for my defensive organisation and I had just 10.
“Joe can be a regular but he has to improve when the team needs him to be part of a defensive organisation.”
Mourinho wanted Cole to track back and defend, something with the former Hammer obliged in doing. Cole developed as an all-round player, winning a place in the PFA’s team of the season in 2005 and becoming a key member of the club’s 2004-05 & 05-06 title winning side. Yet his natural attacking game suffered as a result and one of England’s most technically gifted, creative players of his generation was turned into a stereotypical wide player.
Cole first broke into the West Ham side at the age of 17 and flourished playing in a behind the striker role. Cole quickly endeared himself to the Upton Park faithful with his inventiveness, trickery and unpredictability, while his early performances seen him linked with a £10m move to Old Trafford.
This progress was under the guidance of current Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp who attempted to lure the 28-year-old to White Hart Lane this summer. Yet I’m sure Redknapp will be more than delighted with the services of Dutch maestro Rafael van der Vaart instead, a player who is currently demonstrating the advantages of having such an attack-minded, free-roaming player on the pitch with some early eye-catching performances for Spurs.
The Premier League has developed since Cole’s days as a youngster in East London and has become a more tactically controlled environment. Managers such as Mourinho and Rafael Benitez placed an emphasis on defence, while the league has become so competitive that many sides line up to avoid defeat over risking it all for a win. Foreign coaches such as Ancelotti, Benitez and Mourinho began to alter the league’s mentality slightly and cannot all be wrong with nine league titles and five European Cups between them.
Such defensive tendencies however have seen players like Cole suffer, a trend continued by Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge. Cole was marginalised at Stamford Bridge under the Italian and was allowed to leave without much fuss on a free transfer this summer. Ancelotti later made disparaging comments towards Cole’s intelligence and his ability to follow tactical instructions. Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun was brought in as his replacement, which prompted the Italian to say:
“Joe Cole is quicker than Benayoun but Yossi is better tactically. He understands what I tell him.”
Cole has since moved to Liverpool where Hodgson will give him the freedom to attack and create opportunities for his team-mates in the final-third. Cole has however had a difficult start at Anfield and Ancelotti’s decision to release him seems a correct one with the Blues currently topping the table and Cole’s new club floundering in the relegation zone.
Despite this, you feel Mourinho’s and Ancelotti’s criticism of Cole’s defensive play says more about the pair’s meticulous planning and importance they place on defense. Other managers have different footballing philosophies and coaches such as Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger would certainly see Cole’s ingenuity as a bonus.
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Cole’s creativity should be celebrated and encouraged and not buried behind defensive strategies and protective mindsets. While Cole may find the freedom he wants at Anfield he is unlikely to add to his medal collection during his time on Merseyside.
And in that regard, it’s difficult to question Ancelotti’s opinion on Cole’s perceived lack of tactical discipline.
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Daniel Agger is set to be sidelined for up to a month after suffering a broken rib against Cardiff in the Carling Cup final, with Liverpool ready to recall veteran defender Jamie Carragher in his place.
The Denmark international will need to spend time on the sidelines to recuperate and recover, with Carrager set to partner Martin Skrtel in the centre of The Reds’ defence against Arsenal this weekend.
Carragher was pleased with the Merseyside club’s Wembley success last weekend, and is now eyeing Champions League qualification.
“We have achieved something but there are still two targets to go for, the top four and FA Cup,” he told the club’s official website.
“The top four has been made more difficult by other results this weekend. But we want to come back here again. We want to play in the semi-final and the final.
“We should be looking to get into Europe every year through our league position rather than through winning the Carling Cup.
“It’s great that we have qualified for the Europa League, of course it is, but we want to do that through our league position. The next step is trying to get back into the Champions League,” he concluded.
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Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City have been promoted to the Premier League this week and a certain struggle against relegation awaits the two clubs next season in Europe’s richest and most watched league competition. But is the Premiership as good as its hype? No English team reached further than the quarter-final of the Champions’ League last term and several world-class talents have departed these shores to achieve their goals abroad, notably Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo, in recent seasons.
Last summer, Germany displayed their precious quality on the international stage at the World Cup in South Africa, which was a result of years of financial and technical development at club level. Now, many observers are beginning to see a shifting of power away from England and towards the German Bundesliga, especially considering UEFA’s financial fair play rules are to be implemented imminently, so could it be argued that the Bundesliga is overtaking the Premiership as the best league on the continent?
The most important difference between the two is that in Germany, the fans are priority. The Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance of Europe’s five major leagues. Borussia Dortmund, who last month secured the league title, boast a stand at their Westfalenstadion home which holds 26,000, the biggest stand at any football stadium in Europe, and costs little more than £10 for admission on match-days. Clubs limit the number of season tickets to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to attend games, and the away team always retains the right to 10% of the available capacity. What’s more, match tickets also double as free rail passes which guarantees supporters at least one easy transport route to games, and the perception of travelling fans is as far removed from the hooligan culture in England as possible.
The Bundesliga is possibly Europe’s only major domestic league whose clubs collectively make a profit, but no German team has won the Champions League for ten years, if we assume Schalke will fail to defeat Manchester United in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg. That said, Bayern Munich reached last years final and Schalke’s presence at this late stage indicates an encouraging future for German sides in Europe’s premier club competition. “The Bundesliga as a brand, a competition, is in good shape. We have a very, very interesting competition, a stable and sustainable business model that relies on three revenue sources,” explains Bundesliga chief executive, Christian Seifert. These three features of German football’s development are match-day revenue, sponsorships and broadcast income, amounting to a turnover of 1.7billion Euros last season.
These figures couldn’t contrast the state of English sport any more, where week after week a different football league club is placed in to administration and where top teams like Manchester United and Liverpool build on their mountains of debt. In Spain, club debts are just as high, in France, Ligue 1 clubs spend more of their income on wages than any other league, and in Italy, stadiums are regularly half-filled. Germany’s success is based on putting supporters first, which, despite the Bundesliga taking home around 350million Euros less than the Premier League in match-day revenues each year, has seen attendances surpass every other major domestic league in Europe.
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Two seasons ago, La Liga recorded average attendances of 28,478 fans, the French Ligue 1 21,034, Serie A 25,304 and the Premier League 35,592, but these figures were smashed by the Bundesliga’s average of 41,904. A significant factor contributing to the Bundesliga’s success is that its clubs pay less than 50% of their revenue on players’ wages – the lowest in Europe – and substantially less than the 62% Premier League clubs spent in the 2007-08 season, which is now even higher following Manchester City’s extravagant spending over the three campaigns since these figures were released.
The most extraordinary aspect of Germany’s financial management is that it has been achieved despite the Bundesliga’s television income being a modest 600million Euros compared with the Premier League’s lucrative return of over £2billion. Seifert rationalizes this discrepancy: “When pay-TV was introduced in 1991, the average household already received 34 channels for free. Therefore we had the most competitive free TV market in the world, so this influenced the growth of pay-TV very much. We were forced to show all of the 612 games of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 live on pay-TV. So we have to carry the production costs of this.”
Seifert, however, refuses to use the small return from television rights as justification for German teams’ recent failings in European competition: “Bayern Munich is ranked in the first four clubs of Europe, and bear in mind even Chelsea, which spent a hell of a lot of money in the last years, didn’t win it. Sometimes you could have the feeling that the ability to win the Champions League goes in line with your willingness to burn a hell of a lot of money. For that reason I think Uefa is on very good track with their financial fair play idea.”
I tend to agree with him on this point because money has never been the defining factor in Champions’ League success, as of course Porto and Monaco proved by reaching the final in 2004. The trend is more often than not a cyclical process, evidenced by German football’s dominance at the end of the last century when two Bundesliga clubs won the Champions’ League and a further two reached the final between 1997 and 2002, but European tournaments are also not always justification for the strength of a country’s domestic competition. As we all know, Bayern Munich are traditionally, and currently, the best club representative from the Bundesliga, but the title has been shared between four different sides in the past five seasons, a refreshing divergence from Manchester United’s Premiership dominance, spanning the past three decades. Surely this level of competition offers spectators the most exciting and unpredictable league in Europe, particularly when compared to La Liga, where just two teams compete for dominance year after year.
Each observer will have a different set of criteria for what constitutes the best league, but the Bundesliga, since its post-2006 World Cup transformation, appears to triumph in every department. The issues which persistently trouble English fans are managed with typical German efficiency, including the aforementioned ticket prices, transport, club finances, home-grown talent, national side and league competition. The entertainment factor is, and always will be, up for debate, but the Bundesliga is beginning to cast the Premiership in to the shadows.
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Aston Villa and England winger Ashley Young’s optimum playing position has been debated fervently in recent weeks. Former manager Martin O’Neill used the right-footed winger on the left flank and even once described him as, “world class.” At 25-years old it may seem peculiar to have your regular playing position scrutinised. Yet both caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald and now permanent boss Gerard Houllier have experimented with the speedy Young. Given licence to roam can Young become an enduring fixture in the England squad and “make his name,” as Houllier has suggested?
MacDonald gave Young the freedom to oscillate between both wings in the early stages of the season and Houllier has stated that the player can excel as a second striker. O’Neill had argued that Young could compete with some of the best wingers in Europe. When quizzed on that assertion the new manager said, “As a left winger? No. He can play on the wing. Whether he can be one of the best in the world in that position … I think he can be one of the best in another position.” Evidently for the Frenchman that new role is behind a main striker where he can create chances and score more regularly for Villa. His view is not merely based on instinct as he witnessed the impact made by Young after switching positions in their Carling Cup victory over Blackburn. Trailing to Gael Givet’s first half strike, a change of tactics ensued as the England international was moved inside to support Emile Heskey. The two combined well, Young scoring two after the former international forward grabbed the equaliser.
Aston Villa’s No7 was granted an identical role just behind the resurgent Heskey in their weekend away win at Molineaux. But as an experienced winger, those wide man traits may be hard to desert as he invariably drifted to either wing which is where he attempted the bulk of his passes. Could the club miss his quick, direct approach on the wing? Accolades such as the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2008/09 season were received after impressing in that berth. He has been at his best when tormenting lackadaisical full backs such as, Arsenal’s Gael Clichy last season, managing to wriggle free and deliver numerous crosses. However earlier this year Young said of his markers, “At times this season teams have doubled up or even tripled up.”
Houllier believes the midfielder has a natural intelligence and awareness on the pitch and is composed in front of goal. This may point to a central role which would give him and the team a much needed air of unpredictability. Having placed a huge emphasis on pace, crossing and strong forwards, this is a trait the club have lacked, occasionally struggling to destabilise defences. Following James Milner’s departure there is arguably a dearth of creative talent in the centre and the team were outscored by their rivals for fourth place last season. Villa’s total goal tally was 52 whilst Manchester City registered 73, Tottenham 67 and Liverpool 61. Promising youngsters such as Marc Albrighton and Barry Bannan can take the place vacated by Young.
Since taking charge, however, Houllier has not had Stephen Ireland available who will be expected to compete for a central creative position. Young may have the attributes to succeed in that role but his redeployment is arguably about team rather than individual improvement. The former Liverpool manager said, “He can be a star as a team player. It’s his work rate and attitude that can improve the rest of the team.”
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There is an overriding feeling among many Arsenal fans that Arsene Wenger’s time at the club is up. Continued frustrations both on and off the pitch at the Emirates have certainly left much to be desired from a man who offered so much to the football club; and yet, the idea that Arsene Wenger is still highly coveted by almost every major club in Europe and could find a home at Real Madrid or PSG doesn’t quite sit well with Arsenal fans. There’s a sense of we don’t want him, but we don‘t anyone else to have him either. The irony being that every knows Wenger is still capable of pulling off equally impressive miracles at other clubs, much like he has done for Arsenal in the past.
In light of supporter unrest at both the Emirates and Real Madrid, there has, of course, been talk of Arsene Wenger replacing Jose Mourinho should the Madrid manager decide to leave at the end of the season. And despite the calls of “You don’t know what you’re doing” during Arsenal’s last game following an unpopular substitution, Arsenal fans immediately went on the defensive, hoping that Wenger won’t have has head turned by what’s on offer in Spain. For a lot of Arsenal fans there is still much faith in the Frenchman. Many feel he deserves to be given time to turn things around at the club and prove he is still the only man for the job. Yet the year-on-year frustration of a lack of trophies, watching the club’s best players walk out the door, and continued excuses for why the team are failing on the pitch has undoubtedly reached boiling point.
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It’s a feeling that most Arsenal fans, I’m sure, will admit, but turning on Arsene Wenger was never intended to be the way the story comes to and end. Many thought that eventually, following the success of the youth project and the number of trophies won with Cesc Fabregas still at the club, Wenger would simply call time on his managerial career, take up a seat in the boardroom at the Emirates and leave a lasting legacy for his successor to emulate what he has achieved on the pitch. But even at the age of 62, you sense that there is still a lot to be offered from Wenger—who continues to turn down advances from other clubs, particularly in his home country.
There would also be a bitterness from Arsenal fans if the unthinkable happened and he left for a club with endless riches and proceeded to splash the cash in a way we never thought possible. Well what of all the money that is apparently gathering dust deep in the vaults of the Emirates? Should fans blame Wenger for not wanting to strengthen the squad accordingly, or does the blame lie elsewhere at the club? Is Wenger solely responsible for not improving the quality of doctors and physios at the club to manage the worrying regularity of injury to key players? And what of the coaching staff who have seemingly out-stayed their welcome and offer nothing to the exposed frailties of the first-team. There are a number of questions that remain to be answered and Arsene Wenger is taking the full force of frustration from the fans.
It would be a tremendous shame if Arsene Wenger simply walked away at the end of the season with so much uncertainty surrounding the club. It would be equally heartbreaking if he went on to another club and found immediate success while Arsenal struggled to find it’s feet.
It is absolutely a time for change at the club, but I’d love to see what Arsene Wenger can offer the club with a boardroom who are a little more in-tune with what the fans want to see. A figure similar to that of David Dein would definitely not go amiss either; someone to just nudge Wenger in the direction that his sometimes admired stubbornness refuses to venture. Most will want to believe that the manager has still got it, but everyone wants to be shown that it is not him who is holding the club back.
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The trials and tribulations of Liverpool Football Club over the past few decades has certainly meant that the club has had its fair share of players that have adorned cult hero status. But what is a ‘cult’ hero though? It’s a difficult thing to define, but more often than not, it’s a player that rarely meets expectations yet is adored by the terraces for the rare occasions that he reminds us that he’s still a professional footballer. Full-blooded commitment to the cause, eccentric characters and the ability to do something unexpectedly and inexplicably out of character in its importance are often essential ingredients in making up a cult hero.
Here are a list of 10 that plied their trade for Liverpool at one time or another in no discernable order. If there is anyone that you think is more deserving of a place on this list than the ones that I’ve chosen? Post your comments below.
Click on the image below to see the Top 10 Liverpool Cult Heroes
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