Tottenham coach Joe Jordan sets sights on top four Premier League finish following victory over Aston Villa
Following Harry Redknapp’s comments that Spurs can win the title, the 59-year-old has admitted that Champions League qualification is more of a realistic target
Tottenham Hotspur coach Joe Jordan believes that a top four finish is the realistic target the club are aiming for this season.
Last night’s 2-0 home win against Aston Villa saw Spurs move up to third place inthe Premier League, with the north London side having picked up 25 points from their last nine games.
Manager Harry Redknapp stated his belief that Tottenham have a chance of winning the title following the victory, but Jordan has since suggested that a top four finish is more of a realistic target.
Jordan said to Five Live: “He was looking at the importance of the way the team has progressed. If we could get in the top four I think that would be a great season.
“For us to be in the top bracket is something we’d have liked at the start of the season, but look at the manner in which Manchester City and Manchester United have started. We had a poor start, it wasn’t balanced.
Valencia midfielder Mehmet Topal flattered by Chelsea & Manchester City interest
The 25-year-old is said to have caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs and admits that he’s honoured with the English links
Valencia midfielder Mehmet Topal has admitted that he’s honoured to be linked with a Premier League move, with Chelsea and Manchester City reportedly interested in the 25-year-old.
Mehmet moved to La Liga from Galatasaray in the summer of 2010 and has gone on to establish himself as a steady performer at the Mestalla.
The Premier League big guns have had their heads turned by a release clause worth a reported €10 million (£8.5m), and the Turkey midfielder admits that it is an honour to be linked with a move to England.
“I know that there are teams following me,” Mehmet told the Dogan News Agency. “This makes me incredibly happy. The Premier League is my dream.
“However, Spain also makes me very happy and I have dreams I want to accomplish here. At the end of the season, I’ll come to a decision.”
Meanwhile, Mehmet, who was only used sparingly by his country in their unsuccessful bid to qualify for Euro 2012, has voiced his hope that the Turkish national team will have a brighter future with Abdullah Avci as coach.
“Now we must look to the future. I hope the new management has managed everyone’s form fairly. I believe we will achieve success under Abdullah Avci’s management.”
IKER CASILLAS GETS HIS ANKLES SPRAY PAINTED (VALENCIA V REAL MADRID)
Some great Spanish sock-painting
Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas had to become a victim of graffiti in order to take to the field for his side’s match against Valencia on Saturday.
The Spain international was spray painted to get his kit to meet the referee’s expectations. The match officials were not happy at a considerable flash of white (a bandage, perhaps?) around the ankle of Casillas’s ostensibly yellow socks.
Concerned that the white part of the sock would clash with Valencia’s kit, the ref insisted that the socks were all yellow. You might expect that to mean a change of socks, but not at Real Madrid.Casillas was spotted by TV cameras in the tunnel getting his ankles spray painted yellow .
BUSQUETS: “WE PLAYED AGAINST MILAN, NOT AGAINST IBRAHIMOVIC”
Barca midfielder analyzed previous Champions meeting next Wednesday and assessed the current state of Real Madrid this season in view of the ‘Classic’
FC Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets was ambitious Monday, two days before the game that Barca played in San Siro against Milan Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Just wanted to make clear Busquets that Milan is much more than the Swedish striker, and that the party is not any revenge or personal duel. ”We at Milan, not a single player. It is a Milan-Barça, not Ibrahimovic-Barça” he said.
Badia midfielder said that “we will go to Milan to win, three points for sentencing and first place in group,” adding that a win at San Siro “would be a moral victory and prestige.”
Support and praise Iniesta Messi
Also assessed Busquets Iniesta low for the party in Milan and played down the significance of the injury manchego. ”It’s a very important player,” he said, calming tempers by stating that “it is a major injury, just caution.”
Barca midfielder, asked about the continuity and little rest Messi, was blunt. ”It’s the best player in the world, gives us a lot. It is normal play, as it is a physical marvel,” he said, adding that “it is very important for us to play.”
In Madrid alert
Busquets analyzed the trajectory of Real Madrid this season and recognized the importance of the ‘Classic’. ”Madrid will lose a few points, as every year. ‘Classic’ can be decisive,” he admitted.
Sergio did not hesitate to recognize the potential of the group led by Jose Mourinho. ”Madrid is the strongest I’ve seen. They have some time together and are very strong,” he said.
The controversy over the possible penalty Higuain
Busquets also hid in assessing the possible penalty in injury time Higuain at the Mestalla on Saturday. ”That’s what the referees but it was a very difficult situation to assess. The referees can make mistakes,” said Barca.
PETER LOOKS AT THE NEW TALENT: ALEXIS, CESC AND THIAGO
The Barcelona striker, Pedro Rodriguez, gave an interview that went through the feelings of current staff and the next Mundialito Barca club
The canary Pedro Rodriguez was interviewed onFifa, and again showed his natural humility that has made them successful in the Barca first team Pep Guardiola’s hand.
On the current status of all Barca, Pedro and said he was confident that the club should be considered favorite in every tournament that dispute, because “we have a great team.” He noted that “this year, with the arrival of Cesc, Alexis and the emergence of Thiago, we have a more compact equipment, with greater depth in which each brings something different: Alexis, overflow in band, Cesc, verticality, balance and concentration ; Thiago is very dynamic. ”
In relation to the competition that it implies, the striker looked on the bright side: “There was always plenty of competition on the computer, and a huge talent in attack positions. That’s good, because not only are stronger, competition forces us to make the best of us. And if we have to rotate, so be it. The idea is to get many titles, and we need the highest possible quality. ”
Questioned by the motivation of the team after having won everything, the canary sought the perfect example. ”When you train alongside Carles Puyol and you realize his ambition, but can not infect you,” said the player strongly.
About the Club World Cup
Peter, who in two years has raised all possible trophies with the club, spoke of the next meeting of the Catalans club in the World Club Cup, a tournament that took unexpected role two seasons ago, so essential to helping the club to be achieved for the first time in its history, the mentioned competition.
No doubt that feat brings good memories: “We won that tournament and also there I had the chance to get something incredible, which was score a goal in all competitions that year. It was a beautiful event, hard fought, in which I I really enjoyed because I could score in the semifinal and final, and that’s crown us champions. ”
Then, the canary analyzed the new edition to be held in Japan in less than a month: “We know that teams compete very hard.’s Santos of Brazil, which is very dramatic and has a very nice football. Nor should we forget the Monterrey, the Mexican teams are very seasoned but very quick to go against. ”
Asked about the star of Santos, Neymar, Pedrito spoke with admiration. ”I have been fortunate to play against him. I know it’s a very quick player who is comfortable sticking to the band, has a good hit with both legs and pretty goal. It’s a brilliant player and will be taken into account, no doubt, “he said the canary, aware that Neymar will be the main threat to repeat the success of two years ago.
Chelsea’s defeat by Liverpool piles pressure on André Villas-Boas
• Manager insists he has Roman Abramovich’s backing
• ‘We have set out to build something new at this club’
• ‘We have set out to build something new at this club’
André Villas-Boas said he still has the backing of Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, after his side’s defeat by Liverpool. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters
André Villas-Boas has claimed he retains the support of the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, after a third defeat in four Premier League matches cast his side further adrift in the title race.
The loss to Liverpool, confirmed by the former Chelsea player Glen Johnson’s late goal, condemned the London side to successive home league defeats for the first time in the Abramovich era to leave them 12 points off Manchester City at the summit. The team still appear riddled by defensive frailties and are now one of four clubs on 22 points, suggesting even their long-term place in the top four should be considered in doubt.
This club’s willingness to sack managers, particularly when future Champions League participation appears to be in doubt, was established with the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari in February 2009 after seven months in the role. When asked if he was concerned about Abramovich’s lack of patience, Villas-Boas replied: “It’s not a question of the owner having patience. We have set out to build something new at this club, and the club is committed to taking on what we’re building into the future.
“The owner didn’t pay €15m [in compensation] to get me out of Porto only to pay me another fortune just to let me go again. Our commitment is towards the club and what we are doing in the future. We have enough talent to compete in all competitions, and that’s the perspective we take at the moment.”
Villas-Boas has lost twice as many points – 14 – from his first 12 league games in charge as Scolari did in 2008-09, though even with the club’s desire to reinvigorate the squad, the Portuguese is adamant this should not be considered a season of transition. “Given the dimension of our club, you cannot forget that your fans expect you to win titles. We have to respond to the confidence of the fans.
“There’s no running away from responsibilities. There’s no calling this a transitional period. We’re not asking for time to work. Our responsibility is to win trophies. We’re in four still, and we still have the possibility to win them. This has not been the brightest of starts for Chelsea in the Premier League in the last 10 years. It doesn’t look good being 12 points behind the leaders, and such strong leaders, too. But the belief is there. The December fixtures give us hope if we’re able to make the most of them.”
Liverpool have now won three successive games against this opposition for the first time since the early 1970s, with the visitors’ midfielder Charlie Adam dedicating the victory to the memory of Luca Jones, the five-year-old son of Liverpool’s reserve goalkeeper, Brad Jones, who died this week of leukaemia.
Kenny Dalglish has not lost in 12 matches as Liverpool’s manager against Chelsea, having prevailed here 1-0 last season, though he suggested this was a better display. “We scored twice as many goals, for a start,” he said. “We looked a better team, especially in the first half. Last year it was pretty defensive. This year, we stood up and stood against them.”
The visitors were able to capitalise on increasingly familiar, shaky Chelsea defending, with Petr Cech and Mikel John Obi at fault for the opener, and Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda bypassed by Johnson for the winner. Villas-Boas insisted he can restore solidity to the team with these personnel, despite opting against selecting Alex, who has appeared only three times this season in the league but featured in both of this side’s clean sheets, at Stoke and Blackburn.
There was criticism of David Luiz from the television pundit Gary Neville, with the former Manchester United player suggesting the Brazilian appeared to be “being controlled by a 10-year-old in the crowd with a PlayStation”. “Gary was a fantastic defender but I have nothing to say about his opinion,” Villas-Boas said. “It’s a stupid approach to an opinion, but if that’s the way he wants to take the game, that’s ridiculous.
“The amount of goals we are conceding is something that worries me, of course. But we trust our defensive organisation. It’s immense talent that we have at our disposal and we believe we’ll get it right. We need to organise ourselves a little bit better. At the moment we are, as players and staff, on a bad run and the perception is we need to win every game if we are to maintain a title challenge. The situation in the league may not be good for us. But it’s not impossible to turn it around. ”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)