Chelsea are still waiting for their first goal under Rafael Benitez after drawing another blank to draw against Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
The Spaniard’s first game in charge after taking over the reins from Roberto Di Matteo ended in a stalemate with Manchester City on Sunday and the Blues once again failed in front of goal against their West London rivals.
Cottagers boss Martin Jol will be the happier of either managers as his side avoided a third consecutive Premier League defeat, but have one just once in their last nine games and slipped into the bottom half of the table.
Benitez’s debut in the dugout against City attracted the ire of home supporters, who chanted in support of predecessor Di Matteo, and he was again the subject of abuse from the stands.
It made for a hostile atmosphere on Kings Road as the hosts struggled to locate the fluency and attacking flair that saw them head the table during the early part of the campaign.
Fernando Torres’ scuffed effort from Cesar Azpilcueta’s cross proved to be the best opportunity of a colourless, incident free first half that saw the visitors barely threaten Petr Cech at the other end.
They did create one of the games few clear cut chances after the break but John Arne Riise failed make the right connection to take full advantage of Giorgos Karagounis’ superb through ball in the 56th minute.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Juan Mata was thrown on just past the hour but even he couldn’t provide the inspiration for the home side that would unlock a stern Fulham back line that repelled attack after attack in the second half.
Chelsea have now dropped seven points off the championship pace and Benitez now has the unenviable task of arresting six-game winless slump.
West Ham are negotiating with exciting youngster Declan Rice over a new contract, as covered by Sky Sports.
Rice was a stand-out performer in a tumultuous season for the London club. A measured defender with the ability to play out from the back, many expect to see Rice become an integral part of the new West Ham side under Manuel Pellegrini.
West Ham have the option of triggering a further year on his existing deal, but feel that his performances this season have warranted an increase in wage and responsibility for the 19-year old.
[ad_pod ]
Even with the purchase of French centre-back Issa Diop, securing the future of one of the hottest prospects to come out of the West Ham academy in years should be at the top of Pellegrini’s wishlist.
Here’s a quick look at how the news of the negotiations went down with West Ham fans on social media…
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
It’s fair to say that even though Everton found themselves in a difficult situation in November with caretaker boss David Unsworth struggling after Ronald Koeman had been sacked the previous month, there weren’t too many Toffees supporters that would have been keen on the idea of Sam Allardyce taking charge.
The Merseyside outfit looked to be in serious danger of suffering relegation from the Premier League for the first time since the inauguration of the division in 1992, and the 63-year-old is renowned with never suffering demotion to the Championship despite managing the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Newcastle United during his career.
Unfortunately for the former England boss, he is also regularly tarnished with the brush of playing unattractive, long ball football, and that is something that would have influenced Everton fans when it was announced that Allardyce was going to take the reins just prior to their clash against fellow strugglers West Ham United at Goodison Park on November 29.
The Toffees came into the clash on the back of a successive 5-1 and 4-1 defeats against Atalanta and Southampton, and they were lying just two points above the relegation zone and with just 12 points from their 13 top flight fixtures.
They also had the second worst goal difference in the division of minus 15 at the time and Allardyce would have been tasked with not only turning results around, but also to stop the side leaking goals.
Unsworth oversaw a brilliant 4-0 success against the Irons, before the 63-year-old took the helm for the first time when they hosted Huddersfield Town just three days later.
A 2-0 victory against the Terriers certainly got him off to a positive start, and he quickly tightened up the defence and started getting the points on the board that the Merseyside outfit desperately needed.
Allardyce and Everton took 12 points from his first six Premier League matches in charge, and it was needed to keep the Goodison Park faithful on side.
However, things started to go sour – and the Toffees fans certainly didn’t need any excuse to turn on the 63-year-old – at the end of 2017 when they were beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth.
Three successive defeats followed – including a 4-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley – and Allardyce suggested that they needed to be “more boring” after the huge reverse in the capital.
That remark outraged Everton fans given that their side had only had one shot on target in their opening three games of 2018, and while they took seven points from their next three home games they were also beaten 5-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Everton vs Crystal Palace – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – February 10, 2018 Everton manager Sam Allardyce REUTERS/Peter Powell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
They currently lie in ninth position and eight points above the relegation zone, but it would be hard to argue that the Merseyside outfit have made significant progress under Allardyce in overall terms.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The January addition of Cenk Tosun hasn’t paid off so far with the player struggling with the pace of the Premier League and the English weather, he failed to sign a left-back when it looked as though it should have been their January priority, while Ademola Lookman left on loan after struggling to get first-team starts and summer arrival Davy Klaassen has failed to get a look in.
That said, Everton are just two points adrift of seventh-place Burnley and if results go their way in the final 11 top flight fixtures of the campaign, they remain on course to secure the position as the best of the rest outside of the top six clubs.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Everton vs Leicester City – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – January 31, 2018 Everton manager Sam Allardyce Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further deta
If Allardyce does that it would certainly be an impressive achievement given the disastrous start the club made to the season, and the 63-year-old would deserve a full summer to sign his own players and work with the team during pre-season in preparation of making an ambitious tilt for the top six positions next term.
It would be a controversial choice for the supporters, but Allardyce must get the opportunity to try and take the club forward if he leads Everton to the highest possible finish it looks as though they can secure in remaining 11 fixtures – seventh.
A lot of bad press is given to Wayne Rooney, sometimes unfairly and the player has a lot of people saying he is over rated and does not deserve to be England captain.
The player had shown a lot of early promise in his career after making a big impact for his boyhood team Everton as a sixteen year old. He was playing some outstanding football from the word go and scored a lot of important goals for the Merseyside club, including a whopper of a goal against Arsenal for which I think he went down in history for. After only two season at Everton, scoring fifteen goals in sixty seven appearances, he was signed by Manchester United for a £25.6million transfer fee.
He had a promising start to his career at Manchester United and justified the move becoming United’s top scorer that season with eleven goals. He started to get a bit of a reputation for the wrong reasons however, with his bad temper and poor discipline becoming a regular feature in the newspapers and a and attitude was clearly visible at times like when he was needlessly sent off in September 2005 against Villareal in a game which ended goalless, when he was booked he sarcastically applauded the referee and bagged himself a second yellow. It seemed the youngster, for all the talent and promise he had, it was over shadowed by his silly behaviour and bad attitude, coming across as a bit of a wild child who was in serious need of piping down and being tamed by the mighty Sir Alex Ferguson.
His international career followed suit in similar fashion, with some promising goals and good play from the forward being marred by a shoddy disciplinary record and more bad press in the papers.
The most famous scandal was of course about his apparent taste for ;mature’ women with a story breaking that he had sexual relations with an elderly prostitute. He sadly became a bit of a laughing stock and people started to lose patience with the player who would continue to get himself in trouble on and off the pitch. What followed was a goalless period in the 2006/2007 season where he went ten games without scoring, until hitting the back of the net three times against Bolton to earn himself a two year contract extension.
For me, I think that a combination of bad press (some of it justified) and his previously poor attitude has earned the new England captain a bad name, more attention is focused on him as a person than as a player. But not only that, he has failed to perform for his country in recent years as a goal scorer and he hasn’t really been that great for his club either. But I think that he is most definitely NOT over rated. The guy has a bag full of talent; that much was obvious from the word go when he was at Everton and scoring top drawer goals, providing vital assists for his team mates, and he has continued to play like that throughout his career with some truly memorable goals being bagged in the process.
The general consensus is that Rooney is used in the wrong way as a player. He is consistently played in the number ten role behind a striker, and at times by Fergie he would be used on the wing. Both England and United are missing out on the best of Wayne because he isn’t used in the way he should be used, which is as natural number nine. He played in that role for Everton and he would hassle and bully defenders, win headers and get himself on the scoresheet regularly.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
He is one of the best strikers in the game in that role and I would go as far as comparing him to Alan Shearer, who played that role superbly throughout his entire career as a player. Rooney is not utilised in that way these days and, despite glimpses of his genius, we do not see him living up to his full potential . As a result, he is classed as over rated by many and continues to get a lot of stick by fans and pundits alike.
Rooney will lead England out tonight against Switzerland in the Euro 2016 qualifier. Let’s hope Hodgson has read this and plays him as a number nine tonight.
Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires insists that Wenger needs to find a balance within his team, and start to make cup success a top priority.
The Frenchman spent six years in North London where winning trophies was synonymous with the club as he played his part in two Premier League titles and three FA Cup wins.
Pires was keen to point out that Wenger was the focal point of the football club and that Arsenal need to trust that he will be keep delivering.
“Arsenal goes with Wenger like Wenger goes with Arsenal – you can’t have one without the other,” the 39-year-old told talkSPORT.
“That said, the results this season have simply not been good enough.
“But you can’t forget Arsenal have high expectations because of Arsene Wenger. He has done such a good job over all these years. You cannot forget what he has done for the club and neither should the chairman.
“It’s unfair to compare what we did between 2000 and 2006 – we had a great team, a great mix of English, Spanish, Brazilian and French players. But now a lot has changed. The club’s philosophy seems different.”
Wenger has publicly stated that he believes the importance of achieving Champions League qualification is an essential commodity and one which is underrated by supporters.
However, Pires insists the fans needs to see a palpable return for their support.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“The most important thing for fans and players is winning titles, be it the FA Cup, the League Cup or the Champions League,” he added.
“It’s been years without a trophy and I know that is very frustrating for Wenger. That should be the number one priority this year.”
West Ham’s appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as manager has set pulses racing not just because of his calibre as a Premier League winner and former Real Madrid boss but also because of his penchant for attacking football.
A sense of adventure is exactly what is needed to lift the mood of the fans in East London and the next step is to use the transfer market to assemble a squad capable of getting the supporters off their seats this season.
As the clock ticks onto five years since Andy Carroll joined the Hammers, it brings into sharp focus just how unreliable the former Newcastle man has been during his time at the club and there is only so long that they can keep waiting for him to come good.
That’s why, when West Ham were linked with a £16m move for Salomon Rondon, we asked their fans whether they want the West Brom hitman to come on board this season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The response was fairly positive, with 71 per cent of Hammers wanting the target man to make the move south this summer…
To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit a ferocious correction of a dire run against top flight giants.
Everton’s league record against Manchester United throughout the Noughties was pretty dire, managing just one win from 19. Time and again Sir Alex Ferguson’s men would saunter away from Goodison Park with all of the points and for a club that prided itself on rising to the big occasions – a club too that had finished inside the top six all but once in the last five years – that frankly wasn’t acceptable. Something had to change.
Maybe it was the turning of the calendar that spurred on the Toffees on February 20th 2010 – a new decade signifying a less respectful approach to the 11-time Premier League champions – and perhaps too their recent impressive victory over Chelsea was a motivating factor instilling in them an emboldening belief. Whatever the root causes the illustrious visitors certainly weren’t allowed to saunter on this occasion. Not for a second. David Moyes’ side ripped into them from the off, sparking the fiery environs of Goodison into life, and resulting in a memorable encounter that is still talked about on one side of Stanley Park to this day.
In truth there were other factors that contributed to this famous 3-1 win that Everton can take no credit for. Four days earlier the Reds had travelled to Milan in the Champions League and emerged with a precious first leg advantage that came at a cost. With his star players fatigued Ferguson reluctantly rang the changes and gambled on a back two of Brown and Evans that always had a mistake in them along with Fletcher and Park stationed centrally. It helped too from an Everton perspective that Wayne Rooney was returning to his old stomping ground and past experiences had shown that he would rarely rise to his devastating best when saddled with the emotion of the day. True to form Rooney was all but anonymous throughout.
Furthermore this was hardly a vintage United. The previous summer they had embarked on a recruitment drive that supporters still claim now is the starting point of their gradual decline as the club eschewed the option of reinvesting their £80m bonanza for Ronaldo and shopped in the bargain bins instead for Gabriel Obertan and Mame Biram Diouf. There would be immediate punishment for their frugal outlay as United finished second that year to Chelsea and solely won the League Cup in an era when silverware was commonplace.
Yet that should take precisely nothing away from Everton who delivered a long overdue victory here with unremitting relish and even refused to let a 16th minute opener from Dimitar Berbatov knock them from their stride.
Before we get to that however the Bulgarian’s strike is worth lingering on. Loitering inside the box and surrounded by a sea of Blue the ball is fired across at great pace and any forward with limitations would instinctively throw a boot out and hope for the best. Not Berbatov who instead cushions it first with artistic aplomb. The finish is ordinary; the control that precipitates it is exceptional.
It took Everton just three minutes to draw level and most encouragingly of all for the majority of the 39,000 in attendance it came courtesy of their summer signing Diniyar ‘Billy’ Bilyaletdinov. With United’s rejigged defence in disarray the Russian winger cleverly used Johnny Evans as a blocker and fired the ball past an unsighted Van der Saar to prompt mayhem on the terraces. United were there for the taking and everybody knew it.
Football – Everton v Manchester United – Barclays Premier League – Goodison Park – 09/10 – 20/2/10 Gary Neville (R) – Manchester United reacts angrily after Everton players celebrate scoring a goal Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl Recine NO ONLINE/INTERNET USE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE +44 (0) 207 864 9000.
Yet 1-1 it remained for the next hour, an hour where Everton were dominant for the large part and Leon Osman appeared to have cloned himself into three players given how much grass he covered. There is no question that this was the veteran’s finest performance in a blue jersey.
With a quarter of the contest left Ferguson brought on Scholes in order to stiffen up his midfield and close the game out but even a reversion to a 4-5-1 couldn’t contain the swarm that increasingly sensed an upset. Substitute Dan Gosling redirected a stray ball goalwards to put Everton in front and late on, with United chasing and stretched, another sub picked up a loose pass from deep and ran directly at a back-peddling Wes Brown. Jack Rodwell’s composed finish was beyond his teenage years and hinted heavily at a searingly bright future in the game. In retrospect there is no pleasure taken in deeming this his career highpoint.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“I keep being told we don’t beat the big boys often enough and we don’t,” a bellicose Moyes said on the final whistle. For 90 minutes, in February 2010, Everton briefly put that notion firmly in its place.
What happened next?
For both teams a mediocre season ultimately played out. United ran Chelsea close but seven defeats over the course of the campaign was always going to be damaging while Everton solidified their establishment as a top ten club by finishing eighth. Jack Rodwell was named the club’s Young Player of the Year.
Arsenal are reportedly ready to go back in for Lars Bender, who recently committed to Bayer Leverkusen by announcing his intention to stay on at the club into next season.
Bender fits the bill for what Arsenal need in the centre of the pitch, also able to play at right-back. Had it not been for his current injury, the Leverkusen midfielder would be representing Germany at the World Cup in Brazil.
But Arsenal aren’t giving up on their interest in the midfielder. Arsene Wenger is in need of strengthening the team’s midfield with a high-class player of Bender’s mould. The club are also in a strong financial position to put pressure on Leverkusen to sell.
If Bender arrives at Arsenal, these are six players who could follow him.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on Daley Blind to start the countdown
Football – Australia v Netherlands – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group B – Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil – 18/6/14Australia’s Mathew Leckie in action with Holland’s Daley BlindMandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew BoyersLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
[/ffc-gallery]
Iker Casillas
Football – Spain v Chile – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group B – Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 18/6/14Spain’s Iker Casillas looks dejected after Charles Aranguiz (not pictured) scored the second goal for ChileMandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul ChildsLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Iker Casillas had a nightmare World Cup with Spain, probably reinforcing Jose Mourinho’s decision to bench him while the Chelsea manager was still at Real Madrid.
Casillas’ future with the Spanish club isn’t clear. He’s been linked with a move away since losing his starting spot to Diego Lopez, but the club do understand the significance of losing an icon like Casillas at this time.
But Arsenal are in need of a player to add to the goalkeeping department, with little else behind Wojciech Szczesny. Despite his poor form, Casillas would be an outstanding signing for Arsenal and a real statement. The only sticking point will be his wages. But there’s no doubt the Spain and Real Madrid captain will add a lot to Arsenal, both on and off the pitch.
Juan Cuadrado
Football – Japan v Colombia – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group C – Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, Brazil – 24/6/14Juan Cuadrado celebrates after scoring the first goal for Colombia from the penalty spot Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew CouldridgeLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Juan Cuadrado has been linked with a move away from Fiorentina for many months after impressing for the Italian side all season. He’s been a regular starter for Colombia at the World Cup too, only heightening the interest in him from around Europe.
Arsenal need a player like Cuadrado who can add quality in depth to the team’s attack. His pace and constant threat in front of goal would be welcome at the Emirates, with the club well short of players who can stretch the play and make good use of the playmakers in the team.
Arsenal will need to fight against reported interest from Manchester United and Barcelona, but the club do have the means to land Cuadrado this summer.
//www.youtube.com/embed/yWhmdK5YCA8
Daley Blind
Football – Australia v Netherlands – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group B – Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil – 18/6/14Australia’s Mathew Leckie in action with Holland’s Daley BlindMandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew BoyersLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
With Manchester United having completed the signing of Luke Shaw, they’re unlikely to require the services of Daley Blind, despite the Dutchman being comfortable in the midfield.
Arsene Wenger, however, sounded out Blind for praise following Holland’s win over Spain. Wenger is known to be in the market for a holding midfielder, and Blind was excellent in that position for Ajax last season. Blind’s ability to provide cover at left-back, with Kieran Gibbs regularly struggling with injury, could also make him an attractive option for the club.
Ajax more than likely expect another club to come in for the 24-year-old following his performances at the World Cup, while there may be few available who are better suited to playing in Arsenal’s team than Blind.
Mario Mandzukic
Football – Cameroon v Croatia – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group A – Arena Amazonia, Manaus, Brazil – 18/6/14Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic (R) celebrates scoring his team’s third and his first goalMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Mario Mandzukic was recently rumoured to be on his way back to Wolfsburg, a move that surely would have been them strong title contenders for next season. But that story was quickly squashed, leaving clubs outside of Germany free to land the Croatian international.
Mandzukic may appear similar to Olivier Giroud, but he offers far more than just a target man for other players. He’s arguably one of the best finishers in Europe when given an opportunity in the box, and he does have considerably more pace than the Frenchman, having played on the right of Wolfsburg’s attack during his spell with the club.
If Arsenal are able to land another forward who can play on the wings and inject pace into the side, Mandzukic would be an excellent choice to have as the team’s first-choice striker.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
//www.youtube.com/embed/9vM3y877EkU
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Football – Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain – UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg – Stamford Bridge, London, England – 8/4/14Chelsea’s Gary Cahill in action with Paris Saint-Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Tony O’BrienLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Ezequiel Lavezzi started on the bench for Argentina against Nigeria but immediately made an impact upon arrival onto the pitch. He provided balance to the side, where Sergio Aguero had been struggling in the shadow of Lionel Messi.
Lavezzi has been rumoured to be moving on from PSG for a number of months, with Arsenal listed as one of the possible destinations. The former Napoli forward can play through the middle, but he’d be acquired for his ability on the flanks. Arsenal need to add goals to their attack, along with players who can unsettle opposition defences.
Lavezzi hasn’t had the most consistent time in Paris, but he’d be a big help to Arsenal’s bid for the league title next season.
Seamus Coleman
Football – Southampton v Everton – Barclays Premier League – St Mary’s Stadium – 26/4/14Everton’s Seamus Coleman applauds fans after the final whistleMandatory Credit: Action Images / John SibleyLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representati
Seamus Coleman is one of many right-backs said to be on Arsenal’s radar. If he’s on the market, he’d be one of the better options to replace Bacary Sagna.
Coleman is very good going forward, finding the net six times last season for Roberto Martinez’s side. Everton will do all they can to keep him this summer, likely leading to them placing a high value on his head that ultimately deters Arsenal. But with the budget available to Wenger, there’s no reason Coleman should be considered out of reach.
Tom Huddlestone believes the current Tottenham side need time to start creating more and that the players are still becoming accustomed to manager Andre Villas-Boas’ system.
Spurs have had some poor results recently, with a 0-1 loss at home to Wigan and a defeat in the Capital One Cup to Norwich, which saw them booed by their fans.
However, though Huddlestone understands the fans’ pain, he says the players are still coming to terms with Villas-Boas’ organised ways.
He said: “It is hard for the fans. They’ve watched some good football over the last three or four years, maybe in a gung-ho style, but they’ve got to be patient. The manager is still getting his ideas across. The lads are still getting fully used to what he wants us to do. He’s very organised.
“A lot of his sessions are on a quite rigid team shape whereas maybe under previous regimes the initiative was given to players to express themselves. Under this manager it’s more his ideas and we have to stick to them. Every boss has his own ideas. We’re probably harder to beat now. We’re not as open.
“There have been a couple of games recently where we need to create that little bit more. But that will come with time. Defensively we are keeping our shape more than in previous years and barring the last couple of games it’s worked well this season. We’re better when teams open up and try to attack us. We find gaps when teams try to attack.”
Tottenham face Maribor in the Europa League tonight.
[ad_pod id=’tv’ align=’center’]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Andre Villas-Boas has denied that midfielder Moussa Dembele’s injury is the reason for Spurs’ recent poor results.
Liverpool supporters are eager to see Kalidou Koulibaly at Anfield after watching him in action for Senegal against Poland in the World Cup on Tuesday.The African side produced an excellent display to see off the much fancied European outfit, emerging as 2-1 winners, with Poland only able to manage a late consolation.Koulibaly was central to the performance and win, keeping the likes of Robert Lewandowski quiet across the 90 minutes on their way to victory.The 27-year-old plays his club football at Napoli of course, emerging as one of the best defenders in Europe’s top five leagues with imperious performances at home and in the UEFA Champions League.Linked with moves to the likes of Chelsea in recent months, Liverpool fans now want to see the Anfield club make a play for him, believing that having his international teammate Sadio Mane already at the club could give them the upper hand in negotiations.Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on potentially signing him after watching him in action…