(Sport) Man United: Fabregas Off To Old Trafford?

In what has been a frustrating summer with Manchester United failing to land any major targets, the club looks to make it biggest coup of the summer yet with capture of former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.

It’s needless to say that the capture of the Barcelona midfielder would represent good business as he will solve united long term problem of a distinct lack of creativity in the middle of the park and will link well with former Arsenal cohort Robin Van Persie. However, as always, there are obstacles in the way of that happening, the first being whether he wants to move in the first place.

While reports suggest that Fabregas has been less than happy with the fact that has struggled to find place in Barca manager Tito Vilanova’s first team plans, he has publicly stated his intention to stay at the clubs citing that talk of his departure as “completely absurd”[1]. If the fact that Fabregas has expressed his desire to stay at the Nou Camp wasn’t enough of an obstacle, the fact that Arsenal have “first refusal” should the Catalan giants decide to end the midfielders stay and sell him[2].

Barcelona have already rejected Man united £26m bid insisting that Fabregas “is not for sale” which could force Man United to up their offer or look elsewhere to boost their threadbare midfield options[3]. However, if Fabregas was to make some simple calculation of what might be better for his career considering that he is not likely to figure in Barca’s first team plans as much as he would like and with World Cup 2014 on the horizon, his chances of appearing on the first team sheet in game 1 of Spain’s World Cup 2014 Campaign are much better served being Man United playmaker in chief than Barcelona benchboy[4].

In sum, Man united may have other names they are looking to add to the squad but the signing of Cesc Fabregas, should it happen, may the most important signing of the next five years.    

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[1] The Telegraph, 2013,  Manchester United told Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas is ‘not available to buy’, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/10181738/Manchester-United-told-Barcelona-midfielder-Cesc-Fabregas-is-not-available-to-buy.html

[2] Ibid

[3] J.Boylan, 2013, Barcelona knock back Manchester United’s £26m for Cesc Fabregas, http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/15/manchester-united-target-cesc-fabregas-after-missing-out-on-thiago-alcantara-3882706/

[4] Ibid

Has Roberto Martinez Already Made A Mistake With Champions League Promise?

The writing was pretty much on the wall two weeks ago, but it became official earlier this week that former Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez would take on the challenge of replacing David Moyes at Everton. Martinez started his time off as Everton manager with a bang promising that his side would seriously challenge for a Champions League place. Has the 39-year old made an early mistake in his new higher profile position?

The touting of Martinez's talents has always exceeded his on-field achievements, at least before Wigan won the FA Cup this spring. He finished 16th, 16th and 15th in his first three seasons before finishing 18th and getting relegated last season.

Expecting more would probably be harsh considering the budget constraints that Martinez has had to deal with. Injuries played a major role in the struggles of the team this season. Martinez also brought the FA Cup to the club for the first time in its history.

He was committed to an exciting and pure brand of football. Wigan played attractive football even as they got relegated. That style sets them apart from the majority of teams playing in the English Premier League's lower half.

However, ultimately Martinez's results are not exceptional. He has done enough to suggest he can be a successful manager in the EPL, but assuming that he can guide Everton to the Champions League based on his performance to date seems far-fetched.

Martinez also faces a tremendous challenge trying to replace David Moyes. The Scot asserted himself as a figure of absolute stability at the club and coached a different brand of football compared with the incoming manager. Moyes exceeded all expectations with Everton establishing the club as a regular in the top flight and even leading them to the Champions League one season.

Everton has significantly more wealth than Wigan, but they won't tolerate a bottom half finish after the standards set by Moyes. Martinez has a great opportunity to prove himself at Everton and to enjoy success. However, in a league where Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool all wield significantly higher spending power, finishing in the top four is no easy task. Perhaps Martinez would be better served establishing himself and getting the feel for his current situation before making huge promises.

Gareth Bale Staying With Tottenham But Could He Be Successful Elsewhere?

After much speculation all season long and especially this weekend, it appears that Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale is staying put. Latest reports suggest that he has agreed terms to be paid £130,000 per week and has a get out clause next season should a team put in an offer of £50 million or more. Based on recent speculation it seems very possible that one of the bigger European clubs would tender an offer of that size. It seems like blasphemy to suggest that Gareth Bale is over-rated, but there are genuine reasons to question whether the 23-year old could be truly successful playing for the world's bigger clubs.

During the 2010/11 season Bale burst onto the scene earning superstar status. He exploited Maicon - generally regarded to be one of the world's best right backs - time and time again scoring a hat-trick at the San Siro.

Since that day Bale has been considered a de facto superstar and has often been attributed as the single force behind Tottenham's consistent stay among the better teams in the English Premier League.

However, the statistics - at least until the 2012/13 season - don't reflect that story line. Even in 2010/11, the season where Bale appeared to arrive as a world class talent in October. He ranked just 77th on the list of goal-scorers in the EPL.

In 2011/12 Bale did step up his game finishing sixth in the league in terms of assists (playing with Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe who were on fire). However, he was once again extremely erratic and inconsistent scoring nine goals, but frequently going six, seven and even eight games without a goal.

This season's dominating 21-goal EPL season form has been something to admire. Add to that the fact that Bale was on fire for a spell of 10-12 games after Boxing Day. He undoubtedly has fantastic game-breaking ability and he has been crucial to Tottenham's Champions League challenge, though ultimately Spurs fell short.

Consistency has been a problem for Bale and that should be recognised. He has benefited from being the centrepiece of Andre Villas-Boas' attack. If he produces another superb season in 2013/14 then maybe his few remaining critics will be silenced.

However, Bale is being linked with some of Europe's biggest and best clubs. Real Madrid and Manchester Utd were the favorites to gain his services this summer and if he is likely to be available then expect those two teams to be in the running again along with Manchester City, Barcelona, Chelsea and perhaps even Bayern Munich.

Is Bale really ready for that step up? Can he be a big fish in a big pond? Or is he better off being a big fish in a medium-sized pond? The best thing that Bale has going for him right now is his youth. At just 23 he is still developing. Perhaps at least one more season with a promising and developing Spurs' squad wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

Manchester United Or Everton - Who Has The Bigger Void To Fill?

The longest tenured and third longest tenured managers both left their respective English Premier League teams this week when Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United and fellow Scot David Moyes left Everton to take up Ferguson's mantle.

Ferguson will remain on United's board of directors and hand-picked his successor, but which of these two teams, who have bucked the trend of high manager turnover and enjoyed success as a result will suffer more after losing a figure who has become synonymous with their identity.

Life After Sir Alex For Man Utd

26 years is an awful long time by any person's measure. Alex Ferguson became manager of Man Utd in November 1986. He brought 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League titles to a club that for now has established itself as the most successful in English football history. Ferguson has secured his place in the history books as arguably the greatest football manager ever.

During 26 seasons Ferguson showed himself to be tremendously adaptable both in terms of the style of football his teams played, the systems that they ran and on the financial side of the game. He presided over a team that became the biggest franchise worldwide in professional sports and managed through an era when tremendous amounts of money was piled into the English Premier League. 

The continuity for Ferguson and United has been success. That success will be an extremely hard act to follow. In a world that is now dominated by very highly paid players, Ferguson was able to assert himself because of his own legendary status. Moyes will not have that same benefit. Ferguson only went without a league title for more than two seasons on one occasion. Moyes will have to compete with that in a league with some big spenders led by Chelsea (possibly led by Jose Mourinho) and Manchester City. 

Ferguson's hold on this team and on the city of Manchester is over, at least as a manager and front line figure at Man Utd. Moyes will have more resources than ever before to sign just about any players he want and rotate a fantastically deep squad. However, he will have tremendous expectations to deal with and he will be following a brilliant manager. If Man Utd have hit the gold mine with Moyes, then they might not miss Fergsuon, but there's a good chance that the importance of Ferguson holding this team together might just be felt by United.

Replacing Moyes At Everton

Moyes may or may not be as good of a manager as Ferguson, but that will not make the task of replacing him at Everton any easier. He arrived in Merseyside in 2002. That makes him the third longest tenured manager in the English Premier League only less than Ferguson and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger. That's nearly double the next longest tenured manager, Stoke City's Tony Pulis. No other managers have spent even four years at a Premier League football club.

Moyes has made the most of meagre resources. During Moyes' tenure Everton have finished eight out of 10 seasons eighth place or higher and they are expected to make it nine out of 11 seasons with a strong finish again in 2012-13. 

The now experienced manager transformed a team that regularly competed against relegation and finished in the bottom half into a team that regularly finishes near the battle for UEFA/Europa Cup places. 

It won't be easy for any manager to step in maintain that level of achievement. Moyes has had to chase down talent at bargain prices and he has had to set up a dogged system that allows his team just enough creative freedom to win some games as well.

Roberto Martinez and Michael Laudrup are being linked to the Everton job. Those are some pretty big names. Because of Moyes, Everton feels like a big job, but perhaps both of those managers would be better off steering clear of what would be a tough task to say the least.

Written by Sebastian Egerton-Read - you can follow Seb on twitter @SebEread

Luis Suarez and Liverpool Have No-one to Blame But Themselves

It's hard to imagine what Luis Suarez was thinking when he bit the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Despite his past history and his well-known wild temperament, more than a couple of replays were required to make the eyes believe what they clearly saw. The Football Association's punishment was swift and forceful hitting the striker with a 10-game ban for violent conduct. For Liverpool and Suarez, they really don't have anyone to blame but themselves.

This isn't the first time that Liverpool and Luis Suarez have come under the microscope for Suarez's inappropriate and frankly offensive actions on the field but unrelated to football. In the 2011-12 season then manager Kenny Dalglish vehemently defended his prize striker over claims of Suarez racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Suarez was eventually found guilty hit with a hefty fine and eight match ban. Dalglish and the club looked bad.

It looked like lessons had been learned from that incident in the wake of Sunday's action. Suarez swiftly apologised and the club appeared to be taking a firm stance on the issue. Both appeared ready to accept the charge of violent conduct from the FA (and automatic three match ban that comes with it). However, the moment an investigation panel recommended upping the suspension to 10 games; Suarez appealed and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers jumped to the defence of the 26-year old, even criticising the panel.

The reality is that this is a story of two tragedies. The tragedy of a football club with a tremendous a history that has utterly failed to show the necessary level of respect for the game. Even after a period where success has been harder to come by, Liverpool remains one of the nation's top football clubs. A club with a history of being tough and playing football 'the right way'. Perhaps standards have been lowered in terms of what is and what is not tolerated from representatives playing at Anfield in the wake of a period where success has been harder to come by. It is sad to see the day where a fantastic football club continues to defend actions that are completely unacceptable to the game.

The second tragedy is of a man who has been gifted with some of the most remarkable talent in the game today. Suarez has scored 30 goals for Liverpool in the 12/13 season, 22 in the Premier League, and has arguably been the top player in the EPL all season long. Why is Luis Suarez unable to just let his football do the talking? How is it possible that he has now been involved in two high profile biting incident in his career?

This wasn't just any bite either. This was a somewhat calculated, aggressive and violent 'attack' against an opponent. 

The FA have not been consistent with their bans over the last couple of years. The investigation was not conducted perfectly and there's little doubt that Suarez and this case have been an example of, but there can be no finger pointing from anyone at Anfield.

How is it that a club like Liverpool has tolerated such out of control behaviour from its top player for more than a year? The abuse saga with Evra, the failure to shake his hand, various other border-line incidents and now this. These are unacceptable standards for a club with as much history and pride as Liverpool.

Suarez can suggest that a 10-match ban was too much as much as he wants. The media and FA may have painted him as a 'demon', but he has made it extremely easy for him. Equally, how can he possible defend his actions? Biting opponents in football is completely unacceptable. Doing so two times in three years is even more worrying. This is a young man that clearly needs to learn some serious lessons. It is disappointing that a seven-game ban in 2010 was not enough.

Luis Suarez, Rodgers and Liverpool can act dismayed as much as they want, but a 10-match ban is clearly an appropriate punishment for an indefensible offence. They've really only got themselves to blame.

Article written by Sebastian Egerton-Read - follow Seb on twitter @SebEread

Alex Ferguson Masterminds Another Manchester United Title

The English Premier League was formed ahead of the 1992-93 season. In the final year of the first division Alex Ferguson's Manchester United finished in second place. Since the change of name, branding, legal status and sponsorship, that combination has dominated English football's top league.

The 2012-13 season is the 21st season in the history of the Premier League. During that period Man Utd have never failed to finish in the top three. Ferguson won his first league title in that 1992-93 season and United have secured 13 titles during his tenure in total.

Recent seasons have seen new clubs emerge as serious league title contenders back by money from wealthy investors. Chelsea and Manchester City have both been boosted by healthy investment. Man Utd's in-city rivals benefited from that financial backing last season when they won the 2011-12 title. It was obvious to all involved right then and there that Ferguson and his team would be back and back with a vengeance.

It's very dangerous to bet against one of the finest managers English football has ever seen and it was a mistake for whoever did so on this occasion. The now 71-year old quickly re-tooled his squad adding one of the world's biggest targets last summer in Robin Van Persie.

Van Persie cost a healthy £24 million and a more than healthy sum in wages as well. It seems like he was worth every penny as his energy, game breaking ability and clinical finishing proved absolutely vital as United kept finding ways to win football games. Van Persie scored a fantastic hat-trick in the title sealing victory against Aston Villa stretching his league leading total to 30 goals.

There's more to Man Utd's success than Van Persie though. This was a team that frequently looked fragile defensively, especially early in the season. They were inferior defensively compared with their biggest rivals Manchester City. However, time and time again they found the ruthless edge. They found a way to outscore their opponents and produced their best defensive efforts against stronger opposition.

Ferguson's will and determination was clearly behind this team. It was clear from the moment of heartbreak on the final day of the 11/12 that the Scot wanted this year's title almost as much as he wanted his first one. He wasn't interested in allowing a new Manchester dynasty to emerge down the road from Old Trafford. He wasn't interested in his club's 20th top flight title being delayed one season longer.

Ferguson was only interested in one thing. This may not have been the most balanced or best United side during his historic reign, but just like 12 others during Ferguson's tenure, it will enjoy the taste of summer as English Premier League champions. That's nothing to be sniffed at.

Vital Relegation Saturday In English Premier League

The final couple of weeks are usually the time where the relegation focus comes into full view in the English Premier League, but the importance of the weeks leading up to the season climax is often over-looked. The fact is that now is the time where teams can really cement their EPL status. Nobody wants to leave it until the  last weekend. Every weekend from here until the end is equally important for teams battling to stay in England's top flight.

With that in mind, the Carnage Report previews this weekend's Premier League action from the perspective of the relegation battlers.

Norwich v Reading

Reading have a maximum of 15 points left on the table. It's not impossible that Nigel Adkins' side could secure their EPL survival, but it is now looking highly improbable.

Norwich have enjoyed a pretty decent 2012-13 season. A win in this game would put relegation fears pretty much to bed and it is an excellent opportunity at home against bottom of the league. A win would put them on 38 points with four games to play and needing to be overtaken by at least four teams.

A loss would make life just that little harder for Chris Hughton's team. That's not a scenario that the manager will be entertaining heading into Saturday.

QPR v Stoke

Harry Redknapp has been defiant in public over the past couple of weeks. He will know that QPR are in all likelihood heading towards Championship football. If they are going to pull off a miraculous escape then a home win against fellow strugglers Stoke is pretty much a must.

In 16 away games this season Stoke have managed just one win and only nine goals. There could hardly be a better time for a second away win, but at the very least Tony Pulis will be looking for a point from this fixture.

Sunderland v Everton

Paolo Di Canio's side set the EPL alight with a 3-0 road victory against Newcastle in their last game. What can the divisive figure produce against Everton this weekend? There should be no lack of motivation from David Moyes' group as they are very much in the running for a Europa league place and even still in contention for the Champions League.

Strong play at home in the last few weeks is critical to success. How Sunderland compete and battle in this contest might be as important as the result.

West Brom v Newcastle

Nobody really expects Newcastle to get relegated, but they have to be in the discussion after a weak display against Sunderland at home in their last outing. It's pretty clear that the focus of St James Park has been elsewhere and the Premier League is just being willed to a close.

West Brom haven't won a premier league game since March 9, but they are still a challenging opponent especially at home.

West Ham v Wigan

Roberto Martinez engineered a great escape last season and this year he has managed an underdog team all the way to an FA Cup Final appearance. The problem is that Wigan now face a tightly-packed schedule to close out the season, they have a tough set of fixtures left and are currently in the bottom three.

In that context Saturday's game at West Ham could hardly be more important for this group. West Ham are the lowest team in the standings that Wigan will face until their last game and a win here would really put some pressure on the teams above them. The only problem is that Sam Allardyce's team play competitive football. They are extremely tough to score against at home.

Man Utd v Aston Villa (Monday)

Aston Villa will benefit from seeing Saturday's action before taking on Man Utd at Old Trafford. April has been a pretty good month for this young side and their two games after this contest are against teams immediately around them.

It will be interesting to see the approach that Paul Lambert adopts in this game. Man Utd might be a little de-motivated as they cruise to the EPL title. It might be possible to snatch a valuable point.

Sunderland Complete Classic Blunder Firing Martin O'Neill

The English Premier League is a cruel place for managers. It needn't be. The English Premier League is a place of constant chopping and changing. It needn't be. The proven recipe for success in the country's top league is to decide upon a vision for your club, invest in that vision and stay the course with that vision.

Sunderland were a team that had the opportunity to do that. They've had money to spend, some good base talent and they had the opportunity to hire a proven Premier League manager in Martin O'Neill. However, a slip on that way to the vision has led to a desperate change that may or may not work out for the best in the short-term, but definitely cannot be good in the long-term.

O'Neill has perhaps sometimes been a little over-rated as a manager. However, there's little doubt that he knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to the EPL. He knows how to build a squad, manage players and put together a decent tactical base. He has demonstrated those qualities conclusively during spells with Leicester City and Aston Villa.

O'Neill was given money to spend last summer and he spent it. His signings and overall squad did not produce the expected level of results.

Sunderland's last win came on January 19 in an important 3-2 decision away against Wigan. It looked at that point like O'Neill's team were on the path to a solid mid-table finish. However, their next eight games would see understandable losses against Man Utd, Arsenal and West Brom; tough draws against Swansea and Fulham, a bad draw against Norwich City and bad losses to Reading and QPR. Those results have left Sunderland only one point clear of the relegation spots.

It was another for the club as they dismissed O'Neill and hired Paolo Di Canio. There are two crucial factors in determining the better manager for Sunderland. First, which is the better man for the job in the short-term and second, which the better man for the job in the long-term.

Di Canio and his flamboyant personality might ignite some short-term energy out of this team. It is equally likely that the lack of higher level managing experience will have a negative impact on his performance. In the long-term, he has no knowledge of building a successful Premier League team and he struggled to operate a successful relationship with the executive in Swindon. His temperament will be seriously tested in Sunderland as well.

Meanwhile, O'Neill is a man used to handling clubs of Sunderland's size. He is used to the battle for survival in the Premier League and knows what the next seven games will be like. He has also been a part of several longer building processes both at Leicester and Aston Villa. He brought European football to both of those clubs.

Sunderland should have too much talent to suffer relegation this season. However, it's hard to reconcile their decision to fire O'Neill and hire Di Canio as a positive one.