EPL Talk » spurs

Cesc Fabregas Claims the Armband

Richard Zervakos — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:11:30 +0000

Every summer sees rampant speculation that Barcelona will finally pull Cesc Fabregas away from Arsenal. In the lead up to Saturday’s North London Derby, even former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor once again fueled rumors by saying that if Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League, then Fabregas will be on his way to Catalunya come summer.

Ade’s comments speak to his confidence that his own Manchester City have what it takes to break in to the oligarchy at the top. Robbie Keane’s midweek comments, in which he claimed that Tottenham’s bench was stronger than Arsenal’s, show that he believes Spurs can challenge as well. But as Aston Villa can attest from last season, and Tottenham can attest from 2006: breaking into the top four is no mean feat, and it requires practically perfect concentration for a season that spans 10 months. In the day’s early kickoff, Arsenal hosted their most bitter foes in a match where the visitors were looking to prove their credentials for Europe’s top club competition.

Instead, what was on display yet again was Cesc Fabregas’s commitment to the Arsenal cause. Earlier in the season, he celebrated a goal by kissing his badge and pointing to the stands, as if to say once more that he is indeed an Arsenal player for the long term. Today, Fabregas collected a loose ball at the halfway line, beat two players, nutmegged Ledley King, and then coolly drilled the ball into the low near corner–in a manner that was reminiscent of Thierry Henry’s famous Bernabeu solo effort (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuCL2wvjOtU) –before jubilantly sprinting toward the stands in celebration. While Robin van Persie’s breakthrough goal gave Arsenal a slightly fortunate lead, the captain’s strike was both a literal goal that put the game beyond Spurs, and a figurative statement to fans and foes alike: that this team will go as far as Cesc Fabregas will take them.

Earlier in the season, Pat Dolan of Setanta Sports criticized Fabregas for not celebrating enthusiastically enough when he scored a late goal. While Dolan’s commentary is often prescient, in that case it seemed to be a bit of a reach. Fabregas is in the unfortunate position of having to constantly deny that he has designs on returning to Spain. He has said whenever asked that he would like to go back someday, but not in the near future. This is the sort of game that clearly demonstrates that his heart is with the Gunners–and he showed his fans exactly that with a spectacular effort against their fiercest rivals.

On top of the performance of Fabregas, it should be noted that Arsenal finally managed to keep a clean sheet and by all rights should have had more goals. Eduardo, a first half substitute for the injured Nicklas Bendtner (whose groin pull will be one of the few low points of the match), spurned three legitimate chances to score. Two of those chances were efforts that he ordinarily would make short work of, and the third was a header that he could easily have put to either side of Heurelho Gomes. Abou Diaby made a great run late on a corner, only to have the ball hit his shoulder instead of his head, and Ramsey and Fabregas had a fantastic opportunity right at the death to pile more misery on Spurs, but one would suspect that the injury to Sebastien Bassong and the three goal lead led to their weak concession of the ball.

All of this came on the heels of the late collapses at West Ham and AZ Alkmaar (excepting Liverpool in the Carling Cup because of the vastly different sides). What Arsene Wenger must do is use this victory, and all its positives, to push Arsenal onward and upward. If they can learn to keep a clean sheet and keep scoring three goals even when spurning five other clear chances, then the title race will surely have to include a North London team–and no, Robbie Keane, not Tottenham.

Man United: The Empire Strikes Back

Arjun Talwar — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Liverpool winning 3-1 away at the KC stadium. Surely, no-one expected anything less if not anything more. The reigning champions level again for the umpteenth time, their leaky defence ensuring that the goal difference keeps them behind Liverpool in second place. Yes, they did have two games in hand but chasing points and championships is not the most comfortable proposition especially when you have key Champions League encounters looming on the horizon. Hence, the Red Devils didn’t exactly have a cakewalk waiting for them at the theater of dreams this weekend.

Spurs have rescued their season somewhat considering it was their worst ever start to a season. The Lilywhites didn’t have much to play for coming in to Old Trafford. Although winning the last 5 of their 6 games, a mostly fit squad, the fact that United had one eye on their Champions League semi-final, Spurs were looking to be a decent bet to pick up something from the game. But their record against the champions, with their last win at Old Trafford coming in 1989 didn’t inspire much confidence for the London outfit. The expected changes were made with the young Brazilian Rafael Da Silva taking his rightful place at right-back while Rio Ferdinand and Nani also returned to the mix. As for Spurs, injuries to Michael Dawson and Roman Pavlyuchenko meant that Ledley King started and Darren Bent retained his place up-top.

Both teams started brightly enough ensuring a good battle in prospect. Clearly, Tottenham had done their homework and reminiscent of their last encounter in the Carling Cup final, Aaron Lennon, once again, ran circles around Patrice Evra. United simply failed to curb the Spurs movement down the right flank. While around the same time, Wilson Palacios lunged viciously with both feet up at the tackle-magnet Cristiano Ronaldo prompting the latter to avoid it by jumping at the last moment. Howard Webb was oblivious to the whole incident. Back to the right flank, united were being driven out of their own territory. The French left-back looked clueless against Lennon, possibly his greatest nemesis in his Manchester United career uptil now. It took 28 minutes for the inevitable to happen when Vedran Corluka and Lennon combined down the right with the Croat crossing for Bent with the ball falling in between Vidic and Ferdinand and Bent on hand to smash it home.

Tottenham 1 – 0 Manchester United: Old Trafford – Silence.

Three minutes later, Lennon still terrorizing the united defence down the right but crossing himself this time for the poaching Bent. The Englishman flicked the ball to the far post where Rafael went AWOL leaving Luka Modric free to bang it in.

Tottenham 2 – 0 Manchester United: Old Trafford – In shock. (Merseyside – popping Champagne).

The goal bringing back bitter memories for the united fans as Porto scored a last minute equalizer the same way in the Champions League quarter finals. The ones looking on in the stadium or through different means through out the world were stunned more so by United’s play than by the scoreline. United, incensed, went all out but a couple of unsuccessful free kicks and corners was their only reward.

HALFTIME.

FlashBack :
Date: 29 September 2001
Place: White Hart Lane, London

United trailing 3-0 at half-time looking down and out after being thoroughly outplayed in the first. But changes at half-time, some hairdryer treatment by the fiery Scot had the red devils transformed in the second half. What transpired after that is highly placed now in the united folklore. United smashed in 5 goals ending up hammering the spurs 5-3. Surely, the United faithful were hoping for an encore.

Changes again at half-time with Carlos Tevez replacing Nani, Fergie looked to increase the tempo. United looked like a team possessed, urgent and hungry to reclaim their throne at the top of the table. Some vintage United-esque play between Berbatov and Ronaldo saw the Portuguese but a good save from Gomes ensured that the scoreline wasnt disturbed. Minutes later, Rooney found Carrick running in the box with a superb ball prompting Gomes to come out to save the former Tottenham man from scoring. Instead, he brought down Carrick albeit getting a touch on the ball in the process, but Mr. Webb generously awarding united a penalty. A more suitable scoreline you think would have prompted a different decision. The enigmatic Portuguese stepped up, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slammed the ball straight down the middle sending Gomes the wrong way.

Manchester United 1 – 2 Tottenham: Old Trafford – Faith Renewed.

Adrenalin was pumping, united were smelling blood and Paul Scholes was brought on for Fletcher to extract more creativity. Within minutes, Berbatov held the ball up well to feed Tevez who found Rooney on the left and Wazza cut inside, found space and smashed it past the former PSV man at the near post.

Manchester United 2 – 2 Tottenham: Old Trafford – Electric.

The Red Devils were pumped up and even the spurs knew what was coming. In under a minute, Super Roon beat Lennon on the left before sending a delectable cross to a sprinting Ronaldo who obliged by heading past Gomes sending the red half of Manchester into raptures.

Manchester United 3 – 2 Tottenham. Old Trafford – Wild euphoria!!

Tottenham looked on in despair, trying to find some sense in all that was happening. United were far from done as Ronaldo sent in a ball from the right to a prowling Rooney in the box. The English hitman fired it past Gomes but a last ditch save from Woodgate wasnt enough to keep it from trickling over the line to give united some breathing space.

Manchester United 4 – 2 Tottenham: Old Trafford – Normal service resumed.

United a touch slower now, but rampant nonetheless. The red devils displaying exhibition football and spurs waiting for the misery to end. Rooney, master of creativity for the day, strolled past Lennon before chipping in a ball from the left for the lurking Berbatov who headed an effort only to be parried by Gomes but scrappily putting it in the back of the net ultimately.

Manchester United 5 – 2 Tottenham. Old Trafford – At their loudest best this season.

United climbing back to the summit

Twenty two minutes, 5 goals, and United making a statement about their verve and style, something they haven’t done a lot this season. But as a certain gentlemen calling this to be a ’squeaky-bum’ time, the Red Devils couldn’t have found their rhythm at a better time. The hairdryer from the gaffer, a masterstroke substitution and United rediscovering their passion, a recipe which ended a potential upset into a rout. But expect more twists and turns as the BPL is at its topsy-turvy best. As for Arsenal and their makeshift defence, they should be worried.

Gazzas Good

Ross Gallacher — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:31:59 +0000

This Sunday, Paul Gascoigne appeared on Match of the Day 2 as a pundit/guest. This was part of a triumvirate of televisual appearances. One in which perhaps we have seen a refreshing look a man we have all been seriously worried about, a man all who love football deeply care about and one we are worried that could be another George Best happening in front of our eyes.

However, this whistle stop tour of television Gazza has recently been on was largely positive, which gives the football world hope that the lost boy of English football has finally been found. Furthermore Newcastle fans finally have something to be happy about through these dark times.

Paul Gascoigne, the former England, Newcastle, Spurs, Lazio, Rangers, Everton and Middlesbrough legend was in trouble. This time last year he was on a self destruct mission, indulging in addictions to drugs, drink and prescription medications. This great of the game was blighted by severe depression which ultimately manifested itself in psychotic episodes of paranoia, removal from reality and OCD.

This culminated in multiple apparent suicide attempts and twice being sectioned under the mental health act. The front pages of British tabloids were covered by pictures of Gazza being led out of hotels in Gateshead by police and paramedics. Some of the more bizarre stories about Gazza’s tormented lifestyle consisted of talking to robotic parrots, an addiction to the Nintendo Wii and repeatedly phoning his dad asking for help in chess matches v American presidents.

This all reached a climax in the hardest documentary ever to watch, Surviving Gazza broadcast in January on the UK’s channel 4. The documentary focused on Gazza’s relationship with his ex wife Cheryl and his step children Bianca and Mason also his son Regan. On the impact he had on their lives in the final scenes; under the advice of an apparent “expert” they were told to ditch Gazza out of their lives completely. One of the hardest scenes in it was Paul’s young son Regan saying he wished his dad was dead for the hurt he had brought to his family.

From that to his appearance on Sunday night, the difference is clear as day, sure Gazza looks skeletal at times and maybe is not all there occasionally but he appears to be in his best state for years. He is more cogent than ever and alleges he has been clean for fifteen months and sober for four. No longer is the former BBC sports personality of the year 1990 going on crazy drunken binges with Iron Maiden which were surely killing the England great.

In his appearance on Soccer AM, Gazza was on absolute top form which was brilliant to see. They bigged up his ego which sure might have seemed mad but was very heart warming. They included his goal, possibly the greatest ever scored against my nation in their flagship showboat sequence (highlights of the best bits of footballing skill that week).

The Birmingham fans in the studio repeatedly chanted the Geordie footballers name. In asking Gazza about his former team mates, they brought out the best in the man. He was very intelligent, clever and witty in his talk and produced the greatest responses to that regular line of Soccer AM questioning. This was apparently all thanks to the sporting chance clinic of Tony Adams which appears to have done a great job here.

It was brilliant to see this great of the game getting some sort of public rehabilitation. As he even said himself on his Match of the Day appearance it was to build up confidence. Confidence is vital for anyone in the public spotlight as much as himself and can arguably have just as great an effect on an individual as advice from doctors.

It’s also brilliant that the man is on his way to getting grounded, in his own words his schedule consists of training every morning then eating rice and pasta at his “mams”. Maybe living with his mother was what the man needed, the only person who can maybe fully forgive him for indiscretions and heal this tortured soul.

In being back home he is away from such tomfoolery of the past, possibly harder to associate with idiot drinking buddies like Chris Evans and Danny Baker. The man is never going to live a normal life certainly, but he is on his way to something stable and healthy. Let’s hope the Gascoigne line will get redemption, as there is new hope for that and the revival of Newcastle.

That hope comes in the form of one Cameron Gascoigne, aged seven, nephew of Paul who recently signed a contract with Newcastle United after scoring an incredible magpie (the new term for 22 goals in a single match) in just 30 minutes in a junior game. Redemption for the Gascoigne name, and who knows Geordie’s maybe in a few years this young lad could be your third messiah.

Man United and Spurs Fans Prepare For A Face Off

The Gaffer — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:39:45 +0000

Here are some of my favorite football stories from the day that you may have missed:

“Your Chants To Help Charity” (Man United Official Website). In addition to Carling allowing fans to create their own banners for the pitch-side advertising for this Sunday’s final, Carling has now come up a new, unique idea. Along with Sky Sports, Carling will have sound meters set up at both ends of Wembley. If the decibel level hits 110 dB, Carling will donate £20,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. TV viewers will be able to see the “Fan-O-Meter” on live TV to see what the decibel levels are for the Man United and Spurs fans. What an excellent idea.
“Cigarette Cards” (Some People Are On The Pitch). If you’re a collector of soccer memorabilia, one area that is often overlooked is cigarette cards. Panini stickers get so much attention but, long before there were stickers, there were cigarette cards. SPAOTP go through the history of cigarette cards as well as highlighting a few special cards.

In other news from around the leagues in the world via our new-and-improved sister sites:

“Streit Declares ‘To Hell With Jens, I Am The Biggest Douche Nozzle In The League’” (Bundesliga Talk). Albert Streit, the Hamburger SV midfielder, is giving Jens Lehman a run for his money in Germany, according to writer Double Pivot.
“Champions League Mythbusters: The 5 Minute Rule” (Champions League Talk). How often are goals scored during the five minute rule? i.e. five minutes into a half, five minutes left in a half, and five minutes after a goal is scored. You may be very surprised after you read Scott Bennett’s research.
“Can Guzan Get The Job Done?” (Major League Soccer Talk). Kartik Krishnaiyer, who has been in the news quite often recently due to his uncensored opinions about David Beckham, tackles the topic of Brad Guzan and whether he will be able to successfully step in for the suspended Tim Howard in the next game for the US national team.
“Serie A Teams Disappoint In Champions League” (Serie A Talk). It wasn’t a good week for Italian sides. Roma lost to Arsenal. Juventus lost to Chelsea. Inter Milan were outplayed at home, but got a 0-0 draw against Man United. George Metellus examines the carnage.
“2009 Copa Libertadores Weekly Roundup” (World Cup Buzz). George Metellus tackles the topic of the latest games in the 2009 Copa Libertadores tournament on their way to earning a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.

If you’re new to EPL Talk, I highly recommend that you subscribe to EPL Talk’s Shared Items from Google Reader. Each day we pick out some of the stories of interest. It’s impossible for us to cover all of the stories on EPL Talk, so the Shared Items are a perfect complement to ensure you’re able to stay on top of the news.

Tottenham Keeper Gomes Denies Man United

James Harris — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:11:11 +0000

Heurelho Gomes has grabbed his share of the headlines this season mostly for reasons that I am sure he and Spurs fans alike would rather not relive. In the first 3 months of the season it seemed a match week did not go by without the White Hart Lane faithful grimacing and groaning at another howler by the Brazilian between the sticks. If there were a goalkeeping nightmare reel compiled for the EPL thus far this season, the Spurs keeper would feature prominently.

To be fair he seems to have improved in recent games but the spotlight was burning bright as Manchester United paid a visit to the Lane for the Saturday evening marquee match of the weekend.

There has been plenty written about the upturn in the fortunes of Tottenham since Redknapp’s arrival but the goalkeeping position remains closely scrutinized in the Spurs quarters of North London. With the improvement in Tottenham’s form and United ominously starting to threaten Liverpool and Chelsea at the top of the table, this game garnered match of the week billing, heading into round 17. The return of Dimitar Berbatov added to the spice and intrigue, although his status appeared questionable until kick-off.

The game, for the most part, lived up to the hype despite the typical appalling weather, and it was played in front of a great atmosphere. Although Spurs had their chances, testing Van Der Sar on more than a couple of occasions, as expected it was the men in red that controlled long periods of the play. The first half was relatively quiet in terms of goal attempts. But Gomes had to be alert when O’Shea drove in a cross around the 6 yard box that even the crescendo of boos could not have prevented Berbatov from tapping in, had it not been for a quick reaction from the Spurs keeper to get down and knock the chance away.

As United drove forward in the second half Gomes rose to the occasion and appeared to gain in confidence as the match progressed. His performance included a good save from a Vidic shot before he tipped over a rasping drive from Ji-Sung Park. He saved his best effort for the dying seconds as he brilliantly turned away a Ryan Giggs free-kick that looked destined to give Fergie’s boys all the points in injury time for consecutive weeks. The only time he was beaten was from a corner that Ronaldo hammered in, correctly ruled out for handball.

Van der Sar, in the United goal, certainly was not the spectator that he was last week at home to Sunderland as Bentley in particular lashed a couple of goal bound efforts that forced the Dutchman into 2 very good saves. The match finished nil-nil due to the goalkeeping performances on both sides. We might be accustomed to such displays from United’s stopper but there is no doubt Gomes stole the show on this occasion and gained his team a valuable point against very tough opposition.

Who knows if this form will continue? Maybe it was a one off and it is just a matter of time before the next howler. But if yesterday’s match was an indication of the Spurs’ keeper’s capabilities, and assuming he can deliver some consistency, then maybe Harry will have less to worry about between the posts at White Hart Lane.