Harry Redknapp claimed Tottenham's 4-1 Champions League victory over FC Twente justified the attacking line-up he sent out at White Hart Lane.
The game was full of controversy as the hosts were awarded three penalties while Rafael van der Vaart was given his marching orders for two bookable offences.
Van der Vaart opened the scoring in the 46th minute after missing a first-half penalty.
Two more spot-kick from Roman Pavlyuchenko sandwiched a reply from Nacer Chadli before van der Vaart saw red for a second bookable offence.
However, Gareth Bale made sure of the points and a first ever Champions League group stage victory for the north London club with a third goal in the 85th minute.
Redknapp had named an attacking line-up and at full-time claimed his decision was fully vindicated.
"We picked an open team who went for it," he said."We could have played with one up with van der Vaart behind, but went for it and got four goals.
"It was a fantastic result. We won 4-1 so I picked the right team. It's not a problem.
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"You pick different teams for different games. I felt we'd take a chance but there are certain games where you wouldn't do that.
"It was a great night for us. It was a great atmosphere and we won the game. You can't do much more than that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
On the one hand we have Premier League managers complaining, perhaps rightly so, about fixture congestion. On the other hand we have the same managers calling for a winter break. The words ‘having’, ‘cake’ and ‘eating’ spring to mind. I don’t think you’ll find many managers, players or fans who, at some point or other, have not felt aggrieved by the often unkind fixture list. It is not uncommon in England to play three games a week, particularly if you happen to play in European competitions as well as domestic ones. However just how a winter break, which would mean the same amount of seasonal games having to be played in a shorter amount of time, would help fixture congestion?
Whilst admitting that the hectic Christmas schedule is part of ‘the charm and craziness of English football’ the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger complains on at least a bi-annual basis about the lack of breathing space in between games. I don’t begrudge him that. His complaints, along with those of Roberto Mancini and many other managers are perfectly valid. The situation is often farcical; however their demands for a winter break seem juxtaposed with said complaints. You could argue that a short two week break, like the one Wenger has called for, involving ‘a week to rest and a week to prepare’ would allow the players to better deal with the rigours of having to play quite so much football. However in taking those two weeks in January the players will have to make up for it at some other time of the year. Many managers seem to believe that in adding a winter break they would be adding weeks on to the year. To accuse the FA and the Premier League of failing to give a winter break, like they have in continental leagues, and also failing to provide an acceptable fixture list seems rather childish without the provision of a proposed solution to the problem of where to place these games.
There are two main problems that we have in England. Firstly we have two domestic cup competitions. A situation that is not common in Europe. There are some other countries that do this but not all do. Therefore immediately the idea of a two-week winter break seems impossible if we are to include those extra games. The second problem is that, like some but not all leagues, we have a squad limit of 25 players (not including those players who are under twenty-one years of age). This means that some clubs, like Arsenal, are in a position where they need to buy more players but they already have a full squad. Therefore despite being involved in more competitions they are not allowed more players. Proportionately to the lower clubs the top clubs therefore have a smaller player to games played ratio.
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Clearly you cannot allow some clubs to have larger squads just because they are involved in more competitions, however changes to squad rules can be made. For example, in France the squad limit is ninety-nine players. Obviously not all of those squad spaces would be used, however the teams that were in other competitions, such as the Champions League, would be able to use the money they received from that competition to buy extra players to lighten the load on the rest of the squad.
I’m not against having a winter break, nor am I always happy with the fixture list, but it is important to recognise that these problems are not necessarily connected. It is important to recognise that there are external, and potentially unavoidable, factors that hinder English clubs. The other point to remember is that, on the whole, all English teams are in the same boat. Even those not involved in European cups still have cause for complaint when to comes demanding fixture lists. Perhaps clubs should also be looking in the mirror before complaining about such issues. After all clubs such as Barcelona manage to, season after season, go all the way in every single competition they enter whilst still achieving success. Yes, the physical demands of our league might be greater but it is still something worth considering before Premier League managers start to point the finger.
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Germany’s squad has come together ahead of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they will fight to retain the title on home soil.The squad, which bears little resemblance to that which claimed the title in China four years earlier, posed for group and individual photos in Cologne on Monday as the kickoff to the tournament nears.
Captain Birgit Prinz, one of the few remaining faces from the 2007 squad, has already announced she will retire following the World Cup.
The 33-year-old three-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year said it is still too early to say if the new-look German squad will be able to repeat their previous success, but is looking forward to the tournament all the same.
“The team still needs to find its feet,” Prinz told FIFA.com last week.
“In 2007 we functioned very well as a team and the various pillars of the side just fitted together perfectly. We had some great individual players and were well-organised tactically.”
“We’ll have to see what happens in 2011. Once again we’re in with a great chance, but we need to grow together as a team and function as a unit.”
“My enthusiasm is growing constantly. Obviously we’re favourites, but really it’s a win-win situation for us. We’ve got nothing to lose and just want to play good football.”
Germany face Canada in their opening group fixture on June 26. The final will take place in Frankfurt on July 17.
Tottenham are set to boost their goalkeeping options with the capture of Stipe Pletikosa on loan.
Croatia international Pletikosa will join the north London club on a season-long loan following a successful trial.
Harry Redknapp confirmed the move following Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League victory over Young Boys at White Hart Lane.
During the second leg of their European play-off, Redknapp saw first-choice keeper Heurelho Gomes pick up an injury which required Carlo Cudicini to enter the fray at half-time.
Cudicini himself had not featured since last November after being involved in a motorcycle accident which threatened to end his career.
Meanwhile, Redknapp has played down suggestions that qualification for the lucrative group stages of the Champions League will lead to a late flurry in the transfer market.
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"I hope to go away with my wife for a few days and I do not see anything happening," he said.
"I am really not too bothered if we get anybody else. I have not pressed the chairman to buy anybody."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With the Premier League season reaching the half way point, supporters are in the perfect position to assess their team’s performances and the areas in which their football club need to improve. Once again the Premier League has been broken up into three tiers, with each team facing their own private battle.
Unlike previous years there has certainly been some stability on the managerial front with only Steve Bruce succumbing to the bullet so far, as clubs look to show patience with their managers to turn around their current plights. The managers may not be so patient with players at their disposal and may look to make significant changes in the January transfer window.
The January transfer window is loved and loathed in equal measures, with many managers and supporters alike welcoming the opportunity to freshen things up, while others see it as a source of distraction. History shows it is a renowned place for panic buying, as last January certainly proved, but there have been notable successes in the past that shows it can be a significant period to turn around a club’s fortunes. I feel the African Cup of Nations and the unprecedented amount of long term injuries we have seen will force many club’s hands and subsequently we can expect to see another expensive month for many Premier League chairman.
So how do you feel about Liverpool’s fortunes so far this season and would you look to see changes made this January window? Who would you like to see brought in and ultimately who would you like to see moved out in the coming weeks?
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Vancouver striker Eric Hassli keeps making headlines as New England rode a last-gasp equaliser to a 1-1 draw at the Whitecaps on Wednesday.A designated player signing from Swiss club FC Zurich, Frenchman Hassli scored from the penalty spot on 60 minutes to put the Whitecaps within touch of their second-ever Major League Soccer win.
But he picked up his second yellow card in the ensuing celebrations after removing one of two playing shirts he was wearing and throwing it into the crowd.
The Revolution eventually capitalised on their man advantage deep in stoppage time through Serbian substitute Ilija Stolica, whose headed goal in the 93rd-minute preserved New England’s unbeaten start to the season for another week.
Remarkably, Hassli was one of three players to receive their marching orders in the game, with team-mate Gershon Koffie sent off in the 44th minute for a stray elbow and New England defender AJ Soares dismissed for a clattering challenge on Atiba Harris late in the game.
Hassli now has three goals from as many games in his stint with the Whitecaps, but has also picked up two red cards.
The Whitecaps move to fourth on the Western Conference table following the draw, while New England narrowly retain their lead in the East from the Philadelphia Union.
Nicolas Anelka has laughed off the 18-match suspension from the French national team which has effectively ended his international career.
The Chelsea striker was handed the punishment by the French Football Federation on Tuesday following his conduct at the recent World Cup in South Africa.
The 31-year-old was sent home from a tournament in which Les Bleus failed to win a game following a row with coach Raymond Domenech.
Anelka's bust-up with his now former international coach came at half-time in their second match of a turbulent tournament, which ended in 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
The French players subsequently refused to train in the build-up to a 2-1 defeat to South Africa which ended their hopes of reaching the second round.
However, following a disciplinary hearing in Paris, Anelka has laughed off the lengthy punishment which was handed down.
The 69-times capped striker did not attend the hearing which also resulted in shorter bans for international captain Patrice Evra, plus team-mates Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan.
"For me, this whole commission thing is a nonsense, a charade not to lose face," Anelka told France-Soir.
"The so-called punishment has no relevance whatsoever because, for me, the French national team was an issue which ended on June 19 when I was kicked out of the training centre at Knysna.
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"This is just to entertain the public, to turn the page because (new coach) Laurent Blanc needs to be able to work in peace.
"These people are clowns. I am dying with laughter."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Liverpool face tough competition from Juventus to sign highly rated Bologna striker Gaston Ramirez in January, according to talkSPORT this morning.
The Uruguayan playmaker has impressed for Bologna so far this season scoring three times for a side on the brink of the relegation places in Serie A and Kenny Dalglish has been a long term admirer. Ramirez caught the eye of Europe’s top clubs last year but interest has fallen away since this season began.
The £15million rated playmaker; broke into the Uruguay national side last year but missed out on the country’s successful Copa America tournament last summer and his omission from that squad has prompted him to look for a new club. Ramirez is looking to sign for one of Europe’s top clubs and Liverpool would certainly fit the bill.
Dalglish is looking to fellow countrymen Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates to nudge Ramirez in the direction of Merseyside as he looks to bolster his shallow strike force. Suarez is facing a lengthy suspension and Andy Carroll is struggling to find any form so the competition would be welcomed.
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Serie A league leader Juventus are also looking at the Uruguayan and they will have the perfect opportunity to run the rule over the forward as the Old Lady take on Bologna in tonight’s Coppa Italia quarter final in Turin.
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho was delighted with his players after they beat cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Saturday.Goals to Karim Benzema and Mesut Oezil scored first-half goals for Real and, although Atletico grabbed an equaliser in the dying stages through Sergio Aguero, Mourinho’s side hung for an crucial away victory.”It was a very important victory. Atletico Madrid played a great game and were excellent in attack. For us it was a great win,” Mourinho told Eurosport.”Things were difficult for us. In the first half we controlled the game very well and in the second we have been able to contain Atleti. The second half was very difficult for us. We did not have the necessary intensity and we were tired, especially (Cristiano) Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.”Argentina attacker Angel Di Maria was left out of the side and replaced by French midfielder Lassana Diarra in order to make the side more compact, according to Mourinho.”I opted for three midfielders because I knew the team was tired and to make the team more compact,” he said.”I wanted to rest some players but I did want to risk our championship chances ending today. It was a risk but you have to take each day as it comes. Now we will have three days of rest.”Mourinho reserved special praise for the ‘fantastic’ Iker Casillas and also made mention of referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes’ performance.”The referee had a great game as it is not difficult to officiate such a match,” he said.”Perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo could have had a penalty but overall he had a great game.”
You may love or loathe the transfer windows but it certainly has most football supporters fixated to the rumour mills on a daily basis. I don’t know many fans that don’t go straight to the BBC’s gossip column as a first port of call every morning, before they move on to SkySports.com. Most of what is written is complete tosh; however it doesn’t stop many buying into what they have read. I guess everyone just loves a rumour, despite how outlandish they might be.
One thing that does amuse me about those who bite at the rumours is their sheer naivety and this belief that the club have a bottomless pit of money and cannot understand why player X Y and Z won’t be playing for their club next season. There is a lot to be said for a little bit of realism and general understanding of the complexity of club finances. Sometimes players have to be sacrificed in order to raise funds to strengthen elsewhere, or clubs have a restricted budget due to incompetent owners or the need to finance new stadia. Money doesn’t grow on trees and therefore clubs have to live within their means.
So what about your club this summer? No doubt you have been taken in by some of the rumours, poured cold water over some and I’m sure there is a long list of players that you will be happy to see the club cash in on during the coming weeks. The transfer window, with the exception of City, has been somewhat constipated up to this point, although I’m sure it won’t be long before the transfer storm starts to erupt.
Who would you like to see arrive at Villa Park during the next five weeks, and equally who should be issued with their P45?
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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