Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has stated that he believes his side will follow last season’s blueprint in order to escape Premier League relegation.
The Latics are right in the thick of danger, and are bottom of the table with ten games to go.
Despite this, the Spanish coach feels his side can escape the drop once more.
“The last campaign we were in a similar position, probably a worse position with 10 games to go, so we know exactly what we have to get through and what level we have to reproduce,” he told The Sun.
“The hardest thing in football or in life in general is going into the unknown.
“We would prefer to be in a different position but the truth is we know what to expect and we know what to do and we can control our destiny by performing well.
“The last campaign was a really good experience. The youngsters at our football club are ready to cope with what’s ahead of us and that’s a real strength.
“Experience is a big word and sometimes it’s difficult to describe it but clearly it’s a strength now,” he concluded.
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Wigan face West Brom at home on Saturday in a game they will feel they can get points from.
It’s an “English week” in the Bundesliga due to there being midweek fixtures in Germany’s top flight. There’s one game on Wednesday which is likely to receive all the attention though – Borussia Dortmund versus Bayern Munich.
Germany’s top two sides secured tight wins at the weekend to ensure there’s still only three points between the pair going into Wednesday night’s encounter. Both had to fight hard for their victories at the weekend but each side’s talisman came to the fore when it mattered most.
Augsburg travelled to the Allianz Arena as underdogs but such has been the way Jos Luhukay’s team has been playing lately, they couldn’t be discounted. Although when Mario Gomez netted Bayern’s first after just 24 seconds, you could have been forgiven for thinking another rout was about to take place in Munich.
However, the visitors displayed why prior to the game they’d only lost one of their nine last league games. After having an effort cleared off the line, Augsburg grabbed the equaliser through Ja-Cheol Koo’s strike midway through the first half.
The newly promoted side were unable to resist Bayern in the second period as Mario Gomez scored the winner after an hour. It was also his 25th in the Bundesliga this season as he leads Schalke’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar by two goals at the top of the scoring charts.
Robert Lewandowski is Borussia Dortmund’s top scorer but he is still seven goals off Gomez. Nevertheless, Jürgen Klopp won’t mind too much as long his side continue to top the table. His Polish forward was the goal hero on Saturday for the Black and Yellows in their victory against Wolfsburg.
Like Augsburg, the Wolves have been playing well of late as Felix Magath’s team have even occupied a Europa League spot in the table. Despite running BVB close, they were eventually edged out at the VW arena. Lewandowski slid in the first after good work from Ivan Perisic on the left.
Borussia’s second saw some neat footwork by Ilkay Gündogan before the defensive midfielder unleashed a great curling effort from inside the box to double Dortmund’s lead. Mario Mandzukic pulled Wolfsburg back into the game before Alexander Madlung was sent off. The centre back’s dismissal was evident after a stray pass at the back saw Lewandowski go clear and nonchalantly flick the ball past Diego Benaglio.
Attention now turns to the game on Wednesday night. Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said BVB will win the title if they are victorious on Wednesday night whilst Bayern Munich’s President Uli Hoeness is convinced the Bavarians will be German champions if they win the game in the Ruhr.
“The moment of truth comes when we play in Dortmund,” declared Hoeness. Bayern’s run to the end of the season is more favourable than Dortmund’s but they also have to contend with being in the Champions League. Dortmund on the other hand now enter an eleven day period which will show whether they have the mettle to retain the Bundesliga. The Champions face the other members of the top four, including their arch-rivals Schalke who will be desperate to deny Borussia.
This season though could prove a seminal moment for German football. If Bayern win the title, the old order is restored as they would maintain their record of not going two years without a title since 1996. That year it was Borussia Dortmund who won back-to-back championships. If the Black and Yellows do retain the Bundesliga in 2012, it could usher in a new era in Germany where Bayern don’t rule supreme. Wednesday night might not prove definitive but it has the feeling of being a watershed moment nevertheless.
So call it what you want. The Bundeslásico, first versus second, Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich – there’s no escaping from the enormity of Wednesday night’s game at Signal Iduna Park which promises to be a fascinating encounter.
For more musings on the Bundesliga, follow @archiert1
Matchday 29 Results:
Bayern Munich 2-1 Augsburg
Cologne 1-1 Werder Bremen
Freiburg 2-2 Nuremberg
Kaiserslautern 1-2 Hoffenheim
Stuttgart 4-1 Mainz
Wolfsburg 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
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Manchester City are lining up a sensational transfer move for AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with a £25 million bid in the offing according to The Sun.
The Sweden international is believed to be slightly frustrated with the Rossoneri’s surrender of the Scudetto to Juventus this term, and wants assurances from Massimiliano Allegri’s men after the likes of Alessandro Nesta, Mark van Bommel and Rino Gattuso were allowed to leave the club.
The newly-crowned Premier League champions are set to take advantage of Milan’s transitional period, and will make Ibrahimovic the highest-paid player in the country should be decide to move to the Etihad Stadium.
Roberto Mancini’s men are rumoured to be ready to offer the Scandinavian marksman £300,000 a week to tempt him to move to England.
The Italian trainer is thought to be a huge admirer of Ibrahimovic, and signed the Swede for Inter back in 2006.
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Paul Scholes is believed to be receptive to the idea of featuring for England this summer and will talk to new manager Roy Hodgson about the possibility, according to The Guardian.
The veteran Manchester United midfielder came out of retirement in January, and has been a key player for the Red Devils in the second half of the season.
With Sir Alex Ferguson confirming that Scholes will not feature for Team GB this summer at the Olympics, a trip to Euro 2012 may well be on the cards for the ageing playmaker.
Scholes retired from international football back in 2004 due to become disillusioned at playing out of position and the amount of time that it took him away from his family, but is believed to be interested in a swansong on the national stage.
Hodgson is set to release his England squad on Wednesday, and will talk to Scholes beforehand to gauge the player’s interest at being included.
Meanwhile, West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster has reiterated that he will not come out of international retirement for Euro 2012.
“I’m still exactly the same. I’ve had a very good chat with the boss this week and he has told me of his plans and stuff,” the stopper told Sky Sports.
“I’ve said all along my best form has been since I retired from England and I feel my body gets a good rest, and I feel it needs that rest as well.
“Not only that, the fact I’ve got a young family now, and the family is very big with me. I’ve got a three and a four-year-old and they do take up a lot of my time.
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“I make no secret, I miss them when I’m away with England. For me, I prefer to spend that time with the family than being away from them,” he concluded.
Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has stated that he may well decide to stay on at the club after Harry Redknapp’s dismissal.
The Brazilian stopper did not feature in competitive fixtures for the north London side in 2011-12, as Redknapp preferred Brad Friedel as his number one and Carlo Cudicini as a back-up.
With the South American third-choice, a January move was thought to be on the cards, but Gomes stuck it out at White Hart Lane.
His decision may well be vindicated after Redknapp’s axing, and he is now eager to see what the future holds under a new manager.
“It was a hard season,” he confessed to The Sun.
“I was desperate to leave. Now things have changed as the manager left last week. I want to return to the national team but I have to play first,” he concluded.
Gomes is reputed as an excellent shot-stopper but frustrated Spurs fans with erratic displays in the 2010-11 season and mistakes that cost the side domestically and in the Champions League.
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Following the bitter disappointment of Play-off Final defeat on penalties around a month ago, lots of speculation has followed as to what the future lies in store for the Blades. Who will go? Who will stay? What will happen during the new season?
Personally, I believe that if we were to have the exact same team next season as we had last season, then we would win the league. However we’re already lacking a goal-scorer in the squad after losing striker Ched Evans, due to reasons I am sure you all already aware of…
Also, we seem to be without an established first team goalkeeper following the release of Steve Simonsen. Furthermore, I wouldn’t imagine too many people to be shocked if we were to lose at least some of Harry Maguire, Matt Lowton, Kevin McDonald, Stephen Quinn and Lee Williamson. I’m not saying they will all certainly leave, not at all. But they’re definitely all realistic.
Therefore, what are we going to do about the squad for next season? Will we be able to make some decent if not better additions? Or do we look to our consistently brilliant youth system for the upcoming ‘stars of tomorrow’?
For me there is only one person who can truthfully answer that question, and that man is the gaffer, Danny Wilson. Although we have been linked with some quality players such as Stuart Beavon, Dave Kitson and Jeffrey Schlupp, earlier in the week Schlupp said on Twitter that rumours of his move was just “paper talk”. Also, with the growing prominence of Twitter itself in today’s society, I would advise people not to believe all they see, and just let the business time pass then see what it brings when announced officially.
However as I mentioned earlier about the youth system possibly playing a larger part in United’s campaign this year and for me that seems very realistic. There has already been talk (in the papers, and I know it could just be a load of rubbish) of players such as Joe Ironside (striker), Elliott Whitehouse (central midfielder) and Terry Kennedy (central defender) being given more first team opportunities and perhaps even a chance to start in the first competitive game, a home tie against Burton.
Overall, I think that the fans shouldn’t get too upset or aggravated if things don’t seem to be going as planned in reference to signings, etc… Because I can almost unquestionably guarantee that cometh 18th of August, we will have a first team sorted out and be up for the challenge again. After all, we’re all Blades aren’t we?
You can follow me on Twitter: @calhuntington
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Sao Paulo’s vice-president Joao Paulo de Jesus Lopes has admitted that the Brazilian club are open to negotiations with Manchester United over the potential sale of Lucas Moura.
The talented playmaker has been linked with a move to Old Trafford as a long-term replacement for ageing Paul Scholes, with the Red Devils thought to have made an offer for the star.
Lopes has confirmed that United have been in touch, and that negotiations are open, despite their reluctance to sell their prize asset.
“I don’t rule out the possibility that in the future we open negotiations with Manchester United as we received them with great courtesy,” he told Estadao ESPN, translated to English by Sky Sports.
“And there is the possibility they come back with another offer. Their approach was serious.
“Other teams have also expressed interest for Lucas, but only through the press from their countries.
“Lucas has already expressed his intention of eventually staying at Sao Paulo.
“He is a very important player for our team. He wants to stay because he is still very young. He’s only 19,” the executive confirmed.
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Queens Park Rangers’ lengthy search for a new centre back continues as a deal between the West London club and Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael Dawson has stalled.
QPR had a £9million offer accepted by Spurs this week and it seemed R’s boss Mark Hughes was set to add another defender to his squad after their 5-0 home thrashing by Swansea on the opening day.
However, Hughes has told talkSPORT that personal terms cannot be agreed between the club and the player and it seems the deal is as good as dead.
“At the moment it is not where I’d hoped it would be,” said Hughes.
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“It may change. Obviously we’ve still got days left until the window closes so it might be revisited, but at the moment it is not in a place we think we can progress. There was an issue with personal terms.”
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce claims his squad is now good enough to take on the Premier League after Matt Jarvis became his latest and possibly final signing of an extremely busy summer.
The £10.75million move for Jarvis may have used up the majority of the Hammers budget for the summer and it seems Allardyce isn’t looking to make any more additions before the window closes next Friday.
“I don’t expect any more signings at this moment in time,” Allardyce told Sky Sports News.
“We had a couple of players lined up that were from abroad in case the Matt transfer didn’t come off. We have obviously now said ‘thanks but we can’t go in that area any more’.”
“We wait and see as always going into the mayhem of next week what might turn up of course.”
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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has hit out at the critics who have labelled the Hammers as a long-ball team, according to ESPN.
The 57-year-old became infamous during his time in charge at Bolton Wanderers for his side’s direct, physical approach which riled several Premier League managers including former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, who once sarcastically compared Bolton’s style of play to that of Barcelona’s.
The addition of Andy Carroll on a season long-loan from Liverpool at the Boleyn Ground has led many to argue that Allardyce is looking to emulate the style of play which saw him bring relative success to the Trotters in the Premier League. Additionally, Allardyce also has three former Bolton players in Jussi Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan and Ricardo Vaz Te in his first team.
However, ‘big Sam’ has refuted these claims and argues that West Ham’s style of play is much more subtle and varied than the direct style of play he employed at the Reebok Stadium, “The best way for a team to play is to have variation and we have shown that since the beginning of the season. We go short, we go long, we go forward, we go diagonal and we go in behind. It makes us very hard to play against and luckily we have the players like Ricardo Vaz Te and Mark Noble who can adapt.”
The Hammers’ boss, who spent just under £20 million on new acquisitions this summer, also admitted that he was delighted with the current crop of players he has at his disposal this season, “We have a lot of talent – young, old, home grown and foreign – and it all adds to the mix to form a very strong squad, which you need in this league. Also, we have Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun, who are both ready to make an impact.”
West Ham have made an impressive start to the campaign winning two of their first three Premier League games so far this season. As a result, the Hammers could temporarily propel themselves to second in the Barclays Premier League table if they can overcome a struggling Norwich City side at Carrow Road in Saturday’s early kick-off.
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The newly-promoted outfit will be without newly acquired star striker Carroll who has been ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring injury picked up on debut in West Ham’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Fulham.