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Villarreal boss Juan Carlos Garrido believes his side can win this year’s Europa League title.Garrido’s side host Twente in the first leg of a quarter-final on Thursday, with the match pitting the third placed side in La Liga against the Eredivisie table-toppers.

Villarreal have been in terrific form in this year’s competition, disposing of Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen in the last two rounds and Garrido is hopeful their form will continue.

“We’re strong enough to achieve success here, so I’ve asked my players to do their best to win this competition,” Garrido said.

“It’s easy to say, but we’re demanding our utmost in an attempt to win a trophy.”

“The match will be very balanced and close, it’ll be decided by small details. Everyone is very motivated, everyone knows the importance of this game and we’re looking for a positive outcome from the first leg.”

“We’re facing a great team that’s first in the Dutch league and in great form. We respect them and we know their qualities.”

Villarreal midfielder Borja Valero feels his side should qualify from the tie, but is wary of what to expect from their Dutch opponents.

“We have full confidence that we’ll qualify,” Valero said.

“Our belief is the same as it would be if we were playing Milan. We’re focused on giving everything and getting into the semi-finals.”

“We expect a tough, complicated match, where hopefully we’ll get a positive result and score without conceding.”

“The Dutch style is all about good football, with lots of touches on the ball and movement. It’ll be difficult to control play, but we’ll try to impose our brand of football.”

Twente are also well aware of what their opponents can produce, with defender Douglas dubbing the Spaniards as favourites as the build-up to the match continues.

“Villarreal are the favourites. They’re a big club who’ve been playing on the European stage for 10 years,” Douglas said.

“I’ve seen Villarreal a couple of times and they play the same style as Barcelona. They try to find solutions through good football. Their two strikers (Giuseppe) Rossi and Nilmar are especially dangerous and we’ll have to watch them closely.”

“Villarreal have very good players. They’re almost all internationals, with a few exceptions. But we also have quality. We try to play football and we’re not afraid of anyone.”

In the aftermath of Manchester City’s 0-0 draw at the weekend, City boss Roberto Mancini was pleading for patience from both the board and the fans as he attempts to mould his expensively assembled squad into potential title challengers.

City looked disparate at times at White Hart Lane, particularly in the first half as England international and new City number one goalkeeper Joe Hart pulled off a string of magnificent saves to keep the scores level while big money debutants Yaya Toure and David Silva looked at odds with the pace of the Premier League.

Although Manchester City have spent big this offseason, spending big is not necessarily a guarantee of success; something that Manchester City fans will be all too aware of. Manchester City were the top spenders in 2008-09 and 2009-10, spending £113 million and £124 million on improving the squad only for the club to finish in 10th and 5th place in the league those two years.

Chelsea and Roman Abramovich have set the precedent for buying success after capturing a league double in 2004-05 and 2005-06 following huge transfer spending and chairman Sheihk Mansour is clearly attempting to emulate his Russian contemporary in trying to buy success. But what sets apart Chelsea’s millionaires from City’s is a semblance of stability that has been lacking at Eastlands.

Chelsea have a relatively settled core group of players that feature regularly for the club including goalkeeper Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. All of these players have been at the club for at least four years and in that time have forged a strong understanding with their fellow teammates. Of all the players that featured on the weekend against Spurs, only Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Shaun Wright-Phillips have been at the club for longer than two seasons and Richards and Wright-Phillips are only fringe players at best for the club. For Manchester City to harbour any aspirations of a title challenge, Mancini needs to ensure the team form an understanding. And fast.

With all the comings and goings at Manchester City this season, Mancini’s man-management ability has been called into question which doesn’t bode well for the Italian if he wants to foster a strong team spirit. Mancini has clashed on many occasions with Craig Bellamy who yesterday sealed a season long loan at his home town club Cardiff City. Then there is Steven Ireland who is being forced to play in the reserves while being used as a makeweight in the James Milner transfer deal.

Mancini was the board’s choice to be Manchester City manager and therefore I expect the chairman to give the Italian more time to produce results on the pitch than his predecessor Mark Hughes. However, given the huge amount of money spent by Mancini, there is huge pressure on the Italian to deliver results at Eastlands or risk facing the axe from an expectant board looking for a return on their massive expenditure. I believe that 4th place is the minimum expectation for City this season and anything less would see Mancini out of a job.

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What do you think? Will the board have patience with Mancini or will they expect instant results from their spending and sack Mancini if he fails to deliver?

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Bolton are set to take New York Red Bulls central defender Tim Ream on trial, as the club prepares to lose Gary Cahill in the January transfer window.

The England international is in the final year of his contract at the Reebok Stadium, and with ambitions of playing for a bigger club, Bolton are resigned to losing their star player.

The Trotters had to watch as Johan Elmander left the club in the summer on a Bosman ruling, and may try to cash in on their England international in the new year to avoid a similar outcome.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are thought to be keen on the defender’s services, with a price of around £7 million thought to be enough to persuade Owen Coyle’s men to sell.

The Scottish coach has revealed his admiration for possible replacement Ream however, and wants to add the North American to his squad.

“Tim is under contract at Red Bull and a top international. His club are not keen to let him move on, but it would be great to get him among the group and see what he has to offer,” Coyle told The Telegraph.

“We’ve been successful in that American avenue before with Stuart Holden and it’s a market I’m always looking at because there are some terrific players there,” he concluded.

Ream has also been on trial at West Brom recently, and the Baggies may challenge Bolton for his signature.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Seven and a half years ago we were instructed, after a 25-yard winning strike against Arsenal, by a now famous piece of commentary, to ‘remember the name – Wayne Rooney!’ More recently, the Manchester United striker has been escaping punishments for on-field assault faster than the hair has been escaping from his scalp. Several accusations of adultery and a candid threat to leave Old Trafford later, is England’s greatest attacking potential of the new century failing to live up to his billing and encouraging significant concern for both his club and country?

It cannot be denied that the Croxteth-born attacker has endured a horrifying and demoralising 12 months. This Wednesday marks the anniversary of the ankle injury Rooney sustained in the first leg of United’s Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, and the first episode in a series of personal and footballing disappointments for last season’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Year. Rooney failed to find the net since the match at the Allianz Arena until converting a penalty against West Ham at the end of August, and scored his first goal from open-play this season against West Brom on New Years Day.

It goes without saying that England’s number 10 was one of several noteworthy failures at last summer’s World Cup, but Rooney had already achieved a considerable amount before he left Heathrow for Johannesburg and is starting to yet again demonstrate his worth. At 25, Rooney is close to completing his eighth full season as a senior professional and has 70 England caps under his belt. With 26 goals for his country he’s not quite matched the international form of David Villa (46 in 72, and now all-time Spanish record goal-scorer), or even Peter Crouch (22 in 42, 23 of those appearances coming on as a sub), but it represents a decent return for a striker of his age.

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What’s more, his record of a goal nearly every other game for United (140 in 311) is an acceptable total for a world-class finisher. In fact it’s strikingly close to what his United team-mate, Michael Owen, achieved in his seven and a bit seasons with Liverpool, eventually prompting Real Madrid, the club Rooney conspicuously flirted with last Autumn, to sign the striker.

Rooney has publicly admitted his recent frustrations and last month conceded to the News of the World “it has been a difficult season for me – probably the worst I’ve ever had.” However, his recent form has transformed his scoring performance in the League to one in three, and has netted 8 times overall since the turn of the year. Rooney has confirmed he feels fresh, “at a time when most players are picking up injuries or feeling jaded,” and his recent exploits have vindicated his confidence. It seems likely that, barring any unanticipated injury setbacks, the man who at 16 years of age curled a rocket past David Seaman on his Everton debut, will propel United to glory this season as he gradually rediscovers his touch.

He will labour to ever convince the public of his moral credentials and will struggle to ease the expectations showered on him having emerged at such a tender age, but his talent, above all else, has remained constant through his yet unfinished career. Having originally been described as a ‘blip,’ Rooney’s darkest spell in professional football, spanning at least 9 months from last March, appears to be at its end. With no less than another seven years remaining at the top of the game, Rooney currently resembles a player determined to expand his trophy collection beyond the Champions League, 3 Premier Leagues and 2 League Cups he’s already earned.

His country revealed their potential in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat of Wales with promising performances from Jack Wilshere and Ashley Young, but England have to re-acknowledge Rooney as the country’s most gifted attacking talent if 45 years of hurt are going to cease any time soon. United have stuck by the player having awarded him a lucrative and long-term contract, and will be proved right in trusting last season’s Player of the Year.

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Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that Manchester United do not need to spend big this summer to try and win back the Premier League title as the club’s youngsters have gained another years experience making the squad stronger as a whole.

Does the Old Trafford chief really have that much faith in his youngster, or is it just a case of having no money to spend on big name players?

Wesley Sneijder was just one of the world’s stars to be linked with a move to the Red Devils this summer, but Ferguson was quick to quash the rumours of such a deal taking place:

“I don’t know where those reports about Sneijder came from. How can anybody turn me down when I haven’t even made a bid?”

“I believe the squad is stronger than last season with the younger players having another year under their belts.” (Daily Mail)

The Old Trafford outfit certainly do have some promising young players amongst their ranks such as Darron Gibson, Federico Macheda, Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez, Gabriel Obertan, Fabio da Silva and Rafael da Silva.

Rafael has already established himself in the Manchester United first team to an extent after making 28 appearances for the club last season and did a fantastic job against Franck Ribery during the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford (although everyone defended well against him during France’s dismal World Cup campaign), but Rafa was eventually sent off in that game albeit is slightly unfairly as the Bayern players were guilty fair amount of imaginary card waving to the referee throughout the game.

Gibson also impressed over last season and scored five goals in his 23 appearances from midfield and many Manchester United fans wanted to see more of the likes of Federico Macheda last season, particularly when Wayne Rooney was injured and Dimitar Berbatov continued to frustrate.

However, would a slight improvement on a handful of players be enough for Manchester United to try and reclaim the Premier League title?

Rooney did a lot to shoulder the burden after the departures of both Crisitano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez last season and it would be a huge ask for him to repeat that feat again next season. Even if he does manage to be as prolific the club still don’t have that goal scoring midfielder like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have with Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas and Steven Gerrard respectively. These sorts of players are vital to share some of the burden, which a team like Chelsea have done quite successfully in previous seasons.

Even though Manchester United received a world-record £80m fee the Glazer family have run up debts at the club which BBC’s Panorama claimed last month to be around £1.1b after borrowing extensively against their shopping mall business, so I think the fact that United have no money to spend (despite what they claim) is more of a reason they cannot spend this summer than there young players being that much better after one more year’s experience.

With Manchester City continuing to spend and Chelsea looking to build on their title winning campaign should Manchester United fans be concerned that their club is not seeking to bolster their squad, or is their current squad good enough to win major honours?

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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

Liverpool travel to West London on Sunday desperate to close the gap on fourth placed Chelsea who still have hopes of mounting a challenge for the Premier League title.

Andre Villas-Boas’ side have endured a tough couple of weeks after being turned over by Arsenal at the end of October with the Blues back line coming under increasing scrutiny since that game. The ease at which the Gunners tore through the Chelsea defence time and time again alarmed the Stamford Bridge supporters and brought into question captain John Terry’s mentality and capability to perform against the leading top flight forwards. Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott both made the England skipper look extremely ordinary with his lack of pace and mobility costing him and his side dearly. However he hasn’t been helped by having to play with three different partners at the heart of the Blues defence with David Luiz and Alex failing to convince Villas-Boas that they are competent enough to cope in the Premier League. Branislav Ivanovic has looked like the only player capable of striking up a chord with Terry although the Serbian is the preferred choice at right back ahead of Jose Boswinga who is seen as the weak link in Chelsea’s rearguard. Despite all that the Blues have emerged victorious in four of their last six league games but performances haven’t reached the levels expected by supporters. Despite having a front line boasting the talents of Fernando Torres the Spaniard has continued to struggle and his lack of goals and general all-round displays continue to worry the Blues fans. The same cannot be said for Juan Mata, Frank Lampard and Daniel Sturridge with the trio proving to be the players that make Chelsea tick. They’ll need to be at their absolute best to overcome a Liverpool side in a fixture that has taken on a rivalry of it’s own with the sides meeting each other 34 times in all competitions over the last 10 years.

Kenny Dalglish’s men are in a similar boat to Sunday’s hosts with performances proving to be unappealing despite a run of positive results and the Reds have remained undefeated in the six games since they were battered 4-0 by Tottenham in mid-September. Dalglish’s summer signings have taken time to integrate themselves into the Anfield way of life but have finally begun to gel much to the delight of the Scot. However supporters have been unhappy with the level of their sides recent displays despite the club remaining unbeaten in half a dozen games since the defeat in North London. Home draws against promoted sides Norwich and Swansea along with Manchester United have done nothing to give the fans hope that the club can make a push for the a top four. Three points from a possible nine on their own turf isn’t the form of a team that aspires to finish in the upper echelons of the Premier League although their away form has been surprisingly solid. The Reds have won three games from five on their travels and look a much more disciplined unit on the road with Dalglish guiding his team to victories at Arsenal, West Brom and local rivals Everton. They will be put to the test at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with Luis Suarez missing with injury and Andy Carroll once again flattering to deceive up front. The £35 million record signing has looked a shadow of the player that took the top flight by storm with Newcastle and his lack of goals is starting to become a major concern. With no Suarez for the trip to the capital Liverpool fans must be wondering who will be the one to step up to the plate in attack.

Chelsea – 4th

Last Five

Won 1-0 v Blackburn (A), Drew 1-1 v Genk (A), Lost 5-3 v Arsenal (H), Won 2-1 v Everton (A), Lost 1-0 v QPR (A)

Potential Starting X11

1. P. Cech 17. J. Boswinga 26. J. Terry [C] 2. B. Ivanovic 3. A. Cole 12. J. Obi Mikel 7. Ramires 8. F. Lampard* 10. J. Mata 23. D. Sturridge 9. F. Torres

Injury News

Villas-Boas has no fresh injury concerns with long-term casualty Michael Essien out unit next year although Didier Drogba and keeper Hilario could return for Sunday’s game.

Key Player

Frank Lampard – After being written off and labelled ‘finished’ after a poor start to 2011 Lampard is making his critics eat their words with a series of breathtaking performances. The midfielder has rolled back the years to regain his position as Chelsea’s lynchpin with seven goals in all competitions. His driving runs from midfield and vision when in possession will be key to unlocking an improving Liverpool back four.

Match Fact

Chelsea’s record at home against Liverpool in the last few years hasn’t be the strongest with a 2-0 win in October 2009 courtesy of goals from Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda their only victory in the four recent meetings.

Liverpool – 6th

Last Five

Drew 0-0 v Swansea (H), Won 2-0 v West Brom (A), Won 2-1 v Stoke (A), Drew 1-1 v Norwich (H), Drew 1-1 v Manchester United (H)

Potential Starting X11

25. P. Reina [C] 2. G. Johnson 5. D. Agger 37. M. Skrtel 3. J. Enrique 14. J. Henderson 26. C. Adam 21. Lucas 19. S. Downing* 18. D. Kuyt 9. A. Carroll

Injury News

Dalglish is without two of his key players for the trip to the capital with captain Steven Gerrard once again confined to the treatment table whilst Suarez is unlikely to play after picking up a back injury although he could take a place on the bench.

Key Player

Stewart Downing -The England winger has slipped into the Liverpool midfield with ease since joining from Aston Villa in the summer forging a good partnership with Jose Enrique. Downing has given the Reds some much needed balance on the left and he’ll be expecting room to operate up against Boswinga whilst his crossing will need to be accurate with Carroll waiting in the penalty area.

Match Fact

Liverpool did the double over Chelsea last season winning with their last visit to Stamford Bridge in February ending with Raul Meireles – now plying his trade for the Blues – scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win.

Last Time at Stamford Bridge

Premier League 6th February 2011

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Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool

Meireles, 69

Attendance: 41,829

Referee: Andre Marriner

PREDICTION

Both sides are still going through transitional periods as they strive to build squads capable of competing with both Manchester clubs at the Premier League summit. New players, new managers and new tactics has seen the top-four hopefuls suffer a stuttering start to the season with encouraging performances mixed with some frustratingly insipid displays. Chelsea’s defence hasn’t looked as watertight as it has done in previous seasons and will need to be as rigid and uncompromising as possible to snuff out the threat of Carroll and Kuyt who are expected to start up front for Liverpool in the absence of Suarez.

Score: 3-2

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There was no room for AC Milan star Robinho in Brazil’s 24-man squad to face Scotland in a friendly on March 27 at London’s Emirates Stadium.Brazil coach Mario Menezes has selected four men playing in the English Premier League, with Chelsea pair Ramires and David Luiz getting the nod along with Spurs defensive midfielder Sandro and Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva. Ronaldinho, who completed a move from Milan to Brazilian club Flamengo in January, was another high-profile omission from the squad. But his former teammate at the San Siro, Alexandre Pato, makes the team, as does Inter’s Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon.Full squad: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Victor (Gremio), Jefferson (Botafogo), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Lucio (Inter), David Luiz (Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Milan), Luizao (Benfica), Lucas (Liverpool), Ramires (Chelsea), Sandro (Tottenham), Elias (Atletico Madrid), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Henrique (Cruzeiro), Renato Augusto (Bayer Leverkusen), Jadson (Shakhtar Donetsk), Elano (Santos), Jonas (Valencia), Pato (Milan), Nilmar (Villarreal), Neymar (Santos).

AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato has stated his intention to remain with the Rossoneri for the foreseeable future and insists that he will not be joining his former manager Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

Have the Stamford Bridge outfit missed out on a great striking talent here?

Pato had this to say regarding his future:

“I have a contract with AC Milan until 2014 and I have every intention of respecting it.

“And in 10 years, I will return to Brazil to end my career at Internacional, the club which belongs to my heart.

“Pato progressed through the ranks at Internacional but only spent a year in the senior team before Milan snapped him up for 22million euros.” (The Daily Mail)

The Brazilian forward has been linked with a move to Chelsea ever since Ancelotti left the San Siro for west London, but the Blues have been fairly quiet over recent seasons regarding their transfers and list Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov as their biggest signings over the past few seasons.

At 20-years-old Pato is one of the most talented young players in world football and many Chelsea fans were originally excited by a potential move for him when the rumours were strong last summer. However, now that the club are being linked with names such as Kaka, Fernando Torres and Sergio Aguero many have forgotten the diminutive Brazilian forward. It would appear that he was also forgotten at an international level along with team-mate Ronaldinho as neither featured for Dunga’s pragmatic Brazil side during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

It would seem that the player’s future lies in Serie A, but I cannot help feel that perhaps Ancelotti should have pushed the club to acquire the young forward’s talent.

Pato certainly has a prolific record in front of goal scoring 41 goals in 87 for his current club Serie A, with 14 goals in 28 appearances during his time at Internacional in Brazil which gives him a career total of 55 goals in 115 first team appearances.

Some would argue that Pato would struggle in a physical Premier League and be knocked about quite easily by the defenders over here. It would also probably take a while to adapt his game as he is used to the pace and style of Serie A, but time is something he has on his side as he is so young. There are also many small skilful players who have managed to make an impact in the English top flight such as Gianfranco Zola, Cesc Fabregas and Luka Modric to name a few.

The 20-year-old could have been a more viable option than somebody like Torres, who Chelsea were linked to strongly before his injury in the World Cup final. The Blues already have a prolific centre-forward in Didier Drogba and I’m unsure whether or not the Spanish striker would complement the Ivorian’s talents. So, surely signing a supporting striker like Pato or Sergio Aguero would be a wiser move.

Do the fans think they have missed a trick by not signing Alexandre Pato, or do you agree with his critics who say he isn’t right for a physical Premier League?

Pato “The Duck”:

[youtube XpBIbKmOOho]

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Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup

The spoils were shared at St James Park as Newcastle twice pegged Tottenham back to grab a late point.

Shola Ameobi was the hero with an excellent turn and shot that thwarted Tottenham’s hopes of taking the three points in a game that the visitors will feel slightly aggrieved they didn’t win.

Harry Redknapp’s men arrived on Tyneside in a rich vein of form and were determined to end Newcastle’s unbeaten record this season. Alan Pardew has turned the Magpies into a different proposition and on this form they will certainly be challenging for a top six finish come the end of season.

Alan Pardew will have been relieved that his Newcastle team came into the break with 11 men after Steven Taylor was fortunate to stay on the pitch after bringing Adebayor down in the penalty area when through on goal. Some referees would have shown a straight red but Lee Probert gave Taylor the benefit of the doubt, despite awarding the penalty. Rafael van der Vaart duly converted the penalty to give the visitors the half time lead.

Harry Redknapp would have drummed into his side to hold tight in the second half but the Magpies found themselves level in the opening minutes when Demba Ba struck his 5th goal in three games, following good work from Gutierrez.

The game ebbed and flowed, but then a fantastic strike from Jermain Defoe, who was unfortunate to have been left out of the starting line-up, put the visitors back ahead in the game. It was a gentle reminder to Fabio Capello as to his striking ability having been crazily overlooked in the past two squads.

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It seemed like that was going to be the end of the scoring until Shola Ameobi pulled out a fantastic strike of his own that gave Brad Friedel absolutely no chance and maintain Newcastle’s impressive start to the season. The Magpies huffed and puffed to try and force a winner late on but Tottenham were able to hold on.

Both managers would have taken a point before the game and both seemed delighted and relieved at the final whistle.

Nice surrendered the lead twice but eventually saw off Stade de Reims 3-2 after extra time to reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.Serbian forward Danijel Ljuboja put Ligue 1 visitors Nice ahead at the Stade Auguste Delaune, but midfielder Romain Amalfitano levelled for the second division side just 60 seconds later.Gabon international Eric Mouloungui restored Nice’s lead two minutes into the second half.This time the lead lasted 11 minutes before Odair Fortes equalised for the hosts. Neither side were able to find a way through in the final 30 minutes.With the match going to extra-time, Reims remained in with a chance of an unlikely semi-final berth.But Mouloungui was on target with his second of the match in the 112th minute, scoring the winner that sent Nice into the last four.In Wednesday’s quarter-final matches, Chambery host Angers, Le Mans travel to Paris Saint-Germain and Lille are at home to Lorient.