The likely England line-up for Euro 2012?

England’s impressive display in Bulgaria last week has pushed the nation closer towards qualification for Euro 2012, a major tournament that could mark a time for change for our perennial under-performing team. The 3-0 win last week was not only impressive for its score line but also the ages of the players that are finally been given a chance to shine under Capello.

The golden generation’s failure to deliver during a number of frustrating tournaments combined with their ageing legs means that new blood is finally being given the reigns to lead England to face the best across Europe. The main talking points to come out of Bulgaria were not only the result and fresh faces but the fact it looked like the end for one of the main golden generation, Frank Lampard.

But with the Euros only a year away and many of the youngsters’ experience still limited, is there any room for the oldies like Lampard in Capello’s ideal starting line-up come next summer?

Click on Jack Wilshere below to see England’s likely line-up for Euro 2012

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Who do you think should be in the starting line-up for England at Euro 2012? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

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Moyes wants contract extension

Everton manager David Moyes is concerned that he may be forced to sell Marouane Fellaini next summer, and has urged the Belgium international to sign a new contract at Goodison Park.

The 23-year-old midfielder has become an integral part of The Toffee’s first team, but his contract expires in June 2013, and the Merseyside club do not want to lose him on a Bosman ruling.

“Felli is young and you have to think about what he will be like when is 26 and 27,” he stated in a press conference.

Everton’s financial problems have been well documented, and Moyes has been forced to sell Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta in the last two transfer windows; the Scot hopes Fellaini is not the next big name departure.

“Yes, there is a danger that selling Mikel could set a precedent, but I hope not. I would like to think we can hang onto our best players.

“But there is always a danger when someone goes after saying they want to leave that it could set a precedent, and we will have to be careful of that,” he concluded.

Everton have picked up four points from their first three games in the Premier League, and take on Wigan at Goodison on Saturday.

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Ferguson expected City challenge

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he expected local rivals Manchester City to challenge for the title this season, which puts a bigger impetus on the derby matches between the two teams.

Both clubs have only dropped two points from their first seven games, and sit joint top of the Premier League on 19 points, but the Scottish coach has not been surprised at the Etihad Stadium outfit’s strong start.

“I’ve said all along that would happen,” he told Inside United.

“They are a good team and they were always going to be there or thereabouts.

“Sergio Aguero was bound to do well, coming into the Premier League, because he is such a goal threat around the penalty box. David Silva is also a very good player.

“We just have to make sure we are ready for City when we meet them,” he continued.

With small margins likely to separate two excellent sides, Ferguson knows the derby matches against Roberto Mancini’s men could be all important.

“All derbies are big now, that is the nature of the landscape.

“The impetus City now have – they have a huge squad of players and the financial power to attract some of the best footballers in the world – actually changes the focus of the derby these days.

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“The talking point isn’t so much the actual game but the dynamics of how Manchester City have changed football and what we do to compete with that,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Newcastle 2-2 Tottenham – Match Review

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.

Chelsea v Liverpool – Match Preview

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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Bolton looking for Cahill replacement

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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QPR to make audacious loan move for City ace

Queens Park Rangers boss Neil Warnock is desperate to strengthen his squad in January and will make an audacious bid to bring Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong to Loftus Road according to the Daily Mirror.

Warnock will attempt to bring the Dutch midfielder in on loan for the remainder of the season as he has become out of favour under Roberto Mancini, with James Milner, Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry all ahead of him in the pecking order.

De Jong is looking for a new contract at City but the lack of game time is confining his chance to impress the Italian manager of the league leaders. De Jong has been a key player at the Etihad Stadium for the past two years but as new signings are regularly arriving in Manchester a loan deal could be perfect for the 26-year-old to put himself in the shop window come the summer.

The new owner in West London Tony Fernandes, has promised Warnock extra funds in January as the newly promoted side look to improve on their steady start to the Premier League season. A striker and a centre half are also on the wish list for the Rangers boss next month but they may struggle to attract big name signings.

Warnock said: “The board know we need some more players and they have been very supportive. We are on the lookout for four or five.”

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Norwich City 0-0 Chelsea – Match Review

Chelsea’s suffered a dismal afternoon in East Anglia as their faint hopes of a title challenge took another hit after being held to a goalless draw by determined Norwich at Carrow Road.

Andre Villas-Boas’ side dominated much of the game but just couldn’t find a way past a resolute Canaries back four as Fernando Torres’ barren run continued in front of goal. The Spaniard cut a dejected figure throughout as Paul Lambert’s men kept their first clean sheet of the season after an inspired performance from goalkeeper John Ruddy in the second half. Chances came and went for the Blues as their aspirations of challenging for the Premier League trophy this year all but evaporated leaving Villas-Boas with only the Champions League and FA Cup as his best chance of winning some silverware in his debut season as manager at Stamford Bridge. Norwich, on the other hand, will be delighted with a point that leaves them firmly entrenched in the top half of the table and well clear of the relegation zone.

Defending hasn’t been the Canaries’ biggest strength this season and they were on the back foot almost immediately as the visitors roared into life during the early stages. Frank Lampard floated a few early balls into the box that were dealt with well by Zak Whitbread whilst Torres’ first touch let him down after being found by John Terry as the Blues continued to press without making any clear cut chances. In fact it was the hosts who went closest to breaking the deadlock after 10 minutes with Grant Holt flashing an effort just wide of Petr Cech’s post after easily shrugging aside David Luiz. Chelsea responded with Juan Mata acrobatically firing over from Lampards corner before sa brilliant effort  from Torres with the outside of his was pushed wide by Ruddy.

The away side continued to press forward in numbers after the break to no avail as Ruddy, Whitbread and central defensive partner Daniel Ayala proved solid in the Norwich penalty area. When they were breached the Blues failed to take advantage with Torres woefully poking low ball into the box wide from just eight-yards before Mata was denied by a fine save from Ruddy at his near post. The Canaries keeper then did well to hold onto Ramires fierce strike after Raul Meireles then fizzed an effort just over the bar as Chelsea continued to attack the home side with vigour. Villas-Boas then through Romelu Lukaku into the mix in search of a winner withdrawing Torres with 13 minutes remaining as he made it 15-hours without a goal. The young Belgian failed to make the necessary impact as the West Londoners struggled to find an end product to their late pressure.

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Torres, Carroll, what about Nasri?

The laughing stock of the Premier League over the past year or so has undoubtedly been the inept forward play of big money signings Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll. The strikers moved for a combine fee in excess of £85million last January and have equally been in dreadful form since the high pressure, hefty transfer fee move.

There is no way that you can hide from the form of the pair, but with a slight improvement in recent weeks with Didier Drogba and Luis Suarez absent, despite not hitting the net, I feel the pressure on the strikers may be easing and performances rising. But until the goals begin to flow, Torres and Carroll will not be let off the hook and time will tell whether they will ever turn into good signings for the amount of money that was spent.

But this season I feel we have seen another calamitous big money transfer that has made absolutely no impact at all on his club since arriving in the summer. Samir Nasri disgraced Arsenal fans by demanding that he moved to the interested Manchester City; who love taking a player from North London; in the summer and unfortunately for Arsene Wenger and the club, there was nothing they could do.

The Frenchmen had his best ever goalscoring season last time out at the Emirates with 15 goals in all competitions from midfield and was one of the Gunners best players in a side that is entering a stage on transition once again under Wenger. The 24-year-old wide man joined City for just over £25million late in August last year but has failed to impress at the Etihad stadium so far since the transfer and is certainly not first choice in his position under Roberto Mancini.

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Only eleven league appearances this season for Nasri has confirmed that the likes of James Milner, David Silva, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure are most definitely ahead of the former Marseille youngster in the pecking order and in my opinion deserves a similar amount of criticism as Torres and Carroll for greed and performances.

One goal from open play this season; in a team that has scored 57 in the league already and we are only in January; is not a great return for more than £25m, even if it seems City can afford to lose that amount of money. The fact that when Nasri does get in the City team he is playing with the likes of Silva and Sergio Aguero has allowed him to go unnoticed for the majority of games so far and while Manchester City keep winning, that will stay the same. Torres and Carroll will play up front on their own when selected in their respective teams and so will have plenty of attention on them throughout the game, with their clubs depending on them to score goals at crucial times. Nasri, like in last night’s 1-0 win away at Wigan, can play for an hour and lose the ball regularly, create nothing for his side and still not one mention of his poor performance and big money transfer was highlighted in this morning’s press.

Nasri’s decision to join City, in my opinion, was made for all the wrong reasons and the fact that he is happy to sit on the bench each week in order to win trophies is something that Torres and Carroll certainly can’t be accused of. He was one of the best players in an improving Arsenal side that gave him big opportunities in the past. Yes, a player can’t be blamed for the ridiculous transfer fee, but his performances have been nowhere near good enough so far in this campaign and it is about time that was noticed.

Is Nasri still a good piece of business for City? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard

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Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow – 5 Things From England vs Holland

If cab drivers, tabloid newspapers, radio phone ins and Carlsberg adverts have taught me anything, it’s that the one thing an England captain needs to be, is passionate. In fact, if any of those things have taught me anything at all, it’s that all an England captain need be is passionate. Actual footballing ability is an added but non essential luxury, somewhere down the pecking order below bravery and not being a total bastard. And so it was, to great fanfare, that Sky Captain Flight Leftenant Scottsforth “Scotty” M. Parker was tasked with the brow beating, chest thumping honour of leading out his country, almost 20 years since he earnestly tried to convince us that takeaway McDonalds was the surefire path to professional sports excellence. Rewarded no doubt for his commanding performance in the North London derby last week, Scotty was all blood and thunder kamikaze heroism and no nonsense football. Imagine Carlos Tevez but without most of the skill, none of the unbearable arsery and only some of the facial scarring. At one point he even tried to win back a ball he’d lost with his face! And in the end, isn’t that all we really want from an England captain? Well, no. But it’ll do for now.

Tomorrow’s Children – Staying true to his edict of showcasing things we wouldn’t normally see in an England team, Stuart “Psycho” Pearce manfully led from the front by showing us what he’d look like as a proper, grown up manager in a suit, complete with imitation Scott(y) Parker hair do. This had the unfortunate side affect of making him look ever so slightly like a right wing politician vying for mainstream credibility, though it did at least dampen his previous unfortunate resemblance to Bradley Walsh’s permanently kitted, over eager assistant from Mike Bassett England Manager. And the pervading notion that he was always secretly hoping to be brought on. On the field his mantra took shape in a number of ingenious ways, most notably playing Danny Welbeck as a lone target man, and then instructing everyone else to play as far away from him as possible. Daniel Sturridge’s introduction provided some needed impetus, though his slightly baffling man of the match performance mainly consisted of a nice wriggle and shot early in the second half, and a lovely cushioned pass back to Stekelenburg. Meanwhile the youthful defence were nothing short of admirable in their consistent ability to look more composed, assured and effective going forward than they ever did defending, which was thankfully aided (or perhaps encouraged) by the fact that Scott(y) Parker spent most of his time playing as a kamikaze sweeper.

Yesterday’s Men – Despite this brave new world approach in defence and attack, the ethos obviously failed to fully stretch to midfield where, for reasons that continue to escape my fragile mind, the mighty talents of Barry, Milner, Downing and Young were yet again given their bi-monthly chance to under whelm us all into tedium. To Ashley Young’s credit, he has at least conspired to gather a rather impressive goal tally, which – by the law of Crouch – entitles him to a prolonged presence. The others however continue to be considered as “still promising” or “settling in” despite for all intents and purposes being relative mainstays. Pearce qualified his exclusion of the good old boys (i.e. the mainstays we actually know are quite good, but getting on a bit) on the grounds that we all already know what they can do. Paradoxically, he continued to pick players who we’re all very well aware of what they can’t. This slightly schizophrenic approach was given an added dimension by the simultaneously indulgent and undermining inclusion of Steven Gerrard for 30 minutes. If giving new blood a chance was the aim, surely playing Welbeck and Sturridge together from the start would be more preferable than playing a knackered Gerrard for a token cap whilst very publicly giving the captaincy to someone else? Oh Psycho, to know your mind.

Mind the Gap – Despite what was actually, despite my nit picking, quite a spirited performance, the one stark contrast at play was just how large the gap was from Holland’s impressive front three to anyone in England’s roster. Arjen Robben in particular did his best to ram home just what the difference was between some decent well meaning try-hards and a genuine world-class player. This despite the fact his first goal was aided by some of the best English defensive retreating since the American Civil War and the fact he continues to run like a ballerina trying not to step on a hot floor.

You’re sh*rt, and you know you are – All in all though, it was an enjoyable game, and not an embarrassment of any kind for England for once. For one, we were playing a World Cup runner up of genuine class rather than a collection of semi professional firemen, and many in the side are young and learning enough to write off the defensive frailties as youthful exuberance. In fact the only truly offensive thing on display last night worthy of scorn and derision was the new and completely unneeded kit, and indeed, everything it stands for. For shame. If only we had some brave, passionate, no nonsense kit makers, everything would be alright.

You can follow Oscar on Twitter at Twitter/oscarpyejeary where he will gladly offer to dye the crest on your England top red for £50. Shipping not included. 

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