Soccer News

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will be looking for smooth passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup, as his team face non-league Mansfield

This weekend all the romance of FA Cup third round day returns. Traditionally it is a day when big upsets are caused and giants fall.

There is lots of possible ties were there could be major upsets. Here are some of those ties:

Mansfield vs. Liverpool

This is the sort of tie that the FA Cup was built on, a giant of the English game playing against a non-league side on their own turf. In reality Mansfield shouldn’t even come close to Liverpool in terms of quality.

However, this is the FA Cup we are talking about were strange things happen.

The non-league outfit have suffered just one defeat in 12 games and will be hoping to emulate the 1970’s Mansfield team that got a league cup draw with the Reds.

Liverpool are likely to field a weakened line-up, but will give a debut to new signing Daniel Sturridge, who has scored seven goals in his last seven FA Cup games.

Will Mansfield defeat Liverpool at Field Mill? It’s very unlikely, but you just never know in football, especially the FA Cup.

Cheltenham vs. Everton

Liverpool’s Merseyside neighbours Everton face a tricky away day in the third round as they visit Whaddon Road. Cheltenham are currently enjoying a decent season and are fourth in the League Two table, although their recent form has been slightly patchy.

Everton have a history of being on the wrong end of surprise results in cup competitions with the likes of Port Vale, Shrewsbury and Oldham all defeating the Premier League outfit within the last two decades.

A lot will depend on how strong a team that David Moyes decides to pick for the game. The Scot gambled on fielding a weakened team against Championship Leeds in the Capitol One Cup earlier in the season and the gamble backfired, as the Toffee’s made an early exit.

Moyes is unlikely to make the same mistake again, as the FA Cup is the only realistic opportunity of silverware this season for the Merseysider’s. The League Two outfit shouldn’t have enough quality to shock Everton, but as we have seen in the past the Toffee’s have come unstuck at many a lower league ground.

Crawley vs. Reading

Premier League Reading travel to League One side Crawley hoping to avoid an early exit from the FA Cup. The Royals are struggling in the Premier League, sitting second from bottom in the top flight table.

Crawley are currently eighth in League One and pushing for the play-off places this season. Their recent form has seen the Red Devils lose just one of their last six games and Richie Barker’s men will be confident that they can cause an upset against the Premier League side.

Reading’s priority will definitely not be the FA Cup this season. Brian McDermott’s side’s priority this season is staying in the top flight. The Royals only have a small squad, but I think the Reading boss may ring the changes for this one.

I don’t know whether it would be considered a major shock if Crawley did defeat Reading, but it would still be a very good scalp for a League One side to take. Crawley had a good cup run last season and they will be hoping to do it again in this campaign.

Manchester City vs. Watford

There may not be leagues of difference between where these two clubs sit, but in terms of money spent on players in recent seasons there is a world of difference. Watford’s recent takeover has given the club a more healthy financial state, after the club slipped into perilous financial water.

City on the other hand have spent hundreds of millions in recent years attempting to build an all-conquering team. Roberto Mancini’s team are not having a stellar season and the Italian may use some of his fringe players in this encounter.

The Hornets are currently enjoying a decent season, sitting in sixth place in the Championship table challenging for the play-off positions. Even if City field a weakened team a Watford victory would be a major shock, wouldn’t it?

Who will cause the biggest shocks in the third round of FA Cup?

Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson believes the club will face a challenge in Coventry when the two sides meet in the FA Cup third round.

The fixture will conjure happy memories for the Sky Blues, who shocked Spurs to win the FA Cup in the 1987 final, and manager Mark Robins will be hoping to spring another surprise when he takes his League One team to White Hart Lane on Saturday.

But Tottenham’s Iceland international has previous knowledge of giant killings in the tournament as he helped Reading, who were then in the Championship, to overcome Liverpool and West Brom on the way to the quarter-finals in 2010.

“It’s a great occasion for them,” Sigurdsson told Spurs’ official website.

“They come up against a top Premier League side and they will come here, want to do a job and take the chance to impress everyone.

“We have to make sure we’re ready for that and we’re in the draw for the next round.”

The 23-year-old made a rare start for Andre Villas-Boas’ men in the New Year’s Day 3-1 victory over his former side with the win moving the north Londoners into third place in the table.

“Reading scored the goal early and that made it difficult for us,” he added.

“We had lots of shots from outside the box as it was quite difficult to get into positions up against the goalkeeper.

“But sometimes you have to be patient and we know we’ll eventually get those chances, especially playing at home, with the players we’ve got here.

“We had to keep going, keep believing and we got there in the end. The win was well deserved.”

The Football Association have confirmed that Bradford have been reinstated into the FA Cup.

The League Two club successfully appealed against an initial expulsion for fielding an ineligible player against Brentford in the second round.

The decision means Bradford remain undefeated in every cup game they have faced this season, following their dramatic penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in Tuesday night’s League Cup and progress to the northern area semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

The FA confirmed on their website that the original ruling on December 7 to expel the club from the FA Cup because of an administrative error over the registration of on-loan Newcastle defender Curtis Good, was overturned due to a number of factors.

The governing body accepted the ‘genuine error and recognised that corrective action was attempted as soon as the omission was discovered and that no attempt to deceive was made’.

They also asserted that Bradford reported the error prior to the original game against Brentford as well as confirming that Good was eligible for the fixture aside from the administrative oversight.

On this basis, Bradford have been reinstated but forced to pay a fine of 1000 pounds for the mistake.

A Bradford statement said: “We can confirm that on appeal the club has now been reinstated back into the FA Cup competition and has been fined for its actions.

“We deeply regret our breach of the rules and are currently reviewing our procedures to ensure no repeat of this situation.”

The replay of the second-round tie against Brentford will take place at Griffin Park on December 18.

Arsenal have been drawn away to Swansea City in the FA Cup third round, while Manchester United travel to West Ham.

Southampton will take on Rafael Benitez’s Chelsea, the holders of the trophy, at home, while Tottenham entertain Coventry City in a re-match of the memorable 1987 final.

Liverpool face an away trip to either Lincoln City or Mansfield Town and Manchester City host Championship opposition in Watford.

There is an all-Premier League tie between Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion at Loftus Road, while Fulham and Aston Villa are both at home to second-tier sides in Blackpool and Ipswich Town respectively.

FA Cup third round draw:

Crystal Palace v Stoke City
Brighton v Newcastle
Tottenham v Coventry City
Wigan v Bournemouth
Fulham v Blackpool
Aston Villa v Ipswich Town
Charlton v Huddersfield Town
Barrow/Macclesfield Town v Cardiff City
Barnsley v Burnley
Manchester City v Watford
Swansea City v Arsenal
Leicester City v Burton Albion
Milwall v Preston
Cheltenham/Hereford v Everton
Derby County v Tranmere Rovers
Crawley Town v Reading
Aldershot Town v Rotherham/Notts County
Middlesbrough v Harrogate/Hastings United
Accrington Stanley/Oxford United v Sheffield United
Southampton v Chelsea
QPR v West Brom
Peterborough v Norwich City
Lincoln City/Mansfield Town v Liverpool
Bolton v Sunderland
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ttingham Forest v Oldham
West Ham v Manchester United
Hull City v Alfreton Town/Leyton Orient
Blackburn v Bristol City
Leeds United v Birmingham City
Bury/Southend v Bradford City/Brentford
Luton Town v Wolves
Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons

Leyton Orient scored twice late to beat non-league outfit Gloucester 2-0 to move into the FA Cup second round on Wednesday.

Irish striker David Mooney broke the deadlock with three minutes remaining before Dean Cox added a second goal less than a minute later – clinching the League One side’s passage into the next round.

Russel Slade’s troops will now face non-league club Alfreton in the second round, after they disposed of Wrexham 4-2.

However, it was Gloucester who settled quickest and created the first real opportunity of the match.

Lewis Hogg sent in a teasing second-minute corner but Darren Edwards’ attempt on goal was cleared away from danger by former Chelsea midfielder Jimmy Smith.

The visitors slowly began to find their feet and Gloucester had goalkeeper Mike Green to thank for ensuring the scores remained level at half time.

Cox was the first Orient player to test Green four minutes before the break with a tricky shot on goal but the keeper was up to the task.

Green then denied Mooney with less than two minutes left to play in the opening half.

The League One side started to flex their muscles following the interval and were dominant for extended periods.

But it took Orient up until the 87th minute to find a way past Green when Mooney headed home.

The result was then put beyond doubt before Gloucester could regroup when Cox hit the back of the net after a momentary lapse in concentration from defender Matt Coupe.

Liverpool owner John W Henry said Kenny Dalglish would have been sacked as manager, even if he had won the FA Cup.

The American said that Dalglish and his assistant Steve Clarke were not entirely to blame for the club’s poor form over the second half of last season but admitted a change had to be made for the Reds’ long-term benefit.

“We had a very poor second half to the season last year. But we did not attribute that to Kenny as such, the things he and Steve (Clarke) were doing,” Henry told the Daily Mail.

“The FA Cup would not have made any difference had he won it, no, no. We were 17th (in the form table) over the second half of the season and Liverpool should not be in that position.”

“I don’t place the blame on Kenny and Steve – but I think it was obvious to every Liverpool fan that something was wrong and something needed to be done in the current circumstances.”

Henry went on to hail Dalglish’s efforts upon his return to the club, uniting the playing squad after a difficult time under his predecessor Roy Hodgson, and reiterated that the Scot was only ever set to take the role on a short-term basis.

The 62-year-old continued: “Kenny did say that if it was the manager’s job, he would only do it until we had the right young man to come in for the long term. We spoke about it two or three times before he actually took the job.

“He was always saying no one man is bigger than the club. Everyone knows what it meant when he came back, how he brought all the disparate elements back together.

“There were a lot of different directions and he unified the club internally and externally. He did an incredible job of getting us all on the same page.”

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba made his debut in Shanghai Shenhua’s 1-1 draw at fourth-placed Gangzhou R&F on Sunday.

Drogba, who only arrived in China under a fortnight ago, did not feature during the midweek Chinese FA Cup match against Changchun Yatai but played a leading role as Shenhua secured a point at Yuexiushan Stadium.

Brazilian defender Moises sent the ball into his own net after 22 minutes to hand the home side the lead.

However, Drogba delivered a decisive pass through to Cao Yunding and Chinese U23 international made no mistake, levelling proceedings with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Elsewhere, Guizhou Renhe produced a dominant second-half performance as they overcame struggling Shanghai Shenxin 3-1.

Johnny put the visitors ahead inside the opening five minutes.

But Yang Hao’s equaliser six minutes after the interval rejuvenated Renhe and the hosts clinched victory with two goals in the final seven minutes from Chen Jie and Zlatan Muslimovic.

Defeat for Shenxin leaves them just one point clear of the relegation zone, while Renhe move into third, five points adrift of second-placed Jiangsu Sainty, who beat lowly Tianjin Teda 3-2 thanks to a first-half brace from Cristian Danalache.

In other results on Sunday, Changchu Yatai netted two goals in the final 19 minutes to trump Liaoning Whowin and end a two-game losing run, and Qingdao Jonoon suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Dalian Shide.

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal can still compete for the Premier League title despite not have the money of their rivals.

The Gunners are currently experiencing a seven-year drought following the 2005 FA Cup final win over Manchester United.

The north London club have not experienced league success since 2004, a triumph which signified Wenger’s seventh major honour since he joined the club in 1997.

However, since 2004 the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City have benefited from huge foreign investment which has left the Frenchman’s side struggling to compete.

Nevertheless, the former Monaco coach believes that Arsenal can still battle for the title this season, and believes the club can be proud of the way it is run.

He told Time Out Hong Kong: “Firstly, I must say that not being able to match the spending of the richest clubs does not mean that you can’t compete with them on the pitch.

“When I first came to England, this question did not exist. Every club was run within its resources.

“The Chelsea’s and the Man City’s are new problems. But with this new financial environment, what has not changed at all is our policy that we will be as ambitious as ever and spend the money that we have available, if possible in an intelligent and wise way.

“We have always spent money because we are ambitious for top-class players and if you look at the history of our last 15 years, we have always had top-class players.

“It does not mean you can’t win the title if you can’t compete financially.

“To spend the money on a top player is defendable. But just to spend the money is like you are worried.

“Our fans can be proud of the way we run this club, of the quality of the players we have and of the financial situation that is existing at the club.

“Rather than convicting this club, they have more reason to be proud of the whole situation here.

“We have built a team and a stadium in such a short space of time, and have a strong financial situation – and we have always survived at the top level.”

The 62-year-old feels the introduction of Financial Fair Play rules may be pivotal in the club’s future success, believing that if they are implemented thoroughly they will be well placed to benefit from the regulations.

He continued: “We need first to see how effectively Financial Fair Play can be enforced before we can fully understand the impact but I believe it will make for a more exciting Premier League.”

“If the rules are well introduced, it will be a massive advantage to Arsenal Football Club, of course, and we will be well positioned for that.

“I don’t want to go into excuses but you want a business to be run properly and I believe that to lose 150 million pounds a year, you don’t deserve a lot of credit to win a competition.

“I think that it is right that you balance your books – to accept the one basic principle for every company – and that’s that you can spend the money which you make.

“That principle just seems to be a common sense and logical one.

“When you look at the history of England, there are Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Derby County who have all won championships.

“If that is possible again it will be even more interesting.”

A potential return to Newcastle for Andy Carroll is in the hands of chairman Mike Ashley and the Liverpool board, manager Alan Pardew says.

Carroll cost the Merseyside club 35 million pounds when he made the switch to Anfield in January 2011, but it is believed new boss Brendan Rodgers does not see the striker as suitable for the style of play he plans to implement next season.

Several reports have suggested Newcastle have already had a loan offer for the 23-year-old, which supposedly included an option to make the deal permanent for a fee of around 13 million pounds, turned down.

Liverpool, it has been claimed, are holding out for a higher figure of around 20 million pounds as they look to recoup a more significant chunk of their original outlay.

“It will be what it will be,” Pardew told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. “That whole process is a little bit more involved with the chairman and the board at Liverpool.

“We’ve got a great team here, a great squad, and if Andy Carroll comes it’ll only add to us.”

He continued: “It’s simple, really. Sometimes transfers are done at corporate level. I’m slightly detached from that.

“It’s been said that he’s available, and if we’re involved then we’ll be involved because of the figures, not anything else, because we know he’s good enough. I’m slightly detached from it.”

Carroll had bagged 11 goals in 19 English Premier League matches during the 2010/11 season for Newcastle before making the move to Anfield.

Since then, he has scored just six times in 42 top-flight appearances, but he did score the winning goal in last season’s FA Cup semi-final against Everton.

Didier Drogba has arrived in China greeted by approximately 750 fans at Pudong International Airport on Saturday.

The Ivory Coast striker, who last month signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to join Shanghai Shenhua, was met by a huge crowd of supporters chanting his name at the airport’s arrival hall.

Drogba shook the hands of several fans – with many holding Drogba banners, sporting Shenhua scarves and waving Ivory Coast flags – and wore a smile during the brief appearance, before being whisked away from the airport.

The former Chelsea man will be officially presented to Shenhua supporters at Saturday’s clash with rivals Beijing Guoan, but he will not play in the clash.

Drogba’s debut is expected to come in Wednesday’s Chinese FA Cup fixture away to Changchun Yatai.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas says he will ‘never accept’ Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s decision to sack him.

The Portuguese manager arrived at the Blues with a promising reputation built at Porto but failed to gain control of a Chelsea squad including several senior players.

The recently appointed manager at White Hart Lane spoke for the first time about the confrontation with Abramovich after which he was forced out of the club.

“I respect the decision of the owner of Chelsea but I will never accept it,” Villas-Boas told reporters.

“I told him that for me, it was him quitting on me when he had been so much involved at the beginning in bringing me in and he was also (the one) who was not putting up to the things that he promised.

“What reason did he give to me? I’m not sure if I can make it public but the reasons don’t go along or can’t be applied to the fact that I was dismissed.”

Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim manager following Villas-Boas’ departure and went on to win the FA Cup and Champions League.

While not taking credit for the successes, Villas-Boas felt he was denied the opportunity to see out what he started but felt the decision to sack him also liberated the players.

“The decision to terminate what was going on at Chelsea was not mine, it was the owner’s,” Villas-Boas said.

“It is all very well that you cut the project short and Chelsea go on to win two trophies and say how wonderful the squad was, but at the beginning nobody believed in that squad when we put it together.

“On the day of my dismissal, I told Roman that eventually you can win these two trophies because the emotional impact is extremely strong.”

Villas-Boas also revealed that he felt his professionalism and principles were never properly appreciated in England.

“I am always a person who defends certain principles that were never understood in England and it requires much more adaptability from myself,” he said.

“I am a person who always puts the team in front and I do it publicly. I’m not a guy who is able to criticise anyone in public but I am not a guy who promotes individuals in public.”

Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso has admitted that racism in football is a ‘tricky’ issue for players to deal with.

And he has urged the footballing authorities to be ‘as strict as possible’ in the measures aimed at eradicating it from the game.

Plans have been made by organisations such as Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) in order to ensure Euro 2012 does not become overshadowed by incidents of racist chanting in stadiums but concerns arose once more after the Netherlands team complained of abuse during a training session on Wednesday.

Alonso advised caution when approaching such sensitive issues but hoped to see decisive action from those tasked with eliminating the problem.

“Of course, it’s quite a tricky one and quite a sensitive matter,” Alonso told Goal.com.

“And the way it’s reported in England, they have done their investigations, as you say with (the BBC documentary) ‘Panorama’ in Poland and Ukraine.

“We have to be really cautious with these matters because they are sensitive. From our point of view we want to help to minimise and (for) nothing to happen because that’s not the message we want to deliver from football and for football games. As much as it can be avoided we will try to move that and to promote that.

“Of course, from the football players’ point of view we want to try to help as much as possible. The ones responsible to take measures for that, they have to be really strict to try to stop them (the racist chants) as much as possible.”

Italy striker Mario Balotelli threatened to walk off of the pitch if he was subjected to racist abuse from the stands, while UEFA president Michel Platini said referees would have the power to abandon games in the event of racist chanting.

Alonso, however, insisted that Spain were not planning in advance for such a situation.

“We haven’t been told, we have not said what would happen in that case,” he said.

“Hopefully it won’t happen. Better not to talk about hypotheticals and to try to avoid them as much as possible.”

Spain face Italy in their first fixture of the tournament on Sunday, and Alonso is preparing to face an Azzurri team galvanised by the turmoil in which their domestic game has once again been engulfed.

The Italy training camp was investigated by police at the end of May, with defender Domenico Criscito forced to pull out of the squad after he had been informed that he was under investigation for match-fixing.

“We are expecting a very tough and very difficult game because they’re competitive,” Alonso said.

“Even having problems surrounding the squad, all the media things, all the gambling things – that means that maybe they can be more dangerous because whenever they have problems they get stronger.

“We saw that in the World Cup in 2006 and in the Euros in 2008. That’s not a relief for us, that’s more (likely) to make us more ready.”

Italy have adopted a more attacking style under coach Cesare Prandelli, but the Real Madrid midfielder did not believe that their new approach would necessarily play in to Spain’s hands.

“No, it’s not a relief,” he said. “It’s something that we analysed. We know pretty well how they play, the things they want and will try to analyse that as well as possible. But of course it doesn’t change at all the way we want to face the game, the way we want to approach it.

“We will see if they play with two strikers up front. We have (been) analysing different options. When we play it’s going to be tough because they have very good players and they’re playing at the top level at the moment.”

Doubt remains as to the identity of Spain’s first-choice striker in the absence of the injured David Villa, with Fernando Torres, Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Llorente competing for the role.

Torres’ place in the final squad of 23 was not certain after a mixed season at Chelsea but Alonso believes his former Liverpool team-mate is in a positive frame of mind heading into Euro 2012.

“Of course, it was not easy for him to take that decision (to move to Chelsea) and it took him some time to settle down,” Alonso said.

“But I think he has played his part, he is absolutely pleased with what they have achieved this year.

“It has been a massive achievement to lift that European Cup for the first time for Chelsea, the FA Cup as well. So, (while) being concerned that he wants to play a more important role, he’s really enjoying that time.”

“I think that he is delivering, day-by-day, more importance for them (Chelsea) and as far as I know they are happy with him.”

Sylvain Distin is happy at Everton and has expressed his desire to remain with the club for as long as possible.

The imposing central defender has had a successful season making 33 appearances for the Toffees, and was awarded the Player’s Player of the Season award for 2011-12.

The 34-year-old is in no rush to leave Merseyside, insisting he is already looking forward to next season.

“I want to carry on as long as I can. I don’t need a boost. No matter what happens, you can be sure I’ll be there the next day,” Distin said on the Everton website.

“I don’t need any boost to go into next season. I love my job and I know how lucky I am to do this kind of job.”

The only significant blight on Distin’s record this season was the error he made in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against local rivals Liverpool.

That mistake contributed to their defeat and meant the Frenchman was unable to add to his only major honour, the 2008 FA Cup with Portsmouth.

“That split-second in the semi-final represents nothing compared with the whole season but is still something that I keep in the back of my mind. That takes more importance than the whole season to me, personally,” he said.

“I’m passionate about my job, I love my job but I only focus on the bad things I do, never the good things.

“It did hurt me, but I bounced back – I had to and I’m happy I did.”

He has now featured in 11 Premier League campaigns, making 377 league appearances. Last season he formed a solid partnership with England international Phil Jagielka and he praised the current squad of players at Goodison Park.

“It’s a good squad here with a great atmosphere. I feel so comfortable with the lads, so it’s a pleasure,” he said.

Japanese starlet Ryo Miyaichi may spend another year at the Reebok Stadium if Bolton manager Owen Coyle has his way.

The 19-year-old had a breakout spell with Bolton after joining on loan from Arsenal, making his first 12 league appearances and scoring an FA Cup goal.

But although Bolton were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the season, Coyle believes an active season in the second tier may prove more advantageous than another campaign on the bench at Arsenal.

“We’d love to have (Ryo) back,” Coyle told The Bolton News. “He’s an exciting young player and that’s what we want for next year.

“I’ve had a discussion with Arsenal already and it’s only early days in the summer but we’ll see how that pans out.”

Coyle also praised the work ethic of Miyaichi, whose appearances decreased in the late stages of the season due to injuries.

“He had such a big heart that he wanted to play his part,” the manager said. “We had to take him out of the firing line.”

Word of Miyaichi extending his time with Bolton comes as Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni prepares to give the youngster his first cap against Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

“It’s likely that Miyaichi will get an appearance,” the Italian tactician said at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. “The point of this match is to give our Europe-based players a chance to regain their on-the-field intuition.”

An unused substitute in Japan’s last match against Uzbekistan in February, Miyaichi anticipated a chance to demonstrate his abilities against international competition.

“When I’m with the national team, my job is to demonstrate my style of football to my team-mates,” the player told reporters. “We need speed in front of the goal, so all I can do is try to provide that.”

Roy Hodgson consulted former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish before including Andy Carroll in the England squad for Euro 2012.

Hodgson’s predecessor Fabio Capello criticised Carroll’s lifestyle, suggesting the ex-Newcastle United striker needed to drink less if he was to produce his best form.

Carroll, 23, was involved in several disciplinary breaches during his time at Newcastle, including pleading guilty to common assault charges.

“The profile Andy Carroll brings interests me very much and I spoke to Kenny at some length about him,” Hodgson said.

“I didn’t know him too much and you can be tricked by perceptions of players – by what you hear or read about them – but Kenny praised him for being serious as a professional, so I had no reservations.

“The conversation with Kenny maybe put my mind to rest with regards to the criticism he’s faced for extra-footballing activities. That was very important for me.”

Despite struggling for goals during much of the season, Carroll has been praised for his form in the final weeks of the campaign.

Hodgson confirmed the late improvement, including an outstanding performance as a substitute in Liverpool’s 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea, played a role in his decision, but was not decisive.

“I’d like to think I’ve been in the game long enough not to fall for the trick of seeing someone have a great game and giving him an England shirt,” Hodgson said.

“Andy will give me other options because of his target play and ability. He’s capable of making runs into the channels, can turn defences around, and can do damage on crosses.

“It would be fair to say his late burst has maybe given him the nod. It’s hard for players who go to big clubs. It’s more important how he’s feeling at the moment and playing at the moment.

“I shouldn’t be confronting him with the failures of the early part of the season. I should be encouraging him for the successes of the latter part.”

Premier League Liverpool have sacked boss Kenny Dalglish.

The Scot’s second spell as boss at the club lasted just under 18 months, as the club struggled to find any sort of form in the league.

The club finished in 8th position four points behind local-rivals Everton.

Inevitable

I wrote an article last week about whether Kenny Dalglish should leave the club or not? I wrote this article because I just thought that it was inevitable that the Scot wouldn’t be the Liverpool manager next season. His exit really hasn’t been a surprise to me.

Announcement

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner released a statement on the clubs official website which read: “Kenny came into the club as manager at our request at a time when Liverpool Football Club really needed him. He didn’t ask to be manager; he was asked to assume the role.

“He did so because he knew the club needed him. He did more than anyone else to stabilise Liverpool over the past year-and-a-half and to get us once again looking forward. We owe him a great debt of gratitude.

“However, results in the Premier League have been disappointing and we believe to build on the progress that has already been made, we need to make a change. We are committed to delivering success for our supporters and our ambition remains resolute to return this great club to the elite of England and Europe, where it belongs.”

Terrible

Liverpool’s form in the Premier League has been simply awful. In fact Liverpool endured their worse league campaign since the 1950’s. Some might say that the Reds were unlucky in some games, hitting the woodwork a number of times but in truth the Liverpool players were just not good enough.

The Reds claimed their first silverware in six years in the shape of the Carling Cup and also made it to the FA Cup final. However, those cup achievements couldn’t mask the fact that the club wasn’t moving forward.

Mistake

There is a saying that you should never go back in football and that saying proved very right in this case. Dalglish made the mistake of returning to the club for a second spell in charge, 20 years after his first spell ended.

There has been a lot of changes in the game in the last 20 years and Dalglish seems to have been left behind. I think it was a mistake by the Liverpool owners to appoint Dalglish on a permanent basis.

Signings

Managers live and die by their signings, unfortunately Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool career has been killed off by poor signings. The fact that Dalglish preferred to signed British players has really cost him.

In the eighties and early nineties the English top flight was dominated by British players and foreign players were rare when Dalglish was first in charge of the Reds. Dalglish built a successful team on buying the best British players he could.

In his second spell he tried to repeat the trick. Unfortunately English players no longer prove value for money. The likes of Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson wouldn’t have been anywhere near great Liverpool teams of the past.

I think those signings are a sign of why the club is no longer at the very pinnacle of the English game. Liverpool cannot sign the best players available anymore, but they could have signed foreign players who are far better quality for the same price as they paid for their overrated English players.

Split

There seems to be a split in the Liverpool fans at the moment. There are those fans who know the club wasn’t progressing under the Scot and that the club needed a change. However there are also those Liverpool fans who wanted Dalglish to stay at Anfield.

Most of those who wanted Dalglish to stay at the club was making the decision for sentimental reasons and not for football reasons. Had he been anybody else I don’t think Dalglish would have even lasted as long as he did.

Legend

Kenny Dalglish will always be a legend at Liverpool for what he did in his playing days and in his first spell as manager.

I don’t think many fans will punish him for his short second spell at the club. It’s a shame for Kenny Dalglish’s that his second stint at Anfield as boss didn’t work out, but I think it’s safe to say he will always be a hero to Reds fans.

Were Liverpool right to sack Kenny Dalglish?

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants his current crop of players to be inspired by the exploits of the famed ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04.

The Gunners’ title-winning side of the 2003-04 season, who famously went unbeaten throughout the campaign, were named the Premier League’s Best Team in the awards ceremony marking the league’s 20th anniversary on Monday.

Wenger admitted he was extremely proud not just of the award, but of the legacy left by a side which went 49 top-flight matches without defeat.

“I am proud of (winning the award) and very happy because I told the players at the time they could achieve something special once we were champions by being invincible,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.

“They did it, but at the time they did not realise how much it would mean in the future. I am very proud of that.”

Arsenal have endured a barren spell since the class of 2004 disbanded, having failed to win a trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 2005.

However, Wenger is firmly targeting a return to the standard of his greatest side, and believes the current crop of players at his disposal is not far away from emulating their success.

“My target is to get back to that level,” he said. “I feel we are not far from coming back to fight for the championship, and let’s hope we can show that next season.”

Arsenal ended the 2011-12 season in third place, 19 points behind champions Manchester City.

Manchester City players and manager Roberto Mancini celebrated their Premier League title at a packed victory parade on Monday.

Tens of thousands of fans formed a sea of blue along the streets of Manchester as the squad travelled across the city centre in an open-top bus.

The parade made its way to the town hall where players held the Premier League trophy aloft in front of City’s jubilant fans

Mancini took the reins at Etihad Stadium in 2009 and oversaw the Sky Blues’ FA Cup triumph last season before guiding the club to its first title since 1968 on Sunday.

City sealed the title in dramatic fashion after scoring two injury-time goals to defeat QPR, denying defending champions Manchester United a 20th league crown.

Former Liverpool defender John Scales believes Kenny Dalglish can restore his side to the upper echelons of the Premier League.

Scales insisted the Merseyside club are heading in the right direction even though massive investment by Liverpool’s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group, since Dalglish took over from Roy Hodgson in January 2011 has failed to push them up the Premier League.

The League Cup winners and FA Cup runners-up head into the last game of the season at Swansea City sitting in eighth position, in danger of finishing below neighbours Everton in the league table.

But Scales remains upbeat about the club’s long-term prospects.

“I am encouraged by the way things have gone under Kenny Dalglish although it has been a disastrous Premier League campaign and there are a whole load of things that are not right,” Scales told Goal.com.

“But if you look at it and wonder if the glass is half-full or half-empty then I would say it is definitely half-full. They are playing well and they are creating chances and there are so many positives to be taken – and yet they have disappointed in the league.”

Liverpool gained some revenge for their FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea by beating the Blues 4-1 at Anfield in midweek, but Dalglish’s side have generally struggled in the Premier League thanks to indifferent home form that has seen them win just six times at Anfield.

“The quality of the play has been there, things have been better but the consistency just isn’t there yet and nor at the levels of concentration where they should be,” Scales said.

“There are a few bits and pieces that need attention but they are things that can be fixed.

“Things are heading in the right direction with Liverpool and this season has been an odd one for them. It is too easy to have a go at Liverpool because of the position they are in in the league but there are a lot more encouraging signs than some people suggest.”

Liverpool will be out to overtake Merseyside rivals Everton on the Premier League table when they travel to Swansea City on Sunday.

The Reds, in eighth on 52 points, trail Everton, who host Newcastle United at home, by one point with one game to play.

Should Liverpool triumph in Wales, anything but victory for Everton in their last fixture would see Kenny Dalglish’s side leapfrog their neighbours into seventh place.

Liverpool bid farewell to the Anfield faithful for another season in style midweek, thumping Chelsea 4-1 after the disappointment of their FA Cup final loss to the same team three days prior.

“After a disappointing result and performance in the final that was exactly what was needed,” Liverpool defender Glen Johnson told the Liverpool Echo.

“We wanted to start where we left off in the final and we did that.

“Now we have to try to get another three points at Swansea and try to finish as high as possible. We want to finish seventh and if we beat Swansea we’ve got a chance of doing that.”

Swansea, on the other hand, could remarkably finish as high as 10th with three points over the Reds in their maiden Premier League campaign.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are 12th with 44 points, three behind 10th-placed West Bromwich Albion, who host Arsenal in their final outing.

Swansea have accounted for Manchester City and Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium this season while holding Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur to draws.

Having sold out every home game this season, Swansea midfielder Joe Allen wants to thank the locals for their support with another high profile scalp.

“There have been games when it must have been hard to keep singing away, but they have just kept supporting us all the way,” Allen told the official Swansea website.

“We want to give the fans back what they have given to us all season.

“It will be a very difficult game but we have plenty to play for – we want to get into the top ten.”

Liverpool hosted Swansea in a scoreless draw last time the sides met in November.

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll was thrilled with his performance in the Reds’ 4-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on Tuesday.

After a fine cameo in Saturday’s FA Cup final loss to the Blues, the forward was on form again in the comprehensive victory at Anfield, despite not finding the back of the net.

“I’ve been through a lot, I think, and coming out at the end of it with a few good performances has been great for me,” Carroll told Sky Sports.

“I thought I was a little bit unlucky (not to score) but we’re happy with the win. We had four different goalscorers so we’re delighted with that.

“It’s important that we go out to win all the time. In the last game (at Anfield this season) it means a lot to us and the fans, to leave this season and start the next (well).”

The result keeps Liverpool in with a chance of seizing seventh place but Carroll said they are capable of better next term.

“I think we’ve played quite well throughout the season and just haven’t got the results,” he said.

“But we need to put that right and just keep playing the way that we know we can, because we’ve got some brilliant players.”

Midfielder Jordan Henderson scored the game’s second goal, his first since August, and was delighted to break his drought.

“It’s been a while,” Henderson said.

“I like to score as many as I can but I need to do it on a more regular basis, so I’ll just keep working and hopefully I can do that.”

Asked if the victory represented one of the best days of the season at Anfield, he replied: “It was probably one of them. We played well for 90 minutes so we’re over the moon with the performance and result.

“Maybe there was a little bit of revenge but we were just concentrating on the game.

“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here so hopefully it’ll give us confidence going into the next season.”

Liverpool gained some retribution for their FA Cup final defeat by beating Chelsea 4-1 in an eventful Premier League encounter at Anfield.

The result means that the Reds are still capable of overhauling seventh-placed rivals Everton on the final day while Roberto Di Matteo’s side will finish sixth.

Luis Suarez conjured the opener with a mazy run before playing it off Michael Essien for an own goal, but it was John Terry at fault shortly after when his slip allowed Jordan Henderson through for a second.

Daniel Agger then headed home from a corner and only Stewart Downing’s limp penalty miss just before the break prevented a 4-0 half-time advantage for the hosts.

A sloppy Ramires goal after the break restored some Chelsea hope but Jonjo Shelvey ruthlessly punished Ross Turnbull’s error on the hour with a strike that broke the visitors’ resistance.

Liverpool forged the first chance; Suarez outfoxing Terry and running into space, but the Uruguayan’s shot was well wide.

Andy Carroll took his turn next, looking to produce the spectacular when he attempted a delicate chip from outside the area that drifted slightly off target.

Chelsea came back moments later, with poor marking from a corner allowing Branislav Ivanovic an opportunity to head at goal, with the Serb nodding Florent Malouda’s delivery against the bar.

The Reds, however, were the ones to break the deadlock, as Suarez glided down the right before playing it off Essien and into the net.

Terry’s evening got worse five minutes later when he slipped comically at a crucial moment, allowing Henderson to seize a through-ball, advance into space and slot calmly home.

With the Blues looking totally absent, the misery kept coming. Liverpool earned a corner and Carroll evaded Terry, nodding across the box to the waiting Agger, who made no mistake as a rout loomed.

The Blues captain continued his malaise and was lucky not to be further punished when he unwittingly passed to Carroll in space, but the striker’s shot was saved by Turnbull.

Chelsea had a rare chance to break and hit the bar when Torres darted into the area before unleashing a heavy effort that clanged against the woodwork.

Liverpool, though, continued to dominate, with Downing encouraged to try for his first league goal in some style, only for his spectacular strike to come back off the bar.

Chelsea’s horror show continued as Ivanovic inexplicably dug into Carroll with an elbow in the area, costing a booking and a penalty, but Downing limply rolled the spot-kick against the post as half-time arrived.

Despite their submissive display, Chelsea got one back within five minutes of the restart as Ramires’ touch put Malouda’s delivery past a flailing Pepe Reina.

But the visitors’ 15-minute revival was quashed when Turnbull mishit a clearance into Shelvey’s path and the young Liverpool midfielder blasted home from range to restore a three-goal cushion.

Substitute Romelu Lukaku spurned a chance for a Chelsea consolation, the youngster failing to score a header from point-blank range after a good save from Reina.

Manchester City centre-back Joleon Lescott says the club’s fans must resist the temptation to celebrate Premier League glory prematurely.

Barring a miraculously large win for Manchester United at Sunderland, Roberto Mancini’s men will seal the Premier League title by virtue of goal difference with victory over QPR at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

While the former Everton defender is refusing to get carried away, Lescott revealed his side’s growing belief that they will seal the title.

“It’s a massive game at the weekend. It’s not all over yet but, if we could close the title out, it would be unreal,” Lescott told reporters.

“You dream of these things. I never once thought: ‘Yeah, I’m bound to win the Premier League’. But it was always in my mind. It will be crazy days if we win it. We’ve been nervous at times this season but we deserve to be up there.

“I’d say to our fans, keep a lid on it this week and let’s not get carried away. If it happens on Sunday, they can celebrate then.

“It’s in our hands but there’s another vital game to go. When I first arrived here (from Everton in 2009) it was more hope that we could win the league rather than real belief.

“But we’ve developed and got more players and are all starting to really believe. It’s developed over a period of time. It’s been a growing feeling.”

United had an eight-point lead at the top at the start of April, just as City’s defeat at Arsenal seemingly handed the title to the Red Devils.

However, five successive victories – including a home win over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side – coupled with the Red Devils’ uncharacteristic drop in form has put the blue half of Manchester in control.

“It would have been crazy to have given it up after Arsenal,” said Lescott. “That would have been silly. There was no chance of that happening. It would have been criminal.

“I don’t think there was any way that could happen here because of the attitudes of the players. At this level of our careers we are not going to just give up when we get close to something like this. The lads I play with have a never-say-die attitude.”

Lescott’s team-mate Yaya Toure has been key for City since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, and his two goals against Newcastle put the title within his side’s grasp.

The Ivorian midefielder said: “Always I have said this club can go far, this club can win something. Last year we won the FA Cup and we have to continue like that and next week try to win the game against QPR.

“We know it’s going to be tough but I believe in this team, I believe in the players we have. We have some fantastic players.

“I have always said I came to this club to make history even if some people said I came for different things. I am going to keep telling them I came to this club to make history and that is my first objective, to help make the club into a successful football club.”

Chelsea captain John Terry said his side’s FA Cup final triumph is ‘what we live for’ after beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday.

Ramires and Didier Drogba scored in either half before the Blues weathered an Andy Carroll-inspired fightback and the skipper felt that the win helped prove their critics wrong.

“(It’s) fantastic. This is what we live for, what we play football for,” Terry told ITV after the game.

“At times people have slated us a little bit, (saying) ‘we’re too old, we’re past it, we’re not together as a team,’ but I said yesterday: When the chips are down, we come together, we unite when our backs are against the wall, so we did that and we’ve done that superbly (over) the last 16 or 17 games.”

Asked if the cup win boosts interim manager Roberto Di Matteo’s chances of securing the job full-time, the centre-back was cautiously positive.

“We’ve still got one more massive trophy and that’s the Champions League (final on May 19),” he stressed.

“That’s what our targets have been since the day the owner came in. After that it’s down to the board to make their decision.

“We’ve done Robbie a world of good today, he’s been fantastic. We put in a great performance today and it can do him no harm.”

Liverpool felt that they might have had an equaliser when Carroll’s header was ruled to have been saved by Petr Cech just before the ball crossed the whole of the goal line late on, but Terry insisted that it had not gone in.

“No. I spoke honestly in the semi-final (about Juan Mata’s ‘ghost goal’) – that one wasn’t over,” he claimed to ESPN.

“When he rose you think ‘goal’ but a great stop from Petr and a great clearance off the line from Iva (Branislav Ivanovic) as well.

“It was tough (in the second half) but we dug in – that’s what we’re all about, digging in deep, Didier chasing back the last minute, making blocks. Everyone was fantastic.”

Didier Drogba scored a record-breaking fourth FA Cup final goal to seal a 2-1 victory for Chelsea over Liverpool on Saturday.

A quality-starved first half was punctured only after 11 minutes when Ramires capitalised on a series of Liverpool errors to burst down the right and slot into the net.

Drogba’s historic finish soon after half-time looked to have Chelsea comfortable but Andy Carroll came off the bench for Liverpool to slam home an emphatic finish shortly past the hour.

He thought he had pulled off an astonishing comeback in the 82nd minute when he powered a header at the far post, but somehow Petr Cech was able to claw it back before crossing the whole of the line, those few millimetres securing the Blues’ triumph as they held off a furious final assault.

Kenny Dalglish opted to leave Carroll on the bench, Luis Suarez playing alone up front with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy forward in support, while there was no place for stalwart defender Jamie Carragher.

Former Reds star Fernando Torres was named as a substitute for Chelsea, with Drogba chosen to lead the line, while Branislav Ivanovic partnered John Terry at the back and veteran Frank Lampard started.

After both sides spent the first 10 minutes acclimatising, an array of Liverpool errors allowed Chelsea through. Jay Spearing lost the ball in the centre, allowing Juan Mata into possession, who fed Ramires on the right.

The Brazilian powered easily outside Jose Enrique before finishing calmly past Pepe Reina, who had committed to his dive far too early.

The Reds sought a quick response, some flowing football resulting in the ball falling for Bellamy just inside the Chelsea box. The Welshman hammered a fearsome snapshot but Ivanovic was on hand with a crucial block.

Both sides looked to attack as the halfway point of the first period passed, Salomon Kalou embarking on a mazy, unchallenged run into the Liverpool area before being caught out by Daniel Agger at the last minute.

The Dane himself then made his own powerful drive forward, but as he pushed on into the box, Enrique’s pass was hit slightly too hard and the spark was snuffed out.

There was little more joy for either side, Suarez only able to stretch enough to tamely make headed contact with an inviting cross from Jordan Henderson five minutes before the break.

Chelsea opened the second period with a testing corner from Lampard, Glen Johnson displaying plenty of muscle to hold off Terry, though the Blues captain still got a desperate touch that flopped onto the top of the net.

They were on target five minutes later, though. Lampard had space to pick his pass with the Liverpool back line ahead of him, electing not to shoot but to play it in for Drogba on the edge of the area. The Ivorian took a touch and aimed through the legs of Martin Skrtel to roll his record fourth FA Cup final goal into the corner.

Dalglish threw caution to the wind by replacing the struggling Spearing with Carroll and the target man made an immediate difference.

Found by Enrique in the box, Carroll juggled and stepped over and seemed to have missed his moment to strike but instead whipped around the beaten Terry and slammed home left-footed to put Liverpool back in it.

The breakthrough woke the Reds up and they streamed forward, the substitute striker at the heart of it. His header down teed up Henderson to shoot wide from 20 yards as the crowd came alive.

Gerrard tried his luck next, attempting to meet a knock-down from over 30 yards out with a trademark howitzer, but he miscontrolled and fired wildly over the top.

Carroll then came back into play as he met Enrique’s left-sided cross with a header not far off-target.

Liverpool thought the 35-million-pound man had struck again in the 82nd minute, arriving superbly to blast a thumping header at the far post. Reds players and fans alike celebrated a goal but the referee’s assistant made a superb call to point out that Cech had in fact jumped quickly enough with incredible reflex to keep the whole of the ball from crossing the whole of the line.

Dalglish’s men hammered away in the final minutes with Chelsea clinging on desperately – although Skrtel had to cover for an exposed Reina at the death – but the final breakthrough just would not come and the Blues celebrated their fourth FA Cup triumph in six years.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes his side’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United now ranks them as the best team in the city.

But Mancini says they must now back that up by seeing off the Red Devils’ threat and sealing a first Premier League crown.

The Italian boss also believes that January’s FA Cup defeat to their neighbours gave his side more confidence against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side than their 6-1 victory at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

“We are the best team in Manchester probably. To be the best in the country we have to win the next two games,” Mancini said.

“It’s not important to beat United twice or beat Chelsea (as City have this season), it’s only important to win a championship in the end.

“The FA Cup was really important when we lost 3-2 at home in January, not when we won 6-1 (in October’s derby), that game was easy. When we lost 3-2 with 10 players after 10 minutes, we recovered the game and had a chance to score a third goal.

“United didn’t have a shot in the second half with 11 players. I think that game was important in changing our mentality against them.”

Mancini is aware of the task that his men face at Newcastle this weekend as they look to close in on the title and is happy with a City defence that has conceded just once in the last four games.

“Sunday will be really difficult because of the crowd and Newcastle are a good team,” he said of their opponents, who won 2-0 at Chelsea on Wednesday.

“Our approach to the game, preparation this week and mentality will be very important. I think Sunday will probably be a key game.

“If we concede only one goal, it’s not only because Joleon (Lescott) and Vinny (Vincent Kompany) played well or they are in good form.

“All the team worked well in the defensive phase. If not, it’s difficult. If you only work with your defenders, it’s impossible not to concede a goal. All the team defend well when we need to.”

Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles has dismissed talk of any loyalties towards Liverpool ahead of the FA Cup final between the two sides.

The 29-year-old signed for the Merseysiders in 2010 and enjoyed a successful debut season at Anfield, leading to claiming the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award.

However, following his former Porto boss Andre Villa-Boas’ move to Chelsea, Meireles made the switch to west London and now, as he readies himself to take on his former team-mates, the Portugal international has insisted that he still holds much affection for both players and fans of Liverpool.

The midfielder told the Football Association’s official website: “I love the supporters in Liverpool. They are enthusiastic about football and they are really amazing. It was my first club in England and I only have good things to say about Liverpool.”

However, Meireles was quick to point out that all personal feelings will be left in the dressing room for the duration of the Wembley final.

“For me this is a really important game because it is a final and when I came to Chelsea, I wanted to win trophies. This is my chance to do that,” he said.

”It was good to see them win a trophy this year, but now I am a Chelsea player and I want to win.

“I have a lot of friends among the players and the staff, but it’s a big game and I want to win for Chelsea and the supporters here.”

Liverpool captain Steve Gerrard has asserted that his colleagues do not ride his coattails in massive fixtures ahead of the FA Cup final versus Chelsea at Wembley Stadium at the weekend.

Through the years, Gerrard has performed admirably in the clutch for the Reds, leading the club to previous FA Cup glory in 2000-01 and 2005-06.

“I don’t think [I am relied upon]. We beat Everton in a massive game at Wembley [this year’s semi-final] not so long ago and I didn’t get the goals,” Gerrard told reporters.

“So we’ve certainly got players in and around the squad who can be match-winners. Not all the pressure’s on me. It’s up to everyone to deliver trophies for this club.

“Maybe the knockout nature of the cups has brought the best out of us this season.

“But what it also shows is that when we are down, under the cosh and under pressure, this team is never beaten.”

Although Gerrard told the reporters all the right things, most of his teammates certainly do not deserve his vote of confidence.

Outside of Luis Suarez, Craig Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez, Liverpool’s attacking players have been awful this season, and that’s putting it mildly.

New signings Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing have combined for one goal and one assist in 69 appearances in the English Premier League. In case you’re wondering, that is absolutely woeful.

Meanwhile, £35 talisman Andy Carroll has bagged four goals and one assist in 33 Premier League games in 2011-12.

That may seem impressive when compared to Downing’s zero goals and zero assists, but rest assured that it’s far from efficient. In fact, some may call it horrendous.

To make matters worse, the reliable Dirk Kuyt has not been on form for the Reds in 2011-12.

The Holland international totaled 13 goals and seven assists in the league last season, but has managed just two goals and one assist this term.

Against the odds, Liverpool have already achieved cup success this season after defeating Cardiff City on penalties in the Carling Cup final on February 26.

In addition, the Reds have improbably reached the FA Cup final.

Liverpool may be eighth in the Premier League table, but that will surely be forgotten if they hoist the FA Cup trophy at Wembley on Saturday.

In order to win the FA Cup, the Reds are going to need big performances from Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard. Can Captain Fantastic come through yet again? Not this time.

Who will win the FA Cup on Saturday? Chelsea or Liverpool?

4th May 2012

Liverpool arrive to Wembley looking to lift the second trophy of the season after beating Cardiff City in the Carling Cup final at the same ground, whereas Chelsea aim to forget the disappointment of the Premier League defeat to Newcastle that served as a bitter blow to team’s Champions League hopes and win their first title after two years.

Had someone told Roberto Di Matteo his side would qualify for two major finals when he was taking over the reigns from Andre Villas-Boas, the Italian would have probably called them a mad man, but the reality is Chelsea have a unique chance of winning two major trophies. Premiership top 4 finish remained just a dream as the under-strength Blues were beaten at home by Newcastle, but they can now make amends for the poor league position by beating Liverpool to the FA Cup trophy. Even if Chelsea lose this game, they will get another shot at glory, but chances of defeating Liverpool at neutral ground are much bigger than those of beating Bayern in the Champions League final at Alianz Arena and that is something everybody at the club is well aware of. Looking at team’s recent performances and the good atmosphere in the squad, it looks as though one cannot go wrong with backing the Blues here, although the absence of David Luiz and Gary Cahill could prove to be a problem. The good news is that Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Juan Mata and Ashley Cole are back after they were rested in midweek.

Liverpool have once again failed to mount a serious top 4 challenge in the Premiership and the prospect of finishing the league campaign behind arch rivals Everton is enough to send shivers down the spine of every Reds fan, but the Anfield outfit can still save this season provided they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Having already won the Carling Cup trophy, the Reds would turn this season into a success with yet another domestic title, but outclassing in-form Chelsea at Wembley will be no easy task. Team’s form has been a bit sketchy of late, with one point from last four home games in the Premiership an awful record for the side of Liverpool’s stature, and, odds as it may sound, the Reds will probably be happy that this game is not played at Anfield. While I seriously doubt past meetings play a part in deciding the outcome of a match, it is important to note here that on all three occasions Liverpool had defeated Everton in an FA Cup semis, they went on to lose in the final. Everything suggests the trend will continue. Apart from long-term casualties Lucas Leiva and Charlie Adam, Kenny Dalglish will have fully fit squad to choose from.

Conclusion

While these matches tend to be pretty unpredictable, I just can’t look past Chelsea in this one. The Blues have shown a remarkable uptrend in fortunes over the last couple of months and appear to be in much better form than Liverpool, a team that are heavily relying on Luis Suarez at the moment.

Verdict: Chelsea to lift the trophy

Best Odds: 3/4

Bookmaker: Bodog

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has declared that his side prefer being underdogs as they prepare to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

An intense rivalry has built up between the two sides, as they will meet for the 31st time in just eight years on Saturday, with Liverpool looking to complete, and Chelsea to start, a double trophy haul for the season.

And while Liverpool have already recorded two victories over the Blues this term, Henderson said their incredible run to the Champions League final will mean Roberto Di Matteo’s side will go into the game as the front runner.

“Chelsea are doing really well at the minute, and after beating Spurs (in the FA Cup semi-final) have gone on to beat Barcelona in the Champions League, but we know we have a job to do,” Henderson told the Football Association’s official website.

With the tag of favourites comes added pressure, and that is something which Henderson feels will perhaps hinder Chelsea and help his side.

“We believe in ourselves and will go to Wembley and do everything to try and win the Cup. Not being favourites might help us, and we’d possibly prefer that, too,” he said.

“All of us at Liverpool know we can beat anyone on our day, so we just have to concentrate on our game and make sure we turn up on the day and perform well.

“Winning the League Cup was a big achievement for us, so then to get to the final of the FA Cup is great for the club.”