Manchester City head coach Roberto Mancini has hailed Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as the 'top manager in the world' ahead of derby showdown at Eastlands.
Mancini's men will move level on points with United with a victory, but the Italian is aware that the game will be a tough encounter.
He told reporters:"I think that they know that we are now a strong team.
"We have respect for United and Ferguson because he is the top manager in the world, but we understand that we can beat them now. I think it will be a good game.
"I think that Chelsea will win the Premier League, but I think that all the other teams that are near them can try to win it because the season is long and difficult.
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"Our target must be the Champions League. At this moment we must just think game after game. We have United and we should only think about this game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Eric Lichaj’s time at Nottingham Forest has officially come to an end after he completed a move to fellow Championship outfit Hull City.
The defender spent five years at the club, but they only released a short statement confirming his exit on their official website.
The 29-year-old has moved to the KCOM Stadium for an undisclosed fee, and has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Tigers.
The USA international joined Forest in 2013 from Aston Villa and went on to make close to 200 appearances for the club.
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Last season, Lichaj started just 22 Championship matches and came off the bench in one other.
In total, the defender made 27 appearances in all competitions after dropping down the pecking order.
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With just one year remaining on his current deal, Forest opted to sell rather than allow him to leave for nothing next summer.
Forest fans have been wishing the defender well on Twitter, and some are disappointed by the news.
Toby Alderweireld’s future at Tottenham Hotspur has been a talking point for some time.
The defender is yet to follow the lead of a number of his teammate’s and sign a new contract at the North London outfit.
There have been many twists and turns in the media with regards to the Belgian’s future.
A recent exclusive from The Times claims that Tottenham are willing to sell the centre-back after reaching an impasse in transfer negotiations.
The publication states that both parties have been in talks over a deal worth around £110,000 per week, but Alderweireld’s camp are pushing for a salary close to £150,000 a week.
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According to The Times, manager Mauricio Pochettino has given a thumbs up to the club to sell the defender as the hierarchy feel that this summer will be the best time to get the highest price.
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The report also claims that the club are worried players could demand more lucrative salaries if they give Alderweireld what he wants.
As expected, this latest story has got the fans talking.
After adopting an attritional, paint-drying brand of football over the last two years for the sake of Premier League survival, Sam Allardyce has been charged with the task of evolving West Ham’s style into something more commendable this season.
A major part of that process will be transfers, and according to recent speculation, the Hammers are eying a move for Marseille midfielder Morgan Amalfitano.
The Frenchman is a diminutive, tidy attacking midfielder and impressed last season on loan at West Brom. It’s alleged a fee has already agreed and reports last night claim Amalfitano is now ‘desperate’ to move to Upton Park.
So in honour of the 29 year-old’s expected arrival, here’s FIVE things Amalfitano will bring to West Ham’s new attacking style
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OUTPUT
The biggest failing of West Ham’s attacking players last season was undoubtedly their limited output.
Kevin Nolan found an impressive seven goals and five assists from attacking midfield but that was by far the biggest contribution of any forward-thinking player on the Hammers roster.
As viewable below however, Morgan Amalfitano fared significantly better than the likes of Stewart Downing, Ravel Morrison and Matt Jarvis during his loan spell with West Brom last season:
Here’s a short clip of the midfielder’s net-finding exploits in Ligue 1:
//www.youtube.com/embed/bU2xL6ugx3c?rel=0
If the Frenchman can transition his consistent output to Upton Park, West Ham’s rather uninspiring average of 1.05 goals scored per match from last season should significantly improve.
Match-Winner
And through his ability to score goals, Morgan Amalfitano has the potential to be a real match winner for West Ham. The Irons could certainly do with a talismanic presence too, with the vast majority of their good results depending heavily on Sam Allardyce’s entrenched team ethic rather than moments of individual brilliance.
Last season, the 29 year-old netted this wonder goal to clinch West Brom a historic win against Manchester United at Old Trafford:
//www.youtube.com/embed/crAih_j1AU8?rel=0
He also bagged an audacious lob against relegation rivals Cardiff City:
And found the deciding goal in a 1-0 win over Norwich in April,which proved to be the final nail in Chris Hughton’s Carrow Road career.
Creativity and diversity
Likewise to output, the West Ham squad is suffering from a lack of natural creativity, especially with the future of attacking midfield prodigy Ravel Morrison remaining uncertain after his recent brush with the law.
But the anticipated arrival of Morgan Amalfitano should remedy that somewhat. As viewable below, despite the Baggies’ atrocious form last season the Marseille midfielder produced impressive attacking averages:
West Ham need a player who can unlock opposition defences without relying upon their more traditional ethos of route one football.
The 5 foot 10 Frenchman would be perfect for that role; he can operate in attacking or central midfield, and rather than being an old-fashioned English winger that constantly hugs the touchline, Amalfitano is a roaming playmaker who often cuts inside to open the whole pitch up.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO KEVIN NOLAN
Kevin Nolan remains as vital to West Ham’s successes as ever – his seven goals last term were the most of any player in the entire Irons squad.
But at 32 years of age, his scoring rate slowly-yet-surely decreasing and his legs inevitably beginning to fade, the Hammers captain can’t be expected to play all 38 games in the attacking midfield role next season. He’s also picked up some worrying disciplinary problems of late.
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Sam Allardyce needs a viable alternative, especially amid the aformentioned drama surrounding Ravel Morrison at this moment in time, and he may well have found one in Morgan Amalfitano.
The Frenchman may not share Nolan’s determined spirit but he can score, create and is more than comfortable with the ball at his feet. During games in which the Hammers need to keep the ball, this service could prove vital.
That’s not to say West Ham fans should expect Kevin Nolan to be ousted by Amalfitano any time soon, but the 29 year-old’s arrival will allow the Irons skipper to share the burdens of his intrinsic role.
Controversy?
Morgan Amalfitano was hardly perceived as the bad-boy of the Hawthorns during his season-long stay with West Bromwich Albion last year.
But the sustained tension surrounding his transfer situation this summer appears to have brought out the worst in him. According to reports from France, the 29 year-old spat at coach Marcelo Bielsa during a training session he was told not to attend last week.
This tackle on Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj last season wasn’t too friendly either:
//www.youtube.com/embed/LvvTja7hlTc?rel=0
So although the one-cap France midfielder appeared a rather pleasant personality during his stay with the Baggies, he does come with a dark side that could soon be exposed at Upton Park.
‘s Rio Ferdinand has revealed how manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave them a shock when he showed them the Premier League table before their game against Newcastle last month.
United were sixth in the top flight after six games before their 3-0 win at St. James’s Park and were seven points behind leaders Chelsea.
And veteran defender Ferdinand has described how Ferguson’s decision to show them the league table before the game game gave them a much needed wake up call.
He told the Daily Mirror: “Before kick-off, the manager showed us the league table to emphasise that point and it didn’t make pretty reading.
“I don’t really look at the league table until Christmas normally. When we saw it that day, it hit home. We thought, ‘Wow, we need to shake ourselves up.’
“Thankfully, it turned out to be a good day for us.”
And Ferdinand admitted that, despite now being two points clear of rivals Manchester City at the top of the league, United’s faltering start to the season was a lot down to taking their eye off the ball and expecting to win games.
“I think we had got in to a position this season, a bit like we did at the start of last season, where we were just playing open, expansive football and expecting to score three or four goals and no really concentrating as we should on our defending,” he explained.
“This league is unforgiving in that sense. If you’re not on your game in all areas you’ll get punished.
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“But I think the performance against Newcastle signalled a bit of a change in mentality from us and hopefully that’s a taste of things to come for the rest of the season.”
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has dismissed Stoke City’s £10m bid for Dwight Gayle.
What’s the story?
Stoke offered £10m for Gayle over the weekend – according to the Daily Mail – with the Potters looking to boost their squad for the 2018-19 Championship campaign.
However, The Chronicle has claimed that Benitez has made it clear that he will not be selling Gayle this summer unless a new centre-forward arrives at the club.
It is understood that Gayle is happy in Newcastle and does not want to move his young family, meanwhile, which seems to suggest that the striker will still be with the Magpies entering the new Premier League season.
There are question marks over Gayle’s ability to operate at Premier League level, however, and his future is believed to be far from secure despite Benitez’s stance.
Should Newcastle sell Gayle?
There can be no doubting Gayle’s work-rate and commitment to the cause, and those two attributes have made him popular with the Newcastle fans.
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The striker’s 23 Championship goals during the 2016-17 season, meanwhile, played a key role in Newcastle securing a return to the Premier League.
He only managed six Premier League goals last term, however, and there are not too many reasons to suggest that he will improve on that total next term.
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If Newcastle are to cement themselves as a top-10 team in the Premier League, they will need to find a striker who can score at least 12 league goals a season.
Valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, Gayle is a brilliant success story having progressed from non-league football to the Premier League, but Newcastle should be looking for an upgrade on the centre-forward in this summer’s transfer window.
Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw in their first leg Champions League tie with Sevilla on Wednesday night and it has caused mixed reviews with many involved and those watching the game.
The Red Devils would have been thankful to David De Gea for his incredible performance at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. The goalkeeper had to make a number of saves, allowing for Jose Mourinho’s side to take a goalless draw back to Old Trafford.
What would have been frustrating for the Red Devils was the lack of chances they created, with five in total, and accordingly working Sevilla shot-stopper Sergio Rico just once.
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A line-up that included Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, United would have hoped to make more of an impact at the top of the pitch, but not all considered a draw a bad result.
We asked a number of fans in our poll if they felt the outcome was a good result and the question appears to be splitting fans almost straight down the middle.
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53% of voters sided with the idea that they felt it was a bad result for the club, although that could well be down to the lack of performance from Mourinho’s side.
Manchester United fans, what do you think your chances are of getting a positive result at home and progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League? Let us know by commenting below…
Ex-Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan believes that his old side can reclaim their Premier League crown.
The Red Devils lost their status as English football’s top dogs last term, as the disastrous reign of David Moyes saw the Red Devils slip to seventh place from the summit.
Louis van Gaal has since been drafted in, and the experienced Dutchman has overseen an impressive pre-season in which they beat bitter rivals Liverpool in the International Champions Cup tournament in Miami.
WANT MORE? >> Manchester United transfer news | Latest transfer news
With a couple of big money signings on board – Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera – there is much positivity around Old Trafford at the moment, and Phelan thinks that the club could make a shock bid for the title:
When asked by talkSPORT if van Gaal can win the league in his first campaign, he said: “I don’t see why not. Some people will probably scoff at that, but everybody is improving year on year.
“United did take a backward step a little bit, but it is well within their capabilities to surprise a lot of people and rise to the occasion. They look now as though they have got belief in themselves.
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“Obviously pre-season is pre-season. They have got to come back now and get some consistency in the league but there will be excitement there.
“They have got, in Van Gaal, somebody with terrific experience and great motivation. Add that to the ingredients already at Old Trafford, in the supporters and the expectation. I’m sure they could be right up there.”
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted that the better team won following his side’s 3-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Swansea.
The Reds boss was facing the club he left in the summer for the first time and would have been hoping for a positive result before kick-off.
The likes of Joe Cole, Stuart Downing and Jamie Carragher were all handed starting spots as Rodgers shuffled his pack following last weekend’s 2-2- draw with Everton.
The Anfield chief’s decision to rest a number of key players came back to haunt him as his former side snatched the victory to eliminate the league cup holders.
However, Rodgers was gracious in defeat:
“I thought the best team won. I thought we were slow in the first half. It took the introduction of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.” He told SkySports after the match.
“Obviously we made a lot of changes but I just felt the tempo and the intensity of our game was way too low.
“It is no surprise, I know Swansea inside out, so I know the brightness and quality they have.”
The Swans took the lead mid way through the first-half, as centre-half Chico headed in his first for the club.
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The Welshmen continued their dominance in the second period and doubled their lead courtesy of a Nathan Dyer tap in after 72 minutes.
Luis Suarez, pulled one back for the hosts after coming off of the bench, but Jonathan de Guzman put the game to bed with a late goal.
According to The Express, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton target Matias Vecino will be available for £19m in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Vecino is currently in action at the 2018 World Cup, with the 26-year-old helping Uruguay reach the knockout round of the competition with a match to spare.
The midfielder plays his club football for Inter Milan, having joined the Italian giants from Fiorentina last summer.
Earlier this month, Tottenham and Everton were both linked with a move for Vecino, and according to The Express, Inter would be prepared to sell for £19m this summer.
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That said, it is understood that Chelsea are also very much in the race for the 24-time international, and the interest will surely mount if Uruguay continue to progress at this summer’s World Cup.
What are Vecino’s credentials?
Vecino is a 6ft 2inch midfielder who started his professional career with Uruguayan outfit Central Espanol before joining Nacional, where he spent two years.
Fiorentina signed him on a four-year contract in January 2013, although the deal did not actually go through until the summer of the same year.
The versatile midfielder scored six times and registered eight assists in 85 appearances for Fiorentina, whilst he also turned out for Cagliari and Empoli on loan before joining Inter.
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The San Siro giants paid in the region of £20m to sign him last summer, and he scored three times and registered three assists in 31 appearances last term.
According to The Express, Inter would be prepared to sell for £19m ahead of the new season, however, and Tottenham and Everton are very much in the race.
That said, it appears that the Tottenham fans are not convinced that Vecino would be a good signing having watched him in action at the World Cup.