Barcelona want Chelsea star to partner Suarez, LVG scouting set piece king

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Barcelona want Chelsea star to partner Suarez, LVG scouting set piece king - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Diego-Costa

Barcelona are eyeing up a move for Chelsea striker Diego Costa. The Spanish giants want the controversial Brazilian to partner Luis Suarez at Camp Nou.

Diego Costa was instrumental to Chelsea’s title win last season and has been a key figure under Jose Mourinho.

Earlier this season, Costa was linked with a return to Atletico Madrid but the forward ruled out the rumours and pledged his loyalty to the London club.

However, things have changed since then and Costa seems to be frustrated with Chelsea’s poor form in the league this season. Along with some of his teammates, Costa is going through a poor run of form himself and could be looking for a change.

Spanish publication Don Balon states that Luis Enrique, the Barcelona manager is a keen admirer of the Chelsea striker and wants him to form a deadly quartet alongside Suarez, Messi and Neymar.

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Manchester United send scouts to watch Hakan Calhanoglu

Louis Van Gaal has sent his scouts to Germany to run the rule over the high flying Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Turkish star has been one of the best players in the Bundesliga this year and has attracted a lot of interest from European heavyweights.

Calhanoglu is a goalscoring number 10 and Louis Van Gaal is keen to add someone like that to his midfield. Manchester United have struggled to score goals lately and a goalscoring midfielder behind the forward would be ideal.

Calhanoglu’s set piece prowess will be an added bonus for the Premier League giants if they manage to sign him. The Turkish midfielder is regarded as one of the finest free-kick takers in world football right now.

 

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Van Gaal admits he doesn’t know where to play his £36m signing

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Van Gaal admits he doesn’t know where to play his £36m signing - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

anthony-martial-man-utd

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has made a shocking revelation that he is still trying to find out the best position for the young French striker, Anthony Martial.

Martial joined the Premier League giants from Monaco this summer, and despite him operating as a wide forward at times, the young striker has always performed best a central role.

After his explosive introduction to the Premier League, Martial seemed tailor made for Van Gaal’s team as the main striker. The Frenchman scored 3 times in the league and created several chances for his teammates while operating as the number 9.

Since the return of Wayne Rooney, Van Gaal has used the young striker as a left winger in order to accommodate his misfiring captain.

“We don’t know yet because he played always in Monaco as the left winger,” Van Gaal said.

“And as a manager I have to see what is the best balance in the team, and that’s not so simple. So I have to decide every week also, dependable of the game plan and the opponent, and so on.

“We have played with him in the striker’s position, that was not the first time for him, but in Monaco he played always on the left wing.”

It will be interesting to see what Martial and the Manchester United fans think of the Dutchman’s comments.

The United faithful have been calling for Martial to be reinstated as the team’s main striker and Van Gaal’s admission that he is yet to find out what the player’s best role is, will not go down well with a frustrated fan-base.

 

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Van Gaal condemns midfielder for Palace draw, but safeguards Rooney

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Van Gaal condemns midfielder for Palace draw, but safeguards Rooney - originally posted on Soccerlens.com


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Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has criticized Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera for missing a crucial chance against Crystal Palace earlier today.

The Manchester United midfielder missed a glorious chance from close range after being played through by Anthony Martial.

Van Gaal said: “You have to finish the chances. In the last minute of the first half, Ander Herrera could have finished it but he didn’t. I asked him and he didn’t know why, so that is a pity. But I can’t complain about the result because I don’t think we were the better team today.”

Van Gaal’s criticism was justified but the Dutchman’s reluctance to overlook a shocking performance from Wayne Rooney was unacceptable. Previously Van Gaal has been very vocal about his admiration for the Manchester United captain, but his shielding of the player looks extremely unfair and biased at the moment.

Wayne Rooney has been abysmal this season and could have been easily dropped from the first team. However the England striker finds himself starting every game as the central striker while the in form striker Anthony Martial has been shafted out on the left wing, a decision which is quite bizarre.

Herrera has been extremely impressive for Manchester United when given a chance and in contrast to Rooney, the former Bilbao midfielder was quite sharp against Palace earlier today. 

Apart from his poor miss and a dive, the Spaniard posed a real threat with his movement near the opposition box and could well have been the match winner in the end.

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Villas-Boas wants to sign Chelsea player in January, Mourinho loves him

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Villas-Boas wants to sign Chelsea player in January, Mourinho loves him - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Falcao-Chelsea

Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is keen to sign the Chelsea striker Radamel Falcao on loan when the transfer window reopens in January.

The former Manchester United player has struggled to deliver since joining the Blues on loan and has been linked with a move away from the Premier League.

Falcao joined Manchester United on loan last season, but the Colombian striker struggled to fit in at Old Trafford. After the lack of chances under Louis Van Gaal, Falcao decided to join Chelsea in the summer where Mourinho promised to help him get back to his old self.

Mourinho explained his decision to sign Falcao in the summer and claimed that he is not the player everyone saw at Manchester United. The Chelsea manager also expressed his admiration for the player.

However it has not quite worked out for the former Atletico Madrid striker who seems badly out of touch since his cruciate ligament injury.

According to Duncan Castles, Villas-Boas, the current manager of Zenit St Petersburg has offered to take Falcao on loan for half a season and is keen to reunite the Colombian with Hulk, his attacking partner from Porto.

Villas-Boas has already coached Falcao at Porto and is aware of his strengths and weaknesses. The Portuguese manager wants to offer Falcao a way out and will be able to provide him with a fresh start and guaranteed Champions League football.

It will be interesting to see if Falcao and Chelsea come to an agreement about the move. But considering his current form and the slump Chelsea are in, it would be a wise decision to jump ship once again.

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Klopp delivers verdict after Liverpool defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

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Klopp delivers verdict after Liverpool defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

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Jurgen Klopp has sealed his first league win as Liverpool manager as the Reds came from behind to seal a 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The German manager, who replaced Brendan Rodgers earlier this month has expressed his delighted after his side managed to beat the Premier League champions on Saturday.

Chelsea took an early lead from Ramires’ header in the fourth minute. However, their lead was cancelled in the added time of the first half. It was Philippe Coutinho, who was the star man for the Merseyside club as two goals in first and second half, followed by a late goal from substitute Christian Benteke sealed the match for the visitors.

The Blues had a good start to the game, until Liverpool started to dominate on the pitch. The former Borussia Dortmund praised his players after they were successful in restricting Chelsea to limited possession in the final third.

“We didn’t have the best start in the game. We needed a few minutes to come into it and Chelsea made their goal – one of those strange situations where there were four against two in the corner and they made the cross,” Klopp told Liverpool’s official website.

“They made their goal but we stood in the game. We had our moments, we played football and our build-up with short passes – what we want to do – was very good.”

“They tried to make high pressure but we could play in the spaces between. So we could change the situation a little bit and I think in the first half we deserved it.”

“Of course, it’s dangerous because of the quality of Chelsea with the counter. But we controlled these situations; not perfectly, we showed the guys a few situations at half-time where we had to protect our situations better. We made a goal and deserved the draw at half-time.

“In the second half it was an open game, we got a little bit more of the game and made our goals in two perfect moments for us. Shoot at the right moment, don’t shoot at the wrong moment, take the ball to a better situation and then shoot. A little bit of luck, of course, but I feel it was deserved.

“At the end, we had to work hard but that’s normal if you want to win at Chelsea. We had to work hard and that’s what we did.”

This is Klopp’s second consecutive victory after they sealed a 1-0 win over AFC Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup. Liverpool are now in the quarter final of the competition and that is their best chance of clinching a silverware this season, especially with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all been knocked out of the Capital One Cup.

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Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool: Goals, Highlights & Twitter Reaction

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Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool: Goals, Highlights & Twitter Reaction - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

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Liverpool came from behind to snatch a memorable 3-1 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Philippe Coutinho scored a brace and Cristian Benteke added another in the dying minutes of the match to seal the victory in the Reds’ favour.

Chelsea fans made a clear show of full support for their under-fire manager Jose Mourinho at the start of the match, and the players duly responded with an early goal inside 4 minutes as Ramires drilled his header past Simon Mignolet from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.

Liverpool enjoyed a lion-share of possession, but they really struggled to test Asmir Begovic, but a moment of sheer brilliance from Coutinho, who created space on the edge of box before curling a superb shot on the far corner with his left foot, bought the visitors back into the game.

In the second half, Coutinho gave Liverpool the lead after drilling the ball on the top corner leaving Begovic with no chance of saving.

Benteke coming 0n as a substitute for James Milner, increased Liverpool’s lead in the 83rd minute, breezing past Gary Cahill and John Terry with ease and slotting home with great composure to leave Chelsea with 11 points from 11 games.

Check out all the goals and videos from the game:

Ramires’ opener for Chelsea:

Philippe Coutinho’s equaliser:

Coutinho’s second goal:

Benteke’s winner for Liverpool:

Let’s check some of the tweets from fans & journalists:

Share your thoughts below – to both Chelsea and Liverpool fans…

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Wenger says it is now or never for Arsenal player

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Wenger says it is now or never for Arsenal player - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Arsenal Transfer News

Arsene Wenger has revealed it is “now or never” for forward Joel Campbell at Arsenal. He joined the Gunners in 2011 and since then has been away from the club on loan.

The 23-year-old had an impressive loan spell with Real Betis and Olympiacos, just before the 2014 FIFA World Cup. His club form saw him make it to the Costa Rica’s national squad for the World Cup, where they reached the quarter final of the tournament.

Campbell was allowed to leave on loan earlier in the January transfer window earlier this year. He was included as a part of the swap deal, which allowed the north London club to sign defender Gabriel Paulista.

The South American is now at the Emirates and has seen his first team opportunities limited. The Guardian reports Campbell could be handed his first Premier League start when Arsenal take on Swansea City. Wenger has warned the forward to take his chance and failing to do so could likely bring an end to his time at the Emirates in the coming transfer window.

“I wanted to keep him here, I felt he has been on loan two or three times and that it is now or never for him with us,” Wenger explained, as reported by Sky Sports.

“For him, as well, you belong to a club, you go one time out, two times out then after that you don’t know any more if you belong to the club or not.”

“He has two positions – right side and centre-forward. He is a bit of a mixture between Walcott and (Olivier) Giroud. He likes to play with his back to goal like Giroud, but as well is a bit of a dribbler.”

Arsenal are already without the services of England international duo of Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck. The ex-Southampton man picked up a calf injury in the Gunners’ 3-0 shock Capital One Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

In addition to this, Welbeck has not featured for Wenger’s side this season. The former Manchester United forward is expected to return to action next year. Despite these injury woes, Arsenal scout Brian McDermott suggests Wenger is unlikely to bring in a striker in the mid-season transfer window.

This could allow Campbell to showcase his talent and Wenger’s comments clearly suggests this is his last chance to make it at Arsenal.

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Stats Prove Arsenal Star Is Best In The Premier League

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Stats Prove Arsenal Star Is Best In The Premier League - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

“I always said I wanted him [Cech] to stay.” — Jose Mourinho.

When Chelsea manager Mourinho quoted the above words earlier this summer after Petr Cech’s Arsenal move, he put further gloss on the fact Chelsea were letting go one of the best goalkeepers in the business. That Arsenal have more points this season than at the same stage last term can be attributed to Cech’s presence in goal.

cech

How Chelsea have missed the big Czech this season in evident in their results. In his 11 starts since Thibaut Courtois suffered an injury setback in August, Cech’s replacement at Chelsea, Asmir Begovic, has let in 14 goals. In the same period at Arsenal, Cech has conceded only eight goals, three of which came in midweek’s League Cup loss to Sheffield Wednesday where Arsenal played a second-string back line.

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Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League

That Cech’s arrival has coincided with Arsenal’s good run of form is no surprise; the Gunners are four points better off than at the same stage last season, and the 33-year-old has been one of the signings of the season. Cech is leading the stats for goalkeepers this season; his eight goals conceded have come at the expense of almost 5 shots saved, and averages better than his rival goalkeepers at other title-challenging clubs.

Manchester City’s Joe Hart has conceded the least number of goals this season among goalkeepers at the top clubs, but he is far more leakier than Cech. The England number one has made 3.2 saves per goal conceded, although his rate of 202.5 minutes per goal conceded is considerably better than Cech’s 112.5 minutes. Another interesting revelation is who is the better goalkeeper at Manchester United, another of Arsenal and Cech’s title rivals.

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Sergio Romero was the first choice at the start of the season before the David De Gea transfer situation cooled, but according to the stats men, the Argentine has a better saves per goal average than De Gea, and has also conceded less, although De Gea has played more games.

A thing of note is the fact De Gea has had more saves to make per game than Romero, a sign that the Manchester United defence has been taking things for granted ever since De Gea returned to the side after missing the first four league games. The Spaniard has had to make three saves per game compared to Romero’s 1.75 per game.

Coming back to Cech, the Arsenal shot-stopper has also made the second highest number of saves this season among the top ten goalkeepers behind only Stoke City’s Jack Butland. It is hard to envisage Arsenal wouldn’t have conceded more goals without Cech between the posts. His experience, leadership and calming influence has been instrumental in the Gunners’ solid start, leading to Arsenal conceding the lowest number of goals this season thus far.

While many were quick to lambaste Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s policy of not buying enough players this summer to turn Arsenal into clear title favourites, at least the Frenchman deserves his just deserts for seemingly putting an end to what has been Arsenal’s problem position of the goalkeeper ever since David Seaman left the club in 2003. That small change could turn out to be the key to Arsenal winning their first title in over a decade.

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