LAZIO Vs Roma: "Laziale" MOTM Quick Analysis

Great match by Lazio on Sunday.

I really enjoyed to see the "old" likes of Brocchi, Klose, André Dias or Cissé, playing with this kids (Gago, Pjanic, Osvaldo), heads. They were really in.

Klose had a typical class match of his. Holding the possession of the ball with his backs turned to the goal, and then, involved on every single offensive move of Lazio, with or without the ball. And of course, he was there to give the win.

Cissé was pretty great. I watched (well, I downloaded it) the match with ESPN coverage and it's commentator was really annoying and persistent when he was saying that Cissé was having a poor match.... eh, disagree. For his age he's still fast and he can decide quickly. I've had A LOT of chances to watch him for Panathinaikos and I thought he was still the "Superstar", the "Individualist", but heck, he changed a lot. He gave a couple of good balls and on the start of the second half he had the chance to score the 1-1, though, he decided fast enough to make a poor shot. His movements were crucial and when he went to the center, Roma didn't had a chance to breather (also, thanks to Hernanes move to the left side).

Hernanes was Hernanes. He's really top class. No news about it. He's still the same amazing player (wow, it's really rare to see me saying this about anyone), that I watched on his debut for São Paulo. Plays with both feet, and that tells a lot, and then, he is the type of player that can change a match, just like he did for this match.

Brocchi and André Dias were class as well. Dias had the chance to mark Bojan and / or Osvaldo, and he was really good at it. Konko left Osvaldo slip, on his goal, but then Osvaldo rarely did anything except a backheel pass to Angel, major thanks to the Brazilian. Brocchi was fulcral with his positioning and ball distribution. He had the brains and the emotion to control the team. He hold on Gago and Pjanic's youth (though I'de say they are not good as "they" say) and conquered the penalty. Had to leave because an injury, which is sad.

Lulic and Matuzalem substitutions where the culmination of everything. The Bosnian was simply surprising on the left side, helping Hernanes with his maneuvers. And Matuzalem gave a classy-touch to the midfield, full of flair and with that magnificent assist to Klose's goal.

- Roberto Rivelino

Liverpool v. Manchester United: the ageless clash of the titans

Liverpool and Manchester United meet at Anfield on Saturday - and the incentive is so great for Kenny Dalglish's side that I am backing them to inflict the first defeat of the season on the champions.

It is a bigger match for Liverpool than it is for United, even though it is early in the season.

This match is the big test for Liverpool because, at the end of the last campaign, they improved so dramatically under manager Kenny Dalglish that plenty were predicting they could really make an impact this time around.

Liverpool spent a lot of money in the summer and started well, only to have a blip when they lost at Stoke City, then delivered a totally unacceptable performance in the 4-0 defeat against Tottenham.

They may not have been brilliant in the wins over Wolves and Everton but they got the job done. Now, if they beat United, they will be within three points of them. If they lose, a nine-point difference looks a very hard gap to bridge.

FAST FACT

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If Liverpool win at Anfield on Saturday, it will be the first time Manchester United have lost four consecutive away games to a specific team in the Premier League

This is why I believe Liverpool will be right up for this and I think they will win. They are playing the team everyone regards as the one to beat in the race for the Premier League title.

It is a game that has potentially huge ramifications for Liverpool's own confidence and aspirations. If they win, it will send confidence and self-belief soaring - if they lose, it is a long way back.

For Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, this is a new experience, while most of United's squad have played in this fixture before.

Liverpool will call on the memories of their 3-1 win against United at Anfield last March, when Dirk Kuyt scored a hat-trick and Luis Suarez was involved in all three goals.

The Kop will look to Suarez to be their match-winner again and this guy is already a hero to Liverpool supporters.

It might be stretching the point to say it is a case of "Fernando Who?" but no-one talks about Torres any more - the name on everyone's lips is Suarez.

I have spoken to a couple of Liverpool players about him and they don't talk so much about what he does on the pitch but about how good he is in training.

The Uruguayan reminds me of Ian Rush. Defenders are drawn into watching him instead of the ball and this guarantees mistakes.

The trick of defending is to make the attacker think about what you are doing. When you spend your time watching the attacker and wondering what he is doing, it causes problems.

This is exactly what Suarez does - he puts pressure on defenders. He has quick feet, natural ability, scores goals and is strong and aggressive. That's some package.

DID YOU KNOW?

Continue reading the main story

• Both cities of Liverpool and Manchester have historically been part of the county of Lancashire, so this fixture has been known as a Lancashire derby.
• Between them they have won 118 honours: 60 for Manchester United and 58 for Liverpool.
• Roy Hodgson's Liverpool lost 3-2 at Old Trafford last season but their new manager Kenny Dalglish helped his side win 3-1 at Anfield.

We have seen the effect he has on defenders. He panics them, provokes fear and Rush was the same. It happened at Arsenal when Suarez's presence forced an own goal from Aaron Ramsey and Liverpool went on to win.

We saw it again in the Merseyside derby when Sylvain Distin and Leighton Baines, two fine and experienced Premier League defenders, were aware of him and got into the mix-up that gave Suarez the second goal in Liverpool's 2-0 win.

Liverpool have Steven Gerrard moving towards full fitness but I'm not sure Dalglish will bring him back. He has tended to go with more or less what he has when he is winning unless the situation is in dire straits.

Steven's rehabilitation has been very carefully and sensibly managed by Liverpool's medical team, while Dalglish is able to look at the bigger picture because Liverpool's squad is so much stronger these days.

We saw it when Suarez and Raul Meireles came on to help Liverpool beat Arsenal and again when Gerrard and Craig Bellamy were introduced for the last 25 minutes to help Liverpool defeat Everton.

United have always had great quality on the bench but it has been something of a downfall for Liverpool. This is changing now.

If Suarez is Liverpool's key figure, then rest assured Wayne Rooney will still be Manchester United's. I do not expect him to be fazed by his sending off for England in Montenegro last Friday.

Wayne has had a torrid week and there is no question he let himself down. But Rooney is a great player who can present United with their best chance of winning the game.

I have nothing but admiration for him, despite what happened in Podgorica. I still recall how he was having a nightmare in that defeat at Anfield last season - but was trying as hard in the last minute as he was in the first.

If there has been a concern in United's start to the season, it is that they are conceding too many chances.

Continue reading the main story

Phil Jones ... is going to be a brilliant player but, at the moment, he is not the best positionally

Alan HansenBBC Match of the Day pundit

Sir Alex Ferguson said the game was too open in the 3-1 victory against Chelsea. Norwich City had chances before United won 2-0 at Old Trafford and Basel were creating opportunities almost at will in the 3-3 Champions League draw.

United currently have four defenders who have not played with each other often and this can create a problem. In a big game, if you offered me four class defenders who have not played with each other much or four half-decent players who had played together 200 times, I would take the latter every time.

Defensive understanding takes time and I'm not talking ten games - sometimes it can take a season.

Phil Jones has been a high-profile introduction to United's defenceafter his £16m move from Blackburn Rovers. He is going to be a brilliant player but, at the moment, he is not the best positionally. Defending is about three things - position, position, position.

If you have four defenders in a line who know each other's every move, you would not believe how hard it is to get through. But if you have one out of position, the others might go as well and you have problems.

This means Ferguson faces a massive call in central defence withNemanja Vidic in the frame after playing for Serbia against Slovenia in midweek following his recovery from a calf injury, while Rio Ferdinand is also available.

Ferguson will no doubt take into consideration that central defensive play is about partnership and nothing to do with individuals.

Chris Smalling and Jones may be a fine partnership of the future but, even if they played 50 consecutive games together, they will not be as good as Ferdinand and Vidic have been.

As for Liverpool, it is a big chance for them to catch up to United. They might not have another opportunity so they need to make the most of it.

source: BBC
By Alan Hansen
BBC's Match of the Day football pundit

Ryan Babel Vs Mainz (Mainz 0-4 Hoffenheim)

- Originally posted by Roberto Rivelino - Bianconer8.blogspot.com

Ryan Babel isn't exactly an unknown. With 17 years started to shine and made his debut for Ajax, with the help and hand of Ronald Koeman.
Initially has a Forward, soon enough, it was easy to spot that it wasn't his best function. Therefore, he was "moved" to the Wing because he was able to create chances, though, as a Forward, he missed most of them. And it was in the Wing that the saga of dribbles and runs of Ryan Babel started to gave the spectators of the Amsterdam Arena a good feeling and the fame of his football started to grow, and soon, in 2005, he was called for the National Team of Holland. Two years later, Liverpool would buy him.

At Anfield, Babel had very highs and lows and, the "lows" had the major emphasis. Constantly praised by legends, such as Kenny Dalglish, who was his coach for only 6 days, because Babel wanted to "new fresh air" and so, despite Kenny's guarantee that he wouldn't move, Babel went to Germany to sign for Hoffenheim. In 6 months he became one of the favorites from the crowd and, in that (past) season (2010-2011), he had 1 goal scored in 15 matches.

Against Mainz, Ryan Babel gave the reasons and more than reasons, for every adjective and compliment delivered to him.
Started playing on the right side, but with the match development, he was either on the left side, or at Second-Striker, behind Roberto Firmino, the first goal scorer. Protecting the ball with his body (1,83m for 77kg), it was a constancy to see him doing the "sombrero" or the "step-over" skill and he had the "icing on the cake" with a brilliant goal! In velocity, "exploded" from the defender's back, by William's pass, dribbled Popech (the defender already beaten before) and Noveski before hitting the ball into the right inferior corner of Müller's net. 8 minutes after, at 82', he got replaced to hear an ovation on the opponents stadium.

With 24 years he is, certainly, one player to have in check. Babel one pure example that, sometimes, it's needed to go one step back, to give two in front.

- Roberto Rivelino

Juventus Vs Parma - Individual Performances Analysis

Heads up, the new season has started in Italy, and so did started to grow the expectations of Juventus fans, specially, after such show against Parma, in which Juve won for 4-1, with goals scored by Lichtsteiner, Pepe, Arturo Vidal and Marchisio, for Juventus and, for Parma, Giovinco scored with a penalty committed by De Ceglie during the extra time, the red card followed Juventus full back, in consequence.


Juventus got their defense tested and Barzagli was the best defender, along with Lichtsteiner. Barza' really worked his body off and had some great tackles and interceptions, but, not only, defensively, he was important on the ball release from the defense to the midfield, with good passes and moves.
Lichtsteiner was really good as well. Lich' has something that Juventus have been missing from long time ago. He can defend and he can attack, and he is really good with the ball on his feet and he is brave and aggressive, which is perfect for a Right Back.
De Ceglie for some part of the match was good. He is really aggressive as well, but though, I think he needs to have more brains, because he has a lot of heart and has improved quite a bit since last season.

On the midfield, well, I could just mention Pirlo and that would do it.
He was amazing. He gave Juve something that they didn't had the chance to see on the last decade or so, maybe since Zidane. And that is flair, technique and class to our game flow.
Sometimes I thought about three things:
1- I wonder how would be this Midfield with Felipe Melo and Diego. Oh hell, that would be amazing. Diego would play so much better with Pirlo supporting his moves, and then Melo learning from Pirlo and doing (almost) the same as him (though, not really comparing both, take notice).
2- Juventus will score many goals with Vucinic and Matri because of him. The ability that he has to put the ball on defenders backs is really remarkable. He did it 10 times (from the top of my head) in this match, though, most of them were to Del Piero, who is not a 26 year-old anymore. Then when Vucinic came on, he (Andrea) served him a lot, but he was really nervous and didn't had a good debut at all.
3- This will have some irony... He reminds me of Busquets for Barcelona. (There's the irony, it should be the contrary) Busquets is like a watch for Barça, and so that will be Pirlo's role for Juventus too. Both turn the game to the left, the team game-play goes to the left, they turn to the right, and the team plays to the right. They are dictators of the rhythm of the match, they are fulcral on their teams because they are the major player in the first phase of game-construction and both are amazing players and I can't imagine Juventus without Pirlo right now.
Marchisio will also learn a lot with Pirlo, though, Pirlo's performance out-shined Marchi's. But I saw a couple of movimentations and skills (and with that I also include passes) that will give, Juve, points.

Then, the attack, and there I'll include Simone Pepe and Giaccherini.
Del Piero was really good, in my opinion, for the time he played. He served Matri really well, specially when Matri hit the post, he made an amazing pass, but not only talking about passes or shots, he was amazingly amazing when it came to the tactical campus. He opened a lot of spaces for Pirlo's balls and to Matri's runs behind the defenders. When Lichtsteiner scored Juve's first goal, I believe Del Piero pushed one or two defenders of Parma, which left Licht alone.
Matri was good. He looked really sharp and I the fact that he got pissed with himself for not scoring, when he got substituted is a good indication. He had some good runs, he hit a ball on the post, "scored" and had some great controls with his chest, receiving passes from Pirlo. He was also majorly helped by Del Piero and I think they will do a great combination during the season, specially if Matri hits the goal many times.
Vucinic was really really average on his debut. I think he will be a great player, but he was a bit nervous indeed. He had a lot of opportunity's and he crumbled. I might be being a bit severe, but I excepted a lot more from him, and that's about it.

Simone Pepe had a good match too. He showed some major improvement from the "narrow-minded" Pepe from Udinese or from the first half of the past season. He worked a lot, helped Lichtsteiner defensively, and had some good passes and scored a good goal. His crosses are terrible, though.
Gia' was a shame. Probably the worst man on the field.

Krasic had a good impact on the match, but honestly, I'm sick and tired of watching him doing the same skill: Ball Roll, followed by a Stepover with his left foot and then a push to his right and run. Every defender in Serie A knows that he makes that every-time and he is becoming more and more predictable with every match.

Arturo Vidal had a good impact on the match, as well, I must repeat. He gave a bit of muscle to the Midfield and his goal was pure class and power. I'm expecting good things from him. 

- Roberto Rivelino

The Greatest Stage In Club Football Opens Back Up Tonight!

Liverpool and Manchester United meet at Anfield on Saturday - and the incentive is so great for Kenny Dalglish's side that I am backing them to inflict the first defeat of the season on the champions.

It is a bigger match for Liverpool than it is for United, even though it is early in the season.

This match is the big test for Liverpool because, at the end of the last campaign, they improved so dramatically under manager Kenny Dalglish that plenty were predicting they could really make an impact this time around.

Liverpool spent a lot of money in the summer and started well, only to have a blip when they lost at Stoke City, then delivered a totally unacceptable performance in the 4-0 defeat against Tottenham.

They may not have been brilliant in the wins over Wolves and Everton but they got the job done. Now, if they beat United, they will be within three points of them. If they lose, a nine-point difference looks a very hard gap to bridge.

FAST FACT

Continue reading the main story

If Liverpool win at Anfield on Saturday, it will be the first time Manchester United have lost four consecutive away games to a specific team in the Premier League

This is why I believe Liverpool will be right up for this and I think they will win. They are playing the team everyone regards as the one to beat in the race for the Premier League title.

It is a game that has potentially huge ramifications for Liverpool's own confidence and aspirations. If they win, it will send confidence and self-belief soaring - if they lose, it is a long way back.

For Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, this is a new experience, while most of United's squad have played in this fixture before.

Liverpool will call on the memories of their 3-1 win against United at Anfield last March, when Dirk Kuyt scored a hat-trick and Luis Suarez was involved in all three goals.

The Kop will look to Suarez to be their match-winner again and this guy is already a hero to Liverpool supporters.

It might be stretching the point to say it is a case of "Fernando Who?" but no-one talks about Torres any more - the name on everyone's lips is Suarez.

I have spoken to a couple of Liverpool players about him and they don't talk so much about what he does on the pitch but about how good he is in training.

The Uruguayan reminds me of Ian Rush. Defenders are drawn into watching him instead of the ball and this guarantees mistakes.

The trick of defending is to make the attacker think about what you are doing. When you spend your time watching the attacker and wondering what he is doing, it causes problems.

This is exactly what Suarez does - he puts pressure on defenders. He has quick feet, natural ability, scores goals and is strong and aggressive. That's some package.

DID YOU KNOW?

Continue reading the main story

• Both cities of Liverpool and Manchester have historically been part of the county of Lancashire, so this fixture has been known as a Lancashire derby.
• Between them they have won 118 honours: 60 for Manchester United and 58 for Liverpool.
• Roy Hodgson's Liverpool lost 3-2 at Old Trafford last season but their new manager Kenny Dalglish helped his side win 3-1 at Anfield.

We have seen the effect he has on defenders. He panics them, provokes fear and Rush was the same. It happened at Arsenal when Suarez's presence forced an own goal from Aaron Ramsey and Liverpool went on to win.

We saw it again in the Merseyside derby when Sylvain Distin and Leighton Baines, two fine and experienced Premier League defenders, were aware of him and got into the mix-up that gave Suarez the second goal in Liverpool's 2-0 win.

Liverpool have Steven Gerrard moving towards full fitness but I'm not sure Dalglish will bring him back. He has tended to go with more or less what he has when he is winning unless the situation is in dire straits.

Steven's rehabilitation has been very carefully and sensibly managed by Liverpool's medical team, while Dalglish is able to look at the bigger picture because Liverpool's squad is so much stronger these days.

We saw it when Suarez and Raul Meireles came on to help Liverpool beat Arsenal and again when Gerrard and Craig Bellamy were introduced for the last 25 minutes to help Liverpool defeat Everton.

United have always had great quality on the bench but it has been something of a downfall for Liverpool. This is changing now.

If Suarez is Liverpool's key figure, then rest assured Wayne Rooney will still be Manchester United's. I do not expect him to be fazed by his sending off for England in Montenegro last Friday.

Wayne has had a torrid week and there is no question he let himself down. But Rooney is a great player who can present United with their best chance of winning the game.

I have nothing but admiration for him, despite what happened in Podgorica. I still recall how he was having a nightmare in that defeat at Anfield last season - but was trying as hard in the last minute as he was in the first.

If there has been a concern in United's start to the season, it is that they are conceding too many chances.

Continue reading the main story

Phil Jones ... is going to be a brilliant player but, at the moment, he is not the best positionally

Alan HansenBBC Match of the Day pundit

Sir Alex Ferguson said the game was too open in the 3-1 victory against Chelsea. Norwich City had chances before United won 2-0 at Old Trafford and Basel were creating opportunities almost at will in the 3-3 Champions League draw.

United currently have four defenders who have not played with each other often and this can create a problem. In a big game, if you offered me four class defenders who have not played with each other much or four half-decent players who had played together 200 times, I would take the latter every time.

Defensive understanding takes time and I'm not talking ten games - sometimes it can take a season.

Phil Jones has been a high-profile introduction to United's defenceafter his £16m move from Blackburn Rovers. He is going to be a brilliant player but, at the moment, he is not the best positionally. Defending is about three things - position, position, position.

If you have four defenders in a line who know each other's every move, you would not believe how hard it is to get through. But if you have one out of position, the others might go as well and you have problems.

This means Ferguson faces a massive call in central defence withNemanja Vidic in the frame after playing for Serbia against Slovenia in midweek following his recovery from a calf injury, while Rio Ferdinand is also available.

Ferguson will no doubt take into consideration that central defensive play is about partnership and nothing to do with individuals.

Chris Smalling and Jones may be a fine partnership of the future but, even if they played 50 consecutive games together, they will not be as good as Ferdinand and Vidic have been.

As for Liverpool, it is a big chance for them to catch up to United. They might not have another opportunity so they need to make the most of it.

source: BBC
By Alan Hansen
BBC's Match of the Day football pundit

Ronaldinho Is Back!

Ronaldinho moved to Flamengo to increase his chances of international football - Action Images

Brazil national team coach Mano Menezes is happy with Ronaldinho's performance during the win against Ghana.

The Flamengo winger played his first match for the international team in ten months and he was able to show glimpses of his class during the match.

Although it wasn't his best performance, Menezes confirmed after the game, we could see more of Ronaldinho playing for the Selecao.

Menezes told reporters: "He (Ronaldinho) played very well and he is a player we need to bring back into the team.

"He got into his rhythm and showed what he is all about in the second half. He played really well and the Ghana keeper (Adam Kwarasey) made a few wonderful saves from him.

"We need to bring him back into the international team."

Brazil won the game through Leandro Damiao's first international goal on the stroke of half-time and Menezes was grateful for the win in what was a test for his side.

Menezes continued: "I am very satisfied as we were playing a very good team. We didn't concede any chances to our opponents and it's very importnat we could get back to winning games after losing our last games.

"We didn't start very well but once we got into our rhythm we played very well, but we could have scored more goals.

Daniel Opare was harshly sent off for Ghana with two bookable offences by referee Mike Dean and Menezes believes it could have been a much closer game, if it wasn't for the sending off. 

"This Ghana team was more or less the team that played in the World Cup. They are a bit ahead of us but we are still rebuilding our team.

"We are bringing through a whole new generation of players. What makes it difficult to judge is that it wasn't 11v 11. If it was 11 v 11, it would have been much closer."

 source: Sambafoot

Arteta move to Arsenal signals closure of £448m transfer window

Arsenal late last night completed a sensational last-gasp swoop for Mikel Arteta from Everton as the transfer window slammed shut.

Arteta’s transfer fee, believed to be in the region of £10m, helped push the total transfer window spend to a whopping £448m.

The Gunners looked to have missed out on Arteta earlier on last night after Everton rejected a bid for their star midfielder.

But Arteta reportedly forced the issue and Arsenal looked to have reached an agreement with their Barclays Premier League rivals before the 11pm deadline, revealing they had signed the 29-year-old on a four-year contract.

The Gunners are said to have initially offered Nicklas Bendtner — who last night joined Sunderland on a season-long loan — in a part-exchange deal, something rejected out of hand by Everton.

They also reportedly snubbed a £10million cash offer until the player himself made his feelings clear.

Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun signed a season-long loan deal at the Emirates Stadium which took Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's deadline-day recruits to four after defenders Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos Put the finishing touches to their moves.

Elsewhere, in a surprise move, Liverpool re-signed their former striker Craig Bellamy from Manchester City. The 32-year-old |(pictured) spent last season on loan at npower Championship side Cardiff after a rift with City boss Roberto Mancini saw him excluded from the first-team squad.

City have been desperate to offload Bellamy but with a year left on his contract there were financial issues to sort out before Liverpool could complete a deal.

In a brief statement the club said: “Liverpool have tonight announced Craig Bellamy has signed a contract with the club.

“He will wear shirt number 39.”

Bellamy's return to Anfield comes four years after he left having been brought to the club 12 months earlier by Rafael Benitez.

He scored nine goals in 42 matches but off-field issues, most notably an infamous incident with a golf club and team-mate John Arne Riise, and a strained relationship with Benitez, contributed to his departure to West Ham.

Wenger, meanwhile, earlier began to rebuild his shattered defence after it was confirmed Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos were joining the club.

Germany defender Mertesacker, who has 75 caps and joins from Werder Bremen for a reported £8million, was relishing the challenge.

The 26-year-old said: “Moving to London enables me to fulfil a dream and a further step in my career. The Premier League has always represented a great challenge for me.”

Wenger added: “We are delighted to welcome Per Mertesacker to the club.

“He is a German international with vast experience and strength and is good on the floor and in the air.

“I believe he will be well-suited to the Premier League and a tremendous asset to the team.”

Santos, 28, cost Arsenal £6.2million from Turkish champions Fenerbahce.

The Brazil full-back, who missed out on last year's World Cup, said: “It was one of my dreams to play for a major European football club and I have accomplished this. I am very happy to be part of this team.

“All the Brazilians who came to this club spoke wonders about it and I am delighted to be part of the Arsenal family.”

Wenger added: “Santos is a quality player, with the ability to both defend well and get forward and help with attacks.

“He has experience in the Champions League and for Brazil and has proven he can deliver at the highest level.

“We welcome Santos to the club and look forward to him having a big impact for us.”

Wenger was busy in the final days of the transfer window, having brought in South Korea captain Park Chu-young from Monaco. A move for Blackburn defender Christopher Samba was also touted after the Gunners cooled their interest in Bolton's Gary Cahill.

Four players also left Arsenal today, three of them on season-long loans. Nicolas Bendtner joined Sunderland, Henri Lansbury moved to West Ham, and new signing Joel Campbell was farmed out to Lorient, where fellow youngster Gilles Sunu completed a permanent move.

Chelsea last night succeeded in another last-gasp raid of Liverpool after completing the signing of Raul Meireles with minutes of the transfer window remaining.

In an eerie echo of Fernando Torres' £50million January switch, the Blues left it until just before the deadline to complete a deal for Meireles

Source: The Telegraph

Transfer Window's 12th Hour Is Approaching

The time has come for the final day of the 2011 summer transfer window. Between now and 11pm UK time (6pm ET), we’ll find out which clubs will finalize some last minute deals. Throughout the day today, we’ll be updating this live blog with the latest transfer signings, news and more, so feel free to keep on returning to the article throughout the day. And feel free to share your comments about the transfer signings in the comments section below.

8:43am: Everton is set to make their first signing of summer by bringing Argentine striker Denis Stracqualursi on loan to Goodison Park. Everton will need to sell a player before they can seal the deal for the Argentine, though.

8:37am: Bolton have had a bid accepted for Liverpool striker David Ngog.

8:13am: Despite late interest from Aston Villa, Joe Cole has joined Lille on a season-long loan.

7:06am: Sky Sports sources understand Stoke are in talks with Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner about a move to the Britannia Stadium.

7:05am: Birmingham have agreed terms with Stoke over Cameron Jerome.

7:04am: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp insists there is no chance of Luka Modric leaving the club before the transfer deadline passes tonight.

7:03am: Alvaro Pereira’s agent has confirmed Porto and Chelsea are in discussions over a big-money deadline day transfer.

7:03am: Sky Sports sources understand that Queens Park Rangers are closing on the signing of Shaun Wright-Phillips.

7:02am: Blackpool have made an enquiry for Swansea’s Stephen Dobbie.

7:01am: Sky Sports sources understand Queens Park Rangers are interested in bringing Craig Bellamy to Loftus Road.

Moves since yesterday:

Park Cho-Young [AS Monaco - Arsenal]
Joe Cole [Liverpool - Lille] Loan
Ulises Davila [Chelsea - Vitesse Arnhem] Loan
David Davis [Wolves - Inverness Caledonian Thistle] Loan
Jack Dearman [unattached - Birmingham City]
Ryan Lowe [Bury - Sheffield Wednesday] Undisclosed
Ryan McGivern [Manchester City - Bristol City] Loan
Scott Parker [West Ham - Tottenham] Undisclosed
Emile Sinclair [Macclesfield - Peterborough] Undisclosed
Tom Bender [Colchester - Accrington] Loan
Sebastian Coates [Nacional - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Albert Crusat [Almeria - Wigan] Undisclosed
Papa Bouba Diop [unattached - West Ham]
Rob Elliot [Charlton - Newcastle] Undisclosed
David Kasnik [Olimpija Ljubljana - Sheffield Wednesday] Loan
Daniel Kearns [Dundalk - Peterborough] Undisclosed
Keanu Marsh-Brown [Fulham - Dundee United] Loan
Kyel Reid [unattached - Bradford]
Davide Santon [Inter Milan- Newcastle] Undisclosed
Armand Traore [Arsenal - QPR] Undisclosed
Gerhard Tremmel [unattached - Swansea]
Josh Walker [Watford - Stevenage] Loan

source: The Telegraph & EPL Talk

Arsenal's Trashing = Tickets Refunded

By JACK BELL

Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger began Sunday’s late-afternoon disaster in Manchester wearing his familiar full-length down parka. By the end of the game, the coat was gone as Manchester United turned Old Trafford, often called the Theater of Dreams, into Wenger’s unabashed house of horrors.
If the damage from a record 8-2 loss in the English Premier League was not enough, Arsenal officials on Monday offered their thousands of traveling fans tangible payback for the team’s sad performance by offering to pay for their match ticket to another away game … if they dare go.
Led by Wayne Rooney’s hat trick, Manchester United sent Arsenal to its worst loss in the last century — the 19th century, as in 1896.
“We went about our job from the first minute all the way through to the last,” Manchester United’s Ashley Young, who scored twice, told his team’s television network. “We were terrific. We found an Arsenal team who weren’t so good on the day and we’ve punished them.”
With a break next weekend while his players are off on international duty, Wenger told the club’s Web site that “the players go away for two weeks and maybe that is a good thing.”

Arsenal returns to play at newly promoted Swansea City on Sept. 10.
“When they come back we’ll have to prepare,” Wenger said. “Big scores are humiliating and difficult to swallow, but I don’t think they have a special meaning. They are always under special circumstances. I can only apologize for the score. It hurts very much.”
The cerebral French coach (he has university degrees in electrical engineering and economics) is facing the biggest challenge since taking over the Gunners in 1996, a run that included the “Invincible” season of 2003-4, when the Gunners won the Premier League by 11 points without losing a game. But this year is different. For one, Arsenal has a new owner in the American businessman Stan Kroenke. Second, Wenger has been a net loser during the current transfer period, which ends on Wednesday. Cesc Fàbregas departed for Barcelona and Samir Nasri for Manchester City, both talking about the club’s failure to win any significant championship since the magical season that seems so long ago.
Sunday’s one-sided loss left Arsenal in 17th place in the 20-team Premier League, with a draw and two losses from three games, and a minus-8 goal differential. With the transfer period set to end Wednesday, Wenger and Arsenal will be under pressure to try and find help on defense, but they have little chance of finding suitable replacements for Fàbregas and Nasri. On Sunday, the Gunners were without several injured players, including Jack Wilshere, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna, and the suspended Gervinho, Alex Song and 
Alex
 Emmanuel Frimpong. And for the fourth third time in three games, another Arsenal player was shown a red card, this one going to Carl Jenkinson.
“This was the strongest team we had,” the captain Robin van Persie told Arsenal’s Web site. “We gave our maximum but it was clearly not good enough. I don’t think we can hide behind injuries or suspensions. It is no excuse. They had injuries too. This is football.”
Wolverhampton
As Arsenal struggles, one of the most surprising teams in the first month of the English season is also one of the 12 founding members of the Football League, in 1888 — Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Aston Villa in Birmingham, Wolves are unbeaten and have seven points, as many as Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle.
One of the men behind the club’s resurgence from years living in the lower divisions has been Mick McCarthy, the former manager of Sunderland and Ireland’s national team.
“We’ve started well and have looked solid at the back, but I know how quickly that can change in this league,” McCarthy told the club’s Web site. “You can lose three, four, five games on the bounce even when you’re playing well. As I’ve already said, we’ll enjoy the start but be wary of the 35 games to come.”
Wolverhampton has been especially adept and successful grooming young players in its academy in recent years. Graduates include Robbie Keane (now with Los Angeles in M.L.S.), Joleon Lescott, Matt Murray and Lee Naylor. Current first-team starters, all younger than 25, include goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, Ashley Hemmings and Johnny Gorman. A handful of the club’s developing players are out on loan.
Could this be the start of something big? Stay tuned.
Notes
¶ After losing twice and tying three games in their last five, the Red Bulls actually “won” by not playing last weekend. Their sold-out match against visiting Los Angeles, scheduled to be played Sunday night, was postponed until Oct. 4 because of Hurricane Irene. But the idle Red Bulls saw their Eastern Conference rivals, all of whom had played fewer games, either lose or fail to notch three points. First-place Columbus was blitzed, 6-2, at Seattle; Sporting Kansas City gave up three goals in the final minutes, losing to Dallas, 3-2; and expansion Vancouver won only its fourth game of the season, beating Houston, 1-0. The Red Bulls (6-6-14) remain in fourth place and do not play again until Sept. 10 against the visiting Whitecaps. Coach Hans Backe has given the team off until Monday.
¶ Jamaica-born Jeff Cunningham, 35, a much-traveled striker who began his M.L.S. career with Columbus from 1998-2004 and played for four other clubs before returning to the Crew this year, eclipsed Jaime Moreno’s league career goal-scoring record when he converted a penalty kick in Saturday’s 6-2 loss at Seattle. It was the 134th goal of Cunningham’s M.L.S. career.
¶ The American midfielder Stuart Holden, who has missed six months because of a knee injury, will see his first action Tuesday since last season playing for Bolton’s reserves in a game against Fulham’s reserves. “I’m buzzin’,” Holden wrote on his Twitter feed. … Michael Bradley, 24, another American midfielder, is expected to sign with Chievo of Italy’s Serie A, leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach before the transfer period ends on Wednesday.

Source: New York Times