David Moyes is proud of his side’s achievements in 2012, despite finishing the year with Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea at Goodison Park.
Everton’s 2-1 loss to the Londoners was only their seventh reverse in the league this year and their first at home since March.
The Toffees are in the hunt for a Champions League spot this season, sitting three points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham.
And Blues boss Moyes has acknowledged that the entire calendar year has been one of high achievement.
“Even though I’m gutted we haven’t won because I thought our performance was enough to do that, 2012 has been a good year for us,” the Everton manager told The Mirror
“There’s nothing we can look back on the second half of last season and the first half of this season and say we’ve done too much wrong.”
The Merseysiders took a 63 second lead against Chelsea through Steven Pienaar’s quickfire opener, but Frank Lampard’s double ensured the Blues would return to Stamford Bridge with all three points.
Everton were without Marouane Fellaini, Phil Neville, Darron Gibson, Tony Hibbert, Seamus Coleman and Kevin Mirallas, but Moyes was still satisfied with his team’s performance:
“We were limited with what we had and how we were going to play.
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“But in the end it would be wrong to talk about that because the performance was so good.”
Everton have accrued an impressive 68 points in 2012. Only Manchester United and Manchester City have registered more Premier League points this year.
Nancy sports director Eric Martin has said that they have received no formal offers from Tottenham for their young left back Massadio Haidara.
Spurs have been linked with a January move for the highly rated 20-year-old while Fiorentina are also believed to be interested in signing him, however Martin insists there has been no serious offers from either of these clubs.
“Fiorentina and Tottenham chasing Haidara? There are many clubs interested in him, but for the moment we have not received concrete offers.” (Sky Sports)
Spurs manager Andre Villas Boas has been short of options at left back this season with Benoit Assou-Ekotto being out with a lengthy knee injury, which has meant he has been forced to deploy centre back Jan Vertonghen or right back Kyle Naughton in the position.
There were also reports that Haidara’s agent met with Fiorentina officials over a potential move but Martin played down these claims:
“I don’t know. I only know that the press have put out many declarations, but for now Massadio remains a Nancy player.”
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AVB will remain hopeful that he can secure the services of the player, previously also linked with Premier League strugglers Aston Villa.
The Daily Mail claim that Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli will miss up to four weeks of football after undergoing eye surgery this week.
The controversial forward joins Sergio Aguero on the sidelines for City who now only have Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko as recognised first team strikers going into a crucial period of the season.
Balotelli is short sighted and regularly wears contact lenses to play in games but an allergic reaction has recently prompted the club to send the forward to Italy for laser eye surgery.
Balotelli will certainly miss both of Italy’s opening World Cup qualifiers as well as City’s trip to Stoke in two weeks’ time. The surgery may also rule the striker out of the eagerly anticipated Champions League showdown with Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid and the Real boss was at the Etihad Stadium yesterday to scout City for the fixture.
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His off the field antics may have been endeared to by the British public but manager Roberto Mancini will see this unfortunate injury as another negative story surrounding the forward.
Andy Carroll has claimed that he was not given a “fair chance” at Liverpool before leaving the club to join West Ham on loan.
The £35m striker joined the Londoners on a season-long deal during the summer transfer window after failing to force his way into Reds boss Brendan Rodgers’ first-team plans.
Before he completed his move to Upton Park, Rodgers hinted that the burly centre-forward may not fit into his style of play.
However, Carroll disagrees and believes that he wasn’t given the opportunity to prove the Northern Irishman wrong:
“I haven’t really had a fair chance at Liverpool.” He is quoted as saying by ESPN.
“I was really told that I should move on to keep playing regular football. Obviously, I didn’t really get a chance there.
“A new manager came in and I wasn’t part of his plans. For me to play football, that was my chance to do that. That is why I am here at Upton Park.
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“I think I could fit into every system. I believe in what I can do. Obviously (Rodgers) has his beliefs and he didn’t think that.
“But for me, obviously, it was better to move on instead of waiting for my chance, which he told me might not come.”
AC Milan are preparing a January bid for Manchester United winger Nani, according to Metro.
The Portugal international’s future at Old Trafford has been in question for some time now, with the attacker having 18 months left on his current contract and showing no hint of extending his deal with the Premier League side.
Zenit St Petersburg were said to have had a bid accepted in the summer, however a deal to move to Russia fell through due to Nani extortionate wage demands.
With United eager to avoid losing Nani on the cheap as his contract runs down, a January sale will be considered by Sir Alex Ferguson.
With Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and others taking precedence in the Red Devils first team, United seem to be well covered out wide, and may well consider parting with Nani.
The Premier League side are keen to recoup around £20 million for the tricky star, however it is believed that Milan will not meet this price tag.
The Serie A side are going through a rebuilding phase after seeing a number of senior first-team players either sold or released in the summer, and a number of new faces brought to the San Siro.
However, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have started this term poorly, and are already out of touch with league leaders and champions Juventus.
Milan will test United’s resolve in January however, and are thought to be willing to offer £12 million for the star.
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If a deal cannot be concluded in the new year, Milan may well wait it out and bid again come the summer.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has confessed that he could leave the club this summer in search of Champions League football.
The Uruguayan international has been in fine form for the Reds this season, netting an impressive 29 goals in all competitions.
Naturally, this tally has alerted a number of Europe’s top clubs, including Juventus, who could be willing to make big money moves for his signature this summer.
With Liverpool unlikely to be able Suarez regular Champions League football in the immediate future, the 26-year-old has confessed that he may look to move on to further his career:
“A player’s ambition is always there, the ambition of wanting to play in elite teams is always there.” He is quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“If another team comes around with more prospects of competing in international club competition games, which is willing to have me, they are welcome.
“We would talk to the club, we would see if I want to go, if I don’t want to go.”
Suarez only committed to a long-term contract at Anfield last summer, ending speculation if a move away from Merseyside.
Despite suggesting he could move on at the end of the current campaign, the South American did state that he is happy at Liverpool and that he feels the club are heading in the right direction:
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“I am very happy at Liverpool but you never know in football,
“I’m in a world-class team, an elite team like Liverpool. We have to realise we have a new manager who is imposing a philosophy and a way of playing that the players are adapting to as best we can. We hope that it will bear fruit next year.”
The proverb has it that every cloud has a silver lining, but if you’re a Tottenham Hotspur fan, bar a spot in the next quarter finals of the Europa League you can’t imagine there was an awful lot of positives to take out of last night’s 4-1 mauling at the hands of Inter Milan.
Indeed, the train wreck that was Spurs’ hammering at the hands of Andrea Stramaccioni’s side was a chastising experience for all involved, with not a single Spurs player – or their manager, for that matter – coming out blemish-free from the San Siro.
Yet within the grander context of Spurs’ season, last night’s defeat marked only the third time this season that Andre Villas-Boas’ side have lost more than once on the spin, following their 3-2 loss at the hands of Liverpool last Sunday. And as we head in towards the final push of the 2012-13 campaign, that might be more of a blessing, rather than a curse.
Because in recent weeks, for a team that have traditionally been plagued inconsistency, Spurs have begun to develop an incredibly uncharacteristic steel to their performances.
It’s not very often supporters have been able to lay claim to an unbeaten run that’s stretched into double figures within the league, but when Tottenham fans claim to have not been able to remember a time when the side last showed such remarkable resilience, they weren’t joking by any means – defeat at Anfield on Sunday saw the end of a 12 game unbeaten streak; a club record within the Premier League era.
Now while it might seem naïve to suggest that supporters were getting carried away with recent events on the white side of North London, for all the new found confidence and resilience that might have been forged out of this recent run, a lot can be said for looking to keep one’s feet on the ground.
It may sound strange, but for as vitally important as that 12 game unbeaten run has been to the club, it’s the recent couple of losses that could prove to be just as important in propelling them towards achieving success both at home and abroad.
Following the 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the recent North London derby, it’s difficult to remember a time when confidence had risen quite so high within the Spurs camp. A fitting reminder would perhaps lie within the 10 point gap they amassed – only to blow it come the end of the season – over the Gunners last term. But if patience is short within the beautiful game then memories are even shorter and the side’s recent success under Villas-Boas has done an awful lot exorcise the demons that resided after last season’s self-destruction.
Although even if last season’s scorching experiences have felt somewhat distant to supporters, then the last seven days should serve as a genteel reminder that the job is far from finished this season.
Contrary to popular belief, Tottenham aren’t Champions League qualifiers-elect within the Premier League and to a slightly lesser extent, their name most definitely isn’t on the Europa League trophy, either.
The sight of Arsene Wenger’s men trudging off at White Hart Lane looking like beaten men catalyzed a cascade of headlines crowning Spurs as the new top dogs in the north of the capital and further still, perhaps even the kings of London all together come the end of the season.
Seven days later however, and should both Chelsea and Arsenal win their games in hand, then they can end up placing one point ahead and four points behind Spurs respectively. With only nine games to play in the Premier League, there’s still the capacity for plenty more fluctuation and everyone from those on the pitch to those sitting in the stands would do well to remember that.
And within the nature of both the defeats to Liverpool and Internazionale, Spurs were handed a fitting reminder that there is simply no room for complacency or sloppy error – both within the playing staff and the management.
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The feeling after the defeat at Liverpool was that the pain of the defeat was eased as a result of their downfall being mainly induced by a couple of one-off individual errors, as opposed to being systematically outplayed. But regardless of a seven-point gap or not, there is never any breathing space in this league and the 3-2 loss served as a chastising reminder of that. Before kick-off, they were shoo-ins for the top four. 90 minutes later and they’re back to where they started before they kicked off against Arsenal.
Within the Inter defeat, too, for as much maturity and adaptability that Andre Villas-Boas has shown this season, to turn up the San Siro and set the side up the way he did – regardless of the aggregate score – was incredibly naïve. The four goals that i Neazurri put past Brad Friedelwere a brutal reminder of how quickly fortunes can fade and with Spurs having conceded seven goals in two games, the onus will now be on the Portuguese to shore up a rearguard that’s not without its faults.
But far from feeling overly dejected after the last two games, the fact remains that despite the nature of the defeats, Tottenham still remain well on course to achieve both a top four finish and a run to the final stages of the Europa League.
The last week might not be one fondly remembered for its results, but should it give Spurs the shot in the arm they require to try and get back on the horse and rack up another unbeaten one, it could prove to be one of the most poignant of the entire campaign.
Martin Jol and Chris Hughton were together at Tottenham Hotspur, but that won’t prevent the new Norwich manager going all out for his first win as Canaries boss.
Despite understanding the relationship between the pair, Hughton is happy with his squad and is confident of stealing the limelight from his former boss.
“There are almost two sides to it, because I am a really good friend of his, but also a rival manager,” Hughton told Sky Sports News .
“When it came out we were playing Fulham on the first day, of course it is something you have a laugh and a quick joke about.
“But just because he is a good friend of mine does not make any difference – we will want to win and do well in the game against them as much as we will in any other game.
“I had three enjoyable years with Martin at Tottenham, working closely with him.
“He was very successful, having two fifth-place finishes.
“I have also learned a lot from him, so he has played a very good part in where I am in this moment.
“You pick up about what it is to be a good manager. Martin is on the training pitch every day, tactically he is very good.
“He is great with the players, has high demands off them and wants to play the game in an attractive manner.
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“Martin is a winner and has been successful wherever he has been.”
Manchester United are monitoring Athletic Bilbao’s Oscar De Marcos after Sir Alex Ferguson sent a scout to watch him play against Barcelona at the weekend.
The dynamic midfielder impressed against United in the Europa League last season and Ferguson was interested in bringing him to Old Trafford last summer, only to be put off by Bilbao’s £25million valuation.
With the likes of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs coming close to the end of their careers, the United boss is keen to add fresh blood to his squad to compensate for the eventual losses of two players that have been ever-present at the club.
Ferguson has now resumed his interest in signing De Marcos and sent brother Martin Ferguson, his top European scout, to watch the 23-year-old in action against Barcelona.
Last year’s Europa League runners up Bilbao, who comprehensively beat United on the way to the final, are struggling in La Liga this season and many of their star players are said to be looking for a move away.
This may mean the club are willing to lower their asking price for players such as De Marcos, however United can still expect to have to offer around £20million to sign him.
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If bought in the January transfer window, he would still be eligible to play in the Champions League which will provide added appeal for Ferguson as his side enter the knockout rounds of the tournament in February.
Rickie Lambert believes Southampton can have no complaints after Saturday’s crushing 6-1 defeat away at Arsenal, The Southern Daily Echo reports.
Saints’ misery was compounded after Jos Hooiveld and Nathaniel Clyne both scored own-goals to add further gloss to the score line for the Gunners.
It sums up a brutal introduction to the Premier League for Nigel Adkins’ side, who remain the only side without a point this season and have conceded a whopping 14 goals in their first four matches.
He said: “I think they thoroughly deserved their victory, the margin as well,” he said. “We were unlucky with some goals, but they could have scored more as well. I think it was about right.”
The south coast side were constantly tormented by Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, who are both proving to be very useful addition to Arsene Wenger’s team.
This led Lambert to admit that the visitors were simply not good enough to cope with the North Londoners.
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“We will have to look at it, but credit to Arsenal – I thought they were excellent. They had a couple of players we couldn’t handle”, he added.
Southampton will be aiming to get their first points of the season when they host Aston Villa at St Mary’s next Saturday.