Following Mondays Profile of Bolton Wanderers Ivan Klasnic, Wednesdays Premiership Player Profile returns with Arsenals skipper, Cesc Fabregas.Cesc Fabregas has quickly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. The skipper of Premiership club Arsenal first came into the frame as a 16 year old in the Carling Cup
Allen Craig Jersey match against Rotherham in 2003. This would signal the start of a glittering career for the young Spaniard, as he went from strength to strength and continued to impre s in more Carling Cup outings and eventually, the Premier League.Fabregas was bought from Spanish giants Barcelona where in the youth set up he was seen as more of a defensive midfielder, but it was at Arsenal, under Arsene Wengers guidance, that he emerged as a top central midfielder also
Wil Myers Jersey capable of scoring goals.Fabregas has quickly emerged as one of the best midfielders in the world.Although Fabregas was still a youngster, he was given a huge boost when the skipper Patrick Vieira transferred to Juventus. Wenger put all his trust in the youngsters abilities by giving him the number 4 shirt that Vieira previously wore.With Vieiras departure, Fabregas took the centre midfield role alongside Brazilian, Gilberto Silva. The partnership worked for Arsenal as the pair put in strong shifts for the club until the Brazilian was sold to Panathanaikos in 2008.The 22 year old was first deployed as a defensive midfielder in his youth career at Barcelona but at Arsenal his role has changed.Despite his smaller frame, he is known to be able to put in a strong tackle on the opposition, which has eventually filled the
Ozzie Smith Jersey gap that former skipper Patrick Vieira left.Not only is it his defensive abilities that make him a fans favourite and a midfield superstar, he also plays a part in scoring goals for Arsenal. In 252 appearances in all competitions, the Arsenal midfielder has conjured up 39 goals in total. With these goals under his belt, pundits and fans have viewed him in close resemblance to Chelseas Frank Lampard and Liverpools Steven Gerrard, who are regular scorers for their clubs and are important figures in the teams set up.Fabregas taking a penalty against Stoke City in the Premier League. Sterling performances for Arsenal have branched off in to different directions for the youngster. He has finished with impre sive individual honours such as Premier League young player of the year and has gone on to gain 47 caps for his national team Spain.One of his
Dave Winfield Jersey most recent achievements was when Arsene Wenger had made him the new club captain, succeeding William Gallas.Arsenals current season in 2009/2010 sees them lie in 3rd place with Fabregas in prolific form in goalscoring and a sisting. As of date, Fabregas has 10 goals in all competitions whilst a sisting 15 along the way. However, after scoring his 2nd goal in his sensational performance in Arsenals 3-0 home victory over Aston Villa, the Spaniard suffered a recurrance of his hamstring injury which is set to rule him out for
Tyson Ross Jersey a week or so, which means he will mi s the away trip to Portsmouth and po sibly the home tie against Bolton Wanderers.All in all, Fabregas will look to bounce back from his injury and carry on with what has been a great season so far, in what has been a great career so far.Fabregas is Arsenals current club Captain.Mondays Premiership Player Profile Tom Huddlestone (by gavh)
FRIDAY nights 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic was quite an embarra sment for us Scottish folk.No, coming away from Petr Cech and Tomas Rosickys stomping ground with a narrow defeat wasnt the embarra sment. The ludicrous 4-6-0 formation adopted by manager Craig Levein,
Joe Musgrove Jersey was.The game in the Synot Tip Arena provided us with a rare opportunity. The once mighty Czech Republic are not the same team they were. With key players such as Pavel Nedved, Jan Koller, David Rozehnal, Tomas Ujfalusi and Marek Jankulovski all retiring in recent years, they do not strike as much fear into the opposition.That said, quality such as Chelseas goalkeeper Petr Cech and Arsenals midfield maestro and country captain Tomas Rosicky are still around.The game in Slavia Pragues homeground was an opportunity for Scotland to grab a draw or even a win if they had raised their game. Lithuania went there on the first game and won by a single goal. They lined up with two wingers and two strikers. History shows it can be done.But Craig Levein bottled it. Perhaps inspired by Walter Smith, he decided to adopt a defensive formation, with the sole purpose of not conceding a goal. However, Levein took it too far. To play with absolutely NO strikers on the pitch was appalling. I do not think I have
Blake Snell Jersey ever seen that in a game of football.Smith is the master. He took his Rangers side to Old Trafford and got a point using a 5-4-1 formation. And it worked perfectly. Rangers defended excellently and came away from the Theatre of Dreams with a deserved point.Levein controversially left out in-form Kenny Miller for the game, replacing him with another in-form forward but from down south in the Championship, QPRs Jamie Mackie. Except Mackie wasnt up front.Have a gue s which player Smith gave the lone forward role to at Old Trafford? You got it, Kenny Miller.I am not for one minute trying to suggest Scotland should have went gung-ho with a 3-4-3. What I am saying is that youve got to
Fernando Tatis Jr. Jersey have an attacking force in some sense, otherwise as the Czechs did last night all the opposition will do is come right up near the edge of your midfield, and therefore be much more likely to break down the defence.A 4-5-1 would have been the way to go. Hell, even a 5-4-1! As I stated at the beginning, the Czechs are not the same side, so a bit of attacking and intent from the Scots could have got a result, you never know.The Scotland players are completely and utterly not at fault here. Allan McGregor was sublime in goal, with a world-cla s save in the second half.Levein must take responsibility for a sham formation that cost us a chance of earning any sort of result.Before this double header, I was quietly confident of our chances. Achieving two points was a realistic target.
Erick Aybar Jersey A draw away to the Czechs, and a Hampden Roar egging us on for a draw at home to the World Champions Spain.That is now rather far-fetched. As much as I would love to see it, I really doubt Scotland will get anything when we come against David Villa and co.Scotland now have four points from three games ahead of the match against world champions Spain at Hampden on Tuesday night. But, talking to BBC Scotland, Craig Levein is still confident.He said: We have a game on Tuesday and it gives us a chance to bounce back from this defeat.I made it pretty clear that I picked a system to play against the Czech Republic and it will be a different system on Tuesday night.Its not disastrous
Joey Lucchesi Jersey . The Czech Republic have still to come to play at Hampden and, if we win that game, it evens it up over the two matches.Its not a fatal blow by any stretch of the imagination. We are still in it, we will keep working as hard as we did this evening and we will do our best to improve for Tuesday and the games that are still to come.Levein does have a point. We still have the home tie against the Czechs, a home tie against the Lithuanians and an away tie at Liechtenstein in which to get victories. That could be 9 points there.Lets just hope that a much more positive formation is adopted against Spain at Hampden. And with Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Pedro, Jesus Navas and Fernando Torres all out of the Spain squad, you just never know with Scotland.
Steve Claridge, according to opinion may be an insightful, considered former pro or an annoying gobs**te who loves the sound of his own voice. Regardle s his voice can heard through the BBC
Burch Smith Jersey with increasing frequency.Opinionated Claridge on the BBCTheres no doubt that the former cult hero has an opinion and has no problem sharing it over the airwaves usually to the detriment of other pundits point of view. This may be why the BBC decided to employ his services given that former pros usually trot out the same collection of
Frank White Jersey proverbs and tired clichs. He is a contrast from the likes of Hansen, Shearer or Lawrenson.His football expertise seems to be broad and no single subject is beyond his judgment and evaluation. John Terry, dre sing room harmony, tactics, foreign players etc have all been attacked with enthusiasm and gusto in the last few weeks. Sometimes considered, often scathing and always with volume.Such is the BBC, s confidence in his talents he has now been promoted to host the 606 phone-in on occasion so he can
Adalberto Mondesi Jersey duel with the general public.Personally I can tolerate him for only a short spell, usually the length of a half hour podcast. After that his abrasive and cock-sure attitude begins to grate especially given that his playing careerdoesnt immediately warrant admiration or kudos.His former clubs range from the giddy heights of Leicester and Birmingham to the modest roots of Fareham Town spanning a total of 25 years (still playing for Weymouth) in this time he has accumulated 251 goals in 817 games, a respectful if not impre sive record.His trophy cabinet should not take up much space in his living room. At Birmingham he won the second division Championship and the Auto-Windscreen shield and at Leicester the League Cup
Ryan Goins Jersey and promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.However he has played at all levels within the English league system and not many can boast of this accolade nor retrieve from this type of experience. If only he could expre s his opinion in le s of a nauseating and self-a sured manner.His conversational stratagem of shouting over fellow a sorted experts and journalists can smack of arrogance or in the least bad manners at
Terrance Gore Jersey times maybe he could be best served to listen and observe other peoples opinions.Then again maybe this is a good thing and football debate on the BBC would be all the poorer without him?
Almost two years ago to the day, Arsenals title dream was shattered on a day remembered for all the wrong reasons at St Andrews.The Gunners slipped to a 2-2 draw against Birmingham Cityafter holding a commanding two-goal
Roger Clemens Jersey advantage, and the image of William Gallas sulking in the centre circle was forever etched into the memory of every English football fanatic.But it was the shocking injury to Eduardo da Silva, the Croatian striker, which triggered this landslide of events, as the horrific sight of their talismans stricken body with his foot at the most unnatural of angles, thatproved to be the turning point after Martin Taylors reckle s challenge.In terms of the Gunners title challenge, lightning very nearly struck twice yesterday as Aaron Ramsey, Arsenals 19-year old midfield prodigy, lay in a crumpled heap at Stoke Citys Britannia Stadium. The Welshman, who had been enjoying something of a breakthrough season at the Emirates Stadium, had been caught late by Ryan Shawcro s, the Stokedefender,which resulted in a similarly gut
Hanley Ramirez Jersey -wrenching injury that was deemed too graphic to replay on live TV.Shawcro s, who was later named in Fabio Capellos England squad for the upcoming friendly with Egypt, left the pitch in tears after being shown a red card by referee Peter Walton.But it was that capitulation at St Andrews two years ago that spurred Arsenal on to overcome a stubborn Stoke City side, unbeaten in 2010, and close the gap on leaders Chelsea to just three points.Buoyed by their traditionally voiceferous support and their impre sive home record against the Gunners, the home side took the lead as Rory Delaps long throws caused the visitors problems for the third consecutive meeting at the Britannia when Danny Pugh tapped in from the Irishmans party piece.With only seven minutes on the clock, the alarm bells were already sounding for Arsene Wenger as the home support continued to crank up the volume, ridiculing every misplaced pa s as the man dubbed le profe seur watched his side struggle to gain a foothold on the game.Slowly but surely though, the Gunners slipped into gear, and it was the rapidly maturing Nicklas Bendtner who popped up with a quite sublime equaliser.Bacary Sagna threw the ball back into play on the far side to Cesc Fabregas who swung in a beautifully weighted cro s, and it was the tall Dane who gratefully accepted the invitation to plant the ball home with an emphatic glancing header acro s the face of Potters goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.Arsenal emerged from the break seemingly intent on ripping apart the side who have caused them so many problems on their
Nathan Eovaldi Jersey recent trips to the Britannia, with Emmanuel Eboue going closest. The Ivorian struck a fierce shot towards Sorensens goal but the Danish stopper, who so nearly joined his opponents on transfer deadline day, touched the ball over the bar to safety.The atmosphere soured soon after though, as Shawcro s challenge on Ramsey left members of both teams, particularly Thomas Vermaelen, appearing physically sick at the sight of the damage sustained by the Welshman.Arsenal dug deep as they sought to pounce on Chelseas 4-2 defeat to Manchester City in the lunch time kick off, as Eduardo went closest, firing wide from just six yards out.But
Alex Verdugo Jersey the breakthrough eventually came as the contest entered a lengthy period of stoppage time. Goalscorer Pugh was adjudged to have handled Bendtners pa s in the area, and referee Walton awarded the penalty which Fabregas duly converted. The Spaniard dedicated the goal to his colleague, celebrating by raising his right foot and tapping it repeatedly.Thomas Vermaelen then continued his fine goalscoring record in his first season in the Premiership by stroking in a third as the final whistle became
Martin Perez Jersey imminent.Arsene Wenger will have been delighted to see his side banish their daemons at the Britannia Stadium, but the match will forever be remembered Ramseys nightmare the thoughts of the footballing world are indeed with one of the Premier Leagues finest and brightest starlets get well soon Rambo.STOKE CITY 1 (Pugh 7)Team: Sorensen, Huth, Shawcro s, A Faye (Collins 60), Wilkinson, Whelan, Pugh, Whitehead (Lawrence 77), Delap, Fuller (Sanli 80), SidibeUnused Subs: Begovic, Diao, Beattie, KitsonBooked: NoneSent Off: Shawcro sARSENAL 3 (Bendtner 32, Fabregas (Pen, 90+1), Vermaelen (90+4)Team: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Campbell, Clichy, Eboue (Walcott 75), Fabregas, Nasri (Eduardo 83), Ramsey (Rosicky 69), Song, BendtnerUnused Subs: Fabianski, Silvestre, Traore, VelaBooked: Song
If reports are to be believed, Manchester United have already agreed a deal
Homer Bailey Jersey with Tottenham over the transfer of 27-year-old striker Dimitar Berbatov. The Tottenham Number 9 hitman may be the replacement to injury-prone striker Louis
Alex Wood Jersey Saha, and will be the ideal partner for Rooney and Tevez in the Man Utd attack. He may be the only arrival of this summer
Joe Morgan Jersey , although another signing is not impo sible, as Fergie said that he is looking at one or two things. Below are two
Brandon Finnegan Jersey videos of what Dimi is most capable of doingthat is, score goals: youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=fe21Xn6rhUs youtube:http://
Mike Moustakas Jersey youtube.com/watch?v=Rt63U66NOaY
As a division that is so often incredibly competitive its grown in quality and also in prestige in the last few years with more and more big clubs finding themselves in League one and having to battle their way out, Leeds and Southampton being two of the bigger names to have won
Blank Jersey promotion recently. This year is no different as Wolves find themselves in a league that contains such a spread of clubs in their size and finance it seems straight forward to where each side will finish, but Yeovil were favourites for relegation last season and now they are one promotion off of the Premiership. The nearly-men of last season are expected by many to make a push as Brentford so nearly gained promotion but fell at the final hurdle after a strong season and some delicious attacking football throughout that Premier League sides would have been proud of they have done well to retain Clayton Donaldson. However, it would be a surprise to see them fly through the league again without further additions as theyve lost some players who were quite integral and when a team gets so close to promotion there often seems to be a hangover season of recovery to get to the point to push again; this is what Brentford may have to experience although they will still be around the key positions. Wolves are almost everyones favourites for a direct promotion back to the Championship this season, but there will be
Tommy Pham Jersey time for them to turn it around and the remaining few weeks of the transfer window are vital for them to keep their key players otherwise it could be a tricky season for Wolves and it is crucial they get Leigh Griffiths firing; but the season is not one to expect fireworks from as Kenny Jackett is a steady manager who needs to perform one head-twisting turnaround. This season is stabilising themselves as a club and giving themselves a foundation to mount a promotion
Charlie Morton Jersey charge this season, although it could have all come too soon that play-offs could be their best hope unle s they really can hit the ground running and settle on a formation that allows Bakary Sako to settle into a role producing opportunities for Griffiths and plug the hole in their midfield ball winning area after the sale of former-club captain Karl Henry to QPR. Other sides are all involved in the chase for promotion, with Peterborough being amongst the favourites to go straight back up as Darren Ferguson has built an efficient side that were unlucky to be relegated, I can definitely see them going straight back up as one of the automatically promoted sides. The Posh have kept a lot of their Championship side intact and definitely po se s the credentials to put together a long run of form but heavily rely on keeping their defence well marshalled
Colin Poche Jersey and keeping regular clean sheets; Ferguson will require all of his tactical nous to out manoeuvre his opponent in this league and will face some sides who can provide some notable surprises. In general, this league takes a lot of time to get used to and the variety of styles that you can face; as a number of teams will draft in talented youngsters with pace and energy the speed of football at this level is troubling to keep up with and to carefully scout each team more so than anywhere else with players appearing at clubs from nowhere and providing some breathtaking performances as Chelsea loanee Milan Lalkovic did on his Walsall debut, the managers take on a lot of responsibility and my dark horses are undoubtedly Preston to come up with the goods and have in my opinion the best manager in the league, in Simon Grayson. Graysons experience at this level will give North End the advantage tactically, although Bristol City will also provide a threat with the number of players they have brought in and the signing of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas gives some much needed experience of a
Matt Andriese Jersey higher level and a powerful versatile forward who will cause some slower and veteran defenders in this league problems. A season of surprises and big contests, some lower league players will get trips to old and once majestic stadia whilst recent Premier League players may find themselves wondering just how they ended up playing on a rainy Tuesday evening at Crawley and getting run around by some fresh-faced under-18 from the Premiership whilst they ache all over from their league cup game six months ago. League one; the league encompa sing all aspects, young, old, big clubs, growing clubs, the league of change.
This hasnt been officially
Jose Trevino Jersey revealed by the English FA yet, but the national side will face Mexico at Wembley on May 24th as the final warm up game before leaving the UK for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South
Shin-Soo Choo Jersey Africa.Mexico are planning a six match tour that includes games against World Champions Italy and Holland, the tour schedule has been released by the Mexicans and that is why we know about
Robinson Chirinos Jersey the match already.England bo s Fabio Capello thinks that Mexico are the best po sible opponents immediately prior to the World Cup, as coming from the CONCACAF (the same as Group C rivals United States) their play will give the players a guide to what they may face against the USA.England are also thought to be playing Japan in Austria,
Brock Burke Jersey as they are expected to be at an altitude training base near the small Austrian town of Irdning. When England make it to South Africa, they will then
Rougned Odor Jersey be at another training base in Rustenburg.
On Monday 31st January 2011, Andy Carroll completed a sensational 35 million move to Liverpool, in a transfer that shocked football. Following the sale, questions were asked about Newcastles ambition and whether or not their decision to sell was judicious. Since then, the rebuilding of the squad has been quiet but measured, enabling the pa sionate and loud fans on Tyneside to witne s the quiet revolution.There can be little argument at the suggestion that in recent years, Newcastle
Jorge Alfaro Jersey have endured turbulent times. Mike Ashleys takeover of the club has faced many challenges, none more so than when his side were relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2008-2009 season. Despite bouncing straight back up, Ashley faced more pre sure when he sacked popular manager Chris Hughton in December 2010, and
Brad Ziegler Jersey replaced him with Alan Pardew, an appointment that surprised many.The past year though has seen negativity replaced with positivity, as Pardews team have provided some sparkling performances reminiscent of the kind seen during the Bobby Robson era of the early noughties. The Magpies currently lie in 6th place in the Premier League, level on points with Arsenal. They enjoyed a superb start to the season, going unbeaten in their first eleven games before defeat to Manchester City in November.Although a lot of credit has to go to Pardew and his backroom staff, a great deal is also due to the Newcastle scouting network, who throughout the summer worked hard in bringing in new players to the club that, through their
Jonathan Villar Jersey performances, have received high acclamation.Yohan Cabaye, the French midfielder signed from Ligue 1 champions Lille, has put in several eye catching performances that have helped make him a favourite amongst the fans. Alongside Cheick Tiote, a player brought in the previous summer and who himself has received great praise, Newcastle have a midfield duo that can compete with any they come up against in the league.Arguably however, the signing of the season comes in the form of Senegalese striker Demba Ba. Signed on a free from relegated West Ham, he has been a revelation, scoring 15
JT Riddle Jersey league goals since his debut in August. Ba has gone on to net two hat tricks, as well as scoring some memorable goals, including a fine volley in the recent 3-0 win over Manchester United.Its not just the impact of the new boys that has helped Newcastle. Goalkeeper
Sergio Romo Jersey Tim Krul has enjoyed a marvellous season that has helped put him in contention for Hollands no1 jersey at Euro 2012. Jonas Gutierrez continues to draw the fans admiration through his tirele s displays and the consistency from the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor and Danny Simpson have helped to ensure that Newcastle are a tough fixture for any club.A new array of talent is on show at St James Park these days. Without any big transfer fees, Newcastle United are a club back on the up, but keep it quiet wont you?
Luis Suarez has really given people a lot to sink their teeth into over the last few years, but this is a drama that will certainly not go away. Many people will have different thoughts and feelings about the incident that occurred in the clash between Uruguay and Italy, here
Henry Ellenson Jersey are just a few different points of view;The Psychologists: This season with Liverpool, Luis Suarez had regular acce s to Dr Steve Peters, he did not accumulate a single red card! Whilst Uruguay admirably dealt with his physical injury, their failure to mentally prepare him for the tournament could cost them dearly. This incident will add further justification for the increasing investment in sports psychology. What didactually concern mewas ITVs coverage of the incident. Not only did Ian Wright look nervous at suggesting a player has a problem and needs help, butmost worryingfor me was thathis thoughts were greeted with some laughter. Unfortunately, this does highlight that although views on mental health are changing for the better, many people are sceptical and there are clearly barriers that are needed to be overcome.Sepp Blatter: With the likes of Neymar and Robben dazzling on the pitch, Sepp Blatter has found himself in the unusual position of temporarily not being centre stage. There have been controversies off-the-pitch that have somewhat threatened to become front page stories, but the action on the pitch has kept the public happy!
Allen Iverson Jersey Sepp Blatter will now be thrust back into the headlights, and his every move will be scrutinized when dealing with the Suarez situation. This is attention that Blatter will not have wanted! Although it could provide him an opportunity to win some people over by making an example out of Suarez, whichever course of action he takes will undoubtedly be criticised.Uruguay
Isiah Thomas Jersey :The easiest way to explain the feelings in Uruguay would be to remember the Beckham incident in 1998! Will he receive abuse when they get knocked out? Yes. Will there be calls for him never to play for the national team again? Yes.Will he be able to make his way back from this? Yes.Brendan Rodgers:Firstly, I think he will be bemused by the situation. I think he will be frustrated because he knows that
Mateen Cleaves Jersey he will have to spend the majority of the next few months talking about Luis Suarez, with added pre sure being placed on him by some stakeholders to sell his best player. If he is sold, Liverpool will receive a reduced price for him, and if he is not sold there will be added pre sure on him and his Liverpool teammates next season. One view is that some inside Liverpool might actually be secretly happy that Real Madrid and Barcelona are likely to terminate their attempts to sign the controversial striker. Rodgers will need to be calculated in his approach when dealing with Suarez, because although he is their best a set on the pitch, he is seriously damaging the brand of Liverpool Football Club.Parents: I expect there to be biting incidents in playgrounds acro s the world over the next
Dennis Rodman Jersey couple of weeks, as the old saying goes monkey see, monkey do. Parents will be angry at seeing a potential role model exhibiting such negative deviance, and will be quick to ensure that their children understand that this behaviour will not be tolerated.Finally,what Luis Suarez is feeling at this present time is anybodys gue s. It goes without saying that he will be frustrated and angry, but his brain will definitely be a very confusing place for the next couple of weeks.
Dimitar Berbatov.Well well well, where to start? Berbatov went from being the darling of White Hart Lane to the villain of Tottenham in just a few, fateful weeks. His slick, at times arrogant style of play won him many fans, yet his departure to
Steven Brault Jersey Manchester United left a bitter taste in the mouths of many a Tottenham fan, and his poor attitude saw him leave the club in a haze of disappointment and anger.From hero to zeroWhen
Jason Martin Jersey he was playing well, Berbatov epitomised Tottenham Hotspur. He played with a swagger, a shirt not tucked into shorts confidence. Many regarded him as one of the most talented players to grace the Lane, walking in the company of Glenn Hoddle, David Ginola and Ricky Villa. At times he scored goals for fun, finishing
David Freese Jersey moves gracefully whilst Robbie Keane worked tirele sly alongside him winning him balls and playing him in. Berbatov was undoubatly one of the most popular players during Martin Jols reign, and when the Bulgarian won the Premier League player of the month award with Robbie Keane, his popularity grew. Berbatov was the darling of the Lane, yet his desire for Champions League level football drove him to Manchester United, and out of the hearts of Tottenham supporters.It wasnt the fact that he wanted
Sean Rodriguez Jersey to play football at a higher level that aggrieved Spurs fans. It was the fact that he was willing to let his Spurs form suffer in an effort to force a move to Manchester United. His effortle s style suddenly became lazy, his neat touches suddenly became rash pieces of showboating.
Elias Diaz Jersey He, of course, eventually joined Manchester United and joined Sol Campbell as one of Tottenhams arch-nemesis, but theres no doubt that Berbatov was one of the most talented players ever to play for the club. Its just a shame he didnt stay longer. youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXOyGrJDFc
