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Football News: Man Utd set to spend, but there is no injury crisis at Arsenal

Man Utd set to spend, but there is no injury crisis at Arsenal
Image from: provenquality.com

1. The loss of Sakho will hit West Ham hard
West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho has joined Dmitri Payet and Enner Valencia on the sidelines, after the Senegalese international was ruled out for three months. The Hammers are now stuck with having to rely on the 'quality' of Andy Carroll and Nikica Jelavic up front for the next few weeks. With those two lacking the movement of the missing players, it might see a very Sam Allardyce long ball style making a return.

2. Man Utd will be looking to buy in January
Louis van Gaal has confirmed that Manchester United will be looking to add new signings in the January transfer window. Having spent a mere £250 million so far, van Gaal feels his rebuilding job is still not done. While it is impossible to argue that the squad lacks strength in depth and quality up front, questions need to be asked about just how much does the Dutchman need to spend to build a team.

 

3. Well done to Stevan Jovetic
The Manchester City striker, currently on loan at Inter Milan, is no stranger to injury himself, so, when he heard about the plight of Buducnost Podgorica forward Milivoje Raicevic, Jovetic was quick to help out. Raicevic had torn his cruciate knee ligaments, but it had initially been misdiagnosed, forcing the 22 year old to require surgery which neither he nor his club could afford to pay for. Jovetic, who had never met or even spoken to Raicevic before this, phoned him up and offered to help. He arranged and paid for the consultation and surgery that were needed to give Raicevic a chance of continuing his career. Nice one Stevan!

4. It is not just players that dive in South American football
A Chilean linesman made one of the most blatant dives in footballing history which resulted in a sending off for Huachipato defender Angelo Sagal. Sagal was challenging for the ball, then gently kicked the ball off the pitch, the ball glancing off Carlos Echeverria's thigh, with all the power of a butterfly wing. Clearly Echeverria is made of paper, and went down like a bad guy in a Steven Segal film, lying on the floor holding his thigh like he had been shot. On seeing this, the referee sent off the unfortunate Sagal. Hard to believe that Echeverria can ever be allowed to run the line again:

 

5. It was the right decision
Real Madrid were deservedly kicked out of the Copa del Rey, there really could be no other punishment for the Spanish Football Federation to hand out. The defence Madrid chose to hide behind was little short of embarrassing, though not quite as embarrassing as being so poorly organised that they made Denis Cheryshev available for Rafael Benitez to pick for the game. While Rafa has become the butt of jokes for this debacle, the truth is this is not his fault and is entirely the fault of the club, whose sole focus is on merchandising while neglecting the playing side of the game. Players are bought because of their fame, rather than because they are needed. It is no wonder they are so far behind Barcelona nowadays, unless they sort out the club to become a football team first and foremost, they will gradually fall behind, not just Barca, but their cross city rivals Atletico Madrid as well.

6. Six banned in Asia for match fixing
Four players and an official from Nepal, plus a Tajik referee have received lifetime bans from the Asian Football Confederation for match fixing. The four players, Bikash Singh Chhetri, Sandip Rai, Ritesh Thapa and Sagar Thapa, and Nepal official, Anjan KC, were found guilty of offences relating to friendly internationals during the period 2008-2012. The referee, Murtazoev Parviz, was found guilty of conspiring to influence the result of an October 6, 2015 match between the Maldives and Tajikistan in the AFC U-19 Championship. Parviz, who was the game's appointed referee liaison officer, attempted to corrupt the match referee who reported the offence.

 

7. Koeman rules out sale of Mane, even if £100m was offered
The problem is with Ronald Koeman's statement regarding the refusal of £100m, is that he would not be the one to make that decision at Southampton. With Manchester United making a failed attempt to sign him in the summer, it is clear the Senegalese forward is wanted by clubs with the money to pay whatever is asked. In recent weeks Bayern Munich have had the 23 year old scouted as well, which may see the player himself forcing a move. That is probably why Koeman just ruled out a sale in January, knowing full well that he will have to resign himself to losing his star attacker eventually. Holding on to the summer will allow him to maximise the price received and make it much easier for a replacement to be brought in. How many more times can the Saints lose their best players and continue to grow as a team? That is no doubt what Koeman will be asking himself, along with whether he can achieve his long term ambitions with the South Coast club, when any player who performs well for consistent periods will be sold.

8. Finally some good news for Chelsea
Jose Mourinho will be much more like the 'happy one' that he referred to himself as on his return to the London club now that he has finally received some good news. The return of Thibaut Courtois from injury will be a massive boost to the Pensioners, even though Asmir Begovic is a very able deputy. Belgium keeper Courtois is a whole other level from Begovic, being one of the very best goalkeepers in the world, and his return will provide the club with a much safer defensive platform to build from, even though John Terry is out injured. After the mischief making from the press over Chelsea's Christmas party, which the paparazzi would have you think consisted of Diego Costa on a drunken night out, the whole club have a real reason to believe the world is against them. You have to think this is not a good time to play them, despite their recent form, and AFC Bournemouth are going to have their work cut out to hold at bay a team that should be really fired up.

 

9. Crisis, what crisis?
Arsene Wenger, despite losing Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez, Francis Coquelin, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott (I will not count Tomas Rosicky as he is more injured than not) to injury, denies there is an injury crisis at Arsenal. Is this akin to his 'I didn't see it' response to every incident where one of his players is at fault on the pitch? Does he just wander round with his eyes shut, hands over his ears, saying "la, la, la, la" at the top of his voice whenever injuries are reported to him? It is more likely the Gooners' boss is just refusing to admit to his own failing to invest in strengthening the squad in the summer, and previous windows for that matter, when it has been clear for a long time that Arsenal are short a few players. They always seem to be just a couple of players short of a meaningful title challenge, but Wenger refuses to act. He does have one more chance to rectify the issue in the January window, but his refusal to admit to a problem suggests he is unlikely to look to fix it.

10. The first real setback for Klopp
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been hit by his first major setback since taking charge, well other than the defeat to Crystal Palace, after Danny Ings was ruled out for the rest of the season. The 23 year old England striker had joined the Reds from Burnley in the summer, but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury just as he was establishing himself in the side and had earnt his first England cap. Initially he was expected to be out for 6 months, and so would have been available for the run in at the end of the season. Specialists have informed the club that the early prognosis was overly hopeful and the injury will see Ings out for the season and rule him out of joining England in next summer's European Championships.

Written by Tris Burke December 05 2015 07:05:05