TRANSFER GOSSIP
Saturday's Daily Star back page
Liverpool are preparing to make a £30m January bid for Porto striker Jackson Martinez, 28, who has 72 goals in 106 appearances and is also a target for Arsenal. (Daily Express) (external)
Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner has promised the club's fans that he is ready to resist any offers for midfielder Fabian Delph and defender Ron Vlaar in the January transfer window. (Daily Telegraph) (external)
Manchester United have opened talks with Monaco about signing 22-year-old left-back Layvin Kurzawa - also a target for Chelsea - for £12m in January. (Daily Star) (external)
Meanwhile, centre back Nemanja Vidic, 33, could be in line for a return to United on a free transfer at the end of the season after failing to impress at Inter Milan. (Daily Express) (external)
Liverpool have joined Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to sign Sporting Lisbon's £37m-rated defensive midfielder William Carvalho, 22, in January. (Daily Star) (external)
Sunderland forward Connor Wickham, 21, could leave the Black Cats for nothing next summer, manager Gus Poyet has admitted. (Daily Mirror) (external)
AC Milan's on-loan midfielder Marco van Ginkel, 21, says he has decided to stay in the Italian capital, rather than head back to parent club Chelsea during January. (Daily Mirror) (external)
OTHER GOSSIP
Former England striker Jimmy Greaves, who was awarded a World Cup winners' medal in 2009 after a fans' campaign, is putting it up for auction at Sotheby's. (Daily Mail) (external)
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has insisted he has no plans to sell Yaya Toure, 31, after reports that the midfielder could be offloaded at the end of the season. (The Sun - subscription required) (external)
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is planning to recall Nani to Old Trafford in January after the winger's excellent form for Sporting Lisbon. (Daily Star) (external)
Saturday's Daily Mirror back page
West Brom striker Saido Berahino, 21, says he will consider signing a new contract at The Hawthorns, despite appearing to suggest he wanted to sign for a bigger club. (Birmingham Mail) (external)
Newcastle winger Jonas Gutierrez, 31, will be back at Newcastle in the middle of next month after being given permission by his doctors to resume training following treatment for testicular cancer. (The Guardian) (external)
Gary Neville has backed Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and says it is the players and not the manager who should be criticised. (Daily Telegraph) (external)
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, 36, has used his column to back manager Brendan Rodgers' decision to drop players against Real Madrid, but says Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard deserved to start. (Daily Mail) (external)
Striker Robin van Persie has said he was surprised by Sir Alex Ferguson's departure from Manchester United and says he is not satisfied with his performances under new manager Louis van Gaal. (The Guardian) (external)
West Ham star Diafra Sakho, 24, in line for new £10m deal - but only after 12 more games. (Daily Mirror) (external)
Southampton's £11m summer signing Dusan Tadic says it is much easier playing football in England than in his native Serbia. (Independent) (external)
Swansea striker Wilfried Bony, 25, is set to sign a contract extension which will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until 2018, and could even agree terms before Sunday's visit of Arsenal. (Daily Mail) (external)
Former Blackpool manager Jose Riga, who had an ongoing battle with chairman Karl Oyston before he was sacked in October, has agreed to discuss his departure from the club with a leading fans' group. (Seasiders Podcast) (external)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Fully focused - Leicester pair Danny Simpson and Anthony Knockaert battle it out on a games console
Leicester's Danny Simpson and Anthony Knockaert are team-mates against Southampton on Saturday, but clearly rivals beforehand. "Me beating Knockaert on Fifa. Chilling before the game," Simpson tweeted. (external)
QPR striker Charlie Austin enjoyed Warrington's FA Cup giant-killing over Exeter, tweeting: (external) "FA Cup back on the BBC just where it should always be. Warrington really showing us what the Cup is really about."
West Brom keeper Ben Foster enjoyed it too, especially the commentary, posting: (external) "Well done Warrington Town, what a game! Think Robbie Savage might need a lie down now though."
West Ham defender Winston Reid clearly wouldn't mind being at Twickenham on Saturday for the Test between his native New Zealand and England. "Wishing the All Blacks good luck for the game. Wish I could be there but have got a another important game," he tweeted. (external) Indeed he does - Reid is lining up for West Ham at home to Aston Villa.
AND FINALLY
Hollywood star Brad Pitt, a Liverpool fan since his son was treated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital while wife Angelina Jolie was filming in north Wales, is rumoured to be heading to Anfield on Saturday to cheer on the Reds against Chelsea. (Liverpool Echo) (external)
Burnley midfielder David Jones, 30, wants to avoid a repeat of the unwanted fate he suffered at Derby County. Jones was part of the Derby side that won one game all season, and ended the term with just 11 points - the lowest in Premier League history. (Daily Express) (external)
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Saturday, 8 November 2014
Liverpool lacking in all areas'
In his regular BBC Sport column, football pundit Robbie Savage looks at why Liverpool look a long way off repeating last season's title challenge, how they should line up against Chelsea and the physical and mental battle Steven Gerrard faces to secure a long-term future with the Reds.
Chelsea's return to Anfield on Saturday brings back unhappy memories for Liverpool and their immediate future is not much brighter either.
It is only six months since Steven Gerrard's slip helped the Blues clinch a famous win on Merseyside that derailed Liverpool's title bid.
Back then, at the end of April, the title was in the Reds' grasp. This weekend, I think we will see again how far away they are from mounting another title challenge.
They are miles away from the level required for that, and will have to improve and work hard just to get in the top four.
Rodgers has problems to solve in attack and defence
If they manage it, then securing back-to-back seasons in the Champions League should be seen as success for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
But not all their fans see it that way. I had some unhappy Reds supporters calling me up on 606 on BBC Radio 5 live last weekend to give their manager stick.
Goals are not easy to come by
Part of Liverpool's problem is that they overachieved massively last season, which has raised expectations unrealistically. That is not Rodgers' fault.
Where he can be questioned is in the transfer market, especially up front.
Between them Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge scored 52 of Liverpool's 101 Premier League goals last season.
With Suarez sold and Sturridge playing only three out of 10 league games so far this season because of injury, Rodgers has lost a lot of goals from his line-up.
But he has had money to spend and I do not think he has bought the right strikers to fit his system.
Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert are all yet to score in the Premier League this season
Looking at Rodgers' options up front for Saturday, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini are his three available front men, and the bottom line is that they are not good enough.
It is not just that they do not look like scoring. There is a big difference in their work-rate compared to what Suarez and Sturridge gave the team.
That means Liverpool are not starting games with the same intensity they did last season, or pressing teams high up the pitch to force them into mistakes.
Doing that in 2013-14 Liverpool scored 59 first-half goals, 13 more than any other team, and scored in the first half of 34 out of 38 league matches - again the most in the top flight.
Liverpool in the Premier League
Season2013-142014-15
Data: Opta
First half goals per game1.550.4
Games scored in first half34/383/10
Games they scored first in the first half28/383/10
In their first 10 games of this campaign, they have only managed a total of four goals before half-time, in three different matches. Instead of being on the front foot, they are having to chase games.
They look pedestrian and that is not just the centre-forward's fault.
When I have watched them, no matter what formation they play, they do not seem to have any runners going past their striker from midfield.
Again, last season that used to happen all the time, but I was at St James' Park last weekend to co-commentate on their defeat by Newcastle, and the only player to run beyond Balotelli in the first half was Gerrard, who did it once.
Another problem is set-pieces. Liverpool were lethal from them last year, scoring with more than any other top-flight team.
More than a third of their goals in 2013-14 came from corners or free-kicks, at a rate of almost one a game. That has dropped off dramatically.
Liverpool in the Premier League (and ranking)
Season2013-142014-15
Data: Opta
Set-piece goals37 (1)3 (=9)
Set-piece goals per game0.97 (1)0.3 (=9)
% of goals from set-pieces36.6% (1)23.1% (12)
Sadly for Rodgers, seeing the goals drying up is not his only problem.
Liverpool's defence was seen as their weakest link last season and, despite trying several different combinations, he did not get it right.
Liverpool's centre-halves in the Premier League 2013-14
Who played together?GamesWonLostWin rateConceded per game
Data: Opta
Agger-Toure220100%0
Agger-Skrtel1311185%1
Toure-Skrtel64067%1.5
Sakho-Toure-Skrtel53160%1.4
Sakho-Skrtel116355%1.64
Skrtel-Toure1010%3
From Mamadou Sakho for £18m in 2013 to Dejan Lovren for £20m this summer, Rodgers has thrown a lot of money at the problem but is still trying to find an answer.
They still look all over the place at the back.
Liverpool's centre-halves in the Premier League 2014-15
Who played together?GamesWonLostWin rateConceded per game
Data: Opta
Lovren-Skrtel73242.9%1.58
Lovren-Sakho2115%0.5
Lovren-Skrtel-Johnson1010%1
Statistically, they are no worse defensively than last season - but they are also no better.
Liverpool play and complete as many passes as before, and also keep as much possession. But with them no longer being able to outscore the opposition, it is no surprise their results have been affected.
Liverpool in the Premier League (and ranking)
Season2013-142014-15
Data: Opta
Goals per game2.66 (2)1.30 (9)
Shots per game13.7 (1)10.5 (6)
Shooting accuracy49.5% (2)45.7% (11)
Passes per game515.7 (4)513 (6)
Average pass completion84% (4)84% (6)
Average possession56% (5)56% (5)
Goals conceded per game1.32 (8)1.30 (7)
Shots faced per game12.6 (7)10 (3)
On target faced per game3.9 (9)4 (5)
What Liverpool lack at the back is a leader, and their goalkeeper does not give them much help there.
Simon Mignolet is clearly an excellent shot-stopper but I don't see him coming off his line enough, or commanding his box.
Rodgers still looking for winning combination
Rodgers tried three at the back against the Magpies, but I cannot see him doing the same against Chelsea.
He was criticised for resting players against Real Madrid on Tuesday but I agreed with him for doing it.
Liverpool can still qualify for the knockout stages in Europe if they win their last two games in Group B and their weakened team actually did better against Real in Spain than the full-strength side he picked at home.
Now he has to decide who to play against Chelsea, but whoever he picks, Liverpool will need to show a huge improvement on their recent displays.
Savage's Liverpool team to face Chelsea
For me, Lovren is the big signing who makes way, with Kolo Toure keeping his place after doing well at the Bernabeu.
It is a big call to drop Lovren when Rodgers has spent so much money on him, but he has just not been good enough.
He was poor against Newcastle and has been poor all season.
Although he has got the height that Liverpool will need to defend set-pieces against Chelsea, I saw him get bossed around by Bobby Zamora when Liverpool played QPR at Loftus Road. You have to think that Diego Costa would make mincemeat of him if he is up front for Chelsea.
To compete, Liverpool will need a solid four in the middle, with their full-backs looking to join the attack.
Whether it be Glen Johnson on the right or Alberto Moreno on the left, when one goes forward, then the other should sit back.
That way, Liverpool will always have five defensive players to guard against Chelsea's counter-attacks.
Going forward, they need their full-backs to contribute in the same way they did last season when they overlapped down the flanks or broke forward with speed.
The trio of Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling as attacking midfielders provide pace, trickery and creativity and, leading the line, Borini gives more energy than Lambert or Balotelli.
He will have to work hard down the channels to keep Chelsea's defence busy.
Even if all of that works, however, it is still hard to see Liverpool winning on Saturday because Chelsea are on a different planet to every other Premier League team at the moment.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho won the tactical battle at Anfield in April
Jose Mourinho's side have not been at their best in the last couple of games but they have not lost any of them either.
The only way you would describe their form as disappointing would be in comparison to the way they started the season, when they were electric.
The Blues do not seem to have a weakness and, just like in April, I see them leaving Anfield with three points.
There is no title on the line this time, but it will still hurt the home fans.
Gerrard faces physical and mental battle to carry on
Whatever happens on Saturday will not make up for what was probably the worst moment of Gerrard's career. He may never make up for it, but there is no way he is finished.
He was Liverpool's best player against Newcastle and, despite it still being uncertain whether he will get a new Reds contract in the summer, I definitely see him as being part of their longer-term future.
Playing in that defensive midfield role, he can remain competitive in the Premier League. I cannot see him being allowed to leave Anfield but, if he does, he will end up at another top club.
Gerrard, who turns 35 in May, is in his 17th season in the Liverpool first team
The older you get, the harder you have to work, though, and extending his career will be a mental battle as well as a physical one.
At 34, he does not have to prove he can ping a ball 60 yards, deliver a great free-kick or make a crunching tackle.
What he has to show is that he can still get about the park well enough to do all of those things effectively.
Because, whether he likes it or not, every time he has a bad game he will hear the accusation that "his legs have gone".
Of course he is still fit and can still run. He is probably one of the fittest players at Liverpool. At 36, when I was at Derby, I was still in the top two or three players whenever we did the bleep test.
But it is the recovery that will test him. When you are flying, you can close someone down, then charge into the next challenge or situation.
As you get older, it is harder to get to the next man in time to make a difference. That is what people mean when they say your legs have gone.
There is nothing worse as a high-energy midfield player to know that, two or three years ago, you could have made that next challenge - and now you can't.
I knew it when it happened to me. I would try not to think it but you cannot escape it and it was horrendous. I began to doubt myself and whether anybody would want me to play for them.
What does not help is what other people say. Managers and players told me I was finished but I had to keep believing in myself.
I knew I was not the player I was, but I still felt I had something to offer.
For me, Gerrard undoubtedly does too. Along with Sterling and Sturridge he is still one of Liverpool's most important players.
Of all the players I faced in my career, he was the one I would have loved to have played with.
He was a nightmare to play against because he had everything. At his peak he was the best midfielder the Premier League has seen.
Saturday will be a difficult occasion for him because what happened against Chelsea last time probably destroyed him on the inside.
Of course he will be thinking about it before the game - he must think about it all the time - but he has not let it stop him.
It would have been easy for him to quit after a disappointment like that, but he has kept going like he always does.
It is that kind of desire that will keep him going beyond the end of this season too.
Robbie Savage was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan
Related to this story
Chelsea's return to Anfield on Saturday brings back unhappy memories for Liverpool and their immediate future is not much brighter either.
It is only six months since Steven Gerrard's slip helped the Blues clinch a famous win on Merseyside that derailed Liverpool's title bid.
Back then, at the end of April, the title was in the Reds' grasp. This weekend, I think we will see again how far away they are from mounting another title challenge.
They are miles away from the level required for that, and will have to improve and work hard just to get in the top four.
Rodgers has problems to solve in attack and defence
If they manage it, then securing back-to-back seasons in the Champions League should be seen as success for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
But not all their fans see it that way. I had some unhappy Reds supporters calling me up on 606 on BBC Radio 5 live last weekend to give their manager stick.
Goals are not easy to come by
Part of Liverpool's problem is that they overachieved massively last season, which has raised expectations unrealistically. That is not Rodgers' fault.
Where he can be questioned is in the transfer market, especially up front.
Between them Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge scored 52 of Liverpool's 101 Premier League goals last season.
With Suarez sold and Sturridge playing only three out of 10 league games so far this season because of injury, Rodgers has lost a lot of goals from his line-up.
But he has had money to spend and I do not think he has bought the right strikers to fit his system.
Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert are all yet to score in the Premier League this season
Looking at Rodgers' options up front for Saturday, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini are his three available front men, and the bottom line is that they are not good enough.
It is not just that they do not look like scoring. There is a big difference in their work-rate compared to what Suarez and Sturridge gave the team.
That means Liverpool are not starting games with the same intensity they did last season, or pressing teams high up the pitch to force them into mistakes.
Doing that in 2013-14 Liverpool scored 59 first-half goals, 13 more than any other team, and scored in the first half of 34 out of 38 league matches - again the most in the top flight.
Liverpool in the Premier League
Season2013-142014-15
Data: Opta
First half goals per game1.550.4
Games scored in first half34/383/10
Games they scored first in the first half28/383/10
In their first 10 games of this campaign, they have only managed a total of four goals before half-time, in three different matches. Instead of being on the front foot, they are having to chase games.
They look pedestrian and that is not just the centre-forward's fault.
When I have watched them, no matter what formation they play, they do not seem to have any runners going past their striker from midfield.
Again, last season that used to happen all the time, but I was at St James' Park last weekend to co-commentate on their defeat by Newcastle, and the only player to run beyond Balotelli in the first half was Gerrard, who did it once.
Another problem is set-pieces. Liverpool were lethal from them last year, scoring with more than any other top-flight team.
More than a third of their goals in 2013-14 came from corners or free-kicks, at a rate of almost one a game. That has dropped off dramatically.
Liverpool in the Premier League (and ranking)
Season2013-142014-15
Data: Opta
Set-piece goals37 (1)3 (=9)
Set-piece goals per game0.97 (1)0.3 (=9)
% of goals from set-pieces36.6% (1)23.1% (12)
Sadly for Rodgers, seeing the goals drying up is not his only problem.
Liverpool's defence was seen as their weakest link last season and, despite trying several different combinations, he did not get it right.
Liverpool's centre-halves in the Premier League 2013-14
Who played together?GamesWonLostWin rateConceded per game
Data: Opta
Agger-Toure220100%0
Agger-Skrtel1311185%1
Toure-Skrtel64067%1.5
Sakho-Toure-Skrtel53160%1.4
Sakho-Skrtel116355%1.64
Skrtel-Toure1010%3
From Mamadou Sakho for £18m in 2013 to Dejan Lovren for £20m this summer, Rodgers has thrown a lot of money at the problem but is still trying to find an answer.
They still look all over the place at the back.
Liverpool's centre-halves in the Premier League 2014-15
Who played together?GamesWonLostWin rateConceded per game
Data: Opta
Lovren-Skrtel73242.9%1.58
Lovren-Sakho2115%0.5
Lovren-Skrtel-Johnson1010%1
Statistically, they are no worse defensively than last season - but they are also no better.
Liverpool play and complete as many passes as before, and also keep as much possession. But with them no longer being able to outscore the opposition, it is no surprise their results have been affected.
Liverpool in the Premier League (and ranking)
Season2013-142014-15
Data: Opta
Goals per game2.66 (2)1.30 (9)
Shots per game13.7 (1)10.5 (6)
Shooting accuracy49.5% (2)45.7% (11)
Passes per game515.7 (4)513 (6)
Average pass completion84% (4)84% (6)
Average possession56% (5)56% (5)
Goals conceded per game1.32 (8)1.30 (7)
Shots faced per game12.6 (7)10 (3)
On target faced per game3.9 (9)4 (5)
What Liverpool lack at the back is a leader, and their goalkeeper does not give them much help there.
Simon Mignolet is clearly an excellent shot-stopper but I don't see him coming off his line enough, or commanding his box.
Rodgers still looking for winning combination
Rodgers tried three at the back against the Magpies, but I cannot see him doing the same against Chelsea.
He was criticised for resting players against Real Madrid on Tuesday but I agreed with him for doing it.
Liverpool can still qualify for the knockout stages in Europe if they win their last two games in Group B and their weakened team actually did better against Real in Spain than the full-strength side he picked at home.
Now he has to decide who to play against Chelsea, but whoever he picks, Liverpool will need to show a huge improvement on their recent displays.
Savage's Liverpool team to face Chelsea
For me, Lovren is the big signing who makes way, with Kolo Toure keeping his place after doing well at the Bernabeu.
It is a big call to drop Lovren when Rodgers has spent so much money on him, but he has just not been good enough.
He was poor against Newcastle and has been poor all season.
Although he has got the height that Liverpool will need to defend set-pieces against Chelsea, I saw him get bossed around by Bobby Zamora when Liverpool played QPR at Loftus Road. You have to think that Diego Costa would make mincemeat of him if he is up front for Chelsea.
To compete, Liverpool will need a solid four in the middle, with their full-backs looking to join the attack.
Whether it be Glen Johnson on the right or Alberto Moreno on the left, when one goes forward, then the other should sit back.
That way, Liverpool will always have five defensive players to guard against Chelsea's counter-attacks.
Going forward, they need their full-backs to contribute in the same way they did last season when they overlapped down the flanks or broke forward with speed.
The trio of Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling as attacking midfielders provide pace, trickery and creativity and, leading the line, Borini gives more energy than Lambert or Balotelli.
He will have to work hard down the channels to keep Chelsea's defence busy.
Even if all of that works, however, it is still hard to see Liverpool winning on Saturday because Chelsea are on a different planet to every other Premier League team at the moment.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho won the tactical battle at Anfield in April
Jose Mourinho's side have not been at their best in the last couple of games but they have not lost any of them either.
The only way you would describe their form as disappointing would be in comparison to the way they started the season, when they were electric.
The Blues do not seem to have a weakness and, just like in April, I see them leaving Anfield with three points.
There is no title on the line this time, but it will still hurt the home fans.
Gerrard faces physical and mental battle to carry on
Whatever happens on Saturday will not make up for what was probably the worst moment of Gerrard's career. He may never make up for it, but there is no way he is finished.
He was Liverpool's best player against Newcastle and, despite it still being uncertain whether he will get a new Reds contract in the summer, I definitely see him as being part of their longer-term future.
Playing in that defensive midfield role, he can remain competitive in the Premier League. I cannot see him being allowed to leave Anfield but, if he does, he will end up at another top club.
Gerrard, who turns 35 in May, is in his 17th season in the Liverpool first team
The older you get, the harder you have to work, though, and extending his career will be a mental battle as well as a physical one.
At 34, he does not have to prove he can ping a ball 60 yards, deliver a great free-kick or make a crunching tackle.
What he has to show is that he can still get about the park well enough to do all of those things effectively.
Because, whether he likes it or not, every time he has a bad game he will hear the accusation that "his legs have gone".
Of course he is still fit and can still run. He is probably one of the fittest players at Liverpool. At 36, when I was at Derby, I was still in the top two or three players whenever we did the bleep test.
But it is the recovery that will test him. When you are flying, you can close someone down, then charge into the next challenge or situation.
As you get older, it is harder to get to the next man in time to make a difference. That is what people mean when they say your legs have gone.
There is nothing worse as a high-energy midfield player to know that, two or three years ago, you could have made that next challenge - and now you can't.
I knew it when it happened to me. I would try not to think it but you cannot escape it and it was horrendous. I began to doubt myself and whether anybody would want me to play for them.
What does not help is what other people say. Managers and players told me I was finished but I had to keep believing in myself.
I knew I was not the player I was, but I still felt I had something to offer.
For me, Gerrard undoubtedly does too. Along with Sterling and Sturridge he is still one of Liverpool's most important players.
Of all the players I faced in my career, he was the one I would have loved to have played with.
He was a nightmare to play against because he had everything. At his peak he was the best midfielder the Premier League has seen.
Saturday will be a difficult occasion for him because what happened against Chelsea last time probably destroyed him on the inside.
Of course he will be thinking about it before the game - he must think about it all the time - but he has not let it stop him.
It would have been easy for him to quit after a disappointment like that, but he has kept going like he always does.
It is that kind of desire that will keep him going beyond the end of this season too.
Robbie Savage was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan
Related to this story
Three years to rebuild Man Utd'
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says it could take three years for the club to reach their full potential.
After losing 1-0 to Manchester City, United have taken just 13 points from their opening 10 games, their worst start to a league campaign since 1986.
"It's not good enough," Van Gaal, 63, said. "But on the other hand, we are in a process, as I have said from the beginning.
"The process shall take more than one year; it shall take three years."
"I feel for the fans in the first place and the board because they have a great belief in me, my staff and my players," he added.
United broke the British transfer record when they signed Angel Di Maria for £59.7m in the summer, but they have won only three Premier League games so far.
They lost to newly promoted Leicester in September and drew 0-0 with bottom of the table Burnley.
They also suffered a shock 4-0 defeat by MK Dons in the Capital One Cup in August.
But Van Gaal's side have struggled with injuries, with defender Marcus Rojo now ruled out for about six weeks after dislocating his shoulder on Sunday.
"We don't need to operate on him, which is a relief," the former Netherlands coach said. "Always with these injuries, I cannot change that."
Friday, 7 November 2014
From cave of vipers to goal machine
A broad smile spreads across Sergio Aguero's face as he stares down on the pitch where he has created moments of history in the sky blue of Manchester City.
Beyond the window lies the damp murk of an autumn afternoon in the north. But what soon becomes clear is that the boy from Buenos Aires feels very much at home here.
Aguero lights up a bustling room high in the stands at Etihad Stadium. A difficult defeat the night before is put to one side. He is polite, charming, warm and open. A young man who, as his friends testify, has never forgotten where he has come from. A man who approaches football, as he does his wider life, with total commitment.
The surroundings are a far cry from the crowded dirt pitch in the in Los Eucaliptos district of Buenos Aires where he first kicked a football. But for now, this is home.
"I am so happy here," he says. "I find life so calm, very different to when I played in Spain. The only things I miss from home are my son, my family and my friends."
Aguero's little boy has accompanied him today. Five-year-old Benjamin Aguero, the grandson of Diego Maradona and the godson of Lionel Messi, plays on the floor near his father's feet, transfixed by a Remembrance Day poppy. The Manchester City striker is here today to discuss his new book - Born to Rise - which charts his journey from the streets of Argentina to footballing superstardom in Europe.
Aguero became the youngest player to debut in Argentina's Primera Division at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976
"Time has passed but my love for the game is as it was when I was a boy," he says.
Outside the stadium, hundreds of fans have queued through the night for the chance to meet their hero. Only 150 will be given the chance. On a bitterly cold, wet Manchester night, many began to wait immediately after the final whistle of the CSKA Moscow defeat the night before. They will not get to meet Aguero until 4pm.
Another Champions League disappointment of the defeat by CSKA is still on his mind, as the stadium cleaners sweep the aisles clear of paper cups a few yards away.
"Obviously in the Champions League, we are not currently in the position we want to be, it's not what we were expecting," he says."
"The only thing we can do is to keep going. We still have two games to play and we have to win both of those, and then wait and see.
"Of course, we understand the people who have been criticising us, because the club invests in some top quality players and with that the fans clearly want to see more from us. The fans expect more. I do think we can still turn it around though."
It will take more than a few defeats to shake Aguero's self-belief. The fans waiting outside will meet a man who believes, wholeheartedly, he was born to play football.
"In the barrio where I lived as a young boy, there was a football pitch right by my house," he says. "It was a very unique and unusual story that I only had to step out of my house and the pitch was right there for me to just go and have a kick about.
"I have always loved football. That I'm here today is, I think, down to all the hard work put in and all the time spent at the age of five kicking a football around."
Aguero's family was poor. The neighbourhood was known as La Cueva de las Viboras, or 'the cave of the vipers.' The family home was surrounded by dirt roads; dusty in the summer, muddy in the winter. The nearest tarmac was 400m away. His house had a sheet metal roof, a cement floor and one double bed. The family had a makeshift wardrobe made out of bricks and wood, a hole in the ground for a toilet.
Sergio Aguero - the story so far
ClubAppearances (all competitions)Goals
Independiente (2003-06)5423
Atletico Madrid (2006-11)19983
Manchester City (2011-present)13787
His arrival into the world was also uncomfortable. "It was going to be difficult for my mother to give birth and the doctors decided that to make this possible they would have to break my collar-bone," he says.
"So that's what happened and I was then kept in hospital for two months until my bone had mended. And then I went home."
Aguero's father, Leo, was a talented footballer. But, at the age of 27 he stopped in order to put his son's fledging career first.
"He took me everywhere, from one pitch to another," says Aguero. "It seemed normal to me, having him by my side. But now I am older I realise not all fathers were able to do what he did. I got the luck he never had."
It was in his formative years that the nickname Kun stuck. It was inspired by a Japanese cartoon character that Aguero, the toddler, would be captivated by. The character was called 'Kum, Kum' but it was Kun that stuck. And is now stuck on the back of his shirt.
When he was nine, he joined Independiente. At the age of 15 he became the youngest-ever player in Argentina's Primera Division, breaking a record held by Maradona. Another young boy from Argentina watched on. His name was Messi.
"I can clearly remember the first day that I saw Kun, that moment has remained etched in my memory," Messi writes in the foreword for Aguero's book. "Back then I didn't know who he was or even what he was called, let alone that I would later meet him in person or that, from then on, we would become great friends."
They remain great friends. The best of friends. Their scoring records are astonishing.
Aguero scored 23 goals in 54 league games for Independiente, a further 75 in 175 for Atletico Madrid and has added 62 goals in 81 league games since being lured to City in the summer of 2011. In terms of minutes per goal, Aguero is comfortably the top striker in Premier League history.
Messi knows all about rewriting the record books, with 250 goals in 248 league starts for Barcelona. Their brilliance bonds them together and has done since 2005 when they were the two youngest players in the Argentina Under-20 squad.
"We roomed together at the Under-20 World Cup in Holland and we hit it off really well. So from that moment on, we have always shared a room together," Aguero says.
A few years ago, the Argentina fitness coach suggested the players have their own rooms. Messi, though, asked to continue sharing with Aguero. "Don't worry we are just friends," he writes in the book. "When he is asleep I have to tiptoe to the toilet and stop my phone from vibrating in case it wakes him up. He is like a brother."
Sergio Aguero's late goal against QPR in 2012 gave Manchester City their first league title since 1968
And yet, while Messi has found his home from home in Catalunya, Aguero has found his in Cheshire. This is a man who enjoys the cold and the rain. He likes to take his son fishing in the nearby lakes, he likes to play golf, he likes to slip through the Trafford Centre crowds with a cap pulled low over his eyes. The truth is that the 26-year-old is rarely hassled even by those who do spot him walking past.
Aguero is more than a player in these parts. He is a moment in history, a name that will live on long after he has left the club, thanks to a single, precious goal on May 13 2012. City play Queens Park Rangers, the opponents on that day, this weekend.
"Whenever the name QPR gets mentioned, memories of that day come flooding back," he says. "It was a historic moment and for me it was a really special moment after all the years I've spent playing football.
"But, we are playing them this weekend again, and while of course every game is tough in the Premier League let's hope we can pick up a good result there. But, that QPR goal will go down in history for me."
At of the end of the 2013-14 season, Aguero had the highest goals per minute ratio in Premier League history
In scoring a goal that clinched City's first title in 44 years, Aguero scored a goal to define a career, a truly dramatic moment that may not be bettered.
Or can it?
"Yes I think so," he says with that familiar winning smile. "I'm still very young and I believe you can always keep improving year on year.
"I'm at the age where I have been playing the game now for a few years in the top flight but there is always something you can improve on. So I can always use that to help me to get better."
And what of the future? Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale are world stars who have swapped England for Spain in recent years. So will Aguero follow?
"I'm really happy here," he says. "The club and the fans have treated me very well since I arrived.
"I'm into my fourth season now and this place is like home for me. I have four years left on my contract, my plan is to see it out. I'm very happy to stay here and continue making history for this club. It's a great experience."
Aguero's words are convincing. They do not have the ring of a man saying the right things, even if there is a steel behind his eyes. He is, though, humble and respectful. A man who likes his privacy, a man of his word. A father first, a footballer second.
Before he leaves the room, he shakes hands with everyone in it, saying thank you in his broken English. His son Benjamin also shakes a hand or two. And then Aguero is gone, off into the evening gloom to light up the lives of 150 fans clutching the hand of the boy who lights up his own. "My son is the light of my life," he says.
"When I look into his eyes I see the boy I was and everything that is still to come."
Beyond the window lies the damp murk of an autumn afternoon in the north. But what soon becomes clear is that the boy from Buenos Aires feels very much at home here.
Aguero lights up a bustling room high in the stands at Etihad Stadium. A difficult defeat the night before is put to one side. He is polite, charming, warm and open. A young man who, as his friends testify, has never forgotten where he has come from. A man who approaches football, as he does his wider life, with total commitment.
The surroundings are a far cry from the crowded dirt pitch in the in Los Eucaliptos district of Buenos Aires where he first kicked a football. But for now, this is home.
"I am so happy here," he says. "I find life so calm, very different to when I played in Spain. The only things I miss from home are my son, my family and my friends."
Aguero's little boy has accompanied him today. Five-year-old Benjamin Aguero, the grandson of Diego Maradona and the godson of Lionel Messi, plays on the floor near his father's feet, transfixed by a Remembrance Day poppy. The Manchester City striker is here today to discuss his new book - Born to Rise - which charts his journey from the streets of Argentina to footballing superstardom in Europe.
Aguero became the youngest player to debut in Argentina's Primera Division at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976
"Time has passed but my love for the game is as it was when I was a boy," he says.
Outside the stadium, hundreds of fans have queued through the night for the chance to meet their hero. Only 150 will be given the chance. On a bitterly cold, wet Manchester night, many began to wait immediately after the final whistle of the CSKA Moscow defeat the night before. They will not get to meet Aguero until 4pm.
Another Champions League disappointment of the defeat by CSKA is still on his mind, as the stadium cleaners sweep the aisles clear of paper cups a few yards away.
"Obviously in the Champions League, we are not currently in the position we want to be, it's not what we were expecting," he says."
"The only thing we can do is to keep going. We still have two games to play and we have to win both of those, and then wait and see.
"Of course, we understand the people who have been criticising us, because the club invests in some top quality players and with that the fans clearly want to see more from us. The fans expect more. I do think we can still turn it around though."
It will take more than a few defeats to shake Aguero's self-belief. The fans waiting outside will meet a man who believes, wholeheartedly, he was born to play football.
"In the barrio where I lived as a young boy, there was a football pitch right by my house," he says. "It was a very unique and unusual story that I only had to step out of my house and the pitch was right there for me to just go and have a kick about.
"I have always loved football. That I'm here today is, I think, down to all the hard work put in and all the time spent at the age of five kicking a football around."
Aguero's family was poor. The neighbourhood was known as La Cueva de las Viboras, or 'the cave of the vipers.' The family home was surrounded by dirt roads; dusty in the summer, muddy in the winter. The nearest tarmac was 400m away. His house had a sheet metal roof, a cement floor and one double bed. The family had a makeshift wardrobe made out of bricks and wood, a hole in the ground for a toilet.
Sergio Aguero - the story so far
ClubAppearances (all competitions)Goals
Independiente (2003-06)5423
Atletico Madrid (2006-11)19983
Manchester City (2011-present)13787
His arrival into the world was also uncomfortable. "It was going to be difficult for my mother to give birth and the doctors decided that to make this possible they would have to break my collar-bone," he says.
"So that's what happened and I was then kept in hospital for two months until my bone had mended. And then I went home."
Aguero's father, Leo, was a talented footballer. But, at the age of 27 he stopped in order to put his son's fledging career first.
"He took me everywhere, from one pitch to another," says Aguero. "It seemed normal to me, having him by my side. But now I am older I realise not all fathers were able to do what he did. I got the luck he never had."
It was in his formative years that the nickname Kun stuck. It was inspired by a Japanese cartoon character that Aguero, the toddler, would be captivated by. The character was called 'Kum, Kum' but it was Kun that stuck. And is now stuck on the back of his shirt.
When he was nine, he joined Independiente. At the age of 15 he became the youngest-ever player in Argentina's Primera Division, breaking a record held by Maradona. Another young boy from Argentina watched on. His name was Messi.
"I can clearly remember the first day that I saw Kun, that moment has remained etched in my memory," Messi writes in the foreword for Aguero's book. "Back then I didn't know who he was or even what he was called, let alone that I would later meet him in person or that, from then on, we would become great friends."
They remain great friends. The best of friends. Their scoring records are astonishing.
Aguero scored 23 goals in 54 league games for Independiente, a further 75 in 175 for Atletico Madrid and has added 62 goals in 81 league games since being lured to City in the summer of 2011. In terms of minutes per goal, Aguero is comfortably the top striker in Premier League history.
Messi knows all about rewriting the record books, with 250 goals in 248 league starts for Barcelona. Their brilliance bonds them together and has done since 2005 when they were the two youngest players in the Argentina Under-20 squad.
"We roomed together at the Under-20 World Cup in Holland and we hit it off really well. So from that moment on, we have always shared a room together," Aguero says.
A few years ago, the Argentina fitness coach suggested the players have their own rooms. Messi, though, asked to continue sharing with Aguero. "Don't worry we are just friends," he writes in the book. "When he is asleep I have to tiptoe to the toilet and stop my phone from vibrating in case it wakes him up. He is like a brother."
Sergio Aguero's late goal against QPR in 2012 gave Manchester City their first league title since 1968
And yet, while Messi has found his home from home in Catalunya, Aguero has found his in Cheshire. This is a man who enjoys the cold and the rain. He likes to take his son fishing in the nearby lakes, he likes to play golf, he likes to slip through the Trafford Centre crowds with a cap pulled low over his eyes. The truth is that the 26-year-old is rarely hassled even by those who do spot him walking past.
Aguero is more than a player in these parts. He is a moment in history, a name that will live on long after he has left the club, thanks to a single, precious goal on May 13 2012. City play Queens Park Rangers, the opponents on that day, this weekend.
"Whenever the name QPR gets mentioned, memories of that day come flooding back," he says. "It was a historic moment and for me it was a really special moment after all the years I've spent playing football.
"But, we are playing them this weekend again, and while of course every game is tough in the Premier League let's hope we can pick up a good result there. But, that QPR goal will go down in history for me."
At of the end of the 2013-14 season, Aguero had the highest goals per minute ratio in Premier League history
In scoring a goal that clinched City's first title in 44 years, Aguero scored a goal to define a career, a truly dramatic moment that may not be bettered.
Or can it?
"Yes I think so," he says with that familiar winning smile. "I'm still very young and I believe you can always keep improving year on year.
"I'm at the age where I have been playing the game now for a few years in the top flight but there is always something you can improve on. So I can always use that to help me to get better."
And what of the future? Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale are world stars who have swapped England for Spain in recent years. So will Aguero follow?
"I'm really happy here," he says. "The club and the fans have treated me very well since I arrived.
"I'm into my fourth season now and this place is like home for me. I have four years left on my contract, my plan is to see it out. I'm very happy to stay here and continue making history for this club. It's a great experience."
Aguero's words are convincing. They do not have the ring of a man saying the right things, even if there is a steel behind his eyes. He is, though, humble and respectful. A man who likes his privacy, a man of his word. A father first, a footballer second.
Before he leaves the room, he shakes hands with everyone in it, saying thank you in his broken English. His son Benjamin also shakes a hand or two. And then Aguero is gone, off into the evening gloom to light up the lives of 150 fans clutching the hand of the boy who lights up his own. "My son is the light of my life," he says.
"When I look into his eyes I see the boy I was and everything that is still to come."
Walcott still needs time - Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned that it will take another two months for England international Theo Walcott to get back to his best.
Walcott, 25, has recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury and is set to make his first Arsenal start since January at Swansea on Sunday.
Wenger said: "Once you're back in full training, you count two months.
"Of course, people think you're back and you play but it's not like that. Ten months (out) is a long time."
Walcott made his comeback as a substitute in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Burnley last weekend and has been included in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the European Championship qualifier against Slovenia and the friendly in Scotland.
And Wenger believes the winger will benefit from his time with the national squad.
Wenger added: "He will go with England and get what he needs to. He will get competitive training every day and get back into games.
"Roy Hodgson is free to do what he wants. (Walcott) has been chosen by England and he needs competition."
Walcott, 25, has recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury and is set to make his first Arsenal start since January at Swansea on Sunday.
Wenger said: "Once you're back in full training, you count two months.
"Of course, people think you're back and you play but it's not like that. Ten months (out) is a long time."
Walcott made his comeback as a substitute in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Burnley last weekend and has been included in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the European Championship qualifier against Slovenia and the friendly in Scotland.
And Wenger believes the winger will benefit from his time with the national squad.
Wenger added: "He will go with England and get what he needs to. He will get competitive training every day and get back into games.
"Roy Hodgson is free to do what he wants. (Walcott) has been chosen by England and he needs competition."
Aguero expects Man City to improve
Sergio Aguero says he can understand why Manchester City have been criticised this season, but expects their form to quickly improve.
The striker has scored 12 goals for City, but they are bottom of their Champions League group and six points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
"Of course we understand the people who have been criticising us," 26-year-old Aguero told Football Focus.
"The club invests in top players and the fans want to see more from us."
Aguero added: "But we still have time to put things right. The supporters here are more respectful and patient but they still expect a bit more from all of us. We can still turn it around, though."
Sergio Aguero has scored 12 times for Manchester City this season
The Argentina international scored the winner as City began the week by winning 1-0 in a tumultuous Manchester derby.
But on Wednesday, they were booed off the field after losing 2-1 at home to Russian side CSKA Moscow.
City's Champions League record since they first played in the competition in 2011 is played 24, won eight, drawn six, lost 10. They have not kept a clean sheet in nine home games.
Manuel Pellegrini's team could go out even if they win their next two games against Roma and Bayern Munich.
The striker has scored 12 goals for City, but they are bottom of their Champions League group and six points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
"Of course we understand the people who have been criticising us," 26-year-old Aguero told Football Focus.
"The club invests in top players and the fans want to see more from us."
Aguero added: "But we still have time to put things right. The supporters here are more respectful and patient but they still expect a bit more from all of us. We can still turn it around, though."
Sergio Aguero has scored 12 times for Manchester City this season
The Argentina international scored the winner as City began the week by winning 1-0 in a tumultuous Manchester derby.
But on Wednesday, they were booed off the field after losing 2-1 at home to Russian side CSKA Moscow.
City's Champions League record since they first played in the competition in 2011 is played 24, won eight, drawn six, lost 10. They have not kept a clean sheet in nine home games.
Manuel Pellegrini's team could go out even if they win their next two games against Roma and Bayern Munich.
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