Gomez keen on Reds

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez is interested in a move to Liverpool, according to the player's agent.

Liverpool are believed to made a loan enquiry for the German international as they look to bolster their attacking options and help take some of the burden off Fernando Torres.

Gomez has dropped down the pecking order at Bayern and he is thought to be considering a move as he searches for regular first-team football.

The player's agent, Uli Ferber, has admitted it would be hard to reject a move to Liverpool.

"When a club like Liverpool inquires, their interest cannot be pushed off the table,"Ferber toldKicker.

No move

However, Bayern's sporting director, Christian Nerlinger, claims no one will be leaving the German champions before the transfer window closes.

"Bayern Munich are not a superstore for other clubs to come and help themselves to players,"said Nerlinger.

"No player will be leaving and they will certainly not be leaving on loan."

Source

Juve - Traore is a target

Serie A giants Juventus have confirmed that they hope to land Arsenal full-back Armand Traore.

Sky Sports Newsreported on Sunday that the Italian outfit were set to swoop for the French defender.

Juve refused to make their intentions clear at that time, attempting to steer around the issue.

They have, however, now revealed that Traore is among those targets coach Luigi Del Neri hopes to have on board before Tuesday's transfer deadline.

"Yes, Traore is one of the players we are interested in,"said sporting director Beppe Marotta.

"We will see what happens."

Agreement

It is understood that Juve are looking to snap up Traore on a season-long loan deal.

Arsenal would prefer to bring in a fee for the 20-year-old, but cash-strapped Juve are in no position to make such a move at the moment.

They hope a loan agreement can be put in place, with the option to buy at the end of the 2010/11 campaign.

Source

Stoke make Wenger complaint

Stoke have lodged a formal complaint to the FA and Premier League over Arsene Wenger's criticism of Ryan Shawcross.

Potters boss Tony Pulis was left fuming after Wenger accused Stoke defender Shawcross of turning football into rugby after Stoke's defeat to Tottenham's last weekend.

Pulis revealed Stoke have written an official letter of complaint to the Gunners and also sent copies to the Premier League and the Football Association.

"The club is desperately disappointed with the comments which Wenger has come out with, especially the comments about Shawcross,"said Pulis."We think they are out of order and you don't expect it from a person of Wenger's esteem.

"The club will deal with it in the right and proper manner."

The referee in the Tottenham match, Chris Foy, was the same referee who officiated in Arsenal's match against Blackburn.

When the issue was put to Pulis he said:"To say he was doing it as a sidetrack to influence the referee, you've said it. I've just agreed with you."

Pulis continued:"He's entitled to his opinion. We've fought two world wars to be a free country. We've all got different opinions and we must let people say what they say. Whether you agree with it or disagree with it, that's a different matter.

"What he said about Ryan was very, very poor and the football club will take that matter up."

Source

Wenger admits Wilshere surprise

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits he was surprised by Jack Wilshere's omission from Fabio Capello's England squad to face Bulgaria and Switzerland next month but does not believe it will dent the midfielder's confidence.

Wilshere won his first cap in the recent friendly win over Hungary earlier this month and was expected to be one of several new faces that Capello would turn to during the Euro 2012 qualifiers following England's disappointing showing at the World Cup this summer.

But the 18-year-old, who has started both of Arsenal's Premier League games so far this campaign, was dropped to the Under 21 squad earlier this week for their own European qualifiers against Portugal and Lithuania.

"I'm surprised that he's not in the full England team but if Capello wanted to select him then not play him, maybe it's better he plays in the Under 21s,"Wenger toldThe Guardian.

"For me, he has done well. But England have many midfielders now. Lampard, Gerrard, Barry, Milner and they try to recall Scholes.

"It was a little surprise because he (Capello) had brought him on and maybe would even have started him in the friendly, so he must have had a good impression of him."

The Gunners' boss also believes that Wilshere can handle the disappointment of being dropped from the full squad.

Disappointment

"That is part of the job being a footballer,"added Wenger."You have to deal with not only the positive but the disappointments as well.

"Jack is such a strong personality he can deal with that. He is 18, he is very young so you can understand he still needs some experience in the Under-21s.

"Maybe this week he will be a bit down, but I trust him because I play him in the big games. I played him at Liverpool and I played him against Blackpool."

Source

Magpies back in for Ben Arfa

Newcastle are closing in on the signing of Marseille ace Hatem Ben Arfa, according to the French club.

A move was mooted earlier this month, but the deal stalled over the price of the option to buy Ben Arfa if he impressed during his loan spell.

Ben Arfa is keen to leave Marseille and refused to train with the club to try and force a move away from Stade Velodrome.

Werder Bremen were thought to be favourites for the Frenchman's signature, but now Newcastle have jumped back to the head of the queue for the 23-year-old.

Finish

Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier has confirmed they have agreed a deal with Newcastle for Ben Arfa with the winger due to fly in for talks this weekend.

"He will travel to Newcastle tomorrow,"said Dassier."They have offered to raise the price for the option-to-buy if Hatem plays 25 matches and also pay the five per cent of the cost to Fifa.

"We will respond. After that it's up to Hatem to agree a deal.

"We have to finish this story as soon as possible."

Source

Champions League round-up

Ajax, Auxerre, FC Copenhagen and MSK Zilina joined Tottenham Hotspur in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group phase.

Former Tottenham boss Martin Jol saw hisAjaxside hold on for a 2-1 home win overDynamo Kievwhich secured a 3-2 aggregate success.

Uruguayan hot shot Luis Suarez put Ajax ahead two minutes before half-time and summer signing Mounir El Hamdaoui made it 2-0 15 minutes from time.

Ex-Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko set up a nervy finish by scoring from the penalty spot on 84 minutes, but Kiev were unable to deny Ajax a place in the group stage.

Auxerreoverturned a first-leg deficit to progress after a 2-0 home win overZenit St Petersburg, who finished the second leg in France with nine men.

It took Auxerre just nine minutes to wipe out Zenit's advantage as Cedric Hengbart opened the scoring.

Ireneusz Jelen struck the decisive goal seven minutes after half-time before Zenit had Viacheslav Malafeev and Tomas Hubocan sent off inside the closing 25 minutes.

Solvi Ottesen scored the only goal of the game asFC Copenhagenedged outRosenborgto reach the group phase on away goals.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Danish outfit Copenhagen progressed at their Norwegian opponents' expense courtesy of Ottesen's 33rd minute effort, although Rosenborg's Roar Strand hit the bar in the last minute.

Momodou Ceesay's 18th minute goal secured a 1-0 home win, and 3-0 aggregate triumph, forMSK ZilinaoverSparta Prague, with the Slovakian champions reaching the group stage for the first time.

Tottenham, meanwhile, capped a remarkable comeback as Peter Crouch scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing ofYoung Boys.

The Swiss side had led 3-0 at one stage in the first leg before two away goals kept Spurs in with a shout of a first appearance in the group stage.

And the job was completed at White Hart Lane as Crouch's treble, allied to a disputed Jermain Defoe strike, sent Spurs through.

Source

Webb admits mistakes

Referee Howard Webb has admitted that he should have dismissed Holland's Nigel de Jong in the World Cup final.

The Englishman accepts that he should have shown the Manchester City midfielder a red card for an X-rated challenge on Xabi Alonso in the 25th minute.

The Yorkshire official handed out a record 14 yellow cards - two leading to a red - but acknowledges that he should have also sent off De Jong.

"I sensed very early on the field the players were under a lot of pressure, they were very close to winning the ultimate prize for their country for the first time,"admitted Webb.

"We wanted to be that steadying hand but equally we wanted to do our job properly and if there was a clear red card we would do it.

"When I look back on the full two hours of that game, which of course I have done, there is not much I would change.

"One of the things I would change is the colour of the card for De Jong's tackle.

"Having seen it again from my armchair several times in slow motion and from different angles I can see that it was a red-card offence."

Occasion

Webb insists that the decision not to send the player off had nothing to do with the occasion at Soccer City.

"The decision not to red card him was not based on me not wanting to send someone off in the World Cup final, it was based on the viewing angle I had got.

"What I couldn't see was the actual contact on Alonso through his back, with (Mark) Van Bommel just to his right, the view was obstructed somewhat.

"I could see the foot was high and from Alonso's reaction there must have been some contact even though I couldn't see the contact, and being 25 minutes into a World Cup final, I wasn't prepared to guess.

"I wasn't prepared to fill in the blanks in my head to say that was possibly a red-card offence, I wanted to base it on what we could see so therefore I decided to show a yellow card."

Source

Webb - No regrets over final

English referee Howard Webb insists he was satisfied with his handling of Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Holland.

The Yorkshireman, who has come under fire for his display in the Johannesburg clash, arrived home from South Africa on Tuesday with his assistants Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey.

Webb dished out 14 yellow cards during Spain's 1-0 win, including two to Holland's Everton defender John Heitinga which resulted in his sending off, and has attracted criticism from both the Dutch and Spanish camps.

But the Rotherham official has said in a statement released through the Premier League that he and his assistants did the best job they could have done.

Satisfied

"Whatever the match, you always hope that the officials won't need to be heavily involved. However, we had to raise our profile in order to keep control,"said Webb.

"We don't feel that we had much choice except to manage the game in the way we did. We came away feeling satisfied that we'd done a tough job in difficult circumstances to the best of our abilities.

"It was an extremely challenging match to handle, but it would have been so for any referee. It is one of the toughest games we will ever be involved in and we feel that we worked hard to keep the focus on the football as much as possible."

He added:"From early on in the match we had to make decisions that were clear yellow cards. We tried to apply some common sense officiating given the magnitude of the occasion for both sides - advising players early on for some of their tackling, sending players away when they were surrounding the officials, and speaking to their senior colleagues to try to calm them down.

"Mike and Darren made some terrific calls and I thought the decisions made by my team throughout the tournament were excellent. It's because of the quality of the teamwork that we were appointed to the final. We leave the tournament pleased with how we performed, honoured to be given the final and privileged to have met so many wonderful people in South Africa."

Webb also expressed his gratitude for support shown by followers in England, and for being granted the experience in South Africa.

Honour

He said:"It was a marvellous honour to have been selected for the tournament and we had a wonderful six weeks in South Africa. The people made us feel really welcome and we've hugely enjoyed the experience of being involved in such an incredible and unique event. We left the 2010 World Cup with amazing memories.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support of the public, the media, friends, colleagues, players and managers before and after the final. It was a massive honour and a privilege to take charge of the World Cup final. It is something every referee dreams of and to fulfil that dream was a remarkable feeling.

"We're all looking forward to a little bit of a rest and then coming back fresh for the new Premier League season."

Source

Robben rues missed chance

Holland winger Arjen Robben has admitted that he feels hurt after missing a golden chance in Sunday's World Cup final.

Robben had an opportunity to give his side a 1-0 lead when Wesley Sneijder's ball sent him through on goal with only Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas to beat.

But the Bayern Munich star saw his shot clip the leg of Casillas before bouncing wide of the post.

It would prove to be the most clear-cut chance during normal time as Andres Iniesta eventually settled the contest with a clinical finish deep into extra-time.

And as the Holland squad arrived back home to be honoured by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Queen Beatrix, Robben admitted to being haunted by thoughts of the opportunity.

"On a day like today, I think about it a lot. It hurts to miss such a chance,"he said.

Honours

Coach Bert van Marwijk, who was knighted along with captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst for his role in the World Cup campaign, says his thoughts are also being dominated by near misses.

"It is increasingly going through my head, we were so close. We had to win,"he is quoted as saying byAD Sportwereld.

Holland have faced criticism for their aggressive tactics in the final but Prime Minister Balkenende took the opportunity to pay tribute to the squad.

He said:"The Dutch team had balance. They were a strong team, mentally and physically. It was a team that was close and harmonious.

"It was a disciplined collective with a mission, with full resilience, fighting spirit and confidence.

"Look how far that attitude brought us. That is worth a great compliment, to the players and also to the staff, led by Bert van Marwijk.

"It had an impact on the country. Oranje was one, and the Netherlands stood as one behind Oranje."

Source

Alonso hits out at De Jong

Xabi Alonso fears he may have broken a rib after describing Nigel de Jong's challenge in the World Cup final as 'one of the worst tackles' he has suffered.

Holland midfielder De Jong was fortunate not to be sent off in Sunday's Soccer City showdown after a kung-fu style kick into Alonso's chest in the first half.

The Spain ace was able to continue playing before being replaced by Cesc Fabregas towards the end of normal time, but he was unhappy with De Jong's tackle.

"It was one of the worst tackles I have ever suffered,"said the Real Madrid midfielder.

"It was a tight game, there was respect from both sides and they had to close us down.

"But that challenge was really hard. It was one of the most painful tackles in my life and it was hard to play on.

"I have probably broken a rib, although I am not too worried about that."

Euro 2012 target

Reigning European champions Spain have now become the third side, after West Germany and France, to hold both tournaments at the same time.

No country has ever managed three on the trot, which will be Spain's task in two years' time at Euro 2012, and they have already been installed as favourites to complete a memorable hat-trick.

Alonso accepts there is plenty of work ahead of his team-mates before then, but the raw talent is certainly there.

"Right now is not the time to think about the future, but of course the basics are there with this team,"he said.

"The style is there, the mentality is there and the team spirit is there. If we keep working in this way many more big things may come."

Source

Weiss remains Slovakia coach

Vladimir Weiss has agreed to remain as Slovakia coach until 2014 after a successful World Cup campaign.

The 45-year-old helped Slovakia qualify for this year's World Cup and they went on to exceed expectations on their first-ever finals appearance.

Slovakia beat Italy 3-2 in their final group game to dump out the holders and book a place in the second round, where they lost 2-1 to eventual runners-up Holland.

Weiss took charge of the national team in 2008 and, despite attracting interest from abroad, he has opted to lead Slovakia's qualifying campaigns for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

Young squad

"I had other offers from abroad but I prefer working with the Slovak football association,"he said.

"The team is relatively young but experienced. The World Cup showed them new possibilities."

Weiss played for the former Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup and previously coached Slovak top-flight side Artmedia Petrzalka and Russian club Saturn Ramenskoye.

His 20-year-old son Vladimir, a winger on Manchester City's books, was selected in his World Cup squad and stood out in South Africa.

The coach's father, also Vladimir, helped Czechoslovakia win the silver medal in the football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

Source

Herbert stays at NZ helm

Ricki Herbert has rejected a host of lucrative overseas offers to remain as New Zealand coach.

Herbert led New Zealand to their first World Cup since 1982 and the All Whites exceeded expectations in South Africa this summer, narrowly missing out on the second round after claiming three draws in the group stage.

They included a 1-1 draw with holders Italy and Herbert confirmed he has since had offers from Europe, Asia and Africa.

But the 49-year-old, who played in the 1982 finals, has agreed to continue in his dual role as coach of the All Whites and Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand's only professional club.

Herbert will remain in charge for the All Whites' 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and has committed to the next three seasons at the Phoenix helm.

"New Zealand Football are happy to continue on with the partnership with Wellington Phoenix and the national team and I've agreed to continue on for the next period for the World Cup,"he said on Tuesday.

Loyalty

"One or two (offers) were hard to turn down but I'm very comfortable with my decision.

"At the end of the day, it's not all about money for me - it's loyalty.

"People may say sometimes the grass may be greener but I don't think it is."

Herbert took charge of the All Whites in 2005 and two years later became manager of the Phoenix, who play in Australia's A-League.

Having ended the nation's 28-year wait for a second World Cup finals appearance, he is eager to ensure there is not a repeat of the mistakes made following Spain 1982.

"I'm certainly looking forward to building the brand even more,"he said.

"(I've) got a strong memory in my mind when there was a whole raft of changes at the top and then, of course, the major collapse.

"Again, it was part of my decision. I think what we've created needs to continue."

Source

England climb world rankings

The Fifa world rankings have promoted England to seventh despite their terrible performance at this summer's World Cup.

Fabio Capello's side were strongly criticised in the wake of a dreadful display in South Africa, where a comprehensive elimination at the hands of Germany followed only two draws and one win in the group stages.

But Fifa's ranking system has still calculated that England deserve to climb a place to seventh behind world and European champions Spain in top spot, Holland, Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Uruguay.

Portugal, who lost to eventual winners Spain in the knockout round, have dropped five places to eighth, while Italy, world champions in 2006, have dropped six places to 11th.

Egypt, who did not qualify for the World Cup, are ninth and the top 10 is completed by Chile.

Republic of Ireland are in 36th position, Scotland are 41st, Northern Ireland are 59th, Wales are 84th.

Source

Cuellar spurred on by win

Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuellar admits seeing Spain lift the World Cup trophy has made him even more determined to break into the national team.

The 28-year-old versatile Spaniard has not been capped for his country as yet at any level, although has often been linked with a call-up.

Cuellar watched Spain triumph over Holland in South Africa as a 1-0 win over the Dutch secured World Cup glory for the first time in their history.

He admits that it will be difficult to disrupt a back-line that only conceded seven goals throughout the tournament, but is more determined than ever.

"I have had contact with the Spanish Football Federation during the past year,"Cuellar said.

"It was always going to be tough to break into the squad because they won Euro 2008.

"But I want to play for Spain and I was so proud of the lads the other night and they have been terrific throughout the World Cup.

"It was a fantastic achievement and it will be even harder to break into the squad now.

"But I will give it everything, try my best and have the same intensity and determination to try and achieve it."

Andres Iniesta got the telling goal in Soccer City, and Cuellar admits he was delighted to see the extra-time strike fly in.

He added:"I watched it in Birmingham with a host of Spanish people. They went crazy and were jumping into the canal after the game.

"The atmosphere was really good, like being in Madrid - although I wasn't tempted to jump in as well!"

Source

Scolari eyes Brazil return

Luis Felipe Scolari says he would love to coach Brazil again, but admits that it would be unlikely.

The 61-year-old tactician led Brazil to World Cup success in 2002 and has been linked with the vacant post after Dunga's contract was not renewed.

Former Chelsea boss Scolari has verbally agreed to take the helm at Palmeiras for two years, and therefore admits that while he will not rule out a return, he says he is a man of his word.

In quotes reported onGloboesporte, he said:"It's a matter of pride, after so much time away from Brazil, that people still like me, and think of me as possible Brazil coach.

"It is natural that I can never say that I will not work in the Brazil national team. But at the moment, I have a verbal agreement with Palmeiras.

"That said, I'm saying that I could be working for the national team in 2014 in my country, or for another selection."

Brazil were defeated 2-1 by Holland in the quarter-finals of this year's World Cup in South Africa, despite being in a strong position in the game at half-time.

Former midfielder and AC Milan coach Leonardo is another name in the frame for the vacant job, and speculation has mounted that he could take the reins until 2012, making way for Scolari to lead Brazil to the World Cup on home soil two years later.

Source

Big Sam urges FA reform

Sam Allardyce has urged the Football Association to grasp the 'massive opportunity' presented by England's failure at the World Cup finals in South Africa.

The Blackburn manager says the Three Lions' last-16 exit to Germany gives the governing body a chance to assess the state of the English game.

And he said the authorities need to come together to develop an effective strategy that helps nurture talent into players capable of delivering international success in the future.

Allardyce toldSky Sports News:"The expectation goes up for us by the outstanding form that the England players showed in the World Cup qualifying group.

Tremendously disappointing

"They were in tremendous form leading up to the World Cup, but unfortunately couldn't find that form in the World Cup itself. It ended up being a tremendously disappointing scenario for us. Hopefully the right reaction will come of that.

"That the bodies of football, the Government (and) this country will get together and produce a formula to find the best young players to develop along the next five or six, to seven or eight years.

"Like a Spain or a Germany have done and protect the future of the national team by developing the players better in this country."

The 4-1 defeat at the hands of Germany marked the possible end for some of England's supposed 'Golden Generation' of stars which failed to live up to their hype.

The likes of John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are nearing the twilight years of their international careers and, although they may feature prominently in Fabio Capello's plans for Euro 2012, Allardyce says fresh talent must come through after the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

He added:"I think we might have to take a step backwards because this group of players are coming to the end of their careers. They're fantastic players - world class players - and they'll continue to show that in the Premier League this year, but we've got to look to the future.

"These players can take us to the European Championships, no doubt about that, and then from there on we have to make sure we build a foundation to try and make us a nation stronger than we are in international tournaments."

Massive opportunity

Questions had been raised over Capello's position as England coach following the failure in South Africa, but he has been retained by the FA.

Allardyce would not be drawn on whether Capello should have been kept on and instead focused on the task facing the FA to reform the game at home.

On Capello's retention, he said:"Not my decision, not my opinion one way or another. It's the FA's - they're the governing body who are in charge of our national side. It's their decision and those people have a massive opportunity not just about Fabio Capello now.

"They have a massive responsibility to make English football, and English footballers, more prominent and do the right job in terms of making sure they find the right development schemes to produce better English players in the future.

"That's our big problem. We've got the greatest Premier League, greatest domestic competition in the world but the downside of that is we've got fewer and fewer English players playing in that league.

"That means fewer and fewer players for Fabio Capello to choose from, which means as a nation, as an international football nation, we're becoming weaker and weaker - we've got to stop that as quickly as we possibly can."

Source

South Africa prepare new boss

South Africa are set to unveil Pitso Mosimane as Carlos Alberto Parreira's successor as national team coach.

Parreira's deal as Bafana Bafana boss expires at the end of July and his assistant for the World Cup finals is likely to earn a promotion to the hot seat.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) called an urgent press conference early in July when it was expected Mosimane would be unveiled as their new man in charge.

However, it emerged that the 45-year-old was only the first choice for the job and that his candidacy had still to be assessed by a special technical committee.

The committee were set to report back within 14 days of the announcement but it appears Mosimane will land the position regardless.

"The search is over and the only outstanding issue is around his contract,"said SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani.

"I wish we could make the announcement today but we still have to first hear from the CEO (Leslie Sedibe) if there is agreement around negotiations."

He added inBusiness Day:"The announcement could be any day now but I do not want to put them under pressure by revealing the day we have reserved for the media briefing."

Mosimane has been the South African No.2 since 2006 and enjoyed a brief stint as head coach in the same year prior to the arrival of Brazilian Parreira.

The former SuperSport United chief has the backing of national team captain Aaron Mokoena, who has made public his support to Mosimane.

Source

Fergie doubts World Cup hangover

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is confident Wayne Rooney will soon shrug off his World Cup woe.

The United striker had been tipped to lead England to World Cup glory in South Africa after a prolific season with the Red Devils.

However, the Three Lions stumbled into the second round before being dumped out with a 4-1 defeat by Germany.

Rooney failed to score while looking far from his best, and he is not due to report back from holiday until 28th July - just 19 days before United's Premier League kick-off.

Michael Carrick (England), Patrice Evra (France), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia) and Park Ji-sung (South Korea) have also missed United's tour to North America and Ferguson believes they will all put their World Cup disappointment behind them.

"I don't expect a hangover,"he toldsportsnet.ca."I think there'll still be a bit of disappointment in the lad.

Expectations

"I think all the players coming back from the World Cup who didn't do well, who didn't reach their expectations may, I say, will feel that they've missed something.

"That's because the World Cup's only once every four years. That's the horrible part of that tournament.

"We have several players who have come back very, very disappointed. We've Patrice Evra for instance, Wayne Rooney of course, and Nemanja Vidic."

Ryan Giggs is also hoping United's international stars are firmly focused on club commitments as they aim to grab the Premier League title back from Chelsea next season.

"It's always difficult after a World Cup because the players who have been involved in the tournament have time off,"he toldThe Sun.

"You just hope there's no hangover from South Africa and everyone can hit the ground running.

"Hopefully, our players will come back refreshed and we can get off to a good start."

Hernandez arrival

A notable exception is Mexico striker Javier Hernandez, who scored two goals in four appearances in South Africa and is set to link up with his new team-mates this summer.

United announced in April they had agreed a deal to sign the 22-year-old from Chivas and Ferguson intends to give him an early chance to impress.

"I think one player who will come back quite positive because he had a good World Cup was young Javier Hernandez,"he said.

"I think he did very well and he surprised a lot of people.

"So whereas we've got some disappointments from players like Wayne, Nemanja and Patrice, I think we're going to have a positive effect from Javier."

Source