David Beckham retires

David Beckham in his early days at Manchester United

David Beckham has announced that he will retire from football at the end of the season. A career spanning two decades with six different clubs and is littered with honours including 6 Premier League medals, two FA cups, one champions league, one La Liga, two MLS and a French Ligue One medal this year.

Beckham also holds the England record for the most appearances by an outfield player with 115 caps. He scored 17 goals for his country and captained his national side for six years between 2000 and 2006.

He is expected now to return to London with his wife Victoria and children, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. His fortune is said to be worth around £165m and there have previously been suggestions that he would like to invest in an MLS club and pursue his coaching schemes for schoolchildren.

After making his debut in 1992, Beckham won six titles with United, scoring 62 goals in 265 Premiership matches. He was also a member of United’s historic treble winning team, playing a crucial role for United in the final against Bayern. In the absence of suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, Ferguson deployed Beckham in central midfield, a new role for the right winger.

Beckham’s composure throughout the game was remarkable and both of United’s late goals came from his in-swinging corners. Speaking after his announcement, Beckham was emotional to be closing the door on his glittering career.

"If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I'm fortunate to have realised those dreams," said Beckham.

"To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country. I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country. I'm honoured to represent England, both on and off the pitch."

He continued: "Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love. However, I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead. I'm fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back."

Wenger praises old rival Ferguson

Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger

Arsène Wenger has said that he "was not surprised" to hear of Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to retire as manager of Manchester United. In an interview, Wenger also stated that he had predicted Ferguson’s decision since the start of the season.

"I was not surprised and I told my staff a long time ago that I think it will be Alex Ferguson's last year. I detected a few signs through the season – there was already one of them before the season started, that it could be his final year."

Wenger also praised Ferguson for his "remarkable career" with Manchester United but noted that the 71-year-old may find life away from the spotlight difficult to adjust to. "There is a double challenge now," he said. "The first is for Manchester United to replace a guy of that stature, and the second challenge for Alex 

Ferguson is to have a life as passionate and as interesting as the life he had until now.

"He is luckier than me because he likes horses, he likes golf, so he can certainly have an interesting life again. But of course when you have been such a long time involved in every [game] … our job is always looking forward to the next game, so you are always motivated by that. At the start it is difficult to miss that."

He added: "But after 26 years, he just won the championship, he knows it will be more difficult even for Man United to have that consistency now because there are so many teams who have financial power. You have to respect his decision."

United and Madrid tie poised on a knife edge

Football fans everywhere will be counting down the minutes in anticipation of tonight’s match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. Two of Europe’s greatest clubs will renew their rivalry in the second leg of their last 16 Champions League fixture in Old Trafford tonight. If their clash in 2003 at the quarter final stage is anything to go by we could be in for a really special night in Old Trafford.

Zinedine Zidane in action for Real Madrid in 2003 at Old Trafford

When beginning to preview the game between Manchester United and Real Madrid there are so many factors you have to consider before even looking at the teams that will line out tonight.

Firstly, and perhaps most important of all, is the question of how good Madrid really are this year. Watching them over the past two games against their old rivals Barcelona would make you believe they are unbeatable.

Last year Real Madrid blew away the competition in La Liga by perfecting a deadly system of counter attacking. Teams were unable to cope with the raw speed of their breaks from deep. Many wondered had the balance of power once again shifted in Spain, away from the Catalans and back to Los Blancos.

How the teams may line out tonight

However this season it has been no secret that tensions between Mourinho and the board have reached new levels. This has affected the team and led some of the players to question Mourinho.

All this combined meant that Madrid had all but surrendered their La Liga crown by January. They sit in third place, 13 points behind Barcelona. The goal for them now almost certainly is Europe. Eleven years without a European cup is a long time in Real Madrid.

However, the erratic performances which have defined them throughout this season seemed to have come to an end in the past two weeks. Two games against Barcelona showed a rejuvenated team playing with abandon at a crucial point in the season.

Their performance against Barca in Camp Nou in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey was a spectacular display of devastating counter attacking. Madrid held deep and allowed Barca to press and commit men forward. Once they turned over possession players swept forward with deadly pace that proved too much for Barcelona to handle.

It is true to say that the current Barcelona team is not a shade of the force that they were under Pep Guardiola. At their zenith no team even came close to competing with that Barcelona side.

It is believed that Ferguson had privately given up hope of ever winning another Champions League while Guardiola was at Barcelona. In the 2009 CL final, Manchester United were easily swept aside 2-0 by Barca.

Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo battle for possession in the first leg

Xavi dictated the game from start to finish leaving United players chasing possession all night in Rome. By the time the 2011 CL final came around Ferguson was adamant he had learned from the game in Rome. Barcelona would not be allowed to play the game on their terms.

Whether or not Ferguson had really learned from the mistakes of the 2009 final mattered little that night in Wembley. Barcelona were on a different level. They had achieved what many agreed was football perfection. In his post game press conference Ferguson could barely take in what had happened. He could only admit that they were the greatest team he had ever come up against.

What hurt the most for Ferguson was that he had no idea how to defeat Barcelona. In two attempts his side hadn't even come close to matching them. You can almost see the hope of ever winning another Champions League fading from him as he speaks.

To be fair to Ferguson, very few teams even came close to competing with that Barcelona team when it mattered most. In three years, the only side that had eliminated them from the Champions League was Internazionale and that was down to a match that went to extremes of emotion and effort, an exceptional tactical and defensive masterclass from Jose Mourinho's side.

Cristiano Ronaldo rises above Patrice Evra to score Madrid's equaliser in the Bernabau

But with the departure of Guardiola the playing field has leveled out once again in Europe. And Ferguson knows this. He will have watched the two games between Barcelona and Madrid and was no doubt impressed by the brilliance of the Madrid counter attack. But he will also be pleased.

The Barcelona team of 2008-11 were utterly dominant because they dictated the game from start to finish. They controlled possession for long periods and pressed teams high up the pitch making it difficult for them to retain any possession themselves.

Madrid, however, are set up to allow you to dictate the game. They rely on you bringing the game to them and commit men forward in an attack. The crucial factor for United is that they do not really need to attack. Not from the start anyway. And this is where the away goal could prove crucial.

Because it is Madrid who must do the attacking it forces them to play a game they are not fully familiar with. Pressing teams who sit deep is not how they like to play. In an interview with the Sun newspaper, Nemanja Vidic hinted that United will try to force Madrid wide. He said “when Real play against teams who drop deep they can have a bit of trouble, because they aren't a team that crosses the ball a lot.”

United will try to force Madrid out wide and double up on their wingers

Apart from Ronaldo and his prowess in the air, Madrid do lack for aerial options up front. Ferguson may plan on trying to frustrate Madrid by forcing them to launch in hopeful crosses and hope his central defenders can win the aerial battle for 90 minutes.

The real danger for United is if they go behind. Ferguson has said all week in the build up to this game that he thinks United will score. Deep down I think he might prefer a goalless draw. If United go behind they will have to press forward in search of an equaliser. And that is where Madrid will be deadliest.

Mourinho has the edge over Ferguson in terms of head to head games. Out of 15 matches between the two, Ferguson has only come out on top twice. Much more than a place in the quarter finals of the Champions League is being played for tonight. Personal pride is on the line too.

Old rivals: Mourinho and Ferguson

Whatever way you look at it, it really is a hard game to call. The tie is hanging on a knife edge and could easily go either way. If Madrid were to score early it could be a very difficult night for United. However, if they can hold out Madrid for long enough, frustration might begin to show in the Spaniards. Mourinho’s side will not feel comfortable being made to play in a style they are not used to.

Sergio Ramos spoke to the press after Madrid’s 2-1 win over Barca in the League on Saturday. He said that “the team had been strengthened by the Clasicos wins and we will go to Manchester convinced we can go through. Things change – football is about runs, cycles, fashions”.

Ferguson will understand those words better than anyone. He believed he would never have a chance to win another Champions League as long as Barcelona were around. Things change, opportunity beckons.

The Difficulty with Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing is often very high on many people’s list as the most ineffective footballer in the Premier League. Long goal droughts without even adding an assist has seen Downing become the subject of much derision over recent seasons.

Games would often just pass him by, leading pundits and fans alike to question his commitment to the game. I once noticed the Wikipedia page in his name had been altered. Someone had changed his place of birth from Middlesbrough to ‘Can’t score street’. Wherever that is I’m not exactly sure.

Belief

However, for all the derision, Downing has won over the belief of the only person that matters; Brendan Rodgers. From the start of the season Raheem Sterling had stolen all the headlines as the new up and coming sensation.

His breakthrough at the start of the season was heralded by many in the English sports media as the arrival of the tricky wide man the national team has lacked for so long now.  However, as the season progressed into November and December, Sterling began to find himself on the team sheet less often.

His initial spark and flair had faded and his performances reflected this. Sterling certainly does have the potential to become a great footballer but for now he has been demoted to the Liverpool bench. And it is Downing who is keeping him there.

Determination

Downing’s determination is unquestionable. Since his move to Liverpool in July 2011 for £20million, Downing has been heavily criticised for his lack of consistency. Back in September, Brendan Rodgers had issued Downing with an ultimatum; ‘up your game or your gone at Christmas’.  

He added that “Stewart is a good guy but it hasn’t quite worked out for him as he would want it. The big challenge for him now is that commitment to the cause – to fight – because he has the qualities.”

Such stark words seems to be just what Downing needed because he has responded well and forced his way back into the first 11.

Consistency

Downing has now started the last 13 games in a row for Liverpool in the Premier League. Selection consistency like that in the Liverpool team is only enjoyed by Gerard, Suarez, Johnson, Agger and Reina.

He has now become one of the players that Brendan Rodgers has come to rely on week in, week out. That can only speak volumes about the strength of Downing’s commitment to Liverpool football club.

His contribution to the team going forward has also begun to improve over recent weeks. In his last 11 games Downing has scored twice and added four assists. These are not the most amazing stats you will ever read about a wide left player but they must be considered in context.

Liverpool are a team where almost all of their attacks must go through the feet of Steven Gerard. When Gerard receives the ball in the centre of the field he will always look for the quick pass down the channels to Luis Suarez. As deadly as we know Suarez to be playing off the shoulder like this, it can make it difficult for a wide player to contribute.

Signs

But Downing is beginning to find his way. His goal on Saturday against Wigan was something I’m sure Brendan Rodgers was pleased to see. Rather than holding his wide left position, like he so often does, as the ball came down the right, he sensed an opportunity and foraged into the penalty area. He was able to take advantage of the poor marking and score a simple header.

Instinct like that is the reason Liverpool bought him from Aston Villa in the first place. Albeit he is a long way from the promise he showed for Middlesbrough during their amazing run to the 2006 Uefa cup final but he would seem to be on the right track.

How long Downing has left with Liverpool would seem to be up to himself at this point. He has worked his way back on to the right side of the manager and the fans for the time being. It would seem the real difficulty with Stewart Downing is that he refuses to give up.

Arsenal must look to the past for hope

After a humiliating first leg defeat at home to Bayern Munich, Arsenal look closer to the brink than ever before. The boos reached new decibel levels on Tuesday night as Arsene Wenger’s men edged closer to elimination from another competition with a 3-1 loss to Bayern.

Going in to the game Wenger’s mood had been bullish and defiant. He promised a performance from his players in response to the criticism his side had received in recent weeks.

Arsenal are now all but out of all competitions this season. The Premiership has been beyond their grasp since November. They suffered a humiliating exit in the League Cup to league 2 side Bradford and last week saw them fall out of the FA cup rather meekly to a poor Blackburn side.

The return leg in Munich now looks a daunting prospect. Arsenal could well be facing a humiliation at the hands of the Germans who are in scintillating form at the minute. To look back through the history books will offer Wenger little hope.

Only four teams have ever turned around a first leg home defeat and gone on to win in a Champions League or European Cup knockout tie. And only one of those four teams has turned around a two goal deficit in the away fixture.

See timeline below

Indeed Arsene Wenger will see the immensity of the task ahead of his team and know deep down it is far beyond them. Van Persie’s departure has only proved how much they relied on him last year.

Arsenal will more than likely be out of all competitions by the 13^th March. Another year without a trophy, but more telling is the lack of character and strength in his current squad.

Wenger may look to the past for hope against Bayern and say it can be done. The odds are against them but this is football after all.

Back to business after FA cup fourth round

After all the heroics of the FA cup over the weekend, it’s back to business as usual in the Premiership for the next two nights. This round of fixtures is probably the last thing any manager wants at the minute but it does offer a chance to the teams who didn’t play at the weekend.

Aston Villa, Norwich, Tottenham and Liverpool will all be hurting after a humiliating weekend. Chelsea may have scraped a replay against Brentford but Rafa Benitez will be annoyed he was forced to bring on Mata, Azpilicueta and Ba.

Rafa Benitez urges on his side in their 2-2 draw with Brentford

Arsenal and Everton were also forced to send out strong sides to make sure they progressed to the next round of the cup.

Man United, Reading and Wigan all had the easiest of games at the weekend. QPR may have lost badly to MK Dons but Harry Redknapp clearly had his eye on the game against Man City on Tuesday night. Redknapp fielded a second string side against the Dons. QPR’s priorities at the moment are on staying up in the Premier League, and quite rightly so. A decent cup run will not save them in May.

Wigan only scraped by against Macclesfield on Saturday but Roberto Martinez won’t mind. He made eight changes from their last Premier League game in order to give his first choice players a rest. The Lactics have a tough away game against Stoke on Tuesday and a break might do them a world of good. 

Martinez will have noted the recent poor run in form from Stoke. That, coupled with the tough game on Saturday that Stoke played against Man City, will give him hope of stealing a rare three points from the Britannia.

Berbatov was poor against his old side

Manchester United were barely made to try against a Fulham side who showed no interest whatsoever in making a game of it at Old Trafford. Ferguson has said that the FA cup is a priority for his team this year. United haven’t won the competition since 2004 when they beat Millwall 3-0. 

Fulham’s shocking record away from home isn’t new but it was obvious from the first minute that they were in no mood to put up a fight.Many had anticipated the return of Dimitar Berbatov to Old Trafford but for large parts of the game he may as well not have been there. 

Fulham host West Ham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night. After such a miserly surrender to Manchester United, Martin Jol faces a difficult task to get his men ready for a plucky West Ham outfit. West Ham have had the weekend to rest and will fancy their chances of taking a win.

Noel Hunt rises highest to score Reading's opener

Reading too were able to field a weakened team and run out comfortable winners against Sheffield United. The Royals put four past United during a convincing performance. Brian McDermott will be pleased to progress a stage further in the cup but he will have all of his attention on Wednesday night’s game with Chelsea.

Things are beginning to get tight at the bottom and McDermott knows if his men could sneak a point against the blues it could prove invaluable. Chelsea were forced to use too many of their first team players against Brentford. Reading were able to rest key players over the weekend and they might smell a chance against a weary Chelsea side.

Liverpool will not have enjoyed reaching such a low as losing to Oldham Athletic. Unfortunately for Brendan Rogers there will be little time to count the costs of the defeat. His side face a difficult trip to the Emirates on Wednesday night. Liverpool defended as bad against Oldham as they have all year. 

Walcott and Wilshere celebrate after Arsenal's third goal

Take nothing away from Oldham but Rogers will not be pleased by the performance of some of his players. Sebastian Coates and Martin Skrtel both had days they will want to quickly forget. They were bullied throughout by the young Matt Smith.

Arsenal have hit a purple patch in recent weeks. Theo Walcott is relishing his new role as a centre forward. He has finally found form in front of goal and he poses a real threat playing off the shoulder. Walcott’s pace is a nightmare for any defender and his confidence is really beginning to grow in the role.

Brendan Rogers will hope to have Pepe Reina back for the game but if Liverpool can’t seal up the cracks at the back that were evident on Sunday then they could be in for a tough time of it in London.

Tuesday 29th January 2013

	BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Show last 5 matches and coverage	Fixture	Kick-off	Status
	Aston VillavNewcastle	19:45
	NorwichP-PTottenham Postponed - now being played Wed, Jan 30
	QPRvMan City	19:45
	StokevWigan	19:45
	SunderlandvSwansea	19:45

Wednesday 30th January 2013

	BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Show last 5 matches and coverage	Fixture	Kick-off	Status
	ArsenalvLiverpool	19:45
	EvertonvWest Brom	19:45
	NorwichvTottenham	19:45
	FulhamvWest Ham	20:00
	Man UtdvSouthampton	20:00
	ReadingvChelsea	20:00

Goalkeeping by numbers

The 2011/12 Premier League season saw the highest total number of goals scored in one year since it reverted to a twenty team league. In all, 1066 goals were scored over 380 games played. On average that’s 2.81 goals per game.

So far the 2012/13 season has not lacked for goals either. As it stands, a total of 651 goals have been scored. That’s an average of 2.84 goals per game.

Asmir Begovic

All of this is certainly good for the fans that pay to see goals scored but what about the poor goalkeepers? This week I take a look at the goalkeepers of the Premier League.

Joe Hart tops the clean sheet list with ten but that’s not surprising really. Mancini has his charges very well organised and they are very difficult to break down in midfield.

Hart is followed closely in the list by Petr Cech and Asmir Begovic with nine clean sheets apiece. Chelsea are always difficult to score against, especially at Stamford Bridge. Their form is sliding however. The European champions have managed only three clean sheets in their last nine games.

	Clean Sheets
1.	Joe Hart	10
2.	Petr Cech	9
3.	Asmir Begovic	9
4.	Simon Mignolet	8
5.	Pepe Reina	7
6.	Hugo Lloris	6
7.	Jussi Jaaskelainen	6

Up until December the team with the most formidable defence of all was Stoke City. But in recent times the Potter’s form has taken an alarming turn. They have no clean sheets in their last five matches and only one in their last seven.

The most worrying thing of all for Tony Pulis’ charges is that they have shipped 14 goals in those last five games. What was once the tightest ship in the league is now leaking like a sieve.

The real surprise this year however in the goalkeeping standings is that Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet is right up there with eight clean sheets. Martin O’Neill has managed to reverse the rut and Sunderland have picked up some important points in the last few weeks.

It’s no surprise to see the bottom teams with the worst clean sheet records. Reading and Wigan have only managed to keep three clean sheets all year.

QPR are beginning to benefit from the experience of Harry Rednapp. Already they look more organised. Julio Cesar has kept two clean sheets in his last three games. More of the same will be key if they are to have any hope of staying up this year.

Goalkeeping in numbers so far this year....