I think there is no doubt that England is currently in a period of transition. It seems that under Roy Hodgson’s guidance they are finally turning towards a youth movement as far as their selection policy is concerned.

Whether the youth movement is a choice or was the only option for Hodgson is a debate for another day. However it does appear that we have reached the end of the so called ‘golden generation’.

With John Terry ending his International career, Rio Ferdinand’s being all but over there is now only a handful of players left from the promising but overhyped generation.

Frank Lampard Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole are the latest players who face questions over their international futures. However whilst there is not a huge amount of competition for Gerrard and Lampard’s positions, Cole is facing a major challenge from Leighton Baines.

Over the past few seasons Baines has been consistently impressive for Everton. Becoming one of their most influential players at the club and earning respect from piers as well as players. His ability from free kicks as well as penalties provides the team with more options going forward.

Cole though is still a world class full back, at his peak and with his mixture of experience and ability, probably still just about pips Leighton Baines as an individual footballer.

But it’s about so much more than that.

At twenty seven years old Baines is entering the peak of his career whereas Cole, now thirty one, is reaching the end of his prime. By the next World Cup he will be thirty three, meaning it will probably be his final International tournament.

Another factor to consider is that while the two players may be similar on the field, of the field they couldn’t be any more different. Cole is notorious for creating controversy and the spotlight of the media follows him everywhere, almost to the point where you start to believe that he enjoys it.

His latest incident insulting the FA on twitter has once again cast a shadow over his obvious talent as a footballer and makes you ask whether he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

Baines on the other hand is much more reserved. A model professional,  he prefers to shy away from the media. The fact that he doesn’t even have a twitter account and rarely does interviews puts this into perspective.

The reason I’m raising this point is because the last thing that England need, especially in major tournaments is controversy or the squad be disrupted by constant harassment by the media.

One major on the field benefit of Baines playing is that he already has a solid partnership with new first choice centre backs Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott. These three were part of a watertight Everton defence before Lescott’s Manchester City move and could well deliver the same success at International level.

Overall then whilst Cole is currently the better player, Baines provides many other positives such as age and professionalism. He is in the form of his life and deserves a small run of games in the starting line up at the very least.

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Whether he gets the opportunity comes down to how committed Hodgson and England are to developing youth. If they are committed then I feel that (depending on the form of Cole, Baines or any other left back) Baines will get the nod ahead of Cole by the time the World Cup comes around.

Whatever the decision, it is one difficult choice Hodgson will enjoy having to make.

[divider]

[post_link url=” https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-15-great-polar-opposites-within-football, https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/football-fancast-paints-a-picture-of-the-modern-footballer, https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/top-players-in-europe-who-would-be-the-perfect-fit-in-the-premier-league,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-football-quarterbacks-and-their-role-within-the-game,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/arsenal/the-ideal-role-for-theo-walcott” target=”_blank” type=”grid”]

’s Karl Oyston has told Sky Sports News that the club are looking for a speedy resolution to the Seasiders’ management vacancy following the departure of Ian Holloway last week.

The north-west club has fallen victim to a domino effect in the Championship which has seen Holloway move to Selhurst Park as former Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman fills the vacancy left by Owen Coyle at Bolton Wanderers.

Today, Blackpool Chairman Karl Oyston has announced that the club may reach a decision over their next manager by as early as this evening, and the application and interview process is already on-going.

“I’m hopeful well know by the end of today, but I’m not going to put any timescale on it” said Oyston.

“Other Lancashire clubs have took their time but instability has not done anyone any favours.

“We need someone that can settle quite easily in the great north west and adapt to the training ground and deal with the players weve got.

“It’s a key time in the season for us, we have been on the slide a bit lately but I think a quick appointment will address that.

“If we meet the right person and the interview goes well we will offer them the job straight away.”

Rumoured contenders for the job include Paul Ince, Owen Coyle and current caretaker manager Steve Thompson.

Oyston also told Sky Sports News he was disappointed by the number of agents contacting him from managers and coaches already in employment at other clubs.

“I’m disappointed to say we’ve had contact through agents from managers in work. This sort of culture needs stamping out.

“I know it goes on but it doesn’t make it any more acceptable, we’ve been around football long enough to know the type of person we want. We know how to do it the right way and not play any of those games.”

The Blackpool chairman admitted he may inform the clubs of the managers in question.

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“I do feel like contacting those clubs where the managers are employed and spilling the beans.

“It’s poor form. We’ll do things properly” he added.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/life-without-holloway-begins-badly-for-blackpool,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-news/barry-ferguson-joins-fleetwood-town,https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/crystal-palace/crystal-palace-make-official-approach-for-holloway,https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/holloway-still-has-unfinished-business-at-blackpool,https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/blackpool-on-the-brink-of-bouncing-back” target=”_blank” type=”grid”]

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure admits he could be tempted to make a switch to France after slipping down the pecking order at the Premier League Champions.

The Ivorian defender has been at the City of Manchester Stadium for the past three seasons after joining from Arsenal and has helped his club to FA Cup and Premier League success.

However this season he has fallen out of favour with Roberto Mancini and has just featured in three games.

Reports suggest that Toure is keen for a move away from the club in order to get first team football and could do so in January. A number of clubs are believed to be interested in the services of the 31-year-old.

Toure has admitted the thought has crossed his mind and has hinted that a fresh start in Ligue 1 could be an option.

“Why not France?” The commanding centre-back told Sky Sports.

“There is PSG, Lille and the league is getting stronger.”

The French league is fast improving and has recently seen the arrival of superstars like Zlatan Ibrahimovich, who has joined oil-rich Quatari-owned Paris Saint Germain.

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Toure has been in England since 2002 when Arsenal signed him from Ivory Coast side Asec Mimosas for a fee of £150,000 and has gone on to play in over 250 Premier League games.

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It seems that in the modern era of the Premier League, modelling and football go hand in hand, whether it’s the model-infused make up of the WAG’s or the players themselves strutting their stuff on the catwalk.

So it’s no surprise to find that glamour model Lucy Pinder is in fact a football fan, although she is probably more used to taking her kit off rather than putting it on.

The full fronted Nuts regular is very much an avid football and life-long Southampton fan after going to her first game at The Dell when she was just nine.

Hailing from Winchester, the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant has always supported her local club and even suggests that she is not a bad player herself, especially upfront.

Lucy Pinder’s footballing fondness just adds to her already impressive assets and gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘the beautiful game’.

Click on Lucy to launch the gallery

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As we enter the final few days of 2012, it gives supporters at all clubs the chance to reflect at both the change and the fortunes that their clubs have underwent within the past twelve months. And if you’re a Tottenham Hotspur fan, you’ve got plenty to get your teeth into.

But it appears that even within a season full of variables, supporters can always rely on one home comfort to remain a constant. Indeed, despite a change of manager, a whole pallet of new players at the club and even a shiny new £40million training ground, Spurs still appear to be scintillatingly average at making anything of set-pieces.

The remit that awaited Andre Villas-Boas following his summer appointment was a somewhat extensive one. While not all were necessarily wholly behind Daniel Levy’s decision to put his faith in the Portuguese, there was a base expectation that we’d see a more tactically refined and sparklingly efficient Tottenham side.

And while Villas-Boas has certainly delivered on the refining front, Spurs still seem dreadfully wasteful when it comes to the art of the set-piece.

Given how atrocious the side was when it came to maximising any form of potential out of set-pieces last term, it’s hardly like fans were asking for much from their new manager when it came to something resembling improvement.

Supporters only saw their team put the ball in the back of the net once through either a direct or an indirect free kick during 38 league games last term, courtesy of a Kyle Walker free kick against Blackburn. Throw in corners into the mix and it doesn’t get much better; only four teams scored less from set-pieces in the Premier League last term.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-10-players-that-should-be-on-villas-boas-transfer-wishlist,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/should-andre-villas-boas-give-him-the-job,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/the-top-15-premier-league-moments-of-2012″ target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

Now whether you want to point your finger at the coaching staff or the wasteful indulgence of several supposed esteemed set piece wizards (step forward Mr. Rafael van der Vaart), the return from set pieces over the course of a Premier League season represents a pitiful return. But with the appointment of Villas-Boas, all that was now in the past. It was hoped that we’d at least see a slightly better drilled side when it came to attacking a free kick.

Is this pointless moaning or a gripe that holds a little more seriousness in its weight? Improvement is relative and considering the terrible output that Tottenham produced when it came to set-pieces, they’re certainly doing a little better this time round.

Steven Caulker’s header from Tom Huddlestone’s free-kick against Manchester City, was the first in a mini renaissance in terms of set piece success last month. Gareth Bale followed up Caulker’s effort later on in November with a dipping effort from a direct free-kick against Liverpool and Jan Vertonghen recently slotted away a neat finish from a Kyle Walker delivery.

But is the relative improvement in output from set-pieces enough?

For a team that possesses perceived set-piece specialists in the guise of Gareth Bale, Tom Huddlestone, Gylfi Sigurdsson and even Clint Dempsey, supporters haven’t half been served up some questionable deliveries. All too often we’ve seen deliveries from the aforementioned quartet, Huddlestone being one of the worst offenders, either overhit or fail to beat the first man.

Again, even during Spurs’ swashbuckling 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa last Sunday, we were treated to another masterclass of wasteful set piece action. It’s become something of a much feted statistic in recent days, but to end the half 15-1 ahead on the corner count, yet offer such an impotent threat from the dead-balls must have concerned Villas-Boas.

When you gallivant to victory in the style Spurs eventually did at Villa Park, it’s easy to sweep it under the carpet, although given the fine margins that currently exist during a season which is one of the tightest in recent memory, every opportunity must be maximized.

Although is it necessarily the end of the world if Tottenham continue to stumble along so unproductively at set-pieces? Because for as poor as Spurs were last term at dead balls, the team that finished above them in the Premier League weren’t much better. In fact, it’s worth noting that North London rivals Arsenal were in fact worse than the Lilywhites when it came to set-piece productivity, knocking away only eight goals from them in 38 games.

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Of course, you only need to look at the two Manchester sides who put away 19 (City) and 18 (United) away from set-pieces to understand quite how important they are in terms of moving forward, but to attain Champions League qualification, it might not perhaps be the end of the world if Villas-Boas fails to make great strides from where Harry Redknapp left off.

It’s something of a tired cliché but fixing an issue like this doesn’t happen overnight and although we’ve not quite seen a sparking transformation in results, we are seeing an improvement.

Their opener against Sunderland may have come courtesy of a Carlos Cuellar own goal, but it was assisted by a wicked Kyle Walker delivery. The right back has endured a frustrating season thus far but since Villas-Boas has turned to the England man to set-pieces, we’ve begun to see a gradual improvement. It’s slow progress, but following his assist for Vertonghen’s goal against Swansea, it’s improvement none the less.

Set-pieces have felt like a thorn in the side of Tottenham for longer than the mind can remember. Andre Villas-Boas has sought to improve this and while we’ve seen small signs of encouragement in recent games, the hard work can’t stop there.

[youtube jpQz-5Etr7w&list=UUKu98HLF5fkdLOlns9VE96w&index=18]

As we swing into the New Year and head at a canter past the half way point in the Barclays Premier League this season, it’s given many the chance to take stock of the division’s star performers so far this term. And from a midfield perspective, the effervescent Tottenham Hotspur duo of Sandro and Mousa Dembele would be sure to find themselves near the peak of any top tens conjured up at this time of the year.

Indeed, from an individual perspective, both Sandro and Dembele have more than the odd reason to be proud of their work in the Tottenham engine room over the past five months. After simmering in and out of the first XI under Harry Redknapp, Sandro has gone from a talented, yet unpredictable midfield battler into an indispensible fan favourite under the tutelage of Andre Villas-Boas.

In the case of Mousa Dembele, the application of an unique skillset encompassing both delicate skill and unnerving Belgian power, has seen him reduce his £15million price tag to one of the bargains of the season.

But for all the exhaustive lists of the pair’s individual talents, it’s when you view them as a combined entity that you really begin to gauge how Spurs have quietly gone about their business climbing up to third in the Premier League table. Because as a central midfield partnership, they may be just about the best there is around in the country at this present moment in time.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/why-tottenham-are-leading-the-way-on-deals-such-as-this-one,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/luka-modric-a-needless-indulgence-who-has-much-to-give-the-premier-league,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/why-his-arrival-cant-be-the-end-of-tottenhams-january-business” target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

Of course, this isn’t the first time in recent years that Spurs have laid claim to possessing such a vaulted double act in the centre of the park. In fact, you only have to cast your mind back to this time last year and the success of Luka Modric and Scott Parker within Harry Redknapp’s team, to understand the pressure that Andre Villas-Boas was under to find a similar winning formula. The success of Parker and his Croatian foil left quite the legacy for the side to match this term.

Considering that despite the eventual departure of Modric to Real Madrid, Spurs still possessed both Parker and Sandro at the start of the season, you wouldn’t have thought the task awaiting AVB was anything nearing alchemy. But with Parker sidelined with an Achilles injury that rendered him unavailable from the start of the term till mid-December, Tottenham were in essence starting the new season with a new-look engine room to boot.

Sandro’s 23 league starts last season do of course lay waste to the new cog notion, but where as last term he was the man standing on the periphery, looking to fight his way into the first team plans, the Brazilian entered this term as top dog. While supporters never doubted his ability, was the ex-Internacional man up to taking on the extra responsibility and expectation that came with being a solidified first teamer? His side’s third placing in the Premier League tells you all you need to know.

Combined with the majestic Mousa Dembele, Sandro has been imperious in the Spurs midfield this season, but it’s the unique combination of his partnership with the Belgian that’s been the real catalyst for his success.

While Manchester City’s Yaya Toure may be the division’s best example of the complete midfielder, the skillsets of both Sandro and Dembele aren’t cut from a cloth that is too dissimilar in its versatility.

Sandro’s natural remit as a midfielder is of course one built around negation. He’s Villas-Boas’ most aptly skilled defensive enforcer and his ability to intercept, snuff out and thwart danger in that patented combative manner of his, has seen him arguably shine through as the club’s most prominent performer this term. But his role in the team isn’t simply consigned to destroying play – he can create it, too.

He may not be likely to pick a through ball out Tom Huddlestone-esque from 40yards, but when the 23-year-old picks up the ball, very rarely does he give it away. Sandro doesn’t just win the ball, but he can travel with it too, helping contribute to one of the most fluid midfields in the division.

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And in Mousa Dembele, he has the perfect foil. The Belgian’s ability to almost sail past players at will with an elegance that defies his size has been a joy to watch this season. But for all his speed on the break and ability on the ball, the ex-Fulham man isn’t without a touch of the Sandro’s himself.

Dembele may have made the second highest number of key passes in the league so far (28, behind Samir Nasri’s 33) but as well as being the ninth most successful dribbler in the league (with 1.9 per game) he also makes the top ten list for tackles made by midfielders in the Premier League (2.9). In front of him? Amongst others, you’ll find a certain Sandro as the seventh most efficient tackler.

And it’s within this diversity and range of skill which has been the key to the pair’s success. While Sandro is the destroyer in chief and Dembele offers the spark of creativity, they both possess not just the ability to perform each other’s role, but to perform it to a startlingly high standard. The side are blessed to possess a midfield partnership that’s as skillful as it is strong and as industrious as it is inventive.

While individually the likes of the aforementioned Toure and David Silva may possess a little more stardust, when it comes to a fully functioning central midfield partnership, there are few better than the duo of Sandro and Mousa Dembele. If Villas-Boas can eek a similar level of productivity out of the players that sit in front of them, then 2013 could be a very special year indeed for the Lilywhites.

Cast your mind back to August, Joe Allen is standing tall as the golden boy, set to orchestrate a potentially golden era on Merseyside. His refusal to concede possession, a trait once reserved for the sunny shores of Spain, has already begun to wash away a relentless feeling of frustration among the Anfield faithful. Oh, how times change.

Last Sunday, the 22-year-old’s dismal performance in the defeat at Old Trafford provoked a barrage of criticism from a number of Liverpool legends. Jan Molby claimed Allen had not showed any sign of progression; John Aldridge lamented his inability to makes things happen while Steve McMahon insisted the young Welshman was “nothing but a 5-yard passer”.

Has the midfielder bore the brunt of negativity from the emotions that encapsulate a fierce rivalry or have his performances slipped to an unacceptable level?

Allen was the standout summer purchase under the new Brendan Rodgers’ regime, a sign of intent that Liverpool would seek to emulate the silky football that served Swansea so well last season. The £15m price tag was somewhat inflated but Rodgers had acquired a player he could use as a template and a familiar face that would make replacing ‘the King’ slightly less daunting.

[cat_link cat=”liverpool” type=”list”]

Rodgers is a stout advocate of the phrase, ‘if you have the ball, the other team can’t score’ and while there are no better players in possession, Allen’s antics without the ball are increasingly detrimental. Many pundits were quick to compare him with Paul Scholes and I would completely agree, considering neither player seems capable of executing a clean or successful tackle.

In the game against Manchester United, Allen was guilty of an unrecognisable anxiety and conducted several ‘hospital’ passes. His struggles were not exactly helped by Liverpool’s persistence on playing out from the back, a lesson not learned from their defeat to Stoke, but in a desperate attempt to redeem himself, he ended up running around like a headless chicken on a freshly varnished floor.

Perhaps his performance was merely a result of playing on one of the most intimidating stages in the world, against a team he supported as a boy but I would argue his displays have been suffering a gradual decline for a while. The art of ball retention is an incredibly taxing skill, one that is increasingly difficult to perfect in the intensified environment of English football. The physical and mental demands that come from such a revered playing style are clearly beginning to take their toll on such young shoulders.

Furthermore, the pressure of playing alongside club talisman Steven Gerrard must be overwhelming. Plenty of experienced professionals including Christian Poulsen and Alberto Aquilani have failed to establish themselves in recent years, so perhaps our expectation of Allen goes beyond the realms of reason. However, at 32, Gerrard’s ageing legs cannot be expected to drive the team forward in the same manner as before, meaning there will soon be a vacancy, desperately needed to be filled.

“Joe, offensively, has more than what a lot of people have seen, just because he’s had to play more of a sitting role. That comes when Lucas is back.” (Guardian)

Rodgers’ insists there is plenty more to come from Allen further up the pitch but there doesn’t seem to be a recognised format for all three central midfielders to slot into. Under Rafael Benitez, Mascherano would sit, Alonso would probe and Gerrard would lurk behind Torres but nowadays Gerrard, Allen and Lucas are all squashed together in deep-lying defensive roles.

Over the past two seasons, the rest of the Premier League elite have purchased formidable playmakers that thrive in the hole. Manchester City have Silva, Arsenal have Cazorla and Chelsea are blessed with the choice of Mata, Oscar or Hazard. Liverpool do not possess such a distinguished individual and although Luis Suarez has been tipped to drop deeper to accommodate the arrival of Daniel Sturridge, Rodgers may be reluctant to castrate his main threat in front of goal.

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Perhaps Liverpool need a ruthless box-to-box midfielder, a player that will operate along the spine of the team. Of course this is easier said than done, the likes of Ramires, Yaya Toure and Marouane Fellaini are all unrealistic and unaffordable targets. However, may I suggest West Ham’s Mohamed Diame, a player Liverpool were courting under Kenny Dalglish and one that could be available for just £3.5m.

I emphasise with those Liverpool fans tired of waiting for a return to the top of the table. It must be difficult to remain positive when your Mancunian rivals are gearing up for yet another title race and your neighbours look more likely to obtain a Champions League place. The key is patience, especially with Joe Allen, who may not be a match-winner in his own right but will be integral to the art of winning matches under Brendan Rodgers.

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Sunderland winger Adam Johnson has revealed that he is desperate to earn a recall to the England side after being dropped in recent squads.

Roy Hodgson has opted to give younger players such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Zaha a chance over the past few months and that could spell the end for players like Johnson.

Despite making the preliminary squad to face Poland and San Marino back in October, you have to go back a long way to find Johnson’s most recent England appearance.

The former Manchester City winger had hoped that his £10million move to Sunderland would give him the opportunity to impress Hodgson with his consistency rather than substitute spells at the Etihad.

This has failed to materialise and the naturally left sided winger now has a number of players to push ahead of if he is going to be back in the England squad later this year.

“It’s always difficult because I have been in the squad for a while and then I have been overlooked for the last couple of games” Johnson told The Sun.

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“I have just got to get my head down and get better, really. If I do that, then I am confident that I can work my way back into the squad.”

[cat_link cat=”sunderland” type=”grid”]

It has been coming for a few seasons now. Bacary Sagna’s injuries have finally caught up with him. He has lost that yard of pace and incision which used t0 ensure he was a cut above of all the other full backs in the Premier League.

The right hand side is a flank which is left heavily exposed with Arsenal due to Theo Walcott choosing to wreak most of his havoc down this wing.

Nacho Monreal has been signed on the left hand side to combat the wing threat other teams posses which has been the undoing of the North London club recently but this only half resolves the issue.

Wenger’s success used to be built on knowing when it was the right time to move players on and develop the team for the better when it is necessary.

Despite Sagna still being capable enough he is not up to the burden of the upper echelons of the Champions League anymore so drastic action needs to be taken.

Arsenal’s dominant play has always been based around counter attacking starting from the fullbacks so solving their current right back conundrum could reignite them back to the glory trail they so desperately desire.

To see who Arsenal need to defensively deploy on the right click on the man himself to reveal the list