Posts Tagged ‘Ancelotti’

Everton 1-6 Arsenal

David Moyes’ stance on Joleon Lescott embodies the best of his Everton team: stubborn, strong and refusing to yield to the harsh financial rulings of the Premier League. One brutal annihilation, however, has exposed to doubt the principles that have served Moyes and his club so well. As they state with faith at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger knows and on the evidence at Goodison Park, there are merits in selling the uncommitted to Manchester City.

If there was a blot on the landscape for Mark Hughes this weekend it came in the wonderful declaration from Arsenal that a Champions League invitation will not be sent north on a platter. Yet there were no hasty predications from Wenger afterwards. This was the heaviest home defeat recorded in the league at Goodison since Arsenal inflicted an identical scoreline here in 1958 and the worst opening day result in Everton’s history, and the Gunners had only to find their immaculate stride on occasion.

In Denilson’s exquisite opener, swept into Tim Howard’s top corner after a neat exchange between Cesc Fábregas and Nicklas Bendtner, and the Arsenal captain’s first goal on a glorious counter, there was confirmation of Wenger’s belief in football as art. The remainder of the rout stemmed from Everton’s abject failures. Control, distribution and energy were all beyond Moyes’ team on Saturday and with their famed defensive resilience also in pre-season, they merely proved what Arsenal can do when confronted with an aberration. The turmoil at Goodison will delight Hughes.

Moyes entered this season with hopes of closing the gulf on Ferguson, Benítez, Ancelotti and Wenger. He ended day one drawing comparisons with Bryan Gunn, sacked after the opening week of the season by Norwich City following a 7-1 home defeat by Colchester United.

“I don’t think there’s much point in me shouting and bawling about that. I think they know all round that it just wasn’t acceptable,” said a pale and visibly shocked Everton manager. “There was a manager sacked for seven after one game so I’m not immune to that either. I’m the same. We’ve lost six so it’s no different for me than it is for any other manager. I’ll need to pull my socks up and try and do better with the players that I have got. It’s my responsibility to make sure those players do perform on the pitch and they didn’t perform so I take that responsibility.”

But Everton’s problems do not rest on the training ground. They stem from Lescott’s head “being twisted” by the opportunity to double his £40,000-a-week wages at City and desire to go, a determination that cuts through the unity upon which Everton thrived last season. Unlike Arsenal, Everton do not have the squad to compensate for serious losses and the bottom line is that City have not met Moyes’s valuation on Lescott, unlike Wenger’s for Emmanuel Adebayor or Kolo Touré. Should Hughes follow up his many words on the subject with a bid in excess of £20m, however, it would be self-defeating not to cash in. “I think one or two are not focused correctly,” Moyes admitted. “I have to make sure I get them back focused. Maybe I’ve not done that. I’ll need to have a look at things I’ve done over the last week or two.”

Moyes’ £30m valuation of Lescott was not assisted here by the Premier League debut of Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal’s £10m recruit from Ajax and comfortably the finest defender on display. Conceding at least five inches in height to Marouane Fellaini, Vermaelen comfortably contained his fellow Belgian while anticipating danger expertly and typified the robust edge about Arsenal that impressed arguably even more than their result.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy debut,” Vermaelen insisted. “It was a very physical game and a new style for me to handle. In Holland they play more football, like we do at Arsenal, but this was more physical and every Arsenal player did their job extremely well. The most positive thing was how united we were as a team. We were very strong in the physical part of the game and that will be important for us this season. Our spirit is very good and it is even better after this result.”

Once Denilson denied Fellaini an equaliser on his goalline, Arsenal strolled to three points. The unmarked Vermaelen prospered from the first serious lapse in Everton’s defence to head Robin van Persie’s free-kick past Howard. William Gallas did likewise four minutes later from Fábregas’s set-piece. Two minutes after the restart the Arsenal captain galloped through a hole to convert a sublime counter involving Denilson and Van Persie and was allowed the freedom of Goodison to convert from 20 yards to spark a rush for the exits among the home support. Fábregas celebrated by holding aloft an Arsenal shirt in memory of his former Spain Under-21 colleague, Daniel Jarque, who died of heart failure last week. Eduardo completed the torture for Everton from close range before Louis Saha converted the meekest of consolations. Arsenal departed to applause on all sides.

The breakdown

THE MANAGERS

David Moyes

Selection Everton’s team picks itself due to the lack of options. This was Moyes’s cup final team with the exception of Jô for Saha Tactics The customary 4-4-1-1 began competently but resorted to too many long balls Game-changing Moyes made a triple substitution in the 57th minute that was more symbolic than tactical, with the game over by half-time

Arsene Wenger

Selection Chose the strongest starting XI available and gave a Premier League debut to £10m summer signing Vermaelen in central defence

Tactics Song dominated in the holding role, allowing Fábregas and Denilson to support the front three frequently Game-changing The game panned out so perfectly he withdrew Fábregas, Van Persie and Bendtner in readiness for Celtic

THE PLAYERS

Everton Lescott’s performance was not to blame for Everton’s humiliation but team spirit was undoubtedly lacking. Cheered and jeered in equal measure by the Goodison faithful, even while on the ball, he was a serious distraction

Arsenal A hugely encouraging league debut from Vermaelen and, on this evidence, an improvement on Touré. Strong and with more game intelligence than his predecessor in the Arsenal defence

KEY MINUTE

The 36th, when an unmarked Vermaelen headed home Arsenal’s second and Everton began to disintegrate

SUSPENSIONS

None

Thought of leaving Blues never crossed my mind, says Terry

• Defender confirms he will reject move to Eastlands
• Captain set for new deal worth £150,000 a week

John Terry is expected to agree an improved contract at Chelsea this week after the England captain finally broke his silence on Manchester City’s ambitious attempt to secure his services by committing his future to the London club.

City had a £30m bid for the centre-half rejected out of hand earlier this month but retained hope that Terry might agitate for a move to Eastlands for as long as he refused to comment publicly on the matter. The 28-year-old had privately been unnerved by Chelsea’s inability to secure a marquee signing this summer, and by two years of managerial upheaval since Jose Mourinho’s abrupt departure from the club, but insisted that leaving Stamford Bridge “was never a possibility”.

He had held talks with Roman Abramovich before the team’s departure for their four-match pre-season tour of the United States, but has since met the club’s owner and the chief executive, Peter Kenyon, for further discussions during their stay in the US as he sought assurances over their long-term vision at Stamford Bridge. Although Chelsea were always convinced that they would not lose the defender and believed they had an agreement in place with Terry, the player himself did not make up his mind definitively to stay until Saturday.

• Ancelotti insists he always knew Terry would stay
• Daniel Taylor on Terry’s decision to resist City’s millions
• Dominic Fifield: Chelsea’s pre-season is going to plan

The carefully worded statement released through Chelsea ahead of the team’s game against Club America will be the prelude for discussions to move on to securing the captain on improved terms likely to swell his weekly wage from £135,000 to nearer £150,000 – considerably short of what City were prepared to pay him – which should be signed before the end of the week. The new deal is not expected to extend the defender’s stay at the club beyond the three years still to run on his current contract.

“I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been,” said Terry. “Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention to accept any kind of offer. When you are linked with any club, or with a manager [Mark Hughes] who I have huge respect for, it will always make headlines, but me leaving Chelsea was never a possibility.

“I know there has been comment that I should have made a statement earlier. However, throughout this period there have been numerous discussions between myself, the owner and the Chelsea board and we all agreed that the timing of any statement would suit everyone involved in those talks, not any outside influences or agendas. What is clear to me following those discussions is that Chelsea’s ambition remains as high as ever.”

That ambition has yet to yield either Franck Ribéry or David Villa, the players Terry suggested Chelsea should pursue in the wake of victory in the FA Cup final in May, though the club remain in the market for new blood. Securing their captain will provide a timely boost, particularly as Terry was genuinely intrigued by the project being put in place by the Abu Dhabi United Group at City, though Carlo Ancelotti insisted he was never perturbed by the issue. “There was not a problem because we have been sure that John stays at Chelsea,” said the Italian. “There’s never been a problem with this.”

The new Chelsea manager has already indicated he will build his team around its English core, typified by Terry, with the captain pinpointing the Italian’s influence as another reason to stay. “I am certain that he will take this club on to the next level,” he added. “Another important factor was knowing that Chelsea would be securing key current players for the long term. The strengthening of the squad around this core is crucial to pushing us on to greater success. I am as committed as ever to helping drive Chelsea forward and I will be proud to lead the team for as long as I can.”

The implications for City are less encouraging, though a move for Terry had always been hugely ambitious. Hughes still hopes to secure the Arsenal centre-half Kolo Touré, a long-standing target, as he seeks defensive reinforcements to complement the mouth-watering attacking resources already lured to Eastlands this summer.