Sudden-Death, Over-TimeDiehard Rugy & Football fan

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CITY UNSURE

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The goalkeeper position in Manchester City has seen Joe Hart and Costel Pantilimon being switched out every week during this season. Pantilimon has had the upper hand in the spot for the past few weeks but Manuel Pellegrini decided to change it up and during their last Premier League encounter against Fulham, it was Joe Hart the man chosen to be in between the sticks.

This was Joe Hart’s first Premier League start since October as Pellegrini preferred to put upfront the Romanian goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon.

During this match against Fulham, Joe Hart conceived 2 goals but Manchester City managed to claim the crucial victory and snatch all 3 points. Despite having allowed 2 goals to be scored, neither of them was because of the English goalkeeper Joe Hart who enjoyed a fairly successful time being chosen ahead of Pantilimon.

Hart made a number of saves to deny Adel Taarabt from scoring as well as denying the rest of the Fulham players from finding the back of the net. When the match concluded Manuel Pellegrini even praised the performance from Joe Hart.

“I think he did well. It was not easy,” he said. “The pitch was very quick and there was a lot of wind but I think Joe had a very good game.”

“The Premier League games are always close, especially when home teams are in bad positions in the table as they try to win points at home,” he added. “We knew it would be difficult.

“Before they scored for 2-1, we had three or four chances to score and when you miss so many chances the other team often scores. We had some bad luck for their second goal, it was unbelievable, but it was important for us to recover.

Joe Hart still has a lot more to prove if he wants to get a permanent position as the main goalkeeper for Manchester City but this performance will surely make him a much more viable option and keep him in the race.

THINKING BIG

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Walter Mazzarri had a lot of success at Napoli and it was largely due to the presence of striker Edinson Cavani. The two shared a great working relationship because they achieve the fame during their time at Napoli. Both of them have gone on their separate ways with Mazzarri joining Inter Milan as the new manager, while Cavani has moved to PSG in a £ 60 million deal to become one of the most expensive players in the world. However, he has been overshadowed by the presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the French club.

The big Swede continues to dominate the headlines due to his impressive form and extrovert character. This has led to rumours that Cavani may decide to leave PSG after only a few months of joining the club. Mazzarri has raised the possibility of being united with his former striker by saying that he would like to have him at the San Siro. It looks highly unlikely that Inter Milan will be able to afford him, but the recent takeover by Indonesian investors may just do the trick.

“Cavani, what can I say about Cavani? I like to point to facts: he joined from Palermo, I believe I played a part in getting the best out of him, and now he’s a global star. I’d love to have him here but I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening in the short term. These are questions you need to ask the ownership rather than me. The ownership always dictates the club’s approach,” said the 53-year-old manager about his transfer targets.

Mazzarri has transformed the fortunes of Inter Milan, who have been struggling since the departure of Jose Mourinho in 2010. The team are just a few points off the top of the table with more than 12 matches being played.

WENGER FUTURE IN DOUBT

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The future of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been thrown into doubt after their own supporters have urged the club to not consider offering the manager a new contract. Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) has said that they are extremely disappointed with the transfer activity of the club, and they have laid the blame on manager Wenger. Arsenal have yet to sign any major player in this transfer window, but they have been linked with several names. They have lost the ability to bring any stellar names after failing to win any trophy last eight years.

Manager Wenger has admitted on several occasions that the club has money to spend in the summer, but he has been unwilling to splash the cash and close the deal. The likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Luiz Gustavo have not joined Arsenal due to several reasons. AST has estimated that the club has around £ 70-£ 150 million in cash reserve. They have questioned why the club has not utilise this money to strengthen the team. The club has lost several players in various areas of the pitch, but they are yet to sign replacements. This has made their squad look threadbare.

North London rivals Tottenham have strengthened substantially during this summer.

“A decision on whether to offer an extension to the manager’s contract which ends in May 2014 should only be taken following the closing of the transfer window and assessment of the team’s performances in the weeks ahead. Considerable improvement must be shown for us to be convinced this should happen, and we believe that other senior football appointments must come first,” said AST in a statement. Wenger could choose to walk away from the club since he has just one year left on his contract. It ends in the summer of 2014.

MAZZARRI ARRIVES

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Inter Milan recently appointed former Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri as their new head coach. Immediately after taking over, it was expected that Mazzarri will be making few changes to the first-team in order to make them competitive once again. Inter are coming on the back of a very disappointing campaign in which they finished close to the bottom half of the table. They will be without any form of European games this season, which Mazzarri reckons will be a blessing in disguise for the team because they can concentrate on the league.

Mazzarri has taken a look at the squad up until now and he is extremely happy with the players at his disposal. He will also be able to call upon the services of players like Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti, who are nursing long-term injuries. He has promised that Inter fans can look forward to some attacking and pulsating football this season after a couple of years of drab football. Inter Milan have strengthened their forward line up by bringing in the likes of Ishak Belfodil and Mauro Icardi.

Even though Mazzarri arriving at the club has raised expectations that Inter Milan will finally be able to get back into European football, the manager has not promised anything as of yet.

“I want a team that people enjoy watching, with a soul, that never gives up. And I can promise you that. People are free to assess the potential of the team, but it’s my job to convince the players that we can win every game. I haven’t had individual chats with all the lads yet but they’ve exceeded my expectations. They’re determined to bounce back. I prefer actions to words. And I get the impression these players are going to give me everything they’ve got,” said Mazzarri.