Have you every played the game “Kill, marry or shag”? In it, one player gives his or her opponent three names – it works best with celebrities. Made famous in the TV show “30 Rock”, the “player” then has to – hypothetically – kill one, shag one and marry one. It sounds worse than it is and is played most often after several bottles of intoxicant.

It seems that manager Kenny Dalglish is going to have to play a real-life game of “Kill, marry, shag” with the Liverpool midfield. Metaphorically, of course, though I’m sorry about the mental imagery you’re now experiencing. The game suggests it requires a person to commit to one person, dispose of another, and have a fleeting dalliance as a third option. With his midfield packed to the extent Scouse fans both celebrate and gnash teeth, thinning out the crowded Mersey midfield is his first priority.

So who should King Kenny kill (ie. sell), marry (commit to) or shag (try out) before season 2011-12 begins? Please note I’m using these terms as metaphors rather than inciting violence or any other kind of personal act!

Steven Gerrard – Marry, though perhaps this isn’t as cut and dried as in past years. Gerrard is the best player of the last twenty years on Merseyside. Though he’s getting on in years and can’t be relied upon to play a full season, selling him would be perhaps the only thing that could dent King Kenny’s popularity in Liverpool outside of signing Gary Neville. With more support and backup, perhaps he’ll compile a less injured season.

Joe Cole - Better than Messi? Pah. It’s in Liverpool’s best interests that Cole and his reported ₤90,000 per-week wages make way for better, younger, less injury-prone and more consistent players. The cash is better spent on younger options like Henderson, Shelvey and Spearing. Kill.

Maxi Rodriguez – Tough one. With Kuyt, Maxi seemed to be revitalised more than any of his Scouse teammates, yet his position is now no longer certain due to the presence of new arrival Downing. He managed two hat-tricks last season, so he’s more than useful but seems amenable to a change in scenery and even a return to South America. Shag, probably in a difficult decision.

Jay Spearing - The Liverpool youth was given an opportunity at the end of last season and made full use of it. However, his ability – especially to take over from the greats who preceeded him – is highly questionable. At 22, he needs a consistent, quality season to prove he’s good enough to stay at a club with Champions’ League aspirations. This dichotomy makes him the epitome of a “shag”.

Jonjo Shelvey – From a highly touted youth career at Charlton to Merseyside via the England Under-21s, the next step for Shelvey, unlike Spearing is to impose himself on a first-team somewhere. Anywhere. With new additions plus a potentially revitalised Gerrard, it may be he goes elsewhere temporarily to find gainful employment. Shag, but keep an eye on the future – at this stage, he could be anything: good or bad.

Charlie Adam – It seems curious and harsh given the Reds lengthy courtship and respectable transfer fee paid (₤8 million), but the question marks surrounding Charlie Adam’s ability to play at the absolute highest level place him in the Shag category. While technically gifted, his body shape is against him and he’s been signed from a club who gave him carte blanche as featured player. How he fits into a slower tempo game, with other exceptional passers is still a topic of much debate. Should he fail, he’s likely an easy-sale type of asset. If he works out, Liverpool have a fantastic player.

Raul Meireles – After one year divided squarely across Pre/Post Kenny’s arrival, Meireles may be the easiest sale of all Liverpool’s midfielders. He has a good but not overly generous contract, he performed well in replacing the injured Gerrard, he has Champions’ League and World Cup experience and can play a variety of roles. Those skills make him invaluable to the Reds as well, however, and his grittiness can provide a good and classy counterpoint to Gerrard’s or Adam’s silky offence. Marry him, Kenny, before he gets another offer.

Christian Poulsen – He could be the most unpopular player to grace Anfield since Harry Kewell. That’s not because he’s spiky, outspoken or uncouth – just that (comparatively) he’s not very good. He didn’t play well for the man who brought him in, Roy Hodgson, and Roy’s pink slip may well have been stamped with a picture of Poulsen’s face. It would take a near miracle for the Kop to embrace him amidst the new hope brought by Henderson, Carroll, Suarez and Downing – it’s time to kill his Liverpool career and move him back to the continent.

Lucas Leiva – Once a near-pariah, he’s now established himself both in the Brazil midfield and in Liverpool’s. Though he doesn’t do anything – except perhaps tackle – outstandingly well, he does everything to a level that’s much better than any potential replacements. For this evenness of skill alone, he’s worth marrying.

Alberto Aquilani – While owner John W. Henry has recently come out in support of the perma-crocked Italian, he hasn’t convinced many (any?) during his time in the northwest. Kill him, quickly, by selling him to whichever Serie A club is willing to take him and his wage packet. If the Scousers are holding out for price parity, they may be very disappointed – it’s time to accept a loss on his ₤17 million purchase-price.

Milan Jovanovic – In a year of disappointments, the Serbian was perhaps the greatest. As soon as a suitor can be found, he’s gone. In many respects, given Jovanovic’s public statements that he’s unhappy in Red, it could be a mercy killing.

Jordan Henderson – The youngster has arrived with a hefty price tag from Sunderland, meaning he’s switched coasts for the foreseeable future. He’s got talent and industry in loads, but needs developing. Given the preference Dalglish has for youth (buying Suarez, Carroll and Henderson), developing this youngster in concert with Under-21 counterpart Carroll should become the gaffer’s highest priority. For better or for worse, Dalglish has married the young Englishman.

Stewart Downing – For all the moneyball philosophy spouted about his reported ₤20 million signing from Aston Villa, Downing is a good, if not great wing presence with a desire to prove himself in the Champions’ League. He will play and perform well, but may not make any forget former famous wide-men like John Barnes. He has no Champions’ League pedigree, making him appealing but needs more proof before he becomes more than worth a shag.

Matthew Wood regularly contributes to Soccerlens.  You can find more of his analysis and commentary at Balanced Sports or follow him on Twitter @balanced_sports

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Liverpool and adidas have revealed their white 2011/2012 third kits.

The inspiration came from the tracksuit tops worn by the teams of the mid 1980′s. The diagonal stripe across the front of the shirt was incorporated into the shirt.

The cyan blue color on the Reds’ shirt dates back to the first home kit worn 120 years ago. It wasn’t until 1964, when Bill Shankly became manager, that the home kit became red.

A closer look reveals subtle design features – a diagonal, tonal emboss running through the fabric.

TechFit and Climacool technologies are incorporated into the shirts to give players an extra edge on the pitch.

The new third kit will go on sale from 14th July, 2011 and can be pre-ordered online now from Kitbag.com.

Image 1 of 5
Liverpool 2011/12 Third Shirt

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

2010 was not the best year for an English football fan. Lots of ups and downs but it was more of a downhill journey. With rumors exploding left and right and captaincy being tossed around like an unclipped grenade, it was chaotic.

Fabio Capello had a tough job. If managing a side like England wasn’t a hard job as it is, the immense pressure projected by the media and the people made it all the more difficult.

Proud Englishmen didn’t approve of Capello just because he’s non-English. Others had questions against his tactics, still others just like to hate.

From the draw against the USA in the opening 2010 World Cup game to the loss against Germany when 1966 came back to haunt them. Emotions hit the roof and the floor several times a minute.

During all that time, English players were not allowed to meet their WAGs. They wanted to spend their footballer’s money and traveled anyway.

You might wonder who were those women? Why was it so important for them to travel with the players and be near them even when their boss forbade them to? Or maybe you’re still wondering about the girl’s behind you saw.

Keeping that in mind, scroll down to find more images to wonder about. Here are the current and former WAGs of the England national football team players:

1. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham) – dating Montana Manning since 2007


Montana seems an inch or so taller than Lennon... but who's complaining?

2. Andy Carroll (Liverpool) – has a daughter with an ex-girlfriend
3. Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – Cheryl Tweedy Cole divorced him after his numerous affairs; he’s now dating Kayla Collins


Cheryl was not his type anyway... Kayla is what he wanted!

4. David Beckham (LA Galaxy) – married to Victoria Beckham since 1999; Rebecca Loos, Nuria Bermudez and Sarah Marbeck claimed to have affairs with Becks


Still Britian's favorite couple?

5. David James (Bristol City) – has four children with former wife Tanya; currently dating Amanda Salmon; also dated Claire Cooper


James with his kids and Claire

6. Emile Heskey (Aston Villa) – who cares? … actually he dated Kylee Pinsent but cheated on her with Chantelle Tagoe, he’s now engaged to Chantelle, a former lap-dancer


Advantage of being a footballer?

7. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)- has two daughters with former fiancée Elen Rives; was linked with Saskia Boxford; currently dating Christine Bleakley


Lampard is 'bleak'!

8. Gareth Barry (Manchester City)- married to childhood sweetheart Louise
9. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) – having a son with his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Neal, in August 2011


Wilshere & Lauren - parents-to-be

10. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) – married to childhood sweetheart Nicola Carragher


Mr. & Mrs. Carra

11. Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)- dated Danielle Lloyd; linked with Chantelle Houghton; was engaged to Charlotte Mears


Defoe and Mears

12. Joe Cole (Liverpool) – married to Carly Zucker; falsly accused to have been beaten up at a Keeley Hazell’s party


What a darling couple!

13. John Terry (Chelsea) – married to Toni Poole and was accused of cheating on her with Vanessa Perroncel


They have been through a lot - Toni and Terry

14. Leighton Baines (Everton) – married to Racheal
15. Matthew Upson (West Ham) – has a son with Ellie Darby


Ellie Darby

16. Michael Carrick (Manchester United) – married to Lisa Roughead
    

    Lisa and Michael Carrick

17. Michael Owen (Manchester United) – married to Louise Bonsall


One doesn't play, the other can't...

18. Paul Scholes (Manchester United) – married to Claire


Scholes and his missus Claire

19. Peter Crouch (Tottenham) – dated Lauren Pope; accused of bedding Monica Mint; engaged to Abigail Clancy


Crouchie got quite a lady, now wait till you hear her talk

20. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) – has three children with partner Rebecca Ellison


Rebecca Ellison and Rio Ferdinand

21. Scott Carson (West Brom) – married to Amy Barton
    

    Amy seems like a housewife

22. Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) – dated Crouch’s ex Lauren Pope


*insert Pope joke here*

23. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – dated Jennifer Ellison; now married to Alex Curran


Alex and her G

24. Theo Walcott (Arsenal) – in a long-term relationship with Melanie Slade


Melanie met Theo outside the WestQuay in Southampton

25. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – married to Coleen McLoughlin; accused to have slept with Jenny Thompson while Coleen was pregnant


If it wasn't for Kai, Coleen might not have been a Rooney anymore

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It is beyond doubt that Kenny Dalglish’s reintroduction to the Anfield faithful has provided the catalyst for a sparkling run of form that has seen Liverpool win six and lose just two of their last nine league games. But what has actually altered on the pitch for The Reds to now find themselves just four points off the Champion’s League place that seemed unfeasible under Roy Hodgson?

When Dalglish first took the hot seat, he experimented with a 3-5-2 formation, which saw Glen Johnson switching from his familiar right-back slot, to a more unconventional left wing-back role. This particular tactical switch saw mixed results; however this was a clear indication that Dalglish wanted to do away with the 4-2-3-1 formation originated under Rafa Benitez. Dalglish presumably felt getting the best from Steven Gerrard involved the Liverpool captain playing from a more traditional central midfield role, without losing the security of two more rigid, holding midfield players.

Gerrard and record signing Andy Carroll’s recent injuries have forced Dalglish’s hand in some ways into reverting to a traditional 4-4-2 system. And it is in this style the joint record league winners have attained success. Johnson switched back to his more familiar responsibility, while Lucas and Raul Meireles have been charged with dictating Liverpool’s tempo. Dirk Kuyt has switched from his hard working role on the right of midfield into that of a penalty box striker, and this switch has been rewarded with 9 goals in his last 8 league games.

Additionally, Maxi Rodriguez is beginning to show the form that once made him a regular in the Argentinian national side, providing goals and creativity from the wide areas culminating in two hat tricks in his last three appearances.

But it is the introduction of another big money forward that has seemed to spark life into a previously impotent attack. Luis Suarez, the villain of the summer’s World Cup finals, has made an instant impact on Merseyside, showing the quick feet, low centre of gravity and penalty area nous that made him one of Europe’s most sought after strikers. Compared to the toiling, sullen frame of Fernando Torres in his last 18 months at Anfield, Suarez is a breath of fresh air which began with a goal on his debut and has showed little sign of halting.

Opta reports show Liverpool score 2.20 goals per game with Suarez, whilst only mustering 1.28 goals without him, an instant return on at least part of the nearly 20 million pounds Liverpool splashed out on him. Dalglish will have a pleasant problem on his hands when Carroll and Gerrard return to fitness, both in terms of formation and personnel.

Regardless of this current resurgence, Liverpool have lost 12 games to date (10th May 2011), which is indisputably far too many for a team who’s tag as one of the ‘Big Four’ is without doubt under threat. And it is only the inconsistency of the league in general which has allowed them to get as close as they have to the hallowed fourth place. With this in mind, it would be interesting to gauge from those connected to the club in particular whether this push for an unlikely European place is enough to deem the season a success or whether ultimately, another season away from Europe’s top table is deemed a failure.

However this season is evaluated, it is surely only a matter of time before Dalglish finds himself having to deal with the real pressure of filling the position on a permanent basis, with all the expectations that being the manager of Liverpool brings with it.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Failure to find the back of the net once again, this time versus Wigan, has seen the goal drought of Fernando Torres extend to a remarkable twelve (12) hours.

I had concerns about Torres’ transfer to Chelsea in the first place and now that the Spaniard is continuing to frustrate in front of goal, I’ve decided to outline the key issues that made this transfer a bad idea for Torres and for Chelsea and how Liverpool was the unsuspecting benefactor.

(1) Fernando Torres Wasn’t Needed to Begin With…

Prior to the signing of Torres, Chelsea had four (4) senior strikers on their books- Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge. Ancelotti played a consistent 4-3-3 at the time with Anelka positioned on the right side of a central Drogba in a front trident, leaving Kalou and Sturridge on the bench. So, there was enough personnel at the manager’s disposal. Yes, the strikers were displaying erratic form in front of goal and still are, mind you, but could there have possibly been another solution to that problem, besides bringing in a fifth striker in Torres? That brings us to the next issue.

(2) Buying a Striker Was the Wrong Option…

Chelsea’s central midfield includes the likes of Ramires, Michael Essien, John Mikel Obi, Yossi Benayoun, Frank Lampard and Joshua McEachran. Benayoun and Lampard were out for a while due to injury, leaving Ramires, Essien, Obi and McEachran as the club’s primary midfield options and even so, it’s hard to count McEachran, given the fact that he was hardly given an opportunity. On occasion though, we saw Malouda occupy a midfield role in an attempt to fill the void left by Lampard and Benayoun.

Them aside, the popular choice in Ancelotti’s three-man midfield during Lampard and Benayoun’s absence was Obi, Essien and Ramires. Those three players are not naturally creative players. They are defensive midfielders. Strikers like Drogba and Anelka are strikers who thrive on the creativity of midfield. A lack thereof because of a three-man defensive midfield saw them deprived of the service that is critical to their goalscoring form.

In a situation like that, Ancelotti needed a striker who would drop deep to pick the ball up from midfield and run at defenders with it into the final third. That way, he would’ve been relying on his own creative ability rather than the lack thereof in midfield. Kalou is capable of this and seeing that his  style of play is best suited to that of a wing-forward, he would’ve been better suited to the wide right role Anelka occupied. Although hardly involved of late, it is worth noting that he has seven (7) league goals and three (3) league assists- one (1) more than Anelka and the same amount as Anelka, respectively.

Daniel Sturridge, currently on  loan at Bolton Wanderers, is not only capable of this as well, but he is doing it to devastating effect at the moment. Had he been given more of an opportunity at his parent club, he would’ve done a fine job through the middle in place of Drogba. Florent Malouda has been in a bad run of form of late, but as there were few other options available, he would’ve had to continue on the left flank. Thus, the front trident would have consisted of Kalou, Sturridge and Malouda.

Given that solution, Ancelotti could have made one of two (2) choices- (1) Stick with that tactic until his creative midfielders returned from injury or (2) Buy a creative midfielder if he felt he couldn’t trust Kalou and Sturridge over Anelka and Drogba. Buying a striker, however, was a bad choice. Buying Torres at this point in time, was even worse.

(3) The Torres of Today is NOT the Torres of Yesteryear…

This is not similar to the case of Andriy Shevchenko. We’re not talking about a striker who has failed to adapt to the rigors and style of play of the Barclays Premier League. Fernando Torres became an instant hit and fans’ favorite at Anfield. Goals were flying in here, there and everywhere off the laces of the Spaniard’s boot. A fantastic return of over thirty (30) goals in his first season at the club was vivid evidence of this. Torres had absolutely no problem adapting to the league.

Some time ago, however, he raised a concern- he could only play the English game for so long, given the strain it put on his body. It was dismissed somewhat at that point in time, given the fact that he was still banging in the goals. He had an astonishing scoring record at Anfield and he was among the fastest players to score fifty (50) Premier League goals.

Long-term, however, those words of warning rang true. The year before the World Cup, Torres experienced persistent injury problems that kept him out for long spells at a time. Those injury problems, inevitably, affected his brilliant form for Liverpool and later at the World Cup with Spain, his lack of fitness and form was made more apparent to the watching world. Since then, he has struggled to recapture the kind of devastating form that made him synonymous with Liverpool and cherished by all at the club.

Injuries are not only to blame for the slump of this once deadly striker. Problems on and off the pitch at Liverpool also took a swipe at his confidence. A change of ownership and the sacking of two (2) managers did little to build what little confidence Torres had. Nine (9) league goals and two (2) league assists were all he mustered for Liverpool this season.

His unhappiness at the club was clear for all to see. An exit from Anfield seemed inevitable. Chelsea were long-term admirers, finally saw a window of opportunity to get their man and snatched at the fifty (50) million pound chance. Both Chelsea and Torres displayed a bit of naivety and desperation here and they are paying the price, literally. Chelsea spent a British record fee on the idea of Fernando Torres, not the modern day real thing. Their season was going up in flames, the manager was coming under increasing pressure and they thought the old Torres would swoop in and become the focal point of a late surge to success. Torres was eager to get out of Anfeld. He wanted to challenge for silverware and was not willing to wait on the new John W. Henry regime to pay its dividends. He heard of Chelsea’s interest and jumped at the chance. Both parties reacted in a  knee-jerk manner.

The benefactor in all of this is Liverpool. After all, they got rid of an unhappy and out of form player and gained fifty (50) million pounds in the process! Surely, that’s good business.

How Can Chelsea Get the Best Out of Fernando Torres?

Fernando Torres is a striker who plays off the shoulder of the last defender. He relies heavily on the creativity of midfield. Thus, the return to fitness of Lampard and Benayoun is key to the Spaniard returning to some kind of goalscoring form. Also to be considered is the fact that Torres does not play particularly well with a partner. This was overlooked by Chelsea. At Liverpool, Steven Gerrard was a large part of why Torres proved to be such a success at Anfield. The Spaniard thrived on the opportunities that Gerrard created for him. Torres enjoyed being the focal point of the attack.

At Chelsea, Ancelotti can take a similar approach. He may not have Gerrard, but he has Lampard and Benayoun. Either of them would do a good job playing “in the hole” behind Torres in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 setup. Torres would be the lone striker in the starting eleven (11). Just one goal can kick-start an excellent revival for Torres. After all, look at Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez now since his tap-in for Germany a little while back. It’s not impossible for Torres. All he needs is a break- a tap-in, a clear-cut opportunity. As long as the player “in the hole” does his job and as long as Torres gets to play his favored role as a lone striker, there will be many chances to come.

Drogba, Anelka and company won’t be too happy about it, but the Chelsea hierarchy would have only themselves to blame for that. Either way, Carlo Ancelotti has to do something to get the best out of someone who is quickly becoming the country’s most expensive flop and Liverpool’s best and probably only reason to look back at this season and laugh heartily.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Fernando Torres has now gone nine Chelsea appearances without scoring a single goal. He has appeared three times in the Champions League and made six appearances in the Premiership where he has started all but one league game. So why is El Nino failing to live up to his prolific goal scoring reputation?

Just like Didier Drogba, Torres has been used to playing within a set-up where he is the primary figure and is almost always the first choice. Since arriving in the Premiership, Torres has scored 65 times and accompanied with his impressive performances throughout the qualification for Euro 2008 and South Africa 2010, there is no doubt Fernando is one of the top front men in the world.

Old Torres

During Torres’s time at Anfield, he was paired with a variety of partners but Torres has usually benefited when he receives the most service, playing as a lone striker. It is no secret that Torres was in his best form when he worked together with Steven Gerrard. With Stevie’s influential presence and precision passing they quickly became acquainted with each others game and began reading off one and others movement.

Unfortunately, both Torres and Drogba play through the middle and although their styles are very different, the positions they take up and want to make are very similar. They both enjoy playing along the back line and playing them together could lead them to cramp each other’s space.

Therefore, since Fernando’s arrival, Ancellotti has played around with different formations but has yet to find a suitable match to maximize their number 9’s ability.

Tactical Crisis

One example is the 2-1 win over Manchester United, where Ancellotti opted for a 4-4-2 in which Torres partnered Anelka. Despite Chelsea taking the three points, the forwards struggled throughout the game, failing to gain any understanding off each other and the 4-4-2 formation only served to limit Frank Lampard from pushing forward without having the security of two holding midfielders behind him. Like Gerrard, you get the best out of Frank when he is playing as a ‘second striker’. However, when he sits in a 4-4-2 midfield role, he is restricted to delicately balancing out his attacking and defensive duties.

Furthermore, Ancellotti has had a dilemma when he has wished to play a more attacking formation with 4-3-2-1, which is how Chelsea went out against Fulham. Having two attacking wingers is productive if you have the suitable attacking players, who can take up that role, but Torres and Anelka cannot play on the wing and Drogba has never expressed his delight at playing in that position either.

The Future

So here comes the million pound question, what is the best attacking formation for Chelsea?

For a start Ancellotti should not be trying to force his three strikers to play together simple because he feels he cannot afford to leave two of them out. History has shown us that Fernando Torres is most effective as a lone striker and receiving 100% of the service. You increase your yield from Torres further if you play with an attacking midfielder who acts the second striker; Steven Gerrard played this role for Liverpool. Moving to Chelsea has given Torres the chance to play a similar role, with Lampard acting as second striker.  However, Ancellotti has yet to try this formation out. The reason for this is two-fold. One, a total overhaul of a system that has been so effective for Chelsea would be shortsighted and dangerous, and two, Ancellotti simple cannot afford so late on in the season to be dropping two of his three strikers.

Ultimately a team cannot be changed for one player, but then again if Drogba and Anelka were to leave, Torres would become the focal point of Chelsea’s attack leaving him to play as a lone striker.

But if Drogba sticks around for another season, they must either adapt to their game and learn to play together or Carlo Ancellotti must take the gamble and start playing Torres own his own.

Any critic will tell you Fernando Torres will score for Chelsea and he will retain his devastating form that destroyed Premier League defences in his initial seasons in the Premiership. When this will happen is dependent on where Torres is played; whether with Lampard as a second striker or with Drogba. If it is the latter, it’s crucial they begin to play together otherwise Chelsea will continue to struggle with finding a suitable formation through to the beginning of 2011-2012 season.

If you were Ancelotti, what formation would you choose?

Follow me on twitter!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Wales v England
Euro 2012 Qualifiers
Millennium Stadium
Saturday 26 March 2011

Saturday afternoon sees Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium play host to one of the biggest international football rivalries around in a 2012 European Championships Qualifier. England cross the border in search of three points that would not only put them top of Group G (for two hours at least), but cement their rivals place at the foot of the table. International matches are notoriously tough to figure out from a football betting perspective, especially when England are involved, but hopefully this article will give you the vital clues as to where your money should be going on Saturday.

As mentioned, Wales find themselves bottom of the Group after defeats in their opening three matches. Their last game was a 3-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland in the Nations Cup and before that a 4-1 hammering in Switzerland. They have in fact won just three of their last nine home games and dare I say it, the opposition wasn’t exactly Brazil, Spain and Argentina it was actually Estonia, Luxembourg and erm…..Scotland! It is often said that in derby games form goes out the window and Wales, rejuvenated by the return of Aaron Ramsey, will certainly be hoping this is the case here.

As usual with England, they haven’t come into this one quietly, the saga surrounding the captain’s armband has once again had people calling for Fabio Capello’s head and the threat of unrest in the camp is a concern for everyone who will be wearing the Three Lions on Saturday. So far they have two wins and one draw in their Group games and beat Denmark in a friendly last time out. Before that they were soundly beaten 2-1 at home to a new look France side. We don’t talk about what happened in the summer so we’ll skip that bit.

It must be said England were impressive in their 2010 World Cup Qualifying campaign, winning four out of their five away games and finishing comprehensive Group winners. They will be without Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Theo Walcott in Wales but the return of Andy Carroll to the squad means the chance of a very promising partnership with Wayne Rooney up front. Whether they will start together is a different matter.

Just How Bad Are Wales?

According to Castrol EDGE Performance data, Wales have managed to score with just  3.6% of their shots in the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers so far, a figure superior to only four other sides and well below the 13% average in the competition.

Wales’ total of just one goal scored in the competition so far (courtesy of winger Gareth Bale)  so far is also better than only three sides – San Marino, Luxembourg and Kazakhstan – the only sides yet to open their account on the road to Poland and Ukraine. Wales’ only goal came in their 4-1 defeat away to Switzerland, and they remain pointless after their opening three games. Indeed, so far, in their combined total of 408 minutes of action in the UEFA EURO 2012™ qualifiers, Wales’ strikers have mustered just six shots on target between them. With no goals to their names so far, the Welsh forward line will need find their shooting boots if they are to trouble Fabio Capello’s Three Lions.

Worst Conversion Rate’s In the UEFA EURO 2012 Qualifiers

Welsh Strikers In the UEFA EURO 2012™ Qualifiers

Wales v England Betting

From a betting point of view it is difficult to see past an England win, but as we all know, they don’t do things easily and the 1.43 (Betfair) currently available won’t be winning any prizes for the best value of the day. The draw is available at 4.7 and a Welsh victory 8.6.

With Craig Bellamy in the Wales side, I wouldn’t be surprised if they got on the score sheet and the 2.28 available for both teams to score is not a bad bet. I do think England will win but Wales will make it tough and the pressure may just tell on Capello’s men so I will go for a 2-1 England victory at 9.8 (Betfair).

Remember, Soccerlens is offering one lucky punter the chance to win £100 – simply by placing a bet through us!

Follow Andy Clark on Twitter.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Lets face it, things haven’t been going too well at Anfield lately. Last season ended at a disappointing 7th spot and this season, things are still not as bright as the fans would have hoped for. They’ve fallen from the title contender-ship to mid-table mediocrity. Doesn’t quite suit the stature of the club but they are there!

But do not be afraid Reds. I am here to cheer you up. So what your players aren’t doing well where you want them to do well. They are definitely doing well where they want to do well and where we wish that we could do that well too – women.

Historically speaking, footballers have always been involved in one controversy or the other which has somehow involved women or at least sex. Even if the sex is not with their own wife or with a new model every week because you make an extra hundred thousand pounds every week.

If you were making six figures every week just for playing football, you will be doing the same. Fans, clubs and players have a love-hate relationship that will continue to torture us with because one fine afternoon, we fell in love with a football club.

Lets take a look at some of the finest WAGs present at Liverpool:

Alex Curran Gerrard – married to Steven Gerrard
Alex Curran Gerrard is one of the few WAGs, who is not a regular feature of lads’ magazines. She is a fashion journalist and she has been married to Stevie G since June 2007.

How much longer will the marraige last? Not too long, if it was upto the British tabloids. Then again, if it was upto British tabloids, nothing will last for more than a week. Nothing.

Tabloids reported that Liverpool and England captain might be unfaithful to his wife. Something that we have already seen which resulted in JT getting stripped of English captaincy because of that. Something that we have already seen which resulted in Cheryl Tweedy Cole moving to US and staying there with her new partner.

Things seem to be coming back to normal with the Gerrard’s.

Keeley Hazell – Joe Cole got beaten up at her party
This is the most unique contact between football and a hot model and quite frankly, if Keeley wasn’t Keeley I would be talking about Joe Cole’s wife Carly Zucker.

Anyways, legend has it that back in the days of 2006, there was a mighty Joe Cole who played for Chelsea. He went to a party at the house of this very sexy lady, Keeley Hazell, at Grove Park. There, Cole got in to a fight or he was just plain beaten up. Headlines were made. But a few months later, Keeley spoke to The Sun and denied the rumor.

The following year, Keeley made headlines again. This time for a completely different and much more exciting reason. Keeley’s sex tape was leaked on the internet. And we all know that what happens in Vegas might stay in Vegas but when something happens on the internet, it gets downloaded to millions of computers instantly and uploaded again.

Danielle Lloyd – linked with Ryan Babel
Danielle Lloyd was Miss England 2004 and Miss Great Britain 2006. Nobody really cared. Then, in Decemeber 2006, she posed naked for Playboy and consequently, she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title. Now that she was naked, she got all the attention she was looking for.

In the 2007 series of Celebrity Big Brother where she, along with others, was accused of using bullying tactics and making racist comments at some Indian actress. She did manage to win the celebrity edition of Total Wipeout this year though.

Danielle has been in a relationship with Teddy Sheringham, she has dated Marcus Bent and Jermain Defoe. Moreover, she has been linked with Armand Traore, Gerard Pique and of course Ryan Babel.

Currently, she is with Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara and she gave birth to their first child on the 2010 World Cup final day (i.e. 11th July).

Listed here are some of the prettier WAGs of Liverpool players:

• Steven Gerrard – dated Jennifer Ellison
• Joe Cole – married to Carly Zucker
• Alberto Aquilani – dated Pamela Camassa, Francesca Chillemi and now dating Michela Quattrociocche (I know he’s out on loan now)
• Fans of LFC: Sophie Howard, Liz McClarnon, Melanie Chisholm (a.k.a. Sporty Spice)

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

For the first time in a long time, the transfer deadline day actually lived up to it’s monstrous, gossip-driven hype.

Over the course of 24 hours of prime pantomme, we witnessed both the fourth and the eighth most expensive transfers of all time take place, with Chelsea bagging themselves a new number nine and Liverpool taking 35 million steps to fill the void left thereafter.

Here’s your round-up of all of yesterday’s prime ‘movers and shakers’.

Torres joins Chelsea…

Striker Fernando Torres beat the 23:00BST cut-off by a matter of minutes to eventually complete his £50 million move to Chelsea from Liverpool.

After signing a colossal five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge, Torres told his new club’s official website:

“I am very happy with my transfer to Chelsea and I am looking forward very much to helping my new team-mates this season and for many years to come.

Having played against Chelsea many times since coming to England, and in some very big games I will never forget, I know there are many great players here and I will work hard to win a place in the team.

I hope I can score some important goals for the supporters to enjoy this season.”

Rather predictably, upon hearing the news mobs of livid ‘Pool fans took to the streets to burn ‘Torres’ replica shirts.

Classy…and not at all ‘hideously reactionary’ and/or ‘ridiculously unmerited’.

Anyway, you can read Soccerlens‘ full report (which includes photos of Nando posing with his new blue jersey) by following this ‘ere link.

Oh Carroll…

Having broken their transfer record once already by doling out £22.8 million for Ajax forward Luis Suarez around tea time, Liverpool saw fit to put the boot through their record once again just a couple of hours later – when they snapped up target man Andy Carroll from Newcastle and payed £35 million for the privilege.

Both the Torres and Carroll transfer sagas ran parallel for the majority of the day, each deal’s fate intertwined with the other, and as soon as Chelsea returned to Liverpool with a £50 million bid for the former, Liverpool were able to stump up the £5 million extra needed to successfully trump their opening £30 million gambit (which was rejected) for the Toon striker.

There were reports that Alan Pardew had also rejected Liverpool’s second offer, though it later emerged that Carroll handed in a transfer request over the course of the afternoon – thus making it clear that the boy who’s only dream it was to ape Alan Shearer in the annals of Newcastle folklore had decided that his future lay elsewhere.

One thought: Under the terms of his bail agreement, will Carroll now have to live with Steven Gerrard?

Second fiddle…

It’s worth noting that Chelsea spent £75 million on new faces yesterday as, along with furore caused by a certain Spaniard’s defection, the Blues also dished out £25 million on Benfica centre-back David Luiz – just a day after the Portuguese club issued a statement to say that the deal was ‘dead in the water’.

Speaking via the club’s official website, the 23-year-old defender issued a brief statement of intent:

“I am delighted to be joining a big English club, and I know very well the quality that Chelsea has.

It is a major challenge for me but I am determined and confident in my ability to adapt to this excellent league, and I look forward to meeting my new team-mates.”

As the deadline loomed, Luiz put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Nearly Adam…

Despite a rolling boil of underlying rumour and conjecture, Charlie Adam has woken up today as a Blackpool player – rather than at Liverpool, Manchester United or even at Tottenham.

Throughout the course of yesterday, several thousand ‘leaks’ made their way onto the live blogs of several national newspapers/corporations, telling of various ‘Adam sightings’, i.e. at Liverpool’s Melwood training complex, in a cab on the way to Carrington, eating a BLT at Spurs Lodge…etc…etc…

According to those diligent bods over at Sky Sports News, Tottenham indeed had two late bids turned down for Adam though, as with most of the hyperbole flung at you by Murdoch’s over-excited minions on deadline day, their reports remain unsubstantiated.

The best of the rest…

• Kyle Bartley (Arsenal to Rangers, loan)

• Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach to Aston Villa, loan)

• Stephen Ireland (Aston Villa to Newcastle, loan)

• Isaiah Osbourne (Aston Villa to Sheffield Wednesday, loan)

• Obafemi Martins (Rubin Kazan to Birmingham, loan)

• Ruben Rochina (Barcelona to Blackburn, undisc.)

• Mauro Formica (Newell’s Old Boys to Blackburn, undisc.)

• El-Hadji-Diouf (Blackburn to Rangers, loan)

• Andy Reid (Sunderland to Blackpool, loan).

• James Beattie (Rangers to Blackpool, loan),

• Jason Puncheon (Southampton to Blackpool, loan),

• Sergei Kornilenko (Zenit St Petersburg to Blackpool, loan)

• Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea to Bolton, loan)

• Jacob Mellis (Chelsea to Barnsley, loan)

• Apostolos Vellios (Iraklis Thessaloniki to Everton, nominal).

• Paul Konchesky (Liverpool to Nottingham Forest, loan)

• Conor Thomas (Coventry to Liverpool, loan)

• Cameron Stewart (Manchester United to Hull, undisc.)

• Eidur Gudjohnsen (Stoke to Fulham, loan)

• Tuncay Sanli (Stoke to Wolfsburg, £4.5 million)

• Paulo da Silva (Sunderland to Real Zaragoza, undisc.)

• Gio dos Santos (Tottenham to Racing Santander, loan)

• Frank Nouble (West Ham to Barnsley, loan)

• Paul McCallum (Dulwich Hamley to West Ham, undisc.)

• Connor Sammon (Kilmarnock to Wigan, undisc.)

• Andy Keogh (Wolves to Bristol City, loan)

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens is going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

What King Kenneth wants…

Newly-instated Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has scheduled a meeting with the club’s hierarchy (including owner John Henry, who flew in from the States on Tuesday) later today and the national press are adamant that the Scot will use the opportunity to ask for a shed-load of cash to spend on a shed-load of players.

Whilst the Guardian seem certain that a right-back and a striker will be prioritised, the Daily Mirror are suggesting that Dalglish will plead for a ‘midfield enforcer to ride shotgun alongside Steven Gerrard‘, as well as £10 million-rated Southampton prodigy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (though Arsenal are also rumoured to be ‘close’ to tying up his signature) and a clutch of ‘more experienced strikers’ to be bought in during January.

And just who are these ‘more experienced strikers’?

Well, the Mirror proffer forth the names of Ajax’s toothy hitman Luis Suarez, Dutch winger Eljero Elias, Wigan’s wantaway flanker Charles N’zogbia, Chelsea youngster Daniel Sturridge and Cluj target man Lacina Traore.

Oh, and that midfield enforcer we mentioned earlier? Well it seems that it will either be Dutch destroyer Mark van Bommel, Sunderland’s resident red-card magnet Lee Cattermole, West Ham’s blustering dynamo Scott Parker, Wigan’s Mohamed Diame or Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra.

Which, all-in-all, amounts to 11 potential new faces at Anfield. Top work.

Benzema mulling over Houllier reunion?…

With Gonzalo Higuain finally succumbing to a herniated spine that is now likely to see him ruled out for the next four months, you’d assume that Karim Benzema‘s first-team prospects at Real Madrid immediately took an turn for the better this week  – not so, according to those good folk over at the Daily Mirror.

The rag are ruminating that, should Madrid seek a loan deal for Manchester City wastrel Emmanuel Adebayor to plug the gap left in Higuain’s absence as planned, ‘Benny’ will find himself with no option but to reunite himself with his former Lyon mentor Gerard Houllier who, as I’m sure you’re aware, is in charge over at Aston Villa these days.

Sound reasoning, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Liverpool in for Inter sprinter…

Presenting: the 12th man that Liverpool have been linked with in this morning’s gossip columns.

Reports emanating from Italy are suggesting that the Reds have put somewhere in the region of £8 million aside with the express intent of making a summer bid for Inter Milan’s Nigerian forward Victor Obinna, i.e. the West Ham loanee that almost put paid to Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson‘s dreams of siring an heir in the Carling Cup the other night.

Obinna has previously stated that he wouldn’t be against remaining at Upton Park after his loan spell finishes, but it is equally possible that the 23-year-old may have his head turned if presented with the possibility of battling mid-table obscurity rather than relegation at Anfield.

A finger in every Pie-naar…

The Sun seem adamant that Chelsea have definitely submitted a £3 million bid for Everton’s clock-watching winger Steven Pienaar, with the soon-to-be-out-of-contract South African keen to leave Goodison in search of Champions League football.

Tottenham are also known to be circling, but it is thought that Chelsea have ‘jumped straight to the front of the queue’ by getting their act together and filing an offer in January – rather than waiting until Pienaar becomes a free agent in the summer.

It looks as though the Toffees may have already lined up Pienaar’s replacement, with former Manchester United winger Chris Eagles expected to seal a £1.5 million switch from Burnley within the next couple of days.

The best of the rest…

• Rather worryingly, Arsenal are still working towards the signing of Matthew Upson – though manager Arsene Wenger is only willing to pay £500,000 for the centre-back’s rather lumpen services.

• Newcastle are in talks with Cardiff over a move for ‘England striker’ Jay Bothroyd…

• Leicester City have snapped up Everton striker Yakubu on loan until the end of the season…

• The agent of Bayern Munich scrapper Mark van Bommel insists his client would prefer a move to England after being heavily linked with AC Milan earlier in the week…

• Aforementioned Brum midfielder Sebastian Larsson‘s proposed move to Newcastle has been called off after the two parties failed to agree terms…

• Sunderland have lodged an offer of a permanent deal for PSG winger Stephane Sessegnon, after having several loan approaches for the Benin international dismissed by the Ligue 1 side…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News