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Roberto Di Matteo revealed he is ‘happy’ with life after being sacked by West Brom last season.The Italian was dumped as manager at the Hawthorns in February after West Brom slumped to the edge of the English Premier League relegation zone, despite having led the club back into the top flight the previous season.

After a break away from the game, he was sought out by new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas to be a part of his coaching staff, and Di Matteo said he was enjoying life at Stamford Bridge.

“About seven months ago, I was sitting eighth in the table, we had had a very good Christmas and people were asking me, ‘where do you see yourself in two years? In a big job?’. But by February I was on a beach somewhere and out of a job,” Di Matteo said.

“I’m quite happy that I left because I would not have otherwise had the chance to come here (to Chelsea), so life somehow always turns out well.”

“I did very well at West Brom considering what our target was at the time. The footballing industry recognised that and I guess that is one of the reasons I am sitting here today.”

“I’ve experienced being a manager and I would love one day to do it again. But I wasn’t expecting to be here today so God knows what’s around the corner.”

At 33, Villas-Boas is the youngest manager in the English Premier League, with many pundits questioning his ability to lead one of the top sides.

But Di Matteo, who made 119 appearance for Chelsea as a player, backed the Portuguese to be a success despite his lack of experience.

“Andre’s only managed for a couple of years, but he has been around clubs for 15 years,” he said.

“He’s been in dressing rooms and around players, so he knows very well how to manage them. He speaks five languages like that, it’s amazing how he switches, and he knows what he is doing. I don’t see any problems.”

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“We understood each other straightaway, and it’s been a very natural relationship. Our football ideologies were the same and it is something that we have not had to work on. It feels like we have known each other for 30 years.”

“We work very well together and there is a good spirit within the whole of the backroom staff. We have very defined roles and we support each other. He’s very determined, he’s very driven and I don’t think he sees me as a threat for one second.”

Manchester City are the latest team to be linked with a move for Southampton starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and are ready to hijack Arsenal’s move for the player.

Just a day after Arsenal seemed set to land the sought-after striker, Manchester City have declared an interest and are willing to offer Southampton more money for their 17 year-old prodigy. However Southampton have previously stated that they will only allow Oxlade-Chamberlain to join the team who are best equipped to continue his remarkable development, so City’s finances may have to take a backseat in negotiations.

City administrator Brian Marwood is expected to meet with the teenager’s advisors later this week in the hope that they can thrash out a deal before the window shuts which may include loaning Oxlade-Chamberlain back to Southampton for the rest of the season.

It is thought that Oxlade-Chamberlain is desperate to secure his big Premier League move as soon as possible and retains hopes that a deal can be signed in the remaining days of the window.

Liverpool and Manchester United are also known to have shown an interest in the player and it remains to be seen where he will end up in February.

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To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit a sensational reclamation of legendary status and a place in the history books.

There have been books written about Arsenal’s 2003/04 season of invincibility. Three years ago a film covering the unsurpassed achievement received a cinematic release. Outside the Emirates stand statues of the main protagonists.

Such cultural testimonies are deserving of an extraordinary 10-month spell of beautiful, enthralling football that avoided the taste of league defeat even once.  More so they rightfully celebrate an artistic masterpiece created by Arsene Wenger in his element that was granite to the core with Jens Lehmann and Sol Campbell and Gilberto Silva and made fantastical by the devilment of Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.

Yet when viewed as a whole it is all too easy to forget the toil behind the triumphs; the reserves of faith and fortitude that were dug deep down into to ensure that history was made. It is all too easy instead to think back on only the imperious fare that saw Henry glide his way to 39 goals across all competitions; to Bergkamp twinkling and scheming and the Gunners in another gear to all around them.

It cost to be so good. To be so good they had to go right to the precipice of losing everything.

The Good Friday of 2004 was one such afternoon. A week earlier they had been spoken of as treble chasers but an FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United put paid to that and then three days prior to a visit of Liverpool in the league came a crushing Champions League exit courtesy of Chelsea. Doubts emerged large and foreboding. Critics began to sharpen their pencils. And here, with a peerless season only eight games off and Chelsea refusing to give up the chase seven points behind them here was a Liverpool side – Gerrard, Owen and all – who were firmly in the hunt for a top four spot.

Worse yet, just five minutes in, Gerard Houllier’s men took the lead with a close range header from Sami Hyypia. Of course Arsenal remained calm – you simply don’t amass 22 wins and 8 draws consecutively without possessing indomitable self-belief – and duly restored order with a typically classy finish from Henry on the half hour mark.

But when Michael Owen capitalised on the longest slide-rule pass in living memory from Gerrard on 42 minutes that’s surely when the past seven days would have arose gurning and taunting. In the dressing room at the break that’s when the fear would have crept in. First the treble dream was snatched from them. Then their Champions League hopes. And now Liverpool had their tails up and Arsenal’s proud unbeaten record was in serious jeopardy.

Their response in the second period revealed not only their muster but why this was a special team. It was a stylish blitz that started from the get-go with Robert Pires levelling the score with a poke following some lovely movement and inter-play and from there the home side immediately took command. It was as if this second equaliser whooshed all of the joy and arrogance back into them, replenishing the side with faith. Almost from kick-off they retrieved possession and serviced Thierry Henry who loitered just outside the centre-circle.

The Frenchman tippy-tapped forward, shoulders hunched with intent and when faced with Didi Hamann decided to take the long route past him relying on a burst of pace. With a white-shirted wall ahead of him that season’s PFA Footballer of the Year (by a country mile) identified Jamie Carragher as his victim and slalomed past with ease leaving him only with the keeper to beat. From there a remarkable solo goal was inevitable.

“Who would argue that this is not the world’s hottest striker?” the commentator Peter Drury squealed, a claim posed as a question that gained further credos later in the game when Henry completed his hat-trick.

On Easter weekend 2004 Arsenal’s credentials and aspirations were put to the sword. They responded like Invincibles en route to legendary status.

What happened next?

Arsenal won and drew their way into the history books becoming the only English side in the 21st century to prevail through an entire season undefeated.

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Liverpool endured a campaign of frustration exiting every competition early on but at least securing Champions League qualification. In June, Gerard Houllier gave way to Rafa Benitez and a new era at Anfield was born.

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Liverpool’s strike force needs some urgent attention in the January transfer window and if the club managed to pull off a double swoop for Divok Origi and Gonzalo Higuain, they’d suddenly have all the firepower they need to really push up the table.

Technically, Origi is already a Liverpool player but he is currently on loan with Ligue 1 side Lille. The French team are very reluctant to let the 19-year-old leave in January but Liverpool appear to be determined to get him back at Anfield as soon as possible. It is believed Liverpool would have to pay a fee of around £4.6m to Lille to end Origi’s loan early. The young Belgian was very impressive in last year’s World Cup finals, scoring the only goal against Russia in the group stage to help Belgium qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

Origi possesses a great deal of pace and can take players on as well as being good in the air. He kept Lukaku on the bench at the World Cup so there is no doubting what he can bring to Liverpool. So far this season, the Reds have lacked a finisher up front and the goals have really dried up compared to last season’s devastating front pairing of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Although Origi is certainly talented, he is not exactly prolific. The striker has only scored three league goals in 17 appearances this season. However, at just 19, he possesses a lot of talent that suggests he will be more than able to adjust to the rigours of Premier League football, as well as being another star for the future at Liverpool.

The other striking target linked with a move to Anfield is Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain. The 27-year-old is one of the best out-and-out strikers in world football and his goalscoring record clearly proves this. Over the course of his career, he averages around a goal every two games. He bagged 15 goals in 35 River Plate appearances, an excellent 107 goals in 190 games for Real Madrid and he currently has 26 goals in 49 appearances for Serie A side Napoli.

Make no mistake about it, Higuain will bring goals to any side he plays for and if Liverpool can get hold of a striker who is entering the prime stages of his career, it would be an excellent signing for Brendan Rodgers. A bid of around £30 million will encourage the Naples club to part with their star striker. Liverpool are hoping that the sale of the controversial Mario Balotelli will raise enough funds to lodge a successful bid for the Argentinian striker.

If Liverpool only manage to bring one of these strikers in this month it would still great news for the club as there will be more options for Brendan Rodgers to choose from. Couple that with the imminent return of Daniel Sturridge and Liverpool suddenly have a competent strike force again. Many fans will be excited about the prospect of Higuain joining the club and Origi’s early arrival from France would be a boost to the Merseysiders’ European push.

If these transfers go through, Rodgers will feel that he has enough firepower to really push his team up the table. It has been a difficult first half of the season for Rodgers’ men but a successful January could change their fortunes. A rested Sterling returning to form the effective partnership with Daniel Sturridge and the potential of at least one new striker added to the mix in January will put Liverpool in a much healthier position than the one they occupy now.

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There is the potential for fortunes to change at Anfield as long as Rodgers gets it right this time.

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It’s taken until January, the midway point of Alex Song’s first season at Barcelona to really put in a good performance. Has he finally displayed his qualities at the Camp Nou, or was it a reflection of the opposition? One way or another, Song had his best game for Barcelona against Cordoba in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night.

But it’s not enough. It never will be enough. Is this really what the player wanted? It was reported by a number of outlets that Song had become too big for his boots at Arsenal, considering himself well above the regular routines and rules in place for everyone else. There’s no doubting that he thought himself as a soon-to-be Barcelona player last year well before his move, or at the very least an ex-Arsenal player.

He was bought into the club because Javi Martinez was deemed too expensive, and that’s perfectly understandable; while the former Athletic Bilbao player has started brightly at the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich certainly feel an incredibly heavy fee was spent on the player. But it doesn’t disguise the fact that big money was spent on Alex Song too. He was promised and showcased to be the versatile player that would fill in comfortably at both centre-half and in the midfield. Since his arrival and up until his most recent game, neither of those promises have come to fruition.

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For starters, Song has had to ditch his devil-may-care attitude and really pick up the tactical importance of being a Barcelona player. No more wandering off out of position and casually jogging back when possession was lost: no one, team-mate or coach would stand for that sort of attitude. And you could see as much in his early appearances for the club; Song had a knack for picking out a pass and his technique had been very good at Arsenal, but something was holding him back and forcing him to play the simple passes that make up Barcelona’s game.

However, that was all from a midfield position. At centre-back, he’s been nothing short of a huge disappointment. It’s largely due to the fact that Barcelona’s central defensive partnership need to play a very specific game, but it’s also because Song isn’t a natural centre-back. Playing in that position at various stages of his Arsenal career didn’t necessarily mean he should have been purchased with the idea of using him in defence. With Barcelona’s lack of numbers at the back due to injury—remember, Eric Abidal has also played very well at centre-back in the past — a natural defender should always have been high up on the agenda.

So was it worth it? It’s obviously too soon to tell, but Alex Song will never displace anyone in Barcelona’s midfield three as a matter of talent or application. It’s very difficult to think of a better holding midfielder in the game at the moment than Sergio Busquets, and finding a player who plays the game exactly as Barcelona need Busquets to do is bordering on impossible.

Song was also given licence, either by Arsene Wenger or himself, to push further up the pitch and play a role in the build up of goals. But again, that’s not his natural game. And again, he won’t displace anyone in the Barcelona team for that position.

For Song, and like Alex Hleb, Martin Caceres and a few others in recent years, it will remain a case that he simply won’t be good enough to make a lasting impression at the Camp Nou. He’s a good player, but one who perhaps didn’t think about the huge likelihood of warming the bench for much of his Barcelona career, however long it may be.

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He doesn’t bring anything to the team that isn’t already there, and with La Masia heaving with talent waiting for their chance, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Barcelona move Song on come the end of the season.

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Everton first-team boss Craig Shakespeare has said that Tom Davies is ‘very keen to learn’, and has backed the teenage midfielder to continue improving.

Davies joined Everton’s academy at the age of 11, and has progressed through the various youth teams to become an established member of the senior squad.

The 19-year-old’s debut for the first team actually came during the 2015-16 season, but his breakthrough came last term when he made 25 appearances in all competitions.

This term, Davies has scored once and provided two assists in 37 appearances for the Toffees, and has started each of the team’s last five matches.

Shakespeare has claimed that Davies’ willingness to listen makes him easy to coach, with the midfielder being tipped to go from strength to strength.

Shakespeare told Everton’s official website:

“He’s very keen to learn. He wants to analyse his games, wants input from the coaches and we’ve worked on a one-to-one basis with him showing him clips.

“I’m a big believer in that [analysing performances] from all players but particularly with young players – the enthusiasm they have for training relates then to the game.

“With Tom, you can see the enthusiasm that he carries in training – the distance that he covers but also then the enjoyment that he takes out of playing. To work with a player one-to-one is always a pleasure when they have that response and want to learn.”

Davies, who is extremely popular with the Merseyside club’s supporters, has featured in 27 of Everton’s 31 Premier League matches this season, and will hope to be involved in Saturday’s clash with division leaders Manchester City.

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When Arsenal first signed Santi Cazorla in summer 2012, he offered the north London club something uniquely different; ambidexterity, versatility and perhaps most importantly, goals from the middle of the park.

A cut above the likes of Tomaz Rosicky, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, the latter duo still finding their feet at top level, he was the cheaper yet equally acceptable alternative to Juan Mata, who Arsene Wenger had somehow surrendered to Chelsea the season previous.

Now however, he’s the playmaking effigy of Arsenal’s most intrinsic flaws and the squad’s dangerous imbalance. With rumours claiming Atletico Madrid, amongst others, are planning a January swoop for the Spain international, I’d argue it’s the right time for the Gunners to sell.

Not that I have anything against the cheeky-faced midfielder, but there are some cold hard truths to consider – particularly, Cazorla turning 30 years of age next week and his contract on the verge of entering its final eighteen months.

Arsenal may as well sell now while there’s still a market for the Spaniard; I’m sure we all remember the debacle of summer 2013 where unimaginable amounts were squandered in transfer fees and wages by letting Denilson, Andrei Arshavin, Park Chu-Young, Sebastian Scquillaci and Andre Santos all leave on free transfers due to a lack of demand. 

Not that Cazorla will necessarily fall into the category of a high-earning clinger-on. Few dispute he’s a quality player and a tactically advantageous one at that, being well acquainted with a plethora of diverse midfield roles. His unique versatility can equally influence the course of any given ninety minutes as it does a whole season.

Yet, we’re still waiting for the Spain international to replicate the incredible output of his debut Premier League campaign. Twelve goals and eleven assists was a haul matching the likes of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Steven Gerrard that season, but few would discuss Cazorla in such company now.

His overall contribution remains impressive and consistent – Cazorla currently creates the third-most chances per match of any Arsenal player for example, behind Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez – but it’s nothing unprecedented at a club of Arsenal’s calibre.

In many ways, that highlights the crux of the issue – the paradoxical dilemma at its beating heart.  Cazorla was once Arsenal’s best option in such progressive midfield capacities but now Arsene Wenger’s squad selections are almost burdened with endless like-minded choices for those roles.

Due to his ambidexterity alone – a sensational gift for any footballer – No.10 should be the Spaniard’s definitive position. He can spot passes and execute them on either side of the pitch without the necessity to turn or jostle his feet, maintaining the momentum of attacks.

Unfortunately however, he’s no longer the most talented, the most promising, the most dynamic, the most expensive or the most consistent No.10 in the Arsenal squad. Cazorla’s lost in the purgatory somewhere in between, often resulting in him being pushed out wide, into deep midfield or left out of the starting line-up all together.

Arsenal’s squad contains too many players of the same diminutive, creative mould and at some point over the next few transfer windows, Wenger will have to make some tough choices.

Gunners fans desperately desire that high-quality defensive-mid, but right now, there simply isn’t room for one in a roster that’s already seen seven different players, including Cazorla, feature in central midfield this season, ranging from Rosicky to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. They aren’t being played there out of choice; it’s Wenger’s compromise to get as much talent on the pitch as possible. There’s only one No.10 slot, after all.

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So why Cazorla? Why not Flamini or Arteta? Why not Rosicky or Podolski? Why not Mesut Ozil? Fair points indeed, but the only one likely to leave the Emirates any time soon is Flamini when his contract expires in the summer. Rosicky and Arteta recently signed new deals, Ozil cost the club £42million just 18 months ago and for whatever reason, Wenger appears hell-bent on keeping hold of bit-part forward Podolski. If you think Wenger would dare part with Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain or his pet project, Jack Wilshere, any time soon, you probably need to check your medication.

Unfortunately for Cazorla, he’s the wrong man at the wrong time, his age and contract status coinciding with Arsenal’s desperate need for more variety.

That may be an unpopular critique with some sectors of the Gunners fan base but ask yourself this simple question; would you accept Cazorla’s departure in January if it paved the way for a defensive midfielder next summer?

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Newcastle have cancelled their Christmas party after a terrible string of results has left them languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League table.

The Magpies’ 3-1 home defeat by reigning champions Manchester City at the weekend was their sixth in seven league outings, leaving them in 15th place, just two points above the relegation zone.

The Toon have travelled to Dublin and Glasgow in recent years to enjoy the festive season, but their recent form has left the club undeserving of celebrations this year, according to manager Alan Pardew, who now needs to steer them away from their perilous league position.

“It’s out of respect to our fans and what we have served them this year,” Pardew told the Evening Chronicle.

“There’s no party for us, and the same for the staff. That’s how it should be.

“Trust me, there have been horrible things said about our group and our staff, but we are together, and we are fighting and trying to put it right.

“The fans have to realise this isn’t just a game to us, it’s our livelihoods and our profession. It pays our bills.

“Not only that, we have to have a certain pressure of entertaining our fans, who pay good money to come and watch.

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“Looking at all those factors, we have not done enough this year. That’s why I think it’s right we called it off.”

Newcastle face Queens Park Rangers at St James’ Park on Saturday, knowing they will need a victory to help restore some confidence in a stuttering season.

Sam Allardyce says Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford does not deserve criticism, and quashes any claims of a bust up on the training ground.

Speaking ahead of the Blues’ clash with Brighton on Saturday, Allardyce said Pickford has been one of Everton’s “most consistent and outstanding” players this season, after the goalkeeper came under fire for his performance in the defeat at Burnley.

The 24 year-old England international made a fantastic save to deny a first half header from Ashley Barnes, but was beaten by the same man in the second half when he failed to come out and clear a long ball. Pickford was then crowded out at a Burnley corner, allowing Chris Wood to score the winner.

“There many mistakes before that one that should have been alleviated to not put Jordan in that position of whether he should have been farther out or not,” Allardyce said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

“If he’s made a mistake it’s not really that big a mistake, there were bigger mistakes made before that, that allowed Ashley Barnes to get in.

“So the responsibility lay in front of him a lot more and, let’s face it, he’s been one of our most consistent and outstanding players this year.”

Big Sam also disputed claims from Jamie Carragher that there may be conflict behind the scenes at Everton, after the pundit said he would have throttled Idrissa Gueye for sprinting to confront Pickford after the first goal.

“It’s not nice when it’s on the field of play,” admitted the Blues boss.

“But everybody today, in our politically correct world, think that then there is a real problem and escalate that into a problem.

“That isn’t a problem, that is someone airing their frustration in the right way, as long as it doesn’t go beyond that as a short, sharp burst.”

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Everton will welcome a return home to Goodison Park on Saturday when they face Brighton, after some torrid away results. However, Brighton will be full of confidence after last weekend’s win against Arsenal.

Everton fans, do you think you can beat Brighton on Saturday? Let us know in the comments below…

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The Championship is one of the most exciting leagues in the world. In every second tier of football around the world, nothing can beat the feeling of gaining promotion to the Premier League in England. Also, with an estimated £80m up for grabs by going up via the play-offs, lifting that trophy at Wembley, whether you’re experiencing as a player of watching in the stands, is one of the best moments in football.

Currently, Derby County occupy top spot, but the way this league has gone in the past few years, anyone in the top half of the table could potentially reach that all important automatic promotion spot. At the moment, Brentford in sixth could quite easily go into second in one matchday weekend if results go their way. Two weeks ago, Norwich City where sitting pretty at the top of the pack, now they have fallen like a stone and sit in 10th place, six points off the top – that’s how tight and punishing this league can be. Looking at the current squad and the experience of manager Steve McClaren, the Rams don’t look like slipping up anytime soon, and the recent 5-0 demolishion of fellow promotion chasers Wolves proved that.

So are the Pride Park outfit certain for promotion. Again, the way the league is, and has been for many years, anything could happen, and before you know it, Derby could find themselves scrapping at the wrong end of the table. With the squad in good shape, and players who know this league inside out, a blip during the season will not likely result in finishing in the bottom half. The severity will not be that high.

The current crop of players are good enough to perform at the highest level. England under-21 international Will Hughes is one of the most talented young midfielders in the country, and will eventually play regularly in the Premier League. Whether it’s for the club that brought him into the footballing world is a different matter.

Craig Bryson, who was voted Derby’s player of the season in the last campaign, was one of many to experience the heartache of last year’s agonising play-off final defeat at the hands of QPR. However, like Hughes, Bryson is another bright spark who can turn defence into attack in a blink of an eye, a trait that is often used at the top level. Forwards Jamie Ward and Jonny Russell have the pace and sprinting speed to cause havoc to the opposition defence, while Chris Martin, who has played in the Premier League with Norwich City, is deadly in front of goal.

Having a top gaffer in McClaren is also a fantastic asset. Yes, many will keep reminding him of his unsuccessful as the man in charge of the Three Lions, however, spending a couple of seasons abroad with FC Twente has helped become a better man manager and is now proving doubters wrong. With the intrigue and excitement of the Championship, Derby’s experience across the board at this level will be too strong for other teams and promotions should definitely be in sight by the end of the season.

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