RSSSwansea Related Content
Official: Ferguson becomes young by announcing Manchester United retirement
It all happened rather quickly. Over the past 24 hours, rumours over this matter quickly spread in the news as Fergie’s health is said to be at risk. On Wednesday morning, the two-time UEFA Champions League winner finally confirmed speculations. Parts of his statement revealed the followed:
“The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about. It is the right time.
“It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so.
“The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one.”
Roberto Martinez torn for choice ahead of Swansea encounter
As things stand in the Barclays Premier League, Wigan Athletic might not be able to devise yet another great escape courtesy of their manager. With 35 points from as many games, the Latics need to win all of their remaining games in order to steer themselves away from the relegation zone. In their next encounter, Wigan host Swansea City at the DW Stadium. Although Swansea have been a revelation this season, recent form suggests that now would be a great time to face Michael Laudrup’s side that has not registered a win in their last seven encounters and with the way they are playing, gives a clear feeling of end-of-the-season blues for a side that only a few months back, won its first piece of silverware in the form of the Capital One Cup.
Tottenham must be ruthless to avoid a possible slip up in the top four race
Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed one of their best seasons in recent years but still a top-four finish is far from certain. Spurs are currently fourth in the league with 54 points on the table after having played 30 games so far in the 2012/2013 Premier League campaign. Fourth place in one of the most competitive leagues, is a massive achievement indeed but considering the fact that Tottenham were in a far better position not so long ago, makes it a cause of concern for the team.
Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview
Team News
Neil Taylor and Kemy Agustien are out for Swansea. Chico Flores could win his fitness battle and be back for this game. Younes Kaboul and Sandro are out for Spurs. Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon are doubtful for Andre Villas Boas’ side.
Analysis
It seems that Tottenham’s annual plunge down the table has begun. They have lost their previous three games in all competitions on the trot. They are only four points ahead of Arsenal; also, the Gunners have a game in hand. Spurs is in danger of slipping out of the top four yet again. Their opponent is a team which has slid a little since a magnificent Capital One Cup Final victory. Swansea has lost four of their previous six league games including the last two. They sit ninth in the table.
Swansea City vs Arsenal Preview
Just when everyone expected Arsenal to show up at the Allianz Arena, put out 11 players and get laughed out of Munich, the Gunners managed to put on a brilliant performance in front of thousands of Munich fans who were left confused, yet relieved that the German side still went through.
If someone had thrown out the idea of the Gunners being the first team to defeat Bayern at home, while keeping a clean sheet, no one would buy into it. But, to the surprise of many, Arsene Wenger's side bounced back with a very solid defensive performance, along with a final five minutes which could have seen Arsenal pull off what many believed to be impossible after the first leg defeat.
The Gunners will return to league play on Saturday as they will visit the Liberty Stadium for the second time this season. On January 6th, the two teams met in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with Danny Graham providing late heroics for the Swans, forcing a replay at the Emirates.
EPL 2012-13 Fantasy Week 29: Reduced games could change strategy
It is a condensed 29th match weekend in the Premier League with only six games to be played thanks to the FA Cup quarter-finals and football fantasy managers will have some thinking to be done.Five of the top six teams in the Premier League table will be missing from action this weekend which could mean that many of your players may be absent from your fantasy teams. What will therefore be important is how you use the available substitution and who you choose as your captain.
The six matches in this 29th match weekend has Norwich playing Southampton, bottom-placed QPR taking on Sunderland, Reading and Aston Villa going head to head in a relegation battle, West Brom and Swansea fighting for the eighth spot, Newcastle looking to break the Stoke defence and Liverpool taking on Tottenham in what will be the game of the week.
League Cup Final: Swansea and Bradford in dreamland as they prepare for the Capital One Cup Final
Top flight English clubs have continued to ignore the Capital One Cup, formerly known as the Carling Cup. The low importance given to the competition has resulted in many terming it as the “Mickey Mouse Cup”.Most of the Premier League clubs and almost all of the top clubs in England tend to give more priority to the FA Cup and the League, with some of them also having to play in European Competitions. Many managers use this competition as a ground to nurture their young blooming talents, especially Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who used this competition to develop many of his star players including Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere.
Barclays Premier League: Team of the week. The players who stole the show
Football is a game of two halves and there is no denying this. Simon Mignolet made save after save against Arsenal to keep his side in the contest but the resilient keeper was finally beaten and Arsenal won the game 1-0. Szczesny matched the displays of Simon Mignolet in the second-half; this was much needed because Arsenal were down to 10 men. The Arsenal keeper made a series of saves and Arsenal ended up winning the game. Leighton Baines has been incredible this season, he has been scoring very freely for a defender and at the same time he does not ignore his defensive responsibilities. Baines could not prevent Everton from losing against Manchester United. A certain someone called Rafael stole the show. Rafael’s performance was a tour de force and the Brazilian deserves to be included in the team of the week.
Chelsea's Eden Hazard sent off for kicking a ball boy
In the 80th minute of the game the Belgium international appeared to kick the ball beneath the ball boy, who was lying on top of it.
Swansea City vs Chelsea Preview
Team News
Chico Flores is recovering from a knee injury for Swansea. Kemy Agustien is set to return this week from an ankle injury. Neil Taylor will seemingly not return till the last part of the season; he is suffering from an ankle injury. Chelsea’s David Luiz currently has a foot injury.…
Video - Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United and Arsenal 1-0 Swansea City
Wayne Rooney marked his return in Alex Ferguson’s starting XI with a 9th minute goal against West Ham United. This strike proved to be the only one in the game.
In the night’s other FA Cup, Jack Wilshere saved the day for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. The midfielder stole victory with an 86th minute strike.
Manchester United will now face Fulham in the Fourth Round of the 2012/13 English FA Cup whereas Arsenal will meet Brighton & Hove Albion. These matches will take place on January 26, 2013.
Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United video highlights
Arsenal vs Swansea City Preview
Coming off a frustrating defeat to Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal will have to rally the troops with Swansea City coming to town.
It was not to long ago that Swansea left London with a 0-2 victory with Michu lifting the Welsh side to glory. If Arsenal wants to avoid running into that same problem, they will need to make sure they are fully focused on Wednesday.
Taking a look at how Arsenal's season has gone thus far, the FA Cup could really be the Gunners only realistic shot at a piece of silverware this season. Had they not crashed out of the League Cup against Bradford City, they could well have had a chance to win that cup as well.
Chelsea vs Swansea City Preview
Team News
Petr Cech is out with a pelvic injury for Chelsea and will not return till late January. John Terry is set to return at the same time; he is out with a knee injury. Oriel Romeu is out till June due to a serious knee injury. A return date is yet to be set for Yossi Benayoun. The Israeli is…
Swansea City vs Arsenal Preview
Arsene Wenger will have bad memories as they head into their FA Cup match on Sunday to take on Swansea City. Their last meeting at the Emirates Stadium ended in a heart breaking defeat for the Gunners, leaving many if not all questioning the French managers future at the club.
The Gunners lacked creativity going forward and looked very suspect on the defensive side of the ball. The Swans new signing, Michu, was a handful for the Arsenal defense, and helped his side to a 0-2 victory with two late goals.
This time around, both sides will be competing for a spot in the next round of the FA Cup, and, the match will be played at Liberty Stadium.Swansea City vs Manchester United Preview
Team News
Neil Taylor and Darnel Situ are both out injured for Swansea City. Michel Vorm is back in training after recovering from injury but Gerhard Tremmel is set to continue in between the posts.
Pablo Hernandez and Angel Rangel are both doubtful for this clash. Shinji Kagawa, Jonny Evans and Anderson are all ready to play for United but might not be risked into comebacks this weekend.
Rafael should feature despite having a hamstring problem. Nick Powell and Nani are doubtful. Nemaja Vidic is ready for action.
Arsenal vs Swansea City Preview
Against Everton, Arsenal took the lead early thanks to some hard work from Theo Walcott along with a fortunate deflection off of an Everton player. Despite the early lead, Everton stayed fully focused on the task at hand and earned themselves a hard fought draw.
Swansea City vs Liverpool Preview
Team News
Michel Vorm continues to be absent for Swansea. Kyle Bartley, Leroy Lita, Neil Taylor, Ki Sung-Yeung and Darnel Situ are all out injured. Chico missed the last game but could return for this one for Swansea. Lucas Leiva, Fabio Borini and Martin Kelly are all out for Liverpool.
Analysis
Swansea has had the better of Liverpool this…
Swansea City vs Chelsea Preview
Team news and analysis
Chelsea will face Swansea City without John Terry who must serve the final part of his four-match ban. Also suspended is Branislav Ivanovic. Meanwhile, Fernando Torres is available after serving his one-match ban in midweek. The Spaniard was controversially red-carded against Manchester United last Sunday. Swansea City have Michel Vorm, Kyle Bartley and Neil Taylor on the sideline.
The Blues have gone through a lot during the past two weeks. First, they staged a mighty comeback at White Hart Lane against Spurs in the English Premier League. A few days after, Chelsea travelled to Ukraine looking to edge closer to Last 16 qualification in the Champions League. The titleholders however suffered a 2-1 upset.
Liverpool vs Swansea City Preview
Liverpool on Sunday allowed a two goal lead to slip against Everton. An own goal along with a Luis Suarez one saw them skip to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Everton replied quickly through two of their own. The move for Everton’s second equalizer was started off with an Everton throw. The throw should have gone to Liverpool at that point.In the second half, the game lost its intrigue. However, injury time was exciting and Suarez scored a goal. Some could argue that Suarez should have been sent off earlier for an extremely cynical foul which could have broken a colleague’s heel. He scored in injury time and his goal was chalked off for offside. Replays showed that he was definitely onside.
Manchester City vs Swansea City Preview
Analysis
After Wednesday’s atrocious defeat to Ajax, Manchester City will not dare take Swansea City for granted. Firstly, Manchester City will have to cope with a number of absences. James Milner was red-carded against West Brom and therefore cannot feature this weekend.
Jack Rodwell, Javi Garcia and Maicon are still out of action. Meanwhile, David Silva remains doubtful. The Spaniard is yet to completely shake off a hamstring injury. Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko will all be under pressure to justify their inclusion at Manchester City.
Newsletter Signup »
