Bale, Suarez staying next season

Staying, for now ... Steven Gerrard backs Luis Suarez's Anfield stay. Source: Andrew Yates / AFP

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard back their club's star players to remain for next season.

Villas-Boas has been assured that talisman Gareth Bale will be at White Hart Lane next season, regardless of whether Spurs qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

The Wales international forward, who added the Football Writers' Association award to his PFA double on Thursday, is one of the most sought-after players in world football having drawn interest from various clubs throughout Europe.

Villas-Boas sparked fears over his future last week as he claimed the Spurs superstar could leave the club this summer if they failed to make the top four.

But the Spurs boss back-tracked on Thursday, stating his comments had been misunderstood, and said he would be surprised if the 23-year-old left White Hart Lane.

Villas-Boas said: "The information that I have from the club, which was mistakenly written about last week, is that the player is here to remain, independent of the objectives of Champions League qualification being achieved or not.

"I would be extremely surprised (if he left).

"In football anything can happen. It's impossible to predict, but this is the assurance I have had from the club.

"We understand that the more awards the more recognition the player will have, the more media attention, but the club has to move forward by holding onto its best players.

"With the recognition and the further experience that he has had from this year, next year for Tottenham he will be even more assertive."

Bale's progress this year has not gone unnoticed by Real Madrid, but Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy are digging their heels in over the player's future.

Villas-Boas added: "Whatever price tag the player has doesn't matter to us because he's our player.

"He's a player we have to hold onto for the remaining seasons to make sure that we reach our objectives and continue to progress as a club."

The Real hierarchy have always publicly remained coy on the prospect of adding Bale to their squad, but their sporting director Zinedine Zidane heaped praise on the Welshman this week, leading to speculation that a big-money bid could be on the cards.

Such words from a man of Zidane's standing will no doubt have caught Bale's eye, but Villas-Boas has no issue with the Frenchman's comments.

"It's fine, I have no problems with it," Villas-Boas said. "In the end it's great for a player of Zidane's dimension to be speaking about Gareth.

"It's good to have that public recognition from someone who has reached the biggest heights of the game."

Meanwhile at Anfield, Gerrard believes controversial striker Luis Suarez will remain at the Premier League club next season.

Suarez is currently serving a 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, leading to suggestions he may quit Anfield in the summer, but Gerrard is confident the Uruguay international will stay.

"Luis has done the right thing by apologising and taking his medicine," Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo.

"He's really unhappy he can't help the team, and he was really down when the ban came through. But once he is back from his ban, we will be the ones that benefit.

"Luis will want to make it up to the club and the team that he has been out for so long. He will be desperate to atone for that.

"I don't think that what's happened to Luis will affect him much in terms of his future. Maybe one day we will have to accept that Luis wants to move on, and that will be his decision.

"But I don't see any signs of it at the moment. Luis has been really happy here at Liverpool and he seems settled here. I don't see him wanting to leave right now."

Gerrard did concede they need to strengthen the squad in the summer though, with a new forward high on manager Brendan Rodgers' shopping list.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know we still need another striker," he said.

"You look at top teams in Europe and at United, City and Chelsea, and they all have three or four top strikers. That's something we haven't had.

"We had one until January. Then Sturridge came in and we have two. In my opinion, to compete at the top we need to have three or four strikers."

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/8685428/Andre-Villas-Boas-dismisses-claims-Gareth-Bale-will-leave-Tottenham-this-summer

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Suarez accepts 10-game suspension

Banned ... Luis Suarez has accepted a 10-game suspension. Source:AFP

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez on Friday said that he did not appeal against a 10-match ban for biting an opponent because he did not want to give "the wrong impression'' about his unacceptable behaviour.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	34	27	3	4	43	84
2	Man City	33	20	8	5	29	68
3	Arsenal	34	18	9	7	30	63
4	Chelsea	33	18	8	7	31	62
5	Tottenham	33	18	7	8	17	61
6	Everton	34	14	14	6	13	56
7	Liverpool	34	13	12	9	19	51
8	West Brom	33	13	6	14	-1	45
9	Swansea	33	10	12	11	1	42
10	West Ham	34	11	9	14	-7	42
11	Fulham	34	10	10	14	-8	40
12	Southampton	34	9	12	13	-7	39
13	Norwich	34	8	14	12	-20	38
14	Sunderland	34	9	10	15	-7	37
15	Stoke	34	8	13	13	-11	37
16	Newcastle	34	10	7	17	-17	37
17	Aston Villa	34	8	10	16	-27	34
18	Wigan	33	8	7	18	-23	31
19	QPR	34	4	12	18	-27	24
20	Reading	34	5	9	20	-28	24

The Football Association (FA) governing body had earlier revealed that the Uruguay striker had not lodged an appeal after he was suspended on Wednesday for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic on the arm.

The decision means the 26-year-old Uruguay international will miss the final four matches of the English Premier League season and the first six of the next campaign.

Suarez posted a link on his Twitter account (luis16suarez) in which he explained his decision, saying that he hoped for a swift return and to learn from the experience to improve his behaviour.

"I would like to explain to everybody that I decided to accept the ban because whilst 10 games is clearly greater than those bans given in past cases where players have actually been seriously injured, I acknowledge that my actions were not acceptable so I do not want to give the wrong impression to people by making an appeal,'' he said.

He also restated his apology for his actions, saying he was ``truly very sorry'' about the incident with Ivanovic.

The FA later issued a statement saying the penalty was designed to ``discourage any players at any level from acting in such a deplorable manner or attempting to copy what they had seen on the television.''

The FA Regulatory Commission report read: ``The incident of biting an opponent is alien to football and must remain so.''

The panel also chided Suarez for not appreciating the gravity of his bite.

"This truly shocking incident had been seen by millions of viewers both domestic and overseas, as well as generating a great deal of interest and debate amongst countless numbers of people.''

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers criticised the FA for indicating ahead of the hearing that the suspension would top the statutory three matches.

Rodgers said: "If you are an independent panel and yet the day beforehand the FA come out and say he (Suarez) will serve more than three games it is not independent because they are already putting pressure on the sanction.

"There is a prejudice there straightaway.''

Suarez is currently the Premier League second top scorer with 23 goals, one behind Manchester United's Robin Van Persie.

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Liverpool slam 'absurd' Suarez ban

Who's the victim? ... Suarez's ban has been the source of much debate. Source: PA Wire / AAP

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has slammed the English Football Association for prejudicing the hearing that resulted in a 10-match ban for Luis Suarez.

And in an even more incredible outburst, goalkeeper Pepe Reina has labelled the ban as "absurd" and said Suarez has been treated differently by the FA because he's Uruguayan.

Reds striker Suarez was hit with the suspension on Thursday morning (AEST) after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during last weekend's 2-2 draw at Anfield.

The Uruguay international will miss the rest of this season and the first six games of next season and it has been reported that Suarez is now considering whether to quit English football in protest at the severity of the punishment.

Faced with the possibility of losing his star forward, who has scored 30 times for Liverpool this season, Rodgers turned his fire on the FA.

He was infuriated not only by the independent panel's ruling, but also the FA's decision to state prior to the hearing that the statutory three-match suspension for violent conduct would be "insufficient".

"We need to understand what an independent panel is," Rodgers said.

"If you are an independent panel and yet the day beforehand the FA come out and say he (Suarez) will serve more than three games it is not independent because they are already putting pressure on the sanction."

Claiming that Suarez has been victimised due to his controversial personality, Rodgers referred to the 2006 cases of Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, who escaped with just a booking for biting West Ham's Javier Mascherano, and Chester's Sean Hessey, who was banned for five matches for a bite on Stockport's Liam Dickinson.

"For him to receive that (10-match ban), when the comparisons of the similar incidents is somewhat different, then that is what is hard to take."

This despite the 26-year-old having a previous seven-game ban in Holland for biting PSV midfielder Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax and an eight-match suspension last season English for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Rodgers added: "I felt it could have been 12 games but with a six-game ban and six games suspended, looking at his future behaviour.

"I can't help but look at it and look at the sanction which has been put on Luis and I honestly feel the punishment has been against the man rather than the incident."

Reina believes Suarez, who has until noon on Friday to appeal against the additional seven-match ban, has been singled out because of his nationality and past misdemeanours.

"I consider myself a friend of Luis," Reina told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

"People in England are treating him different because he is Uruguayan; because he has had a previous episode like this.

"He knows perfectly well that what he did was wrong but a 10-game ban seems to me absurd, out of proportion and unfair. It seems that the people making the decisions have got it in for Luis a little bit.

"I know Luis and I know that he is the complete opposite (off the pitch): he is a magnificent person and great team-mate. But because of the way he plays, he is aggressive and very competitive, he plays like a street player and sometimes the way he is gets him into trouble.

"There is a lot of hypocrisy. Some players are treated differently to others. In the racism cases: the one with proof got a four-game ban and Luis got eight matches."

Asked if he felt there was xenophobia in England, he added: "No, but there is hypocrisy - a different measure is used."

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/8670697/Pepe-Reina-hits-out-at-absurd-10-game-ban-for-Liverpool-s-Luis-Suarez

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Suarez hit with 10-game ban for bite

Long rest ... Suarez will miss the rest of this season and the start of next season. Source: Andrew Yates / AAP

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been suspended for 10 matches for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in last weekend's Barclays Premier League match at Anfield.

"A three-person Independent Regulatory Commission today upheld The FA's claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient and the player will serve a further seven first-team matches in addition to the standard three," the Football Association said on its website.

"The suspension begins with immediate effect," it added, effectively ruling him out for the start of next season.

Liverpool were quick to react, with managing director Ian Ayre declaring the club was "shocked and disappointed" by the "severity" of the FA's decision.

Suarez has until midday Friday (9pm AEST) to appeal the additional suspension to the violent conduct charge against Ivanovic in Sunday's 2-2 draw.

The Uruguayan striker had pleaded guilty to the charge but had denied the FA's claim that his initial three-match ban was not enough.

The 26-year-old Suarez is no stranger to lengthy bans.

In 2010 he was suspended for seven matches in the Netherlands when he sank his teeth into PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal, leading to him being dubbed the "Cannibal of Ajax".

And last year the FA banned him for eight matches and imposed a £40,000 ($A60,000) ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

French defender Evra made fun of Suarez after United captured the Premier League title with victory over Aston Villa on Monday by producing a bloodied fake arm.

Suarez has apologised to Ivanovic, who suffered a bruised arm from the bite, and the Chelsea defender has acknowledged the apology.

Liverpool moved quickly to deal with the latest crisis surrounding their star striker and imposed a club fine which is being donated to the support group for families affected by the Hillsborough stadium disaster, in which 96 people died.

The latest controversy came just two days after Suarez was named on the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award.

With the votes already counted, the forward will remain eligible for the award.

View the original article here

Paper Talk: the Suarez edition

Paper Talk ... Patrice Evra enjoys the last laugh over Luis Suarez. Source: AFP / FOX SPORTS

We're going off early with this week's Paper Talk.

You could call it the grand final edition, some light-hearted fun after two Championships in three days, courtesy of Central Coast Mariners and Manchester United. 

But it’s more like the good, bad and ugly edition, courtesy of Luis Suarez. 

If this is a wrap of the papers, it has to be dominated by the Liverpool talisman, who has polarised opinion since munching on Branislav Ivanovic on Monday. 

The Cannibal of Ajax returned, taking the meaning of feeding off scraps in the box to a whole new level … 

Plenty want the 26-year-old banished from Anfield, with many proclaiming the higher moral standards and proud history of the club demands such action. 

Despite Liverpool’s swift public response – a vast improvement on last year’s PR debacle involving Patrice Evra and Kenny Dalglish’s reaction – and determination not to undermine the club’s storied values and ethics, Suarez will remain at the club.

He was always going to. 

Gary Neville gives a players’ perspective: "As I have had team-mates who have done wrong and as I have done wrong myself in the past, do I throw you overboard? I would think they have let their team-mates and their football club down and created pressure.

"But I would never for one minute think, 'throw the man overboard'. The idea Suarez can never play for Liverpool again or the idea he should be thrown out of the country, for me, is nonsense and an overreaction.

"He has made a big mistake. He knows that. He has got to try and win people back. He has got to get better. When you make mistakes, you have got to get better."

How can Brendan Rodgers afford to let go of a player capable of scoring 30 or more goals per season, at a price, arguably, lowered by his current ‘damaged goods’ status? 

They can’t. 

Former Liverpool and USA goalkeeper Brad Friedel summed it up: "(Liverpool’s owners are) businessmen and won't want to just get rid of a £22m investment. They will try to work with him."

So, as the Guardian's Andy Hunter writes, "the prized asset continues to come before reputation in football".

But as we've seen time and time in Australian sport, where players like Todd Carney, and even now, possibly Josh Dugan, re-emerge in the NRL after being cut by their club for misdemeanours, the player inevitably re-emerges in another shirt to haunt their former employer. 

So Liverpool keep their asset, he'll continue to score goals and remain the focal point of Brendan Rodgers' side. 

But ... 

"We’ll all meet again in our trenches again some time in the future, dissecting some bizarre incident, arguing whether the levels of denunciation are appropriate," writes The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe.

"What’s that you say? There may not be a next time?

"Suarez’s career history suggests there will always be a next time." 

EVRA’S LAST LAUGH

Check out the video at the top of the page; as Patrice Evra enjoys his lap of honour at Old Trafford, a spare arm was thrown for him to enjoy, right on cue. 

HE ONLY BIT HIM! 

Is biting as bad as it gets or are one of these choices the worst?

Say what? 

That’s been a bit of coffee-shop talk since Ivanovic’s arm proved too delectable to ignore. 

He didn’t lunge in dangerously like Wigan’s Callum McManaman recently, or even Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero on David Luiz recently. 

No one was hurt. 

But here’s the thing – it might not be a ‘football’ crime, per se. But it’s a life crime. 

Over to the best summary I’ve heard of the matter: "if a dog had done that, he'd be put down," Barry Glendenning mused on The Guardian’s podcast. 

When you put it that way ... 

LUIS, YOU SHOULD’VE TRIED THIS

Maybe the Uruguayan is just misunderstood? 

Look, maybe he was trying to imitate Nice defender Renato Civelli in the above video, who puckered up and tried to land a big sloppy one on Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Ligue 1 in France on the weekend. 

For the record, Paris Saint Germain won 3-0.

And big Zlatan looked about as best pleased as Ivanovic, who still hasn’t accepted Suarez’s apology. 

WORST ACTS? 

I think we’ve found one. 

Talk about seeing red … it shouldn’t be flowing from the referee’s scone! 

Check out this clip from Indonesia. 

All we'll say is Raya Persiwa's Pieter Rumaropen will be joining Suarez on detention for a very long time.

BENFICA

To some football from around the world and my word, this is some football. 

Benfica beat Sporting Lisbon 2-0 on the weekend – but this 75th minute strike from Rodrigo Lima is as good as you’ll see, rating on the brilliant individual and team-goal radar. 

IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HIM, HE'S DELIGHTED

Credit to Manchester United, and Sir Alex Ferguson. 

It's the red half of Manchester being the noisy ones today, with Fergie happily gloating about his Premier League triumph. 

"Remember what this feels like," he told them at the end of last term, according to The Guardian, "and make sure they never get the chance to laugh at Manchester United again." 

Fergie was doing the laughing today, responding to Roberto Mancini's jibe that there was nothing between the teams. 

"I read his quote and he is right in one respect. In the games between us there was nothing in it but in the other games it has been different.

"We are a far better team than Manchester City at beating other teams. He doesn’t recognise we have been better in the other games."

While Roberto Mancini was busy planning his wardrobe for 2012-2013, Fergie was furiously plotting revenge. 

And that, Ryan Giggs says, is the secret to his success.

"That's the key to the manager's success," said Giggs. "The way he evolves and the way he is always looking forward and shows with the amount of young players we have in the team.

"These are exciting players and players who are going to be here for a very long time. They'll hopefully carry on that tradition of competing for trophies."

So no sooner does Robin van Persie make all Arsenal fans sink in their seat, with all United fans and neutrals watching his, volley over and over again, reports linking Fergie with another high profile attacking weapon escalate. 

This time, it's Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski. 

The Daily Telegraph reports: "Dortmund informed Lewandowski of a United bid last summer and, although the Champions League semi-finalists rejected the offer, the 24-year-old made it clear to the club that he wanted the transfer to be sanctioned."

For a fleeting moment, we were wondering what was going on at FIFA HQ on Monday. Were we finally getting some answers, at the same as some interesting reports began surfacing about more mis-used FFA money. 

The @SeppBlatter and the @FifaWorldCup accounts proclaimed: 

"FIFA executives held a meeting regarding the decision to host the 2022 World Cup in £Qatar.

"It was decided that the president Sepp Blatter is to step down due to corruption charges."

"Blatter" replied: "So what if I took money from Qatari prince? I am the family's bread earner."

Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility. 

View the original article here

Suarez accepts biting charge

Source:AFP

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has accepted a violent conduct charge from the English Football Association after biting an opponent.

But Suarez is disputing the FA's claim that the standard punishment of three matches is "clearly insufficient" despite sinking his teeth into Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a Premier League match on Sunday.

His punishment is set be decided on Wednesday by an independent regulatory commission.

Liverpool moved swiftly to condemn and fine Suarez on Monday.

Suarez was also suspended for seven matches in 2010 while playing for Ajax after biting a player.

After the first biting incident while at Ajax, trouble followed Suarez to the English Premier League.

He was suspended for eight games in December 2011 for making racist insults toward Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a match.

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Paper Talk: Suarez, Jose, Mancini

Growing rap sheet ... Suarez could miss Uruguay's crunch games. Source: Victor R. Caivano / AP

Welcome to Paper Talk - your wrap of the best yarns and videos doing the rounds.

Paper Talk begins this week in Santiago, where the cameras didn’t miss football’s famous antagonist Luis Suarez losing his cool during Uruguay’s 2-0 loss to Chile in a World Cup qualifier. 

Suarez couldn't help himself, and was caught on camera trying to land a punch on Gonzalo Jara.

The referee missed the incident, but retrospective action over the clash could take place, leaving the Liverpool striker in doubt for his country's remaining qualifiers.

Suarez doesn't exactly need another example to add to his rap sheet. But while we're on topic, how about this vision that emerged last weekend from a joint session between Liverpool's men and women.

Yeah, it's a cheap shot by Paper Talk. But we weren't the ones lunging late into a female during a game of keep ball! Fortunately, it all ended in laughs at the club's Melwood training ground. 

URUGUAY, IRAN, AUSTRALIA ...

Don't mention those three countries in the same sentence, pleeeasse! 

But Suarez could be missing from a Uruguay outfit now sixth in South American World Cup qualification, outside the top-four automatic spots. 

The fifth-placed team faces a showdown against an Asian opponent.

Now, despite all the doom and gloom in the wash-up to the Socceroos' draw with Oman, automatic qualification should still be in Australia's hands with two home wins in June. 

But, a slip-up, and a third spot in the group, could see Holger Osieck's side in an initial play-off against - gulp - Iran.

Iran for the right to play Uruguay? Our football lives flashing befor our lives? 

Please, let's get the job done in June!

BOYS, THIS IS HOW YOU PASS

Argentina are in super touch in South America, with the likes of Fernando Gago, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain complementing Lionel Messi's work - despite struggling in the Bolivian altitude. 

Back in Europe, and Messi's Spanish Barcelona teammates will return to Camp Nou relieved after silencing the sceptics with a 1-0 win over France in qualifying. 

The world champions were precariously placed going into the match - a loss would have had them five points behind the group leaders. 

But, as ever, Vincente del Bosque's side rose to the moment. 

How about this extraordinary stat, courtesy of The Guardian. In the 11 knockout games Spain have played since the Euro 2008 quarter-final against Italy (including this week's game as a 'knock-out' clash, for argument's sake), they have won all 11, without conceding a single goal in over 1000 minutes. 

Now, France are the team in a quandary, with a potential World Cup play-off against England looming should results not change. 

"Nobody wants to be in the play-offs but the fact is that in the World Cup qualifiers, only one team qualifies (automatically from the group)," said England manager Roy Hodgson. "And, in the play-offs, it's going to be a good team because in every group there are at least two good teams."

In the absence of Barclays Premier League action, England's media have spent the week comparing notes with Australia's press, examining the malaise of their national team.

Steven Gerrard even admitted they switched off and stopped playing in their 1-1 draw with Montenegro. 

But we digress. If you want fluent passing football, enjoy this clip courtesy of Barcelona's ladies side. Boys, this is how you do it! 

HIGH FOOT FEVER

What's with the high-foot fever at the moment?

Nani started it a few weeks back and there have been sightings all around the globe.

Shane Smeltz copped a dose - which went unpunished - in a World Cup qualifier on the weekend, but I'm confident we've found the best.

Hats off to Ukraine's Taras Stepanenko for his hamstring flexibility - but a straight red was the least the referee could dish out to him for smashing Moldovan defender Vitalie Bordian in the scone. 

Not much more to be said; check it out. 

YES WAY, JOSE

Jose Mourinho has told Sky Sports he loves London, he will return to the Premier League and, most intriguingly, he will not rule out a return to Chelsea.

The former Chelsea manager was spotted sneaking into Stamford Bridge to sample the friendly between Brazil and Russia. 

"I cannot deny that, despite this weather, I love it here, and as I said I have a house and I have big emotional connections with Chelsea and one day I think naturally I will have to be back to English football, or to Chelsea or to another club.

"Of course, Chelsea means to me differently than other clubs. Chelsea is in my heart as Inter is for example.

"One day I have to be back but again it is normal that I am in London. The same way I walk in my home city in Portugal, people see that as normal and this is normal, the same thing is normal when I am in London."

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/8599146/Real-Madrid-coach-Jose-Mourinho-won-t-rule-out-a-return-to-Chelsea

MORE MONEY TO TEMPT MANCINI - BUT NOT IN MANCHESTER

The Daily Mirror reports that French club Monaco are trying to tempt Roberto Mancini to gamble on a move to Ligue 1. 

He has reportedly been offered a £170m transfer fund by Russian billionaire owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, the 97th richest man in the world, according to Forbes, who wants to offer a three-year deal worth £22m in wages.

Rybololev wants to pitch Monaco, on the cusp of promotion from Ligue 2 under Claudio Ranieri, in a duel with Paris Saint Germain in the money-bag stakes. 

MADRID CAN FINALLY GET THEIR MAN 

 

Sergio Aguero isn't happy in Manchester, according to reports in England, and Real Madrid are ready to rescue him. 

They couldn't land the striker they have coveted for years because he played for local rivals Atletico, who wouldn't dare sell their star to their neighbours. 

So a move to Manchester is the break in the chain they were waiting for, and £45million - and potentially Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuain - is being readied to make the deal happen. 

TOURE DENIAL - 'FOR THE MOMENT'

This looks, um, re-assuring for City fans. For the moment. 

Yaya Toure: "I am not heading for PSG. I have not given any agreement with any club. I am a City player for the moment."

UNITED CLEAR OUT

The Guardian also reports that Sir Alex Ferguson is getting ready to clear the decks.

"Manchester United are having a £60m summer clearout and Anderson, Antonio Valencia, Javier Hernández and Nani have to go!" 

Players out, who comes in? I wonder ...

ONE FOR THE HAPPY HACKERS 

It wouldn't be Paper Talk without a miss or two to make us all feel a little better about ourselves ...

BUT WATCH THIS ...

And I bet you won't be feeling as good. Back to the practice pitch!

MARIO'S MOMENT

"When you are dealing with a talent like this, you just need patience," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli told reporters on Wednesday.

"The moment eventually comes when the talent has to take on his share of the responsibility and stand on his own feet. This is the right moment for Balotelli.

"I have to compliment him on his relaxed approach, his belief and his quality."

VILLA NEED TO KEEP BENTEKE

The Daily Mail reports that Tottenham are among the clubs chasing Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, while Borussia Dortmund have their eye on Andreas Weimann, who has impressed in recent weeks as well.  

Paul Lambert is desperate not to lose his marksman, but with Inter Milan and Manchester City also circling around the Belgian, the relegation battlers will hope the striker can keep focused over a crucial few months at Villa Park.

TERRY TO FOLLOW DIDIER? 

John Terry's best days at Chelsea are behind him, and maybe he's taken note of Didier Drogba's move to Turkey with Galatasaray.

The Daily Mail has linked the Chelsea skipper with a move to Fenerbahce, saying: "the Turkish side are eager to compete with rivals Galatasaray for big-name signings and have earmarked the 32-year-old as a potential recruit. 

"Terry still has a year left on contract and will wait until the summer before making any decision on whether to leave Stamford Bridge."

View the original article here

Impossible task: RVP, Suarez, Bale

Who's the best ... EPL guns RVP, Bale and Suarez will be vying for individual honours. Source:AFP

The end of the Premier League season is fast approaching, meaning so too is the awards season and this edition will prove to be as contentious as it will be controversial.

Who has been the best player this season?

There are three clear contenders. Robin van Persie, Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez … but no clear winner. Somewhat reminiscent of boxing’s alphabet belts, there are three main gongs.

PFA Player’s Player of the Year – Voted by the players through their union from the start of February (do they still use carrier pigeons?). It is the most prestigious in the players’ eyes, because they vote for it. Journalists would argue ... “why the hell is a popularity contest amongst peers so... popular?”.

FWA Player of the Year – Voted by 400 journalists, with polls open from April 25 and all done electronically (pigeons be done with!). Players would argue... “what the hell would a bunch of scribes know?”.

Premier League Player of the Year – Obviously only takes into account deeds in Premier League matches, voted by a panel of fans, media and governing body types towards the end of the season. Players and uninvited journo’s might argue... “what the hell would that lot know?”

Occasionally, like Wayne Rooney (2009-2010) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2006-2007 & 2007-2008),  a player wins all three after a brilliant season. Most of the time – there is no unanimous decision and nothing is really solved, leading to many a syrup-barn argument.This year is a mix of both as Suarez, Bale and RVP have had standout seasons. One of them could sweep the pool and could say they’d deserve it. A case for each, if you will.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE

The reigning PFA and FWA Player of the Year started the season in similar form, putting Manchester United in prime position to regain the title with his unplayable performances and countless late winners. At the turn of the year, it was almost a case of give him the trophies, with not just his 19 goals by New Years Day, but by making everyone else around him better. The situation has changed. He’s still vital, however when United needed something special in the two legs against Real Madrid... close, but no cigar.

Falling into a camera hole on the pitch at Loftus Rd didn’t help. (How dumb is that by the way, a three-foot hole, just beyond the byline)  He’s scored one goal since the end of January and when does voting open on the PFA Award? The start of February. A big chance to win My Kitchen Rules, too, but no longer the favourite for any of these awards which is a little mystifying as its Player of the Season, not player for the period after Santa.

LUIS SUAREZ

Mr Contention himself. Always in contention to do something incredible; always a contentious figure in the eyes of the opposition. The current idol of Anfield, Steven Gerrard says of his heir apparent – "if he doesn’t win an award this year, he’ll be the best player ever not to win an award" So the PR campaign is in full swing, but they have little say in the vote. Facts back up the sentiment from loved ones. 29 goals in 39 games in all comps, the longest he’s gone without a goal this season is 6 games but even when not scoring, he’s a major contributor, with his devastating movement creating space for others to score in. Central when Liverpool are good, capable of dragging them out of the mud when they aren’t. Problem for Suarez is his ability to polarise.

GARETH BALE

RVP might have gone off when his players got the ballot sheets for the PFA Award, but this man has gone right off in the other direction.Thanks to 10 goals in nine games since the end of January, every single superlative in February went on the ‘endangered of becoming a cliché’ list.  Spurs fans and coaches might not like to admit, but without Bale there is more chance of the new Pope renewing Elton John’s wedding vows than Spurs making the Champions League. Currently in better form than RVP, and this shouldn’t come into it, but it will - more of a fan and media favourite than Suarez. Will be fascinating to see where the players rank them.

There is a strong case for all. The only true measurement might be the amount of interrupted sleep for opposing centrebacks the night before they play each of them.

If I had to go for one – and this is hard given the theatrics that go with this guy are hard to take – it’d be Suarez.
It is award for best footballer, not to find a model citizen for your sister. How Suarez influences games - for mine - has been more consistently brilliant over the journey of the season so far. Just.

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Bale, Suarez vie for top dog status

Battle of the big guns ... Gareth Bale will face Luis Suarez when Spurs head to Anfield. Source:AFP

Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger has warned Tottenham they face a tough test when they go up against them at Anfield on Sunday.

Spurs and talismanic forward Gareth Bale are in sparkling form at the moment, their 2-1 win over north London rivals Arsenal taking them up to third in the Premier League table before they easily accounted for Inter Milan in the Europa League.

But Liverpool have won their last three matches in all competitions, the most recent victory coming in the 4-0 triumph at Wigan.

That has offered encouragement to Denmark international Agger, who is convinced they can enjoy a successful end to a frustrating campaign.

"We are finally starting to show some consistency and that's what we need," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"It's vital we keep playing this way and try to get as high as possible in the league.

"What is the target for us now? I think we've all agreed that we only look at one game at a time. Our focus now is on Tottenham.

"But only having one game each week for the rest of the season should help us. When you have fewer games it's easier to recover between matches and that's important.

"We should be finishing this season strongly. There's still a lot to play for."

Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick in the win over Wigan to take his tally for the season to 28 goals in all competitions and with goalkeeper Pepe Reina also in fine form, Agger is convinced they are a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the field

"It difficult to compare strikers but Luis is certainly up there with anyone in the world," added Agger.

"He's in great form at the moment and it's great to see. But Pepe was also world class against Wigan and deserved a lot of credit from that game

"We know we have someone we can really rely on back there - both with his feet and his hands. We saw the best of him in that game."

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/8541861/Liverpool-defender-Daniel-Agger-issues-warning-to-Tottenham

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Can Suarez and his Merseyside mates stop the juggernaut that is Gareth Bale? Watch Fox Sports 3HD at 2.53am (EDT) on Monday 11 March to find out.

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'Suarez clearly player of the year'

Talisman ... Luis Suarez has been a gem for Brendan Rodgers. Source: Paul Ellis / AAP

Plenty have said that Gareth Bale is in a league of his own in the Barclays Premier League.

But it's more like a league of three - alongside Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan's weekend hat-trick against Wigan took his season tally to 21, becoming only the third Liverpool player to reach the milestone in a single Premier League season.

Last week we asked you to vote for the best player in the EPL at the moment. We wanted to know if you think RVP still deserves his spot on the pedestal, or if Bale's form is more than a perfect purple patch. Bale prevailed and the distance (at time of writing) between Suarez (343), in third place, and Chelsea's Juan Mata (67 points), in fourth, was staggering - 276 votes. 

Bale's recent exploits have seen him spoken about in rarefied terms usually reserved for Messi and Ronaldo. But Suarez's exploits this season cannot be understated. Liverpool's marksman carried the side in the first half of the campaign. Now he is flourishing with Steven Gerrard's return to fitness and the arrivals of Daniel Sturrige and Philippe Coutinho. He has the support crew and is relishing with the new service, as well as partners in crime. 

Suarez's Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers - who has Liverpool in a position to make a serious late push for Europe - says Suarez has been the league's main man this year. 

"For me there is not a better striker at the moment," said Rodgers.

"He is clearly the player of the year for myself and for many people around the country. He is absolutely incredible. Forget about his quality, it is his hunger and desire.

"He never wants to have an easy day and every time he comes onto the pitch he produces stunning performances and gives his maximum.

"It was a brilliant hat-trick for him and a great day for the team: to get the goals and a clean sheet was terrific."

Like van Persie last season, Bale and Suarez are both being linked with glamour moves in the off-season; Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are the main protagonists so far. 

Rodgers, however, remains confident of keeping his main man. 

"There will always be interest in top players and he is a world class player," Rodgers said. 

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	28	23	2	3	37	71
2	Man City	27	16	8	3	26	56
3	Tottenham	28	16	6	6	16	54
4	Chelsea	28	15	7	6	26	52
5	Arsenal	28	13	8	7	21	47
6	Everton	28	11	12	5	9	45
7	Liverpool	28	11	9	8	19	42
8	Swansea	28	10	10	8	5	40
9	West Brom	28	12	4	12	1	40
10	Fulham	28	8	9	11	-5	33
11	Stoke	28	7	12	9	-7	33
12	West Ham	28	9	6	13	-9	33
13	Norwich	28	7	11	10	-18	32
14	Sunderland	28	7	9	12	-7	30
15	Newcastle	28	8	6	14	-11	30
16	Southampton	28	6	9	13	-12	27
17	Wigan	28	6	6	16	-22	24
18	Aston Villa	27	5	9	13	-26	24
19	Reading	28	5	8	15	-20	23
20	QPR	28	3	11	14	-23	20

"I speak regularly with Luis and I had a good meeting with his agent a few weeks ago who expressed how much he wants to be a part of things going forward.

"He has is a real affinity here with the players, he is a real leader within the group for us, the supporters adore him, he loves the city and I think he genuinely sees there is a bright future for us.

"It is one where it could have been easy for him to walk out last summer (he instead signed a new contract) but he didn't and he is very happy."

For so long Gerrard was the talisman that Anfield's stars looked to in a moment of crisis. 

Now Suarez is the man providing the Kop with its inspiration. 

"There is not much more you can say about (Suarez) - he is world class and his hat-trick speaks for itself," Allen told the club's official website.

"His relationship, not only with the players he plays with but also the fans, doesn't really happen that often. He really is a hero and an idol for everyone. The way he is performing for this club, he deserves to be.

"With Luis, you know he is going to conjure something up at any given moment in a game. To have that in your team is enormous. He's always hungry for the ball and to get more goals - you can't really ask for much more."

Have you had your say in our poll? Who is the best player in the EPL at the moment? 

Have your say! 

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