Sentences with phrase «former midfielder played»

The former midfielder played for the Gunners for 12 years between 1985 and 1997 and is sometimes described as an «Arsenal Legend», but he seems to do nothing but talk badly about our club in recent years.

Not exact matches

«I've said many times before that I just want to play,» the former Ajax midfielder told the club's official website.

Most misplaced passes in the Premier League this term: Y.Kaboul (35) A.Ramsey (26) D.Janmaat (25) G.Barry (24) C.Benteke (24) R.Brady (24)-- Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 19, 2015 Unless, as the former Cardiff man was during the 13/14 campaign, he's positioned alongside a holding midfielder who can also carry the burden as our deeper playmaker similar to what Arteta did, playing Ramsey alongside a destructive midfielder like Coquelin just doesn't work.

Of course, losing wingers Robben and Ribery will have forced his hand slightly here, but it still shows a lack of a Plan B that Pep couldn't bring out a similar threat from other players like Gotze and Muller, who can both play wide, or indeed use Lahm in his preferred position of right - back and utilise his quality from there — in fact, the former Germany captain's use as a midfielder since this manager's arrival is one of many examples of his attempts at tactical innovation going wrong.

Having suffered an ankle injury in pre-season which kept him out for the first few months of the campaign, the former Spurs play - maker became a regular in the team at both centre back and holding midfield.

Though Mata finished the last two campaigns as Chelsea's Player of the Year Mourinho initially preferred to use Eden Hazard and Oscar as his creative midfield talents and when the former Valencia man has been used he has failed to hit the heights that saw him play a pivotal role in the West London club's Champions League and Europa League successes.

Pogba is rated as possibly the finest young player in the world and has flourished into a superb box - to - box midfielder since moving to Turin on a free transfer from Manchester United, where Pogba had grown frustrated with a lack of playing opportunities under former Old Trafford manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Paul Scholes, former England and Manchester United midfielder, has proclaimed that Wilshere is an attacking midfielder and not a midfield anchor — a role he played for his national side in the 2 - 0 win over Switzerland on Monday.

Former Sky Blues right - back Micah Richards has revealed that the Villa Park midfielder has asked for advice over whether a move to the two - time Premier League champions would be a wise step in his career — given playing time could be limited in Manuel Pellegrini's side.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong was on the wrong side of arguably one of the worst refereeing decisions of the season on Friday night as he was sent - off whilst playing for Russian outfit FC Ufa after reacting angrily to racial abuse.

In contrast, Mourinho simply isn't using the former Juventus man in his most effective role, on the left of a midfield three, as we saw him flourish in Turin playing that position.

Paul Pogba is a wanted man, with former club Manchester United as well as Chelsea and Arsenal linked with the Juventus star's services, but the French midfielder looks like a man without a care in the world as he prepares for Monday's Italian Super Cup clash with Napoli, which is bizarrely being played in Qatar.

Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, 36, will play for Manchester City's A-League side Melbourne City in Australia next season, ahead of his move to Major League Soccer franchise club New York City — Daily Mirror

Vieira has also been rejected by Wenger in the past, with the former French midfielder hoping to join up with the Gunners when his playing career came to an end.

The former midfielder is currently plying his trade in the MLS, and as manager led his side New York City team to finish second last term to secure a place in the play - offs.

Indeed it seems that the Scot sees the former Ajax man as his first choice striker and whilst a pairing of Andy Carroll is used for some Liverpool fixtures the season Dalglish has looked to play Suarez up front on his own and taking advantage of the goals he can now hope to see coming from his new midfield signings such as Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson.

Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar posted a video of himself playing a public piano at a Chinese shopping mall this week.

Firtly the Guardian reported the Chelsea defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic admitting his unhappiness that Cech will be playing for one of Chelsea's main rivals and not their manager's former right hand man Steve Clarke has made the situation even more clear.

This is an incredibly difficult question to answer for a variety of reasons, most importantly because over the years our once vaunted «beautiful» style of play has become a shadow of it's former self, only to be replaced by a less than stellar «plug and play» mentality where players play out of position and adjustments / substitutions are rarely forthcoming before the 75th minute... if you look at our current players, very few would make sense in the traditional Wengerian system... at present, we don't have the personnel to move the ball quickly from deep - lying position, efficient one touch midfielders that can make the necessary through balls or the disciplined and pacey forwards to stretch defences into wide positions, without the aid of the backs coming up into the final 3rd, so that we can attack the defensive lanes in the same clinical fashion we did years ago... on this current squad, we have only 1 central defender on staf, Mustafi, who seems to have any prowess in the offensive zone or who can even pass two zones through so that we can advance play quickly out of our own end (I have seen some inklings that suggest Holding might have some offensive qualities but too early to tell)... unfortunately Mustafi has a tendency to get himself in trouble when he gets overly aggressive on the ball... from our backs out wide, we've seen pace from the likes of Bellerin and Gibbs and the spirited albeit offensively stunted play of Monreal, but none of these players possess the skill - set required in the offensive zone for the new Wenger scheme which requires deft touches, timely runs to the baseline and consistent crossing, especially when Giroud was playing and his ratio of scored goals per clear chances was relatively low (better last year though)... obviously I like Bellerin's future prospects, as you can't teach pace, but I do worry that he regressed last season, which was obvious to Wenger because there was no way he would have used Ox as the right side wing - back so often knowing that Barcelona could come calling in the off - season, if he thought otherwise... as for our midfielders, not a single one, minus the more confident Xhaka I watched played for the Swiss national team a couple years ago, who truly makes sense under the traditional Wenger model... Ramsey holds onto the ball too long, gives the ball away cheaply far too often and abandons his defensive responsibilities on a regular basis (doesn't score enough recently to justify): that being said, I've always thought he does possess a little something special, unfortunately he thinks so too... Xhaka is a little too slow to ever boss the midfield and he tends to telegraph his one true strength, his long ball play: although I must admit he did get a bit better during some points in the latter part of last season... it always made me wonder why whenever he played with Coq Wenger always seemed to play Francis in a more advanced role on the pitch... as for Coq, he is way too reckless at the wrong times and has exhibited little offensive prowess yet finds himself in and around the box far too often... let's face it Wenger was ready to throw him in the trash heap when injuries forced him to use Francis and then he had the nerve to act like this was all part of a bigger Wenger constructed plan... he like Ramsey, Xhaka and Elneny don't offer the skills necessary to satisfy the quick transitory nature of our old offensive scheme or the stout defensive mindset needed to protect the defensive zone so that our offensive players can remain aggressive in the final third... on the front end, we have Ozil, a player of immense skill but stunted by his physical demeanor that tends to offend, the fact that he's been played out of position far too many times since arriving and that the players in front of him, minus Sanchez, make little to no sense considering what he has to offer (especially Giroud); just think about the quick counter-attack offence in Real or the space and protection he receives in the German National team's midfield, where teams couldn't afford to focus too heavily on one individual... this player was a passing «specialist» long before he arrived in North London, so only an arrogant or ignorant individual would try to reinvent the wheel and / or not surround such a talent with the necessary components... in regards to Ox, Walcott and Welbeck, although they all possess serious talents I see them in large part as headless chickens who are on the injury table too much, lack the necessary first - touch and / or lack the finishing flair to warrant their inclusion in a regular starting eleven; I would say that, of the 3, Ox showed the most upside once we went to a back 3, but even he became a bit too consumed by his pending contract talks before the season ended and that concerned me a bit... if I had to choose one of those 3 players to stay on it would be Ox due to his potential as a plausible alternative to Bellerin in that wing - back position should we continue to use that formation... in Sanchez, we get one of the most committed skill players we've seen on this squad for some years but that could all change soon, if it hasn't already of course... strangely enough, even he doesn't make sense given the constructs of the original Wenger offensive model because he holds onto the ball too long and he will give the ball up a little too often in the offensive zone... a fact that is largely forgotten due to his infectious energy and the fact that the numbers he has achieved seem to justify the means... finally, and in many ways most crucially, Giroud, there is nothing about this team or the offensive system that Wenger has traditionally employed that would even suggest such a player would make sense as a starter... too slow, too inefficient and way too easily dispossessed... once again, I think he has some special skills and, at times, has showed some world - class qualities but he's lack of mobility is an albatross around the necks of our offence... so when you ask who would be our best starting 11, I don't have a clue because of the 5 or 6 players that truly deserve a place in this side, 1 just arrived, 3 aren't under contract beyond 2018 and the other was just sold to Juve... man, this is theraputic because following this team is like an addiction to heroin without the benefits

The former CFC star is his club's all - time top goalscorer, despite playing in central midfield for his entire career, and has revealed how intense cup finals were for him as a player.

Whether that's been down to a lack of tactical versatility from the former Juventus ace, or perhaps Jose Mourinho who has received criticism for not playing his star man in his most effective role on the left of a midfield three and in a more advanced position, it has all contributed to an underwhelming campaign overall.

Morata clearly rates his former colleague highly, however, and there certainly seems to be room for a creative midfielder like Isco at Chelsea, particularly as Cesc Fabregas is ageing and has played more this season due to the unconvincing form of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater in midfield.

The former Blues midfielder does not believe Luiz has played particularly badly this term, but that Conte felt he needed to drop someone to send a strong message to the rest of his players that no one's place is safe.

Flamini is likely to play on however, and is believed to be in talks over a possible move to Greece with Panathinaikos, where the Frenchman could team up with former Premier League star Michael Essien in midfield.

Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar may look like an angel but his behaviour was far from angelic earlier today as he played his part in one of the ugliest games in Chinese Super League history.

Are you really naive enough to believe that Wenger would bring anyone into this current locker room that is going to be given a strong voice... have you not been watching, listening or reading about our club for years... Lehman is a blind Wenger follower, which is the only reason he was even considered... just for a second think of all the strong personalities that have played for this club that have never been seriously considered even though they have expressed legitimate interest in participating in the coaching process... even worse, think of all the former greats who aren't even allowed on the same pitch as Wenger because they have offered their advice and / or criticism to the infallible one... I dare you to find a manager that has distanced himself from his former players as much as this man... it's the very reason why only one player I can think of has ever returned to play for Wenger and that was Flamini, which was hilarious considering we were desperately looking for a top quality defensive midfielder but Wenger could somehow find no one better than Flamini in the whole wide world... let's face it this club was simply trying to appease it's disgruntled fans by declaring that Wenger would no longer be given Ca rte Blanche when it came to the backroom staff so they probably asked him to give them a list of those who he would allow in the locker room... on that list he wrote Lehman, Pires and Bergkamp, likely because the first two are the only former players who haven't publicly questioned his horrible decision - making and the last one because he won't get in an airplane

As reported by Metro, Jurgen Klopp has dealt another blow to the ego of the former Gunner by explaining that he has now changed his mind about playing the England international in central midfield and that was reportedly the main reason he wanted to leave us and go to Anfield.

It is also unknown whether he would go straight in to the team at the Bridge, with manager Jose Mourinho already having a lot of success with his former teammate Willian playing in his preferred right midfield role.

The former Chelsea midfielder was persuaded to remain at the Etihad Stadium in January, when his initial six - month loan deal ended, and play a pivotal part in the Citizens» title chase — however, with just two months of the season left, he isn't convinced by his bit part role, and wants out.

The former Liverpool midfielder admitted that Ozil can be a real world class player but when Arsenal play away he does not do enough, especially when the Gunners do not have the ball, calling the German a liability and suggesting it is like playing with a man down.

It is fair to say that the Arsenal career of Calum Chambers has so far been a disappointing one, despite the former Southampton academy star coming to north London with a great reputation and being known for his versatility which has seen the young Englishman play at right back, Central defence and even central midfield.

The former Burnley midfielder, who is currently banned from playing due to a breach in betting rules, claims that the Europa League is generally a six - point burden, and that a tough season is ahead for the North - London side.

Altman also plays for the Israel U17s side, who are coached by former Watford midfielder Alon Hazan and has a decent goalscoring record.

West Bromwich Albion have offered a pay - as - you - play contract to former Manchester United and Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

As for Chelsea, they will have ambitious plans under Antonio Conte next season, and having secured a deal for Kante who will form a pivotal part of his midfield, it seems as though the former Juventus and Italy boss wants more creativity and clinical play in the final third courtesy of Mahrez.

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who played for the Red Devils between 2007 and 2011, has taken a dig at the Blues» loan system, with the retired England ace also calling on the Premier League to change the rules regarding the number of players clubs can loan out.

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann says Arsenal should sign one of the Bender twins — with Lars playing for Bayer Leverkusen and Sven at Borussia Dortmund currently.

The former midfielder said: «When I see them play — and I see them a lot — they seem to play without motivation.

The former Aston Villa, Manchester City and England midfielder played an integral part in Everton's success last season, and while his form has been less consistent so far this term, he's still an important player.

As well as being no closer to playing week in, week out in his preferred midfield role, the former Southampton youngster has made 13 appearances as a substitute this season, and has started no more than two games in any other role.

Among those is Rooney's former United team - mate Paul Scholes, widely considered one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League and one of the finest midfield players English football has produced.

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has been filmed manically celebrating scoring penalties in training — the former Barcelona midfielder certainly looks like he misses his playing days!

Powell will be looking to refind the form that he enjoyed down the road at Wigan Athletic in the second tier last season, with the former Crewe Alexandra trainee becoming one of the most exciting attacking midfields in the division and helping the Latics into the play - offs, where they were beaten by QPR at Loftus Road.

I am sure that the former Arsenal midfielder and club captain Cesc Fabregas will be hoping for a decent reception when he comes back to the Emirates to play for the first time since he left the club for Barcelona and La Liga back in August of 2011.

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The Galaxy has added nine players since mid-December, including goalkeeper Dan Kennedy; forward Mike Magee, a former league MVP; midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, a former MLS All - Star; and Cole, who played more games at left back for the English national team than any man in history.

Initially playing as a defensive midfielder under former manager Juande Ramos, Modric was moved into a more advanced role when Harry Redknapp became manager in October 2008.

Kovac, a former Croatia midfielder and coach, played for Bayern between 2001 and 2003, winning the Club World Cup in 2001 and a domestic league and cup double in 2003.

The former Manchester United defender, who signed for # 6m last summer, can play centre - back, left - back and defensive midfield.

Overall, in the current campaign, the former Real Betis midfielder has so far played 19 times for Real Madrid and scored only two goals.