Arsenal are close to signing Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo, according to the Telegraph.
The Bundeslia and Champions League winner will cost the Premier League side around £14million, as Wenger looks to finally strengthen his squad.
20-year-old Yaya Sanogo is the club’s only addition this summer, despite Wenger being reportedly given a £70million transfer kitty. Although the Gunners have targeted star players such as Wayne Rooney, Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez this summer, Wenger is still yet to spend a penny on a transfer fee.
But the French manager is close to changing that with his pursuit of the Brazilian midfielder. Gustavo has slipped further down the Bayern pecking order after the Bavarian side signed Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona, and the 26-year-old looks set to try his hand in the Premier League.
Gustavo, who can also play centre-back, is expected to instantly rival Mikel Arteta for a starting place, with the Spaniard having to play in the holding midfield role due to injuries to Abou Diaby. The Brazilian would effectively be a replacement for Alex Song, who left for Barcelona last summer.
Wenger is hopeful that they can push through a deal for Gustavo before Saturday, when the Gunners face Aston Villa on the opening day of the new season.
Will Gustavo do well at the Emirates? What else do Arsenal need?
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Rafael Benitez has claimed former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett destroyed Liverpool’s hopes of winning a first Premier League title, reports ESPN.
Benitez came closer than anyone to ending Liverpool’s wait for a first league title since 1990, finishing second in 2009 only losing two Premier League matches in the process.
The Spaniard believes the addition of three key players in the summer that followed would have seen Liverpool end their title wait.
In his new book ‘Champions League Dreams’ , Benitez blames Hicks and Gillett for wrecking Liverpool’s best chance to secure that elusive title by failing to back him in the transfer market and forcing him to be “a bank manager”.
Liverpool made the drop from second to seventh that season, and Benitez was duly sacked the following summer.
“For five years I had been a football manager at Liverpool. By the start of my sixth, it was clear I had become something else entirely. I was suddenly supposed to be a bank manager,” he wrote.
“Decisions were being made to appease the banks, not the fans. That is how serious the situation with the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, had become.
“Attempting to work in the transfer market that summer was almost impossible.
We knew we would need cover and support for Fernando Torres, as David Ngog was still developing, and we had raised the cash to find it. The player we identified to fill that role was Stevan Jovetic, a young Montenegro forward playing for Fiorentina in Italy.
“The funds we thought we had available would also have stretched to another central defender, to provide cover for Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger.
“The two players we had identified were Sylvain Distin, then with Portsmouth, and West Ham’s Matthew Upson, both boasting abundant Premier League experience. Signing one of those two, plus the tall, powerful, intelligent Jovetic, would have given Liverpool the squad we needed to build on the previous year’s title challenge.
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“Liverpool, though, was no longer a football club. It was a business. The money, which we wanted to use to take Liverpool on to the next level, was all gone.”
Benitez wrote that Liverpool “would be punished for the disappearance of that money – and our failure to sign Jovetic – again and again that season”.
Benitez belived the 2009-2010 season was supposed to be “our year” but following the failure to land his targets instead turned into a “long, hard campaign, a battle from start to finish”.
England manager Gareth Southgate has announced his Three Lions squad for the 2018 World Cup, which kicks off in Russia next month.The England boss has waived the opportunity to select a preliminary 29-man group and instead confirmed his preferred 23-man squad for the tournament.The major casualties include Jack Wilshere and Joe Hart, who have both struggled to hold down regular starting berths for varying reasons this season. Between them, the pair boast 109 England caps, but their omissions cast serious doubts over their futures at international level.Adam Lallana is also a surprise absence, although the Liverpool midfielder has only just returned from injury.Southgate’s taken a clear focus on the future with his latest squad, represented best by a surprise call-up for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool defender has been a key part of the Reds’ Champions League campaign, but is yet to represent England at senior level.The full England World Cup squad is detailed in the video below…
Liverpool supporters in the Transfer Tavern have used the first few days of 2018 to reflect upon their team’s 2017, a year in which the Reds returned to the Champions League, but ultimately weren’t able to add a trophy to their cabinet.
Jurgen Klopp took charge of his first full season as manager last time round and helped the club get back inside the top four for the first time since 2014, when they came second in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers. And having made the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition this time round, and very much looking at a winnable fixture in the next round against Porto next month, Klopp deserves huge credit for turning things around at Anfield, although their wait for a trophy goes on after coming up short in both domestic cup competitions.
Overall though, many of our resident Liverpudlians were pretty happy with their side’s efforts in 2017, and are looking forward to what 2018 may bring for the Reds, both domestically and in European competition.
In the meantime though, there has been plenty of transfer talk for those Liverpool fans lining up at the bar to get their teeth into, not least recent reports suggesting that Bayern Munich may well have upset Schalke regarding their public pursuit of midfielder Leon Goretzka.
The 22-year-old’s contract at the Bundesliga side is up in the summer and as such interest in his services has intensified, although Schalke are reportedly unhappy with Bayern given that they have made their interest public in recent times.
As such, the door is ajar for Liverpool to seize the initiative in pursuit of the Germany international, as he could be exactly what they need in the middle of park in both the second half of the season, and in the years to come.
The Schalke midfielder has shown enough promise in the last few years in his homeland to suggest that he could go on and become a top quality midfielder, be it as a defensive-minded player in sitting in front of the backline, or someone who is willing to get into advanced positions and help in attack.
More importantly for Liverpool though is that they face the prospect of having neither Philippe Coutinho nor Emre Can at the club come the start of next season, and as such their midfield ranks seriously need bolstering if Klopp is to take them to the next level.
Coutinho has been the Reds’ orchestrator for many a year now but looks set to join Barcelona, be it this month or in the summer, while Can has improved markedly as a midfielder since Klopp took over in October 2015, to the point that he is arguably their best in that department.
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Take these two out of the side, and Liverpool are significantly weaker, and as such Klopp needs to start bolstering his ranks to compensate for those inevitable departures.
Goretzka’s arrival would go some way to doing so, and with Bayern seeming to have upset the apple cart, the Reds now must seize the initiative and bring the talented German to Anfield this month.
Southampton could be without top scorer Rickie Lambert (back) and 17-year-old Luke Shaw (virus) with neither training this week. Gaston Ramirez and Danny Fox are still banned.
Charlie Adam is suspended after his red card against Tottenham last week, while Glenn Whelan is struggling to be fit. Andy Wilkinson (back) could return and Michael Owen is hoping to feature in his last game before retirement.
Mauricio Pochettino…”My future in Southampton has to be with Nicola. reality is we share a common passion and long-term plan for this club. It would not make much sense for me to continue at this club if he is not here. I do not understand Southampton without Nicola in the future. Nicola has created everything we see at Southampton now.”
Tony Pulis… “He (Owen) has been fantastic around the place. He has been a really, really good lad. He’s not had the playing time he’s wanted, and I know he has been disappointed with that. So there will be a send off for him at Southampton on Sunday for what has been an absolutely wonderful career. As to whether he’ll play, I’ll be telling him first before anybody else.”
Match Statistic: Southampton have managed just one goal in the six-and-a-half hours of Premier League football.
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Prediction: Southampton 2-0 Stoke City
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As reported by The Daily Mail, Celtic have been credited with an interest in West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson this summer.
What’s the story?
After the Baggies’ relegation from the English Premier League was confirmed this week, clubs will be circling to try and poach talent that they feel are too good for the second-tier in England.
According to The Daily Mail, one of those clubs is Celtic, reporting that the Hoops are keen on the 28-year-old.
The paper say he is rated at £15m and that Newcastle United are also interested in securing his signature this summer.
Is this a move that is likely to happen?
Dawson to Celtic?
It’s true that Celtic need reinforcements across their defensive line this summer, with signings arguably needed in each position – a competitor for Mikael Lustig, a quality central defender to upgrade on existing talent and back-up for the ever impressive Kieran Tierney.
However, the idea they would enter the transfer market and pay £15m for a 28-year-old like Craig Dawson is fairly absurd.
This could be the summer that Celtic spend big under Brendan Rodgers to refresh his winning squad, but anyone coming into the club is likely to be someone that not only will be expected to improve the first team but also have resale value.
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It’s a model the Hoops have followed for years and although they now have more resources than they ever, it’s one that has been successful so far and there is no reason to change that.
Balance is always a sought-after factor when managers are building their squad. Too top-heavy and goals will be shipped, but being too dependent on defensive discipline and positional rigidity will, naturally, limit chances in the final third.
Balance is even needed within each area, as an attack built around players of similar stature and style can be a little one-dimensional, which makes Arsenal in particular an intriguing case study as we look towards the start of the new Fantasy Football season.
As ever, the Gunners’ 2014/15 was a tale of two contrasting halves, with a slow start causing worry around the winter period, before a surge after January dragged the Londoners into the periphery of the title race, and to Wembley where they retained the FA Cup. With the momentum there changes have been minimal at the Emirates Stadium, and with Petr Cech the only notable arrival, Arsene Wenger will almost certainly be relying on the same crop of attacking midfielders and strikers to fire his side towards an ever-elusive Premier League trophy. Although the Gunners’ defence is intriguing, for differing reasons, it’s the final third that has got us thinking.
Two of last season’s top four midfielders hailed from the red half of North London. Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla were common names among the Fantasy Football elite during the run-in, where they were joined by Olivier Giroud, who was in excellent form with a 20% chance conversion rate, and towards the very end, Mesut Ozil. Chuck into the mix Aaron Ramsey, a fit-again Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere, and the limit of three players-per-club becomes more of a hindrance than ever… and we’re only looking at one half of the team!
Such a wealth of options is set to result in some rotation from Wenger. It’s only natural that the Frenchman will deploy certain players in certain fixtures, with European football and the club’s horrendous injury record set to result in changes. Thus overstocking on Arsenal attackers poses a genuine risk – even two may be too many.
Who to pick, then? Well, it’s not exactly a bold call, but Sanchez is without doubt the best choice. An arduous summer of Copa America action with Chile could result in a slow start, but with the ex-Barcelona man a workhorse as well as a gifted attacker, his desire to get on the pitch may be too great for Wenger to overlook. Beyond that, Sanchez slots into the midfield section of the game, but in truth he spends more time operating in an attacking role. Even when on the flank he’s more of an inside forward, while 10 outings as the main striker last term suggest that he is among Giroud’s main back-up options. Points make prizes, and with goals of higher reward for midfielders, the Chilean has massive potential.
Walcott offers, perhaps, the most intriguing option of all, though. The England international started the Community Shield victory over the weekend as Wenger’s main centre-forward, hinting that he will be deployed in that role on a frequent basis. Walcott has long called for a chance in his favoured area, and with pace in abundance he could be a threat in a counter-attacking system. A record of 97.6 minutes-per-goal last term was the best of any midfielder available, and with points for attacking returns increased for players in the middle third, a potential striking role makes the former Southampton academy star all the more appealing. However, at 9.0m he’s by no means a cheap option.
And while Sanchez and Walcott remain popular, Cazorla could be the one to avoid. As the season dragged on Wenger dropped Santi deeper and deeper as the title charge gathered momentum, and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this could be a new role for the Spaniard. Although set-pieces always offer the chance for goals and assists, his assist tally of 11 and key pass count of 67 are likely to dip significantly if further from the action.
Ozil, with over ten games fewer than Cazorla and Sanchez, weighed in with a whopping 65 key passes last term, and with a full summer’s rest he could finally be fit and firing. The German is valued at just £8.5m (on a par with Christian Eriksen and only 0.5m more than Sadio Mane) and with his potential for points such a sum looks like an absolute bargain, especially as he created a chance every 27.8 minutes last term!
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Further to this Aaron Ramsey ranked well for a central midfielder with a score 116 last term, and with defensive options such as Cech (5.5m) and Hector Bellerin (£5.5m) both cost-effective and popular, there is a genuine dilemma when looking at the Arsenal squad.
The numbers point towards Sanchez, while the wildcard could be Ozil, but rolled into the mix are Walcott and Ramsey, too. Over exposure is high risk, high reward, but with so many options and rotation guaranteed, it may be worth limiting yourself to two Gunners attackers at the most.
Written by Football FanCast and commissioned by Fantasy Football Scout, the tips, news and views site for those who don’t just play Fantasy Football.
Manchester United’s young Dutch winger Gyliano van Velzen looks to have a bright future in the game. The lanky left winger may not have the appearance of a typical tricky winger, but van Velzen is a tall, skilful and pacy winger. The Dutchman can also be used up front, like he did for the youth team when first choice strikers Will Keane and John Cofie were injured.
Manchester United signed van Velzen from Dutch side Ajax. United’s scouting team had been watching van Velzen for a while and decided to act quickly after reported interest from other clubs around Europe.
Van Velzen is a product of the famous Ajax academy. The same academy that has produced the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and the legend Marco van Basten.
The youngster had initially turned down an offer from Manchester United and decided to stay with Ajax’s under-17s. Van Velzen, who was affiliated with Ajax since he was 13 years old, then decided that a move to England was the right move to make. It was believed that United had offered the van Velzen family a house in the Manchester area and offering their son, Gyliano, a professional contract.
The deal of van Velzen to Manchester United angered Ajax. They felt that Manchester United had illegally poached their youngster and wrote to United’s chief executive David Gill asking for compensation. It is believed that if Ajax were not happy with Gill’s response, they will look at other avenues to take, although they would rather not take legal action.
Van Velzen joined Manchester United in November 2010. He started to impress during the 2011/12 season and only youth team star Tyler Beckett made more appearances than van Velzen. The Dutchman scored eight times and has seen his game starting to develop an end product on regular occasions. His impressive performances for the youth team saw Warren Joyce bring him into the reserve squad and hand him three substitute appearances.
At the start of this season, van Velzen was loaned to United’s partner club in Belgium, Royal Antwerp. Van Velzen started his loan spell brightly, scoring in a 2-0 win over Brussels. But his form dipped and he was sent back to Manchester United.
On his return, Royal Antwerp manager Dennis van Wijk told Voetbal international.
“He had a very good start, but then became a little tentative. He’s a young player. He’s very talented but that does not always play a role in whether or not they’ll reach the top. But he has enough quality.”
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Next season will be interesting to see if Sir Alex Ferguson will look to introduce first team football to youngster.
Reliable Leeds United journalist Phil Hay says that the club would make a “decent profit” on playmaker Samu Saiz if they “decided to sell him tomorrow”, and Whites fans will be worried by his comments.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Hay named the Spaniard as the Yorkshire outfit’s signing of the season as he looked back at the campaign for the Yorkshire Evening Post, and he believes that the mid-table Championship side could make a good profit on a player they signed for £3m less than 12 months ago.
He wrote in the Yorkshire Evening Post: “In financial terms, he is a player on whom Leeds would make a decent profit if they decided to sell him on tomorrow and given the shambles this season has become, Saiz should be well down the list of expendable assets.”
While Leeds surely wouldn’t want to lose one of their best players this summer, they have shown in the past when they have sold the likes of Lewis Cook and Chris Wood for good money that every individual has their price.
How has Saiz done this season?
While the 27-year-old performed brilliantly in the first-half of the campaign, it has been clear to see that he has gone slightly off the boil in 2018 – he hasn’t found the net since November, in fact.
While the Spaniard has scored nine goals and provided a further eight assists in 36 appearances in all competitions, his discipline has also let him down at times.
He picked up a six-match ban for spitting at a Newport County player in the FA Cup in January, while he has reacted negatively to being substituted off by Paul Heckingbottom – although Leeds fans on Twitter backed him on that occasion despite his dissent.
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Would Leeds consider selling him this summer?
It’s difficult to say.
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While Saiz is clearly one of the club’s most talented players, if the Yorkshire outfit do receive a big offer for him this summer it could be difficult for them to reject following another disappointing Championship season.
His discipline and attitude will certainly be a concern for the Whites, although it remains to be seen whether a team will be willing to take a risk on the 27-year-old following his drop in form in recent months.
Hooray! It’s FA Cup final day! Look forward to seeing Ryan Giggs’ goal against Arsenal played about 1000 times in a row by the BBC, with a couple of Rickie Villas and Sir Trevor Brookings thrown in for good measure – not to mention the predictably awkward moment when somebody asks Alan Shearer how many FA Cups he’s won, whilst Gary Lineker cheekily grins in the background.
But on a serious note, the FA Cup final is still the most anticipated and magical day on the English football calendar. This year’s thrown up quite the corker in Aston Villa vs Arsenal; a classic clash of last year’s winners facing a feisty underdog, who’ve ended the season with their star striker Christian Benteke in fantastic form.
Captain Morgan set up a sublime treat for us here at Football Fancast ahead of today’s game – a little bit of face time with one of the most successful goalkeepers in FA Cup history, Arsenal legend and former England No.1 David Seaman, who is also the owner of the bassiest, least controllable laugh in world football.
Seriously, he laughs at everything. My jokes, his jokes, my sincere questions, his own sincere responses. At one point he laughed at me laughing – and I was only laughing out of politeness because he’d started laughing. It was Laughception.
Together with Captain Morgan, Seaman and former Villains skipper Andy Townsend took over The Globe for the first shift of the day, where thousands of fans traditionally gather before matches. The Globe’s bartenders will be given the day off to enjoy the Final; escaping one of the busiest shifts of the year and their everyday jobs, to go and live like the Captain.
Suprised Arsenal and Villa fans were instead greeted by the Captains, who took orders from behind the bar, giving their tips ahead of the game, and delivering an unforgettable pre-match build-up.
Hi David, why don’t you start by telling us about your shenanigans with Captain Morgan ahead of todays final?
We’re going down with a Captain’s crew and we’re going to surprise a few of the bartenders in The Globe pub. We’re giving them a day off to enjoy the captain’s spirit in style, and then me and Andy Townsend are going to take over and attempt to do some beer, wine and spirit serving. Haha! We’ll actually be bartenders for a few hours so it should be good fun.
Do you and Andy Townsend have much experience behind the bar?
No, I’m good under the crossbar but not sure how good I’ll be behind the bar! I love serving drinks for people at home but that’s about as far as it goes.
Will you be watching the game on TV like us mere peasants then?
No! Haha! We’ll be going to the game later on. It’s something you don’t want to miss – trust me. Although saying that I wouldn’t have minded missing the first half of last year’s final. It was dreadful!
Arsenal and Aston Villa skippers David Seaman and Andy Townsend testing their serving skills at The Globe Pub
You had huge success in the FA Cup, winning it four times with Arsenal. What’s your fondest memory of the FA Cup – as a fan and as a player?
My fondest memory as a fan would be when Leeds United won it against Arsenal years and years ago – 1972 I think – but I remember losing it as well against Sunderland. I was only about eleven then.
The best memory as a player… I think it’s got to be the first time I won it with Arsenal. It was so special and so nerve-racking because I’d never experienced it before. So to go there and actually win for the first time at Wembley was just absolutely brilliant.
What about THAT save against Sheffield United? If that’s not your greatest FA Cup memory, perhaps it’s your greatest FA Cup moment?
Yeah. Well, I’m so lucky because my last ever game for Arsenal was the FA Cup final against Southampton. I was leaving, but at the time I didn’t know it was going to be my last game. I just went there like normal and Patrick Vieira was injured so I took over as captain for the day.
To lift the trophy – wow. That was better than all the other finals, because to lift the FA Cup as the captain of your team is so and was so special. Even the introduction of your players before kick-off, actually introducing them to the officials and big guys that were there, it was just amazing.
And the save, that was the semi-final. That was awesome for me because I made that save when I was 39 and people were saying I was past it!
Did you have any idea how spectacular that save was at the time?
No! I mean, it’s just reactions. The corner came in and it went one way then the other way. All of a sudden I knew the ball was behind me and I knew I couldn’t knock it away because I was reaching too far behind – I knew I had to try and scoop it out. And even when I watch it now I still think ‘how did I do that?’ haha!
How do you see the final panning out? Would you care to make a prediction?
Any Arsenal win will do for me. Whether it’s 1-0 or 10-8… or 10-9! Just a win. I’m going to say 3-1 to Arsenal because it’s going to be an attacking game. Aston Villa are not know for their defensive qualities but they’re decent up front and Arsenal have a better all round team to cope with that; Arsenal’s defence is good, and the Arsenal attack’s great. So I’m hunching for an Arsenal win, obviously!
If Arsenal don’t retain the FA Cup, would you still see this season as a success?
It depends because the main judge has to be Premier League form. We’ve got a place higher. We’re in the Champions League proper now so we don’t have to qualify earlier in the season – so it’s definitely a step forward. To lose the FA Cup would be a disappointing end to the season, but I think overall it’s still a progression because you know you’ve had a good season when you finish above where you did the year before. It’s difficult for Arsenal because they’re always in the Champions League and the top four, so even to finish one place higher is a big achievement.
There’s quite the debate brewing regarding Arsenal’s goalkeepers at the moment, with David Ospina coming in for Wojceich Szczesny about half way through the season. What do you see as the main differences between the two? And who do you think is the stronger goalkeeper?
Well the issue with Szczesny is that he’s started making mistakes, so that obviously left the door open for Ospina. They’re both very similar though; they’re both international goalkeepers and their all-round games are good, it’s just keeping that consistency.
Ospina’s only come in for half of the season or three-quarters of the season, so you can’t really judge him on that because he needs a bit more time. Szczesny, on the other hand, has been Arsenal’s No.1 for quite a while but now it looks like he’s lost that position, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the summer – whether Arsene Wenger goes out and buys another goalkeeper or he uses the money in defence and midfield. But I wouldn’t say one is better than the other yet, because realistically there’s not been enough time to judge Ospina.
Would you go and get a new No.1 this summer if you were Arsene Wenger?
It’s a tough one. If somebody like Petr Cech became available then you’ve got to really think about it because whatever team he goes into he’s really going to improve. But he’s not going to go into another team as a No.2 or with the question mark of being a No.2, he’s coming to be a No.1. So then who’d you let go? Do you let Ospina go or do you let Szczesny go? It’s a tough question!
Who would you like to see start in the FA Cup final?
Well I think it’ll be Szczesny because he’s played the majority of the games in the FA Cup – which is what Arsene did with Lukasz Fabianski last season. I know it’s a little bit different because it was Fabianski’s last game and he knew that.
But I remember when we played in the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2002. Richard Wright played all the games up to the final, but Arsene put me in for the final and we went on to win it. So I don’t know for sure who’s going to play but I imagine it’ll be Szczesny.
We’d love to hear your opinions on the England front as well. Do you see Fraser Forster as a real competitor to Joe Hart? Ben Foster’s never really challenged him.
Well both of them are decent goalies, but we’ve got such a good goalkeeper in Joe Hart. I think for as long as that stays we’re going to be fine because Joe Hart’s a quality goalkeeper and he’s playing well, he’s having big games every week and he’s got great experience now. He’s playing in the Champions League all the time, he’s playing high-profile games with City and with England. It’s very similar to what I had and it really helps because it puts you into a better position to handle the pressure. If Fraser Forster and Ben Foster go in they’re a bit nervous because they’re not used to handling the big games.
Have you seen much of Jack Butland? How far do you think he can go?
I’ve seen a little bit of him, not loads. It depends because it’s the consistency in the season that really matters. It’s no good making a lot of mistakes and a lot of saves. You’ve got to be more consistent; having good performances and then brilliant performances while trying to eliminate the mistakes. My coach Bob Wilson and I, we used to have a chat at the start of the season about how many mistakes are we allowed. By the end, we were down to about two or three that cost goals or cost games. That’s the sort of standard you need to get to – you need to be that consistent.
A lot of our readers were really interested in the psychology behind being a goalkeeper. Do you have to be a specific type of character to be a goalkeeper? Is there a trait you all share?
You’ve got to be really mentally strong. You’ve got to have a strong mind because the mistakes can be really harsh. I’ve done it in a World Cup against Brazil. Luckily I had a lot of experience to fall back on – and I’ve done it with Arsenal a few times as well. Mental strength is the key thing.
Obviously every goalkeeper is going to have a certain amount of natural talent and coached talent – that can all be dealt with. But the mental strength is something that’s gained by experience and I suppose gained by what you do in life. Because if you make that mistake, and you let that affect you for the rest of the game, it can really cost your team. If you do that mistake in the first five minutes you’ve still got a chance of getting back in the game, but if you’re a wreck for the rest it you’re really going to put the team in trouble. It’s dealing with that pressure, being able to put things behind you and react positively.
There’s always great comradery between goalkeepers but it must be an unusual situation, training with three or four people who are all fighting for just one spot in the team?
Haha! It’s strange because with the England situation there’s normally a pecking order. When I was at England, it was Peter Shilton, Chris Woods, and then it was me. You worked your way through; Peter retired, Chris took over, Chris didn’t have a great time and then I took over, so it goes in order.
At club level, because it’s two games a week you’re judged on that every week, it’s a little bit different. If you’re playing bad you get replaced! But then you can go back in if he plays bad.
But normally, if you get dropped with England, that’s it! You don’t make it back!
As we mentioned earlier, Wojciech Szczesny’s taken a lot of stick this season and you’ve suffered some bad press over the years – particularly after the 2002 World Cup. Is it especially hard for goalkeepers to cope with that kind of pressure, compared to an outfield player?
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It’s really difficult because you want to be out there playing. With me and the World Cup, I had to wait for a while to get back on the pitch. It is difficult but you have to learn different ways to accept it. If you feel that by reading about it in the papers really affects you, then don’t read it, don’t buy the papers. What you don’t see isn’t going to hurt you! And especially with club football, you’ve got a game every three days – so if you’re reading negative stuff all the time it’s not going to improve you as a goalkeeper.
The three Captains side by side: Seaman, Morgan and Townsend
Time for Football Fancast’s world famous, totally-not-a-rip-off-of-one-to-eleven segment Fantasy Five Aside! We construct a star-studded, five-man team – but every player has a stipulation. David, start us of with the greatest player you’ve ever played alongside?
Best player… Gazza.
And the greatest you’ve played against?
Ronaldo – the old Ronaldo! Although I played against Maradona as well, for Soccer Aid. Haha!
The third player. Your footballing role model growing up?
David Harvey and Bruce Grobbelaar – both of them.
Fourth, somebody playing now you wish you could’ve played alongside?
I would say… Eden Hazard.
And finally, any goalkeeper – including yourself.
Either me or Peter Schmeichel. Haha!
And finally David, will that beautiful moustache and ponytail combo ever make a comeback?
No chance! The ponytail’s in a drawer and that’s where it’s staying. And the moustache tries to make a comeback every day but it gets shaved off!
That’s quite the revelation to end things with, David. You’ve been as delightful as expected. Enjoy the cup final!
You can follow David and Andy’s Captain’s adventure at @CaptainMorganEU, who will be updating with hilarious tweets, photos and videos throughout the day.