I NEED TO WIN A TROPHY SOON ,SAYS DAVID MOYES

As Manchester United prepare to launch their assault on both domestic cups, David Moyes admits he desperately needs to
win a trophy.

Sir Alex Ferguson said that a season at Manchester United was not a success unless it contained silverware. Realistically, 11 points adrift of the leaders Arsenal, the Premier League will not be retained. This afternoon United
begin their quest for their 12th FA cup at home to Swansea while on Tuesday they face Sunderland in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final.

"My record in the FA Cup is not too bad," said Moyes. "But it's not enough. I need a trophy. With Everton, I lost to Chelsea in the final and Liverpool in the semis. I
would like that record to be better."
In the last half century, United have only twice been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round at home – Tottenham in 1980 and Leeds in 2010. Today Swansea
will be encouraged by the absence of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. The Dutchman is a long-term absentee but Rooney, who is suffering from a strained abductor muscle, may be back for Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final
against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the middle of what Moyes referred to as "another Christmas period" that sees
them play three times in six days.

Moyes admitted to trying to sign the veteran Roma midfielder, Daniele de Rossi.
"We certainly did think about bringing De Rossi in during the summer,"
he said.

GUS POYET HAILS TROOP AFTER CHELSEA WIN

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet was left
delighted with his side's battling
qualities after they fought back to
beat Chelsea on Tuesday.

The Black Cats went a goal down and looked to be on the way out of the Capital One Cup but Fabio Borini fired home late on and then Ki Sung-Yueng scored in extra-time when it looked as though penalties were the answer. Poyet's men are now through to the last four of the competition and the Uruguayan was left delighted with his
players.

"I'm pleased for the players and I'm delighted for the fans," said Poyet. "This has been a very hard season for the fans, but when you find yourselves in the semi-finals, that's something to enjoy.
"It's a victory in a special manner, scoring right at the end of the game and right at the end of extra-time. It's for them, for the players and for the fans."

Poyet believes the win over the  Blues shows his players are  buying into his philosophy as he battles to save the Wearsiders from relegation.

He said: 

"That's the way we are going to do it. It's important I can see that the players are doing it all the time.
"Even in extra time, even in the last two or three minutes, they were not trying just to go crazy.
"We are trying to play a game because I believe it works, and now [we have to do that] very week, every game.
"It doesn't matter who you play against at every level, if it's Norwich or if it's Carlisle in the [FA] cup, every single day, and the more we do it, the more difficult we are going to become to play against, I am sure."

MOURINHO PONDERS ON 'PARKING THE BUS'

Jose Mourinho admitted he may have to shut up shop after seeing Chelsea dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Sunderland.

The Blues were leading 1-0 courtesy of Lee Cattermole's own goal and had one foot in the semi-finals when substitutes Fabio Borini and Ki Sung-yueng turned
the tie on its head to first take it into extra-time and then snatch victory at the Stadium of Light.
Mourinho refused to blame his players, but admitted their failure to kill off the Black Cats had left him seriously considering adopting a more conservative approach, albeit against his better judgment.

The Chelsea boss said:

"Maybe the way to rectify it is not to concede goals.
"Maybe the way is to have a different approach and not to concede goals because when you don't score enough goals, when you are a very offensive team
and you don't score enough goals to win matches, maybe the right approach is to be more defensive, concede fewer goals and win matches with the few goals we
score.
"But that's not what I want because that's not what we have in mind in the building up of this team. We want this team to play the way we are playing, we want this team to have evolution, but based on the
football we are playing at the moment.
"We need to score goals to finish
opponents because we feel very
comfortable on the pitch. The possession of the ball becomes easy, the creation becomes easy.
"We had big chances to score goals, but we didn't score."

After a tepid opening 45 minutes, the visitors took the lead 39 seconds into the second half when Cattermole could only bundle Cesar Azpilicueta's cross into his
own goal under pressure from Frank Lampard. But the Londoners failed to build on their lead despite creating a host of chances in the immediate aftermath of the goal, and they were eventually made to pay when Borini latched on to Jozy Altidore's blocked shot and blasted the home side level with two minutes remaining. The Italian had a glorious opportunity to win it in stoppage time, and it was Sunderland who created the better openings in extra time with 41-year-old keeper Mark Schwarzer turning away Ki's goal-bound header, but finding himself
powerless to repel the South Korea
international's 119th-minute shot.
Mourinho said:

"In the Premier League, I
haven't lost one single game because the opponent was better than us. I lost in the Champions League - Basle played better than us in a game where we produced absolutely nothing and we were
punished in the last minute.
"Every other game - here, Stoke,
Newcastle, Everton - every game we have lost, every game, it's the same story: chances and chances and football and football and not enough goals."

MOURINHO WANTS BLOOD AFTER LEAGUE CUP CRASH-OUT

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
bemoaned his strikers' poor finishing after crashing out of the League Cup in an extra time defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Former Blues striker Fabio Borini scored in the dying stages to swing the tie in Sunderland's favour after Chelsea failed to make their dominance tell. Borini cancelled out a Lee Cattermole own goal to force extra time, before Ki Sung-Yueng struck with a 118th minute
winner for the home side.Chelsea had a total of 22 attempts on goal, with Andre Schurrle,  Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba all wasting good chances.

“Every game we don’t kill we are in trouble and sometimes web lose matches that we should not”, Mourinho told reporters post match
“'We have to score goals and kill
opponents and not just be dominant in every game and not just be the best team in every game but win matches. You
have to win matches and not be the best team.”

Chelsea's forwards have supplied a total of 14 goals in a combined 45 appearances in all competitions this season. Fernando Torres, the £50 million 2011 signing from Liverpool, has scored six goals, Ba has three and Eto'o has scored
four. The club's top scorer is attacking midfielder Eden Hazard, who has eight goals to his name this term.

JANUZAJ GETS MORE REFERING DECISIONS,SAYS STOKE BOSS,MARK HUGHES

Stoke manager Mark Hughes believes Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj needs to learn to cope better with the physical demands of Premier League football.

United boss David Moyes called for more protection from officials for the 18-year- old winger following the 3-0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday. However, former United striker Hughes reckons Januzaj needs to toughen up and he also pointed out the number of fouls
the player seemed to win during their game at Old Trafford in October.

"A manager will always protect his
players and he is an outstanding talent and will be a top United player for many years to come,"
said Hughes ahead of United's visit to the Britannia Stadium for
Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter- final.

Live Capital One Cup Football
Stoke City vs Man Utd
December 18, 2013 , 7:00pm
Britannia stadium

"If David feels the boy needs protection that is why he has given the response he did, but you have to let kids stand on their two feet and get on with it.
"He seems to garner a lot of fouls and a lot of decisions. In our game he came on as sub and got about five fouls in a very short space of time. At the time I didn't think they were fouls."

Hughes also believes that Januzaj can learn a lot from United veteran Ryan Giggs.
"Ryan was playing in theLancashire A and B leagues and had to go to the likes of Marine away," said Hughes.
"When you are a 14-year-old kid coming up against men you learn to deal with that early and I don't think it is a bad thing.
"I would imagine he (Giggs) is mentoring him now because he's been in the same place."

MOYES: WELBECK NEEDS TO EMULATE ROONEY

Moyes: Welbeck must emulate Rooney David Moyes expects Danny Welbeck to push on from his performance at Aston Villa on Sunday and put together a more
consistent goalscoring run throughout the remainder of the campaign.

The 23-year-old scored his second brace of the season at Villa Park over the weekend to take his league tally to four, an already huge improvement on his total
of one from last season which shows that he has recaptured some of his goalscoring touch.
Injuries have curtailed his progress so far this season but he emphatically bounced back against Villa and Moyes wants Welbeck to use that as a springboard for the rest of the season. Moyes said:

”He’s a good player and his
goals will help him.
“He’s important to me and hopefully he can get a level of performance which keeps getting him goals. Due to his Manchester roots, Welbeck is a firm favourite at Old Trafford with the fans desperate to see an academy
graduate become a regular in the starting XI, something Moyes is very aware of.
“Up front is where I want to play
but I’m happy to play my part
anywhere in the team.” Danny
Welbeck He added: “We like Danny a lot. He works well every day, he came up through the Academy and he’s one of United’s own..He’s really important to this club.”

Moyes also pointed to the example of Wayne Rooney as someone Welbeck should be mirroring because he spends time every day practising his finishing despite already being a prolific finisher.
He said:

”I’ve got to say we had a word
with him about a month ago and we said that he needs to be the last off the training field.
“Wayne’s out there practising his finishing each day, whether it’s taking free-kicks, shooting from tight angles or bending them in, whatever it may be Wayne’s
practising . I said: ‘Danny, you need to be out there every day finishing, even if it’s 15 minutes at the end.’”

Moyes has certainly got a love affection for Rooney who can do no wrong this year but you can’t argue with the results on the pitch with Rooney in devastating form.
Although his goalscoring form has been a disappointment for someone of his obvious talents, Welbeck’s statistics for England are impressive and he also bagged a couple of important European
goals in 2013, away to Real Madrid and Shakhtar respectively. The talent is there, it is just a case of bringing it to the surface more often. One factor that has led to Welbeck’s lack of goals is being used out of his natural position as a striker. With both Van Persie
and Hernandez injured, now is the time we may see Welbeck flourish and he has to make sure he takes this opportunity to impress Moyes.

HENRY: GOING UNBEATEN IN 2003/2004 SEASON WAS AN ACHIEVEMENT

Henry: We needed the mentality 'to kill'

Thierry Henry has spoken about how close Arsenal came to missing out on their 'Invincibles' season.
The Gunners great is the subject of a brand-new documentary - 'Arsenal Legends: Thierry Henry' - which is now available for download on iTunes (UK only).
The Frenchman was a key figure in the Arsenal side that completed an unbeaten season in 2003/04 after clinching the Premier League title at Tottenham.

"It's like a boxer, a boxer doesn't
go in the ring just to have fun.
You go out there to kill and that
was our mentality"
-Thierry Henry

And he admits that it was tough to
maintain the hunger to make history after securing top spot - even in the final game of the season against Leicester City.
"The main thing is to be champions,"
Henry says in the documentary .
"You still have six or five games to go and I remember the boss coming in every morning saying 'guys you are maybe going to be able to something amazing. Are you realising?'
"We were like 'we're champions man, come on!'. It's like a boxer, a boxer doesn't go in the ring just to have fun. You go out there to kill and that was our mentality.
"Suddenly I remember Patrick [Vieira] looking at me and he was like 'There is no fight, I need have the fight, I need to know that we need to get some points.
"We were not realising what was
happening. They [Leicester] go 1-0 up and suddenly you wake up and hope it won't be too late, because you know in this type of game you can hit the crossbar or the post and you can never come back.
"Somehow we came back into it [to win 2-1], and what a finish, I think the skipper scoring the winning goal was the cherry on the cake.
"We had a lot of players that were doing what the game was asking. Winning the Double, it is amazing, but going a season unbeaten, it is an achievement."

MOYES: NOBODY WANTS ZAHA ON LOAN

Moyes: Nobody wants Zaha on loan
David Moyes has confirmed that no team has approached Manchester United to enquire about taking Wilfried Zaha on a
loan deal.

Reports suggested that Newcastle were close to securing a loan deal for Zaha but, on the contrary, while Moyes has not ruled out any short term deal for the winger, he reiterated that he was more than happy if he was to remain at the
club.

“I did say to Wilf if I didn’t feel he was getting enough games, I would consider it,” Moyes told MUTV .
“Obviously if we’ve got injuries or other reasons, I wouldn’t take it on board.
“But the truth is we haven’t had anybody phoning up and wanting to do that it the moment.
“While it’s like that, I am fine.”

It is a big surprise if no other team has enquired about taking Zaha on loan, especially Crystal Palace where he joined United from.
However, Moyes’ has shown in the past couple of Premier League games that he is now ready to use Zaha and so long as that continues, there is no need for the tricky winger to leave Old Trafford just yet
which is the right decision.

MOU RELUCTANT TO TEAR UP ATTACKING OPTIONS

Jose Mourinho is reluctant to tear up his attacking blueprint despite seeing Chelsea allow a League Cup semi-final place to slip from their grasp.

Sunderland midfielder Lee
Cattermole's 46th-minute own goal
gave the visitors a lead they held until two minutes from the final whistle at the Stadium of Light, but their failure to build upon it proved fatal as the Black Cats staged a stunning fightback to snatch victory in extra time.
Mourinho later admitted he was
considering adopting a more
conservative approach after a series of matches in which his players have not made their periods of pressure count, but he is loathe to send them out with the intention of winning 1-0. He said:

"If I want to win 1-0, I think I
can. One of the easiest things in
football is to win 1-0. It's not so
difficult. You structure your team
from the back, you organise your
team from the defensive idea, you don't give freedom to your players to express themselves.
"The dynamic of the team is defensive and what you do is you recover the ball and try to punish the opponent on the counter-attack. To win 1-0 is not the most difficult thing in football."

Chelsea had one foot in the last four on Wearside when former Blues trainee Fabio Borini levelled, and the Italian might have won it in stoppage time but for a superb block by defender Gary Cahill.
However, it was fellow substitute Ki
Sunyueng who wrote himself into the headlines as extra time drew to a close, cutting inside to smash a low shot past keeper Mark Schwarzer to book the Premier League's bottom club an unlikely semi-final date and leave Mourinho contemplating a less
offensive method.

He said:
"I don't want to because we are going in a direction which is the right direction in terms of the quality of football we want to play, and it's quite frustrating that you have to change that and go one step back and go in another direction just because you want better results. It's som ething I don't want to do."

BLACK CAT PURRING

Opposite number Gus Poyet, however, emerged firmly believing his philosophy is paying dividends, and urging his players to take the same approach to Saturday's must-win league clash with Norwich.He said:
"That's the way we are going
to do it. It's important I can see that
the players are doing it all the time.
Even in extra time,even in the last two or three minutes , they were not trying just to go crazy.
"We are trying to play a game
because I believe it works, and now
[we have to do that] every week,
every game
"It doesn't matter who you play
against at every level,if it's Norwich
or if it's Carlisle iN the [FA] cup, every single day, and the more we do it, the more difficult we are going to become to play against, I am sure."

FA CHARGES JACK WILSHERE

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been charged by the Football Association over an alleged gesture made during the fixture with Manchester City at the Etihad
Stadium last weekend.

Television cameras picked up Wilshere raising his middle finger in the direction of home supporters during the second half
of Arsenal's 6-3 defeat. Wilshere has until 6pm on Wednesday
(local time) to respond to the charge. Press Association Sport understands the FA took its time to gather evidence to understand the context of the situation having received the observations of
referee Martin Atkinson and his officials on Monday, and has now decided there isba case to answer.
A statement from the FA read: "Arsenal midfield player Jack Wilshere has been charged by the FA with making an offensive and/or insulting and/or abusive
gesture.
"The charge follows an alleged gesture made during the fixture between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 14 December. The
incident was not seen by match officials, but was caught on video.
"Wilshere has been charged
retrospectively by the FA under a new pilot project for potential 'not seen' incidents in Premier League matches.
"Under the new process, if an incidentvhas not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel will be asked by the FA to review it and advise what, if any action, they believe the match referee
should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.
"For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence.In this instance,the panel wereunanimous.
"Wilshere has until 6pm on 18 December to respond to the charge."
Such sanctions have been implemented in the past as was the case with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who was suspended for one match, fined £20,000 ($36,523)
and warned as to his future conduct after he made a gesture to home fans as he walked off the pitch after a 1-0 defeat at Fulham in December 2011.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted in his post-match press conference that the club would accept any ban handed out 'if
he did it'. If that is the case, then Wilshere is likely to miss the visit of Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium next Monday evening (Tuesday morning AEDT). Wenger has challenged his side to produce a response from its defeat at City, where defensive frailties were
unearthed once more. However, by the time Arsenal kicks off against Chelsea, it could already be off
the top of the table. Indeed, should Liverpool beat Cardiff City
at Anfield in Saturday's lunchtime (local time) kick-off, followed by a City win at struggling Fulham, then Arsenal would be down in third place on goal difference. Chelsea, currently two points adrift, could
also usurp Wenger's men if Jose Mourinho records another victory over the French coach, while Everton could also close to within a point if it overcomes Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday
afternoon (Monday morning AEDT).

The loss at City was a second on the spin for Arsenal, which went down 2-0 away to Napoli last week as hopes of finishing top of its UEFA Champions League group
evaporated. Consequently, Arsenal was unseeded and so will face holder Bayern Munich in the last 16, the same stage at which it was
knocked out by the German side in 2013. Wenger, though, says his side will have 'nothing to lose' when it faces off early next year, with the second leg set for the
Allianz Arena where Arsenal recorded a famous 2-0 win last season, only to go out on aggregate.
"It is the same draw as last year and we have a good challenge," Wenger told the club's official website.
"We have to be one goal better this time instead of being one goal worse and I believe it is an interesting challenge because we have an opportunity to show
we have learned from it.
"We have all to win and nothing to lose. We can show that we have moved forward since last season."

Wenger feels the additions of combative midfielder Mathieu Flamini and Mesut Ozil, the latter signed in a club-record deal from Real Madrid, coupled with the
German side's purchase of playmaker Mario Gotze under new coach Pep Guardiola will make for an interesting European tie.
"We are different and they are different. How much different are they? I don't know, but they look to play a bit more adventurously and more going forward, and we do as well I must say," the Arsenal boss added.
"We certainly have more offensive
potential with (Mesut) Ozil coming in and we have to find our defensive security back which we have lost over the weekend, but it will be a very interestingchallenge."

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny
remains a doubt for the Chelsea match, having suffered a deep cut to his knee when attempting to prevent City's second goal late in the first half and was unable
to continue.

WILSHERE STILL WAITING FOR PUNISHMENT OVER HAND GESTURE

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is
still waiting to discover whether he
will face a misconduct charge from the Football Association.

Television cameras picked up Wilshere raising his middle finger in the direction of Manchester City fans during the second half of the Gunners' 6-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The FA is reportedly gathering more
evidence to help with the context of the situation having now received the submission of observations from referee Martin Atkinson and his officials. Under its own disciplinary procedures, the FA has until 6pm on Tuesday to lodge any formal charge against the player. Such sanctions have been implemented in the past as was the case with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who was suspended
for one match, fined £20,000 and warned as to his future conduct after he made a gesture to home fans as he walked off the pitch following a 1-0 defeat at Fulham in
December 2011.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
admitted in his post-match press
conference that "if he did it and he is banned, then we will have to accept it." If that is the case, then Wilshere, who could request a personal hearing, will miss the visit of Chelsea on December 23.

LUIS SUAREZ BELIEVES NEXT THREE WEEKS ARE VITAL FOR LIVERPOOL'S TOP FOUR DREAM

Luis Suarez believes results over the next three weeks will determine
whether Liverpool can launch a
Barclays Premier League title
challenge.

The Uruguayan goal machine admitted winning over the Liverpool fans after his "difficult year" has been his personal
highlight of 2013. Suarez scooped the 2013 Player of the Year award at the William Hill Football Supporters' Federation Awards on Monday night.Humbled to receive the gong at the Emirates Stadium, former Arsenal target Suarez said Liverpool will know by January whether they can fight for a top-four finish, and maybe even contend for the title. Suarez missed the first six matches of the season due to the ban he received in April for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. He has hit 17 league goals since returning to action though, and has now challenged Liverpool to capitalise on Sunday's 5-0 Tottenham thrashing.

Brendan Rodgers' side face Cardiff,
Manchester City and Chelsea before the turn of the year, and Suarez has admitted that run will test the Reds' potential title
mettle.
"I think it's too early to say," said the 26- year-old when discussing  Liverpool's Premier League  chances .
"If we continue this level the next two or three weeks we can win the league or we can finish in  the top four.
"It's important we concentrate and focus on the next game. 
"We know that after Cardiff we have two very, very big games.
"That will be important to what comes next."

Suarez paid tribute to Liverpool's
supporters for their faith after  his biting ban,admitting he would not have had a future at the club without such backing. Citing his return to Liverpool action as his
2013 highlight, he said: 
"Coming back to play at  Anfield:  because after so many difficult moments for me I was able to
win the supporters back,and that was unbelievable when I came back to play.  
"They helped me, and that was important for me, for my confidence, and for my family, because they are together with
me in this. 
"It's very special for me (the award) because my hard work on the pitch is recognised. 
"Everybody knows about my problems and my difficult year, but after that I forgot everything and have been able to get back on the pitch. 
"Liverpool are starting to reach their potential and we can play our best on the pitch.
"It's very important that we stay
together, we keep going, this is very important. 
"If Liverpool don't have these players I cannot continue my level, because it's too much. 
"They know I am important, so they try everything to stay together, that's important for me, but it's more important for the club." 

Suarez captained Liverpool for  the first time in Sunday's Tottenham rout, but the prolific  finisher said there is no doubt Steven Gerrard is the Reds' true leader. Challenging Liverpool to  be a team of captains, he said:
"I was a little surprised by that (the captaincy call), but I think we have only one captain here, Steven Gerrard.
"If we stay together, we are together, we are the captain, the team is the captain, that's important.
"It's far more important than me being captain that we win 5-0 against Tottenham, this is very important"

Suarez said childhood troubles growing up in Uruguay have helped him swat aside the many and varied controversies that
have plagued his career.
The Salto-born forward said: "When I was a child I had too many problems, but I could try my best on the pitch
"Once I was playing football I could try my best, because I just love to play football, I play with my heart ."

SPURS SHOULD HAVE GIVEN VILLA BOAS MORE TIME,SAYS HARRY REDKNAPP

Andre Villas-Boas deserved more time to work with and develop the Tottenham Hotspur squad, Harry Redknapp said on the day his successor was fired as manager.

Three heavy defeats in two months, the most recent a 5-0 mauling by Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday, resulted in the sack for Villas-Boas with his expensively-assembled team lying a disappointing seventh in the Premier League table. Spurs were also thrashed 6-0 at Manchester City three weeks ago and suffered the embarrassment of a 3-0 home defeat by struggling West Ham
United in October but Redknapp felt it was too early to jettison the young Portuguese.

"I think people are over-reacting too quickly," he told Talksport Radio on Monday. "You lose a couple of games nowvand you're in trouble, it shouldn't be like
that.
"You either think somebody is good at their job or not and when you appoint someone you should give them time and let them do  the job,"  added Redknapp, who is now in charge of Championship leaders Queens Park Ranger
"It's far too early for people to start wanting to pull the plug on him. You've got to give him time and see what he can do," he said just before it was announced that Villas-Boas had been dismissed. The 36-year-old looked a broken man on
Sunday after his team, reduced to 10 men following the 63rd minute sending-off of Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, were led a merry dance by a Luis Suarez-inspired Liverpool side.

A place in the Europa League knockout stages and a quarterfinal Capital One Cupdate with West Ham on Wednesday werebclearly of little consequence to a Spurs
board that had splashed out more than 100 million pounds ($162.98 million) on transfers in the close season. The Londoners looked bereft of ideas and desperately short of fighting spirit when they were ripped apart by Liverpool but,
looking beyond that crushing defeat, Villas-Boas also failed to recognise the importance of the powerful British press.

The Portuguese known as 'AVB', who was also sacked by London rivals Chelsea in 2012 after moving to Stamford Bridgevfollowing a highly successful spell with Porto, never got close to the friendly
rapport Redknapp shared with the media

SUSPENDED IVANOVIC OUT OF CAPITAL ONE CUP CLASH WITH SUNDERLAND

Branislav Ivanovic is suspended as
Chelsea travel to Sunderland for the Capital One Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Cesar Azpilicueta will switch to right-back,with Ashley Cole at left-back, while Gary Cahill may return in central defence after being rested for the Premier League win
over Crystal Palace, with John Terry
possibly given the night off.Manager Jose Mourinho is likely to make a number of further changes, with the December 23 Premier League clash at Arsenal in mind, while left-back Ryan Bertrand (knee) and midfielder Marco van
Ginkel (knee) are out.

SUSPENDED IVANOVIC OUT OF CAPITAL ONE CUP

Branislav Ivanovic is suspended as
Chelsea travel to Sunderland for the Capital One Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Cesar Azpilicueta will switch to right-back,with Ashley Cole at left-back, while Gary Cahill may return in central defence after being rested for the Premier League win
over Crystal Palace, with John Terry
possibly given the night off.Manager Jose Mourinho is likely to make a number of further changes, with the December 23 Premier League clash at Arsenal in mind, while left-back Ryan Bertrand (knee) and midfielder Marco van
Ginkel (knee) are out.

CITY IN TROUBLE AS INJURED AGUERO IS OUT FOR A MONTH!

Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero could be out for at least a month, according to manager Manuel Pellegrini. The in-form Argentinian suffered a calf injury early in the second half of Saturday's impressive 6-3 defeat of
Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
City are not yet sure how long the 25- year-old could be out but among the games he is set to miss is the home clash with Liverpool on Boxing Day.

Pellegrini, asked at a press conference if Aguero might miss the Christmas programme, said:
"I think he will be,at least,one month out.
"He has a calf injury. Maybe the doctor can say exactly how many weeks he will be."

Agüero has been in outstanding form this season, scoring 19 goals, 18 of which have come in his last 16 appearances. His partnership with new signing Alvaro Negredo has also been prolific, with the
Spaniard contributing 13 goals to the City cause. He is certain to be missed in his absence although, on the positive side, £22million
summer signing Stevan Jovetic is now in contention after an injury-hit start to his City career. The Montenegro international, most
recently sidelined by a calf injury, has managed just 5 appearances since his arrival.

In defence Micah Richards and Matija Nastasic are still unavailable. Pellegrini, speaking ahead of the midweek Capital One Cup quarter-final at Leicester,said: "
The players that  are injured are
Micah Richards, he continues to be injured, and Nastasic also and Aguero.
"All the other players are available. We will see which 18 players we pick. Jovetic is okay."

Could this be detrimental to city's domestic and europe dreams? Have your say,use the comment box.

FLETCHER HOPING FOR A SECOND CAREER

The midfielder made his first
appearance for Manchester United since Boxing Day last year when he came on as a substitute in Sunday's 3-0 win against Aston Villa. His problems with bowel condition ulcerative colitis date back to March 2011 and the Scotland international had
undergone surgery before finally
returning to first-team football.He told MUTV:
"I'm back for good. This is hopefully the game which means I'm back now. Hopefully there will be no setbacks with the health issues. I seem to have come through that, thank God. I'm thankful for that. It's onwards and upwards now."

Fletcher has only made 10 Premier
League starts in 27 months but was
adamant he was not ready to retire and believes he could have a second career. He added:
"Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to play football. I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play for Manchester United and wasn't going to give that up lightly. I battled through it, and I'm only
29 years old, I think I've got plenty
more years of playing left in me."
"That was reiterated to me by my
family, friends and the old manager [Sir Alex Ferguson]. I could have a career all over again if I get my health right, and
hopefully that's what I'm going to do."

Fletcher thanked ferguson for his support during the trying time saying:

"The manager was a massive influence. There have been so many people I could mention [who have supported me], but first and foremost are the people closest to home: my wife, kids, mum and dad.  Without them, I probably wouldn't have been able to come back."

"I always believed I would come back, I kept that mind-set, and I stayed strong and believed I would get back. I think that was the best way to approach the situation and I knew I was going to go through a lot,but the belief anD determination was to get back. Playing a game like that, and getting an ovation like that makes it all worthwhile."

ARSENE WENGER STILL KEEN ON SUAREZ SIGNING

Arsenal manager Arsene wenger has stated to French television that he remains a huge fan of Liverpool
forward Luis Suarez, and hinted that the Gunners could again attempt to sign the Uruguayan striker.

The north London outfit tried to sign Suarez last summer, but their offer of.£40,000,001 was not enough to convince Liverpool to part with their star asset. The 26 year-old has 17 goals and four
assists from his 11 Premier League
appearances this season,and such a record is enough to make Wenger again covet the English top flight's highest scorer.

"We all dream about having players like that," the Arsenal manager was quoted by the sun as telling French television network Telefoot.
"I think that every defender in England hates playing against him.
"He has a strong, provocative personality. From the information I gathered on him it appears that on a day-to-day level he is really easy to work with.
"Also that he’s respectful, he loves
training, he’s an angel. He turns into a demon when he's on the pitch."

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table on 35 points from 16 matches, with Liverpool two points behind.

OZIL APOLOGISES TO ARSENAL FANS ON FACEBOOK

Mesut Ozil has issued an apology to
Arsenal fans after he decided not to join the team in applauding the travelling support following the 6-3 loss at Manchester City.

The club's 42.5 million record signing was given a ticking-off by fellow German Per Mertesacker at the final whistle, and Ozil this evening took to his Facebook page to say sorry to the fans.

He posted:"Sorry I didn't thank the
fans at the end of the game!
"You have been brilliant to me and I know you had travelled a long way and spent your money to support us. I was upset with the result and know I should have come to you to say 'thank you' and
I know it is a big Arsenal tradition win, lose or draw."

Arsenal's heavy loss at City saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to two points after Chelsea beat Crystal Palace.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger also saw defender Laurent Koscielny suffer a knee injury at the Etihad, while Jack Wilshere could face action from the Football Association after he apparently
made a crude gesture at City fans.

SERIE A PREVIEW

"Walter Mazzarri and Rafa Benitez face their past in Napoli-Inter, while Juventus-Sassuolo is moved and Milan-Roma concludes on Monday."

There is only one Saturday game, as juve- Sassuolo was shuffled over to Sunday at 17.30 GMT after their chaotic Champions League experience in Istanbul.

Tonight at 19.45 GMT Hellas Verona aim to shake off recent slip-ups with their visit to bottom of the table Catania. Sunday afternoon has a series of intriguing ties, including the always very fiery Lazio- Livorno, Fiorentina-Bologna and Udinese- Torino.

There is also a battle of the teams that rose from the dead under new Coaches, as Eugenio Corini’s cheivo welcome Sinisa Mihajlovic’s revamped Sampdoria. After Juve-Sassuolo, it’s a huge Napoli- Inter clash at the San Paolo to stay in the
Scudetto race and above all a blast from the past.

Mazzarri and Benitez each face their former clubs, while Napoli have to shake off their bitter Champions League exit. Week 16 concludes on Monday evening
when Milan host still-unbeaten roma with Francesco Totti due for his comeback. Can the captain lead the Giallorossi to glory at
San Siro?