Liverpool:
Liverpool’s new boss confessed he was astonished his assessment of veteran left-back’s form had created such a fuss and apologised for any perceived criticism.
The England defender has not been up to scratch this season but has been troubled by injury and missed the last three matches with a groin problem.
After the midweek draw, Liverpool manager gave a straightforward valuation of how Glen Johnson had been playing, saying he had not yet reached the level which made him a regular in England team.
The new manager of Liverpool said: “We all want Glen Johnson to find his
England form, but that has nothing to do with him being injured at the moment. That was just a general comment that I think I was entitled to make. We have a player with ability and we are hoping he is going to bring that ability to the team because
we want to use it help us win matches.”
Liverpool’s defeated league leaders, Chelsea, at Anfield by two goals to nil, but right after that, they drew with Wigan Athletic and lost to Stoke City. They are currently topping the bottom half of Barclays Premier League table number eleven.
Manchester United:
The Red Devils will hope the return of their talismanic striker, Wayne Rooney, would pour in new life in their campaign. Surprisingly, Manchester United is the only unbeaten team in all leagues of England but their away form is their biggest concern, as
they have managed only 1 win in seven away matches and drew other 6.
Rooney is set to resume training at Carrington after his week-long 'refocusing' trip to the United States. The Red Devil’s attacker has recovered from the ankle injury that has side-lined him for a month and he is likely to be in contention for next weekend's
match.
Regarding Rooney’s chances, Manchester United assistant manager said: “We will have a look at him and then we will build towards next weekend. He has trained very well. The exercise that we have put in place for him has worked well. We will assess him
during the week.”
Newcastle United:
Newcastle United’ manager is keeping his fingers crossed over his in-form attacker, Carroll, after he reported for the Three Lions duty with an injury.
The young talismanic striker of Newcastle United was already carrying injury after the weekend’s fixture and is being assessed by England medical staff.
But on the other side, Carroll’s club manager, Chris, is more concerned about Newcastle’s trip to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. Carroll has seven goals to his name already this season, including winners against West Ham United, Arsenal and a hat-trick against
Aston Villa.
After Carroll’s impressive recent performance, his presence is vital for the Chris Houghton’s team.
Houghton said he was playing very well and was scoring goals on regular basis. He also added that over the time Andy Carroll has become a vital member of Newcastle United.
Newcastle United is the only promoted team of this season which is currently sitting in top half of Barclays Premier League table.
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