An injury to Lionel Messi overshadowed Barcelona's return to the Primera Division summit. 

Barca sealed a 2-1 win over Las Palmas and replaced rivals Real Madrid after they were held to a goalless draw at the Bernabeu by 10-man Malaga.

But the loss of Messi, who took an early blow during a collision with Pedro Bigas and is now expected to be out for up to eight weeks with knee ligament damage, makes it a bittersweet day.

Luis Suarez's double was enough to secure the points for Barca at the Nou Camp, with Jonathan Viera's deflected goal late on reducing the margin.

Messi received a blow to the knee in a tangle with Pedro Bigas just three minutes into the match and although he initially tried to continue he was withdrawn six minutes later and taken to hospital.

Tests revealed a torn ligament in his left knee, and Barcelona announced the Argentina international would be out for between seven and eight weeks.

That means Messi could miss the Clasico against Real Madrid on 22 November, while he is certain to sit out Barca's Champions League fixtures with Bayern Leverkusen and BATE Borisov, league games with Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, Eibar, Getafe and Villarreal, plus Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia and Brazil.

"I'm always sad when one of my players gets injured and even more when it's Messi," Luis Enrique said.
"But we need to accept the challenge and understand that this is part of football and get through it.

"We will not change our style of play without Messi, although there are many moments in games in which Messi liberates us and finds solutions for us, so we'll have to strengthen in other areas and the team will have to step up without him."

Real will wonder how they failed to put away Malaga, having had 31 attempts on goal and two strikes disallowed, one from Cristiano Ronaldo in the eighth minute and one from Isco in stoppage time.

The door appeared to open for them when Nordin Amrabat was dismissed with 13 minutes still to play, but Rafael Benitez's side could not beat visiting goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.

Hernandez: I don't mind how I score

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez's attitude is that of a goalscorer - as long as he keeps finding the back of the net he will be happy.

The 'Little Pea' scored the winner at Everton on Saturday after getting on the end of a Patrice Evra cross but his goal brought up a curious record for the Mexican striker - he has yet to score for United from outside the box.

Hernandez has netted 24 goals already in his burgeoning career at Old Trafford but none of them have come from long range and this has led to comparisons with one of United's most famous goal poacher - Ruud van Nistelrooy.

However, the 23-year-old is not concerned about being labelled as a one-dimensional penalty-box predator.

When Hernandez was asked by Inside United whether he thinks he can score from outside the box this season, he replied: "You never know!"

"I think part of the reason I haven't done that yet is because of the instructions I receive from Sir Alex.

"My job is play very high, right on the last man. To be honest, I don't mind how I score goals - whether or not you score from one metre or from the halfway line, it counts the same. A goal is a goal."

ManUtd.com notes that it took Van Nistelrooy 138 matches to score from outside the area and it was in a 3-1 victory at Charlton in 2005.

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson's side now face Otelul Galati in midweek hoping to take another step towards the UEFA Champions League knockout stages before hosting Sunderland at Old Trafford next weekend.

AVB denies lashing out at Chelsea

Andre Villas-Boas has vowed never to rant and rave at his Chelsea players, no matter how poorly they had performed.

Blue boss Villas-Boas on Monday denied reading the riot act to his squad after watching them ripped apart by Arsenal on Saturday.

The 34-year-old held an inquest into Chelsea's 5-3 Barclays Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge 24 hours later but rubbished reports which suggested he lost his cool.

"It's not my leadership style," said Villas-Boas, who is far less of a dictator than many of his contemporaries.

"Mine's a two-way leadership where the players are incentivised to give an opinion.

"It'll always be a two-way process for me where the most important words and actions are from my players.

"After a defeat like this, a player's own reflection is the most important thing.

"Because of what these players have won, they will do that."

Defender Branislav Ivanovic confirmed he and his team-mates had all taken a good look in the mirror since Saturday.

"Every one of us has to look in the mirror and be honest about how we played defensively," he said.

"We know how we made mistakes and how we plan to do things better.

"We have to be fully concentrated for the whole game and be strong for 90 minutes.

"When you're talking about the defence, you never talk about personal mistakes. In football, that can happen.

"We're talking about our game defensively. The whole team defends, the whole team attacks.

"In some moments, we lost some concentration. We weren't fully concentrated and things happened that we didn't want to happen, and that changed the game psychologically.

"This could be one of the most important things in our season after this game.

"A great reaction of the group would be good to show how we are strong."

Chelsea's first chance to repair the damage done by Saturday's defeat comes in Tuesday night's Champions League game at Genk, where victory could seal a last-16 spot.

The Blues will be expected to sweep aside the Belgian champions, who they thrashed 5-0 two weeks ago.

Villas-Boas, who visited the Cristal Arena with Porto last season, said: "I have experience of playing here and it's a stadium of great intensity.

"We had a difficult time here last year.

"It was our first knockout game in the Europa League and we got a tremendous result, but it was not easy."

Genk boss Mario Been said: "We will take on the game differently than the first leg.

"We showed way too much respect for our opponents. We played backward instead of forward.

"At home, in front of a capacity crowd we will have our chances, I'm sure.

"The only thing we have to do is to cash in on at least one of them. And we do have the quality to do that."

Cheik Tioté on Manchester United radar

Newcastle’s defensive midfielder Cheik Tioté is currently attracting interest from Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson personally travelling to watch the Ivory Coast international during the Magpies’ 1-0 win over Wigan in the ninth matchday on October 22.
According to reports, the Premier League champions are preparing a bid for the 25-year-old ahead of the transfer window reopening in January.

Under contract until June 2017 with Newcastle, Tioté has been impressive since moving to England from Dutch side FC Twente last year.

However, the player says he is happy at St James' Park, and keen on helping his side grab a spot for European competition next year.

“I have a long contract at Newcastle, and I'm happy here,” he told the Sunday Sun over the weekend. “I need to stay focused because we are in a very good position in the Premier League at the moment (third position). Every player wants to play in European competition and I am no different.

Newcastle can get into Europe, but we need to stay focused as of now and keep working together,” he added. During the summer Tioté was linked with a move to Chelsea, but it failed to pull off. He will be joining the Elephants for the Nelson Mandela Challenge against South Africa scheduled for November 12 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

'Silent Stan' speaks up for Glazers

Arsenal shareholder Stan Kroenke has told Manchester United fans to lay off the Glazers and start thanking them for the success they have delivered instead.


Malcom Glazer and his family have come under intense criticism from United supporters since they completed their leveraged takeover of the Old Trafford club in 2005.

The American family, who also own NFL club the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have been criticised for the way that they have financed their purchase of the club with loans partly secured against the club's assets.

Ticket prices at Old Trafford have soared since the Americans took over - a move which has caused the birth of a widespread protest movement against the family, who they want to see out of the club.

In Kroenke, however, the Glazers have a big fan. The American businessman, who became Arsenal's majority shareholder in May this year, thinks there is a big difference in how sports clubs are run either side of the Atlantic.

The 64-year-old maintains he has no plans to secure loans against Arsenal in the way that Glazer has done at United, but admits he is baffled at the way United fans have taken a severe dislike towards his compatriot given that United have lifted four league titles since they took over six years ago while also boosting revenue at the club.

Kroenke said: "Since they took over they have won and they have increased revenues by a huge amount. If I was a fan of that club, I would go there and go 'Wow!' because how could you do it any better?

"We have a whole different philosophy I think in the States, maybe, but I think it's time maybe for everybody to think a little bit.

"I think they ought to think about who invests in these clubs.

"He (Glazer) took money out of the club. So what? (LA Lakers owner) Jerry Buss takes money out of his club. A lot of owners in the US do. No-one ever says anything about it.

"Did the Lakers win anything? Well, yeah. They did. How big's their revenue? Pretty darn good."

Kroenke has been criticised for his lack of public appearances at Arsenal since he took over the club in May.

The American, branded in some quarters as 'Silent Stan' has made a point of boosting his profile in London recently, however. Kroenke addressed the club's AGM last week, watched his first Arsenal match of the season last weekend - when the Gunners beat Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge - and he also visited the club's training ground on Monday.

There, Kroenke addressed the first team in the company of Arsene Wenger before re-iterating his support for the Gunners boss to the media.

As well as being a big fan of the Frenchman, Kroenke is also an admirer of the self-sustaining financial model the north London club have chosen while the likes of Manchester City have instead chosen to throw hundreds of millions of pounds at their club.

In what could be construed as a dig at City, Kroenke admitted making a club's survival dependent on one person or one company is not his idea of how to run a successful business.

He said: "I think you can have people who spend a lot, they will do it for a little while and they might have some success, but then the person everyone is relying on maybe gets tired of it or has a financial reversal.

"What you are doing is that you are putting the focus on one person, one resource and is that really in the interests of a long-term situation for a great club that many people identify with and rely on?

"I would be much more proud if all our leagues were developed with the idea that you are competing on the basis of intellect and work and effort instead of just simply 'I am going to throw dollars against the wall'.

"I am proud of the fact that Arsenal has had this sustainable business model."

Kroenke, who also owns NBA side Denver Nuggets, NHL club Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Rams of the NFL, will watch the Gunners take on Marseille at the Emirates Stadium before heading back to his Missouri home.

Before leaving his media briefing, Kroenke was keen to make one more point clear - his unwavering support for Wenger - a man whose future was called in to doubt after the club's shaky start to the season.

"Arsene Wenger is an unbelievable manager. I think he's a tremendous person. He is as good as there is," Kroenke added.

"You lose some games, you have some tough loses. It happens. You can't judge a manager on one game or on one stretch of games. You judge him over time. That's how the really good ones are judged."

Premier League Team of the Week

Who else besides Robin van Persie made it to our Premier League Team of the Week? Find out!


The Dutch striker caused the shock of the round as his hat-trick helped trounce Barclays Premier League title contenders 5-3 at Stamford Bridge.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur while Newcastle kept up their amazing start to the season with an easier than expected game at Stoke.

GK: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham)

Mark Schwarzer was one of the best keepers on display from a Barclays Premier League round of fixtures which only had three clean sheets from ten matches. As Wigan began to exert some pressure on his Fulham side, the big Australian ensured the Lactics found no joy on the goal front. Schwarzer made crucial stops against David Jones and Ben Watson, including expertly tipping the latter’s volley over the bar. Fulham won 2-0.

RB: Angel Rangel (Swansea City)

Swansea City could not have asked more from their right-back Angel Rangel at the weekend against Bolton Wanderers. The Spaniard was tidy at the back but got forward sensibly as well and it was his ball which provided the assist for Swansea’s third goal (scored by Danny Graham) in their 3-1 win over Bolton.

LB: Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City)



Wolves manager Mick McCarthy must be getting a bit sick of seeing Aleksandar Kolarov. The left-back played in both Manchester City’s midweek 5-2 win over Wolves in the League Cup as well as Saturday’s 3-1 win over the same opposition in the Barclays Premier League. He was influential down the left flank in both games – and even got on the score sheet during Saturday’s 3-1 win.

CB: Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle)

It has taken a while for Fabricio Coloccini to show Newcastle United fans what he is capable of. Signed in 2008, he was part of the Newcastle team which went down at the end of that season. However, the Argentinean stayed on and has been instrumental in transforming the Magpies, who now sit third in the Barclays Premier League following their 3-1 win at Stoke on Monday night. Coloccini, as so often the case now, shone in the victory.

CB: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Nemanja Vidic gave Manchester United fans the perfect remedy to cure their Manchester derby hangover. The Serbian had missed United’s 6-1 defeat to City last weekend but was back in the starting line-up on Saturday to face Everton. His presence at the back ensured United kept a clean sheet against the Toffees, guiding them to a 1-0 win which also allowed Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to keep pace with league leaders City.

RM: Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Theo Walcott tormented his England colleague Ashley Cole during Arsenal’s 5-3 thrilling win over Chelsea. So while Walcott has certainly had his fair share of critics, they cannot take anything away from the winger’s performance on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. His goal was superbly taken and reminded us all of the quality the Arsenal midfielder possesses.

LM: Nathan Dyer (Swansea City)

Nathan Dyer was one of the stars of the show for Swansea as they swept aside Bolton Wanderers 3-1 on Saturday. He was a constant thorn in Bolton’s side and how he finished the game without a goal is beyond comprehension. Bolton had no answer for him with Ricardo Gardner getting sent-off for a cynical foul on the winger.

CM: Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur)



An early candidate for signing of the season? That might be overstretching things somewhat but whatever the case Scott Parker has made a fantastic start to his Tottenham career. On Sunday, it was QPR who felt the full force of Parker’s influence in the middle of the park as they lost 3-1. The England international bossed things for Spurs which allowed the likes of Rafael Van der Vaart to shine ahead of him. The Dutchman has scored in five consecutive Barclays Premier League games and is clearly enjoying the freedom he gets with Parker in the team doing the ‘dirty’ work.

CM: Lucas Leiva (Liverpool)

It would’ve been ridiculous to suggest this a few seasons ago but Liverpool are now a better side with Lucas Leiva in the team. Liverpool – especially Charlie Adam – missed him in their disappointing draw with Norwich over a week ago. On Saturday, Lucas dictated things as the Reds triumphed 2-0 over West Brom. He was covering every blade of grass out there, breaking up the play and allowing Adam to pick out the holes in the Baggies’ defence.

ST: Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Last week we said that Robin van Persie was the best striker in Barclays Premier League at the moment. Guess what? He still is. The Dutchman’s hat-trick pummeled Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge and brought up his 28th goal in just 27 Barclays Premier League games in 2011. The only other player to have scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in the league was Kanu back in October 1999 (Opta). A no-brainer for our Team of the Week selection.

ST: Demba Ba (Newcastle)



Stoke manager Tony Pulis has proven to be one of the more shrewd managers in the Barclays Premier League when it comes to the transfer window. However, he will wake up on Tuesday morning regretting his decision not to sign Demba Ba. The former West Ham striker, who nearly moved to Stoke in January, has scored eight goals in his last nine Barclays Premier League games including a hat-trick on Monday night to lead Newcastle to a 3-1 win over Stoke.

Park: United have forgotten City loss

Park Ji-sung is looking forward to the rest of the season confident Manchester United's derby mauling is now forgotten.
The champions bounced back from their 6-1 home thrashing by Manchester City with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Everton in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side now face Otelul Galati in midweek hoping to take another step towards the Champions League knockout stages before hosting Sunderland at Old Trafford next weekend.

Park said: "It was very important for us - we had to get back to winning ways after the defeat against City.

"The boss told us that in the club's history, we always get over [bad results]. He encouraged us to play and be confident.

"We had to show that and the players had to fight to win the game and the determination was great.

"Goodison Park is always a hard game for us, we have had difficulty there. We had to win the game."

United's form has generally dipped over the past month but, with a relatively kind run of fixtures ahead, Park believes momentum can be built.

The Korean, 30, said: "It is very important to improve ourselves for the rest of the games. Hopefully we can continue to play like that."

Chelsea to add youth, Manchester United want Barcelona player

BEIRUT: In Monday’s transfer news, Chelsea want to add youth to their squad, Manchester United look for solutions to their central midfield conundrum and Manchester City use Carlos Tevez as leverage.

Manchester United want Barcelona midfielder

With Sir Alex Ferguson still not convinced that Anderson, Darren Fletcher or Michael Carrick can partner Tom Cleverly in an effective enough partnership to challenge Barcelona, the Scot has turned his sights to the Camp Nou itself.

Javier Mascherano is the player thought to be in Man U’s radar, although the Argentinean defensive-midfielder is not a first choice in the Barcelona midfield, with Sergio Busquets deployed in his favored position.

Mascherano has typically been selected to play as a central defender for Barcelona when Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol or Eric Abidal are unavailable. It is thought that the prospect of lining up as a defensive midfielder in a top European side will appeal to the hard-tackling player.

Another player being looked at by the Red Devils is Swiss wunderkind Xerdan Shaqiri. The Basel midfielder has been labeled one of the hottest prospects in European football. On top of being wanted by Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City are also known to be admirers.

English rivals watch progress of player described as ‘finest player of his generation’

Holland Under-21 coach Cor Pot deals with some of the most talented youngsters in the world.

The performances of Under-21 star Ricky van Wolfswinkel have led Pot to label him as the finest player of his generation.

Van Wolfswinkel moved to Portugal this summer to ply his trade with Sporting Lisbon and has gone on a scoring spree. His play has been to such a high level that he is already attracting interest from rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

Manchester City looking to use Tevez as leverage

Manchester City are offering Carlos Tevez, plus 15 million pounds ($24 million), to Brazilian side Corinthians in exchange for Neymar and Ganso.

The Brazilian pair are two of the most exciting players to come from Brazil for a long time, with Ganso being likened to Kaka and Neymar to the King himself, Pele.

Real Madrid has been repeatedly listed as the favorites for the duo but a deal for Tevez would be hard for the Sao Paolo side to pass up.

Chelsea to overhaul aging team

Chelsea are now favorites to sign Lille’s superstar Eden Hazard, with sources inside the club saying that the West London outfit is following him most closely.

With Frenchman Florent Malouda and Ivorian Salomon Kalou both expected to depart in the next year, Hazard would bring some youth and flair to Chelsea’s wings.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Inter Milan have also reported interest in the 20-year-old Belgian.

Luka Modric is another player that Chelsea is still chasing. After an unsuccessful summer with three separate bids turned down by Tottenham, reports say Chelsea will come back in for the Croatian with a heavy bid of 52 million pounds ($83.2 million).

With Didier Drogba out of contract next summer and contract talks not going smoothly, it seems Andre Villas-Boas will turn to Napoli striker Edison Cavani. The Uruguayan has been labeled the next Diego Maradona by Napoli fans due to his talismanic first season with the Italian club.

Another option scouted by Chelsea is Porto’s Hulk. The Brazilian is apparently worth “100 million pounds” if you listen to Porto’s president, but with Chelsea and Real Madrid calling, the lure for playing in one of Europe’s two top leagues may be hard to turn down.

Barcelona favorites to sign Benfica’s best prospect

Barcelona are thought to be favorites to sign Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo, who is a strong central forward with great technical ability. Guardiola is thought to be looking for a strong central striker option since Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s departure.

Arsenal want to add strength for European push

Arsene Wenger has his eye on German wunderkind Mario Gotze. The Dortmund playmaker has recently received high praise from around Germany and even been put on par with Real Madrid ‘trequartista,’ Mesut Ozil by national team coach Joachim Low. The Gunners are pondering a January bid for the youngster.

Another player the North London side is monitoring for January is Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic, a skillful winger with a great eye for goal and would add needed depth to Arsenal’s attack.

Adam Johnson has also been linked with Arsenal. Johnson is known to have a rocky relationship with Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and it would be no surprise to see him depart in January to either Arsenal or Liverpool.

Johnson isn’t the only player being linked to exit Manchester for North London. Former Arsenal defender Kolo Toure has also been linked with a return to the club that helped make his name.


Tottenham consider Llorente

Fernando Llorente has had a great last year. He’s broken in to the Spanish national team and many have tipped him to remain in the first team ahead of struggling namesake Fernando Torres. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has been a long-term admirer and with Roman Pavyluchenko repeatedly expressing his desire to leave Spurs, a new forward may be needed.

Redknapp is also keeping his eye on Ricardo Montolivo who is widely expected to make a move this summer (if not sooner). Arsenal and Liverpool are also thought to be interested in the Italian international.


Bayern Munich chase German international

Bosnian-born Marko Marin has caught the interest of Bayern Munich and may move in January to the German powerhouse.

Man Utd monitoring Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC target Lucas Biglia - report

Manchester United are reportedly monitoring Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, who has previously been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool.
The 25-year-old was linked with a move to Liverpool during the summer, with reports suggesting Reds boss Kenny Dalglish was considering making a move for player if Lucas Leiva had left the club on loan.


Since then, Arsenal have shown interest ahead of the transfer window reopening in January, but according to the Manchester Evening News, the Gunners could face competition from Old Trafford.


United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is said to be keeping tabs on the Argentina international as he considers strengthening his squad in the New Year.


Biglia is believed to be keen on a move to the Premier League after seeing Romelu Lukaku leave Anderlecht to join Chelsea during the summer.


And reports during the summer had suggested that the former Independiente player had spoken to compatriot and former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano about a move to England.


Arsenal have already sent scouts to watch Biglia play for the Belgian club in recent weeks, while reports in Italy last month suggested the player has a verbal agreement with Anderlecht that will allow him to leave for a "big club" next year.

Man Utd 'there for the taking': Rodwell

Everton's Rodwell kicking himself for missing golden opportunity

Sir Alex Ferguson may be getting cold feet after the 6-1 mauling Manchester United received at the hands of Arsenal a week ago.

They barely came out unscathed by eking out a 1-0 victory on Saturday at Everton whose midfielder Jack Rodwell claims that United were "there for the taking".

Ferguson, who marked 25 years as manager at Old Trafford, seems to have adopted a safety-first approach even pulling back Wayne Rooney to marshall the midfield.

"They managed to keep us out of their penalty box, but they weren't the same side either, and we definitely think it is a chance missed," said Rodwell who felt they were a shadow of the side Everton faced a year ago.

Last season Toffees bagged two injury-time goals to earn a point but were edged out despite having far more possession.

"We had a lot of possession and they were there for the taking, but we didn't capitalise," the England under-21 midfielder was quoted in 'The Sun' virtually kicking himself for blowing a golden opportunity to cock a snook at the 19-time Premier League champions.

He attributed United's cautious approach for conceding many against Arsenal while going forward.

"Maybe they felt vulnerable and they didn't want to go as gung-ho," he said.

Man Utd still title favourites, claims Dzeko

Manchester: Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko believes that Manchester United are still the favourites for the Premier League title despite Roberto Mancini's side holding a five-point advantage over the Red Devils after 10 games.

Following City's 6-1 demolition of United at Old Trafford last weekend, the Blues preserved their five-point cushion with a 3-1 victory over Wolves at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Despite their position at the top of the table, former Wolfsburg attacker Dzeko admits "United are United" and that they are still favourites to retain their crown.

Getty Images

"I still don't think we are favourites," the Bosnian said, as quoted by the Guardian.

"There are still a lot of games to play. We have played 10 matches and are five points clear of Manchester United, but for me they are still favourites for the title. We are first and want to stay there but United are United, although we are growing up with every game."

Dzeko was embroiled in controversy last month after his negative reaction to being substituted against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but the 25-year-old insists that he apologised after the game and that it was normal for him to be angry after failing to score.

"I apologised afterwards," he added. "Sometimes, it is hard when you play badly and don't score goals. Sometimes, you are angry and that is normal. I played for two and a half years in Germany. I wanted to win and maybe score a goal. In Munich we played well for the first 30 minutes and then nothing.

Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart: Manchester City are best team in Premier League

Spurs star claims Mancini's side rule the roost on current form but Spurs aren't too far behind after latest win against QPR extends Harry Redknapp's impressive unbeaten run

Roberto Mancini's side find themselves five points clear at the summit of the table, though on current form, Spurs are only slightly off the pace, being undefeated in the last eight domestic outings.

In their latest win, a Van der Vaart goal was sandwiched between two sweet Gareth Bale strikes to earn Spurs a well-deserved 3-1 victory against London rivals QPR, moving Redknapp's side up level on points with Chelsea having played a fixture less.

For Van der Vaart, the win helped Spurs keep the heat on the chase for Champions League qualification after last year's failure to rejoin Europe's elite.

After a maiden season impressing against the likes of AC Milan and Inter last season, Spurs' failure to rejoin the Champions League represented a big step back from the club, with Redknapp establishing the central importance of a top-four Premier League finish this term.

"We have a good feeling and I think, once again, this club will be top four," said Van der Vaart.

"We’re working hard and we have good players, important players. Especially for me to score goals, it’s good.

"It’s still early and there’s a long way to go. I think we are much better than last season but at the moment Manchester City are the best team in the league.

"And under Manchester City there are a lot of good teams and we are one of them.

"All you can speak about is at this moment now and they are winning the games. How they played against Manchester United was impressive.

"But also, they are a difficult team, with a lot of egos. There’s a problem when you have too many big stars."

The Dutchman continued: "Last season we dropped too many points against these type of teams

"We played really well, but made it a little bit difficult at the end. We had a lot of chances and could have had maybe four or five goals.

"How we played the first half was really good. The second half we switched off, which is sometimes a problem but today we were lucky.

"In the end we got three points and we’re close to the top four now, so it’s great for us."

Spurs recent strong form has coincided with an impressive run from Van der Vaart himself, with the attacker netting six times in his last five outings.

That run has seen the Dutchman equal a club record with Robbie Keane and Teddy Sheringham, of scoring in five consecutive Premier League games. The ex-Real Madrid man attributes such form to a combination of good fitness and tactical deployment.

"I always want to play you know," said Van der Vaart.

"You have to keep on working and I’m really fit now and feeling good. My body is working and that’s the most important thing, then I can be really helpful for the team.

"This position in the hole is my favourite one. Of course, when I’m needed on the right side I can play there as well. I played there against Arsenal and did well, so it’s not a problem."

Arsenal FC to launch January bid for Kolo Toure - report

Arsenal are reportedly preparing to launch a January bid for Manchester City defender Kolo Toure.

Toure only recently returned from a six-month drug ban, but has found himself warming the bench in recent weeks as City boss Roberto Mancini opts to start with Joleon Lescott alongside Vincent Kompany in central defence.

The centre-back admitted last week that he could be open to a move away from the Etihad Stadium, and according to Caughtoffside.com, the Gunners are interested in bringing him back to the Emirates for a second spell.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is widely expected to try and strengthen his back four in the New Year after seeing his side leak goals throughout the opening stages of the season.

Summer signing Per Mertesacker has struggled at times as he tries to adjust to the pace of the Premier League, while Wenger has been without Thomas Vermaelen for a number of games already.

Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on Toure, who said of a possible move to France: "I would be interested because of my current situation at City.

"If Paris call me, it wouldn't be like in previous years when I would say: 'Paris? I'm not so sure.'

"Now, if they call me, I will listen to what they have to say. Looking at all the very good players Paris have, that really makes me want to go there, that's clear."

Lionel Messi: Crisis, what crisis?

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has labelled talks of him in crisis as 'crazy' after silencing his critics with a hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Mallorca.

Prior to the La Liga match on Saturday, the Argentinean has gone three consecutive matches without scoring, leading to talks over him suffering a dip in form.

His treble for the Catalan giants all but confirmed his place the the league's leading scorer with 13 goals and gave him a chance to hit back at this critics.

"It's crazy to say I was in crisis, just because I'd gone three games without scoring", the 24-year-old told the club's official website.

Messi also insisted that it doesn't matter if he scores, as long as the team win.

He added: " I'm not interested in how many goals I can score or not -what matters is that the team won".

Barcelona are currently second in the La Liga, a point behind leaders Real Madrid.

Bale: Our confidence is growing

Gareth Bale believes Tottenham's confidence is growing after their 3-1 victory over QPR stretched their unbeaten run to seven games in the Premier League.

The midfielder scored a goal in each half at White Hart Lane and Rafael van der Vaart also found the back of the net to equal the club record of scoring in five successive Premier League games.

Jay Bothroyd pulled one back for QPR in the second half but Tottenham were in commanding form and move up to fifth in the table.

"It's just good to get goals and the three points that lifts us into the top six," Bale told Sky Sports One.

"It was a great team performance today [Sunday].

Bale scored his second goal, a superb strike from the edge of the box, to steady the home fans' nerves in the 72nd minute.

"They were just starting to come on top and putting a bit of pressure on us and it was a very important goal," he said.

"The confidence is growing. We've been playing well and concentrating on our own football. Scoring goals is part of our game and we've been doing that."

Man-of-the-match Scott Parker is backing Tottenham to do well this season as they continue to string good performances together.

"I think they came out in the second half and put us under a bit of pressure but overall we fully deserved the win," Parker said.

"We played some good football.

"I'm enjoying it immensely and playing alongside players like Gareth and winning games is nice as well.

"We can go places this year if we believe in ourselves and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp hailed his "outstanding" team after the win. "It was a fantastic performance," he said. "In the first half we played some great football and moved the ball quickly. The movement and passing was incredible.

"They changed how they played, got it forward and played with more intensity in the second half but Gareth finished them off with a great goal.

"Suddenly they got a lifeline at 2-1 and it changes games so that third goal was important. I said at half-time we shouldn't relax in the second half but, to be fair to them, they came out and raised their game.

"Overall we were outstanding today [Sunday]."

Redknapp also praised Parker and the contribution he has made since making the switch to the north London club.

"Scott is a fantastic player," he added. "He was top of my list and he's just what we need.

"He tackles, doesn't give the ball away and he's a great boy and fantastic person. He's what you build great football clubs around."

Dzeko: United still BPL favourites

Manchester City striker Eden Dzeko has downplayed expectations that his side are top contenders for the premier league title.

City are top of the standings, five points clear of second-placed Manchester United.

But more than the lead, it was the way they demolished their neighbours 6-1 in the recent derby at Old Trafford that has made them odds on favourites to lift their maiden premier league trophy.

Roberto Mancini's men built on that stunning result by beating Wolves 3-1 on Saturday to maintain stay unbeaten this season, but Dzeko - who got on the scoresheet at Eastlands - maintains United are still the team to beat.

In comments quoted in the Guardian, the striker said: "I still don't think we are favourites.

"There are still a lot of games to play. We have played 10 matches and are five points clear of Manchester United but for me they are still favourites for the title. We are first and want to stay there but United are United, although we are growing up with every game."

Dzeko also commented on the notorious Champions League game against Bayern Munich last month - when he showed dissent after being substituted by Mancini.

While his actions were overshadowed by Carlos Tevez's refusal to warm-up, the Bosnian revealed he had apologised to the manager later.

I apologised afterwards," he said.

"Sometimes, it is hard when you play badly and don't score goals. Sometimes, you are angry and that is normal. I played for two and a half years in Germany. I wanted to win and maybe score a goal. In Munich we played well for the first 30 minutes and then nothing."

City now travel to Villarreal as they continue their bid to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.

Steven Gerrard in fresh injury scare

Fears of Steven Gerrard facing another spell on the sidelines have grown after the Liverpool captain was sighted leaving a hospital on crutches.

The 31-year-old has recently returned from a lengthy six-month spell out after a groin surgery but missed Saturday's 2-0 win at West Brom due to an infected ankle.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the England international was seen leaving a Liverpool hospital on crutches with his right leg in a cast - a sight that will bring worry to both Kenny Daglish and Fabio Capello.

Gerrard is believed to have fluid drained from his infected ankle and Liverpool are crossing their fingers the procedure will help ensure a speedy recovery for their skipper.

Meanwhile, Dalglish has played down the severity of Gerrard's latest injury setback

"Steven has got an infection in his ankle," the Reds boss said after the game at the Hawthorns. "He was in our minds for the [West Brom] game and it just flared up.

"We will be more accurate next week [in terms of a prognosis]. It has nothing to do with any injures before. It's an infection. I suppose it's like having an abscess in your mouth."

Gerrard looks set to miss the Reds' next league game at home to Swansea as well as England's upcoming friendlies with Spain and Sweden.

AVB: We must learn from Arsenal

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has urged his players to take a leaf out of Arsenal's book as they attempt to draw a line under their week from hell.

Villas-Boas watched Arsene Wenger's men rip his defence apart on Saturday as the Blues conceded five goals at home for the first time in 22 years.

The 5-3 defeat capped a nightmare seven days for Chelsea and captain John Terry, who is fighting to clear his name in a Football Association inquiry into allegations he racially abused QPR's Anton Ferdinand, something he categorically denies.

And back-to-back Barclays Premier League defeats have left the club nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Chelsea are still a long way from being in the kind of disarray Arsenal seemed to find themselves in during their worst start to a season since 1958.

But the fact the Gunners managed to recover to win eight out of their last nine matches has made them a blueprint for Villas-Boas's attempts to get his own side back to track.

"Arsenal have made a very good recovery, they are the exact example we are speaking about," he said.

"Arsenal were considered dead at the beginning and they were calling for Wenger's head, or the media were."

Speculation about Wenger's job arose because the Gunners had also gone six years without a trophy and Villas-Boas is highly unlikely to suffer the same fate after only two defeats.

The 34-year-old certainly had no such concerns, adding: "That means you are not cold-blooded in your analysis."

Villas-Boas is certainly delivering the attacking football owner Roman Abramovich craves.

"It's a stance you have to take," he said. "You have to reflect on what are the values of the English culture and British football. I think those values are well present."

But if he is to succeed in winning silverware this season, the Portuguese must solve the riddle of his side's defensive failings in big games.

He will waste no time poring over Saturday's defeat and his players may be made to do the same.

"I will watch the game as soon as possible," he said. "It's up to the technical staff to decide if the players also watch it."

Villas-Boas, whose side also conceded three goals in the first half of their match at Manchester United, added: "Even if we rule out Arsenal's last two goals, we still need to analyse the other three they scored.

"But, before this game, we were one of the three best defences in the Premier League. Nobody would bet on the results that have been happening in the Premier League this season."

Indeed, Saturday's eight-goal thriller was the latest goalfest involving the country's top clubs, with United also thrashing Arsenal 8-2 and losing 6-1 at home to Manchester City.

"The results that are happening reflect how chaotic the game is and how beautiful it is at the same time," Villas-Boas said, insisting that did not mean he took any pleasure from Saturday's defeat.

"For the fans, it is a good spectacle, for the neutral supporter. For the supporter of that team, you want to play beautiful football and you want to win. So we need to get the two together.

"Everyone is praising a strong, attacking team like Man City and we are exactly the same. We just have to make the most of our opportunities and try to score them."

Villas-Boas is confident his attacking approach will ultimately result in success.

"It's the route that we are taking and we want to do the things properly," he said. "The players have talent and they enjoy it. So we will try to get things right.

"At the moment the challenge is not going our way too much of the time in terms of the points distance to the leader.

"The Premier League changes dramatically so much that it's unpredictable.

"It happened to us on the wrong side last year and we have to believe it can happen on the good side this time."

Adam hails 'unbelievable' Carroll

Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam has hailed Andy Carroll's display in the 2-0 win at West Brom as 'unbelievable'.

Adam opened the scoring for the Reds from the spot after Luis Suarez was alleged to have been brought down in the penalty area.

Carroll then extended his side's lead just before the break after latching unto a through ball by Suarez before sliding the ball past Ben Foster.

Speaking after the game, Adam was full of praise for Carroll as he expressed his delight with the victory.

"The big man has been unbelievable today [Saturday] and the finish for our second goal was terrific," he told the club's official website.

"Once we got the goal it changed the complexion of the game. I thought we played well in the first half. Second half, we never kept the ball as well as we should have and it's something that we'll maybe have to get better at.

"But to come here and get three points has delighted us.

"We're disappointed with some of the results we've had this year. Last week (v Norwich) we had numerous chances and could have finished it off but that's what happens when you play in the best league in the world. If you don't score you can get punished, and we did.

"We've done that a couple of times this year but today [Saturday] we've started the game very well and deserved to win the game in the end."

Liverpool are sixth in the Barclays Premier League table and host Swansea on Saturday.

"Suarez one of the best divers"

West Brom midfielder Paul Scharner has accused Liverpool striker Luis Suarez of diving to earn a penalty during Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash at the Hawthorns.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has constantly defended Suarez from such allegations since the player arrived at Anfield.

But Scharner has reopened the debate after the Reds were awarded a spot-kick when Jerome Thomas was adjudged to have fouled the Uruguayan after only eight minutes.

Asked for his verdict on Suarez's performance, Scharner said: "It was a nice dive for the penalty and that got Liverpool well started for the game.

"It put us under pressure and we weren't good enough to respond.

"He (Suarez) is very good at winning penalties. He's one of the best on the planet, in fact. I had a good view of it.

"If that's a penalty, then you will find 1,500 penalties are given in every match.

"I know it was the assistant who flagged for it and maybe he had a better view than the referee. But there was a general feeling amongst all the players that it was a soft penalty."

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Scharner's claims, there was no disputing the quality of Suarez's general performance in his side's 2-1 win.

He also set up the second goal for Andy Carroll, who was quick to praise the contribution of his strike partner.

Carroll said: "He is a great player, he works hard for the team so it is nice to have him up top with me. It makes it a lot easier.

"He makes chances and can score goals himself, he can drop off and get the ball to his feet to dribble with it and slip people in.

"We are playing well together at the minute and hope it will carry on.

"People say there are similarities between Luis and the manager (Dalglish). Everyone also knows what the gaffer did back in his day.

"Luis is a great player and it is even better to have him in the team alongside me."

Carroll is hoping to kickstart his campaign after regaining his place in the starting XI.

He added: "I have been disappointed to be on the bench. I have been working hard to get my place and I think I have earned it.

"I played well last week and obviously at West Brom and getting a goal as well was even better.

"I am working hard in training every day to get my fitness up. I can only say I am working my hardest to get back the way I was.

"If I don't work hard then I am not going to play and that is the good thing about having a big squad."