This summer we have been treated to the Euros and the Olympics – well if you’re British or more specifically English, ‘treated’ isn’t exactly the right world when it comes to discussing international tournaments, but that aside there has been plenty of action to keep us entertained.

What this has also done is keep the players busy, and for those who have flourished during said tournaments, such as new Chelsea signing Oscar, the player should enter the start of the season on a massive high and be full to bursting of confidence.

The reason I say this however, is not through the expectation that certain players will build on said success, but through concern over the ones who have simply been awful for their country, and the wondering if this will have an impact on their club form.

Take Karim Benzema – everything the Frenchman struck turned to gold in the season gone by at Real Madrid, yet for France he was so poor that chanting ‘are you Torres in disguise’ would have been a detriment to the Spaniard – who in actual fact had a very good tournament. Pre-season for Chelsea not so much but then that’s a whole other kettle of fish.

For players who are very much confidence based, like Benzema, a bad international tournament has the very real possibility of derailing the start to the new season, and during the tour of the USA, the striker looks a shadow of his former self, and the sooner he gets a goal and forgets the summer, the better.

A poor international tournament can also make you seem somewhat less desirable to potential suitors, can’t it RVP, and the clubs that once looked so keen after a prolific season tend to fade away ever so slightly, again having a massive impact on the player for the up and coming season – especially if like RVP you are stuck with fans who adored you, a pittance of a contract of around a hundred or so thousand a week and a tiny stadium to play in next to the awful signings of Podolski and Cazorla. How my heart bleeds for the want away Dutchman.

There are some players who clearly can separate their club football from their country, time and time again certain English players have been found wanting for their country, yet been off the chart for their clubs – Frank Lampard I am looking at you.

Obviously players are human beings, and all react differently to set backs and poor displays – Ronaldo will obsess and obsess over something until he can get it right – should there be a penalty shoot-out this season, you can pretty much guarantee he won’t be waiting until 5th to step up.

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Some clearly have no issue putting it to one side at all, even being better for their club because they have that extra something to prove, yet the real worry is for those players – especially forwards where confidence is so key – who have a shoddy tournament and cannot get it out of their heads, and are in real danger of letting it derail their season before it has even started.

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England performed slightly above expectations at Euro 2012, as Roy Hodgson’s young squad managed to meet our dampened expectations with a series of battling displays. However, a worrying trend has developed with this latest batch of promising youngsters and a select few of them may be in danger of getting ideas above their station before they’ve truly made it.

Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck is believed to be haggling over signing a new contract to stay at the club, with reports indicating that he is thought to be demanding around £60,000 per week. He’s had an excellent breakthrough year at the club and his hard-working displays up top for England at this summer’s tournament showed he was capable of making the step up to international football far more comfortably than even his biggest fan could have previously envisioned.

Nevertheless, bearing in mind that he is *only* on £17,000 per week now, the club’s offer of around £40,000 per week would seem perfectly reasonable considering that he’s only 21 years of age and isn’t a guaranteed starter with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez also jostling for a spot up front. Welbeck has always seemed like a lovely chap whenever he’s been interviewed, so he must be being very poorly advised. Is it trial by the media, though? Is any of it even grounded in truth?

Former Manchester United forward Lou Macari had this to say on the matter, beginning the persecution, which at the moment is based solely on conjecture: “My main concern right now is Danny Welbeck – he’s had one good season, he’s only young and you never know which way they’re going to go. I’m hoping Danny signs his new contract, settles down and doesn’t listen to his advisors, like other young players do. Because I don’t think any United supporters want to see a long drawn-out saga over a contract. I just hope Danny realises these extended contract sagas, signing or not signing, don’t go down well with the fans.”

Throw Welbeck’s supposedly outrageous contract demands into the mix alongside the ridiculous Duncan Edwards comparisons that Phil Jones began to receive last year and you have a media simply willing to over-inflate the ego of any young footballer. It’s a well-worn routine – build them up to knock them down later when they will inevitably if they fail to meet the lofty expectations set out for them.

The club have suffered in particular recently at the hands of greedy youngsters (although I’m pretty sure Welbeck doesn’t quite fall into this category just yet) with the likes of Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba and Ezekiel Fryer all at loggerheads with the Old Trafford hierarchy over their wage demands. You could say that Ferguson has lost touch with the younger generation, but he is well within his right to not back down to their silly demands – they’ve done nothing to earn the right to demand anything yet, and right now they’re all just merely potential. Ferguson allowed Pogba and Morrison to both leave the club and Fryers looks to be edging towards a move to Tottenham as a result, but what else could Ferguson be expected to do under the circumstances?

Over at Arsenal, the fawning praise for Jack Wilshere could eventually mean he struggles to meet expectations upon his return from injury. A series of ankle injuries kept him on the sidelines for all of last season but he’s already been touted to walk straight back into both the England and Arsenal teams – no pressure then.

If anything, Aaron Ramsey highlighted last season that after a whole year out from the game, you can struggle somewhat when you come back – his form fluctuated last season through no real fault of his own, he just missed a long spell at a crucial time in any player’s development. Wilshere has played just over 70 professional appearances, so how about before we heap a bunch of pressure on the 20 year-old on his return, we give him a bit of time to settle and get back into the swing of things? Sadly, we all know the answer to this before it’s even happened, he’ll be proclaimed the the club’s saviour, the man capable of helping the side bridge the gap on the title challengers, and he’ll disappoint.

At Everton, Jack Rodwell has been hyped up beyond belief and been tipped for stardom with England as the long-term solution to the midfield anchor problem, but he’s never been a guaranteed regular at his club. Injuries have hampered him and he made just 14 league appearances last season – Henry Winter may want to have his babies, but some perspective needs to be applied here.

Theo Walcott has struggled to meet everyone’s expectations of him since bursting onto the scene as a prodigious 16 year-old at Southampton. It’s not that he isn’t a decent winger now and his end product has improved massively, it’s just that he’s not the player that everyone originally thought he would be – that’s not particularly his fault (although his development has been painfully slow at times), rather the fault of the media for trying to proclaim him as the next big thing.

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The term ‘wonderkid’ should be reserved strictly for the confines of Football Manager, it has no place when actually discussing the merits of a player. Welbeck is the victim of poor advice, which is threatening to harm his reputation, while the likes of Rodwell, Wilshere and Jones have all struggled with unfair comparisons and weighty expectations in the past. Before we ruin the next generation for England, perhaps a dose of perspective could be applied to ensure that these players keep their feet on the ground in the future, who knows, they may actually surprise a few people then.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

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It’s official. Merseyside has a new pin-up boy.

Just twelve months ago Joe Allen was embarking on his maiden voyage into the top flight with Swansea and had yet to start a game for Wales. Fast-forward to today and the midfielder has now been labelled, tagged and perhaps tainted with the title of ‘The Future’. The inexorable desire of Brendan Rodgers to bring him to Liverpool eventually paid off but not before inviting a few snide remarks relating to the cost of doing so. His pristine possession stats have been repeatedly flaunted in the national media, but does this convey the Welshman as overrated or underappreciated as a ‘complete’ footballer?

If Liverpool are to improve, evolve and indeed succeed under Brendan Rodgers then Joe Allen will undoubtedly play an integral role. He must succeed where the likes of Charlie Adam and Alberto Aquilani have failed, emerging from the shadow of Steven Gerrard in order to flourish alongside him. The early signs are promising, as his exquisite range of precision passes have all but expelled the notion that he is just another inflated British transfer.

When Allen first scuttled into the media spotlight I refused to be swept away by the unrelenting hype. Were we really meant to get this excited about a man who was good at simply ‘keeping the ball’? It struck me as an important but hardly awe-inspiring trait, which every player should possess anyway. However, it’s the speed that Allen executes his passes that make him special, along with his hunger to make himself available to receive the ball at every opportunity.

Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders recently remarked that the Welsh midfielder’s promising start could earmark him as a future star for Catalan’s finest, Barcelona.

“Joe’s an intelligent player, has a heart like a lion and is difficult to play against. He can get even better and go on from Liverpool and end up at Barcelona.” (Star)

However I refuse to entertain the growing comparisons with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta. Allen may act in a similar fashion in his own half but he rarely ventures into the final third, unlike his Spanish counterparts who continually probe and seek to infiltrate the opposition’s penalty box.

Perhaps in the absence of Lucas, Allen could replicate the role of Claude Makelele in his twilight years at Chelsea. The Frenchman was arguably the finest (short-distance) passer of the ball in Premier League history, tasked with breaking up play and initiating the counter-attack. Yet at just 5 foot 6 inches, Allen is perhaps incapable of exerting any kind of physical dominance, especially considering his slender physique. Maybe the Anfield faithful are excited because they realise that they have finally found a replacement for the King of retention football, Jan Molby. Could Joe Allen be the lynchpin in the midfield, who dictates proceedings in the same manner as the much missed Xabi Alonso?

In spite of his instant impact at the core of Rodgers ‘tiki-taka’ transformation, there is an underlying fear that Allen could replicate Jordan Henderson’s uninspiring introduction to life on the big stage. Henderson arrived at the club after an equally impressive season in the Premier League but struggled to deal with the intensity, expectation and gulf in quality from life at his former club. However, the key difference between the two players is that Joe Allen already looks like the accomplished player Henderson promises to be. This statement from his manager optimises why he was so keen to integrate him into his masterplan.

“I think the biggest testament that you can give him is that he has come into here and he looks like he has been a Liverpool player for the last 10 years.” (Liverpool Echo)

It’s fair to say that Rodgers hasn’t been blessed with much fortune on the pitch so far, in fact this is the worst start to a season for The Reds since 1962-63. His faith or rather reliance on the likes of Allen and young Raheem Sterling has helped disguise this fact and evoke a sense of hope from the supporters. However, such inexperienced players cannot be expected to win games on their own in the same manner that gave Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard their iconic status. The young guns have set an impressive standard and now it’s up to the likes of Luis Suarez to come out of the international break firing on all cylinders.

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In my opinion Allen has the world at his feet but may never be truly appreciated unless he drifts further forward to emulate the playing styles of David Silva and Santi Cazorla, who effectively steered Arsenal to victory in last weekend’s league encounter. It’s a tall order for a 22-year-old but he has all the required attributes, the only question surrounds whether he can cope under the weight of carrying both his new club and country for the foreseeable future.

Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I am currently enjoying this memorable giant-killing in Japan’s version of the FA Cup.

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Ciaran Clark has warned top-flight attackers that his partnership with Ron Vlaar will get “stronger and stronger” in the coming weeks and months ahead.

Clark and Vlaar are Paul Lambert’s No.1 pairing in central defence for Villa, and Irish ace Clark says playing alongside Vlaar is a dream. The pair aim to give forwards nightmares by channelling all their energies into shut-outs for Lambert’s Lions. He told Aston Villa’s official website:

“It’s brilliant to be playing alongside Ron. When he came in, we seemed to understand each other right from our first training session. The more we train and the more we play together, the stronger we’ll get.”

Clark is thrilled to be excelling at centre-half, after a spell of playing here, there and everywhere for the team under previous managers. The 22 year-old is happy in a settled position, although he still maintains he’d switch if needed. He added:

“For the past few seasons I’ve been all over the place. I haven’t minded that because I’ll play anywhere for the team and I’m just glad to be involved. But this season it’s nice that I’ve been able to settle down and get myself into one position, which is what I’ve always wanted.”

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Aston Villa travel to St. Mary’s to face Southampton on Saturday.

Pressure, what pressure? Andre Villas-Boas certainly isn’t feeling the heat any more after guiding Spurs to three wins in their last four games. The Portuguese tactician is really starting to grow into his role at White Hart Lane and the players look to be responding to the methods that irked the established order down the road in West London and ultimately cost him his job. That being said there is still a lot of work to do, as evidenced by the cheap goal they gave away at QPR last week, and it will be interesting to see how Villas-Boas handles a significant downturn in form as the club battles to muscle their way in to the Premier League top-four party. Whether he can maintain that challenge and manage an exhaustive European schedule remains to be seen but there is genuine cause to be optimistic for supporters.

This week on FFC can Gareth Bale transform himself to suit Spurs’ new tactical framework and which Spanish midfield star are they hoping to sign in January for a cut-price fee?

[divider]

Best of FFC

Can he really adapt to the change at Tottenham?

Time to make him the main man at Tottenham?

Why Tottenham fans shouldn’t fear going back to the future

Compromise the key for AVB and Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham and Liverpool vying to push through cut-price move

Tottenham newbie talks about transfer snub

January sales must be taken seriously at Tottenham Hotspur

[divider]

Best of WEB

Hugo first? Battle of the keepers. – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2

What Were Villas-Boas And Steffen Freund Thinking? – Harry Hotspur

The minority report – Dear Mr Levy

Tottenham’s Back Four Could Hold The Key – At Long Last – Transfer Tavern

Premature Announcement Revealed. – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2

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Off he goes – Dear Mr Levy

Capital Idea – Harry Hotspur

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Quote of the Week

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“That is the way I like my teams to play. We obviously know that it is extremely difficult there, but that doesn’t mean that you might not be given a chance when you play that (attacking) way. In the end it’s about taking your opportunities. Had (Chelsea) scored then maybe the result would have been different, so to try to get a result against United will be excellent for us.”AVB says he wants his Spurs team to continue ‘attacking’.

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Featured Video

England Manager Roy Hodgson is facing a fresh scandal concerning Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand after claiming his England career was over on a London tube train.

The former West Brom boss announced his squad at a press conference today and as expected, did not include the 33-year-old centre back.

The claim was made on a jubilee train as Hodgson was reported to have said that “it was the end of the road” for Rio, according to the Daily Mail.

This will come as another surprising snub to a defender who has been capped by his country 81 times and was hoping for a fresh opportunity to play for the national team, after John Terry recently retired from international football.

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Rio Ferdinand himself, recently mentioned that he was aiming to play at least 35 games competitively this season after having his last few seasons hampered with injury. He will be expected to be starting in the Premier League game on Sunday against Newcastle United.

Following Northern Ireland’s memorable draw against Portugal on Tuesday, Huddersfield midfielder Oliver Norwood has told the Daily Mail how he used his old connections with Manchester United to obtain an invaluable relic of international football.

After the full time whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo rejected offers to swap shirts with many of the Northern Ireland players. The world-class winger then gave his jersey, worn on his 100th appearance for Portugal, to 21-year-old Norwood.

Norwood has now explained how he became the unlikely recipient of the Portugal No.7 shirt. The midfielder was released by Premier League side Manchester United in the summer, and shares an agent with United star Rio Ferdinand.

“Rio and I have the same agent, and I knew he had kept in touch with Ronaldo from their days together at United,” Norwood explained.

“So I phoned him last week and asked if he could put a word in for me. I just explained how much it would mean to have Ronaldo’s shirt, and could he possibly see what the chances were.

‘I was hoping that might do the trick, but I wanted to make sure, so I went up to Ronaldo before the game and introduced myself. He just said: ‘Yeah, Rio spoke to me. Don’t worry – the shirt’s yours.’

“I will frame it, as soon as I get it home, and keep it. It will have pride of place among all my football possessions. I will show it my kids and grandkids in years to come and tell them that’s the shirt Ronaldo wore in his 100th international appearance. I was on the pitch with him, and there’s the evidence.

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“I’m absolutely thrilled with it, and I owe Rio for setting it up for me. It was so good of him, and I am really grateful.”

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European Champions Chelsea are about to snap up Fluminese wing back Wallace, according to the player’s agent Fernando Moraes.

Wallace was rumoured to be part of the deal taking Deco to Brazil a few years ago, but it seems that now the player has turned 18 he will finally make his move to Stamford Bridge.

Moraes did however claim that despite the deal being nearly done, he doesn’t expect his client to be sent out on loan in the near future.

“There are very advanced negotiations with Chelsea and the signature is almost certain,” Moraes said, according to Italian radio station Centro Suono Sport.

“If Wallace goes to Chelsea, he will be playing there.

“I had contact with Roma and many other Italian clubs, but that was a long time ago.

“I rule out the possibility of a loan [from Chelsea to Roma]. If he joins Chelsea he will play for the Blues.” (Daily Mail)

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Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that changes at Chelsea won’t damage his chances of securing a deal to sign striker Daniel Sturridge in January.

The Chelsea forward has emerged as Rodgers’ prime target in the Premier League transfer window as he looks to strengthen a forward line heavily reliant on Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez.

However, the appointment of Rafa Benitez could complicate matters if he sees Sturridge as more of an integral part of his squad than his predecessor Roberto Di Matteo did.

“You never know when new managers go into clubs, but we will see what happens over the course of the market for us,” Rodgers told The Telegraph.

The player himself is said to be keen on the move and has made no secret of his desire to play as a striker through the middle,  something which he has not really had the opportunity to do at Chelsea with Fernando Torres being preferred in that role.

Rodgers is also reported to be keen on unsettled Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, and after he was left out of the club’s 2013 calender it has sparked further indications that he is nearing an exit from the Emirates.

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Both of these players added to the likes of tricky winger Raheem Sterling and the imperious Suarez would give Liverpool more depth in their attacking options, but it remains to be seen whether Rodgers can get the players he wants come January.

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Arsenal’s main transfer target, Wilfried Zaha, has mockingly tweeted his frustration at watching the Gunners during their 2-1 Champions League defeat against Olympiakos Tuesday night.

Finishing behind Schalke 04 the Gunners have to settle for a tough knockout tie in the next phase of the Champions League against a group winner.

They took the lead against the Greeks in the first half when Tomas Rosicky side footed from the penalty spot after a clever cutback by Gervinho. Arsenal’s collapse came in the second half after conceding two goals to Giannis Maniatis and Kostas Mitroglou respectively.

Championship striker Zaha admitted that he stopped watching the tie after Arsenal fell behind, tweeting, “I swear I’m not watching Arsenal anymore.”

The Crystal Palace forward then retweetd Mark Bright’s comment, saying, “’Arsenal are poor. Plain and simple. Sorry @IanWright0 its so annoying watching them, used [to] be made of steel. Now, papier mache!”

Zaha’s comment alone merely playfully mocks the North London side, however, his retweet of TV pundit Bright gave his view a more caustic quality.

The playful swipe, made in the public sphere, has the potential to isolate the youngster if a move to his boyhood club Arsenal ever transpires this January, or this summer.

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As reparation for his earlier tweet Zaha admitted that “I am a[n] Arsenal supporter but they do stress me out.”

Arsene Wenger has already admitted admiration for the player’s footballing acumen, but his social media savvy is certainly a work-in-progress.