Everton Dengan Partai Panas, Hadapi MU & Arsenal

Getty Images/Alex Livesey

Liga Inggris- Everton punya misi ganda kala bertandang ke Manchester United tengah pekan ini. Tak hanya bertekad mempertahankan laju oke, The Toffeesjuga ingin raih kemenangan di kandang tim besar Premier League.

Everton tampil cukup baik sejauh ini di Premier League. Dari 13 pekan yang telah berlalu, tim asuhan Roberto Martinez baru sekali kalah, memenangi enam laga, berimbang di enam laga lainnya. Bahkan sejak kalah 1-3 dari Manchester City Oktober lalu, enam laga dilalui tanpa kekalahan (3 menang dan 3 imbang).

Hasil itu pun membawa mereka menyodok ke peringkat lima klasemen liga dengan nilai 24, berselisihkan tujuh poin dari Arsenal di urutan teratas dan hanya tiga angka dari Chelsea di nomor dua. Posisi Romelu Lukaku dkk. bahkan melampaui Manchester United --juara bertahan-- dan Tottenham Hotspur yang belanja besar-besaran di awal musim.

Kamis (5/12/2013) dinihari WIB nanti, laju oke Everton ini bakal mendapat ujian di Old Trafford. Laga ini memberikan tantangan lebih besar lagi jika melihat Everton punya catatan buruk di liga saat bertandang ke tim-tim besar semisal MU, Arsenal --akan dihadapi akhir pekan--, Chelsea, dan Liverpool.

Catatan Soccerpunter menunjukkan bahwa di Old Trafford, Everton tak pernah menang sejak 19 Agustus 1992 atau sekitar 21 tahun silam. Di kandang Arsenal, sudah sejak 20 Januari 1996 tim kota Liverpool ini tak pernah menang.

Lanjut ke Stamford Bridge, markas Chelsea, di mana Everton terakhir kali menang pada 26 November 1994. Sedangkan di kandang rival sekota, Liverpool, sudah sejak 27 September 1999 tak mampu memetik angka penuh.

Catatan inilah yang ingin diakhiri oleh pasukan Martinez, saat menghadapi MU nanti. Sadar lawannya punya kualitas skuat yang lebih baik, manajer asal Spanyol itu sadar butuh cara khusus dan keberanian dari anak-anak asuhnya untuk memenangi laga

"Kami perlu realistis. Ada enam klub dengan enam anggaran luar biasa dan kami perlu bermain dengan cara berbeda. Kecuali Anda bereksperimen di lapangan, Anda tidak akan pernah bisa mengalahkan tim dengan anggaran lebih besar," kata Martinez seperti dilansir Guardian.

"Jika Anda ingin tampil berani dan mencoba memenangi laga ketimbang hanya tampil untuk menjaga agar tak kebobolan dan melalui laga dengan membatasi situasi berbahaya, maka Anda perlu bermain fleksibel sebagai pemain dan tim, bermain dengan cara berbeda di pertandingan modern," lanjutnya.

"Itulah sikap yang telah kami miliki sejak awal, kami hanya menelan satu kekalahan dalam 13 laga. Ini adalah ujian berikutnya dan tantangan lebih lanjut lagi: bisakah kami berkunjung ke ke tempat lawan-lawan besar seperti Old Trafford, Emirates, Anfield, dan Stamford Bridge dan meraih kemenangan?," tambah manajer 40 tahun ini.

"Itu tentu tidak akan terjadi dalam sekejap. Mungkin hari Rabu akan jadi langkah pertama untuk mewujudkannya," ungkap Martinez.

Saatnya The Reds Bangkit Lagi

Getty Images/Jamie McDonald

Liga Inggris- Liverpool meraih hasil mengecewakan saat ditundukkan Hull City. Berbekal catatan tak pernah kalah dua kali berurutan di liga, 'Si Merah' pun optimistis bangkit saat menjamu Norwich City tengah pekan ini.

Di laga akhir pekan kemarin, Liverpool memetik hasil buruk saat dikalahkan Hull 1-3. Hasil tersebut lantas membuat tim asuhan Brendan Rodgers turun dua posisi ke tangga keempat Premier League, digeser oleh Chelsea dan Manchester City.

Menjamu Norwich City di Anfield, Kamis (5/12/2013) dinihari WIB nanti, Steven Gerrard dkk. tentu tak ingin kehilangan tiga poin lagi. Kemenangan penting bagi tim Merseyside itu untuk tetap bertahan di lima besar, mengingat mereka hanya berjarak tiga poin dengan Tottenham Hotspur di urutan kesembilan.

Rodgers pribadi merasa optimistis timnya bakal meraih hasil positif. Sebab, catatan menunjukkan bahwa Liverpool tak pernah kalah berturut-turut sejak ditanganinya mulai musim panas 2012 silam.

"Sejak saya berada di sini, kami tidak pernah kalah dua laga berturut-turut. Dan itu benar-benar bergantung pada sikap positif yang dimiliki para pemain dan bagaimana mereka bisa bangkit dan pulih usai kalah," ungkap Rodgers seperti dilansir situs resmi klubnya.

"Saya selalu harus melihat gambaran luasnya dan bagi saya gambaran luasnya masih sangat cerah. Kami hanya perlu melalui kekecewaan ini, yang mana akan kami lakukan."

"Satu-satunya cara Anda bisa merespon adalah beristirahat sejenak, terima apapun yang datang, dan bekerja tanpa lelah ke depannya untuk mendapatkan hasil," lanjutnya.

"Saya selalu menuntut yang terbaik, itulah sebabnya kami berada di klub seperti ini. Kami tidak berada di sini untuk menjadi nomor dua atau pecundang terhebat, kami di sini untuk menang," tegas manajer asal Irlandia Utara ini.

Profil Timnas Amerika Serikat : Tim Howard

Tim Howard

Howard with the United States in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Timothy Matthew Howard[1]
Date of birth	March 6, 1979 (age 34)[1]
Place of birth	North Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Everton
Number	24
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997	North Jersey Imperials	16	(0)
1998–2003	MetroStars	88	(0)
1998	→ MLS Pro-40 (loan)	1	(0)
2003–2007	Manchester United	45	(0)
2006–2007	→ Everton (loan)	25	(0)
2007–	Everton	248	(1)
National team‡
2002–	United States	96	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of match played November 30, 2013[2]. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 24, 2013

Timothy Matthew "Tim" Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team.

Howard started his career with the North Jersey Imperials before making a move to the MetroStars. His appearances soon attracted the attention of Manchester United, who signed him in 2003. He enjoyed relative success with them as they won the 2003 FA Community Shield, the 2003–04 FA Cup and the 2005–06 League Cup. However, after United signed Edwin van der Sar, Howard went out on loan to Everton to play more first-team football and eventually signed permanently with them in February 2007. On January 4, 2012, Howard scored a goal, his first as a professional, againstBolton Wanderers. This made him the fourth goalkeeper to score a goal in a Premier Leaguematch.^[3]

Howard first represented the United States national team in 2002 and was an unused substitute for the 2006 World Cup. He later established himself as first-choice and started all of the United States' games at the 2010 World Cup as they reached the Round of 16.

He has a reputation for playing through the pain barrier. In September 2007 he accepted a call-up from the United States for a friendly against Brazil, and after an hour of the game his finger was dislocated in a collision. In March 2013, during an FA Cup game against Oldham Athletic he broke two bones in his back. In both incidents, he continued playing until the final whistle.

Early years

Howard was born in North Brunswick, New Jersey,^[4] to Matthew Howard – an African American, and Esther Howard (née Fekete),^[5] a native of Hungary. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and Howard lived with his mother, a project manager for a cosmetics distributor. His father, a long-distance truck driver for a health care firm, nonetheless maintained a presence in his life. His father was determined to get Howard and his brother, Chris, involved in sports. Before the two could walk, he bought them equipment for various sports to see which games they preferred. Tim showed a preference for basketball and soccer.

Howard was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was in the sixth grade.^[6] Before Howard was a teenager, Tim Mulqueen, a one time assistant coach for the United States men's national under-17 soccer team, saw his potential at a soccer camp Howard attended and took the boy under his wing.

In high school, Howard proved a star not only in soccer as a midfielder, but also on the basketball court, where he averaged 15 points per game and helped bring his team to the state finals in his senior year. However his talent and abilities as a soccer player were far more impressive. Despite his position on his high school team, Howard was a far better goalkeeper than he was a midfielder. Howard spent the first years of high school attending Montclair Kimberley Academy, a small private school in Montclair, New Jersey.^[7] Howard left MKA in his junior year to go back to North Brunswick where he grew up, and graduated from North Brunswick Township High School. By the age of fifteen he began playing in goal for U.S. youth national teams. He made his international debut against Honduras on the U-17 squad. In 1997 Mulqueen became the coach of the North Jersey Imperials, a team in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL), and served as the goalkeeping coach for Major League Soccer's MetroStars; he immediately considered Howard for a position on the Imperials. In May of that year, a month before graduating from high school, Howard played for the Imperials in his first professional game.

Club career

MetroStars

After only six appearances with the USISL's North Jersey Imperials, Tim Mulqueen, who at the time was the New York/New Jersey MetroStar's goalkeeper coach, brought Howard up from the Imperials to the MetroStars.

Howard was victorious in his MLS debut with the MetroStars on August 18, 1998, making five saves in a 4–1 win over Colorado at Giants Stadium (his only appearance of the year). He later played in one game with the Nike Project-40 Team, a 3–1 win over the Staten Island Vipers at Giants Stadium on May 6, 1998.

With the MetroStars during the 1999 MLS season, he made eight starts in nine contests. Howard had a 1.58 GAA and won just one match in a season in which the Metros won just seven games. He also spent most of the international season with the U.S. Under-20 MNT, leaving the club to compete in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria in April and the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg in July.

Howard posted a 5–2–2 record with a 1.59 GAA in 2000, splitting time between the MetroStars and the U.S. Olympic Team, also winning all three of his U.S. Open Cup starts that season.

In 2001, he became the youngest player to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, recording four shutouts and a league-leading 146 saves, and was named to the MLS All-Star Team. Howard played every minute of every MetroStars game, and finished the year with a 1.33 GAA, four shutouts and a 13–10–3 record. He also received the MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Howard played in 27 of 28 regular season games in 2002 for the MetroStars, recording four shutouts.

Before leaving the MetroStars in 2003, he appeared in thirteen games and had three clean sheets as the club challenged for first place during the season’s first half.

Manchester United

Manchester United paid a $4 million transfer fee to sign Howard in the middle of the 2003 MLS season, and he replaced Fabien Barthez as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.^[8] He started off very well at Manchester United, saving the decisive penalty in the Community Shield against Arsenal. Other notable performances followed, including Bolton Wanderers and a home FA Cup tie victory over Manchester City. However, in March 2004, Howard's poor parry handed a last minute goal to FC Porto, eliminating United from the UEFA Champions League. The error appeared to shatter Howard's confidence and he was replaced by Roy Carroll. After a period of rest, Howard reclaimed his starting position ahead of Carroll for the 2004 FA Cup Final, picking up a winner's medal. He was the second American player to collect a winner's medal in the FA Cup, after Julian Sturgis of Wanderers in the 1873 final. Howard was also named in the PFA Best XI in his first season at Manchester United.

In his second season with Manchester United, he started poorly, making several errors and was dropped again for Carroll. After Carroll made several errors as well, Howard forced his way back in but his performances were unconvincing, leading to Carroll regaining his place again, playing in the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal.

At the end of the 2004–05 season, Howard signed a new contract, which was to run until 2009. In the summer of 2005, Manchester United released both of his competitors for the goalkeeper position — Ricardo López Felipe and Carroll. However, they also bought experienced Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sarsoon after. An uncharacteristically outspoken Howard fumed in an interview that he would not have signed the new contract had he known Van der Sar was on his way to United. He felt that he had done enough to remain as the first choice goalkeeper at the club.

Everton

Howard joined Everton on loan for the 2006–07 season and made his debut for the club against Watford on the opening day of the season. He signed a permanent deal with the club in February 2007 for a fee reported to be worth around £3 million.^[9]

In April 2007, Everton faced Manchester United at Goodison Park. Howard did not participate in the game, and there was some speculation that this came from a clause in his loan contract, even though a permanent deal had since been agreed.^[10] The Football Association investigated the allegation but found that neither Manchester United nor Everton had broken any rules regarding Howard's transfer and that both clubs had confirmed that Everton had been free to play Howard against Manchester United if they had wished to do so.^[11] He made his 100th appearance for Everton against West Ham United, on November 8, 2008. On April 19, 2009, in the FA Cup semi final, he saved two penalties against his former club Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out to send Everton to the final against Chelsea. During the 2008–09 season Howard set the club record for most league match clean sheets in a season. Howard started the2009–10 season with four consecutive clean sheets, including away to Portsmouth where he helped his team secure a 1–0 win and claimed the Man of the Match award for his performance^{[citation needed]}. Howard captained Everton for the first time in a 3–3 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 12, 2009.^[12]

On March 2012 Howard agreed a new contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2016.^[15] On March 2, 2013, Howard's run of 210 consecutive Premier League appearances dating back to September 2007 came to an end as he missed a game against Reading with a finger injury.^[16] He was two games short of equalling Neville Southall's club record.^[17] In May, Howard kept his 100th clean sheet for Everton in a 0–0 draw against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.^[18][19]During the 2011–12 season, Howard scored his first goal in professional football in a 2–1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers. His wind-assisted 102-yard clearance at Goodison Park made him only the fourth goalkeeper to score in a Premier League match since its formation in 1992.^[13] He described his goal as "cruel" and refused to celebrate out of sympathy for his beaten opposite number, Ádám Bogdán.^[14]

International career

Howard speaks with D.C. Unitedgoalkeeper Bill Hamid before an international friendly on July 23, 2011 at RFK Stadium

Howard makes a save during training for the US national team, May 2006

Howard started for the United States national team in the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria and was a backup to Brad Friedel at the 2000 Summer Olympics. On March 10, 2002, he received his first senior cap, against Ecuador. On May 2, 2006, Howard was named as one of three goalkeepers on the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but served as a backup to Kasey Keller. Howard became the team's first choice goalkeeper under Bob Bradley and started in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, a 2–1 win over Mexico.

He was the starting goalkeeper for the 2009 Confederations Cup, including the semifinal in which the U.S. upsetSpain, then the number one-ranked team in the world. Howard's eight saves earned him his first clean sheet of the tournament and the first shutout of the Spanish side since 2007. Following the United States' second place finish in the tournament, Howard was awarded the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper.^[20]

Howard was the starting goalkeeper for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in South Africa, and turned in a Man of the Match performance against England in his first World Cup appearance.^[21] Howard's distribution to Landon Donovan led to the game-winning goal of the last first round game against Algeria, giving the US passage into the round of 16. He conceded two goals when United States lost their round of 16 game against Ghana.

After the 2011 Gold Cup Final, Howard made a controversial statement regarding the post-match ceremony. The trophy presentation was conducted entirely in Spanish, despite the tournament being held in the United States. Howard went on to say that it was a "disgrace" and commented further that if the final had been in Mexico City and the United States had won, the ceremony would not have been made in English

Profil Timnas Amerika Serikat : Brad Guzan

Brad Guzan

Guzan playing for the United States in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Edwin Guzan[1]
Date of birth	September 9, 1984 (age 29)
Place of birth	Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Aston Villa
Number	1
Youth career
2003–2004	South Carolina Gamecocks
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004	Chicago Fire Premier	13	(0)
2005–2008	Chivas USA	79	(0)
2008–	Aston Villa	58	(0)
2011	→ Hull City (loan)	16	(0)
National team‡
2008	United States U23	5	(0)
2006–	United States	24	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:03, 1 December 2013 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:00, 20 October 2013 (UTC)

Guzan (dressed in yellow) lines up with Aston Villa team-mates prior to a UEFA Europa Leaguematch away at Rapid Vienna in August 2009.

Bradley Edwin "Brad" Guzan /ˈɡuːzən/ (born September 9, 1984) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English Premier League club Aston Villa and the United States national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, Guzan, who is of Polish-American ancestry, played his youth soccer at the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, and for the varsity soccer team at Providence Catholic High School in Illinois, from which he graduated in 2003. He went on to play two seasons in NCAA competition as a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer team, where he was a second-team All-American in his sophomore season.^[2]

Chivas USA

After spending two years with the Chicago Fire Reserves in the USL Premier Development League he chose to forgo the rest of his college years, signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer (MLS). Chivas USA drafted Guzan with the second overall pick of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.

Guzan has played for the Under-18 United States national team. He got his first cap for the senior national team on February 19, 2006, against Guatemala. On November 7, 2007, Guzan was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.^[3]

Aston Villa[edit]

July 11, 2008, Aston Villa agreed a transfer fee in the region of £600,000, or $1 million, with MLS and Chivas USA to sign Guzan, significantly less than the £2 million agreed to in Aston Villa's failed move for the keeper in January 2008. This was because Guzan would have been out of his contract at the end of the 2008 season in November, allowing him to sign for Aston Villa during the January transfer window on a free transfer.

On August 1, 2008, Guzan was granted a work permit by the Home Office, allowing him to complete his move to Aston Villa.^[4] He was due to be officially introduced by Aston Villa after competing for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Guzan was the second American goalkeeper called Brad to be signed during the summer by Villa, following the capture of Premier League veteran Brad Friedel.

Guzan made his Villa debut in September 2008, in the League Cup, at home to Queens Park Rangers.

He made his European debut in the UEFA Cup game away at Slavia Prague on November 6, 2008. The match finished 1–0 to Aston Villa with Guzan making several saves to keep a clean sheet. His performance led to his manager, Martin O'Neill, describing him as a "class goalkeeper in the making." He also started in Villa's first leg against CSKA Moscow in round 32 of the UEFA Cup at Villa Park on February 18, 2009, and came on as a substitute against Liverpool after Brad Friedel's red card.

Guzan played in every game that Villa won during their success in the 2009 Peace Cup, against Atlante,Porto and Juventus. He helped Villa overcome the Italians in the final, notably in the penalty shootout where he saved the attempts of Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alessandro Del Piero.^[5] The only game that Villa did not win (in the group stages against Málaga) was the one in which Guzan did not feature. Despite having a successful pre-season period, Guzan was dropped from the first team in favour of compatriot and Premier League veteran Brad Friedel for Villa's opening game of the 2009–10 season, against Wigan Athletic.

On October 27, 2009, Guzan saved four penalties in one match, one in normal time and three more in a penalty shoot-out win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the last 16 of the League Cup. Despite these heroics, Brad Friedel replaced him in goal for the final against Manchester United.^[6]

Hull City (loan)

Guzan playing for Hull City in 2011

On December 31, 2010 Guzan was loaned to Football League Championship side Hull City on a one-month loan deal.^[7][8] He made his debut for Hull on New Year's Day 2011, a 1–0 loss to Leicester City.^[9] His second appearance for the club ended on a higher note, as his team went on to win 3–2 at Portsmouth.^[10] He kept his first clean sheet for the club against Barnsley in a 2–0 win for Hull.^[11] On January 25, 2011, Brad Guzan extended his loan until the end of February.^[12] He made a total of 11 league appearances for Hull, before returning to Aston Villa on February 28.^[13]

However, on March 8 Hull re-signed Guzan on an emergency loan due to an injury to their other goalkeeper Vito Mannone.^[14] His first appearance back at the club was in a home match against Burnley.^[15] Guzan's last game for Hull City came in a 2–1 win away at Watford on April 9, 2011, after which he returned to Aston Villa.^[16][17]

Return to Villa

On December 3, 2011, Guzan made his second Premier League appearance for Villa coming on for the injured Shay Given against Manchester United. Given had been ruled out for a month with a torn hamstring so Guzan retained his place in the first team, giving him an extended run in Aston Villa's first team.

Guzan was released by Villa at the end of his contract in June 2012.^[18] However, he was linked with a return to the club over the summer in a situation similar to that of fellow Aston Villa goalkeeper Andy Marshall in 2010. On July 16, 2012, Guzan was included in new manager Paul Lambert's 25-man squad for Villa's tour of the United States and the same day, the player confirmed via Twitter that he had renewed his contract and rejoined the club.^[19][20]

He made his return for Aston Villa against Newcastle United putting in a Man of the Match performance in a 1–1 draw at the St James' Park.^[21] He kept Villa's first clean sheet of the season in a 2–0 win against Swansea City and performed well enough to keep his position in the starting lineup. At the end of the 2012-13 Premier League season, he was voted the Aston Villa Player of the Year thanks to his large contribution to Villa's survival.^[22] On July 6, 2013, Guzan was rewarded for his play and signed a four-year contract extension with the Midlands club.^[23]

On July 18, 2013, Guzan stated that he hoped to give Aston Villa the best years of his career and said that signing a new contract was a "no-brainer".^[24]

In September 2013, Guzan remarkably got an assist for Andreas Weimann in a 3-2 win against Manchester City in which Paul Lambert praised Guzan's distribution technique for goal kicks.

International career

Guzan (right) with the United States national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Since 2006, Guzan has established himself as the second-choice goalkeeper for the United States national teambehind Tim Howard. He made his World Cup qualifying debut in the second leg of a second round qualifier againstBarbados (with the US up 8–0 and having all but secured advancement). He later started in two semifinal matches after the U.S. had secured advancement to the final round—a 2–1 loss at Trinidad and Tobago and a 2–0 win overGuatemala. When Howard was suspended for a match at El Salvador due to accumulated yellow cards, Guzan started and helped earn a critical 2–2 draw. Guzan also started the USA's 3–0 win over Egypt in the 2009 Confederations Cup. On May 11, 2010, Guzan was named to the U.S. national team's provisional 30-man World Cup roster.

Since then, Guzan has sat back as a second choice to keeper Tim Howard. While Howard was recovering from a back injury, Guzan started in two World Cup qualifier matches in the fourth round in March 2013. He did not allow a goal during either match, picking up a 1-0 win over Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and an historic 0-0 draw against Mexico at Estadio Azteca.