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Mid-Day Ticker: Friedel likely to start vs. Chelsea, Everton signs Hitzlsperger and more

Photo by ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Brad Friedel’s spell on the sidelines may turn out to be as brief as anyone could have imagined.

Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas hinted that Friedel could be back to starting in between the pipes for Spurs in this weekend’s match against Chelsea. Friedel had seen his consecutive start streak in the Premiership come to a close prior to the international break as Hugo Lloris got the nod over him in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa, but now Villas-Boas seems keen on playing the veteran American goalkeeper again.

“We have made Brad the No. 1 for the beginning of the season and we still see Brad as No. 1, a player who has been tremendous in goal for us,” Villas-Boas told British outlet the Guardian. “Hugo has been tremendous for us in exactly the same manner. We spoke about the Villa team selection beforehand and it was difficult for Brad. It was not based on performance that we made the switch, that’s for sure. Brad was looking good.

“We had the opportunity to give Hugo a consecutive run of four games, including the two internationals and that is what has happened. We are extremely happy about the fact we did. It gave him his first impact of Premier League football. But as a great professional, [you] have to move on from that.”

Should Friedel indeed start over Lloris this weekend against the Premiership leaders, it would mark the latest turn in a goalkeeping saga for Spurs that likely will run through the end of the season.

Here are more stories from around the globe:

TOFFEES ACQUIRE HITZLSPERGER ON SHORT-TERM DEAL

Everton may currently be sitting in fourth place in the Premiership table after a strong start to the season, but the Toffees are not resting on their laurels. In an effort to bolster the squad after Marouane Fellaini was ruled out for three weeks with an injury, Everton has signed former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger on a short-term deal. The 30-year-old midfielder’s contract runs until January and Toffees head coach David Moyes is hopeful Hitzlsperger will be able to suit up in Sunday’s game against Queens Park Rangers.

MAN CITY’S SILVA SIDELINED FOR TWO UPCOMING GAMES

Manchester City fans can breathe a sigh of relief after David Silva’s hamstring injury was not deemed too serious, but the Spanish midfielder is still expected to miss a pair of the club’s upcoming games. Silva will sit out Man City’s league match against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and next Wednesday’s Champions League group clash with Ajax as he nurses the hamstring injury he sustained in Spain’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against France earlier in the week. Man City head coach Roberto Mancini expects Silva to be back for next weekend’s game against Swansea City.

NYPD RETURN EMPTY-HANDED IN SEARCH FOR SUSPECTED RBNY COACH KILLER

A trio of detectives from the New York Police Department were recently sent to Mexico to try and find the man accused of killing New York Red Bulls youth coach Mike Jones, and they have returned without him. The NYPD detectives came up empty-handed in their search for Orlando Orea, who is also known under different names, in the Mexican city of Puebla. Orea is believed to have headed there shortly after he allegedly killed Jones, but the city’s geography makes it tough to track down people. Still, at least one New York law enforcement agency is confident they will find Orea.

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What do you think of Friedel possibly regaining Tottenham’s starting spot? Expecting Hitzlsperger to make an impact? How will Man City fare without Silva?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. So odd. He broke Friedel’s consecutive record only so that Lloris would have 2 matches in a row to be 100% for France only for Friedel to take back his starting spot the next game. Crazy right

    Reply
    • Lloris really is their starting keeper next season and beyond. Probably even before then (Spurs are sure to go limp for a few games sometime later in the season, thus granting a justification–regardless of how bogus–to switch some things up). Keep him sharp and at least marginally happy until he graces the nets. That’s only good business. BF is a real pro, so he’ll take cup matches, etc., should they arise, play backup, and be excellent AS ALWAYS. He may be getting the shaft, but at least homie is gettin’ paid.

      Reply
  2. Tottenham didn’t give him the 2 internationals. France did.

    I’m suprised his lack of game time didn’t hurt him when playing against Spain. Perhaps he really is world class

    Reply
    • because Arkie. we don’t like you. its been a closely guarded secret for years now. but at least you know now and can come to terms with the fact that we are aware of you in this manner.

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  3. squad rotations due to congested fixtures are one thing, but ending a record streak, and rotating players just for the sake of it must make playing for AVB infuriating as a player. no matter how clever his tactics, this guy doesnt seem to have any kind of personnel mgmt skills whatsoever and if your players aren’t motivated by you in the locker room you’ve already lost

    Reply
    • Great insight, dude. Tell us more about how to manage a professional soccer team.

      The switch was because Friedel doesn’t come off his line well. That’s it.

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      • Nonsense. The switch was to mollify Tottenham’s young, big-money signing. Friedel is still the better keeper right now, but Lloris is the future, and AVB had to placate him.

    • rather than applying fair logic, I think you are taking it personally because of the fact that friedel is an american. AVB and Friedel, im sure didnt take it as personal.

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  4. Friedel looks old as death compared to AVB, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s still an excellent keeper. If it’s one thing this saga is possibly doing it’s finally showing the world how good and how consistent Friedel is. World class Olly Kahn style keeper with amazing reflexes and positioning. Who cares if he doesn’t come off his line very much, he doesn’t need to. And he is one of 3-4 keepers in the EPL to score which ain’t too shabby either.

    Reply
    • I was following you until you mentioned keepers scoring. Really? Its not like scoring is intentional, unless a keeper comes up into the box for the last kick of a game, down a goal in a qualification or something. 3-4 keepers have scored in the EPL…ok…so what? Its not like scoring separates him from other keepers. No offense, I just don’t see your logic in this statement.

      Reply
      • I agree with you but just fwiw, Friedel scored off a corner when he pushed up late in a game. So it was intentional.

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