FA Cup set to be graced by two great keepers

Although much of the focus in the run up to the FA Cup final will no doubt be on the men who are expected to score the goals, those between the sticks will have an even more important roll to play as they look to keep a clean sheet.

In the case of Manchester City they will, all things being well, have one of the most well-respected goalkeepers in the Premier League trying to keep the Stoke strikers out. Joe Hart has enjoyed a fantastic season, both for his club and England, for whom he had made the number one shirt his own.

That said, his season has been far from perfect and he was criticised by Roberto Mancini earlier in the year when he seemed to be going through a poor spell of form. But, to his credit, Hart responded well to the comments and has arguably been even better after them. Anyone looking to bet on FA Cup should remember this.

His opposite number hasn’t had such a good season though. Although Thomas Sorensen is one of the most respected Premier League keepers around, he hasn’t been able to cement his place in the side this season.

Instead, Amir Begovic has taken the gloves in the league and acquitted himself well. Sorensen will no doubt be disappointed by this, but manager Tony Pulis has handed him first team duties during the FA Cup, meaning the Dane has every chance of ending the season with his hands on a trophy, something he certainly won’t be complaining about.

Although it might be tempting to suggest that Hart’s match practice this season will mean he’s less likely to drop a clanger during the final, Sorensen’s experience will more than make up for that. Those looking for FA Cup best bets should bear this in mind.

As it stands, fans of great goalkeeping are in for a real treat at Wembley.

Keeper’s heroics not enough to stop United

Manchester United took a giant step towards reaching this year’s Champions League final at Wembley, with a convincing 2-0 victory away at Schalke. Second-half goals from Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney gave United the upper hand in the tie, while Schalke never really looked like threatening to spring a surprise. The score could well have ended closer to 10-0 if it hadn’t had been for the super human effort by Schalke’s keeper Manuel Neuer pulling off save after save to keep his side theoretically still in the tie. The Champions League betting indicates they’ll need a minor miracle though.

Despite dominating the game from the first whistle, United failed to find a way past Germany’s number one Neuer. Javier Hernandez, Giggs, Rooney and Ji Sung Park were all denied by the German stopper to send the two sides into half-time level. Schalke’s one man defence was finally breached in the 67th minute when Rooney played Giggs clear with a delicious ball, the Welsh veteran finishing coolly to give his side the lead.

Just over two minutes later and the English side doubled their lead, this time Rooney finishing after getting on the end of a clever ball by strike-partner Hernandez. The lively strike partnership created a host of chances and the Germans will be well aware that without Neuer, this tie would be dead and buried. With Edwin van der Sar hanging up his gloves at the end of the current campaign, Sir Alex would certainly have been impressed with the young German stopper.

Bad news for the United boss though, is that it is reported that Bayern Munich have already agreed an £18million deal for Neuer, and it looks like United will need to continue their hunt for a number one capable of replacing van der Sar. The Dutchman was probably the most relaxed person in the packed Gelsenkirche Arena, with Schalke offering next to nothing in attack, while there overused defence were breached time and time again. The football betting suggests their time in the tournament is all but over.

After causing such waves in the last round against reigning champions Inter Milan, this display by Schalke was something of a surprise. While the tie isn’t technically over, it would take a mammoth effort from the German side to overturn this score-line in the second-leg.

Keeper Skool Goalkeeper Camp Tour – US & UK

It’s been a very long time coming, though a week or so ago (and after some serious year long planning), I’ve decided to open the door to an official Keeper Skool Goalkeeper Camp Tour in the US and the UK. Below are some registration links and information around what we are planning to do, and of course scouts and goalkeeping celebrities (not naming names just yet, of course) that we are planning to be a part of this mammoth task ahead of us. Read more

Sorensen eyes final hurrah

Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen could well play the FA Cup Final against Manchester City as his last game for the club, with the experienced Dane apparently looking to move in the summer. Sorensen has lost his place as first choice keeper at the Britannia Stadium with Asmir Begovic currently Tony Pulis number one, but the former Aston Villa stopper has been between the sticks during Stoke’s various cup runs and that looks set to continue again on May 14th at Wembley.

The 34-year old was back in the first-team for Stoke’s 5-0 mauling of Bolton in their FA Cup semi-final and Sorensen has made it clear he expect to be handed the call-up again for the final despite the fact that Begovic will now come back into the team for the club’s remaining Premier League games. The FA Cup final odds though, indicate things will be different at Wembley.

Sorensen told Danish TV: “Of course I expect that. You can’t be sure until you are actually there but that is what I expected before the semi – that I am going to continue to play in the FA cup regardless of how far we make it.

“So that is something that I am pretty sure of and really expecting.”

Those following the FA Cup betting will be wondering if the side will be able to pull off a shock.

While Sorensen has admitted he may be forced to move clubs in the search for regular first-team football, he still has another 12 months on his contract, with another additional year should Stoke wish to extend. It’s a tough situation for the Dane or it may encourage the manager to look kindly on the keeper’s request of leaving.

Reina not headed for the Gunners?

Arsenal fans have been dealt a blow today with the news that Jose Reina is looking more and more likely to stick around at Anfield beyond the coming summer. With Arsenal a side that now more than ever before are in desperate need of adding quality to their defensive back line and especially in the position between the sticks, many Gunners fans had hoped that boss Arsene Wenger would do a U-turn on his previous stubborn streak when it comes to high-profile transfers by making the Spaniard one of his summer purchases. Those looking at the Arsenal betting tips will know how badly the side need a new keeper.

However, with Reina this morning coming out with some interesting comments about the current set-up at Anfield, it would seem that his future lies at a club he is now describing as having made massive improvements since the arrival of “King” Kenny Dalglish. The Liverpool betting now suggests the side are back to their best.

With Reina admitting that the players still have a tendency to perform well against top sides but fail to deliver against the minnows of the Premier League, this is something that the Reds will need to stamp out when the 2011/2012 campaign gets underway at the end of the summer, and with Reina (a man who has bucked the general trend of underperforming at Anfield, even when poor old Roy Hodgson was in charge) in goal, they stand a great chance of doing just that.

Arsenal fans, meanwhile, will be hopeful that Wenger can attract another star name capable of introducing some confidence and consistency in between the sticks, while providing the level of competitiveness that Wojciech Sczesny needs to further develop his skills.

Should the Arsenal boss fail to do this successfully, it may well be Liverpool in the Gunners’ current position this time next year, keeping the title race alive that little bit longer.

Sunderland keeper still looking up

Sunderland have endured a nightmare run in recent weeks but goalkeeper Simon Mignolet insists should still ensure a finish in the Premier League top ten.

Things were looking rosy at the Stadium of Light towards the back end of 2010, but Sunderland are currently on a run of seven defeats in eight games that has seen them dropping towards the Premier League relegation zone.

Defeat to West Brom last time out leaves Sunderland only five points above the bottom three and, with teams below them starting to pick up form coming into the business end of the season, things could get very precarious for Steve Bruce if they don’t starting winning games.

They travel to face struggling Birmingham at St Andrews this weekend, with the majority of Sunderland’s remaining games being against teams around and below them in the Premier League table. The football betting indicates they should be winning these games, but if they don’t they could be in trouble.

Belgian goalkeeper Mignolet has told BBC Newcastle there is still “still much to do” for Sunderland to ensure they season does not end in disappointment and the Premier League betting reflects this.

He added: “All we need now is a performance and three points on the board, we have to look forward to the six games we have left and hope we can do it.

“We’re not thinking about holidays, we want to win games and finish in the top 10.”

The manager himself admitted earlier this week that Sunderland have a “fantastic-looking run-in” to the end of the season, with Bruce claiming he knows his side are capable of winning two or three of their remaining matches.

A lot of pressure would be lifted off Bruce’s shoulders as soon as they end that losing run, and a win against Birmingham would put them a step closer to avoiding relegation and lift confidence around the club.

Is Wojciech Szczesny about to return to save the day for Arsenal?

Never has a club been so poor at sorting out its goalkeeping situation, and never before has a club had so many injury problems with its goalkeepers. However, despite all this Arsenal and their manager Arsene Wenger seem to have been saved by the early return of a man that the Arsenal boss dismissed as being too inexperienced at the start of the current season.

Wojciech Szczesny, despite his tender age, has already won over the Arsenal fans and fully earned their trust and support, something that no other goalkeeper has enjoyed this season from Gunners fans, who have grown sick and tired of high-profile errors in crucial games, and his return this weekend can perhaps provide the kind of boost that Arsenal need if they are to stand a chance of pulling off an upset by denying Manchester United the chance to end the season as champions. The Arsenal betting indicates this is an outside chance, but at least he might be able to keep things respectable.

If Szczesny can come back and start playing in the same manner that he did before his injury, then we can safely say that any talk of Pepe Reina or Buffon joining Arsenal in the summer will be consigned to only the trashiest of papers looking to sell copies on the back of transfer rumours.

However, while Arsenal fans will hope that this is the situation that unfolds, Wenger also knows that Szczesny could find himself making one or two mistakes when he gets back in between the sticks, losing some of the confidence that is required for a goalkeeper to be world class in the process.

It’s a delicate balance but one that the youngster will have to get right if he wishes to relieve his manager of an immense deal of pressure as the season draws to a close.