Aston Villa have decided to scrap their player of the season awards
for the 2015/16 campaign, with the club on the cusp of relegation from
the Premier League.
The Birmingham club, bottom of the table and 15 points adrift of safety,
will be relegated on Saturday if Norwich avoid defeat against
Sunderland or if they themselves lose at Manchester United.
Villa, currently without a manager, have won just three league games out
of 33 this season and a club spokesman said Wednesday: "The club will
not be holding its annual Player of the Year Awards at the conclusion of
this season. In the current circumstances, we are sure our supporters
will understand."
Villa have lost their last eight games and former manager Remi Garde
left last month, with Eric Black currently in caretaker charge.
Last weekend's 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth sent Villa to the brink of dropping down into the second-tier Championship.
Villa, whose US-based owner Randy Lerner has been trying to sell the
club, have been ever-present in the Premier League since its creation in
1992 and the former European champions were last relegated from the top
flight in 1987.
Former Manchester United boss David Moyes, Nigel Pearson, previously
with Leicester, and Garry Monk, who was at Swansea, have all been linked
with the managerial vacancy at Villa Park.
Leicester City's remarkable season has been
recognised with Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez all named on
the six-man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year.
The Foxes trio are joined by West Ham's Dimitri Payet,
Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Arsenal's Mesut Ozil for the 43rd PFA
Awards to be held in London on April 24.
A closer look at the nominees Kane
is also named on the shortlist for Young Player of the Year alongside
Spurs team-mate Dele Alli, with Stoke keeper Jack Butland, Liverpool
midfielder Philippe Coutinho and Everton duo Romelu Lukaku and Ross
Barkley also nominated.
Dele Alli and Harry Kane have formed a fine partnership
for Spurs - both have been nominated for the Young Player of the Year
Vardy has 21 Premier League
goals this season - just one fewer than leading scorer Kane - having
formed a lethal partnership with Mahrez to help fire Leicester seven
points clear at the top of the table with just five games remaining. Mahrez, a £560,000 signing from Le Havre in 2014, has 16 Premier League goals and 11 assists.
Ngolo Kante has been a dynamo in Leicester's midfield
Their
success up front has been backed up by the tireless work in midfield of
Kante, who manager Claudio Ranieri joked "was running so hard that I
thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts".
Kane's
nomination comes on the back of another successful season which has
seen him become the first Tottenham striker to register back-to-back
20-goal seasons in the Premier League, while Payet has been the
brightest star in West Ham's positive campaign.
Kane has scored 22 Premier League goals this season
The
creative midfielder has nine goals and eight assists from 24
appearances - including some spectacular free-kicks - having missed six
weeks of the season through injury.
Meanwhile, Ozil has been the
creative fulcrum of Arsenal's season, contributing 18 assists and six
goals to the cause with Arsene Wenger's side set to secure yet another
top four finish.
Dimitri Payet has been a revelation in West Ham's midfield
Kane
is the current holder of the Young Player award, but is tipped to be
beaten to it by Alli, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season at White
Hart Lane following his move from League One's MK Dons with eight goals
and nine assists, seven of them to Kane.
Should Kane or Alli win
the award, Spurs players will have won four of the last five Young
Player awards after Kyle Walker in 2012 and Gareth Bale in 2013.
Mesut Ozil has more assists than anyone else this season
Butland's
season suffered a cruel end when he fractured an ankle on England duty
last month, but he had previously been in superb form for Stoke to help
their push for European football this season.
Coutinho's wonder
strike against Stoke on the opening day of the season set the tone for
the Brazilian, who has made light of the upheaval at Anfield this season
to become a vital cog in Jurgen Klopp's evolution.
Jack Butland was superb in goal for Stoke until getting injured on England duty
Across
the city at Goodison Park, Lukaku and Barkley have been the shining
lights in an underwhelming campaign at Goodison Park, with Lukaku's 18
goals ensuring Roberto Martinez's side have not been dragged further
down the table.
Instead of hoping for a slip-up from Premier League leaders Leicester
City, Tottenham Hotspur must win their remaining five games to give
Spurs their best chance of winning their first league title since 1961,
midfielder Erik Lamela said.
The 24-year-old winger has shone under manager Mauricio Pochettino this
season, but his four goals and six assists might still not be enough, as
second-placed Spurs are still seven points behind Claudio Ranieri's
men.
"We still believe... Our task is to win all the remaining games. Whether
Leicester win or lose, the important thing is that we are concentrated
on the job in hand," Lamela told British media.
"We have the finish the season in the best manner possible. There are five games left and our aim is five victories."
Spurs have the meanest defence in the league, conceding just 25 goals in
33 games, and according to defender Jan Vertonghen that has been
crucial in the North London club's impressive run.
Vertonghen said playing alongside the likes of Toby Alderweireld and
goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, while receiving extra protection from
influential defensive midfielders Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele, makes
life easy.
"Toby (Alderweireld) and I have been playing together for such a long
time and with the full-backs, Hugo (Lloris), Eric (Dier) just in front,
Mousa (Dembele) as well it's like a warm bath!," Vertonghen said.
"I've known them such a long time and they helped me through the game."
With fifth-placed Manchester United 12 points behind, Tottenham can take
a step closer towards securing their Champions League place for next
season when they travel to face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on
Monday.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has drawn comparisons between his
team's upcoming Europa League quarterfinal, second-leg clash against
Borussia Dortmund and playing the Fifa video game.
Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga, travel to Anfield for the return leg
on Thursday having conceded an away goal in the 1-1, first-leg draw in
Germany, and Sturridge drew the unusual parallel to describe his
emotions before the game.
"It's like when you're playing a final on Fifa and you're playing
against your mate. You've all put 20 pounds ($28.46) in the middle and
there's 100 pounds.
"The pressure's on, your palms are sweaty, but as you get into the game,
the nerves go away and you enjoy it. And that's exactly what it's
like," he told his club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).
"It's going to be a great occasion, not just for the players but the
fans, for everyone who isn't involved with Liverpool as well – they'll
enjoy the match.
"It's one of those occasions where you just soak it all up, enjoy it, embrace it, have fun, that's what you live for."
Fireworks were set off at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday (Skysports image)
UEFA has opened disciplinary
proceedings against Manchester City after fireworks were set off during
their Champions League quarter-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
The charge against City after their 3 -2 aggregate win at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday relates to Article 16 (2) of the UEFA disciplinary regulations.
The case will be dealt with by the UEFA control, ethics and disciplinary body on May 19.
UEFA considers it the club's responsibility to police the use of fireworks, or flares, by supporters.
City in November avoided disciplinary action for their fans booing the Champions League anthem.
UEFA's
disciplinary body reviewed the case after the booing was reported by
the match delegate following October's home win over Sevilla and decided
not to take any action.
City's fans have regularly booed the
anthem, which is taken from Handel's Zadok the Priest, to express their
unhappiness with UEFA.
Issues that have angered fans include
financial fair play sanctions and last season a City fans group
protested after 650 CSKA Moscow supporters gained access to their
stadium for their Champions League game, despite the Russian club being ordered to play it behind closed doors for racism offences.
Alastair Cook says James Taylor's "tragic" retirement can leave a legacy that could help protect players in the future.
Taylor was forced to quit cricket on Tuesday after scans revealed the 26-year-old is suffering from a serious heart condition and must have surgery in the coming days.
Taylor
was in line to take his place in the England Test side to face Sri
Lanka in May after impressing on the successful tour of South Africa
over the winter and Test skipper Cook admitted he was "numb" when he was
told the news by England team director Andrew Strauss.
"He was just starting to do what he's done his whole life and prove people wrong," Cook told reporters.
"He would have played the first Test against Sri Lanka and that gutsy
character is what English cricket needs. It's taken the whole cricket
world by shock.
James Taylor would have played for England against Sri Lanka next month (Skysports)
"This
week you remember you can't take your health for granted. My thoughts
are with James and his family. A career robbed short like that is a
tragic waste but on the flip side at least it was spotted and he's still
with us.
"We've had heart scans. Can we do more? Of course. It's
another checkpoint for the ECB to make sure everything is in place. Will
it be a wake up call to make sure we can do more and spend more money
to make sure players are looked after? Of course.
"One of the legacies that James could leave might be to protect a number of other players."
