Unfortunately now that Sir Alex Ferguson has moved on, his club has fallen down the table and his team-mates aren’t quite so effective, the compliments have stopped coming. Worse than that, however, some of Robin’s actions have been downright mutinous. He looks like a picture of discontentment.

Arsenal fans will be well aware of how quickly the Dutchman’s temperament changes. This is a man who is absolutely desperate for as much silverware as possible. At 30-years-old, he now seems to realize that there’s a ticking clock hanging over his career.

This must be why there has been criticism of David Moyes’ training routine (this is just a rumour, but it’s a persistent one), why he called out his team-mates after the Olympiakos game (in an act of egoism that was stunning in its frankness) and why he looked so peeved to be substituted during last weekend’s West Brom game.

All this has led to The Mirror claiming that Robin Van Persie is ready to leave Old Trafford when the summer comes around. They even suggest that RVP is willing to forgo his £10m loyalty bonus in order to expedite his exit form the club.

What loyalty bonus, I hear you ask? The source claims that the Dutchman’s contract states that he’s entitled to a bonus if he sees out the final two years of his Manchester United contract.

It would make quite a statement if he were to turn this money down and head to the exit door. It would both further his reputation as a thoroughly ambitious footballer and a uniquely unlikable chap.

The Mirror claim that Juventus are monitoring the situation with great interest, waiting for their opportunity to pounce.

Having spent £24m on Robin two summers ago, the Manchester United top brass will be keen to make the Serie A side cough up as much cash as possible. Unfortunately, it’s likely that The Red Devils would make a loss, were this deal to come to pass.

But if the Dutchman really is unhappy, there’s no point of him lingering like a bad smell. Waft him out the door, bring in somebody new and start afresh. No one player is bigger than a club.

What’s your take? Is it time to send RVP packing?

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Wigan’s victory over City is now regarded as one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history, and the stress Rosler must have gone through is overwhelming.

The Wigan manager was spotted looking down the tunnel, back faced to the game at one point as his team edged closer to another famous victory over City.

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A video created by Full Time Devils explains why Chelsea and Manchester City might win the Premier League, but why Liverpool can forget about it.

As we know, any United fan would hate to see the title go to Manchester City, no matter what the circumstances are, but give that they’ve not long overtaken Liverpool’s league title record, it’d hurt just as much for Rodger’s side to claw one back so soon.

Whether you agree on the video or not, take a look. Number one will surprise you…

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The Ghanian scored in the 1-0 win at the Juventus Stadium, with what was his first ever goal with his right foot, and hopes the Bianconeri can learn from the match.

“I think it [the win] helped us learn a lot of things for the European game against Fiorentina,” he exclusively told ForzaItalianFootball.com

“We are going to watch videos and see our mistakes and then see what we can do on Thursday.

“You know, every game is how we play, and every game is how we move. So, we will see what we can do for Thursday, to see what we can do to improve.”

Asamoah has scored twice in 24 Serie A matches this season.

The fan left the interview almost in tears without even saying word. A week on, ArsenalFanTV caught up with him following the Gunners’ FA Cup victory against Everton, and asked why he reacted so emotionally.

This die hard Arsenal fan showed full support in the Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, and was left with some hope they can overcome Bayern Munich in their Champions League encounter tonight.

Both his previous and recent interviews can be viewed below. A true Gunners fan!

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The former Queens Park Rangers man’s side trail 1-0 from the first leg at San Siro and must win by two clear goals if they are to be sure of qualification at the Vicente Calderon on Tuesday.

“If we play with the same grit and intensity as we did in the home game, then we can progress for sure,” Taarabt said in a pre-match press conference. “We have so many great players in this side who are adapting still to the philosophy that Seedorf wants.

“We acknowledge we are in a rebuilding period but we want to do well.”

He also believes that his team deserved to win the first game and was full of praise for Atleti’s prodigious young goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

“We know this is going to be a difficult game because they are a strong side but at San Siro we deserved to win the game,” he added. “If we had won 3-0 then there would have been nothing to say but we come up against a great goalkeeper in Courtois.”

Both were rested against Udinese at the weekend, though the Italian did come on as a substitute.

Elsewhere, Andrea Poli is set to start in attack and will likely play as a trequartista.

With captain Riccardo Montolivo suspended, Michael Essien is set to line-up next to Nigel De Jong in the centre-midfield.

Probable line-ups:

Atletico Madrid: Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe; Gabi, Mario Suarez; Arda Turan, Raul Garcia, Koke; Diego Costa

AC Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Rami, Bonera, Emanuelson; Essien, De Jong; Taarabt, Poli, Kaka; Balotelli

Hoffenheim performed well above expectation in Bundesliga this season and their Brazilian No.10  has played a key role in elevating the team’s league position.

According to the Daily Mirror, Inter are among a few European sides that pondering in bidding for Firmino in summer.

The 22-year-old Brazilian is also on the radar of Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Zenit St Pertersburg , Schalke 04 and Atletico Madrid.

Firmino joined Hoffenheim from Figueirense in early 2011 and has made nearly 100 first team appearance for the German side.

Ten minutes from the end, after Roma had dominated possession (63% – 37%, 612 passes to 355) and created the better opportunities, Jose Callejon headed home Faouzi Ghoulam’s cross after drifting off his marker Alessio Romagnoli. Roma were unable to muster anything by way of a comeback despite the belated entrance of Mattia Destro, Maicon’s shot that bent wide in injury time being the closest they came to an equaliser.

Before conceding Roma had often found themselves in good positions, with Gervinho in particular having several opportunities to test Reina who also made a fine save from Michel Bastos’ powerful shot in the first half. However a combination of poor decision making in and around the penalty area and lacking a bit of fortune in front of goal meant they could not break the deadlock.

But the defeat in itself was not the most concerning episode on Sunday, as Roma are still three points ahead of Napoli with the head-to-head record in their favour, a far superior goal difference (+37 to +23) and the rest of their game against in-form Parma still to play. The bigger blow that they suffered came inside the first quarter of an hour, when Kevin Strootman was stretchered off clutching his knee.

The club have confirmed that Strootman tore his anterior cruciate ligament against the Partenopei and will undergo surgery in the coming days. He will certainly miss the rest of the season and the World Cup; former club doctor Ernesto Alicicco believes he will not return to first team action until the end of September, though estimates about his recovery time are anywhere between four to nine months. It is expected that Roma will issue a statement giving an update on his condition after the operation.

Strootman has hardly missed a game since joining from PSV last summer and has been one of Roma’s players of the season so far with his work rate up and down the pitch. His endeavour across the pitch will be sorely missed for the remainder of the campaign – #ForzaKevin was the top trend on Twitter in Italy on Monday evening as messages of support poured in from supporters.

Given that both Michael Bradley and Marquinho left the club in January and Daniele De Rossi still has to serve two matches of his three game ban, Garcia is now looking short of options in midfield. While De Rossi remains suspended, Rodrigo Taddei is the most likely candidate to play in midfield alongside Radja Nainggolan and Miralem Pjanic; Taddei performed creditably against Napoli, but is clearly no replacement for Strootman.

If required, Garcia is also able to call upon Federico Ricci, who he holds in high regard, as well as Luca Mazzitelli (who has been selected in the matchday squad on several occasions) and Alberto Tibolla. Some suggestions have been made that the Giallorossi will sign an out of contract player on a short term deal until the end of the season, with names such as Houssine Kharja, Mahamadou Diarra and even David Bentley being mentioned. However relying on Taddei or one of the youngsters is the more likely option.

Fortunately for Roma they now have a run of games where they should feel confident of picking up points, starting with Udinese this weekend before matches against Chievo, Torino and Sassuolo later this month. There has been a problem in front of goal in the last few games but Garcia advised that Francesco Totti should be in the matchday squad this weekend, which would inject some much needed creativity into an increasingly sterile attack (with Totti in the team Roma have scored 42 times in 18 games, without him it falls to 12 in 12).

After two successive games without scoring (the first time under Garcia) and the lead over the Partenopei cut to three points, now comes the real test for Garcia and his team. Losing Strootman is certainly a blow, as was the defeat to Napoli, but the character that the squad have shown before should give Romanisti confidence going forward.

Gervinho – Roma

Roma winger Gervinho has lavished praise upon coach Rudi Garcia, claiming him to be the best coach he has had.

Having enjoyed an impressive first season for the Giallorossi, the Ivory Coast international has become a key attacking outlet for the side currently lying in second place in the Serie A table.

Speaking to France Press, 26-year-old Gervinho explained his rapid progress and shed light on his relationship with the coach, making no attempt to hide his admiration for the French tactician.

“Garcia is the best, when we’re training he always gives me lots of advice and has lots of faith in me,” he told reporters.

With eight goals to match his eight assists in all competitions, Gervinho is currently leading the way in terms of goals scored for his side and he went on to attribute this ruthless streak to Garcia’s influence.

“The coach always tells me to dribble and to look for that end product,” the former Arsenal man explained. “He wants me to make the difference, to defend as well as to score goals.”

“In the last few months I’ve put a lot of work into my finishing but I still need to work on a few things to improve further.”

After producing just seven goals in 24 appearances for Arsenal last season, Gervinho has looked like a totally different player for the Giallorossi at times and Roma fans will be hoping he can maintain this kind of form for the foreseeable future.

Follow Joseph Lambert on Twitter: @jaltranslation

The Italian international was asked questions sent in by fans on Italian television and some of them were about his career coach at Juve.

“Our hope is that the coach remains, we do not think now why the attention around the ground now is so great, but I do not see a future without the coach,” Chiellini told Sky Sport Italia.

“Conte or [Cesare] Prandelli? They are two excellent coaches.

“Eventually situations are created by themselves but in the end it was resolved very quietly. I worked my hardest in the national team and I could do it as I had to have the consent of the staff of Juve.

“Conte or [Walter] Mazzarri? They are two great editors of every detail. In the first period [of the season] we saw the Inter of Mazzarri, above all that what he can give to the squad.

“At Napoli he showed what he could do, taking them to play in Europe.”

Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria

Having announced his intention to leave his post at financially-stricken Malaga in May of that year, there was an air of inevitability to the Citizens’ announcement of the Chilean’s appointment.

Largely unheard of in European football prior to his spell in Spain, Pellegrini’s managerial reputation on the continent has largely been forged from his exploits at Villarreal and most recently Malaga. At the former, the Chilean led them to finish as high as second in La Liga as well as reaching the Champions League Semi Finals. Pellegrini’s Malaga proved to be one of the surprise packages of last season’s Champions League, dramatically exiting the competition at the Quarter Final stage to Borussia Dortmund.

Sandwiched in between these spells was an ill-fated season in charge of Real Madrid. Having been presented with record signings Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, Pellegrini led Los Merengues to a then record total of 96 league points, only to be surpassed by Barcelona. As a result, the Chilean was removed from his position at the Bernabeu.

While this relatively impressive CV compiled from his time in Spain obviously earned him the position at City, Pellegrini has yet to really convince that he is an upgrade on Mancini.

With the business stage of the season fast approaching, Pellegrini’s side are not in the strongest position to guarantee any success that would justify the managerial change at this point.

Initially the Chilean had transformed the Etihad into a domestic fortress. Rivals such as Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were simply blown away by dominant attacking play. Surpassed only by Liverpool for league goals scored, Pellegrini has managed to bring the best out of his attacking talent, with Sergio Aguero and new signing Alvaro Negredo  enjoying prolific campaigns.

Yet this streak has faltered in recent weeks. Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea successfully stifled the Citizens in their critical league fixture at the start of February and the performances seem to have suffered as a result. Goals are not longer flowing quite so easily. A nine-point gap has opened up to Chelsea at the summit of the table, although they do possess the necessary games in hand to pull level.

Tactically, Pellegrini has been found wanting in some of the biggest games this season. The 4-4-2 formation may have achieved spectacular success but was exposed brutally by Bayern Munich earlier this season and rendered impotent by Mourinho’s Chelsea more recently. The Chilean’s stubborn refusal to adapt in these matches highlights a tactical deficiency which could prove costly come the end of the season.

Sunday’s FA Cup defeat at home to Championship Wigan Athletic evoked painful memories of last season’s loss at the hands of the same opposition and is undoubtedly Pellegrini’s worst result at the club to date. With the chances of overturning of a two-goal deficit at the Nou Camp seeming highly improbable, the Chilean’s last chance to add to his Capital One Cup triumph realistically rests upon his ability to overtake Jose’s “little horses”.

Therefore, with Chelsea currently the favourites for the title and advancement in Europe looking very unlikely, it remains to be seen what improvements Pellegrini has actually made on Mancini’s side. A one-step progression in the Champions League and a Capital One Cup triumph is hardly the success that Sheikh Mansour would have hoped for from his new appointment.

Mancini’s final season in charge was disappointing, but perhaps not as disastrous as it was first made out though. For example, while their title defence was abysmal, City were beaten to the top by a Manchester United side that won a record 25 out of their opening 30 fixtures. Their second consecutive Champions League group stage exit seems less embarrassing considering the fact that they were knocked out by Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in a genuine “group of death”.

Mancini failed but perhaps not so spectacularly as many would think. For a manager who had delivered Premier League and FA Cup success to a club that has only just been blessed with the riches to compete with football’s elite, his sacking seemed a little premature.

Perhaps it is harsh to judge Pellegrini before the end of his first full season. But then again, he is the manager at a club that has proven before that it is not likely to afford him the time or stability to imprint his philosophy for the long term.

Arguably both Mancini and Pellegrini should have delivered more on Sheikh Mansour’s investment, but has the latter proven to be an upgrade on his predecessor? The evidence so far would seem to suggest otherwise.

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The 2006 World Cup winner has stated that he didn’t consider leaving the Biscione, and feels fortunate to have remained at the club.

“I was very close to signing for Villarreal,” he told Fcinternews.it. ”Fortunately I didn’t, and we all know how it ended that season.

“Branca was the first person to hold negotiations. Everything went on without my consent because it was definitely not my intention to leave Inter.

“I was upset because it was not a nice thing to try and offload someone who was essentially in the starting XI.

“The decision to remain at Inter was in the end made in part by me and partly by the club. I spoke with [Massimo] Moratti and in the end we decided to stay together. Later, I became World Champion.”

Materazzi made over 200 appearances for Inter in the Serie A, winning five Scudetti, a UEFA Champions League medal, and the Club World Cup.

Follow Carlton Diniz on Twitter: @CarltonDiniz

The Belgian has been AC Milan’s technical director since October following some impressive work with Standard Liege.

Now it looks like Riga will become Charlton’s new coach as Sky Sport Italia claims he’s arrived at the club’s training ground.

The 56 year-old has benefited from of a good relationship with Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet who also has a stake in Standard Liege.

Riga is considered a pioneer of cognitive methodology in football and will certainly be of help on a psychological level for relegation-fighters Charlton.

Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156

Milan travel to the Vicente Calderon stadium looking to overturn a 1-0 home defeat from the first leg but were unable to head into the game with momentum after a 1-0 Serie A loss at Udinese on Saturday.

“It’s disappointing, we wanted to play a different match to that,” the 29-year-old told the Milan Channel.

“We made lots of errors, we weren’t organised, we wasted chances and we allowed them to attack on the counter. In one of those we were punished.

“Now on Tuesday we have the game of the season, so we must immediately focus on that.

“We wanted to win in Udine so we could go to Madrid with more confidence.

“In any case, now we must go to Spain to get the victory.”

Defeat to Sunderland in December proved to be his Rubicon. Mourinho shifted the emphasis back on defence and the team now looked to do damage on the counter. The fit has appeared to be a comfortable one and Chelsea no longer look like a team trying to be something they’re not. However, in finding this solution Chelsea have made an uncomfortable discovery: you can’t counter-attack teams that don’t attack you. This problem was apparent again against Tottenham at the weekend, a game in which the scoreline flattered the Premier League leaders who barely created anything for almost an hour. The good news for Chelsea is that the solution may already be in their midst.

In a week in which Samuel Eto’o’s age made the headlines, Marco van Ginkel’s return from injury slipped largely under the radar. The Dutchman had been ruled-out since September when he damaged ligaments in his knee playing in the League Cup. The incident felt like a cruel blow for the young midfielder who only agreed to join Chelsea in the summer after being assured of game time from Mourinho. And given the high importance of the remaining fixtures, it’s unlikely he’ll get much more time on the pitch before the season ends. However, the future looks bright for van Ginkel, who may yet prove to be the perfect partner for the newly arrived Nemanja Matic.

£22million aside, Matic’s performances since rejoining Chelsea would almost certainly guarantee him a place in Chelsea’s first-choice midfield. However, Mourinho’s recent rotation would suggest that the role of his partner is still open for auditions. Frank Lampard’s declining mobility means his effectiveness his continuously diminishing and John Obi Mikel’s flirtations with Galatasaray in the summer may mean the Nigerian is close to an exit from Stamford Bridge. Ramires would undoubtedly be a part of any best 11 at this moment, but for all the Brazilian’s industry, he remains one rung below top quality. Unless Chelsea pursue another central midfielder this summer – something which would seem unlikely given the outlay on Matic and need for a centre forward – there would appear to be an opportunity for van Ginkel to stake his claim for a starting role.

One of the strongest arguments in favour of van Ginkel comes from the greater demands that the ‘4-2-3-1’ system puts on the central ‘two’. Unlike in a ‘4-4-2’ in which the central midfielders tended to operate a ‘one sits, one goes’ policy, or the ‘4-3-3’ in which the two CMs have the benefit of a defensive midfielder behind them, the ‘4-2-3-1’ tends require its central midfielders to be more all-rounders.

Primarily, their first objective is to protect the back four, with the onus of creativity more heavily weighted on the front four. However, if these two central players are unable to be proactive going forward, then the team can become quite predictable and easily shut-out by the opposition. This is the problem that Chelsea have regularly encountered this season. The passing has often been too slow and lateral when the opposition have been allowed to get themselves set up defensively. Van Ginkel’s range of distribution is arguably the best at the club – with the potential exceptions of Luiz and Lampard – and could go a long way to alleviating this problem.

Where the Dutchman  has the upper hand, over Lampard at least, is his athleticism. And it seems that the importance of physicality in football is again on the increase. Almost as if a response to tiki-taka, the style now in vogue is one that marries ability on the ball with physical prowess. While many saw Barcelona in their pomp  as being unplayable, in theory at least, this combination of strength and skill is always going to be superior. At over 6ft tall, strong in the air and with good speed across the ground, it would appear that van Ginkel has the attributes necessary to be this modern midfielder.

The benefits of alloying comfort on the ball with the physicality to hold players off it are far-reaching. The combination of these two skills gives the players in front of the midfield the confidence to run beyond the ball as they know it’s unlikely to be lost. This is one area in which van Ginkel certainly has the edge over David Luiz, whose casual style makes him prone to giving away the ball cheaply. The importance of the rest of the team having confidence in their central midfielders’ ball-retention must be even greater in a team that likes to play on the counter as much as Chelsea do.

So it would appear that van Ginkel has the requisite skill-set to make a serious claim to be Nemanja Matic’s midfield partner. In a season that continues to look brighter for Chelsea as the games roll-on, the Dutchman’s return from injury represents one bright spark that is yet to be realised.

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One thing that is certain, however, is that Vidic will be playing for Inter Milan next season. In light of this fact, David Moyes feels it would be best for the Premier League champions to start getting used to life without their captain and will attempt to phase the defender out as the campaign comes to a close. The wisdom of Moyes looking so far to the future must be seriously questioned given the precarious nature of the present that he finds himself in.

The strongest argument for continuing to play Vidic is a simple one: he remains Man United’s best centre back. And while the situation is of course more nuanced then this, there is no other single factor that should be given as big a weighting. David Moyes can ill afford more poor results in what has been a tragic opening salvo at Old Trafford. The best way to avoid this  is to play your best team. It’s hard to see why it should be more complicated than this.

And yet it is. But even looking at the complexities of the situation only yields further arguments against phasing Vidic out. For one thing, it is wrong to assume that just because United will not qualify for the Champions League this season, means that the remaining games no longer matter. Results matter – always. Alex Ferguson had built a club that knew this and to forget it so quickly would be a disastrous. Mentalities are hard-built, but easily broken, and the idea that it might be okay to lose a couple of more games this campaign if it benefits future development is a very dangerous one to give players.

Along with this internal psychological factor, there is the external factor of how Manchester United are perceived. What happens between now and the end of the season will likely have a huge bearing on who the club can attract in the summer. Memories are short in football and only appear to be getting shorter as the pace of news-cycle increases. Stutter to the end of the campaign and United will go into the summer in much the same negative news spiral that they currently find themselves. Put together a strong finish to the season and it would go along way to changing the current image of the club. The fact that Vidic is leaving only emphasises that United’s ability to attract players this summer may be more important than ever.

Practically speaking, it’s even harder to see the benefits of leaving Vidic out of the team. The reasoning appears to be that it enables the team to work on a defensive partnership that are going to have to deal with the hole left by the Serb’s absence next season. However, if we assume that United are going to buy a replacement for Vidic in the summer – and if all the talk of ‘war chests’ is to believed, this would seem to be a fairly safe assumption to make – then it becomes very difficult the see the logic of leaving the captain out.

Some may find it laughable that Moyes is even thinking so much about next season when it’s far from certain he will even make it to the end of this one. However, even with next season in mind, it seems that the Scot would be better to continue to play Vidic then phase him out.

While Moyes may have been guilty of not changing enough during the summer, it seems like he’s trying to change too much, too quickly now. But then again, maybe this decision was not one that he had any control over. Even if the decision to leave was Vidic’s, David Moyes may be better advised to try and get the most out of his veteran centre back rather than let him fade away.

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