Arsenal
Arsene Wenger must get his players ready "to go to war and put their lives on the line" as they look to bring success back to Arsenal, says their former striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Arsenal are set for a sixth consecutive season without a trophy. Adebayor, 27, is on loan at Real Madrid playing for Jose Mourinho. "He [Mourinho] is the best, then Arsene Wenger," Adebayor told the BBC. "He prepares his players like you are going to war. I have huge respect for Arsene Wenger, but Mourinho could not accept losing to Birmingham in a final [the Carling Cup]. No chance."
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have opened talks with Stewart Downing over a new contract - and the winger has intimated he would like to stay at the club. Downing, who has two years left on his contract, has been linked with a summer move to Liverpool. Downing told the Birmingham Mail: "I think there have been a couple of conversations already with my agent. I've already spoken to the manager who has said he'd like to keep me. I've got two years left and they've come to me with an offer. That is brilliant because it gives you confidence they have faith in you and they reward players if they do well."
Birmingham City
Alex McLeish has praised Lee Bowyer for being a vital part of Birmingham's battle to stay in the top flight. City are three points clear of the bottom three and a win at home on Sunday to Fulham would almost certainly seal survival. McLeish, the City manager, has been delighted with Bowyer, and he told the Birmingham Mail: "He's an old head and he's been terrific in this second half of the season. Maybe he's feeling a bit fresh because he didn't play as much in the first half. But I have been really impressed by Lee Bowyer's contribution, his experience has been vital for us."
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn, in 15th on 29 points, realistically just need a draw from their final two games to avoid relegation. But Steve Kean has urged his side to aim higher than that when they face champions elect Manchester United at Ewood Park tomorrow then travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day. "We've got six points to play for so let's go and get as many as we can," the manager told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. "We took positives from the Manchester City game, when we felt we deserved a point at least. We want to finish on a high if we can. We'll set up to play against Manchester United and put more points on the board."
Blackpool
Ian Holloway is not too bothered that Blackpool look like missing out on the chance to play in Europe next season. His team are fifth in the Fair Play League, behind Manchester United, Tottenham, Fulham and Chelsea - who lead the way. The highest team from the best three European leagues, based on their fair play table, earns a Europa League spot next season. "That wouldn't be ideal," Holloway said when asked about the possibility of Europe recently. "My lads have been playing non-stop for the last 18 months. They need a proper summer off and a chance to rest. I know the fans will see it differently to me."
Bolton Wanderers
England Under 21 striker Daniel Sturridge hopes his loan spell at Bolton will only prove to be good news for Chelsea. Sturridge has hit seven goals in 10 appearances for Bolton since his January move, designed to give the youngster a taste of regular first-team football. "It's been a good period for me so far playing for Bolton, so it's superb for my career and it's helped me become a better player, hopefully for Chelsea's benefit," Sturridge told Chelsea's website. "It's great to have this opportunity and it has been good to show Chelsea what I am all about. Hopefully next season the manager will give me the opportunities to play.'
Chelsea
John Terry, the Chelsea captain, maintains the club must spend again in the summer if they are to topple Manchester United and reclaim their Premier League title next season. Despite bringing in £50 million (Dh300m) striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool and spending £25m on centre-back David Luiz during January, manager Carlo Ancelotti was unable to find the winning formula again in 2011, having last season won the Double in his debut campaign. Terry told Chelsea TV: "I always think we should strengthen all over the pitch [in the summer]. We lost a lot of big players this year and maybe we needed a bigger squad."
Everton
David Moyes, the Everton manager, has praised the performances of Phil Jagielka and thinks he is as good as any player in the Premier League. Everton have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League outings, with Jagielka a key figure. "What he has about him is as good as anyone in the country, it really is. He's a great recovery defender," Moyes said. "There are bits of his game that will improve, but who could you not say that about? He is very valuable to us and that's why we have got him here on a long-term contract. I've said many times I see him as a future captain at Everton, and the way he's playing just now he's doing that."
Fulham
Philippe Senderos has pledged to fight for a place in Mark Hughes's starting XI next season. Senderos only made his debut away at Sunderland at the end of April after spending most of the season injured since his summer move from Arsenal. "I'm really pleased to be back," Senderos told Fulham's website. "I'm training with the team 100 per cent and getting my first game was a big thing for me. When I came back from the World Cup I got injured, I ruptured my Achilles, so I didn't have time to show anything to the new management. I'm happy to have at least contributed this season and hopefully I can build on it next season."
Liverpool
Having moved to second in Liverpool's appearance list, Jamie Carragher has said he cannot see himself calling time on his career time soon. Carragher has missed just 30 minutes of his side's last 11 league outings, and he told LFC Weekly: "I think I'm well worth my place at the moment and, if I keep the levels that I've been reaching, I don't see why that should change. I think age is in people's heads really. If an older player has a bad game, sometimes he may look for an excuse. I don't feel that much different [to a few years ago]. People always ask me about the future but ... the manager decides whether you get picked or not."
Manchester City
Micah Richards believes Manchester City have "shut a few people up" by reaching the Champions League. If City can beat Stoke in tomorrow's FA Cup final at Wembley, not only will they have gatecrashed the league's top four, they will have ended a 35-year wait for a major trophy. For Richards, who joined the club as a youth team player, it is the perfect response to those who seek to talk them down. "It has shut a few people up," he said. "We always wanted to answer the critics. We have invested in some quality players who have shown what they can do. Hopefully we can do a bit of shopping in the summer to make us an even better team."
Manchester United
Darren Fletcher could play some part in Manchester United's attempts to secure a record 19th league title tomorrow after coming through a reserve team outing against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night. Fletcher's season has been scarred by a virus he picked up in March that laid him low for almost two months and caused huge weight loss. However, Fletcher completed 65 minutes of the reserve game and now hopes to be involved against Blackburn's senior team at Ewood Park as United look for the point required to win the title. "We still have a job to do," Fletcher told MUTV. "The Chelsea result has set us up but we want to win."
Newcastle United
Kevin Nolan, the Newcastle captain, will miss the final two games of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. The 28-year-old had an operation yesterday, but is expected to be fit for the start of the new campaign. Newcastle confirmed the news in a brief statement which said: "Kevin Nolan will undergo a minor operation on his right ankle later today which will see him miss United's last two games of the season. The skipper has been troubled by an ankle problem throughout the season, but the operation is going ahead now in order to allow him time to regain full fitness prior to the start of United's pre-season programme in July."
Stoke City
Gordon Banks, the former England and Stoke goalkeeper, has revealed the "simple" speech he gave that triggered the club's run to the FA Cup final. Banks, the honorary president, was invited into the dressing room before their quarter-final match against West Ham United to address the players. Banks told the BBC's website: "I just kept it simple and told them what a great day it would be for them if they could get through to play at Wembley. They really were something special in the semi-final. Stoke is a city that has not had much to shout about recently, so this has given the locals a lovely lift."
Sunderland
Steve Bruce, the Sunderland manager, has admitted he may have to remain patient as he attempts to recruit the strikers he wants to take the club to the next level. The club's hopes of securing a top-10 finish this season have been severely dented by Darren Bent's unexpected departure for Aston Villa in January and the injuries which have hit Asamoah Gyan, Danny Welbeck and Fraizer Campbell. "We are looking at what is available, but there is nobody, really, not yet," Bruce said. "I don't think teams have made their minds up yet, especially the big ones - and it is usually the big ones who cause the knock-on effect."
Tottenham Hotspur
Emmanuel Adebayor would still consider a move to Tottenham despite claiming to have been targeted by "racist" chanting from Spurs fans during last month's Champions League quarter-final while playing for Real Madrid. Adebayor, who spent three years at Arsenal, was on the verge of moving to their north London rivals in January before he joined Real on loan. "Before joining Real, my first choice was Tottenham," Adebayor told the BBC. "When I heard the songs I didn't take it seriously. But it was bad because people have to realise we are footballers. Today we play for this club and the next day we might end up playing for them."
West Bromwich Albion
Roy Hodgson, the West Bromwich Albion manager, has confirmed his interest in signing Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and Ipswich defender Gareth McAuley if they become available. Hodgson has declared his intent to strengthen his squad this summer and believes Kuszczak - a former West Brom player - and McAuley would fit the bill. He said: "If those players are available, they will certainly be players we discuss. At the moment all that type of talk is pure speculation. There will be a lot of that in the next few weeks. This is the time when agents are trying to move their players around."
West Ham United
Scott Parker admits West Ham's hopes of staving off relegation do not look good. The midfielder, 30, picked up his Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award last night. West Ham are bottom of the Premier League with just two matches remaining and Parker admits it will be a big ask to avoid relegation. "It's not looking good. It's out of our hands a bit even if we win both our games," he told the London Evening Standard. "I would be lying if I said we had a good opportunity of surviving but there's still a slight chance we can do something. You never know."
Wigan Athletic
Tom Cleverley, Wigan's on-loan Manchester United midfielder, believes the club are coping well with the pressure as they approach the biggest game of their season. Wigan, third from bottom, can give themselves a fine chance of escaping relegation if they beat bottom side West Ham at home on Sunday. "Things can be tense at this stage of the season but I don't think we looked nervous from the first whistle against Aston Villa last weekend, we looked sharp, calm and dangerous," Cleverley said. "We're focused on getting out of the situation we're in."
Wolves
Mick McCarthy insists he did not drop winger Matt Jarvis last weekend against West Brom and has predicted he will be a major contender for Wolverhampton Wanderers' player of the year award. McCarthy said: "'Jarvo has had a great season, he's been fantastic. He's more than a contender for player of the season. But he's like everyone else. You can't just perform on the pitch every weekend. Why is it then said that I've dropped them? With others it's called 'squad rotation' where players are left out. Because I'm very loyal to players it seems when I do it it's taken as an exception."
