Category Uncategorized

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool and Manchester United played out a dour 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The game was marked by a number of injury issues – United were forced into three substitutions in the first half, while Liverpool saw Roberto Firmino seemingly twist his ankle before the interval.

Throughout the game, Liverpool failed to truly test David De Gea in the Old Trafford goal, with Mohamed Salah in particularly poor form.

As the Reds chased the game, the Egypt international, who has scored 20 goals in all competitions thus far this season, was substituted by Jurgen Klopp.

Divock Origi was introduced as his replacement but had no better luck than Salah on the right flank.

And, with the club now only a point clear of Manchester City at the top of the league, Liverpool fans were in no mood to cut Salah any slack. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Spurs fans have been running the rule over Saturday’s north London derby, and they’re absolutely full of praise for Moussa Sissoko.

When Sissoko arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2016 for a fee of roughly £30m, it seemed like everyone was just waiting for the Frenchman to fail.

After a poor start to life in north London, the former Newcastle midfielder was taking as much stick from his own fans as the opponent’s, but that has all changed this season.

Sissoko has been perhaps Pochettino’s most reliable and consistent performer this campaign, bossing the middle of the pitch with his incredible engine and drive.

The 29 year-old was absolutely everywhere as usual on Saturday as well, doing a little bit of everything in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Sissoko completed 83 per cent of his pass, took one shot, completed one key pass, two dribbles, and also made one tackle and one interception, per Whoscored’s stats.

It was about as well-rounded performance as you are likely to see from a central midfield player in such a big game, and the Twitter reactions down below are full of praise for the one-time scapegoat…

There’s suddenly a lot of excitement around Newcastle United again.

The Magpies are playing attractive, attacking football and have won three out of their last five Premier League games. Rafa Benitez has clearly weaved his magic, with a tinker here and there producing a winning combination.

While there’s a lot of talk about Salomon Rondon lighting up their attack or youngsters like Sean Longstaff playing their part, defender Fabian Schar’s involvement is as vital. The Swiss defender’s been like a breath of fresh air in the Magpies’ defence, with his involvement going forward getting the lions’ share of attention.

Schar’s not only been rock-solid defensively but shown admirable ambition going forward, getting rewarded against Burnley with a pile-driver to score Newcastle’s first. He also fulfilled his defensive duties superbly against a physical Clarets side, making seven clearances, four aerial wins and eight ball-recoveries, adding to his hero status on Tyneside. (stats via Fotmob)

He’s played a big part, helping solidifying Newcastle’s defensive strength, hence resulting in vital wins over the past few weeks. Schar’s helped them to back-to-back clean-sheets and formed a strong partnership with Jamal Lascelles. Ever since his blitz against Cardiff City, where he scored two stunning goals – including one where he danced past multiple men before finishing beautifully- his confidence’s gone up.

Schar’s now operating freely and using his intelligence to tighten up the Magpies defensive structure. If he keeps up his impressive work at the back and scoring world-class goals, it won’t be long before bigger sides come hunting for his services.

It’s a tough time to be a football fan.

The beautiful game has been put on hold in a number of major leagues due to the ongoing pandemic, and it seems that things aren’t going to get better anytime soon.

In fact, Euro 2020 is under serious threat, there are apparently plans to postpone the tournament until next year, and while that will be a nightmare for many, one man stands to benefit from the tournament postponement.

With West Brom on the verge of a return to the Premier League either via finishing in the top two, as they currently sit six points clear of Fulham, or by default as reports have stated that the Baggies could be handed a place in the top-flight if this season can’t be naturally concluded.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Albion’s return to England’s top division could hand Jake Livermore a chance to catch Gareth Southgate’s eye, and his performances this season have certainly shown he’s good enough if he keeps up his current form

Kalvin Phillips has been touted for a call-up in the Telegraph (via LeedsLive), even though the stats show that Livermore has been better than him lately, but somehow that’s been ignored by the England boss.

The fact of the matter is that it’ll be impossible to ignore Livermore’s form if he’s doing it at the top level, and if the Euros are delayed he may be able to fulfil his aspirations of playing at a major tournament for the Three Lions. It was noted last season that Jack Grealish needed to be playing in the Premier League to receive an England nod so this could be a huge boost for somebody else with the same aspirations.

With the former Tottenham man turning 31 this year, the next European Championships could be his last chance to play in a major competition for the national team.

If the competition is delayed he has a much greater chance of being called-up because the likelihood is that he’ll be strutting his stuff in the Premier League in the build-up to the tournament rather than the Championship.

In other news, West Brom could benefit if this 1960s protocol is followed.

Leeds 2-1 loss to Fulham on Saturday may have ended their 11-game unbeaten run, but it was a concerning performance in more ways than one.

Indeed, it wasn’t so worrying due to the fact that Leeds played poorly, but it has to concern some United supporters when they watch their nearest challengers for a top-two spot put on a performance such as Fulham’s over the weekend.

After being relegated, the London club were one of the promotion contenders at the beginning of the season, simply due to the strength of their squad. They have a former Championship Player of the Year winner, a £22m striker, a defender who was once called up to the England squad as well as a plethora of other talented stars.

The only real point of weakness at Craven Cottage was the fact that the Whites have a rather unproven manager in Scott Parker. While he’s guided them to fourth place, they haven’t always been too convincing, losing on seven occasions, most notably because the manager’s plan A hasn’t worked out.

However, against Leeds, Parker showed a managerial maturity that we hadn’t seen from him before this term as he adjusted his team’s style in order to counteract the challenges that playing a Marcelo Bielsa managed team pose.

Fulham and Leeds have been the top two teams for average possession in the Championship this season, yet Leeds had 65 per cent of the ball at Craven Cottage.

Parker set up his team to sit much deeper than usual in order to soak up pressure while frustrating Leeds’ attack.

The Fulham boss played a blinder by setting his team up so defensively, and if the former Tottenham midfielder can continue to show this type of managerial acumen from now on it could spell trouble for Leeds’ spot in the top two from this point onwards.

Meanwhile, it seems as if Leeds have identified an alternative to signing Rhian Brewster.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Leeds fans have been reflecting on the weekend’s action before looking ahead to the clash with Reading, and they’re delighted with the debut of Aapo Halme.

Leeds’ remarkably bad luck with injuries continued over the international break, as Pontus Jansson, Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Jamal Blackman joined the ever-growing injury list.

The triple injury setback meant debuts for both Will Huffer and Halme on Saturday, and fans are pretty happy with the pair’s performance.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”334357″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Fixture in Focus Tottenham v Chelsea”]

Halme in particular looked solid, as the giant 6 ft 5 in youngster started alongside Liam Cooper in the heart of defence.

The 20 year-old didn’t have too much to do if truth be told, but he looked calm and composed in possession and certainly has the physicality to be a top Championship defender.

His lack of pace looked to be perhaps his only weakness, though plenty of top defenders have atoned for a lack of pace with great positioning and awareness.

Victor Orta took loads of stick for signing Halme back in January, but the Twitter reactions down below show he might have been right all along…

Everton had a successful transfer window, but last summer proved that bringing in a hoard of new players does not always bring joy to the pitch.

Manager Marco Silva boosted the wide areas and midfield, as well as the defence.

Kurt Zouma was one of the centre-backs that he recruited, but only on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

The Frenchman, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, was thought of as a promising star for the future at Stamford Bridge.

However, after suffering cruciate ligament damage in 2016, the centre-back struggled to get back into the first XI.

Since then, Zouma has had loan spells at Stoke City and now Everton, where he has been included in all three Premier League matchday squads, and made his debut in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”287921″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch The FPL Show Top value goalkeepers and GW4 captain picks”]

The Merseyside outfit have a number of defenders to choose from, including Phil Jagielka, Michael Keane, Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina.

However, Jagielka is in the latter stages of his career, which is likely to open up a spot in the future.

With that in mind, should Everton try to make Zouma’s move permanent at the end of the season?

Let us know by voting below.

[ad_pod ]

According to reports in The Mirror, new West Ham United manager David Moyes is ready to offer out of favour Everton winger Kevin Mirallas a route out of Goodison Park during the January transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror says that Moyes is keeping tabs on the Belgium international’s situation with the Merseyside outfit following the incident he was involvedat the training ground last weekend.

The Mirror says the 30-year-old was sent away by caretaker boss David Unsworth after showing a lack of commitment, with his future now looking to be in serious doubt.

Mirallas fell out with former Toffees manager Ronald Koeman earlier in the campaign after he failed to get the move to Olympiacos he wanted before the summer transfer window slammed shut, and he found first-team minutes hard to come by until the Dutchman was sacked last month.

Moyes signed the winger during his time with Everton, and he is ready to move for him again if the Belgian fails to patch up his differences with senior figures at Goodison Park.

How has Mirallas done this season?

It has been a frustrating campaign, after he was initially frozen out by Koeman in the period around the end of the summer transfer window.

While he did appear in the Europa League qualifying matches and Europa League, the 30-year-old played just 27 minutes in the Premier League.

However, when Koeman was sacked the wide man started the first two matches that Unsworth was at the helm, before the incident last weekend saw him dropped from the squad for the 3-2 win against Watford at Goodison Park.

Would he be a good signing for West Ham?

While he has proven that he can make an impact in the Premier League with 29 goals and 24 assists in 150 top flight appearances for Everton, there would certainly have to be some questions marks over his attitude considering recent events.

West Ham already have a winger in Marko Arnautovic that is a volatile figure and it would certainly be risky to add another when they currently find themselves in a relegation battle.

The 30-year-old likely wouldn’t have much resale value either, so the Irons would want to make sure they did get him for a decent price – he still has two-and-a-half years on his Toffees contract.

Having spent £123m himself in the last summer transfer window, it was something of a surprise to hear Antonio Conte declare that winning the Premier League with Chelsea would be his greatest achievement in management, mostly due to the fact that other clubs had spent so much more money than he had.

It’s tempting, then, to suggest that he should go and manage Burnley or Bournemouth instead. You know, if he wants a really great achievement to put on his CV.

Referring specifically to the Manchester clubs ahead of the derby on Thursday night, it seems like the perfect timing on Conte’s part. Have a dig at your rivals when they’re at their lowest ebb – two teams who have spent more than you, squabbling over the last Champions League place. Minor placings are not something the Chelsea boss does, after all: he’s a winner. City and United are bald men fighting over a comb. It’s been years since the Italian was bald.

And yet, he has a point. To a degree, at least, and certainly not the point he wanted to make, either. Winning the Premier League with a top six club is actually far from being easier these days – it’s actually much harder than it’s ever been. Not only are there more clubs with more resources – and therefore more of a danger to clubs at the top – but there are more challengers and rivals, too.

Gone are the days of the top four hegemony, and gone are the days of two-team title races, it seems. Then again, perhaps Chelsea’s dominance this season has obliterated the two horses this time and replaced it with a one-horse race. Still, you get the feeling it won’t be like this next year.

Instead, the Premier League will get another influx of overly-moneyed superstars and Conte will presumably spend millions of pounds once again on bringing in players to help him and his band of plucky underdogs in their attempts to fend off the other sides who have also spent millions of pounds.

That doesn’t necessarily make the Premier League’s elite a completely closed shop. Certainly no more than it ever has been. They used to say that the top four’s dominance would never be broken, but both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have proved that it can be done – and done via differing methods – over the course of the last few years. More importantly, Leicester City have gone a step further still, not just breaking the hegemony, but beating it by 10 full points.

That means others can break in – though it might only be for a season or two. Southampton and Everton look like they might have a chance given good seasons and a lot of luck. Crystal Palace’s current form will give them hope – probably not hope of Champions League football but certainly hope of a top six finish. All that needs to happen is for one or two of the teams above to have one off season just like Chelsea and Liverpool last year, who finished 10th and eighth respectively.

But there’s a bigger point to be made about Conte’s insinuations. The Italian coach seems to believe that spending only £123m means you are unlikely to win a title, as if expecting a title and spending anything short of, say, £140m wasn’t a ludicrous flight of fancy. And if that’s true, then we really have made a rod for our own backs: only the very, very top clubs can compete.

And yet, that’s not quite true. There is, after all, a fairly well-defined top six clubs in the country (possibly top seven at a stretch, though Everton will need to prove that by splashing their own cash wisely this summer), and that will surely give those who follow the Premier League something that no other country in Europe has: a genuinely competitive league.

That might be taking things slightly too far. Other leagues are competitive: France and Spain look set to go down to the wire this season, for example. But in terms of big games and looking forward to the season before it begins again next season, you can see six teams getting their act together for long enough to win – and that’s not true anywhere else.

Antonio Conte does have a point then: it may well be his greatest achievement to win the Premier League with Chelsea in this new era of money and power. And it may well be such a feat because of the financial clout of his league rivals. But it’s not because his spending means he starts from a lower platform to any degree: it’s because it’s harder when there are more foes. And that’s exactly what we want from our league.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Not since the turn of the millennium have Bayer Leverkusen proved they’re worthy to truly challenge Germany’s elite. The 2002 Champions League runners-up have spent the majority of the previous decade struggling to find consistency in their challenge at the top.

Despite finishing second in 2011 and ousting Bayern Munich from the top two in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen failed to develop on their strong campaign. The sale of players, added to the short-term planning of the club, set the team up for failure.

Under head coach, Roger Schmidt, Leverkusen have excelled in building to compete for trophies once again. His significance in Germany cannot be understated as Leverkusen aim for victory in pursuit of their challenge.

With Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel in charge at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively, the question remains as to who, if anyone, can topple the duo in the battle for Bundesliga supremacy.

Here are FOUR reasons why Bayer can finish in Germany’s top two…

Key Signings

A number of Europe’s top clubs were keen to secure the services of Kevin Volland – but it was Leverkusen that won the battle due to their ambitious manager.

Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez was signed for just £7.3m in 2015 and contributed to 21 goals in only 31 games. Hernandez hasn’t been the club’s only shrewd piece of business recently as Julian Baumgartlinger – a player likened to Gareth Barry – was signed during the summer just gone for just shy of £1m.

Schmidt’s signings now leave Leverkusen in a position to compete once again, providing they can stay injury free.

Promising Youngsters

You would need to search far and wide to find a better set of young players in the game. With their transfer policy focused on signing emerging players who are set to blossom into greatness, the club have acquired some superb prospects.

Hakan Calhanoglu remains the standout, but players such as Jonathan Tah, Wendell, Julian Brandt and Kevin Volland have drawn plaudits on the continent for their superb ability on the ball. Tah has even been mentioned as Germany’s ‘new Jerome Boateng’.

Strong spine

The spine of a team has proven to be the nucleus to their success. Leverkusen, arguably, boast the best spine in the Bundesliga outside of Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munich.

With Bernd Leno as the main goalkeeper, they can stake a claim to having one of the best young goalies in the world. Jonathan Tah, Lars Bender and Javier Hernandez also make up the side’s backbone, and have all been sensational since 2015.

They may be some distance off Munich, but Borussia Dortmund should be considered as a potential opponent they can chase down.

Style of football

Under Roger Schmidt Bayer have moved onto the ‘next level’. A formidable style of football has been crucial to the club’s recent turn of fortune.

His high pressure, relentless, intense style has enabled Bayer to claim the scalps of some of the league’s best teams. Similar to Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham, Leverkusen’s players look by and large the fittest team in the division.

Critics will state it can cause fatigue nearing the end of the season, but in Germany, Leverkusen have only benefited from the style Schmidt has implemented since his arrival in 2014.