Category Uncategorized

[ad_pod ]

Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in fury, after ESPN’s Andy Mitten revealed on the FourFourTwo podcast that the belief inside the club was that Mauricio Pochettino was going to join in the summer, before they appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instead.

When the Red Devils sacked Jose Mourinho, the two names being thrown around were Zinedine Zidane and Pochettino, with nobody expecting Solskjaer to stay beyond his interim spell.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

However, a run of just one loss in 17 games led to the former Cardiff boss being handed the job on a permanent basis, although that decision appears to have been a rushed one based on their form since making that decision.

Solskjaer has overseen just two wins from his last 10 games in the Old Trafford dugout, leading many to feel that his appointment was a hasty one, whereas Pochettino looks to have guided Spurs into the top four and has them in the semi-finals of the Champions League without making a signing.

Let’s see how the understandably annoyed United fans on Twitter have reacted to the frustrating news…

Crystal Palace’s attack has often been their Achilles heel this season. Understatement of the year, right?

Indeed, their work up front’s been underwhelming, as they’ve failed to score the number of goals they should’ve with a blazing attacking force they have. So it’s no surprise Steve Parish is planning changes.

The Eagles are ready to offload both their striker’s, with Michy Batshuayi set to return to Chelsea and Christian Benteke being sold off, according to Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws (via Sports Witness). The Belgian connection rarely worked as intended and Palace seem to be tired of the mediocrity haunting their progress.

While Batshuayi’s destined to return to West London, Benteke’s sale is absolutely the right decision. He’s been extremely disappointing in front of goal this season, being unable to score a single goal all season. In 13 games, he hasn’t scored or assisted a single goal, ending up missing 6 big chances in the meantime!

Yes, the former Aston Villa ace has struggled with injuries during his time in South London but the big money outlay invested in him over two years ago now looks to be a monumental error.

He’s rarely participated in Palace’s attack, averaging 13.23 passes per game and has a shooting accuracy of 27% (stats via Premier League) and the Big Belgian’s failed to live up to his reputation, consistently failing to finish off chances, ruining moves and demoralizing his team-mates with his lacklustre work up front.

In reality, Benteke’s actually held back the Eagles from becoming more prolific in the final third. They cannot rely upon Andros Townsend or Wilfried Zaha to deliver the goods every time and would be far better off accepting the Benteke embarrassment to free up space on the wage bill.

It’s time Benteke is sold for whatever price available (a lucrative offer from China was reportedly expected but never came) and a quality goal-scorer is brought in to get the Eagles playing thrilling attacking football as they’re intended to.

Cut your losses and run, Steve Parish.

Palace fans, would you be affected by Benteke’s potential departure? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]The Sun reported on Saturday that Crystal Palace were in the hunt for Jack Butland amid doubts over the commitment of Vicente Guaita, who only joined the Eagles in the summer.Palace have had problems finding a safe pair of hands to guard the sticks for a good couple of years now, although that has finally been resolved by the signing of Guaita from Getafe ahead of the 18/19 season – for now, at least, if The Sun is correct.The reports were surely met with panic and confusion from Palace fans, who have seen the 32-year-old wrestle the gloves from Wayne Hennessey this season. The Spaniard, though, wasn’t planning on standing by and letting the rumours get in the heads of the Selhurst Park faithful; he took to Twitter to express his happiness with his current situation.How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…The message certainly soothed the Palace fans, who responded in their masses, with some saying that the custodian would now go on to become a club great…

[ad_pod ]

Watford fans have paid tribute to goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes after what may be his last appearance at Vicarage Road.

The Brazilian goalkeeper revealed to the club’s official website earlier this week that he was “99% sure” he would retire in the summer.

He played for the Hornets in Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace and helped his side to a 2-1 victory, sealing safe passage to the semi-finals.

Gomes has played exclusively in the cup this season, with Ben Foster the club’s first-choice in the Premier League.

Both games remaining in the FA Cup will be staged at Wembley meaning that Gomes has likely played his last game at Watford’s home ground, provided Foster does not sustain an injury.

And the former Tottenham Hotspur stopper allowed emotion to overwhelm him at the full-time whistle, crying and waving goodbye to the club’s supporters, who gave him a standing ovation.

Fans on Twitter have echoed the sentiments of those who were at the game, issuing effusive tributes to the 38-year-old. Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

[ad_pod ]

Newcastle United came within seconds of clinching a huge win in the race for survival at Molineux on Monday evening but they were cruelly denied by Willy Boly in the final seconds of the game.

Wolves have proven to be a quality outfit at this level following their return to the top-flight this season, so a win for the travelling Magpies would have been huge in the context of the fight for survival.

But, despite the last-gasp equaliser, there were plenty of positives for Benitez to draw from the game, one of which was the excellent performance of Fabian Schar in central defence.

The Spanish tactician has deployed a system incorporating three central defenders on many occasions this season and he opted for a similar set-up on Monday evening, with Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune all named in the starting XI.

The former, though, appears to be encouraged to play as something of an auxiliary playmaker when Newcastle are in possession, spraying the ball from deep in a bid to rapidly turn defence into attack.

But the Swiss defender also took the chance to drive forward with the ball at his feet when an apt opportunity presented itself, and Newcastle reaped the rewards of his vision as he slotted the ball into Isaac Hayden’s path to provide the assist for the opening goal of the evening.

It was a deserved assist for a player who has often provided a creative presence from defence this season.

His defensive contribution was also highly commendable, with four interceptions, four clearances and six aerial battles won to help add some much needed solidity to the backline.

The niche role which Benitez has created for Schar has provided Newcastle with an unlikely secret weapon in a number of fixtures this season, and his latest showing against Wolves has vindicated the manager’s tactical approach.

تحدث أحمد مرتضي منصور عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، عن أزمة رحيل الفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون المدير الفني السابق، وعن الأسماء المطروحة لقيادة الفريق.

كارتيرون قرر الرحيل عن تدريب نادي الزمالك في مفاجأة صادمة لمسئولي القلعة البيضاء والجماهير أيضًا.

وقال مرتضي في تصريحات إذاعية عبر أثير راديو أون سبورت: “الجميع صدم من تصرف المدرب الفرنسي، ولكن نادي الزمالك لم يقف على أحد”.

وتابع: “أوجه الشكر لطارق يحيى على قبوله تولي القيادة الفنية للزمالك بشكل مؤقت”.

طالع أيضًا.. مصدر مقرب من كارتيرون لـ بطولات: رئيس الزمالك عامله كلاعب ومنع مستحقاته 6 أشهر

وأكمل: “الأمر غريب للغاية، كارتيرون تحدث مع أمير مرتضي هاتفيًا الساعة الثانية صباحًا قبل الاجتماع، وأري أن المدرب الفرنسي ضحى بتاريخه وكل ما فعله من قبل لتأمين مستقبله من الناحيه المادية”.

وبسؤاله عن تعامل رئيس الزمالك مع الأزمة: “مرتضى منصور من سماته الهدوء ويتعامل مع المواقف بعقلانية شديدة”.

وأردف: “لدينا 4 أو 5 مدربين وبدأنا التفاوض معهم لمعرفه التفاصيل المالية، ولكن الأسعار ارتفعت للغاية”.

وبشأن حقيقة التفاوض مع تاكيس جونياس مدرب دجلة السابق: “لم نتفاوص معه من الأساس، ولم يطرح اسمه”.

واستكمل: “من الممكن أن نري مدرب سابق للفريق يتولى المهمة الفنية في الوقت الحالي، المدرب الإسباني جاريدو من الأسماء المطروحة، وأيضًا الثنائي البرتغالي فيريرا وباتشيكو”.

وعن مواصفات المدير الفني الجديد قال: “لابد أن يكون حاصد للبطولات، وأيضًا أن يعلم جيدًا أنه لديه مهمة قوية في أفريقيا”.

واختتم: “خلال أسبوع على الحد الأقصى سنكون تعاقدنا مع مدير فني جديد، وسنلعن رسميًا”.

Alan Hutton has been speaking to Football Insider about Celtic’s exit from the Europa League.

The former Tottenham full-back went into detail on Neil Lennon’s decision making and tactics for the crucial Round of 32 tie against Danish giants Copenhagen, and had some words of criticism for the Hoops boss.

Hutton – who won exactly 50 caps for Scotland – expressed his bafflement at the former Bolton manager’s decision to drop Leigh Griffiths for the pivotal clash at Celtic Park, and also relayed his confusion as to why Lennon decided to change his 3-5-2 formation.

What did he say?

Hutton told Football Insider: “I have to admit I thought it was a strange one.

“I understand why he did it, he’s trying to be a bit more safe but when he looks back at it he probably wishes he had stuck to his normal formation.

“It was very unlike them – defensively they’ve been solid throughout the campaign. I found it strange that he switched to the four, they played so well with three at the back and two up front, to switch to the four, I’m not too sure why.”

Hutton has a point

After the first leg ended 1-1, the Hoops had the upper hand on away goals – another goal at Celtic Park would’ve left Copenhagen needing two clear goals to progress.

As Hutton alludes to, Lennon switched from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1 against the Danish outfit, despite both Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths getting on the scoresheet against Kilmarnock in the game before the knockout tie.

In the Round of 32 match-up, Celtic had 15 shots to Copenhagen’s seven, and also had 61.8% of the ball – their inability to use that dominance effectively came back to bite them as two goals in the last five minutes from the Danish side helped them progress in nightmarish fashion for the Bhoys.

Only real Celtic fans will get 100% on the Ultimate Hoops quiz. Test your knowledge below…

Leaving his two in-form strikers together surely would’ve given Celtic more of a threat to put their dominance to better use, and Lennon’s tactics can deservedly be questioned after things went array.

In other news, this pundit has hailed a Celtic ace who has only started 16 games this season…

Manchester City have had a disappointing start to the season to say the least, and some of that has been down to bad luck on the injury front, but some of it has been all their own doing. Failure to invest well enough in defensive options in the summer has left them more than 10 points behind Liverpool in the title race.

They should have brought in a centre-back in the summer, should have bought yet another left-back and, on the other side, Joao Cancelo has looked like nothing more than a cover player.

Ultimately, that is where City should be looking to strengthen in January.

Finally replace Vincent Kompany

Aside from the obvious captaincy traits he possessed, Vincent Kompany could always be relied on when he was fit. He made 17 appearances in the Premier League last season and oozed confidence to make the likes of even Nicolas Otamendi look stable at the back.

“Kompany, for me, was still their best defender when he was fit,” Liverpool legend Graeme Souness told Virgin Media Sport when speaking about the Belgian’s exit earlier in the season (via Manchester Evening News).

But he’s now gone and Aymeric Laporte has been injured since the start of September, proving just how misguided it was to not bring in another centre-back in the summer. They hadn’t kept a clean sheet in 10 games in all competitions before the victory over Arsenal last week. That must change, and a new signing would increase the likelihood of that happening.

Invest heavily in full-backs (again)

Since Pep Guardiola released four of his full-backs after his first season, City have spent over £150 million on Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Joao Cancelo. None of them have been rated over 7/10 on average on WhoScored for their contributions this season, and that’s because they’ve simply not been good enough.

It’s time for City to cut their losses with regards to the injury-prone Mendy and bring in a world-class replacement rather than stick with the inexperienced 22-year-old Angelino. Down the right, Cancelo is being targeted by a number of European clubs including Bayern Munich, according to reports, so there could be need for a back-up there too.

Summary

Pep Guardiola has said there won’t be any incomings in January, but whether supporters should believe that remains to be seen. It will be clear to him that his back four just isn’t good enough and can’t handle not having Aymeric Laporte in the middle. To save their season, they need to make moves in January.

Man City fans, what do you think needs to change in January?

Rangers have been a completely new team under Steven Gerrard this season and that leaves fans with a lot of optimism about the future of the club. 

The Gers have been progressing well in both the league and the Europa League, with many now commending the job Gerrard has done.

This hasn’t all been possible solely because of the manager, the players have been instrumental in turning around their fortunes and making Rangers a club to fear playing once again.

In tune with the fear factor returning to Ibrox, Rangers would be very sensible indeed to sign a centre-back who imposes that very feeling into opposition attackers, a defender by the name of Robert Huth.

Huth, who is valued at £2.2 million on Transfermarkt, remains without a club but nevertheless could be a valuable servant for Rangers under Steven Gerrard.

After struggling with injuries for the last two seasons, his time at Leicester was abruptly ended, although fans will fondly recollect how good the German was when the Foxes won the Premier League.

A tough-tackling, no-nonsense defender is what fans love to see and that’s exactly what you get with Robert Huth.

Whilst some would say the 34-year-old isn’t good enough anymore, others would argue that his commitment and willingness to help any team he is playing for would make him a wise signing for Rangers.

With plenty of games still to be played in a number of different competitions, Huth could still play a vital role in the Gers set-up and would continue to prove people wrong.

Would signing Robert Huth be a good decision for Rangers… Let us know!

According to a recent report from The Nottingham Post, Claudio Yacob is nearing a move to Championship side Nottingham Forest. The 31-year-old is currently without a club after leaving second tier outfit West Brom at the expiration of his contract earlier in the summer, thus bringing the curtain down on a six-year stint at the Hawthorns. 

Yet reports suggest that the former Argentina international is set to sign for Aitor Karanka’s Forest, and while this news is likely to please several Forest supporters, it could spell seriously bad news for £1.35 million-rated midfielder Liam Bridcutt (as per Transfermarkt).

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the summer transfer window saw much change take place at the City Ground, with no fewer than 14 players through the door at the East Midlands outfit prior to the close of the EFL loan window on August 31.

Two more have since been added to Karanka’s squad, one of which is midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis, who adds to the likes of Bridcutt, Jack Colback, Ben Watson, Adlene Guedioura, and Ryan Yates in that central midfield department.

As such, it’s clear that Forest are already well-stocked in that area of the pitch, and adding the experienced Yacob is only going to add to that, which could spell bad news for Bridcutt given he has yet to feature at all in the Championship this season.

The former Leeds United man made the move to the City Ground last summer and went on to appear 27 times in the Championship for the Reds last season, including in all five of their final games of the regular campaign.

But in failing to even make the matchday squad for their opening four league matches of this term, before being an unused substitute in their last two games, it’s clear that Bridcutt is already someway down Karanka’s pecking order, let alone if Yacob does indeed complete a move to the City Ground.

And while Yacob is slightly older than Bridcutt, the former West Brom star could be a huge asset to Karanka in the middle of the park such is his combative and tenacious playing style, thus leaving Bridcutt’s future far from certain.

Thus, while many Forest fans will likely be pleased with Yacob’s addition, it could spell seriously bad news for Bridcutt in his bid to further his career at the City Ground.

Forest fans… what do you think? Let us know!