All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Davie Hay has warned Celtic not to concede an early goal to Valencia or else they are in for a long night.

Brendan Rodgers takes his side to the Mestalla on Thursday night looking to overturn a disappointing 2-0 defeat from the first leg a week ago.

Getting the first goal would open the tie up for the visitors but Celtic have taken a few European hidings in recent seasons and Hay has warned to put safety first in the opening stages.

In the Evening Times he stated:

“I think it will be a difficult night, but what you will find out in the opening 15-20 minutes is whether or not Celtic can go and cause a little bit of unrest within Valencia.

“If they lose an early goal, it is an exceptionally long night. The only thing that might work in their favour is the fact that Valencia and their support will expect this game to be little other than a walk into the next round.

“Publicly, of course, the Spaniards won’t come out and say that but there will be a feeling that they pretty much sealed their progress with the first leg win last Thursday night. Their support will be turning up expecting to see them turn on the style.

Rodgers has no fresh injury worries to deal with tonight with his biggest decision being over whether Timo Weah gets a place in his starting XI.

The on-loan Paris Saint Germain forward has made a big impact as a substitute in recent matches including the late victories over St Johnstone and Kilmarnock.

Getting Weah in from the start would pose a fresh threat to the Valencia defence, with Celtic toiling last week to make in roads on the Spanish defence.

Dreams of promoting into the Premier League are diminishing away for Aston Villa. Having fallen close to ten points off a playoffs place, the Villains have to wait another season to dream of playing in England’s top-flight. However, in order to compete for the Championship title next season, Dean Smith needs to hold onto his biggest assets.

The biggest star in the Villains’ season has been striker Tammy Abraham. The loanee from Chelsea’s provided some blooming moments for the fans throughout the topsy-turvy campaign, lighting up Villa Park with his goals.

He’s scored 20 goals in the Championship so far, working very hard in the final third to rally his side forward. Abraham’s practically provided one-third of Villa’s total goals all by himself and that showcases how clinical he’s been in the Championship.

With a dribbling success of 52%, 21 key passes and 70% passing accuracy (stats via Who Scored), he’s been more than just a mere finisher for the Villains, often orchestrating his own goals. The young striker’s movement, eye for goal and ability to thrive in such a limited environment proves how key he is to the team.

Villa needs to do their best to extend his loan deal or sign him up permanently and build the team around him next season. If they get a stronger defence along with a creative midfield to compliment Abraham, the youngster can be the driving force to get them back into the Premier League.

Thoughts?

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Loads of Everton fans have been running the rule over the win at Cardiff, and they’re completely split on the performance and future of Phil Jagielka, with Marco Silva facing a big selection dilemma at the back.

Everton got back on track with an impressive victory at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night, as a brace from Gylfi Sigurdsson helped lift them to a 3-0 win.

The Icelandic international opened the scoring when he met Seamus Coleman’s well-timed cross in the first half, and doubled his tally after some nice work from Bernard in the second half.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

Dominic Calvert-Lewin made sure of the three points with a late goal, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for Silva’s side, and they had plenty of defending to do in what was a very scrappy encounter.

Lucas Digne made one incredible clearance to deny a goal early on, and Jagielka had a busy evening on his return to the side, winning four aerial duels and making four clearances.

The 36 year-old started due to an injury for Yerry Mina and suspension for Kurt Zouma, and fans are now split on whether he should keep his place against Liverpool on Sunday.

It is an absolutely huge decision for Silva and he must get his defensive selection right to avoid embarrassment at the hands of their red neighbours, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Manchester City are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, per the Daily Mirror.

Pep Guardiola worked with the midfielder during his time at the Allianz Arena and is now lining up a move to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.

What’s the word?

Thiago moved to Bayern in 2013 from Barcelona, costing the Bavarian giants a total of £21.6million.

While working under Guardiola – who left Germany in 2016 – the Spaniard won three Bundesliga titles, as well as two DFB-Pokals, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

And the Mirror claim that the City manager believes Thiago could replace Fernandinho at the base of his midfield; the Brazilian will turn 34 in May.

However, the report also states that City will be forced to smash their current transfer record, which stands at £60m, to secure his signature.

Guardiola is said to be keen to buy a midfielder in the summer and he is also a fan of Saul Niguez, the Atletico Madrid midfielder, but he is on a nine-year contract and only two have elapsed.

An abandonment of youth

Guardiola has the biggest cheque book in English football and is clearly ready to splash the cash yet again.

Signing Riyad Mahrez for £60m last summer broke the club’s transfer record but he has completed the 90 minutes in the Premier League just four times this season.

Breezing past that record again this summer would not be a surprise but it is almost like City do not have a youth academy.

One has to imagine that there is a defensive-minded midfielder in there, with the ability to sit under the Guardiola learning tree and grow as a player in the coming seasons.

Instead, money will be spent, and a marquee midfielder will likely arrive at the Etihad, be it Thiago or not.

City will surely reap the rewards but one wonders why a young player would ever see a move to the club as an attractive proposition if only an exceptionally rare few ever get a chance in the first team.

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On Tuesday, the FA published the written reasons for Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino’s two-game suspension.

The Argentine was banned and fined £10,000 after an altercation with referee Mike Dean following Spurs’ 2-1 loss to Burnley at Turf Moor over a week ago. Pochettino served the first game of his ban on Saturday, as his side again tasted defeat, this time against Southampton.

Dean, via Daily Mail, alleged in his post-match report that, following the game, Pochettino said “you know what you are” towards him numerous times, before again repeating the words in the tunnel.

The referee’s version of events reads thus: “At the conclusion of the game I was approached on the field of play by the Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino and some members of his coaching staff including first team coach Jesus Perez.

“Mr Pochettino acted in a very irresponsible and aggresive (sic) manner. He wouldn’t stop saying “you know what you are, you know what you are”. I asked him to explain and he repeated: “you know what you are”.

“I then said on numerous occasions to go away, at least 10 times, and he wouldn’t get out of my personnel (sic) space and then aggresively (sic) pointed his finger just a few inches from my face again saying “you know what you are”.

“Mr Pochettino then left me alone and left the field of play. When I reached the tunnel he was waiting at the top of the stairs again saying “you know what you are” and had to be escorted to the dressing room by security staff from Burnley.”

This is all well and good. Pochettino’s behaviour, he accepts, was not proper and he has repeatedly apologised for his role in the fracas.

However, Dean’s account appears to leave out some important details. The replays after the game showed Pochettino shaking hands with the official and walking away, only to turn and confront him, his demeanour having changed. It certainly appeared that Dean said something towards the Spurs manager that infuriated him.

His assistant, Perez, was caught on camera telling Dean: “You can’t say that.”

Now, of course, there has been much social media mirth surrounding what the referee may have said but it is important and his words should be made public.

This is not to deny that Pochettino did wrong; the man himself accepts that.

But we cannot be forced to accept one side of the story. There is a lack of trust in match officials right now and it does appear as though the FA have closed ranks around one of their top referees.

Perhaps that is understandable, given that they are all too often abused at every level of the game.

But Dean should do his bit to restore some faith in his profession by coming out and admitting what he said. The idea that he was merely saying “go away” is a farcical one; anyone in doubt merely needs to look at the footage of the incident.

For the interests of clarity and fairness, fans deserve to know what was really said.

Danny Rose’s stock had dipped massively since his injury and Tottenham fans should be thrilled.

It is never nice marvelling in someone else’s misery, but in the case of Danny Rose, Tottenham fans may feel they can make an exception – both because he is a good player, and his bipartisan past.

Indeed, the more cynical of us will look at the comments he made a few years ago – amidst the most intense speculation over his future – and declare them not-so-cryptic come-and-get-me pleas in 2017.

“I am reaching my peak and have probably only got one big contract left in me,” he told the Sun (via The Guardian).

“Time is running out and I do want to win trophies. I don’t want to play football for 15 years and not have one trophy or one medal,

“I will say this too, I will play up north. I don’t know exactly when, but I will get back up north and play some football somewhere…”

This released at a time both Manchester City and Manchester United were looking to solidify their defensive options, and Rose was often the subject of transfer rumours.

Fast-forward to now, however, and things have slightly changed.

Rose’s career has been littered with injuries, from minor scrapes to major complications, he has spent from two weeks to 260 days out of the game.

He is no longer reliable, and as such, has fallen down the pecking order and, according to Football.London, transfer interest in the player has severely waned after recent problems with form and fitness.

A recent injury picked up in October 2018, which saw him out of the reckoning for nine games, reveals the extent of his fragility – and it is hardly surprising that clubs have now cooled their transfer interest.

He is still a great player, and provides more than capable cover for current starter Ben Davies – so what is there to complain about for Spurs fans? Not much at all, we would say.

Tottenham fans, should the club have cashed in on Rose when they could? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Crystal Palace visit Watford this weekend for their FA Cup quarter-final clash – the Eagles will be out for revenge having lost their last two against the Hornets and having had their wings clipped at the weekend by bitter rivals Brighton.

For the cup games, it’s crucial that managers have a healthy selection of players to rotate between and so the positive injury update delivered by Roy Hodgson on Thursday should be welcome news – it might not be quite what Palace fans were hoping for, though.

What did he say?

A report taken from Crystal Palace’s official club website reads:

“Having been without Hennessey for Palace’s recent fixture with Brighton, Hodgson stated that the Welsh shot-stopper is ‘fit again after his slight problem.'”

Surely the news that any player is in contention for such a physically demanding game is good, although this surely won’t be the case for the Selhurst Park faithful considering who the update pertains to.

Guaita gets the gloves, right?

The 31-year-old Wales international finally has real competition for his starting berth this season with Vicente Guaita having arrived on a free from Getafe, and the Spaniard has become the Eagles’ number 1 after a slow introduction to the starting XI.

Hennessey has been between the sticks for each cup clash this campaign but, now that the Eagles are in the last eight, Hodgson surely has to give his best ‘keeper the nod?

Now that Welshman has been ruled fit, though, it really is anyone’s guess as to who starts in net but, if Hodgson wants to make a statement of intent in the competition, he should surely give Guaita the gloves.

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The former England boss has said that he will not be resting anybody and that the team will be strong, although whether this only applies to the outfield players is unclear. Will Hodgson continue to put faith in Hennessey or will he make the smart move by opting for the far less error-prone alternative?

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Manchester United fans on Twitter are absolutely livid with reports linking them to a cut-price move for Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas.

The Greek international has a release clause of just £31.5m in his contract, and will reportedly look for a move away should Roma fail to qualify for the Champions League, which has alerted the Red Devils.

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However, whilst you’d think fans would be excited at the news, the majority of the 20-time Premier League champion’s supporters are livid that their club is sniffing around the cheaper alternatives, when marquee names such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Matthijs de Ligt are there for the taking.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add another centre-back to his ranks, but his reported interest in 27-year-old Manolas has not gone down well amongst the fanbase, despite the player being of Champions League and international pedigree.

Let’s see what the frustrated United fans on Twitter are saying about a move for the former Olympiakos man…

Arsenal have had some truly legendary defenders in their history, so oh how fans wish they could have one of them in their prime now.

So far, it’s been another season of Arsenal doing well in scoring goals and getting wins but finding it difficult to keep out goals and walk away from games with clean sheets.

You could argue that long-term injuries to the likes of Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding, two players who have improved massively this season under Unai Emery, have played a role in Arsenal’s woeful defensive stats this season, but one thing for certain is that we can expect reinforcements this summer.

Of course, Arsenal’s defence is something that needs fixing ASAP. Sokratis needs a better partner than either Shkodran Mustafi or Laurent Koscielny, and with the club being ambitious this summer with reports indicating that Emery is targeting Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti, but planning for the future is something the Gunners should be looking into as well.

Thankfully, the club already has two players that could man the back-line for years to come.

Step forward, Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

The two youngsters have the potential to be the future centre-back pairing for Arsenal for years to come. We have already seen this season that Holding is a player that Emery admires and has entrusted with starting in the defence before his ACL injury. Mavropanos, though, will need a bit more time.

The Greek defender has found minutes hard to come by, with the 21-year-old missing most of the season so far too injury and being excluded in the Europa League squad, but the potential is there for Mavropanos to become a world-class defender.

Although no plans on his future have been said yet, it could be possible that Mavropanos will spend next season out on loan to gain first-team minutes away from Arsenal, something the club can afford to do if they are to bring in another centre-back this season and if the Greek defender impresses he could find himself within the first-team picture upon his arrival.

Holding will also likely be back in the starting XI when he is fully fit from his long-spell out on the injury table, but it is important that the 23-year-old is not rushed back, otherwise, it could damage his body more and Arsenal would have another case study for a talented player ruined by injury.

In Holding and Mavropanos, Arsenal has the future of the defence, but the club must be smart with how they integrate the duo into the first-team from both an injury standpoint and a development standpoint.

Arsenal fans, could Holding and Mavropanos be the future centre-backs of the club?

Sky Sports’ Paul Merson may often find himself the butt of fans’ jokes, but he speaks from the hip, and often the things he says resonate with fans, even if he does have his own unique style of punditry.

After talking up (as per Sky Sports) Crystal Palace’s chances in their last game — the first game for Spurs in their new stadium — claiming Roy Hodgson’s side are “one of the best counter-attacking sides about” when they are on their game, he decried their performance, when looking forward to the St James’ Park clash against Newcastle.

“I am disappointed with Palace. Out of all the teams at the bottom they are the disappointment because they should not be where they are.

“How do you go to Manchester City and win 3-2, when nobody beats City at home, and then be where you are in the league and go to Tottenham and get rinsed in midweek? It wasn’t even really a game.”

It is easy to understand why he is so disappointed. With the fast, skillful players they have in their squad, they seem perfectly suited to hit teams on the break and capitalise away from home.

In Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsed, they have players who can be devastating in any game, and punish sides who make any mistakes.

That they have found themselves scrapping it out in the Premier League nether regions again is puzzling, to say the least.

He was equally scathing about Newcastle’s performance on Monday Night Football at Arsenal, and suggested with the incredible backing they had in the Capital from their fans, they should have given it more of a go, in an attacking sense, than they did.

He said of Rafa Benitez’s side: “Newcastle had a load of fans come down to Arsenal on Monday and you were thinking ‘why don’t you have a go?’. I thought it was poor. They are better than that and have the ammunition to hurt teams.”

While he makes a valid point, Newcastle fans travel to away grounds — especially those of the top clubs — with an expectation of they formation and tactics Rafa will employ.

It has seen the minimise damage in most of these types of games, and his hope is always that they will stay in a game long enough that they can snatch a point in the final quarter of the match — and they were definitely in the game until the second goal went in at the Emirates.

But in a tight game to call, on paper, Merse thinks that home advantage will be what sways it tomorrow, but is not worried that either side are in danger of getting relegated.

“I think Newcastle win with home advantage, but both these teams should be safe because Cardiff won’t get enough points.”

He plumps for a 2-1 win for Rafa’s team, and you could not have argued, had he gone for the same result for the opposition, such has been the unpredictable, topsy-turvy season for both sides.

What are Your thoughts ahead of the game, Newcastle and Palace fans? Has Merse got this one right? Let us know below…