All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham fans have been discussing who Mauricio Pochettino should pick between Danny Rose and Ben Davies, and it seems that no agreement will be reached.

Much of the discussion has been sparked due to the fact that Davies picked up a fine assist for Wales against Croatia on Sunday, as well as the fact that Danny Rose hasn’t shown his best form in the eight games he has played this season, and was criticised by Three Lions fans for his performance against the Czech Republic on Friday.

The England international played in the 7-2 defeat against Bayern Munich and though Davies came in to replace him for the trip to Brighton a few days later, Spurs still conceded three.

Pochettino, therefore, has a dilemma on his hands and it is not easy for him to find a solution, with the different fan opinions highlighting the fact that both players have flaws in their game.

Having performed well over the international break, though, Davies could be given a chance to impress. His three starts show he is yet to be given a regular run yet this term and Pochettino picking him would please some fans.

However, others would be frustrated at Rose’s exclusion, as the following reactions show.

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Lots of QPR fans have taken to Twitter to demand that Eberechi Eze’s talent be kept quiet after Sky Sports’ Super 6 account tweeted a video of his individual highlights.

The 21-year-old is reportedly on the radar of Premier League duo Tottenham and Southampton, while he has been in superb form so far this season under the new man in charge, Mark Warburton.

Eze has five goal involvements in just eight Championship games this term and has won the WhoScored MOTM award on three occasions.

The former Millwall and Wycombe forward also received a maiden call-up to the England Under-21 squad, but now that his ability is starting to come under the spotlight a bit more, a lot of QPR fans have called for his skills to keep flying under the radar.

One fan asked Super 6 to stop “drawing attention” to him, whereas a few others have jokingly criticised Eze to throw any potential suitors off the scent of just how good he is.

Let’s take a look at some of the tweets…

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Leeds United missed the chance to take the sole lead of the Championship on Saturday afternoon as Charlton Athletic condemned them to their first away defeat of the season.

Against the run of play, the home side scored from a corner in what would be the game’s only goal of the match.

The Whites’ goalkeeper Kiko Casilla parried a volley from Tom Lockyer into the path of Macauley Bonne, who somehow scrambled the ball home.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men had the chance to salvage something late on, but Addicks shot-stopper Dillon Phillips produced an outstanding save to deny Adam Forshaw from close range.

Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison started at left-wing again, looking for just his second goal of the season and first since the opening day, but he failed to live up to expectations – which has left many of the Elland Road faithful fuming at him for the second time in as many weekends.

Indeed, Leeds fans weren’t happy with his performance against Derby County and they’ve once again let rip having been disappointed with his display at The Valley. One supporter said he was ‘atrocious’ as he can’t pass or shoot while another claimed that the 22-year-old should be dropped because he offers nothing at all.

A further member of the Whites’ crowd believes that Leeds won’t get promoted if Harrison continues to start games for them this season.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Adrian Durham has continued his assault against Tyrone Mings this week after the Aston Villa centre-back was announced in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for their upcoming qualifiers, having his say on the matter on talkSPORT, via Birmingham Mail.

What’s he said?

It appears that the former Bournemouth defender has been rewarded for his excellent form over the past eight months with a call-up to the England squad.

Mings was an instrumental figure in getting Villa promoted last season as his arrival on loan practically kick-started a historic ten game-winning run, which catapulted them into the playoffs.

The towering 6 foot 5 centre-back is now a fan-favourite at Villa Park.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Earlier this month, the talkSPORT presenter claimed Mings was brilliant against Tottenham on the opening weekend, but there were signs that he would contribute towards a potential instant relegation.

Now Durham has given his verdict on the 26-year-old’s call-up by questioning whether he has done enough to warrant it, he said:

“He’s left-footed, which I think is a massive plus in his favour, but there are other centre-backs who have been overlooked.

“Ben Mee for example, [James] Tarkowski – both at Burnley. Conor Coady for a long time at Wolves has looked really good.

“I’ve no problem with Mings being in the squad, but if I was one of those three I’d be thinking what have I got to do to get into the England squad?

“He’s just waltzed in from the Championship, and after three games he’s just walked in. If I was one of them I’d feel a little bit aggrieved.”

Understandable points

Mings has been excellent alongside Bjorn Engels and we’ve previously covered how the imposing centre-back has been proving that he’s been worth every bit of that initial £20m price tag.

But the three names Durham mentions, and you could even throw Lewis Dunk in there too, will all feel a bit disheartened – especially as they have been playing regularly in the Premier League for the past year, if not longer.

Mings has featured in all three games this season, and if he continues at this rate, he’ll smash his previous season total in any one season for Bournemouth – he’s only played as little as seven total games in a given Premier League campaign.

As can be seen from the image above, courtesy of WhoScored’s comparison metric, all of the four other alternatives featured in 35 Premier League games or more last season, something Mings is yet to achieve in his career despite being of similar age at 26.

Questions over his call-up in relation to the others, therefore, are understandable from Durham.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Crystal Palace travel across London this Saturday to take on Tottenham, who have endured a mixed start to the campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have won just one of their opening four Premier League games so far, drawing two and losing one. They will have presumably been left disappointed by their last outing against rivals Arsenal, too, seeing as they were leading 2-0, although they have one player in their ranks who loves causing Palace problems…

Who is it?

Heung-min Son.

Since arriving on these shores from Bayer Leverkusen, the South Korean has developed a knack of finding the net against the Eagles.

He scored against Palace on his Premier League debut at White Hart Lane back in 2015, while also netting in a 1-0 win at Wembley.

Last season also saw Spurs play the first-ever league game in their new stadium, incidentally against the south Londoners, and guess what?

Son scored in a 1-0 win – Palace must keep an eye on the deadly forward.

Who must keep Son under wraps?

Palace right-back Joel Ward will have a real task on his hands this weekend, as he should be the one directly up against the 27-year-old.

Son technically started centrally behind Harry Kane last time out against Arsenal, but his heat-map proves that most of his activity came down the left flank – he won the penalty for Harry Kane’s goal by cutting in on his right foot from the left.

The 6 foot 2 defender records some pretty impressive defensive numbers – 2.8 tackles per game and 4.3 clearances isn’t bad at all – but just by watching him you can see how rigid and slow he is at times, whereas Son is almost the complete opposite.

The man with five goals in 222 appearances for the Eagles must win his battle against Son – who scored 12 league goals last term – if Palace want to have any chance of a result this weekend.

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On Wednesday, a message on Leeds United’s official Twitter account revealed that Hadi Sacko had moved on loan to MKE Ankaragucu for the remainder of the season.

Sacko moved to Las Palmas on loan last summer, but only made five league appearances for the Canary islanders before returning to Elland Road.

The 24-year-old joined Leeds on a permanent deal from Sporting Lisbon in 2017 and he has actually made 60 appearances for the Whites in all competitions.

Sacko has been seriously out of favour for some time now, however, and it is not a surprise to see him leave the Whites on another loan.

The 6 foot ace does have a contract with Leeds until the end of next season though and it will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the current campaign.

For now, the winger has moved on and the Leeds fans have been on social media reacting to the exit:

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Liverpool player El-Hadj Diouf believes Sadio Mane and Mo Salah have created an ideal partnership at Anfield.

What did he say?

Since Salah arrived on Merseyside the pair have contributed 123 goals and 45 assists for Jurgen’s Klopp team, guiding them to the Champions League title as well as their highest-ever Premier League points total.

The contribution they have made has seen both recognised in the PFA and UEFA squads of the season over the last two years, and the pair have also finished in the top two of the African Player of the Year award for consecutive seasons.

Diouf, a fellow winner of the award and compatriot of Mane, is very impressed by what he has seen from the duo, and believes they provide the ideal complement to one another.

“You can’t have one without the other. One of them’s left-footed [Salah] and the other’s right-footed [Mane]. Sadio needs Mo like Mo needs Sadio,” Diouf told FIFA’s website.

“They have the same qualities: speed of execution and skill in their final touch. Salah is perhaps a little more effective in front of goal because he puts in less defensive work than Mane.”

The former Senegal international makes an interesting point about the two needing each other, as Liverpool have rarely been in a situation where they have been unable to field both players at the same time.

One memorable occasion in which Salah was missing, however, was in the Champions League semi-final second leg, but the Reds were still able to defeat Barcelona 4-0, due in part to the contribution of Mane.

Pace and power

It is easy to see why Diouf has made a comparison between the two and they do play in a similar fashion for Liverpool, which works very effectively for Jurgen Klopp.

Despite both possessing tremendous pace neither are best suited to taking the ball past defenders, and instead prefer running in behind to get onto the end of through balls. They averaged a combined 3.5 dribbles per match in the Premier League last season – just 0.1 more than Wilfried Zaha managed single handed.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Also, due to playing on either wing Salah and Mane don’t often link up directly. With Roberto Firmino acting as the perfect lynchpin in the middle, both players are able to stay in the respective positions to get on the end of chances.

As a result, Diouf’s assessment is perhaps a little misguided. Liverpool don’t rely on their partnership and therefore the pair don’t rely on each other, but it is instead the presence of both which makes the Reds so effective, as the team possesses the same type of threat from both wings.

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Keith Downie has revealed that Newcastle United are now eyeing other central defenders whose names have not yet been reported.

The Lowdown: Who’s been linked so far?

Following the arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood at St. James’ Park, it looks as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are now looking at bringing in a new centre-back as their third signing in the January transfer window.

The names that have been linked the most seem to be Sven Botman, Diego Carlos and Benoit Badiashile, but as the window ticks down it may be that the new owners now look at other targets to bring in, with crucial games against both Watford and Leeds United in the Premier League coming up.

The Latest: Alternatives eyed

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Sky Sports journalist Downie has revealed that the North East club are now eyeing alternative targets in the centre-half position, outside of the names already reported:

“I think they’re just juggling a few names at the moment.

“I mean, if I’m honest I was given two other names yesterday that I have not reported yet, because I’m trying to stand those up.”

The Verdict: Get one in now

Whoever the player is, the Tyneside outfit simply need to get a central defender in now.

They currently have the second-worst defensive record in the top flight, and so freshening up the backline would really help Eddie Howe and his team going forward.

Looking at their current options, Ciaran Clark is currently rated as the division’s worst centre-back (to have played at least five games) so far this season, while Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles all rank inside the worst eleven (WhoScored).

It is clearly an area that needs improving, and so a new centre-half must now be the priority for the Magpies.

In other news, find out which six-foot-one ‘phenom’ NUFC are now ‘most interested’ in signing here!

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some manager news involving Duncan Ferguson.

As per the official website of the Merseyside club, he has now been appointed as the caretaker manager for the upcoming matches, after Rafa Benitez left his post following the 2-1 loss away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

Ferguson took charge of training at USM Finch Farm on Tuesday morning, as they prepare to face Aston Villa at Goodison Park at Saturday lunchtime, and he will be supported by John Ebbrell, Leighton Baines and Alan Kelly.

Of course, the Scotsman is a Toffees legend after so many years as both a player and coach, scoring 72 goals in 273 games in total. In his first stint as an interim manager, he was impressive, winning his opening fixture 3-1 at home to Chelsea back in 2019, while also picking up draws against both Manchester United and Arsenal (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, he seemingly looks to be a very popular appointment among the Blues supporters.

Everton fans on Ferguson manager news

These Evertonians buzzed as the manager news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that they are ‘delighted’:

“DUNCCC SIUUUUUUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @jayefc_

“Superb. I’m a big fan of this decision.”

Credit: @HeidiInteriors

“Brilliant news @Everton sensible decision”

Credit: @RichieRowlands

“The news I have been waiting for all week”

Credit: @Babby008

“Delighted.”

Credit: @stugriff31

“Yesssss”

Credit: @_Rob1878_

In other news, find out what interesting EFC claim Benitez has now made here!

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is closing in on his first transfer window at Ibrox following his move to the club in November.

The January transfer window is just over a week away and with it comes heaps of speculation regarding players coming to and leaving Glasgow.

One player who could be on his way out is midfielder Ianis Hagi. It was recently reported that Galatasaray are set to have a meeting to discuss a potential swoop for the Romanian international, whilst Aston Villa have also been touted with an interest in his services.

Bye-bye Hagi

Rangers may well be waving bye-bye to Hagi if Galatasaray and Villa firm up their interest in the playmaker, but the Gers could sign a dream replacement in the form of Bologna’s Andreas Skov Olsen.

Italian outlet il Resto del Carlino recently claimed that Ross Wilson has made an enquiry to see if a deal is viable next month and the forward could solve a major problem for van Bronckhorst in terms of replacing Hagi should he leave Ibrox.

FFC published an article explaining why it could be beneficial for Rangers to sell the Romanian to kickstart a business model based around buying young talent and selling them on for profit. This would require the Gers to use a portion of their profits to sign prospects who could be worth more in the future and the signing of Olsen would tie in with this strategy.

The 21-year-old winger fits the profile of player the club should be looking at to continue to develop talents that they can sell on; young, experienced, potential, pedigree. He has already played 67 games in the Serie A and been capped 15 times by Norway at senior level, showing that he has been able to play regularly at the top despite his age.

Olsen has also shown promise with an impressive record in attack. He has scored 51 goals for his club sides and 19 for Norway at youth and senior level, meaning that he has 70 career strikes to date. In his last ten World Cup Qualifying outings for his country, he has averaged a superb WhoScored rating of 7.39 – with five goals and three assists to his name.

Consider those stats and his lethal left-foot, and it becomes clear to see why he models his game on Dutch legend Arjen Robben.

Therefore, the £5.85m-rated gem could be the perfect candidate to replace Hagi as his statistics suggest that he has the quality in the here-and-now to make an impact in the final third for Rangers to make up for the ex-Genk man’s exit.

Olsen also has the potential, given he is only 21, to improve further and be sold on for a profit further down the line, which could benefit the Gers in the short and long-term.

AND in other news, “He’s not going to” – Huge Rangers claim made that’ll have GVB and fans running scared…