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Everton will look to return to winning ways when they host in-form Leicester City at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Toffees came close to bouncing back from a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby last weekend by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s last-gasp penalty meant that the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw.

The result left Ronald Koeman’s side three points behind Arsenal and the Red Devils in fifth and sixth respectively, while they are seven behind Manchester City in the final Champions League spot.

If they are to qualify for Europe, the Dutchman will know that his side need to pick up all three points when they return to their home on Saturday.

They face a tough task to do that against the Foxes though, with Craig Shakespeare guiding the Premier League champions to six successive wins in all competitions following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri in February.

Here are three reasons Everton will end that winning run this weekend…

They need it more

It is getting to that stage of the season where the Toffees know that they need to start picking up results if they are to achieve their European dream, and they certainly need the win more than Leicester right now.

It wouldn’t have been the case five games ago when the Foxes were in real danger of being sucked into the relegation battle, but they are eight points clear of the bottom three now and have almost guaranteed their survival.

That difference in mentality could be key at Goodison Park on Sunday.

They’ve got Romelu Lukaku

Prior to the trips to Anfield and Old Trafford last week, the Premier League’s top goalscorer was in scintillating form after netting nine goals in his previous six top flight appearances.

Chances were understandably few and far between for the Belgian on the road as Ronald Koeman had to set up more defensively – which may have frustrated the 23-year-old – and he will be hoping to take advantage of getting more opportunities back at Goodison Park this weekend.

Leicester may be distracted

The Foxes face the first-leg of their huge Champions League quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital on Wednesday, and while the manager and players will deny it, there will certainly be some eyes on one of the biggest games in the club’s history.

Whether Craig Shakespeare chooses to rest some of his key men for the trip to Goodison Park remains to be seen, but they are all factors that addsup to the Toffees having more focus than their opponents on Sunday.

Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below…

John Stones should be the key man for England and Manchester City for years to come. Eye-catching transfer fee aside, the former Everton central defender has all the ingredients to become an all-time great for club and country, particularly with the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

His game – even after a rocky start to his time in Manchester – has improved markedly. Technical ability has never been an issue for Stones, but his judgement in possession has occasionally been brought into question. As a straightforward defender, Stones is only improving too. His use of his body and reading of the opponent has come on leaps and bounds in just a few months.

Guardiola is no stranger to wet behind the ears, talented, but frustrating central defenders. There was a certain one, particularly, that looms large over Guardiola’s CV of player development. Some guy called Gerard Pique arrived at Barcelona as a youngster still looking for his way at the top level, but he was nurtured by Guardiola into one of the world’s best. Pique is now a multiple Champions League winner, a stalwart of the greatest ever club side and a key member in Spain’s international dominance.

What was key for Pique – as it is for any defender – was the unit he was in. Carles Puyol was his partner during his developmental years and there was no better partner for a ball-playing centre-back at the time. Puyol was the lion of Barcelona, a leader on and off the field and without the same desire to play the ball as his teammates. The Spaniard was iconic at the club, but his role in the growth of Pique was one of his unsung achievements.

The unit has been the issue for Stones. Without the settled companions that Pique was gifted, he has been partnered by Nicolas Otamendi, Vincent Kompany and Aleksandar Kolarov at different moments this season. The full-backs and goalkeeper have changed on an all-too-regular basis as well, leaving Stones as the only constant in a defence that has creaked for the majority of the campaign.

Stones has no Puyol, no Valdes, no Alves. The lone wolf, as it stands, for the future of Manchester City’s defence. The England international could reasonably be the only one of City’s current defensive options to remain at the club next season. Where young defenders – particularly those of the ball-playing variety – need consistency and experience around them, Stones has been the glue keeping it from complete chaos.

Pique was once a young, uncertain defender. His reputation now holds him as one of the best in a generation. So much of that was down to his partnership with Puyol, which brought such success to Catalonia. Stones can emulate Pique’s iconic status in European football, but Guardiola needs to find him his own Puyol.

Kompany would have been ideal for the role, though his injuries make it an untrustworthy, unsustainable option.

This summer must see City give Stones the defensive partners he really needs to flourish. If they can do just that, the transfer fee paid last summer will start to see like a bargain.

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Manchester City really should have put their FA Cup semi-final beyond reasonable doubt in the first half, but instead succumbed to defeat in extra-time and a potentially debilitating extra 30 minutes of football.

It is natural, then, that recriminations happen. Not content with leaving an event to speak for itself, the world wants answers, and especially from Pep Guardiola.

His arrival, a little under a year ago, at the helm of one of England’s top clubs left the weight of expectation on the Catalan’s shoulders, and a trophyless season is not what we were waiting for.

Of course they’re baying for blood.

And yet, this is football. The aftermath of one game is now the build-up to the next one, and sounds and fury are amplified in the vortex of hype in which we are all spinning all the time. City, they say, are now in danger of missing out on a top four spot and a place in next season’s Champions League. It makes you wonder if those same voices saying the same thing when City beat Southampton 3-0 in their last league game?

Football inhabits a bizarre corner of the modern world where it seems to sit on a see-saw between extremes, riding up or down depending on the hour. It is unsurprising – indeed, it is even justified – that responses to City’s failure to make an FA Cup final are thoroughly negative, but it is baffling that their top four credentials are called into question on the back of an FA Cup defeat. It is a strange category mistake.

The only relevance the FA Cup has on the top four is tiredness after the match. City played an extra half hour of football whilst their biggest challengers for the top four, Manchester United played only 90 minutes on Sunday. There is, perhaps, a mental blow, too, though motivation shouldn’t be an issue for a Manchester derby. That’s the height of the relevance, really. After two victories and six goals in their last two Premier League outings, City didn’t really look like dropping out until the overexcited aftermath of Sunday’s Wembley disappointment.

There are other reasons to speculate on why City won’t beat United on Thursday night, of course. The likes of Leroy Sane, Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany played from start to finish, while David Silva came off injured. You may also point out that if United win the derby, City will drop to fifth place, though their game in hand over Liverpool could bring them back into a Champions League place.

But all of those things were likely to be true before Guardiola’s side lost to Arsenal.

With the exception of extra time – though it was also always possible – City were going to have to play a game on Sunday before playing again four days later in a crunch match. The league mathematics are still the same, and the danger is still the same. City were never assured a top four spot, nor are they now any less likely to get it because of defeat to Arsenal.

City’s win over Southampton tipped the see-saw to positivity around the club, whilst defeat on Sunday tipped it in completely the other extreme. You wonder what victory on Thursday night will do, then. Is the title race still on?

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Alessandro Del Piero is not strictly a one-club man, but if there were boxes beside the criteria for being considered a club legend, he’d tick every single one of them.

His trophy haul is something special, too: along with his six Serie A and Coppa Italia winners’ medals, Del Piero has won a Champions League title and a World Cup. He has even appeared in the finals of the European Championships and the UEFA Cup, the only two major trophies the Italian striker failed to win as a player. As a player, he scored in every competition he entered.

Those trophies were all won during Del Piero’s time at Juventus, where he played between 1993 and 2012: almost an entire career spent at the top and only briefly in the second tier after the club’s relegation in 2006, when he stayed at the club and helped them to promotion. All in all, he is the Old Lady’s all-time top scorer and appearance maker. Indeed, Gianluigi Buffon is in second place, and will need to make another 88 appearances for the club if he’s to take the record. That’s at least another two seasons as the club’s first choice goalkeeper, and also staying injury and suspension free – quite the task for a 39-year-old.

Despite his goalscoring prowess, however, Del Piero was far from a goal poacher. He played in the half-positions between the strikers and attacking midfielders, linking midfield with attack effectively thanks to his vision, passing ability, and his penchant for cutting in from the left and curling a shot into the far corner. He did this so often than the space on the corner of the box became known as the ‘Del Piero zone’

Even by the time that his career should have been winding down, he could drop deeper and use his brain and technical abilities rather than declining physical prowess. This enabled him to extend his career, leaving Juventus in 2012 at the age of 37, and retiring at the age of 40 after spells in Australia and India.

Del Piero will be looking to add to this medal tally at ICONS of Football at the Belfry in June as part of Darren Clarke’s Rest of the World team. Alongside more of the game’s modern greats such as, Nemanja Vidic, Andriy Shevchenko and Pep Guardiola, they will take on an England side captained by Lee Westwood and including legends like Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes.

He’ll be hoping to swap his habitiual high-scoring for some low scores next month.

Tickets for Icons of Football 2017 are available now at icons-series.com

According to the Le 10 Sport, Manchester United and Manchester City are set to battle it out for Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva.

Whats the Word?

At just 22, Bernardo Silva has become one of the hottest properties in Europe, especially after the phenomenal season that Monaco are having. With the French club set for domestic glory and having dumped both Man City and Borussia Dortmund out of the Champions League, many of their players are in for a summer of transfer interest.

Reports have suggested that Real Madrid, Barcelona and both Manchester clubs have expressed an interest in Silva. However, it is now rumoured that both Spanish giants have backed out of the deal, leaving City and United to fight for the services of the Portuguese international.

How well would Silva fit in at United?

Able to play as a winger or as a number ten behind the striker, Bernardo Silva would certainly add a touch of flair to the Old Trafford pitch. However, the 22-year-old plays in a similar style and role to that of Henrikh Mkitaryan, who has almsot established himself at United.

While there would certainly be some fierce competition, Silva could flourish extremely well under the guidance of compatriot Jose Mourinho.

How well would Silva fit in at City?

This is a difficult one to answer. Bernardo Silva would certainly fit into Pep Guardiola’s style of play and could truly flourish with the attacking talent that Manchester City have on their books. However, he has drawn a number of comparisons with namesake and potential teammate David Silva, which could mean a battle between the two of them for one starting place.

Nonetheless, there is no one better to learn your trade from, than a man who you have been favourably compared to in the past.

Manchester United are confident that they will keep hold of number one goalkeeper David de Gea this summer, according to Sky Sports.

Once again, rumours have been rumbling that Real Madrid will make a move for the Spain international.

The speculation is expected given how close the 26-year-old was to moving to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2015.

De Gea had one foot out the Old Trafford exit gates when the paperwork failed to be filed before the deadline, therefore forcing the deal to collapse.

The shot-stopper made a dramatic U-turn and penned a new long-term contract at United, but the rumours of a return to his homeland are never far away.

Sky Sports claim, though, that De Gea has no issues with life at United and is happy to be part of Jose Mourinho’s squad next season when they embark on a Champions League challenge.

The North-West outfit are in a decent bargaining position even if Madrid do come calling as De Gea has two years left on his contract with the option of an additional year.

As expected, fans have been giving their thoughts on the latest twist in the saga.

Lorenzo Insigne’s agent Franco della Monica has rubbished The Sun’s report that Chelsea are planning a £45m swoop for the Napoli star by insisting that the figure would be too low and that his client wants to stay put.

What’s the word?

The Sun recently claimed that the Blues will up their pursuit of Insigne if Eden Hazard leaves Stamford Bridge this summer.

The publication stated that manager Antonio Conte is so worried that he will lose his playmaker than he has already made contact with Insigne’s representatives.

Della Monica, though, has told Radio Kiss Kiss that Insigne’s main priority is to stay at his boyhood club.

“I would start by saying the offer reported in The Sun would be low and he has always been in the sights of many clubs. The priority for Lorenzo, though, is to be wearing the Napoli shirt and to be rewarded in an important way by his team. Now he has both and he is happy as well.”

Is this a blow for Chelsea?

The 26-year-old impressed last season by scoring 18 goals, and would be a positive addition to the Blues, but were the Premier League champions genuinely interested in him?

According to The Sun, Insigne has been outlined as a replacement for Hazard, but there has been no real indication that the Belgian will leave this summer.

Chelsea are expected to fight tooth and nail to keep him, so Della Monica’s remarks about a possible move for Insigne are not hugely surprising.

One thing that will concern fans, though, is that the Blues’ rivals Manchester United and Manchester City have been getting business done quickly, and Conte is yet to bring in a new face.

Many are expecting a big summer transfer window from Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp looks to build a side that can improve upon a fourth-place finish last season and give a decent account of themselves in the Champions League, but the Anfield outfit are yet to get any major deals over the line.

However, the latest odds from 888Sport suggest a deal for one player could be just around the corner, with Liverpool now odds-on favourites to sign former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah at 1/5.

The Egyptian international, who has bagged 29 goals for his country, hardly got a look-in at Stamford Bridge but has gone on to establish himself as one of the best attacking players in Serie A since leaving the club, finishing last season with 15 goals and eleven assists in the Italian top flight.

Pacey, tricky and potent in front of goal, Salah already seems like the perfect stand-in for Sadio Mane, whose injuries last season affected Liverpool’s results dearly.

Former Chelsea star Frank Lampard believes that there is one man who trumps all of the club’s players on their transfer wishlist.

The retired midfielder has claimed that tying manager Antonio Conte down to a new deal is more important than bringing in new faces.

The Italian has been in charge of the West London team for less than a year, but he has already achieved the Premier League title.

There have been rumblings that Conte has been unhappy with the Chelsea board regarding a few issues, including transfer strategy.

Although, numerous media outlets, including Sky Sports, have reported that the 47-year-old is close to agreeing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard, who hung up his boots in February, has no concerns that Conte will walk away from the Blues.

ESPN quotes the former midfielder as saying:

“Antonio would be their most important signing. For me, he was their man of the season. You talk about player of the year, I’m all for giving the players credit but because it was such a dramatic uplift from the year before I think you have to give him huge credit.

“You saw the system change and how he made them play in that formation, it worked well. I think he’s a huge signing for them. I have no doubts, I don’t know but I’m pretty confident he’ll be there and they’ll bring in players to play in the system he wants to play.’’

Chelsea are yet to bring in any first-team players in this window, but their competitors have been quick off the mark.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have already made additions to their squads ahead of the new season.

Everton fans are on alert after the latest news involving Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud suggested that the race for his signature is less crowded.

Sky Sports have claimed that West Ham United are no longer interested in pursuing a deal for the Frenchman.

The Hammers, along with Everton, Marseille and Borussia Dortmund have been linked to the striker, who struggled for game time at Arsenal last season.

The 30-year-old made 29 Premier League appearances, but only 11 of them were from the starting spot.

He still managed 12 goals and three assists, but it seems that he could be playing his football elsewhere this season.

Sky Sports claim that West Ham withdrew their interest in Giroud after discovering that the striker’s first choice would not be to move to the London Stadium.

This has raised questions over which club he wants to sign for, and now Everton fans are speculating.

The Merseyside club have spent close to £100m so far in this window, recruiting Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Henry Onyekuru, Sandro Ramirez, Michael Keane and Wayne Rooney.

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