All posts by n8rngtd.top

[ad_pod ]Newcastle have put in some stellar performances in recent weeks, not least a 2-1 win over champions Manchester City, and were unlucky not to get a point from their clash with Tottenham. One key factor in their fantastic showings has been Sean Longstaff, who has excelled as a holding-midfielder.

On the chalkboard

Rafa Benitez seems to have found his winning formula at St James’ Park – playing with a back-five and two central midfielders, the Magpies have plenty of bodies between their opponents and the goal but can spring a counter through their wide-men, while Longstaff and Isaac Hayden sit.

The latter was keen on a move away last month but is striking up a solid, young partnership with the former, who has broken through to the first team in recent months, making just his third Premier League start against City.

Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the duo in his post-match interview, saying that his side “could not deal” with them. For a 21-year-old thrown in at the deep end, it surely doesn’t get much better. Longstaff’s emergence though, could be terminal to Mohamed Diame’s Magpies career.

Diame down and out

The Senegalese has made 21 league appearances for Newcastle this season but, with Miguel Almiron set to come in and the aforementioned midfield duo, plus Ki Sung-Yueng and Jonjo Shelvey to compete with for a spot at the base of midfield, he surely won’t make too many more this campaign.

The 31-year-old joined from Hull in 2016 and has chalked up eight goals and three assists in all competitions since, but is yet to contribute this season.

Despite his versatility – the number 10 is capable of playing deep or further upfield – there seems to be no room for him, particularly now that Longstaff has stamped his authority on the starting XI.

The only people more shocked by Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Man City than City fans were the Magpies fans themsleves! Check out their brilliant reactions in the video below…

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Borussia Dortmund star Axel Witsel is holding nothing back ahead of their Champions League clash with Tottenham, suggesting the Premier League is overrated due to “media hype”.

Tottenham welcome Dortmund to Wembley on Wednesday evening in what is sure to be an absolutely enthralling encounter.

The Lilywhites have grinded out results in the absence of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, but the visit of a Dortmund side who drew 3-3 with Hoffenheim at the weekend will surely bring goals.

While many would consider the Bundesliga to be a weaker league outside of the big two teams though, Witsel has claimed it is just as good as England’s top flight.

“I do not think the Premier League is better than the Bundesliga on the whole,” he told Sport Buzzer, as reported by The Evening Standard.

“It’s all about the media hype. Far more people in the world see the Premier League on TV, because it’s broadcast almost everywhere.

“For historical reasons, the international media are more geared to England than to Germany, Italy or France. But I do not see any serious difference in the quality of football.”

The Belgian international is right to feel confident, as his side are flying at the top of the Bundesliga, five points ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League opponents Bayern Munich.

However, he wouldn’t be the first player to talk big before an important knock-out match and go on to regret it, and Spurs fans will be hoping that is the case here.

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According to The Sun, West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice would cost around £70m if Manchester City wanted to sign him this summer, but the Irons are running a big risk if those demands are true.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun report that the 20-year-old is one of three young English players that Pep Guardiola is keen to bring to the Etihad Stadium during the next transfer window, with the man who has now pledged his allegiance to England internationally valued at around £70m.

The Sun report that the Premier League champions see the London-born starlet as their long-term replacement for Fernandinho, and that is no surprise given some of the strong performances he has produced for Manuel Pellegrini’s men in a defensive midfield role this term.

While receiving that amount for a player that can’t make a difference in terms of goals and assists would obviously be something not to be sniffed at, there is proof that the grass isn’t always greener.

Why’s that?

You only have to look at Southampton to see how business that can look great on paper can quickly go horribly wrong.

Saints agreed to sell Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool for a world-record fee (£75m) for a defender in December 2017, and while they would have been gutted to lose the Dutchman they also would have been confident of significantly strengthening their squad as a whole with the money.

Instead, they appear to have thrown more money down the drain bringing in the likes of Guido Carrillo and Mohamed Elyounoussi for large fees, with both so far failing to make the grade at St Mary’s.

The south coast outfit now find themselves in another relegation battle and there is always a risk that West Ham’s business could go wrong too should they cash in on their prized asset.

Lessons need to be learned and selling Rice even for that price would be a risk, and one they shouldn’t take no matter what money is on the table.

West Ham’s main man Marko Arnautovic has been linked with a move away from the club for months, but he now needs to knuckle down and prove he’s worth being snapped up.

The Austrian striker’s brother pleaded with the club to let him leave in a statement in January, but his ‘dream move’ to an unnamed Chinese club fell through when a £35m bid was rejected. Why he wanted to go to China is beyond us all but since that deal didn’t materialise, the talented frontman should perform like everyone knows he can to earn a move to a club which is a step up from West Ham.

Why he’d even want to leave The London Stadium in January is another question that’s hard to answer. They’re playing some great football at the moment and are looking capable of mounting a challenge for a European spot over the next year or so. However, if he really does want to leave, then he needs to get his head back into playing for the Hammers until the end of the season.

There’s no questioning his quality, it’s there, but his attitude is something that sometimes lets him down, and that’s the difference between a good player and a world-class player – mentality. This is a test of character for the 29-year-old and could mean him signing for a Chinese club to rot away into obscurity or being picked up by a club already playing European football.

The opportunity to build up his goal tally is there. He’s now playing alongside players like Samir Nasri, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson who will be able to set him up for fun against most opposition. West Ham are creating chances against the best sides in the league too and he could be finishing those as their main man up top.

If Arnautovic would lift his head up and realise what an opportunity he has in front of him, he could be playing European football next season, whether that be with West Ham or not. Surely that would be more of a ‘dream move’ than China?

Where do you think Marko Arnautovic will be playing his football next season?

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Everton have been going about their transfer business as if they are a top-six club in recent years. Extravagant spending sprees have become the norm, but what do they have to show for it?

The damning answer is, well, nothing at all. A collection of immensely talented individuals have been assembled and placed under the tutelage of Marco Silva, whose own mediocrity appears to be rubbing off on his squad of players.

But the Portuguese manager still needs time to build a squad of players who are well-suited to his philosophy. Farhad Moshiri may well need to provide him with significant financial backing once again this summer, but a handful of key decisions regarding the current squad need to be made before a budget can be set.

A quick dive into Everton’s finances shows that the club are splurging money down the drain on a myriad of bang-average players. Naturally, it’s important to acknowledge that this is not a game of Football Manager and selling a professional football player is not a black and white process, but Everton will have to initiate a healthy clear-out to maximise the Toffees’ wage bill in the summer.

That’s where we come in. We’re taking a look at the players Moshiri, Silva and Director of Football Marcel Brands could and certainly should actively seek to offload this summer to take a hefty chunk out of the wage bill, based on figures provided by Spotrac.

Those who are unlikely to stay beyond the summer

Idrissa Gueye, earning £3.64m per year, handed in a transfer request in January in a bid to force through a move to PSG, so it seems unlikely that he will remain at Goodison if the French giants renew their interest in the summer.

Veterans Leighton Baines and Ashley Williams are both out of contract in the summer and they’re earning £3.64m a year each. Logic would tell you they’ll be leaving Goodison Park, even if the former is an immensely popular servant.

Finding suitors for five dead weights could save Everton more than £15million next season. Yannick Bolasie, Kevin Mirallas, Sandro Ramirez, Oumar Niasse and Cuco Martina are all plying their trade away from the club on loan and seemingly surplus to requirements.

Bolasie currently takes home £3.9m per year, Mirallas £3.64m, Ramirez £3.38m, Niasse £2.86m and Martina £1.82m. Chop all four and Brands has plenty of cash to play with on his wage bill.

Those who aren’t warranting their wage on the pitch

Earning a massive £5.2m per year – equivalent to 100k per week – Theo Walcott is one of Everton’s top earners. To say that his salary is out of sync with his contribution to the club would be a criminal understatement. If Everton have any sense they’ll get rid.

Meanwhile, Morgan Schniederlin and Cenk Tosun are pocketing £5.2m and £3.12m respectively. More money down the drain.

Results of Everton’s summer sale

Sanctioning all of the aforementioned departures would be a financial game-changer. In total, £40.04million would be eliminated from the yearly wage bill, equivalent to £770k per week.

To place that into context, Everton could add another seven players to their wage bill on £90k per week – the wage Richarlison takes home – and still have £50k per week left to play with.

Over to you, Brands and Moshiri.

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Last weekend, The Sun reported that Crystal Palace are leading the chase for £15million-rated goalkeeper Jack Butland. It would take a minor miracle for the Potters to gain promotion back to the Premier League this season and as an England international, Butland will inevitably have an interest in plying his trade in the top flight again come the summer.

But considering Palace already have a number of goalkeeping options and have hardly demonstrated substantial financial muscle in recent transfer windows, is a swoop for the 25-year-old really in their best interests? Our writers share their thoughts and opinions below…

Harry Sherlock – No brainer

“Butland is going to be a great signing for whoever picks him up. An England international who is clearly too good for the Championship, a swoop at £15m is a bargain. Palace should sign him for the resale value alone – if he performs well for a season, he’ll suddenly be a £30m player. It’s a no brainer.”

Billy Meyers – Absolutely not

“Absolutely not. Crystal Palace have been scraping the barrel for transfers in recent windows and already have Wayne Hennessey and January arrival Lucas Perri, plus the impressive Vicente Guaita, so a move for Butland when a striker should be the priority seems like a foolish decision.”

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Will Jones – Smart luxury

“Crystal Palace do already seem to have plenty of goalkeepers, with Guaita, Hennessey, Perri and Julian Speroni already on the books. None of them are better than Butland though. It’s a question of priorities really, as, after all, there are bigger issues for Roy Hodgson to address than finding an upgrade between the sticks. However, if Butland can be brought in on top of that other vital business then it would be a smart luxury for them to afford themselves.”

Harry Elnaugh – Definitely not

“Considering how frugally Palace have spent in the last couple of seasons then no, definitely not. While three of their four goalkeepers are into, or well into, their thirties and the fourth has only been signed on loan, there are other key areas that need addressing more urgently. They may regret not snapping him up a couple years down the line but, if Palace and Roy Hodgson are as cash-strapped as they seem, it would be far smarter to allocate that £15m towards signing a top striker.”

Ayoze Perez may have picked up all the plaudits, but the tactical genius of Rafa Benitez played a major role in Newcastle’s comeback against Everton on Saturday.

When Rafa was forced into a change at half-time due to Jamaal Lascelles picking up an injury, he brought on Paul Dummett as his replacement.

But rather than slot him in at centre back — a position that Dummett has excelled at in the past — he changed the formation.

The trusted five at the back — Rafa’s preferred choice of late — was abandoned, and Dummett went out to left back with Matt Ritchie swapping onto the right flank, and Miguel Almiron patrolling the left.

It was the recognition that the Magpies needed an extra body in midfield to compete with Everton, having been overrun in the first half, that make Rafa’s tactical nous head and shoulders above anyone they could ever hope to replace him with, were he to leave in the summer.

In fact, some fans have questioned why Rafa sticks with Perez week after week, and have often called for him to be replaced in the starting lineup. I will bet they are pleased he did now!

But it is because Rafa thinks on a different plain to most of us. He knows that Perez has the ability to produce that sort of display. It is also why, regardless of how much criticism he gets from pundits, he will always set his side up with the best formation to get a result, even when it is largely derided as negative and boring.

The problem is, the people who are criticising him are former managers who are sitting in a studio because they do not have the managerial ability that he possesses.

That is why the second half against Everton is another clear sign — if there weren’t enough already — that Mike Ashley must give Rafa everything he wants and needs to sign on for a longer stint at the club.

Yes, Rafa has made tactical mistakes in games, who hasn’t? But the club hierarchy will rue the day they ever let him go, because, frankly, he is virtually irreplaceable. Someone capable of building something on Tyneside, future generations of Toon fans may not have to endure the kind of struggles we all have, if Ashley gives the man what he wants.

Newcastle fans, how far would you go to keep Rafa at the club? Will Ashley realise it too, and give him what he wants? Your thoughts would be appreciated. Comment below…

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Liverpool booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 success against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

Perhaps more was expected of Bayern in the second leg, but Liverpool deserve huge praise for winning in Germany to advance to the final eight of the competition.

Fabinho surprisingly started the clash on the bench, but was introduced in the 13th minute when Jordan Henderson pulled up with an ankle problem.

According to WhoScored, the Brazilian went on to make two tackles and won two aerial duels during his time on the field.

It would be fair to say that it took the midfielder a bit of time to settle at Liverpool following a move from Monaco in last summer’s transfer window.

Mo Salah has been brutally mocked for his recent diving antics in a new video by 442oons. Check it out below…

However, the 25-year-old has been a regular in recent weeks and the Merseyside outfit’s fans were delighted with his showing against the German champions.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

The general consensus must see Paul Pogba as an ideal, natural leader.

Be it his inspired work in motivating the France players in the FIFA World Cup final, the vocal outlook in games or cheerful demeanour, he’s often pinpointed as the one to lead Manchester United forward by fans. A bulking, ridiculously talented driving force in central areas, he looks captain material.

On paper.

Indeed, his performances as United captain suggest otherwise. Now looking at the way Pogba’s influencing the Red Devils and having a stunning season personally, in which he’s scored 14 goals and assisted 10 in all competitions (stats via WhoScored), anybody would want to put the captain’s armband around him.

As did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Wolves.  However, this backfired on him as United were unceremoniously knocked out in rather a whimper. Pogba might be the club’s star man in attack and a popular figure at the back, but he still hasn’t adapted to the pressures of being the side’s captain.

Whenever he’s been captain this season, the French maestro’s underperformed. Yes, he scored the Red Devils first goal, a penalty, in his first game as captain. But even then, Pogba was unconvincing, as he ended up being in the later matches as well. He ends up taking too much pressure on himself, making silly mistakes, getting frustrated and putting his team-mates under pressure.

Pogba might be many things, but he’s still not United captain-worthy. He shouldn’t be burdened with this added pressure either. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer learnt anything from the Wolves game,  it’s for him to let French midfielder be pressure-free and see him weave his magic for the Red Devils.

There’s no doubt Pogba is a wonderful player. Nemanja Vidic, Roy Keane or Bryan Robson, he is not.

United fans, who do you want to receive the captain’s armband right now? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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A video posted on Twitter by Leicester’s Ben Chilwell from England training has gained traction with many fans laying into Dele Alli who was the centre of attention in the footage.

The focus was on Alli’s small calf muscles as Tweeters hammered the Spurs man for having skinny legs, or as one fan put it – the calves of a ten-year-old. A certain Leicester fan meanwhile said that Chilwell’s reaction reminded them of David Brent from television programme The Office.

Supporters of both Leicester and Spurs used it as a chance to bicker over Chilwell’s future, urging the Foxes man to join Alli in north London. One Spurs fan said it was great to see them making friends whilst another claimed it would be great banter with the pair of them in the same squad next season.

However, one member of the Foxes faithful sarcastically commented that the left-back would rather play for a team who knows how to win the Premier League, something that Tottenham have not experienced since 1961.

Here’s the best of the reaction: