سقط نادي أستون فيلا على أرضه ملعب “فيلا بارك” أمام ستوك سيتي بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين في دور الـ 16 من بطولة كأس الرابطة الإنجليزية.

وشهدت هذه المباراة مشاركة أحمد المحمدي مدافع منتخب مصر منذ البداية ولمدة 90 دقيقة، بينما غاب محمود حسن تريزيجيه عن قائمة اللاعبين المُعلنة قبل انطلاق اللقاء من المدرب، دين سميث.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أستون فيلا يُعلن التعاقد مع باركلي من تشيلسي

سجل هدف المباراة الوحيد لصالح ستوك سيتي اللاعب، سام فوكس، في الدقيقة 26 من زمن الشوط الأول.

بهذه الخسارة، يغادر أستون فيلا بطولة كأس كاراباو خاصة وأن رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية قد ألغت نظام الذهاب والعودة في تلك المرحلة بسبب ضغط المباريات بعد تأخر انتهاء الموسم الماضي مع جائحة فيروس كورونا.

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20-year-old West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice recently pledged his international future to England, despite having previously represented the Republic of Ireland in three friendly matches, as reported by the BBC.

Born in London – but eligible for Ireland due to having Irish grandparents – the young defensive midfielder will now be determined to justify his decision by breaking into Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions setup.

Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini certainly believes that Rice ought to be in the England manager’s plans.

What he said

As quoted by the club’s official website, the Irons’ Chilean coach said that Rice “is ready to play for England. We are just starting the development of him as a player. But at this moment his performances are better than every holding midfielder.”

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The 65-year-old former Manchester City boss clarified his final point, saying “I am talking about the English players.” He clearly believes that the West Ham academy graduate is destined for big things though, adding: “we are just starting to see what will be with Declan in the future.”

A dangerous game

Pellegrini has demonstrated a huge amount of faith in Rice with these comments. Such praise is not unwarranted either – the youngster has been a revelation this season at the London Stadium, making himself one of the east London club’s most important players.

However, the manager has also taken a risk with this statement. Whilst Rice may well get a confidence boost from his words, they also apply additional pressure. Calling him one of the best in the country will raise the expectation levels that people have of Rice, which could ultimately have a negative impact on his development.

As a young player, it would be perfectly normal for the midfielder to show some inconsistency or suffer fluctuations in form. Following Pellegrini’s words, if this now happens to Rice he may be more harshly judged than he otherwise would be without the additional hype added by his coach.

It was a big summer for West Ham heading into this season after they forked out on the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko.

And the east London club could be about to follow that theme again once the transfer window reopens after the end of the current campaign.

The Breakdown

Claretandhugh reports Manuel Pellegrini is keen on reinforcements, though players will need to be sold to fund a potential spending spree with Arthur Masuaku, Pedro Obiang, Carlos Sanchez, Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez all said to be names the West Ham manager could be open to letting go.

Most of the above, by no means, are terrible footballers. But if getting rid of them is what it takes for Pellegrini to be able to shape this West Ham squad further in his image, then it has to be done.

After a dreadful start to the season, the Chilean has gone on to show that he could be onto something special with his West Ham side managing to pick up some big results against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal while playing a more entertaining brand of football along the way.

Considering that, with players he feels are more suited to what he wants to see on the pitch, West Ham could be on course to reaching that next level.

Ultimately, a summer clear-out might just be what the club needs to help give Pellegrini the best London Stadium team yet.

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Crystal Palace host bitter rivals Brighton this weekend in what promises to be a fiery encounter, with tackles and emotions flying high – Seagulls boss Chris Hughton, though, has taken the opportunity to praise his Palace counterpart, in quotes reported by The Daily Mail.

Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated clash, Hughton expressed his admiration for Roy Hodgson:

“Roy is someone I know very well.

“He’s assembled a very good side. To still be doing it at this level, at his age, is exceptional. Credit to him.”

At 72 years of age, former England boss Hodgson, who recently became the oldest manager in Premier League, is well worthy of the praise afforded to him by Hughton.

Rest assured, though, niceties will surely be brushed to one side on Saturday. Last time the two sides met, Palace were beaten 3-1 despite the Seagulls having a man sent off in the first half.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

The Eagles, though, have been on an inspired run of form in recent weeks – they have taken 11 points from a possible 18 in their last six games and will have been buoyed by their win over Burnley at the weekend.

Brighton, meanwhile, picked up their first win of 2019 over relegation certainties Huddersfield last weekend – the Selhurst Park outfit will want nothing more than to knock them back down though, as a win would see them go six points clear of their rivals and most likely secure Premier League survival for another season.

Not to mention the all-important bragging rights.

[ad_pod ]Leeds United supporters are sweating on the fitness of top scorer Kemar Roofe.Indeed, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Roofe will undergo a knee scan on Monday to determine the extent of his current problem.The 26-year-old, who missed six Championship matches earlier this season with a calf problem, started and finished last week’s 2-1 win over Swansea City.However, according to a report from Phil Hay in theÂYorkshire Evening Post, Roofe has since received treatment on a knee injury, whilst he was pictured out and about with a leg brace on Saturday.Roofe is Leeds’ leading scorer in the league this season with 14 in 26 appearances, so any noteworthy stretch on the sidelines would be a real worry for the Yorkshire club.

The Whites are battling to earn a spot back in the Premier League, but they are not exactly blessed with experienced replacements for Roofe, should the club’s worst fears be realised.

The Leeds fans have been on social media offering their views on Hay’s report – a selection of which can be seen below:

Tyrone Mings has proved he’s good enough to play in the Premier League during his spell at Aston Villa, so he must be in England’s top flight next season no matter who he plays for.

The Sunday Mirror (page 72 and via HITC) reported Southampton are keen to buy the 26-year-old from his parent club Bournemouth in the summer, while Villa have an option to match any bid that comes in. Where in the Premier League Mings goes is less important, but his age means he can’t afford to be stuck in the Championship.

If Villa reach the play-offs and are promoted it would be a great decision to stay at Villa Park and grow in a team he’s comfortable with. He also wouldn’t have the burden of having to prove himself to his new fans if he remained where he is. Their form at the moment suggests they have every chance of reaching the play-offs, so it’s not impossible and the two could be great for each other.

If Mings was five years younger it would be the best decision to make a permanent move to Villa even if they stayed in the Championship, because he’d be able to grow into a player capable of playing in the top division later in his career. That ship has sailed though, and he must make the step up now or risk being overlooked.

Football moves quickly and Southampton will have other targets in mind for the position. All it takes is for his form to drop early next season or for him to have a lengthy spell injured and his top-flight prospects are ruined. Southampton, meanwhile, are famed for their belief in youth and they could give him the break he never got as a youngster.

Mings must keep his head down for the remainder of the season and keep his form up, so the Premier League move he deserves, whether that be with a promoted Villa or Southampton, becomes a reality.

Whatever happens, he’s far too good for the Championship.

Villa fans, how do you feel Tyrone Mings would cope against Premier League opposition? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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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.

في الساعة 8:15 مساء الأحد، سيستقر جمهور كرة القدم المصري أمام شاشات التلفزيون لمشاهدة اثنين من أفضل نجوم البلاد في واحدة من أكثر المباريات إثارة في الموسم حتى الآن.

هكذا تحدثت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” الإنجليزية عن المباراة المرتقبة غدًا بين ليفربول وأستون فيلا، في ملعب الأخير، في الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي.

أصبح محمد صلاح نجمًا عالميًا بفضل إنجازاته في ليفربول، لكن صديقه المقرب محمود تريزيجيه، جناح أستون فيلا، يحظى أيضًا بالاحترام في وطنه.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كلوب يكشف موقف هندرسون من التواجد في مباراة ليفربول وأستون فيلا

الثنائي على اتصال منتظم وكانا على اتصال هذا الأسبوع خلال الاستعداد للمباراة، حيث يأمل تريزيجيه في تكرار جهوده ضد ليفربول في فيلا بارك الموسم الماضي، وإن كان ذلك بنتيجة مختلفة.

وسجل تريزيجيه هدفًا أمام ليفربول في الشوط الأول، خلال تلك المباراة الماضية، ولكن أندي روبرتسون وساديو ماني نجحا في النهاية في تحقيق الفوز لصالح ليفربول. هدف تريزيجيه أمام ليفربول

وقال تريزيجيه لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” الإنجليزية: “سيكون يومًا مميزًا في مصر، لقد لعبت في المنتخب الوطني مع صلاح لمدة سبع سنوات، ألعب على اليسار، وهو يلعب على اليمين ووصلنا إلى نهائي كأس الأمم الإفريقية عام 2017 ولعبنا معًا في كأس العالم في العام التالي”.

وأضاف: “ستكون مباراة صعبة بسبب ما حققه ليفربول لكننا جاهزون، نحن مستعدون لفعل شيء جيد لـ أستون فيلا، لدينا فريق قوي الآن، لقد تعلمنا من العام الماضي وهذا العام أعتقد أنه يمكننا القيام بشيء مهم هذا الموسم”.

وواصل: “محمد صلاح وأنا صديقان حميمان، اعتدنا أن نلتقي في لندن خاصة عندما يكون لدينا إجازة، ربما نذهب لتناول العشاء مع محمد النني وأحمد حجازي وأحمد المحمدي، نحن جميعًا أصدقاء جيدون، ولسنا مجرد زملاء، نعرف عائلات بعضنا ونعرف كل شيء عن بعضنا البعض”.

وتابع: “أنا متأكد من أننا سنتحدث قبل هذه المباراة لكننا لا نتحدث عنها، سنمزح فقط ونناقش أشياء أخرى، أي شيء لتخفيف الضغط”.

واستكمل: “أتحدث بانتظام مع محمد أبو تريكة (نجم الأهلي السابق)، الذي كان أحد أفضل اللاعبين الذين أنجبتهم مصر على الإطلاق، كان يتصل بي دائمًا قبل المباريات ويخبرني أن الشعب المصري يتطلع إلى صلاح وأنا والآخرين المقيمين في أوروبا، يقول إنه علينا أن نفعل شيئًا جيدًا لهم، وليس لأنفسنا فقط”.

وتحدث تريزيجيه عن تأثير فترة التوقف بسبب تفشي فيروس كورونا على تطوره، حيث أوضح: “عندما لم يكن لدينا تدريب أو أي شيء نفعله، كنت أجري في الشارع كل يوم، عندما استطعت، أتيت إلى ساحة التدريب بمفردي وعملت كل يوم”.

واستمر: “لقد كان وقتًا عصيبًا للغاية، ثلاثة أشهر في منزلي، ولم أتمكن من العودة إلى مصر لرؤية أمي وأخي وأختي، لكني قلت لنفسي إنني حلمت وكان علي العمل هنا وقلت لنفسي سيأتي وقت عائلتي، لحسن الحظ، زوجتي وابني معي هنا”.

وأكد: “إنه أمر صعب عندما يكون لديك وقت طويل بدون تدريب ولكن بسبب هذا كنت ناجحًا العام الماضي، حتى عندما لم نكن نعرف ما إذا كان الدوري سيستأنف أم لا، قلت لنفسي أن أعمل كل يوم وأنني سأحصل على ثمار ذلك لاحقًا، أنا أتدرب دائمًا، حتى في نهاية الموسم، أخذت إجازة لمدة يومين ثم عدت إلى مصر وبدأت التدريب مرة أخرى”.

واختتم: “كنت أستيقظ في الثامنة صباحًا، قبل كل أفراد عائلتي، لأركض على الشاطئ ثم أعمل في صالة الألعاب الرياضية، إذا لم أشعر أنني أتدرب جيدًا، فلا يمكنني تناول الطعام أو النوم جيدًا، كل يوم يجب أن أعمل بشكل جيد لأتمكن من أن أقول لنفسي أنني أستحق أن آكل وأستمتع بوقتي”.

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Dean Ashton was a wonderful talent.

Unfortunately, though, his career was cruelly cut short by injury.

Indeed, in December 2009 at the age of just 26, Ashton was forced to hang up his boots having struggled to overcome the severe ankle injury that he suffered in August 2006.

Ashton registered 11 goals in 35 appearances for West Ham during the 2007-08 season, but only made five appearances in the first half of the 2008-09 season before retiring.

In all, he struck 19 times in 56 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions, but it would be fair to say that number would be much, much higher had he managed to stay injury free.

There is no question that Ashton – capped just once by the English national team in 2008 – is still highly regarded by the West Ham fans and many have been on social media lavishing praise on the club’s former centre-forward.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Crystal Palace emerged 3-1 victors over Burnley on Saturday despite Roy Hodgson having made five changes to the team that lost to Manchester United last time out, dropping the likes of Andros Townsend and first-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guaita in favour of a different look starting XI.

There was, of course, a starting spot for the ever-influential Wilfried Zaha, who is loving Palace’s new-found luxury.

What did he say?

Speaking about the weekend’s win, in which he scored, the 26-year-old said:

“Obviously, the gaffer [Hodgson] gives us a game plan and away from home we can’t be as open so we stay tight and try to break on teams.

“We went through stages where there were so many injuries and you looked at the bench and you can’t really mix it up the way the gaffer did [at Burnley].

“It’s nice to see because we obviously put some fresh legs out there and it made a difference. It’s hard when you play a three-game week, so it made a difference changing it up.”

Breathing room for Palace’s stars

In Palace’s five-year spell in the Premier League, there has largely been a big gulf between the starting XI and the bench or reserves but that is no longer the case, despite the Eagles spending frugally since a big-spending January two years ago.

Hodgson was able to call upon Max Meyer, Cheikhou Kouyate, Scott Dann and Wayne Hennessey and all deputised capably and, as Zaha says, this new-found depth makes Palace’s life far easier when the fixtures come thick and fast.

Additionally, when the Selhurst Park outfit’s key men burn out – Townsend in particular has hardly had a rest at all this season – it is crucial that they are able to be benched and that a back-up can step in and not look out of their depth in the starting XI.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The pressure on the big names – Zaha, Townsend, Mamadou Sakho and Michy Batshuayi, for instance – therefore, is alleviated as they know they are in company that can still make a difference when they are absent, be it through injury or otherwise.

Unfortunately for him, Ivorian Zaha remains undroppable and Palace have a long way to go before they can afford to leave the electric number 11 on the bench but, nevertheless, the improvement in squad depth is there for all to see.