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.
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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:
With all this contract speculation circulating around Rafa Benitez, Newcastle fans are desperately hoping it ends with the Spaniard agreeing to extend his stay at St James’ Park in order to progress the team over the next few years.
That much is obvious, right? Well, considering the state of play on Tyneside right now, nothing else is.
Indeed, the least Mike Ashley can do is get him to sign a new contract, after all he’s done over the last few seasons. Not only is a great manager but he also acts as a lure for the better players for Newcastle to try and sign.
Everybody knows that. Why don’t you seem to grasp it, Mike?
After all, Newcastle’s side still most definitely needs improving and the summer promises to be the perfect opportunity to do just that. Clearly, a number of positions can be improved upon from a Newcastle perspective and with Antonio Barreca’s loan spell proving to be ineffective, interest they have previously held in a left-back – Stanley N’Soki – should be taken up again.
N’Soki, (who is valued at £7.6 million on Transfermarkt) was a target (as per the Chronicle) for Newcastle over the course of the January window but for whatever reason, a deal failed to materialise.
The 19-year-old has since been involved with the PSG first team a lot more than he and many others probably would have predicted. With 11 Ligue 1 appearances to his name and a further three in cup competitions, N’Soki has proven to be not just any youngster but one ready to play right now.
Able to play in centre-back as well as his usual position of left-back, N’Soki can provide helpful versatility to a side like Newcastle and undoubtedly would be a top addition. How nice would that be, Toon fans? Another left-back of note at long, long last.
Newcastle fans, how highly do you rate the PSG youngster? Join the discussion by commenting below…
Sheffield United currently find themselves in the thick of a fierce and frantic battle for automatic promotion from the Championship this season, with Norwich City, Leeds United and West Brom all in contention alongside the Blades.
Chris Wilder’s side face a hectic run in and will know that any slip-ups will almost certainly be punished ruthlessly by their rivals.
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With the prize of Premier League football on the line, the pressure is very much on at Bramall Lane. On top of that, as the gruelling second tier campaign draws to a close, fatigue can set in amongst squads at the worst possible time.
Former Blackpool boss and EFL on Quest pundit Ian Holloway has given his take on whether the threat of exhaustion ought to be worrying Wilder’s side.
What he said
In an exclusive interview with Football League World, Holloway said “I don’t think anything is going to wear them out. They fell away last season but they have improved again…I think they have made some great strides forward and so maybe this could be their season.”
Retaining freshness
Holloway clearly believes that the Blades have enough fuel left in the tank to keep them going for the rest of the season.
However, it would only take one or two key men to start struggling for the whole side to suffer as a consequence. The likes of club-captain and top scorer Billy Sharp, and fellow forward David McGoldrick, are particularly in danger of burning out as they’re both over 30.
It is vital, then, that Wilder rotates his ranks smartly for the rest of the season to retain freshness.
Manchester United fans have attributed Paul Pogba’s poor performances to his mind being elsewhere amidst rumours Real Madrid want to sign him.
The World Cup winner was highlighted as one of the worst players on the pitch as United lost 2-1 to Wolves on Tuesday night for the second time in the space of a month.
Pogba has been flirting with the idea of signing for Real Madrid, admitting in a press conference whilst on international duty that it would be a “dream” to play for them, fuelling rumours that he was on his way to the Bernabeu.
Rumours were so rife that Solskjaer had to address them in one of his press conferences, claiming the midfielder is happy at Old Trafford.
Many United fans on Twitter aren’t buying it though and after the Frenchman put in a poor shift against Wolves, they began to point the finger towards these rumours.
Here’s what United fans have been saying on Twitter.
The father of Antonio Valencia has claimed that West Ham are one of the candidates to sign the Manchester United captain at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
What’s the word, then?
Speaking to El Universo, via the Daily Mail, Luis Valencia said that West Ham were in the race alongside Arsenal, Inter Milan and a club from the Chinese Super League.
The 33-year-old has been with United since 2009, making 338 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions.
Valencia has made just five Premier League appearances this term, however, and has only turned out once for the club in 2019.
Despite still being club captain, the Ecuadoran will move on this summer.
West Ham are said in the hunt for the midfielder-turned-defender, but the Hammers should swerve a move for the experienced ace despite his impressive credentials.
Why should West Ham drop their interest?
It seems likely that Pablo Zabaleta will be leaving West Ham this summer when his contract expires.
The Argentine has been a good servant to the London club, but was part of a team that conceded three times against Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon.
Ryan Fredericks has had some decent moments in recent weeks, but neither he nor Zabaleta have really convinced in that area of the field.
As a result, the interest in Valencia is not all that surprising; after all, this is a player with an incredible amount of Premier League experience.
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The 5ft 11in ace will be 34 before the new campaign begins, though, and he has hardly kicked a ball over the last few months.
West Ham need to improve their defence in this summer’s transfer window, but Valencia would not be an upgrade on either Zabaleta or Fredericks and therefore the club should be looking elsewhere.
كشف حسام البدري المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر عن موعد معسكر الفراعنة المقبل استعدادًا لمواجهتي توجو في التصفيات المؤهلة لنهائيات أمم إفريقيا، وموقفه من ضم رمضان صبحي لاعب بيراميدز.
ويستعد منتخب مصر لمواجهة توجو في السابع عشر من نوفمبر المقبل، في ثالث جولات التصفيات المؤهلة لنهائيات أمم إفريقيا الكاميرون 2021.
وقال البدري في تصريحات صحفية اليوم السبت: “منتخب مصر سيُقيم معسكرًا مفتوحًا من أول نوفمبر المقبل؛ استعدادًا لمباراتىي توجو”.
وتابع: “معسكر المنتخب سيضم لاعبي أي ناد لن يكون لهم ارتباطات في هذه الفترة”.
وواصل: “طالبت وزير الرياضة وعمرو الجنايني بالتواصل مع الأندية من أجل مساعدة المنتخب ودعمه الفترة المقبلة باللاعبين”.
وأردف: “إعلان القائمة المحلية للمنتخب قد يكون بعد يوم 6 نوفمبر المقبل، إذا تأهل الأهلي والزمالك لنهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا”.
وعن موقف رمضان صبحي، أوضح: “قد يتواجد في معسكر نوفمبر معي، إذا رأيت أنني في احتياج له”.
جدير بالذكر ان منتخب مصر وتوجو يتواجدان في المجموعة السابعة والتي تضم معهما جزر القمر وكينيا.
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.
Manchester United fans on Twitter have been busy reminiscing about their former striker Wayne Rooney, after a video emerged highlighting the bullish forward’s passion and commitment to the cause.
England’s all-time top goalscorer made 559 appearances for the Red Devils over the course of a 13-year stay at Old Trafford, in which he scored 253 goals and recorded 146 assists.
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The current D.C United marksman is arguably one of the greatest players in the club’s history, and the video on Twitter has got fans reminiscing about their glory days during a time when their players showed plenty of passion and determination.
United, now managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, are sat in sixth-place in the Premier League, and face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League.
It seems that their current period is so difficult to enjoy that they have been forced to take to days gone by for a source of entertainment.
Well, that’s if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…
Ross Barkley will naturally sit at the forefront of the pre-match narrative as Everton prepare to welcome Chelsea to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon. The former Evertonian will return to his former club as a markedly different player to the one who departed in January 2017.
Supporters often lamented his failure to influence the game for prolonged periods of time, as sporadic bursts of star quality were seldom maintained with consistency or longevity. Barkley failed to fully discover his mojo on Merseyside, and the incredibly frustrated supporters regularly came down on the local-born prodigy with vehement criticism.
The criticism which was regularly vented at Barkley was merely a symptom of the frustration amongst supporters who want to see their club break free from the mediocrity of mid-table no-mans land. Whenever a player steps into the senior squad and showcases a level of talent beyond the level Everton are currently at, feelings of expectation and optimism arise simultaneously, but the fans are merely setting themselves up for disappointment.
Ademola Lookman is the most recent example of a precocious talent who is revealing signs to suggest that he can establish himself as a top level star in the future. A short-term loan move at RB Leipzig produced the kind of results which Everton were hoping for: Lookman finished his spell with five goals and four assists to boast from just twelve fixtures under Ralph Hasenhuttl. You could even compare that to Barkley’s loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday, four goals in 13 appearances preceding his ascension into an Everton regular.
The former Charlton wing-wizard was expected to come back and rip the Premier League to shreds, but that expectation was flipped on its head when the Bundesliga outfit returned in the summer with a permanent deal on the agenda.
Soccer Football – Bundesliga – Borussia Moenchengladbach vs RB Leipzig – Borussia-Park, Moenchengladbach, Germany – February 3, 2018 RB Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl celebrates with Ademola Lookman after the match REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen DFL RULES TO LIMIT THE ONLINE USAGE DURING MATCH TIME TO 15 PICTURES PER GAME. IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED AT ANY TIME. FOR FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT DFL DIRECTLY AT + 49 69 650050
Lookman reportedly expressed his desire to return to RB Leipzig amid the fresh dose of interest, with the arrivals of Richarlison and Bernard lending reason to believe that first-team opportunities would be hard to come by. This is where the beginning of the end may well have started.
Rather than applying an element of common sense to the situation, disgruntled supporters took personal offence to Lookman’s desire to leave the club and began to turn on the 21-year-old. Questions were subsequently asked about his level of professionalism despite the fact he had every right to feel impulsed to return to Germany.
After all, RB Leipzig handed him a genuine platform to showcase his talent and his scintillating performances hinted he was right at home. Just like Jadon Sancho, he thrived away from the spotlight of English football. Back at Everton, though, he has made just three Premier League starts this season.
His development has been restricted by Silva’s reluctance to hand him a string of starts but no doubt fans will pinpoint the blame on the player’s apparent attitude problem, further souring the relationship between fans, player and club. Lookman is the most exciting talent to emerge at Everton since Barkley but it seems the club are fighting a losing battle to blood him into the first-team.
Ronald Koeman recognised his talent and commendable attitude shortly after he arrived at the club from Charlton: “I am really impressed with his attitude and his training because he can be a really top player.” There is plenty of evidence to vindicate Koeman’s claim for the future, yet Everton look destined to let another massive talent slip through the net due a short-sighted approach to the transfer market which has saturated the squad and negatively impacted on the England youth international.
Lookman is exactly the type of player to take Everton to the next level, but it’s unlikely that he will stick around to fulfil his star potential given what has happened since he stunned Germany on loan last season.
Charlton enter the international break on a fantastic run of form – the Addicks haven’t suffered defeat in seven games having played out a 0-0 stalemate with Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
Lee Bowyer named a much-changed side for the clash with the Pirates and it paid off. Now, though, the Charlton boss will have some difficult decisions to make when the club competition resumes at the end of March.
On the chalkboard
Bowyer sprung some surprises at the weekend as he opted for a 3-5-2 formation, straying away from the 4-1-2-1-2 which has been so successful in recent weeks.
That tactical change saw stalwart Naby Sarr and Chris Solly drop to the bench, while Krystian Bielik stepped in at centre-half having previously impressed at the base of a midfield diamond.
Charlton were excellent from back to front and Bowyer will have a dilemma to solve over the international break.
Spoilt for choice
Sarr has been a rock at the back for the Addicks this season and is a firm fan favourite, so Bowyer’s decision to drop the Frenchman, even considering the quick turnaround of fixtures last week, was a surprise.
Fortunately the gamble paid off, with Jason Pearce, Patrick Bauer and Bielik excelling as a trio – the real star, though, was, Anfernee Dijksteel.
Bowyer’s men fought valiantly in abhorrent weather conditions but there were still elements off class about their display. Dijksteel, who came in on the right of a five-man midfield/defence, particularly impressed.
The 22-year-old’s last-minute, point-saving tackle to nick the ball off the toe of Liam Sercombe was the cherry on top of a solid performance that should give Bowyer a difficult decision to make when the Addicks host Bradford on 30th March.
It would certainly be harsh for the boss to drop any of the defenders who did so well last time out but it’s a nice headache for Bowyer to have – defensive depth is a commodity at any level.