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On Tuesday, Everton legend Tim Cahill shared an image of his son, Cruz Cahill, at a training session with the Toffees.

There is absolutely no question that Cahill – Tim that is – is an Everton legend, having made close to 300 appearances for the Merseyside club in all competitions, scoring 68 times in the process.

The 39-year-old is still playing professionally in the Indian Premier League, turning out for Jamshedpur FC.

Cahill was back on English soil earlier this week, however, and shared an image of his son in training with Everton.

Cruz was born in September 2012, meaning that he will turn seven later this year.

The post from his father was always going to bring a huge reaction from the Everton fans when considering Cahill senior’s standing at the club.

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And that was indeed the case, with the Everton supporters, who are frustrated with their team at the moment, reacting to the image in their numbers:

In general, he might not be enjoying his best season yet at Goodison Park but Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford proved to the footballing world on Sunday just why he is such an important player to the club.

The Toffees surprisingly kept their neighbours Liverpool at bay in a goalless draw at home in the much anticipated Merseyside derby, although it probably wasn’t the best of matches fans were hoping for.

But, it could’ve been much worse for Marco Silva and his men if Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah managed to score in the first-half after he was brilliantly kept out by Pickford.

The Egyptian sprinted away from the Everton defence after receiving the ball in heaps of space, leaving him one-on-one with the England shot-stopper.

The 24-year-old Pickford stood his ground, trying to put Salah off, before making a spectacular right-handed save to deny the former Roma forward of finding the back of the net.

The position in which the Liverpool star took the shot has become a famous sign in the Premier League as he usually scores when given the opportunity to open up his body and take the shot on his preferred left-foot.

The save again proved why Pickford – who is now valued at £36m by Transfermarkt – is such a recognised figure in-goal and the massive amount of talent he possesses.

Pickford was at fault in the previous occasion of this derby when he embarrassingly fumbled a high at Anfield in December, which led to Divock Origi scoring the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

The former Sunderland player definitely made amends for that horrible error on Sunday and looked very comfortable at the back.

Everton were always going to be under some pressure from the start due to Liverpool’s lethal attacking options, but the Toffees did well to keep them out in the end, largely down to Pickford’s performance.

His showing and the result should, therefore, inspire the rest of the Everton team to get their campaign back on track and finish the season on a high.

After a poor start to the New Year, Everton will need to start picking up points somewhere and a trip to Newcastle this coming weekend could be the perfect opportunity for that.

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Arsenal visit Manchester City this weekend and will be hoping to pile more misery on the reigning Premier League champions while subsequently reducing the gap on London rivals Spurs – the Gunners, though, are thin in defence due to a number of injuries but this may be a blessing in disguise.

On the chalkboard

Unai Emery will surely be scratching his head over how he can approach Saturday’s clash with City; Sokratis Papasthathopolous, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding are completely out of the picture, while Laurent Koscielny is being assessed (per Arsenal’s official club website).

The former Sevilla boss has chopped and changed frequently in a bid to find the right blend in his Arsenal side, but the lengthy list of wounded means his options are limited.

However, the lack of defenders may mean Emery is forced into a three-at-the-back approach, particularly due to the lack of pace now that Bellerin is sidelined. If the Gunners’ honchos tuned in for City’s defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday night, they would see that this is the key to besting Pep Guardiola’s men.

Flood the midfield

City have lost four Premier League games this season, three of which have come against teams in the bottom half. Crystal Palace got the better of the Etihad Stadium outfit before Christmas and the Magpies ran out 2-1 winners on Wednesday night – Palace played with five men in midfield while Newcastle’s wing-backs offered their men in the middle plenty of support, which is crucial to thwarting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.

Nacho Monreal’s lack of pace would surely leave him exposed on the counter by Raheem Sterling or Riyad Mahrez and so tucking the Spaniard into a back-three might be the best option, with Sead Kolasinac providing cover at left-wing-back. At the same time, the Bosnian and (most likely) Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the opposite flank can push up to support the engine room and help congest the middle of the park.

With Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top, the Gunners still possess plenty of attacking talent to upset the Cityzens – playing with three-at-the-back enables both to start and Emery to play the five-man midfield which is becoming City’s kryptonite.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Theo Ogden was at the Emirates on Friday to see Alexis Sanchez come back to haunt Arsenal. Check out Gunners’ fans reactions in the video above…

Newcastle fans will be encouraged by their side’s performance despite losing to Tottenham at the weekend.

Spurs pinched a narrow 1-0 victory at Wembley after a Martin Dubravka error in the 83rd minute allowed Son Heung-Min to score the only goal of the game. Despite being unable to build on the win against Manchester City, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic after a decent display against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Benitez has his January signings to welcome into the starting eleven with Antonio Barreca making his debut from the bench. The £20m addition of Miguel Almiron will prove to be the difference maker for the Magpies. If the Paraguay international can display his magic, staying in the Premier League shouldn’t be a problem.

Turning his attention to the summer transfer window, Benitez should be keeping tabs on Huddersfield star – Philip Billing. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the Dane joined the club in 2013 and progressed through the youth ranks to become an important member of the first-team. Huddersfield’s time in England’s top division looks to be coming to an end after registering just 11 points so far this season and Biling is likely to be snapped up.

The 22-year-old is a giant on the pitch and his presence in the engine room would give the Magpies some much-needed grit. Despite his size, Biling is also quality in possession and would thrive alongside Jonjo Shelvey. Still improving and developing, the Denmark international has massive potential and with his contract set to expire in 2020, he could be available for a great price.

Biling has already proven himself in the Premier League and could be the man to unlock Almiron in the Magpies attack.

Newcastle fans, thoughts?

Dreams of promoting into the Premier League are diminishing away for Aston Villa. Having fallen close to ten points off a playoffs place, the Villains have to wait another season to dream of playing in England’s top-flight. However, in order to compete for the Championship title next season, Dean Smith needs to hold onto his biggest assets.

The biggest star in the Villains’ season has been striker Tammy Abraham. The loanee from Chelsea’s provided some blooming moments for the fans throughout the topsy-turvy campaign, lighting up Villa Park with his goals.

He’s scored 20 goals in the Championship so far, working very hard in the final third to rally his side forward. Abraham’s practically provided one-third of Villa’s total goals all by himself and that showcases how clinical he’s been in the Championship.

With a dribbling success of 52%, 21 key passes and 70% passing accuracy (stats via Who Scored), he’s been more than just a mere finisher for the Villains, often orchestrating his own goals. The young striker’s movement, eye for goal and ability to thrive in such a limited environment proves how key he is to the team.

Villa needs to do their best to extend his loan deal or sign him up permanently and build the team around him next season. If they get a stronger defence along with a creative midfield to compliment Abraham, the youngster can be the driving force to get them back into the Premier League.

Thoughts?

أكد مجدي عبد الغني، عضو مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة ونجم الأهلي السابق، أن السويسري رينيه فايلر، المدير الفني للأحمر، سيرحل عن الفريق خلال الفترة المقبلة.

كشف مصدر داخل الأهلي، عن اقتراب رحيل المدرب السويسري رينيه فايلر المدير الفني للمارد الأحمر عن الفريق.

أقرأ ايضًا.. هل يرحل قبل دوري أبطال إفريقيا؟.. فايلر يرفض حسم مصيره مع الأهلي

أضاف عبد الغني خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر برنامج “البريمو” المُذاع عبر قناة “TEN”: “فايلر سيرحل عن الأهلي خلال الفترة المقبلة، من الممكن أن يكون اتفق مع إدارة الأهلي على لعب بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا ثم الرحيل، إذا حدث غير ذلك سيكون تهريج بكل تأكيد”.

تابع: “فايلر قام ببناء اسمه داخل الأهلي، لم يكن معروفًا لأي أحد، كان يجب وضع شروط جزائية في حالة خسارته لبطولة إفريقيا”.

وواصل: “كان يجب على مسؤولي الأهلي تأمين أنفسهم بشكل أفضل مع فايلر بالتوقيع معه لمدة موسمين، ومن الخطأ عدم وضع شروط جزائية فى شهر أكتوبر الأمر الذى يمنح فايلر الرحيل بدون أي أزمة، بطولة الدوري أي مدرب يستطيع تحقيقها الأهم هو بطولة إفريقيا”.

استكمل: “الأهلي من صنع اسم فايلر، ولم يكن له أي إنجازات قبل تدريبه الأهلي ولم يكن معروف وفوزه ببطولة الدوري ليس إنجازًا”.

أردف: “الأهلي سيتأثر برحيل فايلر، قبل مباراتي الوداد المغربي بنصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بكل تأكيد الأهلي سيهتز فنيًا في حال رحيل فايلر وأي مدرب سيأتي في هذا التوقيت سيكون منتحر بسبب صعوبة الموقف”.

أكمل: “إدارة الأهلي ستكون في أزمة في حالة رحيل فايلر، بسبب عدم وجود مدربين أجانب مميزين في التوقيت الحالي”.

اختتم: “المدير الفني المناسب للأهلي، مختار مختار يجب أن يحصل على فرصة مع الأهلي لديه خبرات كبيرة، وتاريخه أكبر من أشخاص كثيرة”.

[ad_pod ]Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after Son Heung-Min put in a terrific performance against Borussia Dortmund, as Spurs took one step into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over the Bundesliga leaders.The South Korean international, who has truly stepped up in the absence of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, scored a terrific volley against Lucian Favre’s side to open the scoring – his ninth goal against them means he has netted against Dortmund more than any other club throughout his career.Son’s strike was his 11th goal from the last 16 games, and he has truly emerged from the shadows to become one of Spurs’ most important players.Most of the north London-based club’s supporters probably feared the worst when Kane and Alli suffered their respective injuries, but the former Bayer Leverkusen forward is helping them forget all about the English duo.Let’s see how the Spurs supporters reacted on Twitter…

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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.

[ad_pod ]Hugo Lloris turned in a performance of the highest calibre against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.Holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg, Spurs travelled to Germany knowing that anything other than a heavy defeat would see them safely through to the quarter-finals.Dortmund burst out of the blocks against Mauricio Pochettino’s side as they attempted to pull off a truly dramatic comeback.But they were met with great resistance by the France international, who made a number of excellent saves.Per WhoScored, Lloris made seven, including a superb reaction block from Julian Weigl in the first half and an athletic stop from Mario Gotze.Spurs only needed to keep a clean sheet to ensure their progress but Harry Kane, of course, had his say, sending an excellent, curled finish past Roman Burki at the beginning of the second half.

And fans were delighted with the performance of their goalkeeper, who also enjoyed an excellent performance against Arsenal at the weekend, saving a last-minute penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Transfers: They have been a bit of a mixed bag in recent years, haven’t they? There have been numerous deals that looked good on paper, yet their ability failed to materialise. There have been other moves that may have gone under the radar, but some players of that calibre have gone on to establish themselves in the capital and make a significant impact at West Ham United.

Manuel Pellegrini’s first transfer window at the club was a positive one. The most notable incoming, in Felipe Anderson, has proved his worth so far, representing some fine business by the Hammers. Other renown signings in Jack Wilshere and Andriy Yarmelenko have been hampered with injuries as of yet, but the West Ham faithful will be hoping they can make a sustained, positive impact when they return.

Having heard some rather impressive signings of late, to balance the books, here are possibly the two worst West Ham signings in recent years…

Havard Nordtveit

Nordtveit joined West Ham in 2016 on a free after playing a pivotal role in an impressive Borussia Monchengladbach side during his time at the German outfit.

In England, the Norweigan international was used frequently at centre-back, despite holding midfield suiting him better and during that time, he really struggled to establish himself in the Premier League.

Part of that struggle will have been down to the side he was playing in and the role he had to fulfil, but he did not really help himself with some of his displays. Nordtveit was then moved on at the end of that season as he signed for Hoffenheim and finds himself back in English football, on loan at Fulham.

Simone Zaza

Zaza was brought in on a season-long loan from Juventus in the same summer as Nordtveit and in eight appearances for West Ham, he failed to score once before a knee injury sidelined the Italian and he was moved on to Valencia.

His arrival came soon after his infamous penalty miss at Euro 2016 and the player himself told Italian media that the very poor spell at West Ham was down to that moment. Zaza is now back in Italy, on loan at Torino.