All posts by h716a5.icu

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Loads of Everton fans have been running the rule over their win at Huddersfield, and they’re absolutely desperate to bring Kurt Zouma to Merseyside on a permanent basis.

Everton finally showed the fight that fans have been yearning for on Tuesday night, scrapping tooth and nail for three points in a really hotly contested clash at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Richarlison gave Marco Silva’s side the perfect start when he slotted home from close range after just three minutes, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Lucas Digne, who has been mostly exceptional since signing for the club, was sent off around the hour mark when he denied Adama Diakhaby the chance to run through at goal.

Silva’s side then had to show real determination to come home with all three points, and both Zouma and centre back partner Michael Keane were monumental.

The Frenchman, who joined the Toffees on loan from Chelsea last summer (BBC), won five aerial duels, made five interceptions and five clearances (Whoscored).

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans want the Chelsea loanee locked into a permanent move ASAP…

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Arsenal slumped to a 3-1 defeat against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side went a goal ahead within the first minute, when Sergio Aguero headed home from close range. The goal came from an Alex Iwobi error, as the Gunners’ attacker was caught in possession on the edge of his own box.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

The 22-year-old struggled with the intensity of the City press and couldn’t get his creative game going either. Despite working hard and covering plenty of ground, Iwobi failed to justify his place ahead of the likes of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, who were both benched by Unai Emery.

The Spanish coach will have hoped that the 21-cap Nigeria international could bridge the gap between the Gunners’ midfield and their strike partnership of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, Iwobi could not produce a single key pass or shot. 

What’s more, he failed to run with the ball as effectively as he can, as he managed to only complete two successful dribbles, and was dispossessed twice – the first occasion making him culpable for the opening goal.

Whilst he was otherwise fairly tidy in possession, posting a respectable pass accuracy rating of 83%, his passing was slow, ineffective and lacked penetration.

However, much of the blame for Iwobi’s struggles lies with Emery. The winger should never have been entrusted with marshalling the likes of Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte, as he doesn’t have the experience, diligence or composure for such a task. The ageing Stephan Lichtsteiner was of no use at right wing-back himself, which only served to highlight Iwobi’s flaws. 

On top that, the task of linking defence and attack practically single-handed was far too great to burden him with. With such little assistance he was only ever going to flounder.

Whilst Iwobi can’t be proud of his performance, Emery’s tactics and selection set him up for a fall.

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Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter to react joyously after Joe Lolley signed a new long-term contract with the club, as revealed by their official Twitter account.

The 26-year-old has penned a four-and-a-half year deal at the City Ground, tying him down to Forest until 2023.

Lolley has arguably been the club’s best player so far this season, scoring eight goals and recording seven assists despite the disruption of a mid-season managerial change.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The former Huddersfield man recently made his 50th appearance for the club in the 3-1 win against Wigan, a game in which he found the back of the net.

Impressively, the winger’s form earned him the PFA Player of the Month award for October, and saw him nominated for the same award in November.

Forest need to find some form quickly if they are to get back in contention for a play-off place, but for now, most fans on Twitter seem overjoyed at this welcome news…

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Rafael van der Vaart issued a special birthday message on Monday evening and had a dig at Arsenal in the process.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder wrote on Twitter that he was looking forward to seeing former clubs Ajax, Real Madrid and Spurs in the Champions League this week.

And, while posting a goal he scored for Hamburg against Arsenal, he signed off by saying: “Wondering who’s playing Thursdays”.

The Gunners, of course, face BATE Borisov on Thursday in the Europa League, while Spurs face Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Van der Vaart has history with the Gunners and was never on the losing side when he scored in a north London derby.

The ex-Netherlands international spent two years at Spurs between 2010 and 2012 after a shock move to the club from Real Madrid.

And Tottenham fans enjoyed their former star’s dig at the Gunners, who are currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table, 10 points behind third-placed Spurs.

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When Marcus Edwards joined Dutch outfit Excelsior in the summer on a season-long loan deal, it seemed likely that he had no long-term future with parent club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 20-year-old joined the Spurs academy at the age of eight, and regularly impressed as he progressed through the youth ranks. However, he failed to break into the first team before being loaned out to Championship club Norwich City on a short loan deal last season. After making only a single appearance for the Canaries though he returned to the capital for ‘personal reasons’ – which saw his mentality and attitude questioned.

We all love the Champions League theme tune but you’ve never heard it like this before! Check out the video below…

In 2016, Mauricio Pochettino famously compared Edwards to Lionel Messi, saying “the qualities – it’s only looks, his body and the way that he plays – remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi.”

Edwards has hardly lived up to such a lofty billing since then, but he is currently showing the kind of form in the Eredivisie that suggests he shouldn’t yet be written off at Spurs completely.

The England under-20 international was magnificent for Excelsior against FC Emmen last time out. The young attacking-midfielder produced a complete performance to inspire his side to victory.

As per WhoScored’s stats, Edwards scored a goal and provided an assist in the match and was a constant menace to the opposition defence. He produced a total of three key passes and also completed six successful dribbles.

He was not only excellent going forwards though, he also performed his defensive duties diligently and effectively. Edwards made three tackles against FC Emmen, and demonstrated the kind of commitment and work rate that Pochettino prizes.

It’s a big ask for Edwards to return to England and get game time ahead of the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Heung-min Son, but he certainly deserves the chance to try if he can maintain this current level of form.

There’s been a lot of talking points that have stemmed from Arsenal’s season so far. Unai Emery’s arrival, for example, has been intriguing to watch. He’s adapted well to the Premier League, as have many of his summer signings like Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira, but can he keep it up?

Likewise, Aaron Ramsey has caught the eye at points throughout the season, ahead of his move to Juventus, even if he hasn’t played as much as he has in the past.

However, the bigger story coming from the Emirates so far has been that which surrounds Mesut Ozil. The German’s involvement under Emery has dipped significantly over the course of the season, and despite maintaining a strong status under Arsene Wenger, he’s been knocked down more than a few pegs by his new manager.

Seldom given chances by the Spaniard, it’s been up to him to try and prove the boss wrong, and against Bournemouth on Wednesday, he certainly did just that.

He was given a rare start against the Cherries, and with so much pressure on his shoulders, he delivered as he so often has in the past at the Emirates.

It’s not often that the German has been given 90 minutes in the Premier League this term, but he certainly deserved to stay on for the duration. The headlines will be written about his goal and assist, but as per Who Scored, a further examination of his statistics resemble a player at the peak of his powers.

An incredible passing accuracy rate of just shy of 97% resembles Ozil at his very best, moving play on and creating magic with very little margin for error. He was, in fact, the only player to complete the entire game with a rate above 95%, and that speaks volumes of his involvement.

Beyond that, his 85 touches, a number only bettered by Matteo Guendouzi and Nacho Monreal, highlight the regularity of his involvement, whilst his 4 key passes show just how engaged he was with Arsenal’s offensive movement.

Stats, of course, only tell part of the story. Anyone that watched the game would have recognised that Ozil was at the centre of everything good that Arsenal did. But if Unai Emery is seeking a reason to keep the German in his team; he doesn’t need to look any further than the incredible numbers that the German produced.

Thoughts?

– Keep up with the rest of our Trending Topic coverage on The Mesut Ozil Problem by clicking here… –

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What a player Ledley King was by the way.

The one-club man made 313 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur between 1999 and 2012 before being forced into an early retirement.

King hardly trained in the latter stages of his professional career as he desperately attempted to manage his chronic knee issues.

King was ultimately forced to retire in July 2012 at the age of 32, but over 300 appearances for Tottenham is extremely impressive, whilst he also turned out on 21 occasions for the England national team between 2002 and 2010.

Now an ambassador for Tottenham, it would be fair to say that the former centre-back is still a hero with the London club’s fans.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

And many took to social media earlier this week to lavish praise on King – a 2008 League Cup winner with Tottenham – in response to a video which cropped up on the club’s official Twitter account.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the adoring Spurs supporters can be seen below:

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Newcastle visit West Ham on Saturday where they will be hoping they can continue their excellent run of form. There will be a number of key battles in various areas of the pitch but all eyes will surely be on two of the best up and coming English talents in the Premier League.

On the chalkboard

The Magpies, rejuvenated by the January arrival of Miguel Almiron, have hit two past their opponents without reply in their last two games and Rafa Benitez seems to have discovered a winning formula at St James’ Park.

A big part of the success of the Spaniard’s 5-4-1 is the incredible form of Sean Longstaff, who has impressed in holding-midfield since breaking through from the academy.

West Ham have an all-action midfielder of their own, though, in Declan Rice – the 20-year-old has excelled since being deployed further afield this season and has attracted interest from some of the Premier League big boys.

Both men will be essential in providing defensive security for their respective teams, but Longstaff will be hoping he can put in a performance to match, or better, that of Rice.

Keown knows

BT Sport pundit Martin Keown waxed lyrical about 21-year-old Longstaff after he scored his first goal for the Tyneside outfit on Tuesday, comparing the starlet to Michael Carrick and also saying that we should be talking about him more, as opposed to Rice…

“Rice that plays for West Ham. We have often talked about him. I think this fella is maybe better. He’s technically better, the way he strikes the ball.”

Have the new Newcastle home and away kits for next season accidentally been leaked? See for yourself in the video below…

No doubt the former Arsenal defender will be watching closely again on Saturday, as will the Newcastle and West Ham fans who have applauded and slammed Keown since he made those comments, respectively.

Longstaff will be tasked with tackling the likes of Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic, providing the latter returns to fitness that is, in what is surely one of his biggest tests to date in black and white.

The clash at London Stadium may well be an England audition for both, but the pressure is on Longstaff to prove that Keown knows what he’s on about.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has had his say over the weekend’s pitch invasions, believing that it is more down to problems in personal lives than it is about football.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Bielsa said: “You find violent people everywhere in every country in all activities.

“You have more or less violent acts depending on how satisfied or unsatisfied people are.”

Speaking about the specific incident at Birmingham, he added: “A person who does the thing we saw yesterday expresses a series of frustrations which aren’t necessarily linked to football. The more satisfaction you have in your personal life, the less you need to do this kind of act.”

Bielsa also stressed that when the overall picture is looked at, isolated incidents compared to the number of fans who attends games week after week is an “excellent proportion”.

Of course, even one incident is too much, but the point he is making is a good one, and is typically thoughtful from a manager who rarely makes flippant, off-the-cuff comments.

Leeds, of course, have had their own issues with fan behaviour in days gone by, but thankfully, despite large attendances, there have been no scenes at Elland Road similar to those at St. Andrew’s.

Let’s hope that the incidents this weekend are an outlier, and that there is no repeat during this week’s fixtures, or any others in the remainder of the season.

It remains to be seen what punishment the EFL enforce, or whether they will request an increase in the number of stewards and police at future games.

Have you witnessed any unruly fan behaviour at recent games Leeds fans? If so, let us know below…

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Graeme Souness has said that he feels the signings of Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk have allowed Liverpool to take a ‘quantum leap’.

Previously, with the likes of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius sharing the gloves in goal, and players like Martin Skrtel and Alberto Moreno consistently in the starting eleven, the Reds were always susceptible to a defensive mix-up.

However, having splashed out £75m and £66m on the Dutchman and the Brazilian stopper respectively, Liverpool have shaped up at the back and are now gunning for the Premier League title – Jurgen Klopp’s men have kept the most clean sheets in the league this season with 17.

Is Jurgen Klopp a “serial bottler”? The fan in the video below certainly thinks so…

What’s he said?

Souness told Sky Sports: “People will point out if they don’t win the league or Champions League that it’s another year without winning a trophy, but each year they have got better and better.

“They have made a quantum leap this year by signing Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

“They both got it wrong for the Fulham goal, but I can’t remember another time that has happened. They have been fabulous all year. Liverpool are a serious team now.”

Other clubs should follow Liverpool’s lead

We’ve seen in recent windows that some of the top clubs’ approach to the transfer window has been like a kid on FIFA, splashing huge amounts on any glistening name without thinking.

Chelsea, for example, have spent absurd amounts on the likes of Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Davide Zappacosta and Alvaro Morata, all of whom play minimal roles in the first-team; two of them aren’t even at the club right now.

In Liverpool’s case, they have been shrewd, patient and thoughtful in the market, and are reaping the rewards for identifying a target and ensuring that they get their man no matter what.