All posts by h716a5.icu

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Newcastle take on Liverpool this weekend, and Rafael Benitez should take a gamble to turn the Reds’ biggest strength into a weakness.

On the chalkboard

Liverpool and Manchester City have run away with the league this season because their squads have no weakness, but that doesn’t mean they are equally strong in all areas.

One area that Liverpool clearly have the upper hand in is at the back, particularly out wide, where Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been nothing short of sensational throughout the campaign.

The pair have combined for a remarkable 24 assists this season, and are undoubtedly the biggest source of creativity in a team that does not rely on its midfield players to break the opposition down, instead using the full-backs basically as wingers when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane move more central.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

So how can Benitez stop this? Well, it all starts with the return of one man.

Jonjo time

Jonjo Shelvey has been left behind and forgotten at Newcastle this season. The former Red was nailed on throughout most of Benitez’s tenure, but picked up an injury before Christmas and never made it back into the team.

Now though, with Sean Longstaff injured, Shelvey is the one player on Tyneside capable of turning Liverpool’s overlapping wide men from a strength into a weakness.

Even with Miguel Almiron missing and potentially Ayoze Perez out injured too, Shelvey’s ability to spread perfect passes 60 yards across the St. James’ Park turf will either force Alexander-Arnold and Robertson to retreat, or cause countless counter-attacking opportunities.

Benitez may not have quality in reserve for his injured front men, but he does have speed, and Christian Atsu and Kenedy are more than capable of latching on to Shelvey’s passes and whipping the ball immediately towards Salomon Rondon.

Not only will this strategy give the Magpies and out ball when they are under what will no doubt be immense pressure from the title-chasing Merseysiders, it could just be the thing that causes their guests’ downfall, putting the nail in the coffin of their quest to catch Manchester City.

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Son Heung-min’s red card against AFC Bournemouth must inspire Tottenham Hotspur to victory in midweek in the biggest game in their history.

Spurs fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax.

The performance was diabolical; Spurs did not get out of the blocks on the south coast and ended up losing their heads.

Son, after a bodycheck by Jefferson Lerma, was already pent up, looking to make things happen and give Spurs a victory that would have seen them qualify for the Champions League via their league position. He was involved in another scuffle with the midfielder on the ball and attempted to pick the ball up, but seemed to receive a punch to the back. He reacted, pushing Lerma to the ground, and was sent off.

Juan Foyth was given his marching orders in the second half after the tone had been set by the South Korea international.

Son is a player who seems to genuinely love playing for Spurs. He has been in excellent form this season and has scored 20 goals in all competitions. Many fans pinpointed his absence from the first leg against Ajax as the main reason for their defeat. His direct running, his pace on the counter-attack, his finishing ability was sorely missed. He is the club’s most important player when Harry Kane is out of action, as he is now.

But on Saturday, he let himself and his team-mates down. And he’ll know that.

Son apologised to the club’s fans for missing games while on international duty with South Korea. He said, per Goal: “Of course I feel very sorry because I miss already in September [Asian Games].

“I feel sorry for my team-mates, the fans and the coaching staff.”

This is a player who is accustomed to having the weight of an entire country on his shoulders. He routinely steps up to the plate when Spurs need him most and yet, in their hour of need, he was their downfall.

Now, with Ajax looming, and the suspension not extended to European football, Son has the chance to put it right. He must not waste it.

He will be chomping at the bit to get out there in Amsterdam and attempt to take Spurs to the victory they need to reach the final.

They will surely play Barcelona if they get to Madrid – Liverpool lost 3-0 in Camp Nou and a turnaround in the other semi-final would be nothing short of miraculous – and this is perhaps the only chance Spurs will ever have to reach the showpiece final.

With Son motivated and firing, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have every chance.

That red card in Bournemouth could prove to be an unlikely catalyst for yet another glory glory night for Spurs.

[ad_pod ]Crystal Palace fans on Twitter are feeling the pain of Julian Speroni’s departure, and have expressed their sadness after watching a video of the club legend’s last ever training session with his teammates.

It was announced last week that the Argentinian glovesman would be departing Selhurst Park after 15 years in SE25, following a record-breaking spell with the Eagles that will live long in the memory of the club’s fanbase.

Is the FA Cup distracting Crystal Palace fans from their EPL issues? Playmaker FC’s Sam thinks so in the video below…

The 39-year-old, a four-time winner of the club’s Player of the Season award, has made a whopping 405 appearances for Palace – the fourth most of any player in their history.

Speroni has also kept a club-record 112 clean sheets, and has racked up the most appearances of any goalkeeper since the formation of the south London outfit.

The former Dundee man is regarded as a hero by Palace fans for his loyalty, commitment and his love for the club in general, and his presence around the place will be sorely missed.

After seeing the video of his final training session, plenty of the south London club’s supporters expressed their sadness on Twitter…

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According to the London Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur have pulled out of the race to sign Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha.

And it would be fair to say that the Spurs fans agree with their club’s stance after learning of the huge sum that it would take to sign Zaha this summer.

Indeed, Palace are believed to have placed a £100m value on the Ivory Coast international.

The 26-year-old scored 10 times and registered 10 assists in 34 Premier League appearances for the Eagles during the 2018-19 campaign.

At his best, Zaha is a brilliant talent capable of causing absolute havoc.

However, £100m is a lot of money for a player who has not shown that he can influence matches at the highest level.

Tottenham supporters are, obviously, desperate to see their club spend big this summer, but many agree that paying out for Zaha is not good business.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

When Leeds United announced that they had completed the signing of Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid in January, their supporters had every right to be excited.

With goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell struggling for consistency in the Championship, it looked as if Marcelo Bielsa had found the perfect man to lead the Whites to automatic promotion in May.

Yet despite having a wealth of experience of winning major trophies at Madrid, Casilla ultimately failed to deliver for Leeds and was a liability in two of the club’s season-defining fixtures.

Having been sent off in a 1-0 defeat at Elland Road in March to Sheffield United, the 32-year-old was utterly abysmal in the second leg of the Whites’ play-off showdown with Derby County which saw them crash out of the competition.

After being directly culpable for the Rams’ first goal, Casilla seemed to lose all confidence in his ability which in turn caused the nerves to spread to his defenders who began to make a series of errors that ultimately led to Leeds conceding on three further occasions.

With his side facing yet another year in the Championship, Marcelo Bielsa may have to make some drastic decisions this summer in regards to his squad in order to create the foundations needed for success next season.

According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, the Leeds boss is reportedly targeting a move for a new goalkeeper with Casilla’s future in West Yorkshire now unclear after his side failed to secure promotion earlier this month.

If this is indeed true, Bielsa must commit to selling the £2.7m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) as keeping him at the club could end up hindering the Whites during the 2019/20 campaign.

By cutting ties with Casilla, the 63-year-old could either give Peacock-Farrell another opportunity to impress or bring in a shot-stopper who has a proven track record of performing to a high standard at Championship level.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa sell Casilla this summer? Or does the Spaniard deserve a chance to right his wrongs next season? Get in touch below.

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Celtic are interested in a deal that would see Patrick Roberts return to Glasgow, according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

The paper say that after a disappointing loan at La Liga side Girona and with just one year left on his deal at Manchester City, the English champions could make him available for transfer at around £4m.

The report names Leicester City as obvious admirers given they are managed by Brendan Rodgers, but it does also state that Celtic continue to hold an interest in the player after an enormously successful two-and-a-half seasons on loan at the club in the past.

Hoops fans adored the winger and this latest news will almost certainly spark a period of speculation amongst supporters about a potential return.

What does it mean for others at Celtic?

Clearly if Roberts is available then Celtic should make a move for him, but the side’s need for a winger right now isn’t that strong considering the options available to the next Hoops manager.

Alongside established talent such as Scott Sinclair and James Forrest, new signing Maryan Shved will be joining the squad this summer while Daniel Arzani will also be fit again after a long-term injury.

With Forrest playing so well this season and Shved looking the part too, it seems unlikely Roberts would compete for a right-wing berth if he did make the move to Celtic Park, which was where he was most used.

On the left wing though he could prove to be just as effective, usurping Sinclair and ultimately pushing back-up winger Jonny Hayes out of the picture completely.

Hayes has performed admirably when given opportunities but lacks flair and his direct goal contribution in comparison to a player like Roberts is lacking.

What if Celtic were to actually fail in their bid for the ‘treble treble’? A Celtic fan dicsusses in the video below…

With Hoops fans also craving a new left-back option to relieve Kieran Tierney on occasion, Hayes’ days at the club could be numbered.

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According to France Football, via Get French Football News, Arsenal manager Unai Emery wants to sign Paris Saint-Germain defender Thomas Meunier this summer.

France Football, via GFFN, report that current PSG boss Thomas Tuchel is ready to push the 27-year-old star out of the Parc des Princes, as he prefers Thilo Kehrer and Colin Dagba in the right-back spot.

The same report says that the Ligue 1 champions want €30m (£26.5m) for the Belgium international, who worked under Emery when the Spaniard was in the French capital himself.

Arsenal may well have to win the Europa League on Wednesday to have any chance of getting their man however, as he will surely want to be playing Champions League football next term should he leave Paris over the course of the next couple of months.

If Meunier does arrive at the Emirates Stadium he would likely be competing with Hector Bellerin for either the right-back or right wing-back position depending on the formation Emery is using, and one of his biggest strengths is his tackling ability.

The image from above shows the Belgian winding up to tackle current Gunners player Mesut Ozil in 2016 when the two teams met, and it is something that the 27-year-old is more than adept at doing.

According to WhoScored, he won 44 of the 58 he attempted in 22 Ligue 1 outings this season, while he was successful with four of the five made in Europe’s elite club competition.

Should a deal happen, Emery will certainly be hoping that Meunier steps up to the plate and helps out a side that struggled defensively on the road.

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According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham United have offered a contract to Yacine Brahimi, who will be available on a free transfer this summer.

Sports Witness recently cited reports in Turkey which claimed that Brahimi is keen to land a £5.3m signing-on fee from his next club.

However, the same publication has also suggested that the Porto ace also wants a three-year contract worth more than £75,000 a week.

The West Ham fans have been on social media debating a swoop for the 29-year-old.

And it would be fair to say that a number want their club to move for the Algeria international this summer, especially if the reports on his potential wage packet are true.

Brahimi scored 13 times and contributed nine assists in 49 games for Porto last term.

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

There is no question that he is a talented player and the West Ham fans are keen for their club to secure his signature for the 2019-20 campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Speaking to Football Insider, Danny Mills has claimed that Leeds United offering a new contract to Kalvin Phillips could convince him to stay at Elland Road.

The defensive midfielder hasn’t been short of Premier League interest this summer with Bournemouth and Norwich linked, but the former England international is hoping that he will want to stay with his current club after being assured that he will be offered a new contract.

What’s been said then?

The former United defender spoke to Football Insider about the 23-year-old being offered a new deal.

“It will be a huge boost to Kalvin Phillips that the club want to keep him and give him a new deal,” Mills said. “He will be thinking, ‘great, the club I love want me’ and, believe me, that really does matter.

“Players want what they are worth, and also want to play week in, week out. If you are a young player and getting good advice from your agent, the aim should be to get as much money as you can from the club you are at and to play every week.

“Phillips might not be a regular starter at a Premier League club, so he could stay at Leeds for another season, improve his game under Marcelo Bielsa and then treble his wages by moving to the Premier League in a year’s time when he is in a better position to play every week.”

Hope he’s right

The Whites have definitely made the right decision in offering the midfield general a new deal as his performances have warranted a wage increase, and a longer contract increases his value in the transfer market. Now Leeds will be hoping that Danny Mills is right about their star man’s mindset.

The allure of the Premier League is obvious, and last season Phillips proved he is good enough to make the step up.

More money and the potential to make a mark on the international stage may be irresistible, but if Mills is right with his view and the midfielder chooses to stay at his boyhood club it will be a huge boost for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

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The agent of Everton attacker Nikola Vlasic has told Russian website Championat that his client is in talks with CSKA Moscow over a permanent move to the club in this summer’s transfer window.

Indeed, Tonci Martic refused to confirm that Everton and CSKA had reached an agreement but said that talks were taking place, in quotes carried by Sports Witness.

Vlasic has been with the Toffees since 2017 – scoring twice in 19 appearances for the Merseyside giants in all competitions.

The attacker spent last season on loan at CSKA, though, and managed eight goals and seven assists in 31 appearances in all competitions.

The Everton fans have been on social media discussing what should happen with the Croatian in this summer’s transfer window.

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

And it would be fair to say that there are a number of differing views when it comes to the 21-year-old – a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: