According to reports in The Times, The FA will resist any pressure to switch any FA Cup semi-final tie involving Tottenham Hotspur away from Wembley this season even though some clubs left in the competition believe they would effectively have home advantage, and Spurs fans have been quick to have their say on the news.
The north London outfit have been playing their home matches at the stadium this term while their new venue is being built, and The Times suggests there has been some opposition from some clubs left in the competition that if Mauricio Pochettino’s men reach the semi-final, it should be played elsewhere.
The reports adds that the FA aren’t willing to adhere to that opinion, while Spurs still have to beat Rochdale in their fifth round replay and then either Sheffield Wednesday or Swansea City before they reach the last four.
Tottenham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “have they seen our semi-final record?”, another said “what is this madness!”
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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For disciplinary issues, Antoine Griezmann had to wait a frustrating period before finally bursting onto the international scene for France. Having only made his France debut three months back in a classy 2-0 victory over the Netherlands, Griezmann has now very much arrived.
The 23-year-old is known to be a target for a number of clubs, but none are more keen than Arsenal to snap up his signature. Arsene Wenger, working as a pundit for French television, is in the prime position to cast his eye over Griezmann’s performances for the national side, and he’s been impressed with what he’s seen so far.
In France’s 2-0 win over Honduras, Griezmann started off on the left, but he vacated his position regularly, looking to the pick ball up in pockets of space inside, also allowing for Patrice Evra to rampage up the field. Called into the French starting line-up to fill the boots of the absentee star man Franck Ribery, Griezmann excelled. He confidently addressed the ball in the opposition’s final third, completing an impressive 91 per cent of his passes and deceptively winning all of his aerial challenges.
This aerial prowess he possesses will be no shock to Real Sociedad fans who have the joy of watching him perform for them week-in week-out. Griezmann’s three international goals in his five appearances are no shock, having racked up 20 goals in 49 games last season in Spain. The diminutive winger has a knack for turning up in the right place at the right time, heading in at the back post.
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It’s not just his heading ability which makes him stand out either. Due to his fleet-footedness and great control on the ball, Griezmann causes endless problems for his opposition full-back. His willingness to carry the ball inside the channels, and make runs off the back of his marker, makes him a direct threat on goal running in behind the back line. His competence with both feet allow him to go either way, making him a wholly unpredictable foe.
Wenger gushed over Griezmann’s World Cup debut, impressed by his effectiveness and efficiency in possession. The Arsenal manager may be on the lookout for a naturally left-sided attacker sooner than he thought, with Santi Cazorla’s future up in the air. Antoine Griezmann would seem the man likely to fill that gap. He’s fast, direct, technically accomplished, and scores countless goals. He is a must for Wenger.
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole appears to be attracting interest from French outfit Lille once more after a successful loan spell there last term, but should Brendan Rodgers consider letting him go given the paucity of options within his squad or is the fallen former England star simply destined to never realise his potential on Merseyside?
The French club’s boss Rudi Garcia told RMC this week, hinting at a future move for Cole: “Joe is not only a great person, but also a great footballer. But financially it was not possible to save him. This can be prohibitive for the return of Joe to Lille. Sportingly and humanly, I’d love to see him back.”
While something may have been lost in translation, that Garcia is supposed to have said ‘save him’ couldn’t be closer to the truth after falling even further down the pecking order since returning to Liverpool in the summer and Rodgers criticism of his display against Swansea in the 3-1 defeat at home in the Capital One Cup marks his lowest point since arriving at the club.
It’s worth remembering that Cole is still just 30 years of age and as such should be seen as one of the senior members of the squad at Anfield, but he’s currently sat behind teenagers Raheem Sterling and Suso in terms of a first-team place, while Stewart Downing is quickly becoming Rodgers go-to attacking substitute.
Rodgers commented on Cole’s performance against Swansea: “Joe Cole had an opportunity, the club has invested an astronomical sum of money in a talented player and he has to seize his opportunities. It [Liverpool’s approach] was too slow, it just was not what I would expect from a team I had set up to be dynamic so I think it was a difficult night for him.” While it may have been a tad on the harsh side, for the whole team underperformed that evening, that he was singled out points to a fractious relationship similar to the one that Rodgers shares with Downing.
The senior set-up currently just has 19 players in it and the manager has talked about the need to invest in January and that it’s unlikely that many people will be leaving in the opposite direction, but Cole’s struggles, coupled with his ‘astronomical’ wages makes him an ideal candidate to shift on.
It was reported at the time of his move to Lille that Liverpool were willing to pay as much as 60% of Cole’s £100,000 per week wages such was their insistence on getting him some regular football. However, his prospects appeared to improve in the summer after the departures of Dirk Kuyt, Maxi Rodriguez and Craig Bellamy all left for various reasons and the lack of attacking depth, with the side overly-reliant on Luis Suarez at present is clear for all to see as a result.
On the face of it, a lack of depth and a new manager should all point to more playing time for Cole, who lest we forget, has three Premier League winner’s medals, three FA Cup winner’s medals, and 56 England caps to his name. Yet he’s struggled with injury and two successive hamstring strains have disrupted his season so far.
When looking at Rodgers preferred system, the 4-3-3 formation would seem to lend itself to Cole’s talents – an appreciation of working the ball around in tight spaces, the ability to glide past a man in the middle of the park and the vision to spot a pass in the final third. Of course, these were the characteristics which he used to be lauded for, but weight and form issues have dogged his time at Liverpool.
Balancing the books has been a major concern of FSG’s for some time now and was the motivating factor behind allowing the fringe trio of Bellamy, Kuyt and Maxi to all leave the club. The suspicion that Cole’s strong ties to previous club Chelsea, coupled with the realisation that the club are getting a particularly bum deal considering their outlay on the midfielder has always meant he’s not been highly regarded on the terraces and remains something of an easy target for the boo boys, so it’s not as if there would be much opposition from either side at his departure.
Any movement out of the club is entirely dependent on how much Rodgers has to spend, with a figure around the £10m mark mooted for January business, but his wages and his lack of playing time only point to a role which will become even more marginalised in the future and it’s hard to see a way back for him at Liverpool now.
Should Liverpool let Joe Cole leave in January? Or should they retain his service and grant him a more prominent role?
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Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen provide plenty of attacking and creative prowess at Tottenham Hotspur, but the team need a different dimension if they want to keep progressing.
Pressure will be on Mauricio Pochettino’s shoulders this season as he leads the side into their new home adjacent to White Hart Lane.
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The club have gone a decade without winning silverware, and expectation is high given that they have secured Champions League football every year for the past three seasons.
A new attacking player should be on the horizon, and one which may have caught the eye on Thursday night is Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic.
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The 29-year-old plays predominantly as a winger, but he also has the ability to feature just behind the striker.
Perisic highly impressed for Croatia during the nation’s 3-0 victory over Argentina at the World Cup in Russia.
The attack-minded star showed his qualities going forward, but he also chipped in defensively when trying to thwart a team that boasted the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero.
Perisic intercepted play on two occasions, and at the other end he produced five crosses – more than any of his teammates.
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The Croatian, who has won four club trophies in his career, has the qualities that could work in a Pochettino team.
Last season, he found the back of the net 11 times in 39 games for Inter.
His age may be something to jot down in the ‘cons’ column, but Tottenham should certainly consider a move before the transfer window closes.
For the majority of the season, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has chopped and changed goalkeepers depending on the competition.
For the first half of the campaign, Simon Mignolet was number one in the Premier League and Loris Karius played in the cup competitions, including the Champions League.
Since the turn of the year, Mignolet has been demoted and his teammate has snatched the top spot.
Karius has been in between the sticks for every top-flight match, and now it has been confirmed that he will keep the gloves for Wednesday’s Champions League encounter against Porto.
The Merseyside outfit travelled to Portugal today ahead of the first leg of their last-16 tie.
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Both Mignolet and Karius have faced heavy criticism this season, but the latter’s confidence has grown following some decent saves in recent matches.
Even though plenty of Liverpool fans have urged the club to sign a new shot-stopper at the end of the season, the majority seem happy that Karius will continue as number one in Europe.
Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman believes Luis Suarez will stay at the club for years to come, reports the Daily Star.
The Uruguayan signed a new long term contract worth a reported £200k a week in December, and McManaman believes he is set to honour it despite continued interest from Arsenal and Real Madrid.
“I think he will stay. He’s signed a new contract,” McManaman said.
“It’s important for superstars to play in the Champions League every week. It is the over-riding fact that they want to test themselves against the best players.
“Liverpool are on the right track. If they finish suddenly finish sixth in the league there will be question marks but if they win the league or second or third and are in the Champions League there won’t be any assumptions about whether he stays or goes.
“He will stay and it will be up to Liverpool whether they want to sell him rather than the other way round.”
Liverpool closed the gap on league leaders Chelsea to just one point after a 2-1 win over Sunderland last night, and McManaman believes they can challenge all the way in the title race.
“They have got real strength in depth,” headded.
“Like Arsenal everybody was expecting Liverpool during March to drop points but they go to Old Trafford and won, go to Cardiff and won and suddenly everybody starts to think that they are quietly chipping away.
“It would be great if they did but it will be hard with Man City at Anfield, Chelsea at Anfield.
“Anybody who has been involved with Liverpool does not expect miracles this year. You don’t expect to jump from seventh last year, 20 points behind Manchester United, to winning the league.
“You just want progression and we have had it in bucketloads this year.
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“If Liverpool can qualify for the Champions League without having a qualifying game, finishing first or second, that would be even better.
“If they win the league that would be incredible.”
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson took a swipe at the physical size of Tony Pulis’ Stoke City side ahead of their clash today, as reported by The Sun.
Sir Alex claimed that former United striker Michael Owen would have to ‘bring his ladder’ if he had any chance of playing and he called Pulis’ team the ‘jolly green giants’.
Somehow we can see the Stoke manager having a quiet word with the Manchester United boss when the two meet on the touch line today.
Sir Alex told The Sun: “The jolly green giants are coming to play against us tomorrow.”
“Michael is not allowed to play unless he brings a ladder. They are the biggest team in Europe.
“You can get yourself all in a fangle about that because they are a handful at set-piece play and with their long throw-ins.
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“But you can’t make a terror for yourself. Hopefully we can play our game and get the result we want.”
According to Foot Mercato, Middlesbrough youngster Bilal Brahimi is a transfer target for Newcastle United, Liverpool and Everton in this summer’s window.
What’s the story?
Middlesbrough impressed for long stages of their 2017-18 Championship season, and ultimately finished in fifth position, which secured a spot in the playoffs.
Tony Pulis’ side lost out to Aston Villa in the semi-finals, however, and are therefore facing at least one more season in the second tier of English football.
As a result, they may find it difficult to keep in-demand players this summer, particularly if interest from the Premier League arrives.
According to Foot Mercato, Middlesbrough will have to hold off interest from Newcastle, Liverpool and Everton if they wish to keep youngster Brahimi at the club this summer.
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The 18-year-old is seen as one of the brightest young players in the English game, and it has also been reported that at least three La Liga clubs are closely monitoring developments.
Can Middlesbrough keep him?
Brahimi moved to Middlesbrough from Portuguese outfit Leixoes last summer, and is yet to make his first-team debut for the club despite his obvious talent.
The attacker scored three times in 15 appearances for Middlesbrough’s Under-18 team, however, and also featured for the Under-23 side during the 2017-18 campaign.
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The Paris-born teenager can play as a central striker, but has largely operated as a winger during his short time at Middlesbrough.
The length of Brahimi’s contract is currently unclear, but Middlesbrough will find it difficult to keep him if the Premier League trio decide to make a move.
That said, Brahimi really should be looking for first-team football at this stage of his career, and there is absolutely no reason why he cannot play a key role in his current team’s 2018-19 Championship campaign.
Mauricio Pellegrino will hope the 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Sunday proves to be something of a turning point in Southampton’s relegation-threatened campaign.
Saints are still winless in the Premier League since November but there has been a noticeable upturn in performance recently and with the top six so far away from the rest of the division this season, a point against a Tottenham side boasting the top flight’s leading goalscorer, Harry Kane, is almost as good as a victory. In any case, it breeds vital confidence into a squad that knows it has underachieved this season and knows results must improve instantaneously.
And yet, a point against Tottenham isn’t the real litmus test of Southampton’s survival credentials. We know this Southampton side can defend well and give top opposition a run for their money – they’ve conceded just four goals to Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City so far this season – and in many ways, Tottenham’s tendencies played perfectly into their hands on Sunday as Mauricio Pochettino’s side tried to play their way through a sturdy and resolute engine room in central areas.
Indeed, the real barometer of whether Southampton can move clear of the drop zone comes next weekend when they host a Brighton side equally fearful of dropping into the Championship. In stark contrast to decent defensive displays against the top six – barring the reverse with Tottenham that ended in a 5-2 defeat at Wembley and a 3-0 loss to Liverpool – Southampton have averaged just 0.9 goals per game against sides in the bottom nine this season. If Saints are to avoid what would be a shock relegation, they need to start breaking down sides who will let them have the ball and won’t allow them space on the counter-attack.
Brighton certainly fall into that category. This season, only five Premier League sides have averaged less possession than the Seagulls, who have spent the most time of any top-flight team, 32%, in their own defensive third and the least time, 23%, in the opposition’s third. Chris Hughton’s policy is, understandably, to protect the point his side already have rather than open the team up in search of two more – and, perhaps because they’re still viewed as something of a big drawer by bottom half sides, that’s where Southampton have really struggled this term.
The good news though, is that from the remaining 14 games, Southampton face five non-top-six teams away from home. While that gives them less chance of victory, in theory, it does mean the likes of Swansea, Newcastle, West Brom and Burnley will be more open than they were when they visited St. Mary’s earlier this season. But Southampton are still due to host Brighton, Stoke and Bournemouth and Pellegrino will know his best chance of avoiding the drop is claiming all nine points from those games – that will push Saints up to 31 and leave them needing just a handful more to ensure survival.
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In order to do that, however, Southampton will have to improve upon their biggest failing this season – making clear-cut chances and actually putting them away. It’s certainly true that finishing has been a problem for Saints; they’ve averaged just one goal per game in the Premier League despite creating the seventh-most chances; but it’s a question of the quality of those scoring opportunities as well. Just 21% have ended in goals or qualified as a big chance missed, so it’s not as if Southampton’s creators have been consistently laying it on plate for the strikers in front of them.
Southampton are currently 16th in the home table and still to face Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City at St. Mary’s, it’s clearly home results against the Premier League’s more ordinary sides that have let them down this season. In many ways, that’s symptomatic of the Premier League right now – the middle order who try to play more expansive football, the likes of West Ham, Stoke and Crystal Palace, have all suffered with the likes of Burnley and Leicester replacing them as the top six chasers.
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But there are signs of that trend coming to an end as we reach the business portion of the campaign and Southampton cannot afford to be excluded from that revival. Whether it requires a change of mentality, formation or personnel, Pellegrino needs to find a way of ending Southampton’s struggles against the Premier League’s lesser sides when Brighton come to town. Fail to do so, and relegation becomes a frighteningly real possibility.
t’s that time of the week again. Time to start preparing your betting slips for another epic weekend of Premier League football.
Thomas of Footballtips.com gives us three essential bets.
Before the tips, let’s just have a quick word on the Champions League and the criticism directed at Arsenal. Let’s be honest, they came up against a European super power and their players are shattered.
It baffled me how Arsene Wenger didn’t get a striker in January and from the moment Mesut Ozil had his penalty saved on Wednesday – it was game over. That was their chance.
In defence of the Gunners though, they are playing their part in one of the best Premier League title races in years. They are tired, because they play in the most entertaining and competitive league in the World.
Bayern are 16 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and coasting. I think it’s fair to say, as English football fans, we’d rather have a competitive league than one team running away with it.
Until there’s a winter break, this could cost us having a Champions League winner, or at least a team as good and dominant as Bayern. If that’s the case – so be it!
Anyway, onto the tips…
Eden Hazard to score first
What a player Eden Hazard is. The best youngster in the World according to Jose Mourinho and just like a broken clock is right twice a day – you can’t argue with the Special One here.
I had the privilege of being invited to go and watch a game at Stamford Bridge recently and Hazard was a different class. Everything is effortless and he will go on to become one of the best ever.
As a result, he’s a good shout for first goalscorer this weekend. Chelsea host Everton and you can back him at 6/1 with Coral. He lacks a top striker to provide, so looks set to do it all himself!
Wayne Rooney to score twice or more
Wayne Rooney has signed a new contract at Manchester United and although the weekly wage is a massive £300,000 – you can’t argue with it. Think the Champions are struggling now? Take Rooney out of it and it would only get worse.
With Rooney on board, United can build with David Moyes, both in the short-term and the long-term. Immediately, it should get the team and Rooney himself a lift ahead of the trip to Palace.
It will be a tough evening for the Red Devils at Selhurst Park, but Rooney will celebrate in some style, bagging his first goals since returning from injury.
You can back Rooney to score twice or more at a very generous 7/1 with Paddy Power
Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal to win
Lastly, it’s worth pointing out an excellent enhanced treble at 188BET. You can get full details of this offer here, but essentially you get 2/1 for Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal to win on Saturday.
All you have to do is sign up to 188BET and boom – you have yourself a banker for this weekend.
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While Man City are at home to Stoke, Arsenal take on Sunderland and Chelsea – with a fantastic home record – take on Everton at Stamford Bridge.
It’s definitely worth a few quid!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Thomas Rooney is the editor of Footballtips.com, the best place for Premier League tips.