Tag Futebol

Newcastle United’s takeover appears to be edging ever closer to completion as we head towards the end of May and reports have emerged over the future of the managerial position as a result.

The Magpies are set to be taken over by Amanda Staveley and a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium after it was given the green light, according to The Sun, and it appears as if they would like to bring in a man of their own.

As per L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas has turned down advances from the northeast outfit who were willing to offer him a ‘significantly higher salary’.

Although his future at the Ligue 1 side is by no means certain after the departure of director of football Andoni Zubizarreta.

In recent weeks, Sky Sports reported that ex-Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is their ‘number one’ target whilst Zinedine Zidane has been linked with a shock switch from Real Madrid too.

Many at St James’ Park are thrilled by the news surrounding Villas-Boas as they clearly don’t see him as the man to take Steve Bruce’s place.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

One supporter claimed the Portuguese boss was a worse option than the 59-year-old whilst others likened him to Steve McClaren, claiming he’s up there as ‘one of the worst’ in PL history.

Here’s how they have reacted to the news…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to fresh twist in the takeover…

فرض فريق كلوب بروج البلجيكي، تعادلاً إيجابيًا على باريس سان جيرمان، في منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا، خلال المباراة التي جمعتهما الليلة.

وحل باريس سان جيرمان ضيفًا على كلوب بروج في ملعب “جان بريدل” بمدينة بروج، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الأولى لدور المجموعات بدوري الأبطال.

المباراة شهدت مشاركة الثلاثي ليونيل ميسي ونيمار دا سيلفا وكيليان مبابي معًا في هجوم باريس سان جيرمان.

وتعد هذه أولى مشاركات ميسي مع باريس سان جيرمان بمنافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ونجح الفريق الفرنسي في التقدم بهدف عن طريق أندير هيريرا في الدقيقة 15 ليضع باريس سان جيرمان في المقدمة.

لكن سرعان ما تعادل كلوب بروج بهدف في الدقيقة 27 عن طريق هانز فانكين الذي سجل في شباك كيلور نافاس.

في الدقيقة 28 كاد ميسي أن يسجل هدفًا رائعًا بتسديدة صاروخية لكن الكرة اصطدمت بالعارضة. العارضة تحرم ميسي من تسجيل هدف رائع أمام كلوب بروج

في الشوط الثاني أجرى بوتشيتينو تبديلين لباريس سان جيرمان بخروج فينالدوم وباريديس ومشاركة دراكسلر ودانيلو بدلاً منهما.

ثم اضطر المدرب الأرجنتيني لاستبدال كيليان مبابي للإصابة في الدقيقة 51، حيث لم يتمكن المهاجم الشاب من استكمال المباراة متأثرًا بإصابة في الكاحل (طالع المزيد)، وشارك إيكاردي بديلاً له. إصابة مبابي وخروجة في مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وكلوب بروج

على مدار الشوط الثاني لم يتمكن لاعبو باريس سان جيرمان من التسجيل في شباك أصحاب الأرض، لتحسم المباراة بالتعادل الإيجابي (1-1)، ويحصل كل فريق على نقطة واحدة.

وفي المجموعة ذاتها تمكن مانشستر سيتي من الفوز على لايبزيج بنتيجة (6-3)، ليحصد أول 3 نقاط متصدرًا مجموعته، ويتذيل الفريق الألماني بلا نقاط. أهداف مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وكلوب بروج 

Even with the departure of Brendan Rodgers last year, Celtic have been able to continue their domination of Scottish football.

Neil Lennon took over from the now Leicester City boss, and guided them to the treble treble in the process. They top the Scottish Premiership this term once again, whilst they have already secured the League Cup and are still in the Scottish Cup. On top of that, they made it out of the group stages in the Europa League, as well.

Watch Celtic Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

All of that has been possible without Moussa Dembele as well.

The Frenchman was fantastic for the Bhoys during his time there, but now appears for Lyon in Ligue 1.

Let’s have a look at how he is getting on…

Time at Celtic

The former France U21 international actually started out at PSG, but he made the move to Fulham in 2012 for £324k as per Transfermarkt. For the Cottagers, he would go on to make 64 appearances, but it was during the 2015/16 season when he caught the eye, scoring 15 times in 43 Championship matches.

Despite his stunning form that term, Celtic and Rodgers managed to sign him on a free transfer.

It would prove to be an inspired capture. He was lethal during the two full campaigns he spent at the club, scoring 51 goals in 94 matches. That would see him win the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup three times apiece, whilst the League Cup was also won twice.

Chelsea had been said to be interested, but in the end, Dembele would return to his homeland – Lyon parted with £19.8m to take him back to France.

Where is he now?

From there, he has really kicked on. His first campaign saw him score 20 goals in 46 matches, including 15 in 33 in Ligue 1 as Les Gones qualified for the Champions League. This term, he has performed even better, scoring 22 times in 42 matches – although he has failed to hit the back of the net in European competition so far.

He also added to his France U21 tally, which ended with 13 strikes in 25 matches, whilst the interest in his services from some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs has returned.

The Blues have again been linked with a move, as have Manchester United – they are said to be the 23-year-old’s dream club.

Jean-Michel Aulas is unlikely to let him go easily – he is said to have demanded €100m (£91.6m) for his services – but it seems unlikely that his journey will end at Lyon.

Celtic fans should be happy to have been able to watch a future star begin to blossom at their club.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Arriving in a £50m deal from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has nailed down the right-back slot at Manchester United with relative ease. The England U21 international has featured 15 times across all competitions this season, and has already impressed the Old Trafford faithful with his tenacious approach.

But one area that he certainly needs a lot of work on – and as quickly as possible for United’s sake – is his contributions going forward. The 22-year-old has yet to open his account for the Red Devils, and has also yet to provide a single assist too. And on Sunday afternoon against Sheffield United, his ineffectiveness in attack was a key reason why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were unable to secure a much-needed victory.

In recent weeks, United have deployed a back-three on occasion, with Wan-Bissaka once again occupying the wing-back role against the Blades at the weekend. The position places a far greater emphasis on what they can offer attacking-wise, rather than the more defensive requirements that the former Crystal Palace seems to thrive on. In the Premier League this season, he has made 55 tackles in total – the third-most in the division despite missing two games.

But whilst his tackling has almost become a given, his offensive contributions have been anything but. On Sunday, he had 103 touches of the ball (the most of any player on the pitch), yet he failed to provide any key passes and was unsuccessful with his two attempted crosses. His struggles only served to increase the pressure and burden on Daniel James in front of him, with the Wales international not having a reliable enough overlapping partner to wreak havoc with.

[ad_pod ]

Instead, defenders could double up on the ex-Swansea ace, and it was no surprise to see him lose possession 16 times. Wan-Bissaka’s huge flaw has an effect not just on his own game, but the way the rest of his team plays too. As long as Solskjaer continues to use wing-backs, the 22-year-old desperately needs to hone his attacking skills. If not, he risks jeopardising how effective United’s forwards are. It is a real concern for the United boss.

Meanwhile, amid criticism of Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof’s woeful performance against Sheffield United means he shouldn’t be let off the hook either.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Tottenham Hotspur have their ideal front six at last.

As Spurs put Red Star Belgrade to the sword in Serbia, winning 4-0, one thing became abundantly clear: Mauricio Pochettino needs to stick instead of twisting.

In a game that could have been something of a banana skin – Liverpool lost to Red Star on the road last season – Spurs turned the volume up to 11 and blew their opponents away.

This season has been characterised by slow, sloppy performances that have lacked the vivacious nature previously present in Pochettino’s teams. They have, for too long, been ponderous on the ball, seemingly unable to make a decision when they approach the opposition box.

On Wednesday, though, that changed.

Pochettino lined up with Harry Kane at the tip of the spear, but he supplemented his threat with Son Heung-Min on the left, Giovani Lo Celso on the right and Dele Alli in the hole. Tanguy Ndombele’s driving runs from midfield – finishing up with five dribbles to his name – made a significant impact, too, as he was partnered with Moussa Sissoko.

So fluid was the performance that Kane didn’t even score, despite it being a complete romping.

Son nabbed two, Lo Celso opened the scoring with his first goal for his new club after his initial loan move from Real Betis in the summer, and Christian Eriksen finished it off in the second half after coming off the bench.

This is the unit that needs to be breaking down defences.

Lo Celso was exceptional, making two key passes and also completing more tackles than any other player on the pitch, including both sets of defenders.

It is a stark contrast to the performance of Eriksen in the 1-1 draw with Everton on Sunday; he did not complete a dribble or make a tackle.

Lucas Moura does not offer the same level of work-rate, with Lo Celso, Alli and Son an interchangeable forward three that can switch positions and slickly revolve around Kane.

Of course, there are tweaks that can be made. Eric Dier is not the club’s first-choice centre-back and one imagines that Hugo Lloris will replace Paulo Gazzaniga when he is back fit following his grisly elbow injury.

But the difference on Wednesday was pace, energy and desire. There wasn’t a single player in the attacking phase not pulling their weight.

Against Sheffield United, an organised defensive unit that have conceded just eight goals in the Premier League all season – fewer than both Liverpool and Manchester City – Spurs will need the cut and thrust of Lo Celso, the guile of Alli and the trickery of Son.

They also have options off the bench, with Ryan Sessegnon coming on for a 15-minute cameo against the Serbian outfit and providing the assist for Eriksen, but the message is clear: Pochettino needs to give these players another chance on Saturday.

If he does, they can continue to forge their burgeoning understanding and ensure that they get back to winning ways.

Spurs have not won a Premier League game since September; that can change this weekend, but only if faith is kept.

The international break is still rumbling on, and there have been some Liverpool players in action in the past couple of days.

Fabinho, Alisson and Roberto Firmino all featured for Brazil against South Korea, which the Selecao won 3-0, whilst Neco Williams was in action for Wales’ U19 team earlier on Tuesday. They won 2-0, with the Liverpool 18-year-old getting himself on the scoresheet, albeit after missing a penalty originally.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The teenager recently made his Reds debut against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, even providing an assist in that 5-5 draw which the Anfield outfit eventually won on penalties. Clearly, he has a bright future ahead of him in the beautiful game.

Welsh fans were out in force on Twitter in regards to the defender, and they were clearly impressed with his display.

They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Gary Neville stated that Trent Alexander-Arnold is on the verge of being a world-class right-back, but made it clear that he needs to work on one area of his game if that is to happen.

What did he say?

The Liverpool right-back is praised frequently, primarily for his ability on the ball, with Jamie Carragher previously labelling him as the Reds’ version of Kevin De Bruyne – suggesting that a future in midfield could perhaps await.

Alexander-Arnold was key to a lot of what Liverpool did well against Spurs, too, leading to plaudits from Neville about his attacking play.

However, the former Manchester United player is concerned about the defensive side of his game. He often finds himself out of position – it was an area exploited in the match against Sheffield United – and Neville believes that until he addresses the weakness, he can’t be considered world-class.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Speaking post-match on Sky Sports’ coverage of Liverpool vs Tottenham, he said: “Liverpool’s full-backs are quite simply sensational.

“Robertson is a better full-back than Trent Alexander-Arnold in my opinion.

After reminiscing over his full Premier League debut away at Man United and describing him as one of the best attacking full-backs he’s ever seen, Neville delivered a frank verdict on how he needs to improve from a defensive standpoint.

“He’s got to become as serious about his defending as he is about his attacking player and you’ve got a world class full back there,” Neville said.

“I took the Man of the Match off him because his defensive play could have cost his team.”

Due to Liverpool’s dominance of the ball – with an average of 58% possession this term – his positioning often goes punished, but it could be a reason why he is often left out of the England starting line-up; on his last start against Kosovo his poor defending cost his team goals.

Harsh from Neville

The pundit is quick to criticise Alexander-Arnold – who is valued at £72m by Transfermarkt – but the 21-year-old barely put a foot wrong in a defensive aspect against Spurs, and arguably his only poor moment came in failing to close down Heung-min Son in the build-up to the visitors’ goal.

Jamie Carragher was quick to leap to his defence, describing him as Liverpool’s most creative outlet, and since his 19 assists from the beginning of 2018/19 – with three this term – are not bettered by a teammate, it is clear how crucial he is to his side.

He was a threat all afternoon against Tottenham, making seven key passes, and he almost rifled the ball home from distance, too.

It is easy for Neville to point to defensive weaknesses but it is something he has improved on in the last few weeks, and he made two tackles and one interception on Sunday.

Prior to that, he made one tackle and five interceptions against Leicester but that did not prevent him from tallying five key passes, stats that underline the great balance he has in his game.

The fact he is performing this well in a side that has won the European Cup and lost just one league match in 48 suggests that he is in fact world-class.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Life seems to be going well at Anfield at the moment but Jurgen Klopp still needs to decide who is best placed to fulfil the role of third-choice centre-back.

On the chalkboard

The Reds have won nine matches from ten in the league and although clean sheets have been somewhat of a rarity this term, with only two in the league, the defence has still been a strong point with only eight goals conceded in the league.

However, with Joel Matip ruled out for up to six weeks the German boss suddenly has a big decision to make, and that is who should partner Virgil van Dijk in what could be a key period of Liverpool’s season.

During this spell the club will play an important Champions League match against Napoli which could decide if they storm to the top of the group or endure a nervy ending to the group stages, whilst also welcoming Manchester City to Anfield, and therefore Klopp has to be confident in his selection choice.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Currently, there seems to be indecision. Matip was first sidelined after the Sheffield United match a few weeks ago, and after that both Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez have been rotated, with both failing to thoroughly convince in the Cameroonian’s absence.

Trust in the long-term

Though Klopp seems in two minds, the simple solution would be to place his trust in Gomez.

Not only is he younger than Lovren, but he is also a better defender, and his physical attributes alone mean that he is the more useful option and better partner for van Dijk.

The Croatian was exposed in that department against Tottenham on Sunday. A simple long ball by Paulo Gazzaniga was misjudged by the defender and Heung-Min Son was able to round the keeper, with Lovren and the Reds only escaping because his shot hit the bar.

The 22-year-old, by contrast, has the pace to deal with most opposition players, and if he can rediscover the form he showed before the severe injury he suffered last year then he could even rival Matip in an audition for the role of van Dijk’s sidekick.

Gareth Southgate’s remark that he is an England star of the future attests to the enormity of his potential, and suggests that Lovren isn’t the answer for Klopp – not now and certainly not in the future.

As a result, the German should begin to bed-in Gomez once again and restore the confidence he may have lost, as that will likely get him playing to his highest level once again.

[ad_pod ]

So even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now admits Manchester United are in major need of a striker.

The Norwegian saw both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez depart Old Trafford this summer, but no replacement for the two forwards was brought in.

The United boss has now revealed “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know it’s a forward we’re going to try to recruit next time”.

Further to that, The Athletic claim the Red Devils plan to make another swoop for Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic in the January transfer window, after they came “very close” to signing him in the summer.

After hearing about the club potentially going back in for the Croatia international, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their opinions on the 33-year-old.

Many supporters of the Manchester side threw their backing behind a possible swoop, and one fan in particular suggested it “makes perfect sense”.

Some pointed to his huge level of experience as a major reason why United would be doing the right thing in targeting the 6 foot 3 striker again in the winter.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

A number of Newcastle United fans have been discussing Gareth Southgate’s view of Jamaal Lascelles after Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings became the 12th centre-back used by the England boss.

Mings made his Three Lions debut on Monday night alongside Manchester United’s Harry Maguire against Bulgaria, as Southgate opted to make a change at the back by removing Everton’s Michael Keane from the side that lost to the Czech Republic last week.

Southgate has previously trusted Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Joe Gomez, Kyle Walker, Lewis Dunk, Phil Jagielka, John Stones, Chris Smalling and James Tarkowski as his central defensive options, and included Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori in his England squad for the first time this international break.

A Newcastle fan calls for Sean and Matt Longstaff’s Mum to give birth to a starting eleven’s worth of Longstaffs in the video below…

Burnley’s Ben Gibson has also been named on the Three Lions bench thrice under Southgate, as has Fulham’s Alfie Mawson, although like Tomori, they did not enter the action to earn their senior debuts.

Newcastle’s Lascelles, meanwhile, is yet to earn a call-up to any England senior squad, with his last outing for the Three Lions coming in an U21 friendly against France in November 2014.

Since then, the Magpies captain has helped the St. James’ Park outfit return to the Premier League as Championship title holders and formed one of the best top-flight backlines in the Toon’s maiden campaign back in the highest tier of English domestic football.

United shipped 47 goals in the 2017/18 campaign, which only the top five of that season and seventh-placed Burnley could better. Newcastle conceded just one more in the 18/19 term, too, despite slipping from a tenth-placed finish to 13th in the Premier League standings.

Toon supporters are at a loss as to what more Lascelles needs to show in order to earn a maiden cap or a call-up by Southgate, with one calling the Derby-born defender’s continued absence “a complete joke”.

Others have suggested that Southgate has often chosen his teams on names over form and that it is “scandalous” that Lascelles continues to be overlooked.

Here are some of the messages shared…