All posts by n8rngtd.top

Manchester City were unable to break down a stubborn Manchester United defence in a 0-0 draw on Saturday afternoon, with Riyad Mahrez in particular, producing a disappointing display against the Red Devils.

The Algerian winger wasted a huge opportunity to give the Citizens the lead in the first-half, in a game of few chances at Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old was disappointing throughout the game on Saturday and was substituted in the second-half by Pep Guardiola, as the away side chased a winner.

As per SofaScore, the former Leicester City man picked up a 6.8 rating for his display, with only Joao Cancelo, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus rated lower of the City players who started the game.

During the game, Mahrez had just 23 touches of the ball, which was less than goalkeeper Ederson, who had 36.

The winger could only complete 13/18 passes during his time on the pitch, as he struggled to have much impact against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, in a game that was low on quality.

Mahrez failed with his one dribble attempt during the game, which is an area he normally excels in, so it was clear that he wasn’t at his best during the game at Old Trafford.

Whilst he won two out of four of his duels during the game, and lost possession just eight times, he struggled to get involved, as City failed to ever really get in behind United’s defence.

Earlier this year, Guardiola was full of praise for the 28-year-old, saying:

“Riyad is an exceptional player. I know how important he is for us.”

“For the quality, the passes and especially his mentality and he is aggressive to score goals.”

However, it was clear that Mahrez couldn’t really have any impact on the game during the Manchester derby, so it was no surprise that Ferran Torres replaced the Algerian with just under half an hour remaining.

Mahrez will have to improve if he wants to keep his place in this City starting eleven, with Guardiola’s side set to face West Brom in their next Premier League fixture on Tuesday.

And, in other news… Manchester City made a huge transfer mistake with “inquisitive” ace who’s started the season on fire

If you thought things couldn’t worse for Sheffield United, their defeat to Everton just about summed things up.

The Blades held proceedings at 0-0 for the vast majority of the game but let a crucial point in their bid for survival slip away late on.

With ten minutes to go, Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson popped up for the Toffees to seal all three points for the visitors.

It was a gut-wrenching blow that piled even further pressure on Chris Wilder and his side. Sheffield United still only have a point to their name and are seemingly fading away without a trace.

It was another tough night for the South Yorkshire side which wasn’t helped by the withdrawal of David McGoldrick in the second half. He may not have been his usual bullish self but he received very little help from George Baldock on the right-hand side.

The wing-back was impressive during his first season in the Premier League but has unfortunately seen his performance levels drop in 2020/21. This was a display that typified it, losing possession a colossal 16 times as he struggled to ever really get his foot on the ball properly.

Baldock registered a meagre pass success rate of 62% and was bullied by a rampant Ben Godfrey, someone who surpassed the Sheffield United defender on multiple occasions. In total, the Blades wing-back was beaten for pace three times so it’s no surprise to see that he completed just a solitary tackle.

To emphasise how poor the 27-year-old’s night was, he lost a hefty 69% of his duels, winning only one of eight contested on the ground. Baldock was slightly better in the air – winning three of the five duels attempted but overall, it was a disappointing outing.

It was a performance that will have left Wilder frustrated, especially having conceded such a late goal. Perhaps it’s time for Jayden Bogle to come into the side permanently?

The former Derby defender found the back of the net against Brighton and looked assured going forward on his only league appearance of the season. It’s safe to say that Baldock lacked those qualities on Boxing Day.

Time will tell how patient Wilder is.

AND in other news, EXCLUSIVE: Dean Windass drops bombshell over Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United future…

Some Liverpool fans have been gushing over the tactics that Steven Gerrard uses for his Rangers team and have even compared them to Jurgen Klopp’sÂsystem at Anfield.

As per a tweet by Premier League Panel, the Anfield legend often attacks through his full-backs in his 4-3-3 system, as they cited that James Tavernier and Borna Barisic have 24 goals and assists between them in 37 starts in the Scottish Premiership and UEFA Europa League so far in the 2020/21 term.

Comparing those stats to both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, in 288 combined appearances between the Reds duo for the senior team, Alexander-Arnold has recorded eight goals and 38 assists (Transfermarkt), meaning they have mustered up 13 goals and 71 assists between them.

There are similarities in terms of how many contributions each full-back gets for their respective sides, and so some LFC supporters have speculated as to whether Gerrard could succeed Klopp in the future – he has of course been linked on plenty of occasions.

Liverpool fan reaction to Gerrard tactics

These Reds gushed over the tactics set by Gerrard on Twitter, with one fan claiming that the former England international is a possible ‘Klopp successor’:

In other news, find out why the latest update in Liverpool’s pursuit of one transfer target has been lauded by fans here!

Harvey Elliott has been impressing at Blackburn Rovers since joining on loan from Liverpool in the recent summer transfer window, to the extent where he could be considered ready for the Reds’ first-team next season.

The 17-year-old joined the Championship side on loan in October and in six appearances for Tony Mowbray’s side, he has contributed one goal and three assists (per Transfermarkt).

Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham in 2019 and he has already made as many as nine appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s first team, suggesting that the German manager has very high hopes for the youngster.

The winger has also impressed for Liverpool’s U23 side, having contributed three goals and four assists in 13 appearances, which included a superb overhead kick against Wolves’ academy side.

The ‘wonderkid’ is showing himself to be immensely talented, as to contribute to four goals in six appearances in the Championship with a new club suggests to us that it won’t be long at all until he is pushing for a starting spot in Klopp’s side.

Of course, Liverpool have world-class talent on their wings, in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane but with both of those players set to play in the African Cup of Nations in January 2022, perhaps Elliott could be the man to fill in in their absence.

Back-up winger Xherdan Shaqiri has also been linked with a move away from Anfield in recent times, so if he leaves in January or the summer, perhaps we could see Elliott promoted to one of Klopp’s main back-up options.

The 17-year-old was praised by Klopp after Liverpool beat Arsenal on penalties in the League Cup last season, with the German manager saying:

“It’s easy to be convinced about him when you see him training, he is an exceptional talent, absolutely, and he’s a nice kid as well.

“To see him, how he encouraged the crowd around the corners…I had a couple of moments where I was really touched tonight, to be honest. So for a few moments, that’s really cool.” (per Liverpool Echo)

Therefore, if Elliott is able to continue his impressive start to life at Blackburn Rovers for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign, there seems no reason why he can’t be pushing for a spot in Liverpool’s first-team next season.

Carlo Ancelotti has landed an £18million boost after Paris Saint-Germain Director of Football Leonardo confirmed the Ligue 1 outfit do not have an option to buy on-loan striker Moise Kean next summer.

What’s the word?

Leonardo has been addressing Kean’s future at the Parc des Princes while speaking at a recent press conference, where he was questioned over the potential of the Italian remaining in Ligue 1 beyond his initial year-long loan.

Everton reportedly sanctioned a temporary transfer for Kean to kick start his career with the French giants after struggling to impress under Ancelotti, with the Blues boss only awarding his compatriot four starts in the Premier League following his arrival last season.

The agreement had been claimed to feature an option for PSG to buy Kean in 2021 worth €20m (£18.08m), despite Ancelotti stating otherwise and Leonardo now going on record to rubbish speculation the Ligue 1 heavyweights are in a position to strike a permanent deal.

“There is no purchase option for Moise Kean,” Leonardo said. “It would, unfortunately, be very high. He is an excellent player, whom we have been following for a while, a very powerful player.”

Everton will be glad to welcome Kean back to Goodison Park next summer given his tremendous start to life in France, where boss Thomas Tuchel has lauded the striker after he netted a brace in the Champions League.

Kean has further struck three goals in four Ligue 1 appearances and was described by Tuchel as a courageous forward after scoring in a 3-0 win over Stade Rennais at the weekend.

“[Kean] has a big heart, he puts on intensity. He is not afraid, he is courageous. He does what is necessary,” Tuchel said, via quotes by One Football.

“I wouldn’t want to be a defender against him right now. It’s really hard to play against him. It’s very important for us because we miss that in certain times.”

A major boost for Carlo?

While Ancelotti was not as forthcoming with opportunities to feature in the Premier League last season as Tuchel has been in Ligue 1 this term, Kean’s return to Merseyside next summer will come as a huge boost for the Toffees.

Kean amassed a mere 489 minutes of top-flight football over 18 outings under Ancelotti before joining PSG, where he has already featured for 269 minutes in just four league fixtures which have been enough for the 20-year-old to better his goal tally with key efforts to open the scoring against Dijon FCO and Stade Rennais.

Everton are often lacking goals outside of their key playmakers in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez, with defender Michael Keane (two) the next-best scorer at Goodison Park behind the England striker (eight) and Colombia winger (three).

Calvert-Lewin has managed just one goal in his last three appearances, too, as Everton failed to score in defeat to Southampton whilst Bernard broke the deadlock in a 3-1 drubbing by Manchester United.

A rejuvenated Kean could take some of that burden off Calvert-Lewin next term, offering Ancelotti crucial depth upfront in fixtures like those against Southampton and Newcastle, having impressed the most against two contrasting Ligue 1 outfits.

While Dijon are routed to the bottom of the French top-flight, Rennes are pushing for Champions League qualification and would sit just three points behind PSG had they emerged victorious in Saturday’s meeting, having lost just once in nine prior games.

AND in other news, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, a former Premier League ace has revealed Everton made a mistake by not signing an 8-cap international this summer.

According to the agent of Bayer Leverkusen striker Lucas Alario, who spoke to TNT Sports via Sport Witness, Tottenham ‘had the chance’ to seal a summer loan move when they were searching for a back up striker to Harry Kane – but both the player and his representative ended up declining. 

Alario, who scored seven goals and assisted three others for the German club last campaign, was reportedly approached by Spurs and Daniel Levy before they sealed a temporary deal with an option to buy for Benfica star Carlos Vinicius.

Alario declined deal

The 8-cap Argentina international, who scored three goals over those appearances for his country, is currently valued at around £12.15 million by Transfermarkt – with the 28-year-old reportedly attracting Spurs’ interest over the summer.

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino had been keeping tabs as far back as 2017 according to the Independent, eyeing a move for his compatriot, who has been likened to Didier Drogba. 

Now, as per his agent, Spurs could have sealed a summer loan deal for the player – three years after Pochettino first signalled the intent to bring him to north London.

“We had opportunities to go out on loan and he chose to stay,” agent Pedro Aldave told TNT Sports via Sport Witness.

“I think Lucas can be in a top team today. Everything is very relative, many times the players of the top teams reach the end of the championship shattered.

“It’s easier to make the leap from Argentina to a top team, on the other hand, if you already came to Europe it’s more difficult. We had the chance of Tottenham, which is a top club, but to go and watch the games from the stands, it doesn’t work.

Transfer Tavern take

The comments from Alario’s agent suggest it was a matter of concerns over playing time rather than disrespect towards the north London club, so one has to respect the player’s decision in that regard.

Judging by his meagre market value and past plaudits though, Alario could have been a snip, but Spurs supporters won’t be seething given the acquisition of Vinicius – who has already impressed under manager Jose Mourinho.

In other news: Tottenham are being urged to bin this ‘unbelievable’ ace, find out more here. 

Leeds United’s transfers this summer haven’t been bad by any stretch, but there is always room for a little bit of improvement.

The Whites spent almost £100m on new talent in the window, but interestingly, not one of these players had ever worked with Marcelo Bielsa before, despite the Argentine having a huge network of ex-players he could call upon.

Bielsa has worked with some of the most talented players in the game at the moment with the likes of Man City’s Aymeric Laporte and Benjamin Mendy, as well as PSG’s Ander Herrera developing under him, but for one reason or another he hasn’t worked towards bringing in any of his ex-players at Leeds.

Familiarity with your playing staff can be a great thing, and using your connections to make signings can be incredibly lucrative, as shown by Garry Monk’s time at the club.

The former Swansea City boss brought in three players who he worked with in south Wales, and it’s fair to say that this strategy was a rousing success, with both Pablo Hernandez and Kyle Bartley earning a place in Phil Hay’s Leeds United Team of the Decade.

Bielsa has a litany of stars in his contact book from his spells at Marseille, Athletic Bilbao and Chile, and while many have been linked, not a single one of his ex-players have signed for Leeds.

Perhaps this is down to Victor Orta having the main say on Leeds transfers, but it’s been well-documented that Bielsa has a sway on the club’s transfer activity, so it may just be that the Argentine is actively deciding against using his contact book.

However, with Leeds seemingly having huge financial resources these days, there are plenty of players he worked with at his former jobs that could slot nicely into United’s XI, especially seeing as Marseille and Bilbao are regularly playing in European competitions.

Signing players who know Bielsa’s methods would also negate the need for the lengthy bedding in period that the Argentine likes to give his new signings, as it wouldn’t take them too long to get up to speed with a manager they’ve already worked with.

This is a transfer plan that the Argentine should look to implement in the near future.

Just a season after leaving Arsenal, it looks as though Aaron Ramsey may already be heading out of the exit door at Juventus.

The £400k-a-week earning star played just 24 times in Serie A in his debut campaign in Italian football, with many of those appearances coming off the bench – in fact, he completed the full 90 minutes on just one occasion during the whole year.

Now, Calcio Mercato claim that West Ham are eyeing up a potential move for the midfielder, and that given Juventus signed him on a free transfer, they are considering letting him go and simply making a profit on their investment.

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The report further adds that the Hammers could face competition from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the race to sign him.

Whilst he may not have pulled up any trees in Italy, there’s no doubting that Ramsey had proven himself to be an elite box-to-box midfielder in this country.

He struck two FA Cup final winning goals for Arsenal, and ended his career with the Gunners with an unbelievable record of 65 goals and 65 assists in 371 games for the club.

Hammers boss David Moyes even admitted during his time as Manchester United manager that he was very close to signing him in 2008 when he was at Everton.

He said: “Yes, I was very close to signing Aaron when I was at Everton. I had him and his family in my house but Arsenal beat me to it.”

More than 12 years later, and Moyes could finally get his man.

When it comes to Fantasy Premier League, you forward options are often the most important decisions to make before the start of each new season – and this one proves no different to the rest.

There is an abundance of strikers and wingers to choose from now, with plenty of forwards last season heading into double figures for their goalscoring tallies. This new season has seen plenty of new additions from new signings at the big clubs, all the way to the new players coming through from the clubs promoted from the Championship.

No matter what, you can always rely on your go-to’s from each season, as well as finding room for those hidden gems and cheaper players to help fill out your squad whilst making sure you build the best starting XI and bench possible.

With that being said, we’re going to take a look at four options up top that could be a make or break for your FPL team, ranging from all prices at any club in the league.

Aleksandar Mitrovic – £6.0m

The Serbian international is back in the Premier League with Fulham after their prometon via the Playoff final against Brentford. Last season in the Championship, Mitrović managed 26 goals in 41 appearances for the Cottagers – and in his last season in the Premier League, he still scored 11 goals for the club despite their relegation in the 2018/19 season.

The 25-year-old will currently cost you just £6.0m, a great price for a striker of his ability and proficiency, and has only been selected by 25.7% of users. Along with an ICT index rank of 512 of 521, Mitrović should be in everyone’s starting XI this season.

Anthony Martial – £9.0m

Last season saw the Frenchman enjoy his best goalscoring season for Manchester United yet, managing 17 goals in 33 appearances. During that time, he picked up a total of 200 points and certainly struck up a great partnership with Marcus Rashford both before and after the Englishman’s injury.

This season has only seen 13.8% of user select Martial, likely due to his £9.0m price tag – but don’t let that scare you off. Now that the 24-year-old has found his feet in a Red Devils shirt, I can’t see that slowing down now, and he would be a great option in your starting XI if you give him the chance.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – £7.2m

Everton’s No.9 has certainly shown what he is about in the Premier League last campaign.

The 23-year-old scored 13 goals for the Toffees last season, amassing 126 points by the end of the year, and I don’t see that being the end of the Englishman’s goalscoring form. This season has seen Carlo Ancelotti sign three new midfielders in Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and James Rodriguez, with the latter being the most important for Calvert-Lewin.

Rodriguez will bring a new attacking dimension for Everton, and I can see Calvert-Lewin benefitting greatly from this. This season the striker will only cost you £7.2m and has only been selected by 24% of users.

Neal Maupay – £6.5m

The French striker has been something of a revelation for Brighton. Since 2016, Glenn Murray was a fantastic goal scorer for the Seagulls, but the 2018/19 season was far from Murray’s brilliance – and this led to the now 36-year-old being side-lined due to injuries and his age.

In steps Neal Maupay, and suddenly Brighton have themselves a real goalscoring striker in their hands. Last season was Maupay’s first for the club, and the 24-year-old managed 10 goals in 37 appearances, totaling 131 points for the campaign.

Maupay can currently be picked up for just £6.5m. Only 2.1% of users have selected him, meaning he has certainly gone under the radar.

According to an exclusive update courtesy of 90min, Tottenham Hotspur have had an approach to sign AS Roma starlet Nicolo Zaniolo rejected – with the Italian club’s newly found takeover meaning they’re no longer looking to offload one of their most prized assets. 

Back in early August, US billionaire Dan Friedkin completed a £530 million buy-out of Roma from ex-majority shareholder James Pallotta – injecting some financial stability and ultimately changing their stance on selling star players.

Previously, the Serie A side had been tipped to negotiate an exit for Zaniolo as they looked to finance new additions in weakened areas, and Spurs allegedly lead the race ahead of Juventus and Inter Milan.

The Lilywhites, who have been tracking the attacker since 2019, seemed to have a fair chance of landing him – with manager Jose Mourinho reportedly looking to add some fresh final third options ahead of a 2020/2021 Champions League qualification push.

However, following Friedkin’s move to buy Roma, Spurs will no longer have the chance to sign Zaniolo as per 90min – with the club now reluctant to let go of the 6ft 3 creative force.

This news should come as a hammer blow to chairman Daniel Levy and the club board, especially considering Tottenham have so far failed to land a successor for ex-hero Christian Eriksen.

Indeed, Mourinho’s side have an abundance of midfielders who play in slightly deeper roles, having also recently acquired Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton. 

However, Dele Alli and Steven Bergwijn appear to be their only attacking midfielders who are debatably adept at playing through the middle – with Zaniolo previously seen as a player who can fill that mould. 

Described as ‘incredible’ by Italian footballing icon Daniele De Rossi, Spurs’ rejected approach for the starlet simply must prompt the club to search elsewhere for alternatives before the start of next campaign.

Spurs fans, are you disappointed that Zaniolo looks unlikely to join the club? Let us know below…