All posts by n8rngtd.top

To put things bluntly, Leeds were terrible when they faced Crawley last Sunday.

Having been so free-flowing and full of spark in the Premier League, you’d have expected them to win at a canter. However, they lost 3-0 and suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats in recent history.

On the chalkboard

Marcelo Bielsa’s team selection last Sunday was an intriguing one. It combined youthful exuberance with a host of their experienced stars. Kalvin Phillips, Helder Costa, Pablo Hernandez and Kiko Casilla all started while club-record signing Rodrigo was also in the team.

The Spaniard was given a rare chance to play in a central striking role but struggled considerably.

He was brought off at half time after a pretty hopeless performance leading the line. Rodrigo made just seven passes and touched the ball on only 11 occasions. Furthermore, the 29-year-old sent both of his shots off target.

For someone who cost £30m, you’d expect him to score plentiful against Crawley. His performance, though, was ineffectual.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t for the first time this year. Against Tottenham, the Spain international struggled as well. Bielsa clearly wasn’t best pleased with him because he was brought off after 65 minutes.

Rodrigo provided two key passes and managed only one dribble, being bullied by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park. The Spurs midfielder won five tackles and a colossal 11 ground duels.

The solution

Bielsa hasn’t been afraid to leave Rodrigo out of his starting XI this season – appearing as a substitute six times – so, he must take him out the firing line again on Saturday.

Brighton are likely to sit back more than Tottenham did so Rodrigo could enjoy plenty of possession but after his last two performances, he deserves a rest and an opportunity to rediscover his focus.

The 29-year-old has been poor and thus, the manager needs to bring in someone like Pablo Hernandez. In completing a woeful 66% of his passes, a number that was down 12% from his season average, he didn’t have the best of afternoons v Crawley.

That being said, he did create three goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. That’s a tally seldom replicated by Rodrigo this term, someone who has managed more than two key passes in a match just twice.

Of course, it was League Two opposition, but at least Hernandez did his best to create chances, something very few players managed against Crawley.

He deserves a chance to prove himself in the top-flight. It might be ruthless given Rodrigo scored three games ago, but he hasn’t been good enough in 2021 so far.

Costa came into this game as the prime candidate to be ousted judging by his lacklustre display last weekend, but Rodrigo must end on the bench beside him.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Casilla: Leeds must swoop for “outstanding” 26 y/o, he could be game-changing…

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!

Leeds United had a brilliant summer transfer window by all accounts.

They spent nearly £100m on new talent and the marquee addition was undoubtedly the club-record signing of Rodrigo from Valencia.

The Whites splashed out £27m on the Spain international this summer, but it seems as though he may not be utilised in the best way going forward.

Indeed, Marcelo Bielsa alluded to the fact that he sees him as more of an attacking midfielder than a striker in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Aston Villa game, saying:

“Just to make a reference, for example, we have Bamford and Roberts up front, Rodrigo and Pablo in attacking midfield. Poveda and Costa, Raphinha and Harrison [on the wings].”

Rodrigo is certainly capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, after all, he has played there twice already this season, but prior to joining Leeds, that is a role he had never actually played in.

The saying goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and Rodrigo is a man with well over 350 senior appearances to his name with at least 200 of those coming as a centre-forward.

Asking your club-record signing to play out of position in order to accommodate Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts makes very little sense, and Darren Bent’s opinion on the matter perfectly shows why it may not be the best idea.

“It might be difficult but sometimes you’ve got to understand the situation of the team. At times it can be frustrating,” Bent said.

“I always wanted to play centre-forward but early on in my career, I was asked to play wide at times or positions I wasn’t comfortable in.”

Bent is right and Rodrigo could quickly get frustrated by being shackled to a position that he isn’t familiar with. When you add into that the fact that there’s an argument to make that Pablo Hernandez is actually the better option in attacking midfield, it looks as though Victor Orta’s hard work to get Rodrigo in at Elland Road is in danger of being wasted.

Indeed, Hernandez has a lot more experience playing in that role and he’s a lot more suited to playing under Bielsa, winning the club’s Player of the Year award in each of the last three seasons.

Fingers crossed the Argentine starts to use Rodrigo as a striker in the near future as that’s the position he’s played for the majority of his career.

Glasgow Rangers have a crucial fixture coming up as they face Willem II in the Europa League third qualifying round. Steven Gerrard will be hoping they advance to the playoff round, and if they do, they will take on either Galatasaray or Hajduk Split.

There looks to be a blow for the Gers ahead of the game though, as they have announced their squad and one noticeable name is missing.

On the official UEFA site you can see the squad that the Scottish side have submitted for the game and it shows that summer signing Leon Balogun will not be travelling to the Netherlands with the club.

The centre-back picked up a minor injury back in August after they played St. Johnstone and returned too early by the looks of it as in mid-September he pulled up in the warm-up against Dundee United and had to be replaced in the starting line-up. He was on the bench for their 2-2 draw against Hibernian at the weekend, but did not feature.

The defender has played three games in the Scottish Premiership for the club since he arrived on a free transfer in the summer, and he has picked up an average rating of 7.47, per SofaScore, which is very respectable and his stats show he has been solid as he has averaged two interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 2.3 clearances per game.

In the three matches he played the Gers have won and also kept clean sheets in all three so it does show he definitely has a very good impact in the back line.

Therefore he will be a loss for Gerrard in their crucial game and he will be hoping that the defence can still be strong without him. They should realistically be ok as they have Filip Helander, who is very experienced in Europe, and Connor Goldson, who has captained the side before so it shows how trusted he is by the manager.

Hopefully Balogun will be returning soon and the Gers will want to have every player available to make sure they have good squad depth for the season.

Glasgow Rangers fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to a report by the Telegraph that claims a move for Callum Wilson could include Scott Hogan joining Bournemouth.

After suffering relegation with the Cherries, Wilson will seemingly be keen to find a route back into the Premier League.

Villa, who survived on the final day of the season thanks to a 1-1 draw with West Ham United, will look to make some improvements to their squad this summer and it is thought that boss Dean Smith is keen to add a striker.

Having seen the likes of Wesley, Mbwana Samatta and Keinan Davis all struggle to find consistent goalscoring form, Smith is now being linked with a move for Wilson.

The Telegraph report that a deal for 28-year-old could include Hogan, who scored seven goals in 17 games on loan with Birmingham City in the second half of last season, moving in the opposite direction.

Reacting to the report via Twitter account @villareport, Claret and Blue fans gave their opinion on the potential swap deal and it seems they are split. Whilst some are keen due to Wilson’s decent top flight record – he has netted 41 times in 126 Premier League matches – others think he could be a risk given his high wages.

Do you think Callum Wilson would be a good signing for Aston Villa? Let us know in the comments section below…

Manchester United have been nothing short of sensational since football restarted and they became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive matches by three or more goals following their 3-0 win at Aston Villa on Thursday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils have put themselves in a great position to secure a top-six finish and they’re putting pressure on fourth-placed Leicester City as a Champions League spot continues to be the ultimate goal.

Going forward, United have been outstanding. Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford make up one of the most feared attacks in world football right now, while Paul Pogba’s involvement from midfield also brings an interesting goal threat.

And that is why they will be favourites here, despite Southampton also enjoying some food form since football returned in June.

Unbeaten in their last three outings, including a brilliant 1-0 victory over Manchester City, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints are making a late and ambitious bid for a top-ten Premier League finish, having pulled themselves away from a relegation battle with just one defeat from their last five games.

Before the postponement, Southampton were on a run of one win in five matches but they have managed to bounce back and give themselves an outside chance of a top-half finish, which will have looked almost impossible back in December when they suffered a humiliating 9-0 home defeat to Leicester.

A trip to Old Trafford is arguably the toughest test of their final batch of fixtures before the end of the campaign, but Hasenhuttl’s men are tipped to provide a more difficult contest than Man United’s most recent opponents have done.

Form

Since their 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal in June, Southampton have embarked on an impressive three-game unbeaten streak, which included a win over Manchester City and a strong point against Everton at Goodison Park.

Man United, on the other hand, are in the middle of a ten-match unbeaten run, winning each of their last four by three goals or more. The Red Devils’ last league defeat came at the end of January wen Burnley silenced Old Trafford with a 2-0 victory.

Since then, they have dropped just six points and scored an impressive 23 goals.

Team News

Victor Lindelof returned to the starting XI following a back injury in midweek but both Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones remain sidelined.

There are question marks over the fitness of Nemanja Matic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who both looked tired against Aston Villa.

Southampton quartet Sofiane Boufal, Jannik Vestergaard, Yan Valery and Moussa Djenepo are all still injured and will miss out, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could return to the starting XI after appearing from the bench in the midweek draw at Everton.

How to Watch

Fans of both clubs will have to wait until Monday for this fixture, which proceedings scheduled to get underway at Old Trafford on Monday 13 July, 8pm.

Supporters can watch the action Sky Sports Main Event or via their football live stream of choice,

A lot of West Ham fans were raving over footage posted by the club on Twitter showing a fantastic finish from Robert Snodgrass in their London derby fixture against Fulham last season.

The Scotsman received the ball on the edge of the box from winger Felipe Anderson and, without feeling a need for a first touch, the attacking midfielder smashed the ball into the top left corner.

It was a significant game back in December 2018 as the 2-0 win meant it was the side’s fourth consecutive victory, the first time they had managed that feat for five years, as per BBC Sport.

Michail Antonio grabbed the other goal but it is sheer moments of quality like the strike from Snodgrass which highlight why David Moyes’ is reportedly very keen to keep hold of the player next season, even though he is 32, as the club will offer him a new contract, according to a report from Claret and Hugh.

Hopefully, if he does sign a new contract, he can continue to impress Moyes and push the Hammers further up the table.

Here is what these West Ham fans had to say following the tweet:

Hammers fans, was this Snodgrass’ best goal for the club? Comment below with your views!

Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed Tottenham could once again target a move for Chelsea ace Olivier Giroud in the summer transfer window.

Reports back in January claimed that Spurs were very much keen on luring Giroud across London, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

However, with finances set to be restricted this summer what with the ongoing situation surrounding football, Gold has suggested that the north London could once again return for the Frenchman, despite reports of him potentially extending his contract at Stamford Bridge.

In a Q&A on Football.London, he said: “I would still expect Tottenham to sniff around Giroud in the next window, with any transfer fee unlikely to be large for a player of his age. I also think he fits the bill perfectly at Spurs of being a good foil for Harry Kane – he was superb in the match at Stamford Bridge between the two teams – and will not block the long-term progress of Troy Parrott.

“Artem Dzyuba is another player Spurs looked at in January and the big, prolific Russian striker is currently available for free in the summer. You can see the type of striker Tottenham are looking at bringing in and the price tag or lack of.”

With Spurs seemingly intent on keeping Harry Kane at the club, the north London side don’t necessarily need a new number one striker. A back-up option to help fill in when necessary and take the pressure off the England international’s shoulders will be most welcome, and Giroud certainly fits that bill.

At 33, he can come in for a season or two to share the goal-scoring burden with Kane, and that time will allow Parrott to develop, just as Gold suggests.

It’s a move that makes a lot of sense on many levels, and it certainly wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Giroud in a Spurs shirt come the start of the next season.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Spurs discussion going on in the Vital Tottenham Forum! Click here to get involved!

Dennis Praet has only started three Premier League matches for Leicester City since joining the club from Anderlecht over the summer.

The midfielder was an unused substitute during the 9-0 win over Southampton late last month, whilst he was only introduced for the final minute against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon meaning he has featured for just 274 minutes in the top flight so far in 2019/20.

The 25-year-old has still made 10 appearances in all competitions this season, though, and the Leicester fans have urged him to be patient.

Praet took to social media in the aftermath of Sunday’s 2-0 win at Palace, which saw Leicester move into third position in the Premier League table.

And the club’s supporters were keen to lavish the Belgium international with praise post-match.

It is unlikely that Praet will become too disheartened when considering that he is a part of a team seemingly going places under Brendan Rodgers.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

However, the fans have made their feelings on the summer arrival fairly clear.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

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…

Liverpool are now all but qualified for the next round of the Champions League.

The Reds were in action against Genk on Tuesday, and prevailed 2-1 thanks to goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

They now top their group in Europe’s premier club competition, five points clear of third-placed Red Bull Salzburg with just two matches left.

Jurgen Klopp made several changes to the side that won 2-1 against Aston Villa at the weekend, but one of those to keep his place was Trent Alexander-Arnold.

One of Liverpool’s stars under the former Borussia Dortmund manager, he displayed both experience and naivety against de Smurfen.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

First, let’s look at the positives. Defensively, he had some good moments, winning three tackles and making three interceptions. In both aspects, he led the way among his teammates. Going forward, too, he shone at times, creating four chances and landing a game-high two crosses.

However, just two of 12 found their target, and that was not the only area of his game that was below his usual high standards. The seven-time England international lost possession an astonishing game-high 32 times, with the next worse being Joakim Maehle with 24. James Milner, the next Liverpool player, lost the ball on just half as many occasions.

The stats won’t tell the whole story either. For example, the 21-year-old will be credited with an interception for the way he took the ball off Mbwana Samatta’s head just before the visitors equalised, but he was only forced to make such a last-ditch challenge after he failed to track the Tanzania international’s run quickly enough. Had he been marking his man properly, he may have even been able to avoid the corner that led to the leveller which he instead gave away.

We often forget that he is just 21 years old, but considering he already has 100 first-team appearances for the Reds and has a Champions League medal, there is only so much slack he can be cut when using the argument of his youth.

Against Genk, it was not necessarily an issue – Liverpool could afford to be slightly off the pace and still dominate. But it will be a much different story against Manchester City at the weekend.

The £72m-valued right-back – as per Transfermarkt – needs to eradicate this type of sloppiness immediately, otherwise the likes of Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero will be waiting to take advantage.