All posts by h716a5.icu

A big game is to be held later today at the Vitality, with Newcastle United looking to go level on points with Bournemouth after what has been an unbelievable turn around from Rafa Benitez and his men. The run can’t end now, right?

Finally, it looks as though the Spaniard and his squad are on the same page and performing the way a Newcastle side should be. The Toon Army will be travelling down south with all the confidence in the world after their incredible come back last week against Everton. Indeed, it truly was a Premier League classic.

Still, Benitez must answer questions against an Eddie Howe side who are looking to build off their solid 0-2 away win against Huddersfield, in what is a huge game for the Magpies. Win, and that might just be survival guaranteed.

With that in mind, we take a look at a couple of changes the gaffer could make.

Drop Matt Ritchie 

Matt Ritchie has been suffering from a run of poor form of late, and after being subbed against Everton before the magic began, missing a penalty. To be honest, he has looked the shadow of his former self lately, largely because he’s been performing two roles at once.

Not having scored since the memorable 2-1 win over Manchester City, the Magpies will need to look elsewhere in the squad until the Scottish international can get back to being devastating in the final third.

Start Kenedy 

Despite struggling to get a real foothold in the squad this season, Kenedy will be looking to his past performance against Bournemouth earlier this season to inspire him. Grabbing his only assist this season against Bournemouth in the 2-1 home win, he will be hoping that a start would help provide the same sort of lift to bring all three points back to St. James’.

Newcastle fans will be remembering the form of Kenedy towards the end of last season, a form that lifted the Toon up and helped pave a way for survival. Is it too late for the 23-year-old to push on and recapture that same late-season form?

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West Ham United fans have lauded Matthew Taylor after the former Hammer announced that he will retire at the end of the season via his official Twitter account.

Taylor spent three years at Upton Park between 2011 and 2014, helping the side win promotion back to the Premier League in the 2011-12 season.

A versatile player who can play in midfield, on the left wing and at left-back, Taylor is currently playing for Swindon Town, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

He announced on Tuesday that, upon the expiration of that deal, he would hang up his boots, after a career that has spanned seven clubs and 20 years.

Taylor began his career at Luton Town before making a move to Portsmouth, where he spent six years. Following that, moves to Bolton, the Hammers, Burnley, Northampton Town and Swindon followed.

And Irons fans have wished Taylor the best of luck in his retirement, with many holding fond memories of his time in east London.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has said that Kemar Roofe will be available to make his return from a knee injury in the clash with Birmingham City on April 6.

What’s the latest?

The Yorkshire Evening Post quotes Bielsa as saying:

“Roofe is not going to be ready against Millwall but he’ll be available after that.”

Roofe has been on the sidelines since the middle of last month with a knee problem.

Earlier this week, the striker took to social media to reveal that he was in the latter stages of his recovery, which led to excitement amongst the Leeds supporters.

Roofe made no mention of when he would return, but Bielsa, speaking at his press conference on Thursday, revealed that the 26-year-old will miss Saturday’s clash with Millwall, but should be fit to face Birmingham on April 6.

The attacker has found the back of the net on 14 occasions in the Championship this season and his return will come at the perfect time for the Whites.

What do Leeds have left this season?

Eight Championship matches. Well, regular season matches, anyway. Leeds will hope that it is just the eight as they battle for a spot in the top two.

Bielsa’s side are currently in third, though, one point off Sheffield United, who recorded a 1-0 victory at Elland Road before the international break.

Roofe has missed his team’s last six Championship matches and that will become seven this weekend, but there is still plenty of football left to play.

In April, Leeds will face Millwall, Birmingham City, Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan Athletic, Brentford and Aston Villa, before travelling to Ipswich Town on the final weekend of the 2018-19 campaign.

It is shaping up to be a fascinating battle to secure a top-two finish, but the return of Roofe at this stage of the campaign is a huge boost.

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Tottenham Hotspur kicked off life in their new stadium with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

It was not the most entertaining of matches truth be told, but it was a very important victory for Tottenham as they returned to third position in the Premier League table.

Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen scored the goals for Spurs, but it was also an impressive defensive performance from Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

And the Tottenham fans have been keen to pay tribute to Jan Vertonghen.

According to WhoScored, the centre-back had two shots, a pass success rate of 93% and also won seven aerial duels during his 90 minutes on the field.

There is no question that the Belgium international is one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Which team is the dominant force in London right now? Playmaker FC’s Tom Skinner has a very unpopular opinion on the matter. Check it out in the video below…

And it is safe to say that the Tottenham fans absolutely adore the 31-year-old, who has now made 278 appearances for the club in all competitions.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

The feeling amongst the Leeds United players following their dramatic 3-2 victory over Millwall on Saturday must be electric, right?

An incredible comeback which saw Pablo Hernandez star once again for Marcelo Bielsa’s side saw the Whites leapfrog Sheffield United in the Championship standings as their promotion rivals were beaten by Bristol City. With a two-point lead over third-place, Leeds know that if they can go on a solid run in their final seven fixtures, they should be able to secure a top-two finish in May.

However, in the aftermath of their victory at the weekend, it emerged that full-back Barry Douglas could be about to face yet another prolonged period on the sidelines for the club due to injury. The defender, who is valued at £3.15 million (by Transfermarkt), is to undergo a scan on his knee after picking up a knock against Millwall (via the Yorkshire Evening Post).

If Douglas does require a period of rehabilitation, it could result in him missing the remainder of the season which would be a huge blow for Leeds, especially when you consider the experience he brings to the team. The Scotland international was one of the stand-out players last year for Wolves who were in a similar position to the Whites last season before they eventually stormed their way to the Championship title.

Although it can be argued that Ezgjan Alioski has been fairly impressive this season when he has been asked to cover at full-back in the absence of Douglas, with tough fixtures coming against Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday, he will have to step up his performance once again to ensure that his side remain on track to achieve promotion.

What do you think Leeds fans? How costly could it be for your hopes of Premier League football if you lose Douglas at this stage? Is Alioski a competent-enough replacement? Let us know below.

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It’s been quite the season for Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp. He’s one of the top goal scorers in the Championship and stands a fantastic chance of leading his side to promotion to the Premier League.

A few weeks ago he was named in the Championship Team of the Year, as well as being one of three men to be nominated for the Player of the Season award too.

But he’s picked up another accolade, winning the Moment of the Season at the EFL awards for when the Blade reached a record-breaking 220th English league goal this term.

Praise from Sheffield United fans came flooding in as one individual was quick to call the 33-year-old a legend. Others claimed it was well deserved whilst one supporter suggested it was the only moment the award could go to.

The Blades are currently second in the Championship as the promotion race continues to ebb and flow.

Sharp has contributed 23 goals to his team’s efforts in 2018/19.

Here’s what supporters have been saying about him.

Desperate times call for desperate measures at Tottenham and the club will be hoping Dele Alli can continue despite a suspect broken hand.

The Champions League melee against Manchester City on Tuesday night has already claimed one victim with star forward Harry Kane looking in serious doubt for the remained of the season after a cynical tackle from Fabian Delph (as per BBC Sport).

Spurs are facing down the barrel of one of their worst bottles to date – and that is saying something. What was once an almost guaranteed third place spot, and very, very slight title hope, has quickly turned into a scrap with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal for a spot in the top four.

The misery of a ghastly run of form may have been slightly lessened thanks to the opening of the new stadium and a win over Pep Guardiola’s City in the Champions League, but reality has cruelly slapped fans in the face with a big, smelly Harry Kane shaped fish.

And more bad news is to come (potentially).

The Daily Mail have reported that Dele Alli sustained a possible broken hand in the closing stages of Tuesday night’s match against Manchester City. Although it is said that Mauricio Pochettino and the club’s medics are exploring every possible avenue to ensure that the England international is available for selection in the run-in.

Desperation? Yes and no.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that Pochettino should just allow one of his best players to sit on the side-line for the remainder of the season, especially given how important he has been throughout.

However, we cannot help but think this situation has been brought about by the Spurs’ frugality in the market. No new signings this season is quite frankly embarrassing, after all. Sort it out, Daniel Levy.

Spurs fans, how important is it that you have Dele Alli fit for the remainder of the season? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]In the latter stages of 2018, a number of West Ham United fans called for Michail Antonio to leave the club as soon as possible.Fast forward a few months, though, and their attitude towards the Englishman has completely changed.Antonio could have scored a brace off the bench against Manchester United last weekend – hitting the crossbar with a thumping effort before seeing a header kept out by Red Devils goalkeeper David de Gea.Antonio did get his name on the scoresheet in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City, however, which led to a host of praise from the London club’s fans.It would certainly be fair to say that the attacker is not the most technically gifted footballer in the world, but his commitment to the cause is excellent.

And after scoring his fifth Premier League goal of the season against Leicester, a host of West Ham supporters were keen to lavish praise on the 29-year-old.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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According to Le10 Sport, Liverpool are interested in signing Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar in this summer’s transfer window.

However, the same report has claimed that the Reds will find it tough to secure the 20-year-old’s services as Lyon might be forced to sell Tanguy Ndombele at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Aouar came through the youth system at Lyon and has been a regular this term – scoring seven times and contributing eight assists in 42 appearances.

Liverpool are expected to move for a new attacking midfielder in this summer’s transfer window as head coach Jurgen Klopp looks to improve his options.

And there is no question that Aouar would fit the mould, with the France Under-21 international capable of operating in a number of different midfield positions.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The Premier League club’s fans have been on social media reacting to the speculation surrounding the Lyon ace, and a selection of the best tweets can be viewed below:

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Marcelo Bielsa must reinstate Kalvin Phillips to the starting XI if Leeds are to stand any chance of stopping Aston Villa’s star man Jack Grealish on Sunday.

The Yorkshire outfit realistically need to beat Villa at Elland Road if they want to take the automatic promotion race to the final day, and to do that they need to end the visitors’ 10-game winning streak.

Grealish’s threat

The English midfielder is one of the most dangerous attacking threats for any defensive line to come up against in the Championship.

The Villa man’s greatest threat comes from his dribbling ability and his vision. Grealish can create space for himself and find a killer pass to split even the most excellent of rearguards in the division.

There aren’t many players that could successfully keep tabs on him for a full 90 minutes, but luckily for Bielsa he has the perfect foil for the 23-year-old’s trickery.

Phillips must return

If Leeds are to stand any chance of stopping the Midlands club’s talisman they must call upon Phillips to return to the heart of the midfield.

Bielsa dropped him in favour of Adam Forshaw for the game against Brentford on Monday, but now the Argentine must bring him straight back into the fold.

Leeds sorely missed the destructive work that the 23-year-old does just in front of the backline during the game at Griffin Park, and they must utilise attributes that Phillips possesses have to if Leeds are to keep Grealish quiet.

He has the stamina and tactical awareness to close the Villa star down whenever he’s on the ball and recover possession before the 23-year-old can turn it into anything more dangerous. Leeds’ anchor man has been brilliant when doing the Whites’ defensive dirty work this season, breaking up play and getting a foot in.

To keep their promotion hopes alive Bielsa must give Phillips the specific task of keeping Grealish out of the game.