All posts by n8rngtd.top

[ad_pod ]It didn’t take Aaron Wan-Bissaka too long after his move to Manchester United to get his first England call-up.The right-back position for the Three Lions is one of the most competitive roles in the squad, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier all vying for a spot.Because of the quality and depth in that position, Gareth Southgate didn’t select Wan-Bissaka during his time at Crystal Palace, but just weeks after his United debut he’s in the England squad.He’s seemingly settled in very quickly at Old Trafford as one of his new teammates took to social media to congratulate him.

Marcus Rashford was also named in Southgate’s squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Kosovo and Bulgaria, but rather than focus on his own achievements he wanted to pay tribute to his teammate.

With Trippier and Alexander-Arnold also in the squad it remains to be seen whether or not Wan-Bissaka will earn his first cap, but being called up to the squad is an achievement in itself, and Rashford wanted to congratulate his friend.

The defender is clearly already a popular figure at Old Trafford, and that certainly bodes well for the team as high squad morale will only improve performances on the pitch.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football Fancast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Jay-Roy Grot endured a torrid first season at Leeds in 2017/18.

Failing to ever show the form that saw him net five times for NEC Nijmegan, he scored just once. He only started one game all season and was consequently shipped on temporarily.

That was before Marcelo Bielsa, however, who following that term never saw a use for him.

The 21-year-old returned to the Netherlands last campaign for a season with VVV-Venlo and didn’t have the worst of campaigns, contributing to nine goals in the Eredivisie.

It appears as though the youngster thrives in this league and during his start to the term at Vitesse, a club known for its links with developing young Chelsea players, he is showing tremendous strides.

In his first five games, the Leeds man has played in a variety of roles including up front and on the flanks. He’s proving to be versatile and given the way Bielsa uses players like Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton in different positions, he seems like someone the Argentine would like.

However, that is far from the truth. When Yorkshire Evening Post initially reported Vitesse’s interest in the Dutchman this summer, they claimed that he would be let go if Bielsa couldn’t find room for him in his plans.

Despite that, he wasn’t deemed surplus at Elland Road.

But his performances in 2019/20 are showing why those plans may have been wrong.

In four starts, Grot has scored one goal and also laid on an assist for a teammate, per WhoScored, proving to be a threat for a side that currently sits top of its division.

Vitesse are above both Ajax and PSV by a solitary point after the first month. His impact, therefore, has played a part in lifting a team beyond expectations.

His goal threat, producing 2.4 shots per game, is impressive and considering the lack of strikers within Leeds’ squad there could have been a use for him in west Yorkshire.

At present Eddie Nketiah and Patrick Bamford are the only viable options unless you mull over a different role for Tyler Roberts or bring Ryan Edmondson into the fray.

Grot appeared 12 times as a centre forward in his opening season at Leeds and this is a role he could yet thrive in.

A loan spell seems beneficial, but his form so far provides evidence that Bielsa’s plans for him were wrong.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Celtic fans have been responding to a tweet from their club offering them the inside track on Europa League opponents CFR Cluj.

Lots of clubs tweet information on their opponents for fans to enjoy, especially when that opponent is the 312th-ranked side in Europe, playing in a league that is rarely watched by the average football fan.

In Celtic’s case however, the fans know all about their Europa League Group E counterparts, as it was the Romanian outfit who dumped them out of Champions League qualifying last month.

Cluj scored four times at Parkhead in a truly abysmal performance from Neil Lennon’s side, and fans have now been left slightly irked by the Hoops’ tweet offering “the story” of their upcoming opponents.

One fan simply responding by saying it was “too soon” to re-open the wound, while some sarcastically asked if the club even remembered getting knocked out and one simply resorted to a funny gif basically asking the club to cut it out.

Have a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

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…

Having made 17 appearances in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign – playing 90 minutes in 15 of those games – Scott Dann was a true mainstay in Frank de Boer and then Roy Hodgson’s starting XI.

The former Blackburn centre-back had been an immense performer for the Eagles since signing for just £2.6m back in January 2014, scoring 15 goals for the club in total across 152 appearances.

However, his career at Selhurst Park was ruined by one moment.

The 32-year-old lined up against Pep Guardiola’s formidable Manchester City side on New Year’s Eve back in 2017, with the Citizens yet to be beaten by anyone up to that point.

Dann attempted to tackle Kevin De Bruyne on the edge of the Palace box before clutching his knee, screaming in agony at what had just happened.

He had ruptured his cruciate ligament and looked set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

In the time that he spent in rehab, the centre-back situation in SE25 changed drastically, and negatively, for Dann.

James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho emerged as a formidable partnership at the back under Hodgson – the pair helped keep the Premier League’s sixth-best clean sheet record last term – and the former England manager never looked further than those two in terms of selecting his centre-backs.

When one of them suffered an injury, Martin Kelly was on hand to step in and performed admirably while Dann continued his rehab.

The experienced defender eventually returned off the bench against Southampton back in January of this year, playing the final minute of a 1-1 draw.

However, his fate was sealed.

He found himself as Hodgson’s fourth-choice centre-back upon his return, and has since slipped to the fifth choice after the arrival of Gary Cahill, who has made two starts this term while benching Dann in the process – with Tomkins and Sakho both out injured.

A lot happened when Dann was out injured, but the downfall of his Palace career can be pinpointed to that one moment against Manchester City.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

When Leicester City signed Caglar Soyuncu from Freiburg the summer before last in a deal worth up to £19m barely a ripple was made. The 22-year-old was joining a club whose principle centre-backs were Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire and not many people expected the Turkish international to break that partnership up. This duly came to pass with Soyuncu making only six league appearances last term with a couple of EFL Cup games thrown in.

When Leicester City sold Harry Maguire in early August for a world record fee for a defender an awful lot of ripples were made, but returning to Soyuncu he was now even more off the grid. All the attention beyond the Maguire sale centred on who the Foxes would be bringing in to replace him with Burnley’s James Tarkowski mentioned many times in dispatches along with Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake.

Just one month into the new campaign and they’re talking about Soyuncu a lot now. And so far the reviews have been spectacular.

It all began on the opening day of the season when the floppy-fringed giant put in a formidable performance against Wolves at the King Power Stadium. So impressive was the display he reportedly received a standing ovation from his team-mates post-match and highly deserved it was too. Soyuncu made the second most successful passes and tackles of any Premier League defender that weekend as his unerring reading of danger and whole commitment kept the visitors almost single-handedly at bay at times.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

This commanding introduction was followed up by a further three imperious outings – that included a stoic draw at Stamford Bridge – but it is not merely the elite levels shown thus far that is rapidly making him one of the talking points of this Premier League year. With his aforementioned locks and muscular style that could be termed ‘swashbuckling’ if we’re feeling a touch whimsical, Soyuncu has already gained a cult status in the Midlands, so much so that Maguire’s name is a distant memory.

“You sense the supporters are really enjoying watching him play,” Brendan Rodgers said recently, of a role not traditionally regarded as entertaining. “He does a couple of wee maverick things that make you wonder sometimes.”

The defender’s unanticipated rise has also brought into the public domain an interesting insight into his transfer back in 2018 and the reasons behind it. In addition to being naturally attracted to an accomplished centre-back yet to hit his development ceiling the thinking at Leicester was that Soyuncu would prove an able replacement should Maguire depart for Old Trafford. To clarify: this was a decision taken in 2018, well over twelve months ago.

Check out the fan in the video below who thinks he could beat Joey Barton in a fight…

Following a season of adaptation to the demands and pace of English football the Foxes’ long-term thinking looks to now be paying off handsomely and all while saving themselves a fortune in the transfer market.

It is still too premature to be making any heightened claims about a player who is still learning and from that learning will come mistakes. But in ‘super’ Soyuncu there is enough pace, composure and bravery to take risks to know that Leicester’s future looks rock solid at the back.

[ad_pod ]

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… 

Against Barnsley, Jamie Shackleton put in a hugely impressive performance in terms of his numbers.

The young midfielder managed to complete four tackles, the same as Kalvin Phillips, while he also created three chances.

It was a big hole to fill given the consistency of Adam Forshaw this term.

The former Middlesbrough man has a pass success rate of over 90%, even if he hasn’t scored or assisted.

His performances have been understated and it hasn’t been until he’s out of the side that supporters have realised what they’ve missed.

They decided that his absence was felt hard following that victory at Oakwell and they may well be feeling the same way after Shackleton’s display against Derby.

Leeds dominated and should have been out of sight following Mateusz Klich’s penalty. He and his midfield partner had looked dynamic against Daniel Stendel’s team but in a home encounter where the Whites again struggled to get over the line, the same old problems arose.

Marcelo Bielsa ruled Forshaw out of the game last week in his press conference and Shackleton deservedly got another chance to prove what he could do.

The teenager spent some of his playing time at right-back in 2018/19 but Stuart Dallas’ emergence in that role and the imminent return of Luke Ayling suggests he’s unlikely to feature in defence.

So it’s in central midfield where he’ll presumably get minutes, but that will only happen if he now improves and finds a level of consistency.

Shackleton was rather anonymous in midfield and for all of Leeds’ dominance, he couldn’t get into the game.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He gave the ball away and was dispossessed on two occasions while he registered no tackles, shots or key passes according to WhoScored.

It was a mediocre outing for the 19-year-old who failed to prove himself to Bielsa.

This was a big chance for Shackleton given Forshaw was missing once again but in a game where Leeds were the better side, he was merely a passenger in proceedings.

He played the full 90 minutes which was rather surprising given his efforts during the match.

Bielsa has only made four changes to his starting XI in the Championship this term so he will at least have that on his side next week if the Argentine decides to stick with the same policy of not changing things up.

Barcelona have finally broken two of their biggest curses of the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga season.

The Catalan giants had two major weaknesses to address going into a really tough away from home fixture at Getafe: keeping a clean sheet and winning away from the safety of the Camp Nou.

Both issues saw some improvement in their latest 2-0 victory and Gerard Pique was very much the star of the show.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Defenders rarely get the praise they deserve and since his name wasn’t on the scoresheet, it’s very easy to overlook Blaugrana’s 32-year-old veteran, his colossal contribution to the team and especially to the clean sheet they now have.

Not to mention that this was indeed their first one in the domestic competition and their overall first away victory in the 2019/20 season in general.

Pique contributed to it with seven aerial duels won, a total of six clearances throughout the game and probably the most impressive of all – zero times dribbled past. It’s safe to say that the Spaniard was a real rock in defence and his presence made sure Barcelona would get their clean sheet and their victory.

But that wasn’t all he did on the night.

Pique was very much involved throughout the game, always asking for the ball and successfully orchestrating play. As a result, he tallied 69 touches on the day, sharing the second place with Sergi Roberto and only behind Junior Firpo’s 76.

He furthermore deployed a total of nine accurate long balls out from the back, contributing to the team’s offensive style of play as well.

Even though he is getting on with 32 years already behind him, Pique is very much still essential to everything Barcelona represent. If they’re going to continue their good defensive displays, they will need him at his very best.

Rangers paid striker Joe Dodoo a ‘sizeable’ amount to terminate his contract with the club, according to a report from Football Insider.

The 24-year-old joined the Ibrox club in 2016 from Leicester City, but failed to really make an impact north of the border and scored just five goals in 27 appearances.

He spent time on loan at both Charlton Athletic and Blackpool before manager Steven Gerrard told him that he was not part of his plans moving forward, and therefore could leave the club permanently.

However, according to the report from Football Insider, there wasn’t much interest from clubs in the top three divisions of English football which led to a stalemate.

Eventually, there was interest from Bolton on transfer deadline day, with the Trotters being forced to hastily put together a squad at the last minute following their financial problems.

Rangers agreed to allow the player to leave by mutual consent in order to get him off the wage bill, but the report from Football Insider suggests that they had to take a financial hit to get the striker out the door.

Dodoo has joined Bolton Wanderers on a deal until the end of the 2019/20 season. He will hope that he can reignite his career in Lancashire after a disappointing spell in Glasgow which didn’t work out.

At 24, he still has his best years ahead of him, and at this point of his career, the move certainly makes sense as it will allow him to get regular first-team football.

Rangers fans, were you happy to see Joe Dodoo leave Ibrox this summer? What do you make of the fact that the club had to pay him a sizeable amount to move on? Let us know in the comments below…

There is perhaps one positive from Tottenham’s hammering by Bayern Munich on Tuesday night- it surely can’t get any worse.

In what was a game that the north London outfit’s fans will be wanting to forget as soon as possible, the Bundesliga champions mauled Spurs 7-2. In all fairness, the Bavarian juggernauts were incredibly efficient, scoring 70% of their shots on target, but history will only remember the scoreline. For Mauricio Pochettino and co, it is an embarrassing one.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Worse still were the goalscorers. Serge Gnabry, formerly of Arsenal – and of course the man who Tony Pulis said wasn’t good enough for West Brom – scored four as he ripped through the Lilywhites’ defence time and time again. It seems he has fully recovered from the crushing blow of Pulis’ verdict.

Being a former Gunner, the Arsenal supporters were quick to react after seeing him destroy their big rivals. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social median platform below.

Arsenal fans have been reacting to a tweet put out by the club showing a goal scored by former Gunners’ midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

After the Welshman left the club to Juventus on a free transfer in the summer, 2019 marked the end of an eight-year stay at the Emirates.

The 27-year-old was led to believe that he had come to an agreement to renew his contract at the club. However, Arsenal withdrew the offer to extend due to his high wage demands, per the Guardian.

Arsenal’s Goal of the Day featured a cheeky finish from Ramsey during the Gunners’ 5-1 victory over Fulham last season.

Understandably, supporters enjoyed looking back at Ramsey’s career and some pleaded to the club to bring the Welshman back to the Emirates.

Of course, he has enjoyed a strong start to life in Italy, scoring on his Serie A debut against Hellas Verona in a 2-1 win.

Here you will find the best responses from Arsenal fans: